Graduate Student Associations
Association of English Graduate Students (AEGS)
Within the department the Association of English Graduate Students (AEGS) represents the interests of graduate students. AEGS elects a president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, and also sponsors programs and parties. Through AEGS, student representatives also participate in the university-wide Graduate Student Association. Officers of AEGS are invited to attend meetings of the department's Graduate Studies Committee, enabling them to gain insights into and contribute to the decision and curriculum-making processes of the graduate programs.
Association for Computing Machinery's Special Interest Group on the Design of Communication (SIGDOC)
Members study the potentials, practices, and problems of multiple kinds of communication technologies, such as Web applications, user interfaces, and online and print documentation. As a student chapter, SIGDOC @ NCSU focuses on developing a social community for students, faculty, and alumni interested in fields like technical communication, software engineering, information architecture, and usability. Students who officially join SIGDOC enjoy various membership benefits, including complimentary materials available online at the SIGDOC Web site (including the quarterly newsletter), broad professional contacts and valuable networking opportunities, and the chance to compete in the SIGDOC Graduate Competition. Additionally, students interested in a leadership position with SIGDOC @ NCSU are invited to help plan and develop social events, learning opportunities, inter-disciplinary conferences, and more.
Sigma Tau Delta, an International English Honor Society
The NCSU Chapter of Sigma Tau Delta, Alpha Pi Theta, recognizes high scholastic achievement and offers opportunities for leadership and service as well as eligibility for several Sigma Tau Delta scholarships specifically for graduate students. Membership is open to eligible graduate students in any concentration (MFA, MA, and MS) as well as to eligible undergraduate English majors and minors. To be eligible at the graduate level, students must be in the second semester or later of graduate school and have a GPA of 3.3 or higher. Graduate students who joined a Sigma Tau Delta chapter previously as an undergraduate are lifetime members, and can have their memberships transferred to NC State's chapter easily. For more information, please contact the faculty adviser, Dr. Christopher Crosbie (cjcrosbi@ncsu.edu).
Interested students can also visit the chapter's own website,
sigmataudeltancsu.wordpress.com/.
Graduate Student Association (GSA)
The Graduate Student Association (GSA) is recognized by the administration as the voice of the graduate students. The UGSA President has full voting membership on the Administrative Board and the UGSA has the ability to present grievances to the administration on behalf of any graduate student.
The GSA also provides a variety of programs including the Outstanding TA Award, Graduate Research Symposium, and a highly competitive travel award that aims to cover the entire cost of attending a conference.
Black Graduate Student Association (BGSA)
This organization, which provides support for Black graduate students, holds monthly meetings. For information, contact their officers in Witherspoon Student Center, Room 386, 5115-8720. MAs in English have often been nominated for ACAAGS awards, presented in the spring.