BGA Mission Statement

The Biochemistry Graduate Association (BGA) was formed in 1992 by a group of motivated graduate students. Their initial goals were to promote the welfare of Biochemistry graduate students, improve the education of those students and to enhance communication between faculty and students. In the ten years since, the BGA has achieved those goals and more, and has become an integral part of the Biochemistry and Biophysics department. The BGA is now involved with almost all aspects of departmental policy, from graduate programs to recruiting and admissions and student opinion on everything from courses to teaching to faculty hiring is valued. Through all of this we have remained committed to our overall goals of improving the overall quality of graduate student life and education. We strongly believe that the level of graduate student involvement in our department is unparalleled anywhere, and is one of the greatest strengths of our department. An executive committee of elected graduate students runs the BGA, and an elected faculty member serves as a faculty advisor. From modest beginnings, we have expanded the executive to include 7 elected members and 4 appointed members. Elected members include president, vice-president, treasurer, secretary, Graduate Programs Committee rep, Graduate Student Council rep, and Graduate Recruiting and Admissions rep. There are also two International Student reps, a Social Event coordinator and our invaluable Webmaster. The faculty advisor provides valuable insights on faculty opinion and reports on our meetings at faculty meetings. The BGA is funded in part from departmental resources – largely derived from Graduate Enhancement Funds. GEFs are paid as a mandatory part of tuition, and are distributed to colleges and departments. We also sponsor a vendor show in August of each year, and the generous contributions of our vendors provide funds for the annual research competition, held during recruiting weekend. The BGA meets monthly through the fall and spring semesters to plan upcoming events and to coordinate student involvement in departmental activities. These meetings are also an opportunity to discuss departmental issues and to air grievances, which can then be addressed by the group. Problems faced by a large number of students are typically brought to the attention of the department, and the BGA works closely with the faculty to ensure that issues are resolved. The role of liaison between students and faculty is one of our most important functions, and the BGA maintains an excellent relationship with the faculty.