Elsbeth Dowd, anthropology graduate student, received a grant from her peers that made it possible to gather more information about a native Oklahoma tribe known as the Caddo.

Dowd used a $595 research grant from the Graduate Student Senate to carbon date a piece of charcoal from an archeological dig known as the Cook site. The charcoal dated back to the late 13th century, which Dowd said helped shed light on specifically when natives were active at that site.

“The GSS provides a wonderful opportunity to supplement external funding,” Dowd said. “It’s really nice to have this extra [source of funding].”

Students in five different graduate student departments won’t have the same opportunity as Dowd this semester.

These departments have been listed in bad standing by the Senate, meaning each department’s students are not eligible for Senate grants ranging from $75 to $750:

• College of Architecture

• Electrical and Computer Engineering

• Leadership and Academic Curriculum

• Landscape Architecture

• Petroleum and Geological Engineering

Graduate departments are classified in bad standing if they do not send senators to the Senate or if active senators have more than two unexcused absences during a semester, Senate chairman Derrell Cox said.

If departments communicate with the Senate, measures are taken to keep them from going in bad standing, but some departments still slip, Cox said.

“Ultimately, my goal is not to put anybody in bad standing,” Cox said. “It is a last resort.”

The five departments in bad standing were informed via email Oct. 4 their department would not be eligible for the grants if they did not submit senators, Senate Secretary Richard Russell said.

Some graduate student liaisons, who handle department relations with the Senate, weren’t yet in their positions so some departments didn’t get the notice, Russell said. A reminder e-mail was sent Thursday.

Deepak Devegowda, School of Petroleum and Geological Engineering liaison and assistant professor, received the reminder saying the school had not supplied any senators and said addressing it has become a priority.

“We are on it right now to elect new senators,” Devegowda said.

Once a department is placed in bad standing, it must remain there until it has submitted senators and those senators have served a semester without accruing two unexcused absences, Russell said.

After that, students in those departments are eligible to apply for a research or a conference/exhibition grant. The Senate receives these applications, which consist of standardized forms coupled with explanations of the research or event and analyzes them, Cox said.

The Senate then selects the worthiest applicants and awards them an amount of money based on the total money available to the Senate plus their performance on their application.

Dowd said the money received from the Senate made a big difference in her work.

“The GSS also provided an opportunity for me to get some experience mentoring an undergraduate and for her to get some experience in original research,” Dowd said.

The deadline for graduate students studying in departments of good standing to apply for a research or conference/exhibit grant is March 2.