We already have a venue for formal academic critique in our Graduate Seminar.  But if you're looking for a place to build community and make friends, then consider joining the CNTR Graduate Student Club (CGSC).  

The CNTR Graduate Student Club is a student-led space designed to bridge the gap between our research and our well-being. It’s where we organize, share resources, and build the community that helps us succeed in the Seminar and beyond.

The Club arranges social outings and potlucks, coffee chats, and other non-academic activities. The Club acts as a hub for resources. This includes sharing tips on hidden university funding, navigating advisor dynamics, updates from the Graduate Labor Organization, crowdsourcing data-analysis solutions, and more. The Club also provides a venue where students can ask questions without a professor in the room. 

The community-building and fun aspects of a student-led group are vital for mental health. It transforms a cohort from a group of individuals into a supportive network of colleagues and friends.

The CGSC is a graduate student-led organization that determines (within University guidelines) its own leadership, meeting cadence and agendas, and group activities. 

The CNTR will provide funding of $500 per semester to support the CNTR Graduate Student Club.  Funding beyond this amount may be approved on a case-by-case basis at the discretion of the CNTR Director and CNTR Program Manager.

This new graduate student club is just beginning!  If you'd like to help create this new space, please reach out to interim club leads, Michelle Ding or Sybille Légitime.