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International Division
GEOPALS Program
The International Division of the Geological Society of America has created the GEOPALS Program which allows GSA members to sponsor Student Associate membership for foreign geology students studying in North America. This program also encourages sponsors to communicate with their GEOPALS, taking interest in their professional development and seeking to assure that they benefit from this educational experience.
How to Nominate a GEOPAL
The Student Committee welcomes nominations of foreign graduate students, preferably those with strong credentials who otherwise wouldn't be able to afford GSA membership fees. We request that the sponsor and the student be from different departments, as an additional means of building bridges within North America on this collaborative project. A nominator or sponsor need not be a member of the International Division of the GSA, but priority will generally be given to International Division members nominations. An additional reason that we encourage you to join the International Division is so that you may help to provide guidance and may participate actively in some of its varied programs.
How to Sponsor a GEOPAL
The procedures for becoming a sponsor of a foreign student are as follows. 1. If you are on a university campus, tell the chair or GSA Campus Representative that you want to be a sponsor. If you are not on a campus or if you do not have a Campus Representative, call or write to Jim Skehan, who will send a sponsors form and a student application form to the designated chair or Campus Representative in the students department. You may also contact Jim Skehan if you wish to sponsor and be paired with a nominated student on the committee's list. 2. When the forms are completed and signed by the chair or Campus Representative in the student's department, they will be sent to the sponsor, who will enclose a check as a tax deductible contribution, made payable to GSA Foundation -- GEOPALS. On the form, the sponsor will check two of the four areas illustrated below. The sponsor then sends the package to: GEOPALS Program, c/o Membership Services, Geological Society of America, PO Box 9140, Boulder, CO 80301. If the tended supporting level is different from the above, sponsors can send their donations directly to the International Division Fund, GSA Foundation.
LEVEL OF COMMITTMENT
| $60 | Dues and Geology |
| $92 | Dues, Bulletin, and Geology |
LENGTH OF COMMITTMENT
| $60 | Current Year, One Year Only |
| $92 | Current Year, Subsequent Years as a Student |
Two Programs for Foreign and American Exchange
If the student committee of the International Committee can be helpful in facilitating
other contacts in international student-oriented projects, contact Lynn
Chyi, GEOPALS Program Coordinator, Student Committee, Geological Society of
America, Department of Geology, University of Akron, Akron, OH 44325-4101, (330)
972-7635, fax 330-972-7611.