The job

All current for-credit undergrads, including Open Studies and international students, can run for UASU Executive roles. While the Execs are students taking at least one class, these are full-time, paid positions. Execs have been known to work 50 or 60 hours a week at certain times of the year. Work-life balance can be a struggle in these broad and largely self-directed roles — many past Execs will tell you that there's always another urgent student priority around the corner (or trying to blow up their phones at midnight).

In recognition of the time commitment, and to keep the opportunity accessible to students who cannot afford to not work, Executive positions are paid. In 2024/25, each Exec makes $48,677, comparable to other large student associations' executives and the low end of the University's full-time support staff pay scales. The UASU Execs' salary automatically keeps pace with inflation every year so its actual value stays stable.

Portfolios in a nutshell

The President is the UASU's primary spokesperson, meaning they push student priorities to the University's top leadership, the government, and the media. The President directs and advises the General Manager and oversees the Vice Presidents, who have a lot of latitude to lead the work in their portfolios. A lot of the President's time goes into supporting the VPs in one way or another. This year, the President also served as Chair of the Council of Alberta University Students, working with lawyers, banks, auditors, and counterparts to get CAUS re-registered as an Alberta Society.

The Vice President (Academic) covers on-campus student issues like academic advising and accommodations, textbook affordability, academic fees, and academic misconduct. They meet with the Provost, the Dean of Students, and many offices, committees, and working groups to advance student priorities and find solutions for students in difficult situations.

The Vice President (External) advocates to the City of Edmonton, the Government of Alberta, and (as part of the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations) the federal government too. The VPX works on issues like tuition hikes, international student regulations, funding for university maintenance and expansion, and financial aid. Any time you see the UASU in the news, it's usually the VPX or the President.

The Vice President (Operations and Finance) works with the UASU's operations managers to keep our businesses and spaces financially sustainable and focused on students' needs. They also play a role in long-term budgeting and day-to-day financial responsibility, like signing cheques and employment contracts.

The Vice President (Student Life) is the VPA's mirror image, covering non-academic on-campus issues like student health and safety, residences and meal plans, food insecurity, sexual and gender-based violence prevention, mental health, and non-academic misconduct. The VPA and VPSL tend to work together on shared priorities like accessibility.

Execs come from all kinds of leadership, involvement, and faculty backgrounds. Dozens of part-time, unpaid student leaders serve on Students' Council and/or General Faculties Council, as committee students-at-large, on the boards of Dedicated Fee Units, and in Faculty Associations, Departmental Associations, Residence Associations, and other Student Representative Associations. There are now around 500 registered clubs, and many students are also involved in the broader community. Recent years' Execs have come from programs as diverse as immunology, psychology, history, and kinesiology, across multiple campuses.

While the Exec jobs will always be especially challenging, we all hope to make them more attainable for any student willing to run!