CSA and the First Year Committee (FYC)
What is the CSA?
During your time in Asper, you will hear about a million acronyms as a student, and one you’ll see popping up frequently is the CSA. And the question is: what does it mean? The CSA stands for the Commerce Students’ Association and by being an Asper student, you are automatically a member! Every year, the CSA elects a President and Vice-President Internal (VPI) at the end of the Winter semester. Along with the President and Vice President Internal (VPI), an executive council is appointed of other vice presidents including:
The CSA also appoints a General Council (GC) of approximately 50 students who perform a variety of tasks, from organizing Asper’s premier events to communicating with Asper students and corporate partners. Each member of the executive team leads a portfolio of general council members that have positions related to their title! Now, although the CSA GC is already put together for the academic year, that does not mean there is no room for first-year students! If as a first-year student the CSA seems interesting to you, you may be interested in the first-year committee!
The First Year Committee (FYC)
The Asper First-year Committee (FYC) is essentially exactly what it sounds like: a committee of New-to-Asper students who work together to represent the New-to-Asper student body and organize various events and initiatives for their peers. The FYC is comprised of two first-year representatives and a first-year council.
The position of the First-Year representative is an elected position. If you love to lead and are passionate about advocating for all first-year students, you should consider running! All first-year students are free to run and campaign for themselves to other Asper first years. Two students will be elected, and they will be official members of the CSA General Council who thereafter attend all GC meetings and run a council of other first-year students.
If campaigning isn’t exactly your cup of tea but you still would like to be involved, the first-year committee may be the place for you! After the first-year reps are elected, interviews will be held for interested students to fill the various positions on the committee. The positions available on the first year committee are:
- Directors of Charity
- Directors of Fundraising
- Director of International Engagement
- Director of Finance
- Directors of Events
- Directors of Marketing
The actual initiatives the committee takes on varies from year to year based on the priorities of each class of new students, but in the past, the FYC has held things like gaming nights, charity drives, socials, and so much more!
Even if participating in the FYC doesn’t seem like your scene, it’s highly advised to keep up with them on Instagram @asperfyc. These students are designated to represent you as a first-year, and also organize initiatives designed to make your year the best it can be!