February Scoop: Everything About The CSA General Council
Welcome back, readers!
The near arrival of spring signals a season of new beginnings. The sky brightens, mornings are easier to wake up to, and the snow will hopefully begin to melt!
To all the students interested in getting involved in Asper, this one’s for you. March is a month filled with student involvement applications.
This month I had the pleasure of interviewing nine awesome students who were involved in the Asper Commerce Students’ Association (CSA). In this blog, you’ll read about how these students began their CSA journeys, what they enjoyed most in their roles, and their advice for students interested in applying.
Without further ado, I present the January Scoop: Everything About The CSA General Council
Breaking News: CSA General Council Applications Are Open!
Before I talk about applications, let’s clear up some confusion about the CSA.
The CSA is Asper’s largest student group representing undergraduate Asper students.
Any registered undergraduate Asper student who is in good standing is a member of the CSA. So, if you were accepted into Asper, you’re a CSA member.
The CSA comprises two councils: the CSA Executive Council and the CSA General Council.
The CSA Executive Council consists of nine members, which is shown along the first and second rows of boxes in the visual above. This includes the President and eight Vice Presidents.
The CSA General Council consists of 50+ members, including the President, Vice Presidents, and many CSA members within each portfolio, as shown along the third row and below in the visual above.
These positions vary in what they entail, but as a member of the CSA General Council, you’ll meet new people, attend monthly meetings, and develop your skills and experience while contributing to the Asper student community! Some roles may be intensive for the summer term, or they may be consistent throughout the summer, fall, and winter terms, so do your research!
Terminology Guide:
- “CSA” – Commerce Students’ Association, representing undergraduate students at the Asper School of Business
- “CSA Member” – any registered undergraduate Asper student who is in good standing is a member of the CSA
- “CSA Executive Council” – consisting of nine CSA members, including the President and eight Vice Presidents
- “CSA General Council” – consisting of 50+ CSA members
Additionally, we can differentiate the CSA Executive Council and General Council. Basically, the Executive Council is in charge of leading the General Council to achieve the vision set for the term. The General Council therefore performs tasks relevant to their positions. Without the General Council, all of the CSA’s events and initiatives would not be possible.
Now that the CSA General Council has been clarified, let’s head into the main part of this blog!
I interviewed my fellow CSA friends and got a gold mine of insights for interested General Council applicants. Take the time to read about their journeys, experiences, and advice.
Be inspired, not intimidated!
Interview #1 - Accounts Payable Coordinator
Zaneta Ray-Aigiomawu is the Accounts Payable Coordinator, operating within the CSA’s Finance Portfolio.
Zaneta is a third year student, double majoring in Accounting and Finance, and she is also currently ASBAA’s CPA Network Night Co-Chair.
The Accounts Payable Coordinator processes and sends out payments for reimbursement on behalf of the CSA. The simplified process begins when Zaneta receives a cheque request, fills it out on the general ledger, and sends it to the relevant executives for approval. Zaneta primarily works with the software Excel, Quickbooks, and Plooto. Her busiest months were during the summer term when several CSA events committees were making a lot of purchases for their upcoming events.
“My favourite part of the role is that I have a schedule with it.” Zaneta knows what’s expected of her this week and the next, so she can block out time in her schedule to complete her work. The independence of this role created an opportunity for her to take initiative in self-leadership. As well, it opened up opportunities in her professional career.
In fact, Zaneta was able to mention her experience with Plooto during an interview with MNP, which she developed through the Accounts Payable Coordinator role. She was able to connect with the interviewers who also used Plooto.
The great part about being the Accounts Payable Coordinator was the experience she gained. Zaneta didn’t know how to use Quickbooks or Plooto when she applied for this role, but she was ready to learn, and she has since become experienced in Quickbooks and Plooto.
Interview #2 - Content Creators
Cassandra Esteron, Joyce Lyn Francisco, Danielle Garcia, and Clairron Mesina make up all four Content Creators, operating within the CSA’s Marketing Portfolio.
Content creation has been a large part of each of their lives respectively. Whether it’s photography, videography, graphic design, editing, or film, they each had some aspect of content creation that they experimented with in the past.
The Content Creators work to communicate the ideas and messages from the CSA and other Asper Student Groups. Their role is integral to maintaining the brand image of the CSA and keeping it as professional, consistent, and engaging as possible. As a result, a lot of what the Content Creators do is cross-collaboration with external teams, events committees, and co-chairs.
Content-wise, they create graphics and videos! Graphics can be for social media, the CSA website, documents to be distributed to the Corporate Partners Program, nametags, event programs, and TV graphics. The videos are mostly short-form content for the Asper CSA TikTok, including interviews and trends. Though all four Content Creators are involved in both sides, Cassie and Joyce are more on graphics, while Danielle and Clairron are more on videos. For them, this system has allowed them to best utilize their strengths.
The content creation process begins when someone submits a content request, which is then assigned to one of four Content Creators. There’s a two-week period to begin and finalize the content, communicate with the requester, and receive feedback or changes. Finally, the graphic or video is ready to go.
Time management, communication, creativity, patience, and multitasking are skills that Cassie, Joyce, Danielle, and Clairron developed through the Content Creator role. To bring each requester’s vision to life, they had to communicate effectively. To ensure graphics and videos were created on time, they had to multitask and time manage. Finally, this role allowed them the freedom to express individual creativity while following the CSA’s brand image.
There’s a lot of reward and challenge in the Content Creator role, whether it’s having fun interviewing Asper students, reviving the CSA’s TikTok account, attending the UMAC Fish Dinner as a photographer, or creating monthly graphics for the Asper Scoop.
Interview #3 - Managers of Corporate Relations
John Ladroma and Semi Kumolu-Johnson are two of seven Managers of Corporate Relations, operating within the CSA’s Corporate Relations Portfolio.
John is a fourth year Accounting student, and this year is his second year being in the CSA General Council. Semi is a second year student, and this is his first CSA involvement in Asper.
The Managers of Corporate Relations are in charge of stewarding relationships with the Asper CSA’s corporate partners. This means reaching out to companies whenever there’s a CSA event to sponsor, and communicating with the representatives throughout the school year.
With seven total Managers of Corporate Relations, they were able to split companies at the beginning of the summer term. The largest seven companies would be assigned one to each Manager of Corporate Relations, and the remaining companies were chosen by each member. The CSA events committees rely on them to secure sponsors for their events, so they play a crucial role.
The key skills to this role are communication and time management. In this role, John and Semi basically represent the CSA to their corporate partners, so knowing how to communicate professionally while making personal connections is important. The VP of Corporate Relations, Nati Tadesse, gave the advice, best practices, email etiquette, and schedules for them to follow, which greatly helped.
For both John and Semi, the Business Banquet 59 was one of their favourite events to attend, due to the amazing venue and companies who wanted to attend! The Managers of Corporate Relations helped secure the sponsors and company representatives.
Interview #4 - HR Coordinators
Param Patel and Therese Ronatay are the HR Coordinators, operating within the CSA’s Internal Portfolio.
Param is a third year student, majoring in Human Resource Management. He’s enjoying his experience at the CSA while developing his network and skills. Therese is a third year Accounting student, and her role as HR Coordinator is her most recent role in the CSA.
The HR Coordinators mainly operate behind the scenes and work with the CSA General Council members for a variety of tasks. These can include recruitment, performance reviews, goal setting, exit surveys, organizing various workshops, sending monthly emails, and more. Additionally, they organize the Student Leadership Gala held in March.
For both Param and Therese, recruitment was the most challenging and favourite part. Between fall recruitment and spring recruitment, fall recruitment was the heaviest. While it took a lot of work to schedule and execute interviews, they had fun working with the other co-chairs to help recruit their teams, and it was fulfilling to see students get involved.
In the end, this role has helped develop their time management, communication, and organization skills, as well as gain confidence working with others on a professional level. As the HR Coordinators, it was rewarding to put a lot of care into the role and the people they worked with.
And that’s all four interviews!
Before I conclude this section, here’s the advice everyone gave me.
When I asked all nine interviewees my final question, “What advice would you give to someone interested in applying to this position?” they all answered with the same phrase: “Just go for it!”
For many of them, this was their first role ever. They weren’t expected to know all the answers in the beginning. Instead, they were passionate, driven, and eager to get involved, and they learned the skills as they went further along their roles.
If you’re hesitant about applying, don’t be. As Asper students, we’re all here to see you succeed.
A List of Useful Resources
Finally, here is a list of useful links and resources to review if you’re interested in applying to any CSA General Council position!
Commerce Students’ Association – Instagram Account
The CSA Instagram account is by far the best way to stay updated on upcoming events and initiatives at Asper! The beautiful graphics on the Instagram feed were created by the CSA’s Content Creators and posted by the Social Media Coordinator!
Commerce Students’ Association – Official Website
Want to learn more about the CSA? No worries! The Asper CSA website provides all the information you need: The CSA, committees, student opportunities, resources, graduation, merchandise, and even the Asper Scoop that you’re currently reading. The website was recently renovated with an amazing interface, and that’s thanks to the CSA’s Digital Coordinator!
The CSA – Section of the CSA Website
If you explore the CSA website, you’ll find a section called “The CSA”. This is where you can learn about CSA portfolios, committees, meet the team, and how to get involved. Very useful if you’re interested in the CSA General Council.
Meet the Team – Section of the CSA Website
In this section, “Meet the Team”, you’ll learn about the current CSA team! Every member is listed. Feel free to book a coffee chat, reach out to the Vice Presidents via email, or get in touch on LinkedIn! We’re always happy to help answer any questions you have.
CSA General Council Application – Google Form
Finally: The CSA General Council Application! This is the form to send in your applications. You’ll need to prepare a resume, indicate your top three positions, and the rest of the application is straightforward. Applications close on March 9, 11:59 PM!
And here’s the end of the February Scoop!
Thank you to everyone who agreed to be part of the February Scoop: Zaneta, Cassandra, Joyce, Danielle, Clairron, John, Semi, Param, & Therese. Your experiences and insights are truly valuable to my readers.
As a last note, I wanted to share that my decision to get involved with the CSA General Council has been one of the best decisions I’ve made in university. I’ve met more people than I ever imagined and I’m very glad for that.
It would be neat if you, my readers, considered applying! If you read this blog until the end, you’re already a few steps ahead.
Stay tuned for the March edition of the Asper Scoop! It will be the last one.
Pookie Out!