GSA Council

GSA Council members are elected by and from members of the GSA. GSA Council governs:

  • Representation of and advocacy for the betterment of graduate student experiences. This work is carried out by the GSA President and Vice-Presidents in accordance with an annual strategic work plan,
  • The maintenance of the GSA, including membership fees and overseeing the GSA's annual budget and expenses,
  • The negotiation and provision of graduate student services and support mechanisms, like
    the GSA Health and Dental Plan, the U-Pass, and
  • GSA grants, bursaries, and awards.
The mandate of the GSA Council, in accordance with GSA Bylaw and Policy, is to "fulfill all responsibilities listed in Section 95 of the Post-Secondary Learning Act" (Section C.BYL.1.1). 

  

Composition
  • All Directly-Elected Officers as voting members,
  • All Council-Elected Officers and Deputies as non-voting members,
  • One graduate student elected from each department, faculty or extra-departmental unit at the University that offers a graduate program (Departmental Councillors) as voting members;
  • One Councillor elected by the Indigenous Graduate Students' Association (IGSA) as a voting member,
  • Ten Councillors-at-Large (CALs) as voting members, and
  • GSA Management as non-voting members.

The current membership list can be found here.

Meetings

GSA Council typically meets once a month. 

Effective January 2023, meetings will be held in-person only in 2-100 University Hall (Van Vliet Complex).

Meetings take place on Mondays, 6-9 PM (Mountain Time), on the following dates:

  • 15 May 2023
  • 19 June 2023
  • 17 July 2023
  • 21 August 2023
  • 18 September 2023
  • 16 October 2023
  • 20 November 2023
  • 11 December 2023
  • 22 January 2024
  • 26 February 2024
  • 18 March 2024
  • 15 April 2024
Materials

The complete meeting materials package will be circulated to GSA Council members in advance of each meeting. Most recent meeting materials can be found here.

Members of GSA Council who wish to place an item on the Agenda should contact the Speaker.

Visit the GSA Archive for previous GSA Council meeting materials.


How to Become a Councillor

Departmental GSA Councillors are elected by the graduate students in their department according to their own procedures. When a department has a Departmental Group, the group determines the procedure of the election. In addition to their GSA Councillor, each department has a seat for an Alternate. Alternates are appointed.

If your department doesn't have a Departmental Group, doesn't have a GSA Councillor, and you are interested in being part of GSA Council, please contact GSA Council support staff.

The Indigenous Graduate Students' Association (IGSA) Councillor is elected by the IGSA.

The 10 Councillors-at-Large are elected during the GSA General Election.

New Councillor Information

Do:

Read:

  • Consult the GSA Council Handbook, which contains all the information needed to get you ready for GSA Council meetings.
  • Please note that GSA Council members are expected to attend meetings regularly. More details can be found in the GSA Council Attendance Policy (GSA Bylaw and Policy, Section C.POL.6.3.a). 

Learn More:

Questions and concerns about GSA Council should be directed to the Speaker at gsa.speaker@ualberta.ca or to the GSA Council support team at gsa.grants@ualberta.ca.