The GSU is a democratically-run non-profit organization, formed in 1964 and incorporated in 1999. The GSU is also a founding member of the Canadian Federation of Students. As a graduate student you automatically pay a membership fee, which is part of your incidental fee, when you register every year. As a member, you have the opportunity to participate in the decision-making process of the corporation at the Annual Meeting of the General Membership in November, at the General Council as a Course Union Representative or on a GSU sub-committee.

See also Council Policies & Positions, and GSU By-Law

GSU General Council

The GSU’s governing body is its General Council, composed of representatives elected by students in each of the more than 74 course unions. The Council meets once a month from September to April. Its responsibilities include formulating GSU policy, approving the GSU Budget, electing the executive members-at-large, receiving reports and information from other campus groups, and much more.

GSU Council is the body which connects graduate students from departments across the university. Representatives discuss funding, academic life, financial and physical accessibility, graduate student representation, employment, equity, and housing and other issues, and from those discussions fashion and determine policy.

See also: Council & Policy

GSU Executive

There are five Executive Officers: Academic Commissioner, External Commissioner, Finance & Services Commissioner, Internal Commissioner, and University Affairs Commissioner. They are elected each March by the graduate student population in a campus-wide election, and four Executive Members-at-Large are elected from GSU Council, two in April and two in the Fall. The Executive is responsible for the day-to-day affairs of the Union and for implementing the policies of the membership.

The GSU General Council directs the GSU Executive to take particular positions on issues directly relevant to all graduate students. As in all organizations, the GSU has long-standing policies. These policies guide the decisions and positions taken by the Executive. Council regularly discusses policy issues and updates them as required.

Specific Executive responsibilities include spearheading action on various issues relevant to graduate students, co-operatively working with student, faculty and other groups on campus and across Canada through the Canadian Federation of Students, and the National and Ontario Graduate Caucuses, and maintaining contact with student reps on governing bodies. As well, we manage the finances of the Union, supervise and work with the staff, and much more. The Executive meets each spring and organizes its annual sub-committee issues and ongoing campaigns.

Each May, the GSU Executive strikes the sub-committees of the Union. Each sub-committee works on a number of issues that have been identified as needing particular emphasis. Each committee is composed of at least one executive officer, a staff member, and interested graduate students - we invite all graduate students to sit on these committees.

Each committee meets to develop a working knowledge of the issue, to map out strategies and act on behalf of the GSU. The committees report to the Executive, who then report to the GSU General Council.

If you have questions about the committees or anything else related to the GSU governance structure, please contact your course union reps or the GSU Exec or staff. We would love to hear from you.

What is a Course Union?

A course union is a student organization or association, with a democratically-elected executive responsible to the students in the department.

Students in virtually every graduate department, centre and institute at U of T have organized themselves into course unions.

Why?
Direct student involvement and participation in one's education is a fundamental right.  Course unions evolved as students at the grass roots level sought to gain input into departmental decisions directly affecting their education, such as curriculum and content, degree requirements, grading and hiring. Course unions act within their own departments, while the GSU deals with issues of the entire graduate community with U of T as a whole.

What do they do?
Course unions are active in representing students at the departmental level, campaigning for democratic student representation on departmental committees and developing course evaluations. Course unions organize seminars, sports teams, orientation activities for new students, parties, and much more. They represent students on departmental committees and at the GSU General Council, passing on information from around the campus. From time to time, the GSU organizes opportunities for grad students to meet colleagues from other departments and faculties, including a fall and spring social. Annually we organize a GSU Course Union President listserv and a Course Union Rep listserv to help course unions talk to each other.

How are they funded?
The GSU provides funds for all course unions, with extra funding for the smaller departments, and a fieldworker to help course unions organize and deal with problems.

The GSU organizes numerous opportunities for grad students to meet colleagues from other departments and faculties, including a fall and spring social. Please contact the GSU regarding funding for student-organized conferences. The GSU will help spread the word and help you contact students in other departments.

Why Become Involved?
Many crucial decisions are made at the departmental level, ranging from determining student funding packages and extension recommendations to comprehensive exam changes and regulations, course offerings, the ranking of applicants for scholarships, residence-housing and the hiring of teaching assistants. Who better than experienced students to contribute to departmental decision-making, to explain to new students both the formal and informal rules and requirements of the department, to participate in the creation of new curricula? Your course union knows who to talk to, what the deadlines are, how to avoid the minefields, where the parties are...

Please don't underestimate the value of talking to another student. Don't feel shy about asking questions! Call Charlotte at 978-8464 for the names and phone numbers of students active in your course union.