All candidates’ responses have been printed as received. Responses exceeding the given word count have been cut off at the mark, indicated by an ellipsis.
Member and Community Relations Officer
The MCRO is responsible for the public communications of the GSS, including the website, social media and special communications. The MCRO oversees the Society’s member and community development efforts through outreach, workshops, events, orientations and other programming. The position also involves recruiting volunteers, acting as liason with community groups and chairing the GSS Environmental & Social Justice Committee.
1. How would you engage graduate students in society events and activities?
2. The MCRO chairs the Environmental and Social Justice Committee. How would you manage that committee and improve it?
3. How do you feel about the current types/number of events held by the GSS?
Brieanne Olibris
1. As grad students are busy, events need to be easily accessible to them. To achieve this, we must balance the use of our limited resources with bringing desired events to where students are when they are there.
2. Successful efforts facilitated by ESJC are grounded in student needs and interests. Setting a yearly agenda of long-term sustainable programming and project goals would focus and increase the efficiency and efficacy of the deliverables to which it is accountable.
3. The GSS offers a great number of diverse events to students, either alone or in partnership with other groups. This facilitates highly valued mixing between students from different disciplines. However, they are not equally accessible to students from all campuses.
Melissa MacAskill
1. I would like to implement more regularly occurring events and activities. These have potential to be much more successful, because participation grows over time and participants start to unwittingly shape the events with their own collective ideas.
2. As the TSSU steward for my caucus, I have learned a lot about advocacy and awareness surrounding a number of social issues, beyond labour regulations. I will draw heavily on ideas and resources the TSSU provides to effectively serve the . . .
3. The GSS does an excellent job organizing all kinds of events – which all graduate students would know if more of them attended! That being said, there is always room for more creativity and variety, which I would like to . . .
Coordinating and External Relations Officer
The CERO will be the primary representative of the society to government, university administration, and other partners. The position entails being responsible for the long-term and strategic planning efforts of the society and supporting the collective advocacy activities of the GSS.
Devon Cass
This candidate failed to submit their responses to The Peak by the deadline.
Academic and Internal Relations Officer
The Academic & Internal Relations Officer (AIRO) is responsible for overseeing the governance of the society, its committees, council and departmental caucuses. The AIRO is also the primary point of contact between the GSS and the university with regards to academic matters, including the Senate Graduate Studies Committee.
1. How would you keep the society, its many committees, council and departmental caucuses in check?
2. What academic changes might you advocate for on behalf of students?
3. How do you see the relationship between the AIRO, the Senate Graduate Studies Committee, and the university?
Liu Ting (Emma)
1. Effective communication is very important. I would propose to have a discussion group in social media where representatives from aforesaid organizations can post their suggestions and share the updated information. Actual meeting can be held based on needs.
2. Provide more information on research fund and invite some experts from different fields to give public lectures on the current economic and academic trends.
3. The Senate Graduate Studies is the agency of university and AIRO is the agent. The task of AIRO is to bridge the gap between individual member and university as well as to facilitate mutual communication between them.
Mengliu Zhao
1. Officially, by meeting committee and council members, reading caucus meeting minutes. But personally I enjoy networking in different situations, and listen to student’s individual perspectives how the work of GSS and the caucuses can be further improved.
2. I would advocate for more interdisciplinary communications and collaborations. Graduate’s life is challenging, but could also be fun and enjoyable — hopefully I can help more of my fellow grad students to realize that.
3. AIRO shall serves as a bridge between GSS, Graduate Studies and SFU, reflecting more on student’s side that what can be done to further improve the academic environment as the whole community.
