English Graduate Student Association (EGSA)

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Our Mission

The mission of the EGSA is to enhance the academic, professional, and social experience of English graduate students at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign by:

• Providing training events, academic resources, and mentorship to graduate students;
• Organizing social events that contribute to the graduate student culture
• Facilitating channels for feedback and representing graduate students in discussions with the department; Disseminating information about the Graduate Employee Organization (GEO) and university resources; and
• Working with the department leadership to promote a respectful, fair, and uplifting working environment for all graduate students.

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EGSA Committees

Executive Committee

The major responsibilities of the Executive Committee includes, but is not limited to: 

• overseeing the nomination and election of new EGSA committee members; 
• participating in meetings with faculty and advocating for graduate students as needed; 
• supporting and communicating with other committees as needed to ensure that we’re serving current grads’ needs and interests; 
• serving as liaison between the EGSA and the graduate office by communicating with the DGS and the office manager; 
• and arranging and advertising other EGSA social events throughout the school year.

Colloquia Committee

The Colloquia Committee creates and organizes two to three colloquia aimed at graduate students per semester.

Library Committee

The Library Committee works with the faculty Library Committee; works closely with the literature and languages librarian to find out ways to better meet the needs of English graduate students; serves as a liaison between the library and English grads; and arranges events as appropriate to help encourage grad student interaction with library resources.

Rhetoric Advisory Committee

The major responsibilities of the Rhetoric Advisory Committee include, but are not limited to: providing counsel and service to the Rhetoric Program; providing feedback about how the Rhetoric Program can best support students, instructors, and the University; and administering the Rhetoric Program Teaching Awards and the Rhetoric Student Essay Contest Awards.  

Writing Studies Committee

The Writing Studies Committee meets with the English Writing Studies Committee once a year to discuss courses that writing studies faculty will teach the upcoming year; informally polls the graduate students in English Writing Studies about the classes they would like to see taught; and informs the committee if they’re having trouble meeting any requirements so that gaps might be filled.

Departmental Committee on Inclusion, Diversity, and Outreach

The Departmental Committee on Inclusion, Diversity, and Outreach broadly deals with issues of departmental diversity, inclusion, equity, and outreach; reports periodically to the Advisory Committee and Head; and reports annually to the department as a whole.

Advisory Committee Representatives

Graduate Student Representatives to the Advisory Committee attend meetings of the Departmental Advisory Committee and assist or manage special projects that might aid in meeting EGSA’s mission. For example, during 2017-2018, the EGSA Advisory Committee adjuncts were tasked with creating a Graduate Studies Climate report for distribution to the wider faculty.

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For more information

Get in touch

Current students are invited to join our Discord server for community and communication beyond formal emails. For detailed instructions, see our EGSA Discord Tutorial. 

For new and prospective students

If you're new to the department or to Champaign-Urbana, or considering joining or applying to the department, check out our Guide for New and Prospective Students. From getting your student ID to housing, the guide offers an overview of resources for living and working in Champaign-Urbana. 

We're here to help

If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, contact us at egsaatuiuc@gmail.com.