Nominations Period

August 9th – August 19th, 2024

Voting Period [for contested positions]

August 28th – August 30th, 2024

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To nominate yourself, please email the Chief Returning Officer (agsbselections@gmail.com) with the following information:

• Full name
• Contact email (preferably your YorkU email)
• Program and study year (e.g., PhD 2^nd year)
• Lab name
• Position you wish to run for
• Any previous or current positions held with AGSBS, if applicable

During the Nominations Period, you may only apply for 1 position.

Your name and interested position will be shown on this page.

All advertised positions are open for nominations during the assigned period. At the end of the nominations period, all uncontested positions are acclaimed by the nominee(s). Contested positions will be subject to voting during the designated voting period via an electronic ballot delivered to the email addresses of all current graduate students enrolled in the Department of Biology.

The duties and expectations of the executives and committee members of AGSBS are governed by its Constitution Document. The descriptions below serve as general guidelines.

For a more detailed description of the duties of each position click here!

The Executive Council meets multiple times and as necessary throughout the year to discuss strategies and plans. The team takes direction from and reports their progress to the membership at General Meetings which occur about a couple of times every semester. The Executive Council is in charge of upholding the constitution, advising and providing support to Committees and Representatives.

The primary function of the Chairperson is to conduct and facilitate meetings within the association, between the association’s executives/committees and other bodies to pursue the interests of the organization. The Chair monitors and helps with the overall progress of the organization and ensures that the mandate of the association is followed according to its constitution and other governing orders. This position has signing authority. 

The Treasurer is the financial book keeper who authorizes payments on behalf of the organization, issues cheques, deposits incomes, proposes budgets, and manages the financial welfare of the organization. Familiarity with basic bookkeeping and accounting procedures are considered assets. This position has signing authority. 

The Secretary is the records keeper of documents and facilitates the operations of the Executive Board. They maintain the organisation’s transparency and provide access to public documents.

The Department Representative is the AGSBS representative to the Department of Biology. They attend meetings with the Graduate Program Director and committees within the Department of Biology, where necessary or applicable.

The Communications Director is the curator and manager of all published content on our social media platforms and website. They work with other executive board members and committee chairs to update our channels any AGSBS activities, events, and relevant Biology Department news. They also oversee design elements such as social media graphics. Familiarity with content creation, graphic design, and WordPress and web design are considered assets.

The Symposium Committee oversees the largest operation of the AGSBS, the Annual Symposium. Serving on this committee is a considerable time commitment, requiring many hours of dedicated planning starting months ahead of the Symposium. As the event is generally held after the end of the winter term in early May, most of the work is typically done during the fall and winter terms, with usually no work load during the summer term. The Symposium Committee must take direction from the general membership for their planning. Experience with event planning and fundraising are considered assets for this committee.

Once all members are elected to the this committee, the committee will elect their own Chair internally. The Chair of the Symposium Committee checks in with the Executive Council throughout their term to review logistics, budgets, and to review progress. The Chair of the committee reports at General Members’ meetings throughout the year.

The Symposium Committee may recruit additional members if need be after the general elections.

The Journal Club Committee’s main objective is to provide a space for the general membership to meet and engage in interdisciplinary discussions. It operates under budgets set by the membership with the help of the Treasurer. This committee holds monthly meetings (online or in person when possible) typically on the last Friday of every month, but with some variation to accommodate membership availability and holidays. Graduate student members of the AGSBS or undergraduate students training under the supervision of any graduate student will have the opportunity to present either their own research or a published paper of their choice. Each meeting is one hour long and there are generally two speakers per meeting. The committee is responsible for cost analyses based on their allocated budget and will proceed with planning in order to provide food and/or prizes for speakers and attendees per session.

Once all members are elected to this committee, the committee will elect their own Chair internally. The Chair of the Journal Club Committee checks in with the Executive Council throughout their term to review logistics, budgets, and to review progress. The Chair of the committee reports at General Members’ meetings throughout the year.

The Committee may recruit additional members if need be after the general election.

The Events Committee operates under budgets set by the membership with the help of the Treasurer. This committee proposes social (and other) events to the membership after cost analyses and proceed with planning and execution of the most popular events as allowed by the budget. The committee’s events vary between events hosted on campus with preparation by the committee members (e.g., Halloween party) to subsidized events around the city and outdoors (e.g., Blue Jay’s game).

Once all members are elected to the this committee, the committee will elect their own Chair internally. The Chair of the Events Committee checks in with the Executive Council throughout their term to review logistics, budgets, and to review progress. The Chair of the committee reports at General Members’ meetings throughout the year.

The Events Committee may recruit additional members if need be after the general elections.

The Honours Thesis Committee is in charge of evaluating top selected honours theses from undergraduates from the BIOL 4000 Course Director, and assigning a rubric for determining the best thesis in a consistent manner. The committee awards the winner with a monetary prize as determined by the organization. The majority of the workload is during the summer semester, and serving on this committee requires that members are available during that time period.

Once all members are elected to this committee, the committee will elect their own Chair internally. The Chair of the Honours Thesis Committee checks in with the Executive Council throughout their term to review logistics, budgets, and to review progress. The Chair of the committee reports at General Members’ meetings throughout the year.

The Honours Thesis Committee may recruit additional members if need be after the general elections.

The YUGSA Councillours attend monthly meetings of the York University Graduate Students’ Association (YUGSA)’s Council and vote on behalf of the AGSBS and its members. These reps inform the AGSBS Executive Council and members of news, student movement activities, and general important matters that are discussed by representatives from all Departmental Graduate Student Associations (DGSAs) across the entire university.

These representatives serve as the Biology Department’s representatives in CUPE 3903. All graduate students that hold Teaching Assistantships at York are members of Unit 1 of CUPE 3903. Departmental Stewards attend Stewards’ Council meetings and keep the AGSBS Executive Council and membership informed on updates, financial resources and other opportunities, and important changes related to union membership. They help members navigate conflicts related to their Teaching Assistantships and are the contact points for information related to funding opportunities available from CUPE 3903.

These representatives serve as the graduate student voice on the Biology Department’s Tenure and Promotions Committee. The representatives are responsible for attending committee meetings and contributing to decision making while exercising discretion. Each position is a two-year term and representatives are elected in alternating years, such that a new representative is elected each year. Representatives should be upper year graduate students where possible.