What is it?

The Discover Governance program aims to educate and empower graduate students from a range of backgrounds and disciplines to run for office at the GSA and, in doing so, lend their voice to the decision-making processes that shape their academic and personal experience during their time at the University of Alberta.

Discover Governance offers informative sessions each year in advance of the GSA General Election in February. Email us at gsa.frontdesk@ualberta.ca with any questions or requests for alternate times for any of our sessions.

Sessions
* Can't make these dates? Email us at gsa.frontdesk@ualberta.ca & we would be happy to schedule an alternate session for you.
How Does The GSA Work

TBA

There's no better place to start than here. Learn everything you need to know about the GSA and how its elected student leaders help shape the graduate student experience.

This session will provide information on the GSA governing structure and ongoing work, as well as give a brief overview of the positions of Councillor-at-Large; and the positions of President, VP Academic, VP External, VP Student Services, VP Student Life, and Associate VP Labour.

Meet the Current Student Executives

TBA

What better way to "discover governance" than to meet the very people carrying out the work for the 2023-2024 term? Learn everything you need to know about how these elected student leaders help shape the graduate student experience.

Base Camp

Let's get down to the nitty gritty. Discover the weekly workload, committee memberships, and anything else that matters for each of the six elected student executive positions. Attend any or all sessions! (TBA)

  • Session One: President 
  • Session Two: VP Academic 
  • Session Three: VP Student Services
  • Session Four: VP External 
  • Session Five: VP Student Life
  • Session Six: Associate VP Labour

 

The GSA is led by a team of student executives, collectively and formally known as the GSA Directly-Elected Officers. Starting with the 2023-2024 term, the team will be composed of the President, VP Academic, VP External, VP Student Services, and a newly-established VP Student Life. An additional role, the Associate VP Labour, will be elected by and for the benefit of Academically-Employed Graduate Students (AEGSs). All the graduate students serving in these positions are elected each year in February in the GSA General Election to serve a one-year term. Each of the student executives has a specific portfolio for which they are responsible.

The President is a graduate student with interest in all issues relating to the graduate student experience at UAlberta: from academics, to services, to health and wellness, to academic employment and professional development. They chair the GSA Board, GSA Budget and Finance Committee, and GSA Governance Committee. In addition, they serve on the GSA Council, as Vice-Chair of the GSA Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee, and on a number of governing bodies external to the GSA such as the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research (FGSR) Council, the General Faculties Council and several of its associated standing committees, and the Board of Governors and its associated standing committees. The President meets regularly with senior University administration including the President, Provost, Dean of FGSR, Dean of Students, as well as meeting with leaders of other UAlberta constituency groups/associations. The President is also involved in the external advocacy efforts of the GSA to the government.

 

The VP Academic is a graduate student with interest in representing the graduate student body in academic matters, including details relating to program and degree requirements, academic standing, and professional development. In addition to the GSA Board and the GSA Council, they serve on a number of governance bodies including the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research (FGSR) Council and its associated standing committees, and General Faculties Council (GFC) and its associated standing committees. They also meet regularly with the Dean of FGSR.

The VP Academic serves as the chair of the GSA FGSR Council Caucus and the GSA GFC Caucus, each of which are composed of graduate students elected to serve on the FGSR Council and the GFC, respectively .

The VP External is a graduate student with interest in representing graduate students to the community beyond campus. They advocate for the betterment of the graduate student experience at all levels of government. In addition to the GSA Board and the GSA Council, they serve on a number of committees including the GSA Awards Selection Committee, the Alumni Council, the Alberta Graduate Provincial Advocacy Council (ab-GPAC), and the Edmonton Student Alliance.

The VP Student Services is a graduate student with interest in representing graduate students to key players that provide UAlberta graduate students with essential services. These services include the GSA Health and Dental Plan, the U-Pass, the Graduate Student Assistance Program (GSAP), as well as a host of University of Alberta-provided services.

In addition to serving on the GSA Board and the GSA Council, they oversee GSA grants, awards, and bursaries and serve on a number of governance bodies including two U-Pass committees, the Campus Food Bank Board of Directors, committees associated with the Physical Activity and Wellness (PAW) Centre, and other student health and wellness committees. They also meet regularly with the Dean of Students.

The VP Student Life is a graduate student who has overall responsibility for matters related to graduate student life and the overall graduate student experience. These include, among others, University residence matters, GSA outreach, graduate student groups, matters related to equity, diversity, and inclusion, and other issues as assigned.

Their work further includes connecting with GSA Graduate Student Groups and other student groups, and supporting said groups in their engagement with the GSA, as needed.

In addition to the GSA Board and the GSA Council, they serve as Chair of the GSA Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee, Vice-Chair of the GSA Governance Committee, and serve as a member of FGSR Council.

Since the GSA is the trade union for UAlberta Academically-Employed Graduate Students (AEGSs), the AVP Labour serves as the head of the union that represents these workers and their interests in the negotiation of the collective agreement. The work of the AVP Labour relates directly to the Graduate Student Assistantship Collective Agreement, and requires among others frequent one-on-one meetings with AEGSs. The AVP Labour also works with representatives of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), with whom the GSA has a service agreement.

In addition to serving as a non-voting member of GSA Board and the GSA Council, they serve on a number of governance bodies related to labour, including serving as the Chair of the GSA Labour Relations Committee, as well as serving as a member of the UAlberta Joint Worksite Health and Safety Committee and as a non-voting member of the GSA Budget and Finance Committee.

 

Discover Governance is an initiative presented by—and part of the mandate of—the GSA Nominating Committee.