Purpose
The purpose of the CSEP Student Committee is to increase graduate and undergraduate student involvement within the society by enhancing and creating student-oriented programs. The Student Committee will communicate student needs, questions and initiatives to the CSEP Board of Directors in an effort to cultivate a spirit of interest and fellowship within the Society.
Executive
Chair – Tom Tripp, University of Calgary
Tom has spent the past four years on the committee serving as Member-at-Large, Events Coordinator and Chair-Elect. He’s currently a third year PhD student in Dr. Martin MacInnis’ lab at the University of Calgary where his research focuses on determinants of endurance exercise performance and how they can be improved with training. Tom is excited to serve as the 2023 Student Committee Chair and looks forward to welcoming everyone to Calgary for CSEP 2023!
Chair-Elect – Tania Pereira, York University
Tania is returning to the committee for her second year and is excited to represent student members as the Chair Elect. She’s a PhD Candidate at York University, under the supervision of Dr. Heather Edgell. Her research focuses on the autonomic control of the physiological response to exercise – specifically investigating sex differences and the effects of hormonal contraceptives. Tania is looking forward to engaging with student members at future events and maximizing their 2023 CSEP experience.
Communications Director – Bradley Currier, McMaster University
Brad has been serving as the committee’s Communications Director for the past 2 years. Exercise physiology catalyzed his interest in research during his undergraduate degree at Lindenwood University, and Brad is now a PhD Candidate with Dr. Stuart Phillips at McMaster University, studying strategies to mitigate skeletal muscle atrophy. He’s excited to deliver new and engaging programming for student members in 2023.
Event Coordinator & Exercise is Medicine Canada Liaison – Jennifer Wilkinson, University of Waterloo
Jen is a fourth year PhD candidate at the University of Waterloo, studying under Dr. Michaela Devries-Aboud. This is her second year as the Event Coordinator for the committee and her first year as the Exercise is Medicine Canada Liaison. Jen looks forward to combining her love of exercise, exercise physiology and community engagement to bring many thrilling events to the CSEP and EIMC populations.
Conference Liaison – Jenny Zhang
Jenny is joining the committee this year for the first time as a Conference Liaison! After transferring from Biomedical Sciences in her undergrad to pursue Kinesiology for her MSc and now PhD, she has gained an appreciation for exercise neurophysiology and pain research. Attending CSEP is an annual highlight for Jenny and she’s very excited to be part of this team for 2023 to create a memorable conference experience for everyone!
Member-at-Large, Regional Representative – Brianna Leadbetter, University of New Brunswick
Brianna is in her second year of the MScKin program at the University of New Brunswick. This is her first year on the student committee and she’s serving as a Member-at-Large/Regional Representative for Eastern Canada. Brianna became a CSEP-CPT in 2019 while pursuing her undergrad at Acadia University and then became a CSEP-CEP in 2020. She noted that Acadia University did a great job of representing and promoting CSEP, so she’s excited to continue to raise awareness of CSEP on the East Coast!
Member-at-Large, Regional Representative – Seth McCarthy, Wilfred Laurier University
Seth is joining the committee for the first time as a Regional Representative/Member-at-large. His love for physical activity sparked his interest in pursuing a career in research, and he’s currently a 3rd year PhD Candidate at Wilfrid Laurier University studying how exercise affects appetite. Seth is thrilled to be joining the committee for 2023!
Member-at-Large, Regional Representative – Brittany Rioux, University of New Brunswick
After being part of the CSEP 2022 Local Organizing Committee, Brittany joined the Student Committee as Member-at-Large and Regional Representative for the Atlantic provinces. Sports and exercise have always been a central component of Brittany’s life, leading her to pursuing her studies in kinesiology. After completing an honours research project in her undergraduate degree, her pursuit of graduate research in exercise physiology was a natural progression. She continues to study the impact of various cytokines released from skeletal muscle during exercise and their impact on health outcomes in those with obesity and/or diabetes for her doctoral work at the University of New Brunswick.
Member-at-Large – Stacey Forbes, Queens University
Stacey is joining the Student Committee for the first time this year. Stacey is currently a PhD Candidate at Queen’s University studying the coordination of the mechanisms involved in the cardiovascular response to exercise during transitions in exercise intensity. Exploration of the physiology and anatomy of the human body during her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the University of Guelph fostered her passion for research.
Social Media and Events Coordinator – Briana Hockey, Brock University
Briana is a first year PhD student at the Brock University Muscle Plasticity in Health and Disease Lab. Her love for exercise physiology began during her undergraduate studies in Kinesiology where she became fascinated by the adaptability and implications muscle holds for whole-body health. Brianas research focuses on exercise and mitigation strategies for conditions of muscle wasting, such as aging, disease, and spaceflight. This is her first year as a CSEP Student Committee member and she’s looking forward to all the fun and resourceful events we will be offering!
Membership
Full membership in the Student Committee shall be restricted to CSEP student members according to CSEP by-law Article II.(iii). Full membership requires annual payment of CSEP student membership dues. Each student member has a single vote for determining student representation on this committee.
Executive Representation
The Student Committee includes a total of 11 student representatives who have been elected by their peers during the annual Student Committee election. All executive committee positions, with the exception of the Chair-elect, are for a term of one-year (November 1 to October 31). Executive members may seek re-election for a second term, either in the position they currently hold, or a new position on the executive council. Any one person may not hold more than one position at one time. If this scenario does occur, the person must resign from one of the positions held and the Student Committee executive will select a replacement.
One committee member will hold the position of Chair and will serve as chair for one year. The Chair will coordinate communication between the Student Committee executive members and will organize and assign action items to be completed by the Student Committee over the course of the year. The Chair will also sit on the CSEP Board of Directors as a voting member (board liaison) and will communicate directly with the CSEP Board of Directors. At the end of a term of office, the outgoing Chair will be replaced by the current Chair-elect.
One committee member will serve as Chair-elect, and will serve for one year as Chair-elect, followed by one year as Chair.
One committee member will serve as Communication Officer and will be responsible for developing Student Committee communications/literature that will be dispersed to CSEP student members. The Communication Officer will be responsible for publishing an email communiqué each semester.
The remaining eight Student Committee executive positions will be Members-at-large and will be responsible for completing Student Committee tasks as they are assigned during the course of the year.
Election process
All positions, with the exception of the new Chair, will be elected annually by the entire CSEP student membership. The new Chair will be promoted from the former Chair-elect as stated within these guidelines.
To be elected, the Student Committee nominees must be a student member of CSEP and be enrolled in a graduate program at the time of the election. Although it is recommended that all representatives be enrolled in graduate studies during the tenure of their position, it is possible that representatives may serve part of their tenure after the completion of their graduate program. For example, the Chair-elect may be in their last year of graduate studies when elected and may serve their term as Chair after having graduated.
Ideally, the Student Committee will have regional representation. Therefore, it is recommended that the committee have at least one member from each of the following five regions: West (British Columbia and Alberta), Central (Manitoba, Saskatchewan), Ontario, Quebec, and East (Atlantic provinces). The remaining positions will be open and may be held by any CSEP student member. If regional representation cannot be fulfilled due to the lack of an interested nominee, the regional position will be vacated and may be held by any CSEP student member until the next election.
Executive positions shall be elected by a majority of the CSEP student membership through a ballot. A call for nominations for the Student Committee executive positions shall be sent to all CSEP student members in September of each year. The CSEP Student Committee must receive nominations for Student Committee executive positions no later than the specified date indicated by the call for nominations. Fifteen percent of the voting membership shall constitute a quorum for an election.
Voting Procedure
Each voting student member shall be sent by electronic media a voting package containing the following information:
The voting student member shall respond by electronic media by clearly indicating his or her support for a Student Committee candidate, along with his or her name and membership number, to the Student Committee on or before the voting deadline.
Each Voting Member who responds before the voting deadline shall be included in the determination of a quorum. Lack of a response on or before the voting deadline shall be treated as an abstention.
The votes shall be tallied within 10 business days after the voting deadline.
The Student Committee shall inform each Voting Member by email of the outcome of all votes by sending such notice by email within 10 clear days of the tally of votes.
If there are an insufficient number of candidates to fill the 10 Student Committee executive positions, an election is not necessary and the candidates will be acclaimed to the position of their choice. However, in the event that two or more candidates are interested in running for the position of Chair-elect, an election may be held to determine who will serve as Chair-elect.
In the event that an executive position is vacant due to a limited number of candidates by the specified date indicated by the call for nominations, the Student Committee executive should use the CSEP national meeting to recruit new candidates to join the Student Committee executive.
If a position becomes vacant on the Student Committee executive committee between usual election dates, the position shall be filled by a majority vote of the Student Committee executive at any regular meeting, from a list of nominees submitted to the Student Committee executive. The new Student Committee executive member so elected shall complete the term of office until the next Student Committee election is held. If the Chair is unable to serve the full term of their appointment, the Chair-elect will assume Chair responsibilities and a by-election will be held to elect a new Chair-elect.
Powers and authority of the Student Committee Executive
The Student Committee Executive has the following powers and authorities:
Decision-making within the CSEP Student Committee
Motions to be considered by the CSEP Student Committee must be presented in writing to the Student Committee Chair and must be supported by at least 2 Student Committee executive members. Following a period of discussion, the Student Committee executive will vote on committee motions. The Student Committee executive will adopt motions after a majority vote is completed. A majority of the members of the Executive Committee shall constitute a quorum. In the event of a tied vote due to the absence of executive members or due to an executive member abstaining from the vote, the Chair will cast the tie-breaking vote.
Meeting Schedule
The Student Committee will meet in-person annually at the CSEP annual meeting. The Chair will review Student Committee accomplishments at the CSEP annual meeting and prioritize new/continuing initiatives for the coming year.
Further correspondence will occur via email and/or by conference call. It is expected that the Student Committee will communicate via email at least once per month.
The Student Committee will communicate with the general student membership by publishing an email communiqué each semester. Material for the communiqué will be contributed by Student Committee representatives and CSEP student members in the form of articles, commentaries, etc. of interest to the CSEP student membership.