CAGSA Stewards and Graduate Students at Halloween event

The Communication and the Arts Graduate Student Association (CAGSA) hosted its first event of the year. The event, ‘Trick-or-Treat Yourself,’ included attendance from students representing the College’s Museum Professions, Public Relations, and Communication programs. Programming included apple cider, light refreshments and activities geared toward fostering a relaxed frame of mind following the recent midterms.

The CAGSA stewards, with guidance from their adviser, prepared a Halloween-inspired social gathering held on Thursday, October 31st. Entitled ‘Trick-or-Treat Yourself’, the association’s first event of the year was a post-midterms celebration which provided the College’s graduate student community a time to gather for an evening of sweet treats, a creative photo booth and an adult coloring activity proven to help promote inner peace and mindfulness.

The attendees consisted of students from each of the College’s programs and in the spirit of Halloween, several students attended the event in costume. Hunter DeSimone a M.A. in Public Relations student and CAGSA steward, felt that events like Trick-or-Treat Yourself are an effective way to cultivate a community within the College’s graduate student population.

“As a graduate student, it can be difficult to find a community at school, as opposed to the undergraduate experience.” DeSimone shared, “The CAGSA keeps me connected with my peers, and ‘Trick-or-Treat Yourself’ was a fun way of spending time with everyone outside of the classroom.”

Looking ahead, the association hopes to implement a range of programming and initiatives for the 2019-20 academic year. Each of the CAGSA’s events are prepared by the stewards who work closely with one another and share in the common interest of continually enhancing the graduate experience within the College.

“We all worked together to encourage students to attend this event. I had a lot of fun and this was an excellent way for me to meet other graduate students within the College.” Alia Ansari, current CAGSA steward and former Assistant Director for Rutgers’ Comedy and Media committee, noted “On-campus engagement is important to me in my graduate experience here at Seton Hall and I am excited to work on the upcoming initiatives as well!”

The CAGSA hosts regular meetings throughout the academic year to discuss and prepare for programs and initiatives like its recent ‘Trick-or-Treat Yourself’ event. Formed in Fall 2017, the CAGSA works to facilitate a fellowship of students who share solidarity in the common endeavor of earning a graduate degree in the communication- and arts-related disciplines. To that end, the CAGSA serves all College of Communication and the Arts graduate students with three essential foci: social, academic, and networking.

The College currently offers three Master's-level programs, including Museum Professions, Communication, and Public Relations. In addition, four dual-degree options, including three accelerated B.A./M.A. programs and a dual M.A. degree with the School of Diplomacy and International Relations are offered.

For more information about Graduate Studies within the College of Communication and the Arts, please contact Dr. Ryan Hudes.

Categories: Alumni