Want to get involved with the Master of Information Student Council?
Nominations Open on March 11th!
Nomination Period: March 11th – March 27th, 2022
Voting Period: March 28th – March 31st, 2022
The Master of Information Student Council holds elections twice a year, in the first month of the fall term and the final month of the spring term. The majority of each new council is elected in the spring term, while the Vice President, First Year Representatives, Faculty Council Representatives, as well as any unfilled positions are elected in the following fall.
Running for student council is a great way to get involved in life at the iSchool and make sure your voice is heard. You can develop new skills in advocacy, committee work, event planning, budgeting, and more. It is also an excellent opportunity to make connections with future leaders in the information profession.
All registered MI students are eligible to run and vote in MISC elections!
Election Timeline
Elections for MISC’s 2022-2023 General Council will take place from March 11th to April 4th!
- Nomination Period: March 11th (6:00 AM EST) – March 27th (11:59 PM EST), 2022
- Voting Period: March 28th (6:00 AM EST) – March 31st (11:59 PM EST), 2022
- Results Announced: April 4th, 2022
How to Nominate Yourself:
Nominations open at 6:00AM on March 11th, 2022 and close at 11:59PM on March 25th, 2022. Please take a look at the positions available for election below, and nominate yourself using this form.
You may nominate yourself for any available position(s) on MISC! Interested candidates are expected to familiarize themselves with the responsibilities of their desired position. Please read the position description below on this page, consult the MISC Constitution, or contact the President for more detailed information.
- You may nominate yourself for as many positions as you would like.
- You must include a short nomination statement with your submission. This will be used as your candidate statement during voting.
- If you wish to withdraw your submitted nomination, you may do so prior to the start of the voting period by emailing the VP Operations/CRO.
- Any positions that remain unfilled will be open for the Fall elections
Position Descriptions
Executive: 5 Positions
PRESIDENT
The President oversees all areas of MISC and leads the strategy and goals of MISC over the course of the year, in consultation with MISC’s Executive Committee and General Council. The President calls, prepares agendas for, attends, and chairs meetings of the General Council and Executive Committee. They are responsible for ensuring that all areas of MISC are functional, implementing MISC’s strategies throughout the year, and taking initiative to advocate for MI students’ needs.
The position of President is essentially that of liaison to both the administration and the Membership while handling all correspondence on behalf of the MISC, and brings any issues of the Membership to the attention of General Council at meetings. The President is recognized as the official spokesperson of the MISC to the administration and wider community. The President attempts to meet and maintain regular communication with various administrators at the Faculty of Information, such as the Dean, Assistant Deans as necessary, and the Registrar.
The President also leads the MISC Executive, which is comprised of the President and all Vice President positions. The Executive is responsible for the day-to-day operations of MISC, and are responsible for high-level decisions about MISC’s strategy and goals for each academic year.In addition, the President also acts as a representative to the Faculty Council, Faculty Council Executive Committee, Faculty of Information Awards Committee and the UTGSU General Council/Board of Directors.
VP Operations
The VP Operations supports the day-to-day logistical operations and record-keeping of MISC. They take meeting minutes at all MISC meetings, maintain and update the MISC website, manage MISC’s digital and physical records, organize MISC elections with the President, and act as the CRO for MISC elections and referenda. They also manage bookings for the 7th floor student lounge. They support the President and MISC to ensure that MISC is keeping accurate and frequent records of activities throughout the year.
General duties include:
- Taking meeting minutes at all MISC General Council meetings and posting them to the MISC website
- Receiving and making 7th floor lounge bookings in the MISC Calendar
- Maintaining the directory of MISC Council members
- Maintaining the MISC Google Drive
- Maintaining and updating the MISC website
- Planning elections with President and VP Communications
- Overseeing MISC elections and referenda as CRO
- Keeps record of MISC’s Credentials (log-in/password information on our platforms)
- General recordkeeper of MISC
The VP Operations, along with the President and all other Vice President positions, is also a member of the MISC Executive. The Executive is responsible for the day-to-day operations of MISC, and are responsible for high-level decisions about MISC’s strategy and goals for each academic year.
VP Finance
The VP Finance attends and contributes to all MISC meetings and is allotted one vote. The VP Finance is primarily responsible for managing MISC’s finances, processing expenses and reimbursements, and producing reports of MISC’s expenses to present at MISC’s monthly General Council meetings. Over the summer, the VP Finance and President, in consultation with the Executive Committee, Standing Committees, and Working Groups, prepare the annual budget for the upcoming fiscal year to be approved no later than the October General Council meeting. At the last General Council meeting of Council’s term, the VP Finance and President are responsible for preparing a report detailing MISC’s expenses for the year.
The VP Finance is also responsible for applying for MISC’s annual head grant funding from the UTGSU each fall, keeping a detailed, accurage ledger of MISC’s finances, preparing and submitting MISC’s annual student society audit to the Office of the Vice-Provost, Students in accordance with the Policy for Compulsory Non-Academic Incidental Fees, and responding to financial inquiries and requests as needed.
The VP Finance, along with the President and all other Vice President positions, is also a member of the MISC Executive. The Executive is responsible for the day-to-day operations of MISC, and are responsible for high-level decisions about MISC’s strategy and goals for each academic year.
VP Communications
The VP Communications attends and contributes to all MISC meetings and is allotted one vote. The VP Communications is responsible for MISC’s front-facing promotions and communications, ensuring that MISC has a cohesive brand and is communicating on our platforms effectively. The VP Communications works with the President to devise communication strategies for different MISC events and initiatives, and works with the different Committees, Representatives and Working Groups of MISC to help promote their events and activities. The VP Communications is also responsible for preparing the weekly MISC newsletter (MISCy Business).
General duties include:
- Preparing and sending out the MISCy Business newsletter each Monday
- Creating promotional material (posters and social media images) for MISC events (in collaboration with MISC Committees/Working Groups
- Creating Facebook events, Instagram posts, registration links (Eventbrite/Google Forms) to promote MISC events
- Ensuring that the MISC Calendar is up to date with MISC events
The VP Communications, along with the President and all other Vice President positions, is also a member of the MISC Executive. The Executive is responsible for the day-to-day operations of MISC, and are responsible for high-level decisions about MISC’s strategy and goals for each academic year.
VP-Academic Affairs
The VP Academic Affairs is MISC’s liaison to all academic and curricular issues and serves as a point of contact for students experiencing academic or curricular issues. In addition, the VP Academic Affairs serves as the MI representative to the following Faculty of Information Committees to maintain a holistic understanding of Academic Affairs at the iSchool:
- Committee on Standing, where the Faculty of Information discusses and makes decisions related to requests for extensions, late withdrawal, thesis options, and doctoral thesis titles and committees.
- The Programs Committee for the Faculty of Information, which discusses and makes decisions related to the iSchool’s programs such as curricula.
- Faculty Council, which is the body that oversees the Faculty’s standing committees and affairs.
- The Masters and Recruitment Admissions Committee (MRAC), which reviews iSchool applicants’ program application packages and advises on the Faculty of Information’s recruitment strategies.
The VP Academic Affairs is allotted one vote on MISC’s General Council, and is expected to attend the above Committee meetings to report back on their activities at MISC’s regular General Council meetings. The VP Academic Affairs, along with the President and all other Vice President positions, is also a member of the MISC Executive. The Executive is responsible for the day-to-day operations of MISC, and are responsible for high-level decisions about MISC’s strategy and goals for each academic year.
Committee Co-Chairs: 5 Positions
The Professional Development Committee requires one second year student as well as one first year student to act as co-chairs. The Committee also welcomes members at large for ideas and input. The PD Committee is responsible for a number of professional development events for students at the Faculty of Information throughout the school year, including various resume and job-interview clinics, speaker events, and career-oriented workshops. The Professional Development Committee’s largest events are the annual Employer Showcase (formerly the Job and Networking Event), usually held in January, as well as the iSchool Clubs & Associations Fair, held in September. Each Co-Chair is allotted one vote at MISC meetings.
Check out the MISC page for this committee to learn more!
iMH is a student advocacy group focused on mental health. The Committee plans mental health oriented initiatives and events for students, and advocates for mental health related student needs within the iSchool community and beyond. Check out iStudents for Mental Health for more information on our initiatives.
The Survey Committee is led by the Upper Year and First Year Survey Committee Co-Chairs and works to gauge the overall student experience at the iSchool through student-run surveys and data collection. The data generated helps MISC understand the focus of its students’ needs. The Committee’s main initiative is the MISC Student Experience Survey, which gauges MISC’s performance as well as overall student satisfaction in the Faculty of Information. The Co-Chairs are responsible for presenting the data in a timely manner after the Survey has been conducted and publishing a summary of the data online. The Committee also works with other Council Members as needed to take other surveys of the student body as needed.
The Social Committee is comprised of two Upper Year Co-Chairs and a First Year Social Representative. All MI students are welcome to join the Social Committee as student members/volunteers.
The Social Committee is responsible for planning and executing a number of social activities to give students at the Faculty of Information a chance to meet up, network and get to know each other throughout the school year. The events planned by the Social Committee include gatherings on and off campus and events for special occasions such as the winter break and the end of the school year. The biggest projects for the Social Committee are the Meet and Greet during the summer, Orientation Week events, and the annual End of Year Formal Event. Each Co-Chair is allotted one vote at MISC meetings.
Representatives: 7 Positions
The Faculty of Information Alumni Association (FIAA) Representative acts as the liaison between the Master of Information Student Council (MISC) and the FIAA. The FIAA Rep is expected to attend and contribute to monthly meetings for both the FIAA and the MISC, and is allotted one vote for each organization. More specifically, the FIAA Rep is expected to contribute to the planning and promotion of the Job Shadowing program and the FIAA student conference grants & awards. Overall, the person holding this position strives to ensure that the FIAA is aware of the goings-on of the MISC, and vice-versa.
There are two Upper Year MI Student Tech Fund Representatives (SY-STFR), both of whom sit on MISC and the MISC/MUSSA Tech Fund Committee. These positions must be held by upper year Master of Information students elected during the Spring election cycle. They must hold the position for a full year and attend and contribute to all MISC meetings and are each allotted one vote. The SY-STFR helps propose and track purchases made with the Student Tech Fund, while also reporting at MISC General Council meetings about purchases, and seeking approval from MISC on purchases exceeding $3,000. The SY-STFR will also attend Student Tech Fund committee meetings, which are comprised of MI and MMSt Tech Fund Representatives and may include faculty and IT supervisors. These meetings must be held once every 30 days during the Fall and Winter semesters. The SY-STFR will also hold one of the following Student Tech Fund committee positions: Chairperson; Treasurer; Secretary; Workshops, Events and Communications Coordinator; Referendum Coordinator.
There are two International Student Representatives on MISC (one Upper Year, one First Year). Both Representatives must be registered international students in the Master of Information program. Each student is allotted one vote at MISC General Council meetings. The Representatives act as liaisons between the international student body and MISC, collaborating with MISC’s committees to host events and activities for international students, and working with MISC to ensure that international students feel included and involved with student life at the Faculty of Information. Broadly speaking, they are responsible for advocating for international students’ needs on MISC, at the iSchool, and at UofT more widely.
These representatives attend and contribute to all MISC meetings and are each allotted one vote. The Faculty Council for the Faculty of Information normally meets once each semester and is the governing body responsible for all academic affairs of the Faculty, including determining academic policies, determining the content and requirements of the degree and diploma programs. More information about the Faculty Council can be on the Faculty of Information page on Governance, policy, & accountability.
The students elected to the position of Faculty Council Representative serve to create a student presence at the Faculty Council meetings. They are allowed to speak at meetings (and are encouraged to do so) and are each allotted one vote on the Faculty Council.
These representatives report back to the students and the MISC at the MISC meetings, allowing the greater student body and council members to understand the decision process of the Faculty as well as gather student feedback to be voice at future Faculty Council meetings. The President, Executive Vice-President and VP Academic Affairs, are automatically appointed as representatives. The other representatives are elected annually in the fall each year.