Welcome Black Graduate Students,
On behalf of the African American Graduate Student Association (AAGSA), we would like to welcome you to the 2020-2021 academic year. Black graduate students bring a unique cultural representation to the University of Alabama community. We are thrilled to have you here at the Capstone.
All Black graduate students at UA are represented by AAGSA, whose mission is to serve as a source of social and emotional support for black graduate students and to actively promote the interests of black graduate students. In addition, AAGSA will serve to promote the retention of black graduate students and increase minority representation on the campus of The University of Alabama. All Black graduate students, regardless of year of entry, are automatically affiliate members of AAGSA but can become a full voting member by paying dues. However, due to current pandemic and uncertainty of in-person activities, we have opted to waive this semester dues for all our members. We are doing so because our dues have largely been used for food, beverages and other materials that were required for in-person meetings and there is simply not a need currently.
Throughout your time at Alabama, whether you have been here for many years or just got here, we invite and encourage you to become an active, full member of AAGSA. One of the best ways we can serve you is to provide a safe space and learn about your experiences. Every semester, we hold two general body meetings, which provide you with an opportunity to raise your concerns and to network with other Black graduate students. Our first general body meeting is on August 27, 2020 at 5:00PM via Zoom, and our second general body meeting is on October 21, 2020 at 5:00PM via Zoom. We look forward to meeting you!
To help you throughout your graduate school experience, AAGSA usually hosts several professional, service, and social events during the semester. As you can imagine, we are faced with some new challenges this year and have had to adapt our events and activities to the current pandemic climate. This year, we want to get your feedback on your expectations from us as an organization and event ideas that would best benefit you during this time. We’ve created this short survey to get your input: AAGSA Fall Feedback Survey. We will close the survey August 28, 2020 at 5pm.
We encourage you to attend our events so you can network, socialize, and enjoy your time here. We will send out emails throughout the semester, but you can stay up to date by following us on:
Facebook: fb.com/AAGSAatUA, Instagram: @AAGSAatUA, Twitter: @AAGSAatUA, or Slack: aagsaua.slack.com
Overall, we’re excited to begin the new academic year, and we look forward to seeing you at our upcoming events! If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at any time at aagsaatua@gmail.com!
Roll Tide,
Karena Gill, AAGSA Co-President
Dudley Moore, AAGSA Co-President