Commissioners

At the 2009 AGM a constitutional amendment was passed creating a constituency commission comprised of five commissioners that have full voting rights on the Joint Council.  If you are interested in filling a vacancy stop by the GSA|AEES office.

Laurel O'Gorman

Position: representative for sexual and gender diversity
Laurel O'Gorman is a second year MA student in sociology.  Her research focuses on access to education for single mother students and she also works with feminism and queer theory.  

Laurel sometimes enjoys causing a rukus to expose power relations in her role as the president of CUPE local 5011 representing graduate teaching assistants at Laurentian University, and as a community activist working on issues like LGBTQ rights, student issues, anti-poverty work, union organizing, and women's rights.  Right wing pundits are put off by (or, possibly terrified of) her anti-oppressive and anti-capitalist views; recently, her work with the occupy together movement caught the attention of an op-ed writer for nationally recognized paper who named Laurel (as a single mother, liberal arts student, and union activist) of being a main cause of the economic recession.
In her role as the representative for sexual and gender diversity and as a joint council member, Laurel would like to continue her anti-oppression work and fight back against the cuts to services and programs on campus.

Maria Begona

Position: Francophone Commissioner
Bonjour! La raison pour laquelle j'ai voulu être commissaire francophone des étudiantes aux études supérieures c'est parce que je suis enseignante de français et ma thèse a commencé avec le thème de l'aménagement linguistique. Ma sensibilité en ce qui a trait à l'importance de la diversité linguistique vient aussi de ma descendance espagnole : mon père a toujours souligné la richesse que suppose une langue. J'espère vous servir pour garder cette belle langue aussi vivant que possible!
Merci.

Melissa Nuno

Position: International Students' Commissioner

Rafiq Rahemtulla

Position: Mature and Part-Time Students Commissioner

Rafiq is a part-time student working towards a masters degree in biology.  His research focuses on the histological quantification of mast cells in brain and melanoma tissue under a variety of conditions.

 Having served two years on the executive of the GSA-AEES Rafiq is a strong advocate of student movements.  As Mature & Part-Time Student Commissioner, he endeavours to ensure that the programs and services offered are available to all students regardless of their status.