Our History and Purpose

The English Graduate Student Associate has been operating in various capacities since 2000. Originally started by a group of Creative Writing graduate students, current EGSA Executive Committee members are comprised of all the graduate programs, and we  encourage more English graduate students to join the EGSA Executive Committee. We are always in need of fresh ideas and ways to build community and professional development between our department’s academic programs.

Our Purpose

Our purpose is to foster, facilitate, and encourage cross-pollination, community, and professional development. Specifically, we work as advocates for the English graduate students by fostering open and friendly communication within the graduate community and between graduate students and faculty; as well, we create activities that welcome students of all English graduate program sub-fields. Finally, strive to create a professional community that engages the faculty on behalf of graduate students and represents the English graduate student body to the faculty and to the university.

How EGSA Works

All English graduate students in the department (Literature, Rhetoric and Writing, Creative Writing, and Medieval Studies) become automatic members once they enter their prospective graduate programs. Each semester, graduate students pay a $25 fee, $10 of which goes into the EGSA fund (the rest goes to GPSA). Funds are used to support social and academic events across the graduate English program—from pizza nights to job talks to the Spring semester graduation social to poetry readings.

Responsibilities

Responsibilities of the EGSA Executive Committee include facilitation of workshops and talks, organizing social events (the largest event organized is the Spring semester graduation social), sitting on the Faculty Graduate and Faculty Executive Committees, issuing the annual Fall graduate student survey, writing a report to faculty, and ensuring graduate needs are met by department policies and operations.