Archives – Council of Graduate Students

2025 Write Winning Grants Webinar

Register By 12/11 for COGS/Grad School Discount!

Write Winning Grants comprehensively covers practical and conceptual aspects essential to the proposal-writing process. Learn how to tailor your content to relevant agencies, develop strategies for each section of the application, and to articulate your proposal in a way that makes reviewers want to read it.The Graduate School and COGS will pay $75 of the $95 fee for a limited number of doctoral students to attend. Hurry to register by Dec. 11th! More information and REGISTER HERE

RCPD is hosting a Community Group for Neurodivergent Graduate Students!

Meetings will take place: Wednesdays from 5:30pm-6:30pm

beginning October 2nd on Zoom and will run for 7 weeks. Attend one, a few, or all meetings.

Register for meetings at this link: https://tinyurl.com/yzksehdp

This group is a place for you to connect with peers through shared experiences, conversation, and advice. We will cover topics like diagnosis stories, stereotypes, personal relationships, and a lot more. Being neurodivergent can mean a lot of things to different people, but generally refers to folks whose “neurocognitive functioning diverges from societal standards of normal” (e.g. Autism, ADHD, Learning Disabilities, mental health conditions). More info here: https://stimpunks.org/glossary/neurodivergent/

If you have fellow graduate students who consider themselves neurodivergent or relate to neurodivergence in general, feel free to forward this email to them. Group members do not need to be officially affiliated with RCPD to participate.

FALL WELCOME SCAVENGER HUNT!

COGS and The Graduate School are sponsoring a fun, fall welcome Scavenger Hunt – open now through August 30th! Participants will explore Michigan State University’s campus while searching for key landmarks and locations. Complete the checklist for a chance to win some swag and prizes from the MSU Graduate School and COGS! Just have fun and get oriented to campus. Remote- friendly questions are also included! Can’t get to all the locations, or not here on campus? No worries! Partial submissions will also be put in a random drawing pool to win prizes. Students can also log in multiple times to finish the hunt over time. Participants must be graduate or professional students enrolled for the upcoming semester to win prizes. (Not enrolled, but want to join the fun of exploration? Feel free to download the scavenger hunt list pdf document on the webpage and have fun too!)

Scavenger Hunt Information Here

Take a Spartan Nature Walk – with COGS!

Come with COGS as we participate in a nature walk with our friends from the Dept. of Forestry! Our hosts are tree experts and will add some fun facts as we enjoy the fresh air! We’ve always wanted to discover the beauty of Baker Woodlot. Now is a great time and we hope you’ll come too!

Date: Saturday, September 7th, 2024

Time: Starts at 1PM *Approx. 1 hour walk

MEET AT: EAST entrance to Baker Woodlot on Bogue Street, next to the Life Science building

Find out more! SPARTAN NATURE WALKS

COGS Fall Welcome Celebration is Saturday, August 24!

Save the date! Saturday August 24, 2024

COGS Fall Welcome Celebration will take place from Noon to 3PM at Benefactors Plaza, behind Chittenden Hall.

Join us and your fellow graduate & professional students as we celebrate the start of a new year at MSU! Family friendly event – find out more HERE!

COGS Grad Paddle Event – July 15th

Graduate & Professional Students: Try your hand at paddle boarding or kayaking FREE with COGS at the MSU Sailing Center on Monday, July 15th! COGS is hosting TWO SESSIONS of paddle boarding, no experience needed! The Sailing Center staff will be there to help you. *No pre-registration is needed, but event is strictly First-Come, First-Served, accommodating up to 30 paddlers (per available equipment) at each session. *Please arrive at least 15 minutes ahead of desired session to check in, sign the required liability waiver, and be fitted with safety gear.

*If you arrive after the session is started, you may be required to wait until sailing staff is able to assist or attend a different session.

COGS Grad Paddle Event

Location: MSU Sailing Center

5918 Shaw Street Haslett, MI 48840

Session 1: 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm

Session 2: 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm

Bonus! Feel free to explore Lake Lansing Parks area while you’re there!

COGS + GREAT Block Party!

Graduate & Professional Students: You’re invited to join COGS and the office of Graduate Educator Advancement and Teaching (GREAT) for an afternoon Block Party on July 17^th from 2:00 -4:00 pm. Get outside, bring a friend, and join us on the front lawn of Chittenden Hall for some fun and camaraderie! We’ll have lawn games, cards, fun snacks, music and conversation. Come on out to our neighborhood and hang out with us! No pre-registration needed.

COGS + GREAT Block Party

Chittenden Hall – Front Lawn*

Wednesday, July 17^th from 2:00-4:00 PM

*downstairs lounge in case of inclement weather

Enjoy Carillon Concert at Beaumont Tower on July 31st- with COGS!

Stop by Chittenden Hall (466 W. Circle Dr) front lawn between 5:30pm and 5:45 pm on Wednesday July 31st, and walk over to the lawn by Beaumont Tower to enjoy this classic MSU summer carillon event together with COGS and your fellow graduate & professional students! Music starts at 6PM, so if you miss us for the walk over, just look for us over by Beaumont. Picnics welcome! Bring blankets or lawn chairs to sit on.

On Wednesdays throughout July and into August, MSU College of Music presents this popular Muelder Summer Carillon Series. Concerts start at 6pm and are free and open to the public. After each recital, the tower will be open for tours and a demonstration of the carillon.

Click here for a map to Beaumont Tower.

See Schedule for more Carillon Concerts!

✔️ Out the Library – with COGS!

Friday, September 27, 2024 from 9:00AM to 10:00 AM at The MSU Library – 2nd Floor West, Digital Scholarship Lab

Please register to attend (encouraged, not required): REGISTRATION

Join us for a fun and informative look at the bounty of resources offered on 2-West, MSU Main Library! We’ll gather first in the Digital Scholarship Lab and meet our hosts. We’ll then get an up-close, interactive tour of the following stations:

✔️360 Room & Virtual Reality (VR) Room at the DSL

✔️Digital Multimedia Center

✔️Makecentral – Book Publishing, Poster Printing, Passport Services…

✔️Makerspace – 3D Printing, Laser cutting, Lending Tech, and more!

Afterwards, feel free to explore any of the labs or areas on your own or make a 1-1 appointment for consultation with Library staff if you like!

COGS Bonfire – Join us November 1st!

Join us for some fun around the fire! Cider & donuts, games, trail access, & camaraderie with fellow gradaute & professional students. Students wishing to hit the trails for a night hike are encouraged to bring a flashlight. You may also bring a blanket and/or lawn chair for sitting around the fire.

Details:

Friday, November 1st from 6:00-9:00 PM

Location:

Fenner Nature Center Group Campground (Northeast corner) Private Parking on site

We will have access to our own private parking lot. When you pull into the main entrance, keep following the road until you see a dirt driveway to your right (there will be a sign here, too). If you are planning to take public transportation, bus routes to Fenner Nature Center can be found here.

Pet Policy/Fenner Nature Center: You may bring your pet, but please make sure they are leashed and cleaned up after.