Students will elect four new representatives to Carleton’s Board of Governors (BoG) for the 2023-24 academic year on Feb. 6 and 7.
Two undergraduate students and two graduate students will serve from July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024.
The BoG is in charge of budgetary and infrastructural decisions and appoints senior university executives. The board also includes several committees, which student representatives can sit on.
Candidates who meet eligibility requirements must have attended a board 101 session hosted by the university secretary and completed an online expression of interest by 4 p.m. on Jan. 27.
The board 101 sessions listed on the information page were held Jan. 18 and 19, but university secretary Amanda Goth told the Charlatan interested students can contact her to set up a meeting time before the deadline.
Following a campaign period from Jan. 30 to Feb. 3, students will vote for eligible candidates on Feb. 6 and 7. Successful candidates will be confirmed at the BoG’s June 7 meeting.
Current undergraduate governor Mira Gillis said she recommends the role to any students that are interested in making a difference at the university.
“Students should apply because they get to see what their university is not only doing for them, but what they can do for their university. It really is a position unlike any other,” Gillis said.
Gillis was elected alongside current Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) president Anastasia Stoikos-Lettieri to serve as the two undergraduate student representatives on the BoG last year.
Stoikos-Lettieri later stepped down and was replaced by Jonathon Ojangole when CUSA council motioned to bar its executives from holding other student leadership positions that would present a conflict of interest.
The role of a student governor includes attending board and committee meetings, working with university executives and representing the interests of students.
Gillis said the BoG may not be as well known as other student governments, but it plays an equally important role in students’ lives.
“With student politics, it is very student-focused, you’re worried about what are the issues that students are focusing on at the moment, how can we best address them right now,” she said. “With the board’s mentality, they are very focused on the future of Carleton.”
Gillis said her experience on the BoG has been valuable, and encouraged students to reach out to the board if they have any questions.
“I genuinely can’t promote the role enough. It sounds cheesy, but it’s genuinely changed my life.”
For more information, view the student candidate handbook or the BoG elections page.
Featured graphic by Sara Mizannojehdehi.
