GSA General Director Election

Graduate Students’ Association General Director Elections

Call for Applications: General Directors
Nomination Deadline: September 21, 2020, 4:30 p.m.
Campaign Period: September 22 & 23, 2020, 4:30 p.m.
Voting Period: September 24 & 25 (up to 11:59 p.m.), 2020
Elected Term: October 1, 2020 – September 30, 2021

The Graduate Students’ Association (GSA) is the sole official representative body of graduate students at the University of Guelph. The GSA acts as a liaison between graduate students and University administration, with GSA representatives sitting on most University committees, presidential task forces, and boards. For more information on the GSA, please visit uoguelph.ca/gsa.

The GSA is operated by a Board of Directors, which consists of an elected Executive Committee, up to two (2) General Directors from each department and up to two (2) International Student Representatives; Indigenous Representatives and LGBTQ2SIA+ Student Representatives.

Duties of Graduate Students’ Association General Directors

General Directors serve as the primary mode of communication between the GSA and their University departments. General Directors are required to:

• attend monthly meetings of the GSA Board, held on Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m. (held virtually for fall 2020)
• communicate GSA news back to their department via:
  • Monthly Newsletter
  • Board Meeting Update Newsletter
  • (Rare) communication from GSA outside of Board Meetings
• represent the GSA on at least one GSA or University-level committee and provide a brief monthly written committee report to the GSA seven (7) days prior to each Board Meeting.

According to the GSA Constitution and By-Laws:

4.4.1. A General Director shall be removed from their position if:

• a) they are absent without regrets from any three (3) regularly scheduled meetings of the Board of Directors, including the AGM;
• b) they are absent with or without regrets from any four (4) regularly scheduled meetings of the Board of Directors, including the AGM;
• c) they are absent with or without regrets from three (3) consecutive regularly scheduled meetings of the Board of Directors, including the AGM; or,
• d) they fail to fulfill their duties as General Directors as outlined in Section 4.1 for three (3) consecutive months.

General Director Nomination Process

1. Eligibility

Full time and part time graduate students who are GSA members (according to GSA By-laws Section 2.0) with the intention to be enrolled for the fall 2020, winter and spring/summer 2021 semesters. The elected term is from October 1, 2020 to September 30, 2021.

2. Nomination Period

Send an email application to the GSA Chief Returning Officer (CRO) gsacro@uoguelph.ca by the nomination deadline, including the required information (see below). Paper applications will not be accepted.

3. Campaigning Period

Candidates have the option of campaigning for their position. The campaign period runs September 22 & 23, 2020. All campaign materials must be approved by the CRO and must be removed by 4:30 p.m. on the last day of the campaign period. This includes all use of social media (Facebook, twitter etc.). No campaigning materials are permitted during the voting period.

4. Voting Period

The voting period will be held September 24 & 25, 2020. In the event of a single nomination for any department, there shall be a (yes/no) vote to ensure that the candidate is satisfactory to the membership. Please contact the GSA CRO for further information.

Graduate Students’ Association General Director Application Form

Please send an email (using your U of G e-mail account) application to: GSA Chief Returning Officer, gsacro@uoguelph.ca. Include all content in the body of the e-mail. Please include the following information:

1. Full name
2. Student I.D.
3. Name of Department
4. Brief autobiography of up to 150 words (which will be considered a public document)

Note: the ballot will include your name, department, and autobiography. Any autobiographies that exceed the word limit will be cut off at 150 words.

Your email nomination form indicates that you have reviewed the duties of the GSA General Directors and are familiar with the relevant GSA By-laws. For more information and to view the Board Meeting schedule, please visit uoguelph.ca/gsa.

The GSA Board meets monthly (except August 2021) Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m.; Meetings will be held virtually for the fall semester.

GSA CRO (Chief Returning Officer), Drew Anderson, gsacro@uoguelph.ca.