President
Clay Michael Awsumb
Clay Awsumb is a doctoral candidate in sociology, a life-long Illinois resident from Belleville, and SIU alumnus with a B.A. and M.A. in sociology from SIU Edwardsville. Clay researches and theorizes power, resistance, culture, governmentality, and structural violence. His dissertation explores the formative roles of community organizers’ attitudes, beliefs, and values in community mobilization, organization, action, and politics. As a graduate assistant at SIUC, Clay has taught courses in the sociology department and served as an officer in the Graduate and Professional Student Council.
Email: gau.siuc@gmail.com
Vice President for Membership
Steven Gear
Steven Gear is from the small city of Kankakee, IL. He graduated from Kankakee High school in May of 2009 and began his college career in the fall of 2009 at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. He received his Bachelors of Arts degree in May 2013 and his Master of Social Work degree in August of 2016. After taking two years off, he returned back to Southern Illinois University to pursue his PhD in Rehabilitation Administration and Counseling. He is currently entering the fourth year of his program.
He is a Graduate Assistant for Project 12-Ways which is a program that provides parenting techniques to help parents better manage their home environment. He is the immediate past Student Trustee, the newly elected Vice President of Membership for Graduate Assistants United, the newly elected Vice President of Administrative Affairs for the Graduate Professional Student Council, and a member of the Black Graduate Student Association. Throughout his years at SIU, he has consistently been involved in many organizations that cater to the community, especially marginalized populations.
He plans to focus his dissertation on the impact of the Covid-19 virus on resources provided specifically for people with disabilities. His long-term goal is to own and operate a non-for-profit rehabilitation center geared toward individuals who suffer from mental illness and/or substance abuse.
Vice President for Communication
Peter Owens
He/Him
Peter is a PhD candidate in Philosophy and his research focuses on race, intersectionality, and whiteness in America. He received his MA in Philosophy from Loyola Marymount University and his BA in Religious Studies from Huntington University. He grew up in Indianapolis and is currently in his second stint in southern Illinois after living in Los Angeles for four years. He is passionate about teaching, umpiring youth baseball and softball, and playing old video games.
Email: gau.siuc@gmail.com
Secretary/Treasurer
Leroy T. Jones III
Leroy T. Jones, III is a graduate of the College of Business and Analytics with a Bachelor’s of Science in Business Management with a specialization in Healthcare Enterprises and a minor in Healthcare Management. This summer 2021, Leroy will pursue a dual degree in the Master of Health Informatics and Master of Health Administration programs which will position him to obtain his dream of opening multiple clinics and hospitals in underserved communities. Throughout Leroy’s college tenure, he has been involved in various registered student organizations and leadership roles such as:
- Saluki Ambassador (Senior Ambassador)
- College of Business & Analytics Ambassador
- Student Programming Council (Social Media Director, Homecoming Director, and Executive Director)
- Young Alumni Committee
- Student Alumni Council
- Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA)
- College of Business & Analytics Peer-2-Peer Mentor
- Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. (President & Vice President)
- Undergraduate Programming Committee
These organizations and positions have equipped Leroy with many skills such as leadership, integrity and flexibility while providing service back to the university and student body. Leroy’s passion for the student body has driven him to continue involvement on and off campus where he can be an advocate for students and some help in the community.
Email: gau.siuc@gmail.com
Steward Council Chair
Alex Lockwood
He/Him
Alex Lockwood is a fourth-year PhD candidate in Communication Studies. He received his M.A.from Southern Illinois University, and his B.A. from Georgia College and State University. He is involved with SIU’s Kleinau Theatre, the Student Communication Organization, and edits the graduate research journal Kaleidoscope: A Graduate Journal of Qualitative Communication Research. His academic interests lie in performance studies, rhetoric, and environmental communication. His current research explores the performances enacted within ecovillages, and the communicative processes involved with establishing alternative communities.
Email: gau.siuc@gmail.com
Grievance Officers
Anna Wilcoxen
They/Them
Anna is a PhD candidate in Communication Studies. They are originally from a small, mostly blue collar farming village in northern Illinois. They have undergraduate degrees in Theatre and Communication Studies, and are currently focusing their studies on socioeconomic class, performance studies, the Midwest, and gender. They also really love dogs.
Email: grievance.gau@gmail.com
Adedeji Disu
Adedeji Disu is a Ph.D Candidate in Civil Engineering at Southern Illinois University Carbondale with research interests in geopolymer stabilized soils, dynamic soil-structure interaction, conductive concrete. He received his BS in Civil Engineering from Obafemi Awolowo University,Ile-Ife, Nigeria and bagged his MS in Structural Engineering from the University of Lagos, Nigeria. He has about 10 years of extensive and quality Civil/Structural Engineering experience in Nigeria. As an SIUC Graduate Assistant, he has effectively taught undergraduate labs, graded homeworks, mentored various students. He is currently the Vice President (Finance) of the International Student Council (ISC) which has equipped him with variety of leadership and management skills. He is a member of American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and Deep Foundation Institute (DFI). Beyond Civil Engineering, he is passionate about innovative leadership and being a positive impact to his immediate environment and world at large.
Email: grievance.gau@gmail.com
Graduate Assistants United 