Comparative Literature and English Association of Graduate Students Constitution (2014)

CoLEAGS is an organization designed to improve the academic, professional, and social experience of all graduate students in the Department of English and Comparative Literature through effective advocacy, organization, and planning.

 Accomplishing this mission involves the following activities:

  • Understanding the concerns of graduate students and advocating to see that those concerns are addressed; this is accomplished through periodic surveys of and Town Hall Meetings among the graduate students, as well as informal discussions with graduate students about issues of concern to them.
  • Facilitating effective, professional, and collegial communication between graduate students and members of the faculty and administration; this is accomplished in part through regular meetings with the department’s Director of Graduate Studies and through CoLEAGS’ appointment of a representative to sit in on appropriate departmental faculty meetings.
  • Organizing events that foster professionalization among graduate students, including the Graduate Colloquium series, the Grad Forum, and the departmental Symposium.
  • Organizing events that enrich the intellectual environment of the program.  This is accomplished through CoLEAGS’ sponsorship of the Critical Speakers Series, the Boundaries of Literature symposium, and the Furst Forum; all of these activities foster contact between UNC’s graduate students and excellent scholars from other universities.
  • Planning social events to build a sense of community and provide opportunities to network with other graduate students and faculty, including the annual departmental Pig Picking celebration.

 CoLEAGS Officers 2022-2023

President
Erik Maloney

Vice Presidents
Jillian Kern
Jordan Williamson

Treasurer
Mandy Fowler

Communications Officers
Everett Lang
Thomas Simonson

Community Engagement Chairs
Andreley Bjelland
Lindsay Ragle-Miller

Professional Development Chairs
Eleanor Griggs
Rachel Warner

Graduate Lecture Series Coordinators
Tony DiNardo
Charlie Lee

Furst Forum Coordinators
Ariannah Kubli
Carson Watlington

GPSG Senators
Nathan Quinn
Mindy Buchanan-King

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Florence Dore

Dr. Marsha S. Collins, as the Department Chair, meets with CoLEAGS presidents biweekly to keep the organization abreast of developments that might affect graduate students, and, in concert with the CoLEAGS officers, advocates for graduate student needs and concerns to the faculty and administration at large.