About Us
The Chicago Graduate Student Association acts as a collective voice for all graduate students in the Chicago campus of Northwestern University, serving their academic, social, outreach, and advocacy needs. CGSA is an all-embracing organization with a widespread agenda for and by the students from various programs and departments. Briefly, CGSA comprises of students from the Driskill Graduate Program (DGP), Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP), Northwestern University Interdepartmental Neuroscience (NUIN), Biomedical Engineering (BME), Clinical Psychology, Genetic Counselling and Physical Therapy (complete list of Chicago-based programs). The Chicago Campus Student Health Advisory Committee (CCSHAC) exists under the umbrella of CGSA to advocate for students’ needs regarding Student Health Services on the downtown campus.
The overarching purpose of the CGSA is to enrich the graduate student experience. CGSA helps in our student’s academic and professional development, acts to increase graduate students’ visibility, forms a bridge between students and graduate school administration, and fosters an atmosphere of social unity and awareness.
Contact an officer to find out more about CGSA: Email us!
Our Core Values:
Working on our values is a continuous, evolving effort to improve our culture and environment.
Inclusivity – We are an advocate for a diverse graduate student population and an equitable graduate student experience. Our organization is open to all and serves all regardless of age, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, physical conditions, cultural background, and country of origin. We are constantly working to create spaces and organize events to make them more accessible and inclusive to all.
Transparency – We aim to be transparent in our operations with open decision-making. All members’ views and opinions will be taken into consideration while making organization-wide decisions. In addition, we will make sure that our representatives’ responsibilities and job functions align with the leadership.
Teamwork & Collaboration – We strive to support each other and be good teammates by practicing active listening in our meetings, tolerance for differences, and good conflict resolution strategies.
Service – We aspire to provide quality services to graduate students in a timely and competent manner, and to work with other student organizations and university administrators to create a healthy environment for our graduate students. Our services will be provided in a fair and respectful manner with regard to the Northwestern and Chicago community consistent with available human and economic resources.
Respect for Others – We commit to creating an environment of mutual respect – treat everyone with dignity and value our members’ differences by listening to each other, being kind, collegial, polite, and thankful in our conversations.
Funding Statement
CGSA uses all its funding to plan and execute events intended to benefit Northwestern University graduate students. These events include professional development seminars, sporting events, theatrical shows, community service events, social outings, and many more (for past CGSA activities, visit our events page).
Funding for CGSA comes primarily from three sources:
1. An annual budget supplied by TGS,
2. Yearly Professional Development grant and
3. Community Building Grants (CBG).
Past CBGs awarded to CGSA include Whirlyball and Habitat for Humanity. Some CGSA social events, however, fall outside the scope of the university-approved budget. For these events, CGSA undertakes fundraising activities a few times per year. Typically, CGSA raises money by selling tickets to sporting events (e.g. Cubs and Bulls games). Any event intended as a fundraiser will be advertised as a CGSA fundraiser. It should be noted that the majority of CGSA events are made available to students at a discounted cost.
If ever you have a question about CGSA activities, please feel free to contact an officer.