Grad rep? Moi?

Grad Students… Be your department Grad Rep to the GSS!
 
What do the Graduate Representatives do?
-  represent the interests of fellow grad students in your department
-  report back to your home department on discussions and decisions made during grad council meetings
-  where possible, sit on one university committee a year
-  hold a departmental meeting at least once a semester to discuss common issues of concern and bring concerns and issues raised back to grad council 
-  participate in major governance decisions about the GSS (e.g. last year, the Grad Rep Council was involved in discussions regarding changes to the health and dental plans)
-  attend the monthly grad rep council meetings the Annual General Meeting and Semi-annual General Meeting
-  participate in GSS sub committees and represent graduate students to committees of the university

How do I become the Graduate Representative?
It is up to students in each department to select a representative. This call for grad reps should be forwarded to students in your department by email by the department graduate secretary. Typically interested students submit their name to the graduate secretary, and if there are several candidates, elections are held either by ballot in the department office, email vote or election at a meeting of all graduate students in the department. The nature of the election is determined by the students in the department, and usually depends on the number of students enrolled, whether the department has a department graduate students union that can administer the election, and whether many students are studying by distance. Departments should make efforts to select the representative before the first meeting of the Council on Tuesday, September 27 

Can there be more than one representative for a department?
Grad Council meetings are open to all members of the Society. However, each department has only one vote. If the representative is unable to attend a meeting, an alternate may attend in her/his place. If a representative fails to attend three consecutive meetings without sending an alternate, she or he shall be deemed to have resigned from the Council.

When does the Council meet?
Grad Council meetings are usually held on the last Tuesday of each month, at 5 pm at the Graduate Students' Centre (see exceptions below). In September there will be a meeting September 27 at 5pm. normally, there is no meeting in December or between April and August. Pizza or other light fare is served for dinner. (January 2012 meeting will be on Tuesday the 24th).

I’ve been elected, what now?
Please ensure that your grad secretary sends notice of your election to the GSS by email at gssmgr [a] uvic.ca. Successful candidates can contact Stacy Chappel at gssmgr[at]uvic.ca to provide contact information and obtain more information.

Any questions:
Please call/email Stacy Chappel at 472-5163 / gssmgr[at]uvic.ca.