April 2025 - CGE Newsletter - lists.cge6069.org

Join the AFSP Campus Walk, our Finance Committee, and Other News!
by Erika Stewart 22 Apr '25

22 Apr '25

CGE Members and Community, CGE Participates in the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Campus Walk! In the SEC Plaza on April 26th We are joining thousands of students, parents, teachers, administrators and communities across the country who are walking in the Out of the Darkness Campus Walks to prevent suicide and support AFSP's mission to save lives and bring hope to those affected by suicide. Graduate students and employees are especially at risk, with more than 6 times higher rates of depression and anxiety compared to the general average, and especially for those graduate students who are studying biosciences, trans and non-gender conforming students, women, working parents, and students of color. To support us, join the team or donate by clicking here! <https://afspwalks.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.team&teamI…> Join CGE’s Finance Committee! Help set CGE’s budget for the next fiscal year by joining the Finance Committee! This is a great opportunity to have a say in how our union allocates funds and to gain experience with budgeting and financial planning. Meetings will start in April based on the group's availability —no prior experience needed, just an interest in keeping CGE financially strong. Email treasurer(a)cge6069.org to sign up! Our First Spring General Membership Meeting (GMM) will be Tuesday April 29th, 4-6pm in WestM! At the GMM, we’ll have the usual officer updates from our Executive Council, as well as time for members to meet each other and make organizing plans together. We will also be discussing making changes to our Constitution and Bylaws and our Executive Council Nominations for next year! GMMs are an essential part of our continued organizing, and are a great place to meet and organize with both leadership and membership outside of your department. Staying involved and staying informed is how members can keep our union strong. Join us 4/29, 4-6pm at Westminster House (101 NW 23rd St)! Dinner Provided! Hardship Fund NOW OPEN The CGE Hardship Fund is now open for the spring term! Applications will be accepted until Friday, April 25. The Hardship Fund is open to all CGE members and associate members. There are no strings attached to the hardship fund and you will never be asked to pay back any funds you receive. Information about the Hardship Fund and the link to apply can be found here <https://www.cge6069.org/connect/hardship/>. CGE’s hardship fund is intended to help OSU graduate students with unplanned or irregular expenses. These include moving costs, medical emergencies, funerals, travel, childcare, legal services, and many other expenses. If you are unsure whether or not your expense qualifies for the hardship fund, please apply anyway – the application process is fast and there is no downside to applying. COMMITTEES AND CAUCUSES: Contract Action Team (CAT) Meetings every Friday, 12-1pm, in Cordley 4329! We need more CATs! Our CATs do all of our on-the-ground work, including turnout to events, talking to members, planning actions, and so much more. You can commit as much or as little time as you have. If, since the strike, you have wanted to continue to be involved in organizing efforts, but don’t know where to start, come to a CAT meeting in Cordley 4329! Mental Health Caucus every Tuesday at 1pm in the WestM Student Lounge! Mental Health Caucus meetings for the Spring term will be Tuesdays at 1pm in the Westminster House Student Lounge (101 NW 23rd St)! This group aims to create a community for grads, organize campaigns around specific mental health issues, work with community groups, plan direct actions, and anything else that would help support the mental health of grads. Let our Co-VP for Membership, Vic, know if you have any questions by emailing them at vp_membership(a)cge6069.org! Caucuses (with a few exceptions) are open to members and associate members only, so let any other member you think may be interested know! UPCOMING EVENTS: CGE’s Annual Brew-Off is June 7th! On June 7th, CGE and GTFF (UofO’s graduate worker union) will be hosting our annual Brew-Off! If you are a home brewer (of beer, cider, wine, mead, kombucha, or anything brew-able), it’s time to get brewing! Compete with us against GTFF and show off your brews to CGE membership and community. IF you are interested in brewing for the Brew Off, please fill out this form <https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfv4RpfDwjZJSIITAezJPlXECU0zsmmybm…>! If you are interested in volunteering (for free entry!) please fill out this form <https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdPEsCpndg7wf0buO1Dh6SxqCr2mffEeA5…>! If you have any questions about the event, contact Rachael, our VP for Social Activities, at activities(a)cge6069.org. Solidarity forever, Erika, VP for Communications

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Justice for Women in Ag Rally TOMORROW! Plus GMM and Other Announcements
by Erika Stewart 14 Apr '25

14 Apr '25

CGE Members and Community, Justice for Women in Agriculture Rally TOMORROW 1:30-3pm in front of Strand Hall A recent incident in the Horticulture Department has highlighted broader concerns about sexual harassment, gender discrimination, and bullying that continue to affect women in our community and across academia. This rally, held during Sexual Assault Awareness Month, is about more than responding to a single event, it’s about building a culture of visibility, care, and accountability. We want to bring attention to the harm that often goes unseen or unacknowledged, and create space for healing, truth-telling, and solidarity. Even as efforts have been made to discourage us from organizing and speaking publicly, we are moving forward. We believe that silencing helps no one. Together, we can create a more just and supportive environment, not just in Horticulture, but across OSU. Our First Spring General Membership Meeting (GMM) will be Tuesday April 29th, 4-6pm in WestM! At the GMM, we’ll have the usual officer updates from our Executive Council, as well as time for members to meet each other and make organizing plans together. We will also be discussing making changes to our Constitution and Bylaws and our Executive Council Nominations for next year! GMMs are an essential part of our continued organizing, and are a great place to meet and organize with both leadership and membership outside of your department. Staying involved and staying informed is how members can keep our union strong. Join us 4/29, 4-6pm at Westminster House (101 NW 23rd St)! **Dinner Provided!** Hardship Fund NOW OPEN The CGE Hardship Fund is now open for the spring term! Applications will be accepted until Friday, April 25. The Hardship Fund is open to all CGE members and associate members. There are no strings attached to the hardship fund and you will never be asked to pay back any funds you receive. Information about the Hardship Fund and the link to apply can be found here <https://www.cge6069.org/connect/hardship/>. CGE’s hardship fund is intended to help OSU graduate students with unplanned or irregular expenses. These include moving costs, medical emergencies, funerals, travel, childcare, legal services, and many other expenses. If you are unsure whether or not your expense qualifies for the hardship fund, please apply anyway – the application process is fast and there is no downside to applying. COMMITTEES AND CAUCUSES: Contract Action Team (CAT) Meetings every Friday, 12-1pm, in Cordley 4329! We need more CATs! Our CATs do all of our on-the-ground work, including turnout to events, talking to members, planning actions, and so much more. You can commit as much or as little time as you have. If, since the strike, you have wanted to continue to be involved in organizing efforts, but don’t know where to start, come to a CAT meeting in Cordley 4329! Mental Health Caucus every Tuesday at 1pm in the WestM Student Lounge! Mental Health Caucus meetings for the Spring term will be Tuesdays at 1pm in the Westminster House Student Lounge (101 NW 23rd St)! This group aims to create a community for grads, organize campaigns around specific mental health issues, work with community groups, plan direct actions, and anything else that would help support the mental health of grads. Let our Co-VP for Membership, Vic, know if you have any questions by emailing them at vp_membership(a)cge6069.org! Caucuses (with a few exceptions) are open to members and associate members only, so let any other member you think may be interested know! UPCOMING EVENTS: CGE’s Annual Brew-Off is June 7th! On June 7th, CGE and GTFF (UofO’s graduate worker union) will be hosting our annual Brew-Off! If you are a home brewer (of beer, cider, wine, mead, kombucha, or anything brew-able), it’s time to get brewing! Compete with us against GTFF and show off your brews to CGE membership and community. IF you are interested in brewing for the Brew Off, please fill out this form <https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfv4RpfDwjZJSIITAezJPlXECU0zsmmybm…>! If you are interested in volunteering (for free entry!) please fill out this form <https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdPEsCpndg7wf0buO1Dh6SxqCr2mffEeA5…>! If you have any questions about the event, contact Rachael, our VP for Social Activities, at activities(a)cge6069.org. Solidarity forever, Erika, VP for Communications

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Constitution and Bylaws Meeting TOMORROW! And Other Reminders...
by Erika Stewart 08 Apr '25

08 Apr '25

CGE Members and Community, Our First Spring General Membership Meeting (GMM) will be Tuesday April 29th! At the GMM, we’ll have the usual officer updates from our Executive Council, as well as time for members to meet each other and make organizing plans together. We will also be discussing making changes to our Constitution and Bylaws and our Executive Council Nominations for next year! GMMs are an essential part of our continued organizing, and are a great place to meet and organize with both leadership and membership outside of your department. Staying involved and staying informed is how members can keep our union strong! Dues/Changing Status Reminder As a reminder of CGE policies, Associate Members who have signed a Dues Authorization Form (a Blue Card!) will become full members automatically if they join the bargaining unit as a Graduate Employee. However, members that leave the bargaining unit (for example, those that move to hourly work or get a fellowship) must set up regular payment in order to retain member status as an associate member (instructions here <https://www.cge6069.org/members/join/>)! Reminder: Full members contribute %2 of their monthly salary to CGE while Associate members contribute $10 per month! COMMITTEES AND CAUCUSES: Mental Health Caucus every Tuesday at 1pm in the WestM Student Lounge! Mental Health Caucus meetings for the Spring term will be Tuesdays at 1pm in the Westminster House Student Lounge (101 NW 23rd St)! This group aims to create a community for grads, organize campaigns around specific mental health issues, work with community groups, plan direct actions, and anything else that would help support the mental health of grads. Let our Co-VP for Membership, Vic, know if you have any questions by emailing them at vp_membership(a)cge6069.org! Caucuses (with a few exceptions) are open to members and associate members only, so let any other member you think may be interested know! Constitution and Bylaws Committee Meeting Wednesday (TOMORROW), 5-8pm in the CGE Office! The constitution and bylaws committee will be having their second two meetings TOMORROW at 5-8pm in the CGE Office (the basement office of Westminster House!). This committee will be creating amendments to the CGE constitution, which will then be voted on by membership at the spring GMM. Anyone is welcome to join the committee. We met once in March to get trained on our constitution, how to make an amendment, and get started creating them. We are meeting again to finalize our amendments and send them off to get voted on! UPCOMING EVENTS: CGE’s Annual Brew-Off is June 7th! On June 7th, CGE and GTFF (UofO’s graduate worker union) will be hosting our annual Brew-Off! If you are a home brewer (of beer, cider, wine, mead, kombucha, or anything brew-able), it’s time to get brewing! Compete with us against GTFF and show off your brews to CGE membership and community. If you are interested in brewing for the Brew Off, please fill out this form <https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfv4RpfDwjZJSIITAezJPlXECU0zsmmybm…>! If you are interested in volunteering (for free entry!) please fill out this form <https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdPEsCpndg7wf0buO1Dh6SxqCr2mffEeA5…>! If you have any questions about the event, contact Rachael, our VP for Social Activities, at activities(a)cge6069.org. Solidarity forever, Erika, VP for Communications

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