Get Involved
Last edited by Antony Chung (2008-01-19 23:30:59)
There are several ways to get involved in the GSA, the student representation of Graduate College,
- Run for an elected position.
- Temporarily fill a vacant position.
- Join a sub-committee.
- Volunteer to help on a one-off basis.
Join the GSA Exec
The best way to get involved is to join the GSA Executive Committee - the executive officers meet fortnightly and put in several hours a week to do everything from providing a contact point for welfare advice and representing graduates at University meetings, to organising our social nights in the bar and arranging sports teams.
Becoming an Exec member is not only very rewarding, it's a great way to meet new people and learn valuable skills (especially teamworking) useful in both academia and the world of work.
You can become part of the exec by standing for election. If positions are vacant, you can volunteer to fill a vacant position by contacting the existing members. The GSA can temporarily appoint someone to a vacant position as an acting officer, until the next election, when they must either run or stand down.
Positions can be seen on the current executive list, with roles and responsibilities covered in the constitution.
Elections
Members of the College elect officers during Week 8 of the first term. Other by-elections happen termly during the year to fill vacant positions.
No experience is necessary. If you are interested, we would love to hear from you - don't be put off from running just because you you are new to the Graduate College, or don't think you've got the skills or the experience. Most members of the Exec join without any previous experience - the GSA and LUSU provide all the training you need. Many students are on one year Masters courses, so a whole new committee, made up of new students, needs to be elected each year.
If you have some initiative, are dependable and responsible, you'll do great!
Job Sharing
Most positions can be shared by more than one person - in fact positions such as Sports Officer and Social Secretary work a lot better when shared between two or more people.
Sub Committees
For more details, see this page.
Volunteering
If you don't want to stand for a position but still want to help out, for example with socials, with organising sports events, then please tell us - we are quite an informal organisation and welcome all help.