Ice Skating With COGS – February 14th 2026!
Join us at the Munn Ice Arena for some fun on the ice! Free for all graduate and professional students & their accompanied guests. Skate rentals included.
Saturday, February 14th, 2026
6:30-8:30 PM
Snow Tubing with COGS! *SOLD OUT
EVENT IS SOLD OUT.
Want to try this out some other time? The Parks website has a link to ticket reservations for other days.
Looking for adventure this winter? Why not try out snow tubing @ Hawk Island with COGS!
COGS has a LIMITED number of timed tickets for a night out on the snow tube hill,on Friday, February 6th. Tickets will go on sale on 1/26/26 an Noon EST. Come join COGS as we hit the hills together!
Date: Friday, February 6, 2026
TIME: 7:45PM to 9:30PM
LOCATION: Hawk Island Snow Tubing Hill
1601 E. Cavanaugh Road, Lansing, MI 48910
COST: $12.00 – fully refundable deposit, but ONLY after checking in at the event. No other refunds will be issued once purchased.
*Car fees for entrance to park may be extra and area not included.
Purchase on COGS Storefont link at the top of this page. Once purchased, you will receive further instructions and information via email.
Park Info:
Hawk Island Park Website: https://pk.ingham.org/parks/hawk_island.php
Phone: Park Manager – 517-676-2233
COGS Graduate Resource Series
The COGS Graduate Resource Series, a virtual workshop series presented by the Graduate Welfare Committee, connects graduate & professional students with vital campus resources through informal, expert discussions, providing insights, Q&A opportunities, and practical guidance for student success and well-being.
Spring 2026:
- January 29 – Meg Moore, Director of Graduate Office of Wellbeing (GROW)
- Recorded Session – GROW
- Slides – GROW
2025 Recorded Sessions:
- Feb 4th (2-3PM EST): INVOLVE@STATE Features Lance Sharp, Associate Director, Office of Spartan Experiences
- RECORDED SESSION
Lance Sharp discusses all things student organizations and Involve@State. The INVOLVE platform is your one-stop resource at MSU for all Registered Student Organizations on campus. If you belong to a GSO/student group on campus or in your dept. or are interested in forming/joining one, this is for you!
- Feb. 11th (2-3PM EST): OFFICE OF FINANCIAL AID Features John Garcia, Graduate Student Aid Coordinator from The Office of Financial Aid
- RECORDED SESSION
John Garcia works with departments, including the Graduate School, on fellowships, presentations, and individual student concerns and issues related to loans, cost of attendance requests and financial planning. John is an expert in graduate/professional student financial aid and an invaluable resource here at MSU! Don’t miss this one!
- Feb. 18th (2-3PM EST): OMBUDSPERSON Features Dr. Shannon Lynn Burton, University Ombudsperson.
- RECORDED SESSION
Dr. Burton discusses the role of the office of the Ombudsperson, which is a confidential, safe space to discuss both academic and nonacademic concerns. She’ll explain how you can utilize their services and answer your questions.
- Feb. 25th (2-3PM): MSU HR Features Taylor Unrath, lead HR from MSU Human Resources for student and graduate assistant health insurance plans.
- RECORDED SESSION
Get help navigating the often-confusing world of health insurance and learn where you can go to find answers when you have questions.
- March 11th (2-3PM): STUDENT-PARENT RESOURCE CENTER Features Kim Steed-Page, Director of the MSU Student Parent Resource Center and her team
- RECORDED SESSION
If you are a student who is also a parent, this one is for you!
- March 25th (2-3PM): GRADUATE EMPLOYEES UNION Mary Ellen Rutemeyer, GEU Chief Information Officer and Lamont Stephens, GEU Staff Organizer join us for the event.
- RECORDED SESSION
In this session, you can learn about the Graduate Employees Union!
We hope you find this series informative! If you have questions, please contact us via email at office@cogs.msu.edu. Be sure to keep up to date on these and all COGS events on our website here: cogs.msu.edu/upcoming-events/
Virtual WORKSHOP: Quarterly Estimated Tax for Fellowship Recipients
SPECIAL: Sign Up Now and you’ll also have access to the 2026 version for next year’s taxes!
COGS has partnered with Dr. Emily Roberts and Personal Finance for PhDs again this year to offer this workshop for students on fellowships to learn how to manage quarterly taxes. A limited number of registrations will be available at a discounted cost for MSU graduate & professional students.
Please Note: This workshop is targeted to currently enrolled MSU graduate or professional students who are US citizens, permanent residents, and residents for tax purposes who are not having federal income tax withheld from their paychecks.
*DISCOUNTED COST: $5 – open to currently enrolled MSU Graduate or Professional Students to Register, first-come, first-served, until all spots are filled. You may be given other options to enroll if the discount program fills up. Full Retail Registration Cost: $34*
Format: This is a largely asynchronous workshop. Upon registering, you will receive your login information over email. After logging in to the workshop, you can immediately access the modules (videos with transcripts) and spreadsheet. You also have the ability to receive answers to your questions by attending a live Q&A call or submitting a question in writing. The recordings and transcripts of the calls and answers to submitted questions are added to the workshop within about a week.
More Details: Your stipend or salary is almost certainly considered taxable income by the IRS, even if your university does not withhold income tax from your paychecks. How can you prepare to pay your tax bill and stay on the IRS’s good side? Whether your objective is to save up for your eventual tax bill, avoid an underpayment penalty, or both, this workshop shows you how to accomplish it in a time-efficient manner. The Estimated Tax Worksheet in Form 1040-ES tells you definitively whether you are required to make estimated tax payments and how large your tax bill is this year, and this workshop walks you line-by-line through how to fill it out. The workshop also addresses the common scenarios that graduate/professional students face, such as switching on to or off of fellowship mid-calendar year and being married to someone who has automatic income tax withholding.
Discounted $5 Workshop Registration Link
Dr. Emily Roberts is a personal finance educator specializing in early-career PhDs. Through her business, Personal Finance for PhDs, she equips graduate students, postdocs, and PhDs with “real jobs” to make the most of their money. She gives seminars at universities and for associations; interviews PhDs on her podcast; and creates courses and workshops on taxes, investing, and more. Emily holds a PhD in biomedical engineering from Duke University and lives in San Diego with her husband and two children.
