Student input for the External review of the Biology Department Texas State University-San Marcos

1. Student input for the External review of the Biology DepartmentTexas State University-San Marcos - Based on a survey of biology graduate students

2. Biology Graduate Students • 3 out of 4 of all graduate students serve as IAs or GIAs • 34% of all graduate students also work outside the dept. • Of those 50% also serve as IA’s • 50% support families • 15% have no health insurance • 52% primarily pay for tuition through loans

4. Positive Points… • Great faculty • Good facilities and research environment • New Masters program in Population and conservation biology is a valuable asset • New courses like population genetics, ecological modeling, landscape ecology, etc. are broadening our academic diversity • Most GIAs and IAs feel that their teaching load is reasonable and are satisfied with their experience

5. Problem areas…. • Lack of cohesiveness within the department • Wildlife vs General biology • Freeman Aquatic building vs SUPPLE building • Two diverse groups of faculty • Training government employees/ technicians • Training academians

6. Diversity in faculty • Faculty members training technicians • Not many publications • Many graduate students (AVERAGE 6 grad students/ faculty member) • Faculty members training academians • Have many publications • Have fewer students (AVERAGE 2 grad students/ faculty member) • This diversity creates problems with regard to • Faculty interactions during meetings • Hiring new faculty • Annual faculty achievementsand promotions • Graduate student degree requirements

7. TUITION • All GIAs and IAs pay in-state tuition HOWEVER • Graduate student tuition increases every year • GIA/IA salary too low to meet the increasing tuition • 34% of grad students teach AND work outside the department to meet their needs • 50% of grad students support families

8. IA salary: $900/month • GIA salary: $ 1375/month • Instate tuition rates for graduate students per semester (full time minimum- 9hrs) • Tuition and fees: $1690 • Graduate increment: $450

9. Undergraduate Student enrollment • Increase in undergraduate student enrollment • Do we increase the number of lab sections to accommodate more students? • Thus increasing the demand for IAs/GIAs • More funding will be required to recruit and retain new graduate students • Do we stop offering lab-intensive classes and instead have more lecture-only classes?

10. Aquatic resources Ph.D. program • Students feel that faculty are still unsure about the degree requirements • Several discrepancies and contradictions about the Advancement to Candidacy. This is the 3rd year of the program and no students have advanced. • Some 3rd year students don’t have a research project or a major advisor • Low salary and lack of project funding is a main issue raised by students

11. Some suggestions from students… • More interaction and cohesiveness must be encouraged among faculty • Collaborations within and outside the department needs to be encouraged • Grant-writing workshops for students and faculty would be very useful • Ph.D. faculty should be more informed about the requirements and should guide their students in a timely manner

12. Some suggestions from Students Cont’d….. • Graduate tuition reimbursement • Texas law requires students to pay tuition but reimbursement of tuition may solve students’ financial problems • Increased salary/tuition reimbursement would increase the students’ amount of time for research and reduce need for a 2nd job • Competitive teaching positions would motivate current students to work better • Ultimately, attracting more quality students to the department