Student Forum

Student Forum is the executive board level of the GSD’s elected student government. The Student Forum works to improve student life at the GSD and serves as a link between the student body and the school administration.

Members of Student Forum meet regularly with Student Life and with the Dean, as well as the Class Representatives. The members of Student Forum, along with Class Representatives, also participate in the Student Academic Affairs Committee. Through the roles of the different officers within Student Forum, the student government maintains regular communications with major offices at the GSD such as Alumni Relations, Facilities, Career Services, the office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging, the Frances Loeb Library, etc. Members of Student Forum also serve on other ad-hoc administrative and student committees. Student Forum holds weekly internal meetings, as well as certain meetings open to the entire student body. Student Forum can also facilitate open meetings for the student body with the Dean.

Student Forum assists in managing budgets for various activities, events, and projects, such as the Halloween and Beaux Arts Ball parties and the Student Conference Attendance Fund. Funding for Student Forum and student organizations is drawn from the Student Activity Fee. Student Life staff work with Student Forum and the student organizations on budgeting and approve allocations.

Student Forum officers are elected by the GSD student body each spring. They serve for a full academic year, taking over from the outgoing leadership each May, and serving for the following fall and spring semesters. Student Forum officers also have the option to appoint committees to help them carry out their work.

In addition to Student Forum, GSD students are represented by Class Representatives from each graduation-year cohort of each academic program stream. In addition to serving on the Student Academic Affairs Committee, Class Representatives meet several times each semester as a student council, and assist Student Forum officers with committees and projects.

Read the Student Forum Bylaws

To contact Student Forum, email [email protected]

Student Forum Officer Roles

Student Forum executive board officer roles currently include:

Student Forum Elections

Both Student Forum and Class Representatives serve a one-year term over the course of an academic year, beginning with election in April of the preceding academic year (first year representatives are elected in September).

Students interested in running for Student Forum or Class Representative seats are asked to attend an informational session, then to declare candidacy. Student Forum candidates are additionally asked to submit a brief statement that will be circulated to the student body. This statement should be a paragraph or two and serve both to introduce the candidate, and express the candidate’s reason for running and vision for how they will act in the role they seek to fill. Students running for Class Representative seats do not need to submit a statement.

Below is a sample expected elections timeline, though specifics can shift from year to year:

First half of April:
Info Session
Hear from Student Forum chairs and Class Reps about their positions and what it’s like being part of student government
Deadline to declare candidacy (all candidates)
Also deadline for Student Forum candidates to submit candidate statements

Mid April:
Candidate Forum
Your chance to hear from candidates for Student Forum and ask questions (note that this may be virtual or consist of written statements)
Voting Opens
Voting opens shortly after the Candidate Forum concludes, and remains open for several days
Voting Closes
Winners are announced before the end of spring term

The newly elected Student Forum joins the outgoing Student Forum in a transition process, including group and individual meetings, over the remaining weeks of the academic year. The outgoing Student Forum remains in office through the end of the academic year.