ESA’S AGM: 2020 ELECTIONS UPDATE

Elections will take place at our Annual General Meeting. Due to health concerns and to ensure everyone’s safety, we will hold our Annual General Meeting online. Details to be Announced.

Looking for a fun opportunity to get involved with the English undergraduate community while developing leadership skills? We are officially seeking executives for next year’s ESA team. This is a great way to develop new skills, meet new people, and have an influence on campus.

The executive team collaborates to plan everything from ice cream cake socials to The Colloquium, supports initiatives like The Garden Statuary, and connects with students, other clubs, and the department. New ideas are more than welcome, and this is a platform that can help you realize them.

What positions are available? We currently elect the following:

• President
• VP Finance
• AUS Representative
• VP Marketing
• VP Events Programming
• VP Operations
• Honours Representative

Any UBC English student can run for any position. Self–nominations for multiple positions are accepted. Applications will close on April 2nd.

When will elections be held? Online, TBA

If you cannot make it to the General Meeting, you can still run. We will share your information with ESA members and will let you know the results of the vote.

How do I nominate myself?If you are interested in becoming an executive for the 2020-2021 ESA team, please fill this form to apply! 

What does each of these positions involve? Great question! Here are the job descriptions:

• President
  1. Oversee club operations
  2. Monitor the club email account
  3. Act as the first point of contact between the ESA and outside parties
  4. Co-write grant applications with the Treasurer
  5. Consult and update the constitution on an annual basis
  6. Call a General Meeting
  7. Act as a liaison to the Student Administrative Commission
  8. Act as one of the two Booking Representatives of the club
• VP Finance
  1. Prepare and update an annual club budget
  2. Maintain a record of all club expenditures
  3. Co-write grant applications with the President
  4. Maintain a record of all memberships purchased and membership fees collected
  5. Act as a liaison to the Finance Commission
  6. Act as one of two Booking Representatives of the club
  7. Act as the sole signing officer of the club
  8. Assist the President in overseeing regular club operations
• VP Marketing
  1. Creates and sources promotional materials and images for the club
  2. Maintains, updates and archives club website content
  3. Assist the President in overseeing regular club operations
• VP Events Programming
  1. Propose and plan club events and programming
  2. Consult with Treasurer regarding event budgets
  3. Communicates with other clubs for the purposes of event planning
  4. Assist the President in overseeing regular club operations
• VP Operations
  1. Coordinate regular meeting times
  2. Record and archive weekly club meeting minutes
  3. Communicate with the club membership via monthly newsletter regarding events as well as club or departmental notes
  4. Oversees blog contributions and operations
  5. Assist in booking rooms and venues for meetings, events, and programming
• AUS Representative
  1. Attend bimonthly AUS Council meetings and report back to the executive team with meeting minutes
• Honours Representative
  1. Promote ESA events to English Honours students, act as a liaison between English Honours students and the ESA

FAQ

What does the ESA do anyways?

We are a departmental club supported by the Arts Undergraduate Society (AUS) and Alma Mater Society (AMS). We provide specialized programming designed to engage English literature and language students at UBC. We host a variety of events, including: ice cream cake socials, pub nights, Halloween parties, board game parties and The Colloquium. We also support The Garden Statuary and collaborate with other on-campus groups. Don’t like what we’re currently doing? Become an executive and change it!

Do I need any particular skills?

Not really. Other than a willingness to work with a team, we love having a wide variety of people collaborating on our projects. Having said that, if you have experience with event management, marketing, social media, graphic design, or are a WordPress wizard, do let us know.

This sounds like a lot of work. Is it a lot of work?

That all depends! It is up to each year’s executives to decide how many events to organize and what initiatives to take part in. The main commitment is an hourly once-a-week executive meeting, during which you will plan said events and initiatives. Otherwise, you will be expected to attend some ESA events and contribute to their organization. Different positions have different time commitments as well. For example, the Treasurer is the only person qualified for financial matters, and the Secretary has some administrative duties. As such, those positions require a few extra hours a month. The most time-consuming position is likely President because you’ll be overseeing everything, but these positions are flexible and can catered to your schedule as need be.

I don’t want to run for an executive position this year, but are there other ways I can be involved?

We love connecting with new people who want to collaborate, so yes! Bloggers and Colloquium essay editors are always welcome. If you’re involved with another initiative and want to collaborate, you’re always free to reach out from that perspective.