It’s that time of year again!
The GSA is looking for our next batch of Directors and Executives to take over for the 2025-2026 academic year.
Below you’ll find all the information you need regarding what positions are available, the election process, and how to run for office.
Why joining the GSA?
Running for GSA Office or Council is a great opportunity for graduate students at Concordia University. Not only do executives and council members work to improve student life, but this professional development opportunity can be added to your Co-Curricular Record (CCR).
Important: GSA Executives and Council Members are not considered employees of the GSA, but rather members of our governing system.
Please note that members of the Executive Team are remunerated up to $1320 per month based on the amount and quality of work that they do for the GSA community.
President
The president acts as the CEO of the GSA. They are responsible for the day-to-day operations of the GSA. This includes acting as a key liason between staff and the Council of Directors and ensuring that the other executives are fufilling their duties.
Learn more about the position of president here.
Vice-President Internal
The Vice-President Internal acts as the CFO & head of Human Relations for the GSA. The Vice-President Internal is responsible for ensuring the financial health of the organization as well as upkeeping a institutional record of all documents used in the GSA.
Learn more about the position of vice-president internal here.
Vice-President External
The Vice-President External acts as the head of Public Relations at the GSA. They act as the main liason between the GSA and external bodies (this includes vendors, other external student groups, etc.)
Learn more about the position of vice-president external here.
Vice-President Academics & Advocacy
The Vice-President Academics & Advocacy acts as the head of Academic Standards and Student Advocacy for the GSA. They work closely with Concordia’s Senate in order to uphold academic standards at the university and appoint graduate student representatives to various governing bodies at Concordia University. They also act as the main point of contact between the GSA and the CSU’s Advocacy Center.
Learn more about the position of vice-president academics & advocacy here.
Vice-President Mobilization
The Vice-President Mobilization acts as the head of communications for the GSA. They work closely with the Communications & Outreach manager in order to keep the GSA community informed of all GSA events and opportunities via our various communication channels.
To learn more aboutthe position of vice-president mobilization here.
Please note that the members of the Council are remunerated $75 per council meeting and are additionally compensated based on their involvement in sub-committees at the end of their term.
Director
Directors act as the main liason between the GSA and the members of their faculty. They work together to advocate for the needs of graduate students at Concordia University and improve student life.
Here’s the breakdown of Director positions based on faculty:
- Gina Cody School Director | 11 positions available
- John Molson School Director | 2 positions available
- Arts & Science Director | 6 positions available
- Fine Arts Director | 2 positions available
- INDI Director | 1 position available*
- INDI Vice-Director | 1 position available*
Find more information about the position of Director here.
*INDI Director and Vice-Director must be part of the same slate and must be nominated together.
Referendum Questions
CSU Advocacy Centre
Here is the Referendum Question as it will appear on the ballot:
Do you agree to increase the Advocacy Center fee levy from $3.32 to $5.00 per semester (an increase of $1.68) to increase support hours for graduate students , annually adjusted to the Consumer Price Index of Canada, to be implemented with registration for the Fall 2025 (2252) term in accordance with the University’s tuition refund and withdrawal policy?
CSU Daycare & Nursery
Here is the Referendum Question as it will be presented on the ballot:
Do you agree for GSA to collect a fee levy of $2.50 per semester from all GSA members, to support the CSU Daycare services, annually adjusted to the Consumer Price Index of Canada, to be implemented with registration for the Fall 2025 (2252) term in accordance with the University’s tuition refund and
withdrawal policy?
CSU Legal Information Clinic
Here is the Referendum Question as it will be presented on the ballot:
Do you agree to apply a fee levy of $2.75 per term to allow graduate students full access to the services offered by the CSU Legal Information Clinic? The fee levy increase will be effective in the Summer 2025 semester, adjusted annually to the Consumer Price Index of Canada, and billed in accordance with the University’s tuition, refund, and withdrawal policy?
CSU Off-Campus Housing and Job Bank
Here is the Referendum Question as it will be presented on the ballot:
Do you agree to increase the Off-Campus Housing and Job Bank (HOJO) fee levy from $1.25 to $2.75 per semester (an increase of $1.50) annually adjusted to the Consumer Price Index of Canada, to be implemented with registration for the Fall 2025 (2252) term in accordance with the University’s tuition refund and withdrawal policy?
GSA Dependant Coverage
Here is the Referendum Question as it will be presented on the ballot:
Do you agree to negotiate for extended coverage for dependents to be added to the Health Insurance plan required for all international students at Concordia University?
General Elections’ Timeline
The nomination period is the first step in the elections process.
In order for a nomination to be accepted, each candidate must get a minimum of signatures from other GSA members:
- Executive Candidates need a minimum of 15 signatures;
- Director Candidates need a minimum of 10 signatures;
All nomination forms must be filled out no later than 11:59 pm EST on March 16th, 2025.
The final list of certified candidates will be released on March 18th, 2025.
Once the nomination process is complete, the campaigning period will begin.
Please note that all campaigning materials are to be submitted to the CRO during the campaigning period.
These materials will be shared on the GSA website and social media channels once approved by the CRO.
If the candidate is planning on postering as part of their campaign, it is their responsibility to come to GSA house to get the posters stamped and dated. Candidates are also responsible for putting up their own campaigning materials.
Each candidate shall be limited to a total reimbursement of $70 CAD to cover the costs of campaigning materials.
All graduate students vote via the Concordia student portal.
Final Results will be released April 4th, 2025.
Important Forms & Documents
Steps to nominate yourself:
- Download the Google Docs titled “GSA 2025-2026 Election Nomination Form (Directors & Executives)”;
- Print out the Nomination form and fill it out accordingly;
- Scan it and upload it to the Google form titled “GSA Elections 2025-2026 | Nominations Form”