Chemistry Graduate Life Committee
Health/Wellness·Community Service/Nonprofit·Education·Research
The Chemistry Graduate Life Committee (CGLC) is a graduate student-led organization supporting PhD students in UC Berkeley's Chemistry Department. Members advocate for graduate student wellness, run the department's diversity and inclusion initiative (DEWI), coordinate peer mentoring across all years, and organize social events including the weekly ChemSocial and a summer softball league. Meetings are open to all chemistry grad students on the first Friday of every month at 11 AM in Latimer 403.
Monthly
Meeting frequency
$38,012
Annual stipend (2022-2023 academic year)
5-10
Visit weekend coordinator time commitment (hours), typically leading up to and including the visit weekend
15-20
GSI weekly hours (teaching duties)
$90
Advancement to Candidacy fee
2019
DEWI crowdfunding campaign concluded in April
Events They Host
ChemSocial
Weekly Friday afternoon social at 5 PM on the Chemistry Plaza, from the first visit weekend in March through Halloween. Includes kegs, wine, non-alcoholic drinks, and snacks. Special events during the season include live music by grad students (final Friday of every month), a department-wide bake-off, a Graduate Student Art Show, a HomeBrew Contest, a Halloween Costume Contest, and joint STEMSocials with other departments.
Holiday Party
Annual party held on the last Friday of classes in December in the College of Chemistry Plaza, open to all grad students, post-docs, and professors. Includes food, beverages, and skits performed in Pimentel Hall by students and faculty.
Summer Softball League
An official recreational softball league open to all College of Chemistry members including professors, grad students, undergrads, and post-docs. Season runs June to August. The winner is engraved on the College of Chemistry Cup. Team signup begins in March.
Diversity and Inclusion Focus Group (DIFG) Series
A recurring, structured series of facilitated discussions on diversity, equity, and wellness topics for all College of Chemistry members. Topics have included mental health, LGBTQ+ inclusivity, transgender issues in academia, communicating with advisors, and letters of recommendation bias.
Graduate Student Poster Session
An annual poster session where chemistry grad students present their research. A 2020 session was held virtually via Zoom on March 30, 2020, from 1:00-2:30 PM.
Visit Weekend
Multi-day prospective student visit weekends held on the first three weekends in March. Includes a Thursday night welcome mixer, Friday faculty meetings, research poster session, and faculty dinners. Grad student volunteers host and escort prospectives.
Member Experiences
CGLC Summer Social
A social gathering for CGLC members held during summer. Referenced in July 2024 meeting agenda.
Orientation Panels and Mentoring
During orientation week in August, current CGLC members serve on research area panels for incoming first-years and assign each new student a peer mentor. Additional division-specific panels are held in March/April (first year) and August (second year).