COGS is MSU’s graduate student government.

Rachel Naegele, COGS’s president, said the organization’s recognition on campus has dwindled.

“I don’t think it’s necessarily a product of the last few years. I think it’s been happening for a while,” Naegele said. “That is part of what this year is: Defining who COGS is and what our purpose is.”

The first COGS meeting is at 5:30 p.m. today in the Castle Board Room in the Law College building.

Meeting COGS

Naegele said although most university administrators know about COGS, the organization found several college deans didn’t know its purpose or who represented the college’s constituents.

Representatives hope to meet with each dean before Oct. 16 — the deadline for each college’s leaders to submit a list of cost-saving recommendations to Provost Kim Wilcox.

COGS officials want to extend the group’s introductions past MSU’s staff and faculty and reach graduate students.

COGS Secretary Victoria Ackroyd said the group is considering hosting a bonfire next month to give graduate students an opportunity to meet other graduate students from across campus.

“These events hosted by COGS and other groups across campus really give graduate students an opportunity to move outside their departmental circles and meet some new faces,” Ackroyd said.

Uniting graduate students

MSU provides multiple resources for graduate students, but Naegele said most students don’t know how to find them.

She said a graduate student resource center could lead to more students accessing its resources.

The project is an ongoing discussion and is a goal in the next two years, Naegele said.

“Graduate students are often mainly on undergraduate campuses and most of the campus spaces are designed for undergraduates,” Naegele said. “This would give graduate students a place to go to meet other graduate students.”

Championing health care

Adam Lovgren, COGS’s vice president for graduate welfare, said high health insurance rates for graduate students with spouses and children prompted him to begin a discussion with university officials about how they could be lowered.

“If you’re paying the rent and health insurance, you basically have no money left over,” Lovgren said. “Either you just take out more loans and go deeper into debt or you do not buy health insurance through the university.”

Another issue Lovgren said he will tackle this semester is improving international students’ access to child care grants. Lovgren said only domestic students are eligible for the grant, which he said pays up to $1,000 per child per semester to help offset the costs of health care.