CGS's Internal Committees
Internal Committees
Internal Committees:
These are committees that are internally created and managed by the CGS. Internal committees can be standing committees, those mandated at the commencement of the new administration that are charged to investigate specific issues and create unique programs related to the graduate experience at The Ohio State University; and ad hoc committees, those created by the President of CGS to fulfill specific duties as and when the need arises. For more information contact CGS Vice President, Katie Conner.280.
Academic Affairs
2023 - 2024 Chair: Garrett Tatum.71
The Academic Affairs committee works closely with the Graduate School, the Office of Academic Affairs (OAA), the Council on Student Enrollment and Progress (CESP), and the Council on Academic Affairs (CAA) to ensure graduate students are receiving the best and most inclusive educational experience. The committee advocates for graduate students on issues related to academics, including research funding, faculty-student relationships and mentorship, and university/college/departmental policies.
Arts and Culture
2023 - 2024 Chair: Michela Bertossa.1
The Arts and Culture Committee provides engaging programming to enrich the Graduate student experience at The Ohio State University. Events offer Graduate students opportunities to exhibit their work and research, connect with experts in their field, and facilitate collaboration between departments at Ohio State. Our programs aim to celebrate the diversity of creative fields and cultural research at our University, and support a strong Art and Culture community.
Diversity & Inclusion
2023 - 2024 Chair: Debbie Jones.7661
The Diversity & Inclusion Committee is committed to bringing about mutual understanding and respect among all individuals and groups at the University and to eliminating all forms of discrimination. In recognition that the development of human potential is a fundamental goal in a democratic society, this committee promotes an education system that values cultural and ethnic diversity and understanding; that provides for the preparation of students for full and meaningful participation in a changing world; and that promotes equitable and fair treatment in every aspect of campus life and employment for all persons regardless of race, color, national or regional origin, sex, age, religion, veteran status, disability, and body shape or size. This committee is dedicated to programming centered on education, awareness, activism, and building social communities for diverse groups of graduate students.
Graduate Student Caucus
2023 - 2024 Chair: Peter Carrera.55
The University Senate at the Ohio State University (https://senate.osu.edu/) has legislative authority over all administrative matters concerning the University as a whole. The mission of the CGS Graduate Student Caucus is to provide a platform for graduate students to advocate for university-wide policies that work towards the general welfare of graduate students and the university. The 10 senators appointed to the University Senate by the CGS are all members of the committee. Overall, the committee's goal is to provide a unified voice at the University Senate that represents the views of the graduate student body adequately and accurately.
Government Affairs
2023 - 2024 Chair: Madeline Carrola.1
The Government Affairs Committee is focused on understanding and educating graduate students on relevant of federal, state, and local legislation. The committee aims to improve relationships between the graduate students and local elected officials and policymakers responsible for legislation relevant to the graduate student body.
Graduate Student Affairs
2023 - 2024 Chair: Om Prakash Bedant.1
The Graduate Student Affairs Committee is committed to solidifying a positive graduate experience at The Ohio State University for all graduate students. The committee, through a variety of collaborative projects, seeks to make positive change across all areas of the graduate student experience. The committee tackles a multitude of larger projects of its own volition, while serving as a reinforcing back-end support for the other CGS committees where and when assistance is needed. The committee intentionally leans into its broadly-given name in order to be as ambitious and responsive to student's needs as is possible.
Grants Administration
2023 - 2024 Chairs: Katie Conner.280
The Grant Administration Committee oversees the Career Development Grant and the Global Gateway Grant. The Career Development Grant encourages graduate students to prepare for placement into their chosen field and provides an opportunity to defray associated costs. By awarding grants of up to $350 each, CGS provides an incentive for graduate students to invest effort in their own career development while attending The Ohio State University. The Global Gateway Grant is designed to help defray costs for graduate students undertaking thesis work or research abroad. Successful applicants are awarded grants of up to $1,000 to assist with travel related expenses.
Hayes Advanced Research Forum Committee
2023 - 2024 Chair: Katie Conner.280
The Edward F. Hayes Advanced Research Forum is co-sponsored by the Council of Graduate Students, the Graduate School, the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs (OPA) and the Office of Research (ERIK). Its purposes are to: feature excellent research conducted by OSU graduate students and postdocs; recognize outstanding graduate student scholarship within the University; encourage graduate students to share their research with the Ohio State community; and, finally, to facilitate exchanges between students, faculty, the administration, and the public.
Health, Wellness, & Safety Committee
2023 - 2024 Chair: Sabrina Durso.19
The Health, Wellness, & Safety committee aims to ensure the physical and mental well-being of all graduate students at The Ohio State University. At a time where universities across the nation are promoting dialogue on student wellness, such as discussing graduate student mental health, the HW&S committee seeks to support parallel initiatives on the Ohio State campus. Specifically, through a combination of research, university partnerships, and outreach initiatives the committee is focused on creating and promoting an environment of care and wellness throughout the university. As part of this mission, the Health, Wellness, & Safety committee holds the annual “Graduate Spring Wellness Fair,” an event open to all grad students to learn more about the resources and opportunities available on the OSU Campus. At this event, the committee partners with other organizations at OSU, such as Counseling and Consultation Services, Student Health Services, RUOK Buckeyes, and the Multicultural Center (among others).
Housing & Family Affairs
2023 - 2024 Chair: Murtaza Arshad.32
The Housing and Family Affairs committee advocates for the inclusion and overall quality of life of graduate students with families at Ohio State by addressing issues related to family housing, family-oriented events and programming, and childcare. The committee works to improve the graduate student experience of student caregivers who juggle parenting, other family care, work, student involvement, and academic studies.
International Student Affairs
2023 - 2024 Chair: Yang Du.601
The International Student Affairs Committee (ISAC) primarily aims to create a more inclusive, assistive & cooperative experience for all graduate students at The Ohio State University, particularly international students. By improving communication with the Office of International Affairs (OIA), international student organizations & the graduate school, the ISCC will foster an environment in which the CGS can more effectively support the challenges faced by graduate students associated with Council of Graduate Students.
Membership Wellness
2023 - 2024 Chair: Open Chairship
The committee works on wellness as it relates to the internal organization. This committee plans both fun and professional development opportunities to build a sense of community in CGS
Ray Travel Award for Service and Scholarship
2023 - 2024 Chair: Jon Fritz.288
The aim of the Ray Travel Award is to promote the participation of all graduate students in professional conferences through financial support of these activities. Awards are given to distinguished graduate students that apply for awards. The award covers expenses such as travel, accommodation, conference registration, etc. The Ray Travel award distinguishes itself from other awards by placing an emphasis on service to department, university, community, etc.
The Ray Travel award committee will serve as the primary authority to ensure a fair, accessible, and relevant award. The committee also serves as the primary body through which award policy is defined. Examples of policy may include (but are not limited to): funding amounts, number of awards, and eligibility criteria.
Research and Data Operations Committee
2023 - 2024 Chair: Bill Wang.13945
New in 2021-2022, the Research and Data Operations Chair fills a large void in past CGS advocacy -- the acquisition and analysis of relevant data. This committee will serve in a support role to all other committees and the President and Executive Committee at large. The goal of this committee is to acquire relevant datasets and benchmarking information to support CGS’s advocacy work and to compile, present, and deliver this data to the appropriate committee chair or officer. Examples of hypothetical work may include: determining how many graduate students are enrolled/affected by a specific program or policy, conducting survey analysis to assess non-quantitative measures of graduate student experiences and well-being, and benchmarking Ohio State programs or initiatives to Big Ten and other R1 universities.
Sustainability and Environmental Responsibility Committee
2023 - 2024 Chair: Kevin Donnelly.235
The mission of Sustainability and Environmental Responsibility Committee (SERC) is to foster the development of environmentally and economically responsible leadership on the Ohio State Campus through awareness and outreach, partnerships, and engagement with the larger Columbus community. As the challenges facing the 21st century have become better elucidated by science over the past several decades, we come together to work on the most urgent and necessary solutions here at the Ohio State University campus. We will encourage sustainable practices being incorporated into the ongoing academic research, educational programing, student initiatives, on-campus operations, and the built environment.