The History Graduate Association (HGA) exists to help history graduate students not only survive but also enjoy their stay in the History Graduate Program at Western Washington University. Think of it as a social club, an advocacy group, a mini-labor union, and an ombudsman all wrapped up into one organization. Along with social events, the HGA compiles resources useful for a graduate student's success.
Each year, the student body votes for two co-presidents (one who is a History MA student and the other an Archives and Records Management student) who act as liasons between the department/faculty and the graduate students.
One of the main ways you'll encounter the HGA is through events; we try to throw events at least once a year (usually at the beginning or end of each quarter) that serves as a chance for us to come out of our caves and away from our desks to socialize, vent, and have fun. Keep an eye on the HGA calendar for upcoming events, and we'll send out reminder emails before the major ones.
The HGA also collects and disseminates information and resources to help graduate students get what they need. Our Resources section has information on funding (scholarships, grants, and the like to help you make ends meet), forms and other paperwork you'll need to pay attention to and fill out, and a Contact page in case you need to let an HGA co-president know about a critical issue right away. We also have a Student's Toolkit built specifically for prospective and incoming students to give them all the information and tools they need upfront so they know what's expected of them and how to accomplish their goals while here at Western.
The HGA co-presidents also act as an interface with the Department of History and the department faculty especially for graduate students. If you find yourself struggling with coursework, feel like you're being swamped with too much grading as a teaching assistant, or have some other issue that requires confidentiality or anonymity, let an HGA co-president know. Their main job is to help you deal with any issues or problems you might encounter while protecting you as a student. They will also occasionally be the channel of information whenever the department or faculty want to pass information down to the graduate student body.