COGS Representatives

Every academic program with graduate students here at the U elects from its students one representative to COGS.

Representatives are the most important component of COGS. COGS relies on representatives to listen to their constituents to find out how grad students feel about policies and other issues, facilitate discussion among graduate students about graduate student life at Minnesota, and to bring new issues to COGS from their departments.

The basic, essential duties of a COGS representative are as follows:

  1. Find out from your constituents (the other students in your department) what issues are important to them and what they want to see COGS do.
  2. Represent these issues to COGS by attending the monthly General Assembly meetings.
  3. Communicating what you have learned back to your department after the monthly meetings.
  4. Be attentive to department/grad student concerns throughout your tenure as your department.s representative, not only the day before a meeting.

Representatives take part in an essentially cyclical process, a circuit that charges graduate student involvement and action at the University of Minnesota. You bring to COGS your department's needs and ideas, and then take other ideas and information back to your department.

Being a representative does not take too much time--no more than a few hours per month. However, it is still a full-time job. That is, you should be known in your department as the COGS rep, and as such be a good resource to your fellow graduate students by offering your resources, expertise, and ear to their concerns.

Representatives are also encouraged (but not in the least forced) to take part in student governance at the next level. This includes becoming a member of a committee from everything to health insurance to parking, becoming a Policy and Review Council member or chair for your academic area, or becoming a Senator to represent graduate students at the University Senate. Snoop around the website, attend a meeting, or contact COGS for more information on these positions.