Get Involved

Run for Officer or Apply for a Chairship

All officer positions have been elected for the 2023 - 2024 school year. Please check back in January 2024 for information on elections for 2024 - 2025 officers.

Apply Here! - https://cgs.osu.edu/secure/people/apply/officer.aspx

Before you apply ......

Any graduate student who is eligible to serve in the Council of Graduate Students (as outlined by the governing documents) is eligible to run for office, regardless of current membership in CGS (in other words, you do not need to be a current member or former member of CGS in order to run).
No student may run for more than one position in a single election.
To nominate yourself, please fill out an officer application. To nominate a fellow graduate student, please send the name and email address of the nominee to the current Vice President, Katie Conner.280. All nominations must be made and received no later than 11:59PM on MAY 5th, 2023 through either the web-based application form or in writing via email or at the CGS office.

Applying for Officerships ......

Elected officer positions that should apply through this form include President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer.

You may find the application to apply here: https://cgs.osu.edu/secure/people/apply/officer.aspx

For your qualification documents please upload any supporting documents you would like the delegate body to see with your application (e.g., cover letter, cv, resume, letter of recommendation). A resume or CV and a cover letter are highly recommended. A maximum of 5 single-sided pages will be allowed. Any documents greater than 5 pages will be cut off at the fifth page manually when the delegate packet for the elections meeting is assembled. There will be no exceptions to this policy. All supporting documents must be compiled into one PDF file.

We also (strongly) encourage you to submit your profile photo and a short biography which will be used on the website for those individuals who are elected.

The following are, in brief, the job duties for each elected officership.

President:

As laid out in the CGS Constitution (Section 8.3) the President's duties are as follows...

The President will preside over all meetings of the Council as the Chair.
The President will select the time and place of all regular and special meetings of the Council. All meeting locations must be ADA accessible and hybrid capable. The President must inform the graduate student body in writing of the time and place chosen for each regular meeting of a semester by no later than the tenth day of that semester.
The President will serve as a liaison between CGS and the Graduate School, the University administration, and The Ohio State University Board of Trustees.
The President will be responsible for ensuring the Council’s compliance with all fiscal and personnel policies of the Council, University, state, and federal government.
The President will serve as an ex officio member of the University Senate and its Steering Committee.
The President will appoint a Parliamentarian and has the power to appoint a Chief of Staff if they so choose. These appointments will be subject to approval by simple majority vote by the Executive Committee.
The President will be responsible for implementing and enacting all decisions of the Council and will fulfill other duties as directed by the consensus of the Council and the Executive Committee.
*** This officership is a .5 FTE GAship through the Office of Student Life
*** This officership is eligible to use a CGS-owned parking pass for CGS business
*** This officership traditionally serves as chair of the Ohio State University Senate Graduate Compensation and Benefits Committee, which comes with a $1500 stipend for that labor. While not required to serve as chair and collect this stipend, it is an option.

Vice President:

As laid out in the CGS Constitution (Section 8.4) the Vice President's duties are as follows...

The Vice President is responsible for overseeing and maintaining records of appointments to all University committees, Senate committees, and shared governance committees on which the Council has representation, as well as to all internal CGS committees.
The Vice President will coordinate the Edward F. Hayes Advanced Research Forum, which showcases the innovative and exemplary research being conducted by Ohio State graduate students and postdoctoral scholars across graduate degree programs and research topics.
The Vice President will recruit delegate candidates, review delegate eligibility, oversee delegate elections, and maintain records of all delegate seats. During recruitment, Vice President must contact staff members in every program to ensure that all graduate students are aware of membership opportunities within the Council.
The Vice President will oversee and serve as Chair during all elections.
In the absence of the President, the Vice President will preside over meetings of the Council.
The Vice President will fulfill other duties necessary for operation of the Council as directed by the consensus of the Council and the Executive Committee.
*** This Officership is a .5 FTE GAship through the Office of Student Life
***This officership is eligible to use a CGS-owned parking pass for CGS business

Treasurer:

As laid out in the CGS Constitution (Section 8.5) the Treasurer's duties are as follows...

The Treasurer will handle all finances of the Council and maintain an accurate record of its financial status.
The Treasurer, in consultation with the President and Vice President, will be responsible for creating an annual budget for the Council.
The Treasurer will oversee the Edward J. Ray Travel Award for Scholarship and Service, which honors substantial commitment to service and helps graduate students to pursue their scholarly goals across the globe by financially aiding them when attending distant conferences and presentations.
The Treasurer will have the power to appoint a Deputy Treasurer. This appointment is subject to approval by simple majority vote by the Executive Board.
In the absence of the President and Vice President, the Treasurer will preside over meetings of the Council.
The Treasurer will fulfil other duties necessary for maintaining the operation of the Council as directed by the Council and the Executive Committee, as needed and able.
***This officership is eligible to use a CGS-owned parking pass for CGS business

Secretary:

As laid out in the CGS Constitution (Section 8.6) the Secretary's duties are as follows...

The Secretary will be responsible for writing and publicly publishing minutes of all meetings of the Council and the Executive Committee, for maintaining records of legislation, and for communicating announcements and information to the delegate body. All minutes and legislation must be publicly published with one week of approval by a simple majority vote by the Council.
The Secretary will be responsible for maintaining attendance records and determining quorum at Council meetings as declared in Article 5, Section 1 of this Constitution.
The Secretary will oversee the Career Development Award, which encourages graduate students to prepare for placement into their chosen field and provides an opportunity to defray associated costs.
The Secretary will be responsible for ensuring that the Constitution, Bylaws, and Standing Rules are updated at the end of every semester to reflect all passed legislative amendments.
The Secretary will have the power to appoint a Deputy Secretary. This appointment is subject to approval by simple majority vote by the Executive Board.
If the Secretary is absent from a meeting, their duties will be assumed by the Deputy Secretary, if appointed, Chief of Staff, if appointed, or the Treasurer, in that order.
In the absence of the President, Vice President, and Treasurer, the Secretary will preside over meetings of the Council.
The Secretary will fulfill other duties as directed by the Council, the Executive Committee, and the President.
***This officership is eligible to use a CGS-owned parking pass for CGS business