With over 30,000 students registered at Carleton, many will be making it their home away from home this year. But between the dozens of clubs that gather at Expo Carleton, and the crowded bulletin boards across campus, getting to know how all these student groups work and what they do can become overwhelming.
Here’s a breakdown of key facts about some of Carleton’s major student governing bodies.
Carleton Academic Student Government (CASG)
Who are they?—Created in 1969 to provide students’ input in their curricula, CASG serves as an intermediary between students, faculty, and the administration. Four executives are elected in the fall term, and operate under the Carleton Senate—the highest decision-making body on campus.
What are they responsible for?—CASG acts as a non-political student stakeholder at the Senate, taking positions only on academic issues related to undergraduate students, such as late assignment policies, plagiarism, and exam accommodations.
Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA)
Who are they?—CUSA, the largest student organization on campus, is a non-profit corporation that represents Carleton’s undergraduate population of 26,321 students. It is run by six executive positions elected during the winter term of every school year.
What are they responsible for?—Alongside representing Carleton undergraduate students’ interests to university administration and other campus groups, CUSA manages 11 student service centres that offer a variety of programming and resources for students, as well as over 300 clubs and societies. CUSA also runs four businesses—Oliver’s Pub & Patio, Rooster’s Coffeehouse, Haven Books, and an on-campus convenience store formerly known as Henry’s.
Graduate Students’ Association (GSA)
Who are they?—The GSA represents a community of over 3,900 graduate students at Carleton. It is run by five executive members elected in the winter term.
What are they responsible for?—The organization runs advocacy campaigns on various social issues and ensures graduate student representation on every level at the university. The GSA also manages various needs-based grants for graduate students. The group also runs Mike’s Place—a pub located on the second floor of the University Centre.
Rideau River Residence Association (RRRA)
Who are they?—Founded in 1968, RRRA is the oldest and largest university residence association in Canada. It represents over 3,500 undergraduate students living in residence, at Carleton. RRRA is run by a team of three executives elected in the winter term.
What are they responsible for?—RRRA represents Carleton residence students at every level of the university and lobbies for residence student issues, like residence meal services. Alongside planning events programming and other services, such as reduced long-distance transportation, RRRA also runs one business—Abstentions, a convenience store in Residence Commons.
