Residence deans, the Undergraduate Advising Program, resident assistants, resident fellows and a plethora of other resources exist to assist undergraduates with the issues that crop up as they navigate their scholastic and social lives at Stanford.

But what about those who are past their undergraduate years?

One important resource for graduate students is the Graduate Life Office (GLO), a division of the Dean of Student Affairs Office that is comprised mainly of three graduate deans. Available at all hours of the day and night through a pager system, the deans provide graduate students with advice and support on residential, personal and academic matters.

Chris Griffith, associate dean of student affairs and director of the GLO, has been at Stanford since 1980.

“Overall, my job is to do my part to create an environment that supports graduate students and student families in the pursuit of their academic goals,” Griffith says. “It requires getting to know students, being consistently informed about and responsive to their needs and concerns and being a helpful and knowledgeable resource. It also requires close collaboration with faculty and staff to collectively address student issues.”

Assistant Dean Ken Hsu, who has worked in the GLO for a year and a half, says that community building through programs and events also constitutes an essential part of his job. He recounts a successful holiday party thrown by the head community associates in Escondido Village.

“There were great conversations and much laughter among a group of very busy people in a very busy time,” he says. “Seeing the students from different disciplines and backgrounds connecting, talking, having fun and laughing together is a reminder of one important purpose of what we do.”

Assistant Dean Andy Hernandez, who’s been on staff at the GLO since 2000, explains, “We administer the residential program, help students manage personal difficulties, work closely with graduate student organizations, participate in campus-wide initiatives that address graduate student needs and concerns and sponsor University-wide welcomes. I also have particular responsibility for working with graduate student families and with undergraduates who live in graduate housing.”

In accomplishing these goals, the GLO faces certain challenges. Griffith, Hsu and Hernandez all say they find that graduate students are extremely busy and identify more closely with their respective schools, labs or departments rather than the graduate community at large. In addition, the needs and concerns of graduate students vary widely, as 30 percent of the graduate student population is international students and many graduate students are married with children.

To address the varying needs of the graduate student community, the GLO collaborates with other campus offices and academic departments. Hsu explains that the office provides “outreach and consultation” to academic departments and faculty concerning graduate student issues.

However, Griffith describes “the heart” of the GLO as the student leadership — “the folks who do the day-to-day community work.”

This includes the 105 community associates who are graduate students and their spouses or partners. They plan activities for the graduate community and can be go-to people for information or advice about Stanford’s services.

Communication and the provision of easy access to important information also rank highly on the GLO’s list of priorities.

“At the beginning of Fall quarter, we provide and coordinate orientation and informational services and programs,” Hsu says. These include the Graduate Student Information Center and the Graduate Orientation Activity Lunch and Information Event.”

To apprise students of events and to help bring together the graduate student community throughout the year, the GLO — in collaboration with the Graduate Student Programming Board and the Graduate Student Council — recently introduced the monthly “Grad Announce” newsletter, a monthly e-newsletter that highlights campus-wide events organized by the GLO, the GSC and the GSPB. Beyond “Grad Announce,” the GLO works closely with the GSPB and GSC to create new programs and address the concerns of the graduate community.

“[My job] requires getting to know students, being consistently informed about and responsive to their needs and concerns and being a helpful and knowledgeable resource,” Griffith says. “Our collective wisdom is that if you want to get to know the community and what’s on their mind, you need to go where they are.”

In addition, the deans reach out to the graduate community by attending and supporting many graduate student events and by interacting with students who approach them in search of advice or assistance.

“I enjoy the daily contact with students and their families,” Hernandez says, “especially when we can help solve a problem or connect them with a resource that will help them.”

Ultimately, all three deans agree that the best part of their jobs is working with the diverse and creative graduate student body.

“I love the rich diversity of our community,” Griffith says. “I love working alongside students to implement new programs, discuss community issues and solve problems. I like the fact that they believe that anything is possible given a good idea and the persistence to implement it.”