Latest updates

Happening now: The candidacy period ended on February 16, 2024. 

Candidacies that have been submitted are posted below. The two candidacies for VP-Internal previously announced have been updated; there is now only one candidate for VP-Internal. Given that there is only one candidate for each executive position, per GLASA's constitution, the roles will be awarded automatically. GLASA members will not be required to vote.

Happening next: GLASA members will receive an email from the elections officer notifying them of the new executive members for the 2024-2025 academic year. 

About this election

Election timeline:

The candidacy submissions period: Jan. 15 - Feb. 16
The membership consideration period: Feb. 16 - Mar. 4
The voting period: Mar. 4 - Mar. 10
Results announced: Mar. 11

About voting:

Voting is anonymous and confidential. 

Voting will take place online via Google forms. You will need to provide your YorkU student number as a unique identifier. This is to ensure that voting is fair and vote counts are accurate, and will only be used to validate your ballot, not to identify you. 

Your name and email will NOT be collected nor associated with your student number or your ballot in any way, at any point in the elections process. Ballots will be deleted sometime prior to the next election.

Becoming a candidate:

Running for election in GLASA is a simple and low-stress affair. No prior political or organizational experience necessary, no campaigning, no debating, and no lengthy election cycle.

If you are interested in a position on the GLASA exec for academic year 2024-2025, please email Stephanie Kinzie with the following information, bearing in mind that this is the information that will be published on the website for members to read prior to casting their vote:

• Name

• Program information: MA or PhD (indicate year of PhD)

• Program stream: Applied Linguistics or (Theoretical) Linguistics

• The position or positions you hope to be elected to

• A brief statement (250 words or less) regarding any or all of the following:

  • Your motivations to take on the role(s) above

  • Your relevant past experience, if any (optional)

  • Your intentions or goals in the role(s), should you be elected

When there is only one candidate for a position

When only one person submits a candidacy for a given position by the start of the voting period, that person is considered to be automatically elected to that position without being put to a vote, as they are essentially running unopposed.

If none of the positions up for election receive more than one candidacy application by the start of the voting period, all current candidates are considered to be unopposed and therefore automatically elected, and no actual vote will be held.

When there are no candidates for a position

If no person has submitted a candidacy for a given position by the start of the voting period, the GLASA membership and the sitting executive committee will both be called on to strategize ways to fill that position.

No new applications will be accepted or posted during the voting period, to avoid pressuring or confusing voting members.

When the voting period has ended, any candidate who applies for a still-open position will be automatically granted that position (pending the approval of the sitting executive committee) on a first-come, first-served basis. Barring any exceptional circumstances, no additional vote will be held, as, had the candidate applied during the regular elections timeline, they would have been running unopposed and would have been automatically elected in any case.

Consequences if no candidate is proposed for key positions

At a strict minimum, GLASA must have a president and a treasurer in order to register as a Departmental Graduate Student Association (DGSA) with YUGSA each year. YUGSA's funding support of DGSAs forms the bulk of GLASA's annual operating budget. Therefore, if we are unable to elect an officer to either of these positions by YUGSA's registration deadline (Oct. 10), GLASA's ability to operate, organize events, distribute funds, and advocate for our graduate community will be drastically reduced for the remainder of that academic year.

2024-2025 Candidates

President

Griffin Cahill (2nd Year PhD, Linguistics)

Hello, everyone! My name is Griffin - I'm a second-year PhD student in the Linguistics stream, and I want to be GLASA’s President for 2024-2025! I am highly motivated to serve my fellow graduate students in the Linguistics and Applied Linguistics program, and I believe I am well-suited for the role. For the past year I've operated as our treasurer and was previously one of our councillors to YUGSA. While in these roles, I’ve advocated on behalf of our association in multiple forums, and will continue that work as president.

Thank you very much for your consideration! 

Treasurer

Yifan Wu (2nd Year PhD, Linguistics)

I hope to apply for the treasurer position in GLASA with commitment to budget drafting and student support.

I have strong skill sets in organization, management, and data-oriented analysis coming from my corporate experience. If elected, I will maintain a clear communication regarding GLASA’s budget between the executive, membership, and YUGSA. I will provide regular updates on expenditures during meetings, ensuring members are well-informed about how funds are being utilized. I am committed to ensuring transparency and accountability within GLASA.

Moreover, I would keep special focus in supporting students to fund their research projects and enjoy department events with funding and reimbursement opportunities within GLASA and beyond. I would also take it as an opportunity to familiarize myself with the funding application system too.

Thank you for considering my candidacy. With dedication and a commitment to fiscal responsibility, I am eager to serve as treasurer and contribute.

VP-Internal

QingXiao Cui (1st Year PhD, Linguistics)

I have prior experience in roles requiring strong communication, organization, time-management, and note-taking skills. For example, as the current YUGSA representative, I assist the GLASA Exec and facilitate communication by attending regular meetings for both organizations, keeping GLASA informed on relevant YUGSA operations. In my previous role as VP Communications of my undergraduate institution’s American Sign Language club, I communicated regularly with the other executives, as well as with the general membership, to help organize and distribute important information about meetings, events, activities, and ASL-related topics.

As VP Internal, I hope to use these skills to contribute by maintaining open communication with the other executives, assisting in keeping GLASA running smoothly such that we can continue to support Applied Linguistics and Linguistics graduate students.

Thank you very much for your time and consideration!

VP-Events

Amanda Gooden (1st Year PhD, Linguistics)

I would like to be involved in helping the association and by extension the students in our program. My past experience is that I was on the GLASA executive this year as VP Events, and it was rewarding to plan events for students and follow them through. If elected, I hope to ensure that GLASA is represented at institution-wide meetings so that we have all the information necessary to continue to support students.