CGS Delegate FAQs

CGS Delgate Job Duties, Expectations, & FAQs

This page is under construction, we will be updating it with information and additional details as we craft them.

Delegate Job Duties (As Outlined in CGS Governing Documents)

• Attend all delegate meetings. Delegate meetings are held on Fridays once a month from 3:30pm-5:30pm.
• Identify an alternate from their department if they are unable to attend.
• Sit on at least one CGS internal committee.
• Sit on at least one external University Committee. External committees are defined as those not originated by CGS.
• Keep the Vice President and the appropriate committee chair informed (by regular written or verbal communication) of their work on and relevant issues from their University Committee.
• Regularly communicate with their constituents, sharing and gathering information/questions.
• Regularly communicate with their department chair, graduate studies chair, and/or graduate program coordinator, sharing or gathering information/questions
• Be aware of and support the overall mission of the CGS.

Running for & Being a CGS Delegate (from the perspective of former CGS Delegates)

• What makes a "good" or "effective" delegate? 

  • "Someone who is engaged, aware, and communicative"
  • "Able to direct your constituents to the CGS officer in case there are concerns to be addressed. Also, able to provide information on opportunities that they can apply to such as CDG, RTA, Hayes Forum, etc."
  • "Someone who do inform their constituents about what is going on."
  • "Being engaged with your constituents, knowing what matters to them."
  • "Asking good questions, both to your fellow delegates as well as other university stakeholders. Good email etiquette. Proactively communicating with your constituency."
  • "I listen to people and try help them to navigate or direct to the correct person."
  • "A desire to help; showing up; good, prompt communication."
  • "Forward the CGS news emails you receive as a delegate to the other graduate students in your department (consult with your department to see if there is a graduate student listserv or contact group and how you can easily email everyone)."
  • "I think it's very important for delegates to stay in consistent communication with their constituents while paying close attention to not just discussions at CGS meetings, but in the university at large."
  • "Hold a CGS information session in your department to make your constituents aware of the purpose of CGS, the grants and awards available to students, and issues we are currently working on.  You can use this as a time to seek your constituents feedback also. "

• Why did you originally choose to run for delegate? What made you interested in the role?

  • "Wanted to work on problems that affect graduate students in my department, but that can only be solved at the University level."
  • "The main reason I ran was because the previous delegate for my department told me about it and encouraged me to apply, as she believed I would be a good fit for the position. I was interested in the role both because I wanted to make sure my department was represented and because I was curious about the inner workings of the grad student government."
  • "Get more involved on campus and meet other graduate students across different departments."
  • "I wanted to make sure my department was represented, and I was interested in learning more about what the Council of Graduate Students does."
  • "To get aware about the ongoing event/policies and to advocate to change them if necessary."
  • "Another member of CGS invited me; I really wanted to know how the university worked"
  • "I want to be a bridge between our department's students and CGS. In addition, to provide more information to our constituents about what are the updates in our university and opportunities/events that they can apply and participate."
  • "I was actually asked to serve by the prior delegate from my program. We are a pretty small interdisciplinary program and we had only recently got a seat at the table, she was graduating and really wanted to make sure someone took over her seat - of course, I wanted us to have a voice, so I decided to apply!"

• What is your average/estimated hourly time commitment as a delegate?

  • "2-4 hrs/week"
  • "I would say about five hours a month at the bare minimum. This includes the monthly Friday meetings, committee meetings, and any external work you might be doing on behalf of CGS as a whole or on behalf of your committee."
  • "On average about 1-2 hours a week"
  • "1-2 hours per week."
  • "5-10 hours per month"
  • "3-4 hours/month"
  • "~2 hours per week"
  • "6 hrs a month (including the CGS meetings)"

• How has serving as a delegate helped you grow as a scholar, advocate, student, and/or person?

  • "I have learned a lot about the university bureaucracy, and how one can work both in and out of the system to advocate for change."
  • "I have learned more about how to talk to people outside of my department, and I better understand what else is out there and being done by graduate students in other areas."
  • "I now know more about the internal processes in the university."
  • "I am more informed on issues that affect OSU graduate students and I have gotten to help plan and implement activities for OSU graduate students. I have also started advocating more for issues that will impact grad students."
  • "Getting to know and interact lots of peoples across departments itself is a exciting role. To collectively advocate for the necessary change in university level while by interacting with individuals with their day to day issues have helped me personally to be humble and make maximum use of available resources."
  • "I've become so much more aware of how much university (and state) politics affect the student body. I listen more and pay attention more to what's going on in my department and in the university as a whole. Even outside of CGS I have found myself becoming more involved in activism on and off campus and more willing to speak up when there is something wrong or to think creatively when faced with difficult problems."
  • "It helps me to be more empathetic and to be an encouragement to others."
  • "I have learned a lot about the experiences of other graduate students, I have felt a sense of solidarity that I think is pretty hard to feel when you're a lone grad student, doing your lonely research (haha I don't work in a lab - so maybe other people feel less alone in their experience). But that definitely helped me grow out of my imposter syndrome and become a less timid advocate for grad students."

• What's your favorite part about being a delegate?

  • "Working with other smart and dedicated delegates."
  • "Getting to plan and implement activities for other OSU graduate students."
  • "I love seeing how things work "behind the scenes," and it's also wonderful being more directly informed about what is going on at the university and why. I also get a clear sense of how much work is being done by CGS members to ensure a positive campus environment."
  • "To delegate the information form constituents to a wider mass of CGS."
  • "Gossip from all across the university!!"
  • "I appreciate the chance to meet and connect with more graduate students who care about similar things and are working to make our situations better."
  • "I like hearing from people with unique perspectives. I also think its pretty inspiring to be in a group of people that are engaged with graduate student concerns and are aiming to improve the graduate experience."
  • "Being able to know first on hand what is going on and how to help on my part to contribute to a solution."

• What other advice, information, considerations, etc. would you share with those unsure/thinking about running for delegate?

  • "Mentioning is the closest thing we have to a union."
  • "You should be able to ask from the previous delegates how it is to be part of CGS. Don't be shy, there are no silly questions. =)"
  • "I would encourage everyone to apply if they are interested in representing their program. I think if they would like to do some service in their time as a graduate student, CGS is a great means to do so. Also, it allows you to be more in the loop about what is going on around campus, what issues need advocacy and should be drawn to constituents' attention, and you get to make friends with people in other disciplines. Pretty cool. At first, I was quite overwhelmed at CGS meetings even though I went through orientation. I didn't know what was going on and I struggled to keep up with the formal language and structure that comes with rules of order... but I stuck around and I think it is very worth it. If you feel this way, I would advise you to be more engaged, ask questions, talk to the people in charge or the people who have been in CGS for longer - they usually know what's going on."
  • "Reach out to current or former delegates to get the scoop from a firsthand perspective. If you're good at facilitating with your fellow grad students in your department and maintain (or think you can easily maintain) clear communication with them, this may be a good position for you."
  • "Even if you are not sure of what you will be doing or if you will like it or not, go for it! Its a life time experience and a small escape from day to day graduate life to make thing better for students."