GSAÉD’s finance commissioner resigns
AFTER NEARLY TWO years with the University of Ottawa’s Graduate Students’ Association (GSAÉD), Patrick Imbeau announced he will resign his post of the finance commissioner on Nov. 15.
Since beginning his employment with GSAÉD in December 2009, Imbeau has worked as the association’s university affairs commissioner, external commissioner, and most recently, finance commissioner, where he has served since his election in May 2011.
Imbeau’s last day will be on Nov. 29, after which he will be employed as a northern outreach staff member for the New Democratic Party of the federal government.
“I’ve always enjoyed working with GSAÉD,” said Imbeau in an interview with the Fulcrum. “GSAÉD is well-financed, well-managed, and I like the people there. I really enjoyed it, but it was time to move on.”
Imbeau has been a part of several GSAÉD initiatives, including the implementation of the U-Pass.
“We brought in the U-Pass when [I] first got in, and that’s been a constant factor in the work that we do,” said Imbeau. “That was one of the projects that I worked on, and obviously there was a lot of people other than me working on that, too—but it’s become a much more important part of the job than it was before.”
Another initiative that Imbeau participated in was the planning of a new graduate student house, which will house offices for GSAÉD, Café Nostalgica, and provide a new space for graduate students on campus. The project’s current completion target is January 2013.
“I’ve been working on [Grad House], and the reason that I’m leaving at the end of the month instead of leaving last week is that I want to make sure the negotiations are all done, that the contracts are all signed up, and that we’re ready to go,” explained Imbeau. “Now, it’s sad not to see that project through, although the team at GSAÉD is still very fantastic, so they’ll pick it up and keep going.”
Imbeau is confident in the direction that GSAÉD is heading, and thinks his experience with the organization has been positive.
“The people at GSAÉD get along fairly well, and even the most controversial stuff is not really that divisive,” explained Imbeau. “We work together, we work to do what we need to do, and I’ve really enjoyed my time with GSAÉD.”
GSAÉD is currently accepting applications for the position of finance commissioner, and the council will elect a new representative on Nov. 29.
— Keeton Wilcock
