Leadership & Representation
The Graduate Students’ Association Council is the legislative authority of the GSA Carleton. It provides direction for the executive, and has the final word on all matters. The 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
- 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 Carleton Council meeting, consult the schedule on this page for dates and locations.
For more information, contact the VP Operations (vpo@gsacarleton.ca).
- GSA Carleton 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 Carleton 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.
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.
Nomination Forms, Proxies, & Councillor Credits
There are 2 types of Council Nomination forms:
- Councillor nomination form for students in programs where there is no departmental student society.
- Councillor nomination form for students chosen by their departmental graduate student society to serve as a GSA Councillor
View the 2021 Invitation Letter to Join Council here:
If your departmental graduate student society has not registered with the GSA, please download the Departmental Society Registration Form.
If you have any questions about Council nomination forms please contact the VP Operations (vpo@gsacarleton.ca).
In the event that a councillor cannot make it to a meeting it is encouraged that you send a proxy. Proxies must complete a Council Proxy Form and submit it to the Council Chair prior to the start of the meeting. Proxies will not be recognized if this form has not been completed and submitted.
Councillors are eligible for a $20 credit (flat rate) for every council meeting attended, up to a total of (8) meetings during the Fall and Winter terms. Councillor attendance will be recorded and the funds will be held by the GSA as a credit, to be used as a reimbursement for monies spent on graduate students in the councillor’s respective department or departmental society.
For more information on the Councillor Credits, please consult the Policy Manuel, or contact the GSA VP Operations (vpo@gsacarleton.ca).
