The Graduate Students’ Association Council is the legislative authority of the GSA. It provides direction for the executive, and has the final word on all matters. Council includes graduate student representatives from every department, school and institute offering graduate programs at Carleton. Departments with more than 25 full-time graduate students have 2 Council seats, whereas smaller departments have 1 seat.
How can I get involved?
To become a councillor, a nomination form must be completed. See the Council Nomination Forms section.
If there are more candidates than seats for a given department, then the students of that department must hold an election to choose their Council representative(s).
All graduate students have speaking rights and may be present for all business during Council meetings (with the exception of the rare times when council goes “in camera”), however only councillors (or their proxies) may vote. If you would like to attend a GSA Council meeting, consult the schedule on this page for dates and locations.
For more information contact the VP Operations (vpo@gsacarleton.ca).
Why is it important to get involved?
- GSA Council represents all students enrolled in the Faculty of Graduate and Post Doctoral Affairs. To do this properly, it is essential that students from every department have their perspectives, ideas and concerns represented.
- Sitting on the GSA Council provides great experience! You can learn about how the university is run, gain insight on how a democratic non-profit organization works, as well as receive updates on what graduate students at other universities are up to.
- It’s fun! Council is a great way to meet other graduate students across a variety of disciplines and get involved in the graduate student community at Carleton.
What type of time commitment is required?
The basic time commitment of a councillor is one meeting per month. Beyond this, there are various committees that councillors may participate on, including the Scholarship and Awards Committee, the Organizational Review Committee, the Accessibility Committee, and the Political Action Committee.