Affinity Groups
The organizations listed below comprise GAPSA's IDEAL (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Access and Leadership) Student Council, a Council charged with representing graduate and professional affinity group interests across all of Penn's twelve graduate schools. Each of these organizations offer a variety of opportunities to connect academically, professionally, and socially.
LAMBDA GRADS
Lambda Grads is the university-wide LGBTQ student organization, representing all LGBTQ graduate and professional students. We work to cultivate an active and welcoming community for LGBTQ students and their allies. Recognizing the importance of inter-departmental relations among students, Lambda Grads fosters collaboration between the diverse LGBTQ graduate groups at Penn. We organize academic, social, and professional events in order to broaden and enrich the Penn LGBTQ graduate community. Our bimonthly board meetings are held at the LGBTC, and they are open to all members.
RANGOLI
Established in 1995, Rangoli is an organization that was formed to prolong South Asian culture and rekindle the spirit of various traditions and festivals with verve and vigor. We are open to every member of Penn's community as we try to reach out to the various other cultural groups. Rangoli receives its funds from the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly, GAPSA.
CSSAP
The Chinese Students and Scholars Association at Penn aims to improve the mutual understanding and friendship among all Chinese students and scholars at Penn, to protect members' legal rights, to provide members with necessary services, and to contribute to the cultural diversity of the Penn community.
LAGAPSA
The Latin American Graduate and Professional Student Assembly shall enhance the quality of life for graduate and professional students of Latin American, Latino, and/or Hispanic descent at the University of Pennsylvania through a centralized, campus-wide organizational structure that addresses their academic, social, political, and cultural needs and concerns through programming, services, and advocacy.
PGWISE
The Penn Graduate Women in Science and Engineering is a career development and outreach organization that works to correct the gender disparities in science by increasing the recruitment and retention of women into STEM fields. We use our passion for research to help foster an interest in science among girls early in their educational careers, while cultivating a community at Penn dedicated to facilitating the advancement of female graduate and post-doctoral trainees.
ERNEST E JUST BIOMEDICAL SOCIETY
PAGSA
The Pan Asian Graduate Student Association seeks to improve the academic and social lives of Asian graduate and professional students at UPenn, and increase their awareness about Asian issues. Through our various social, academic, health and wellness, and service-related activities, we seek to establish connections between both international Asian students across the graduates and professional schools, thereby fostering a sense of community among the Pan-Asian population at Penn.
BGWA
The Black Graduate Women’s Association exists to promote the visibility of Black graduate women on campus and to strengthen the relationships between Black women graduate students from all disciplines. We are devoted to providing a space that fosters well being, dialogue, scholarship, community and leadership development in the lives of graduate women of the African Diaspora at the University of Pennsylvania and beyond. We are committed to celebrating the successes and addressing the needs, unique challenges, and lived experiences of Black women, as well as those salient to Black experiences.