Elections

Each year the Thompson Rivers University Students’ Union holds elections to select a new Board of Directors. Elections are called by the Board of Directors and overseen by an independent electoral committee and must take place before March 31. The newly elected board takes office on May 1st and maintains office until April 30 each year.

Joining the TRUSU Board of Directors is a great way to serve your fellow students and develop your skills; however, it is also a serious time commitment. To find out more about whether this position is right for you please read the information below outlining the commitment you are making and the expectations of each of the positions on the TRUSU Board of Directors.

Expectations of All Board of Directors Members

Members of the Board of Directors have a number of common responsibilities. You can find out more about those responsibilities outlined below.

Meeting Attendance

Board of Directors meetings take place on the second Tuesdays of each month at 4:00 PM and are approximately two hours in length. All board members are expected to attend all Board or Directors Meetings. Scheduled classes or work are not an excuse for missing a Board Meeting. All candidates for election must be prepared to attend all Board of Directors meetings.

In addition to Board of Directors meetings each representative is a member of at least one standing committee. Committee meetings are scheduled at times and dates set by a majority of the committee members and often take about one hour per week. Candidates should be prepared to attend and participate in those committee meetings regularly.

Campaigns Committee

This committee is responsible for overseeing the development and implementation of the annual Campaigns Plan for the Union. They are the people working hard to address issues that affect students at the Federal, Provincial, or Municipal levels such as student financial aid, institutional funding, public transit, and civic engagement. Members of the committee include:

  • Vice President External
  • Campaigns Committee Representatives (2)
  • Members-at-Large (3)
  • Campaigns Coordinator
Equity Committee

This committee is responsible for overseeing the development and implementation of the annual Equity Plan for the Union. They are the people working hard to address structural oppression and inequity on and of campus. Members of the committee include:

  • Vice President Equity
  • Indigenous Representative
  • LGBTQ+ Representative
  • Racialized Persons Representative
  • Women’s Representative
  • Members-at-Large (3)
  • Equity Coordinator
Entertainment Committee

This committee is responsible for overseeing the development and implementation of the annual Entertainment Plan for the Union. They are the people working hard to bring you great campus life activities like the Back to School BBQ and the Common Voices Lecture Series. Members of the committee include:

  • Vice President Internal
  • Entertainment Committee Representatives (2)
  • Members-at-Large (3)
  • Entertainment Coordinator
Services Committee

This committee is responsible for overseeing the development and implementation of the annual Services Plan for the Union. They are the people working hard to oversee the Union’s student health and dental plan, the UPASS, and many other great services. Members of the committee include:

  • Vice President Services
  • Services Committee Representatives (2)
  • Members-at-Large (3)
  • Services Coordinator
  • Membership Development Coordinator
University Affairs Committee

  • This committee is responsible for recruiting and resourcing student representatives on TRU committees and working within that system to seek changes within the university such as better food service, more flexible and affordable parking, and cheaper textbook costs through increased use of Open Textbooks. Members of this committee include:

    • President
    • Graduate Representative
    • International Students Representative
    • University Affairs Committee Representatives (2)
    • Members-at-Large (3)
    • University Governance Coordinator

On-boarding and Orientation

Each year the TRUSU holds a mandatory orientation for all board members. This orientation provides each representative with an overview of the organization, an understanding of their legal responsibilities as a director, and an opportunity to begin the planning process for the upcoming year. The orientation is between two and three days in length and is scheduled prior to the election process each year. Attendance at the board orientation is mandatory for all elected representatives. If you are unable to attend the Board Orientation you should not nominate yourself for consideration in the election.

Student Status

Members of the Board of Directors must maintain their status as students at Thompson Rivers University for all regular terms that they serve on the Board of Directors (Fall and Winter Semesters). Students are not required to take summer classes in order to be eligible for the Board of Directors.

Honoraria

Members of the Board of Directors are eligible to receive a monthly honorarium for their hours worked to a maximum of 15 hours per week for members of the executive and 10 hours per week for all other members of the board.

Activities that are eligible for honoraria include:

  1. Attendance at meetings of the Board of Directors that take place during the biweekly period;
  2. Attendance at meetings of the standing committee(s) to which they are elected that take place during the biweekly period;
  3. Activities of the standing committee(s) to which they are elected approved in the committee(s) annual plan that take place during the biweekly period;
  4. Activities of the standing committee(s) to which they are elected not included in the committee(s) annual plan but that fall within the scope of the committee(s) terms of reference and that are approved in advance at a meeting the of the committee(s) that take place during the biweekly period;
  5. Participation in delegations of the Union approved in advance at a meeting of the Board of Directors that take place during the biweekly period and for which a post-activity report has been received.

Positions & Individual Responsibilities

There are 20 positions on the TRUSU Board of Directors up for election each year. Find out more about the individual responsibilities of each of those positions by clicking on the titles below.

President

The President shall:

  1. Be the spokesperson of the Union; 
  2. Chair meetings of the Board of Directors; 
  3. Act as the liaison between the Institution and the Union; 
  4. Act as a signing authority for the Union; 
  5. Act as the liaison with the staff of the Union; 
  6. Be responsible for maintaining and ensuring the implementation of the Constitution, Bylaws, and Policy of the Union and discipline of Board of Directors members and/or appointees as deemed necessary;  
  7. Coordinate and delegate responsibilities to Board of Directors members and/or appointees as deemed necessary;
  8. Chair the Student Caucus.
Vice President Equity

The Vice President Equity shall:

  1. Oversee the equity activities of the Union;
  2. Act as a liaison between the Union and campus equity groups;
  3. Chair the Equity Committee of the Union;
  4. Act as a signing authority of the Union.
Vice President External

The Vice President External shall:

  1. Communicate regularly with all levels of government;
  2. Act as the liaison between the Union and its coalition partners;
  3. Oversee the campaigns wok of the Union;
  4. Chair the Campaigns Committee of the Union;
  5. Act as a signing authority of the Union.
Vice President Internal

The Vice President Internal shall:

  1. Co-ordinate the events of the Union;
  2. Chair the Entertainment Committee of the Union;
  3. Oversee the entertainment work of the Union;
  4. Act as a signing authority of the Union.
Vice President Services

The Vice President Services shall:

  1. Oversee the business operations and services of the Union;
  2. Act as the liaison between the Union and campus clubs and organizations;
  3. Chair the Services Committee of the Union;
  4. Act as a signing authority of the Union.
Accessibility Representative

In order to run for this position, candidates must self-identify as a person with an accessibility issue.

The Accessibility Representative shall:

  1. Present a perspective of persons with accessibility issues to the Board of
    Directors and ensure that the Board of Directors is informed with regards to
    persons with accessibility issues and rights;
  2. Represent the Union on campus and in the community with respect to persons
    with disability issues and rights;
  3. Be a member of the Equity Committee of the Union;
  4. Assist with the implementation of the equity initiatives of the Union.
Graduate Student Representative

In order to run for this position, candidates must be registered at Thompson Rivers University in a Graduate Program (click here for a list of all graduate programs at TRU). The Graduate Representative shall:

  1. present a perspective of graduate students to the Board of Directors and ensure that the Board of Directors is informed with regards to graduate student issues and rights;
  2. represent the Union on campus and in the community with respect to graduate student issues and rights;
  3. be a member of the University Affairs Committee of the Union.
LGBTQ+ Representative

In order to run for this position candidates must self-identify as a member of the LGBTQ+ community. The LGBTQ Representative shall:

  1. present perspectives of a diversity of gender and sexual constructions and orientations to the Board of Directors and ensure that the Board of Directors is informed with regards to gender and sexuality issues and rights;
  2. represent the Union on campus and in the community with respect to gender issues and rights;
  3. be a member of the Equity Committee of the Union;
  4. assist with the implementation of the equity initiatives of the Union.
Indigenous Representative

In order to run for this position, candidates must identify as Indigenous. The Indigenous Representative shall:

  1. present an Indigenous perspective to the Board of Directors and ensure that the Board of Directors is informed with regards to Indigenous issues and rights;
  2. represent the Union on campus and in the community with respect to Indigenous issues and rights;
  3. be a member of the Equity Committee of the Union;
  4. assist with the implementation of the equity initiatives of the Union.
International Student Representative

In order to run for this position, candidates must be registered as an International Student at Thompson Rivers University. The International Representative shall:

  1. present a perspective of international students to the Board of Directors and ensure that the Board of Directors is informed with regards to international student issues and rights;
  2. represent the Union on campus and in the community with respect to international student issues and rights;
  3. be a member of the University Affairs Committee of the Union;
  4. assist the University Affairs Committee with the implementation of its work.
Racialized Persons Representative

In order to run for this position, candidates must identify as a visible minority. The Racialized Persons Representative shall:

  1. present a perspective of racialized persons to the Board of Directors and ensure that the Board of Directors is informed with regards to racialized student issues and rights;
  2. represent the Union on campus and in the community with respect to racialized student issues and rights;
  3. be a member of the Equity Committee of the Union;
  4. assist with the implementation of the equity initiatives of the Union.
Women’s Representative

In order to run for this position, candidates must identify as a woman. The Women’s Representative shall:

  1. present a feminist perspective to the Board of Directors and ensure that the Board of Directors is informed with regards to gender issues and rights;
  2. represent the Union on campus and in the community with respect to gender issues and rights;
  3. be a member of the Equity Committee of the Union;
  4. assist with the implementation of the equity initiatives of the Union.
Campaigns Committee Representative (2)

The Campaigns Committee Representative shall:

  1. be a member of the Campaigns Committee;
  2. assist the Campaigns Committee with the implementation of its work.
Entertainment Committee Representative (2)

The Entertainment Committee Representative shall:

  1. be a member of the Entertainment Committee;
  2. assist the Entertainment Committee with the implementation of its work.
Services Committee Representative (2)

The Services Committee Representative shall:

  1. be a member of the Services Committee;
  2. assist the Services Committee with the implementation of its work.
University Affairs Committee Representative (2)

The University Affairs Committee Representative shall:

  1. be a member of the University Affairs Committee;
  2. assist the University Affairs Committee with the implementation of its work.

Election Updates

When elections are called each year announcements will be made requesting nominations and outlining the election timeline. Click the button below to check for current announcements

Election News

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