Council of Graduate Students
at The Ohio State University

Senator Application & Information

Get Involved as a CGS Senator and be a voice for graduate students within the Ohio State University Senate! 

Application Information

Applications to serve as a CGS Senator in the 2025 - 2026 academic year will be open from March 7th, 2025 at 3:30pm through March 28th, 2025 at 11:59pm. The election will occur at the Friday April 4th, 2025 General Body CGS meeting from 3:30 - 6:00pm. 

The elections timeline for 2025 - 2026 senators will be posted in January 2026. 

If you have questions or concerns about any of the following information or anything else concerning serving as a CGS Senator, please reach out to current CGS VP, Katie Conner.280.

To Nominate Another Graduate Student for CGS Senator...

  • Please send the name and email address of the nominee to the current Vice President, Katie Conner.280. All nominations must be made and completed applications received no later than 11:59PM on March 28th, 2025 through either the web-based application form or in writing via email or at the CGS office.
  • As election timelines are set out by the CGS bylaws, there will be no exceptions made for late nominations/applications. Your nominee will be unable to run if they do not meet election deadlines as laid out above. 
  • Senator candidates MUST be able to attend the elections meeting in order to be eligible for election.
  • We encourage nominees/candidates to reach out to a current senator or the senate caucus chair in order to better learn the role and expectations.
  • As per CGS's bylaws, only those who are voting members of CGS (delegates and committee chairs) are eligible to vote for CGS Senators.

To "Nominate" Yourself/Apply for a CGS Senator seat... 

  • All completed applications must be received no later than 11:59PM on March 28th, 2025 through either the web-based application form or in writing via email or at the CGS office.
  • As election timelines are set out by the CGS bylaws, there will be no exceptions made for late nominations/applications. You will be unable to run if you do not meet election deadlines as laid out above. 
  • Senator candidates MUST be able to attend the elections meeting in order to be eligible for election.
  • We encourage nominees/candidates to reach out to a current senator or the senate caucus chair in order to better learn the role and expectations.
  • As per CGS's bylaws, only those who are voting members of CGS (delegates and committee chairs) are eligible to vote for CGS Senators.
  • 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 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.
  • Please submit all application materials via the Senate Application Form.

Serving as a Senator:

The rules and requirements surrounding the Senator role are laid out in CGS's Constitution, Combined Bylaws & Standing Rules, and Code of Ethics and Values. Some brief information can be found below, but the most extensive and detailed information can be found in the documents themselves. 

Eligibility to Serve as a CGS Senator: 

As laid out in Article 4 of the CGS Constitution, "[a]ll graduate students enrolled at The Ohio State University are eligible to hold any Council position, elected or appointed, provided they maintain status in good standing as defined by that person’s respective program of study and as defined by The Ohio State University Graduate School."

Senator Responsibilities: 

Senator responsibilities are laid out in Article 6, Section 6.4 of the CGS Bylaws, and include (but are not limited to)... 

  • Senators will strive to attend all meetings of their respective committees, the University Senate, and the Council of Graduate Students.
  • Senators will report to CGS on their activities within the Senate monthly via a written summary to be included in the Delegate meeting packet.
  • Senators will consult with the President and the Council to develop and promote graduate student positions on the issues or proposals considered by those bodies.
  • Senators will maintain and support the overall mission of the Council and be familiar with the organization’s mission statement and governing documents.
  • Senators will be held to the standards laid forth in the CGS Code of Ethics and Values.