Student Life

Student Government

GIAL has an active student government. The Student Body Association (SBA) serves primarily to give voice and representation to the student body, provide channels of communication to GIAL entities, and to integrate all phases of extracurricular life of the student body. Members of the SBA are elected by the student body. The Student Body Association also elects a student representative to the GIAL Board of Trustees, GIAL Faculty Forum, Computer Advisory Committee, Library Committee, Safety Committee and the Institutional Master Planning Committee (IMPC).

The SBA sponsors a number of events related to student and community life.

Fall 2008 Student Events

Stories of Faith
On November 14, 2008, professors Joy and Arden Sanders and students shared ice cream while the Sanders told stories about the trials and joys of working among the Kamisau people of Papua New Guinea.

Mary Poppins Sing-Along
The musical tradition of GIAL continued on October 24th when students gathered in their homemade Mary Poppins themed outfits and sang along to all 100-something PowerPoint slides of lyrics.


International Talk-Like-a-Pirate Day (September 2008)
September 19 is International Talk-Like-a-Pirate Day and the budding linguists at GIAL celebrated by dressing the part and attempting to speak in the Pirate dialect of English throughout the day.



Trash Clean-Up
About 20 students and family members showed up to help the International Linguistics Center keep its commitment to clean up the trash alongside the road where our campus is located. Prizes went out to the most interesting pieces of trash found. One man's garbage...

I Think Trees Are Beautiful
GIAL student Julie Remington designed our school t-shirt based on the theme of "tree diagrams" that show the hierarchical structure of syntax. If you want to make it through the linguistics training at GIAL, it helps to learn to see the beauty in these trees.

• Video of the Spring 2008 GIAL Parade (YouTube)