Graduate Students comprise the next generation of psychologists, yet they do not have a voice in APA elections. It is time to change this—and we can with your support!
If you are a voting member of APA, you will get a ballot November 1 by email. Please vote YES on the Amendment called “Voting Privileges and New Membership Category for Graduate Students.” Immediately after you vote YES, please consider asking five other members of APA to also vote YES.
You can also visit the website https://www.letgradstudentsvote.com/ for more information.
The amendment will create a “graduate student” membership category, and after one year as members in this category, graduate students will vote on the same issues that full APA members and some Associates already do: Elections for APA President-Elect and Board Members-at-Large, bylaw amendments like this one, and apportionment ballots (determining how Council seats will be assigned between APA Divisions and state, provincial, and territorial associations). The item further aligns the voter waiting period for associate members with that of graduate student members.
In August, the APA Council of Representatives voted overwhelmingly in favor (73.4%) of the item, and our Board of Directors and Council Leadership Team both unanimously recommended approval of graduate student voting rights. We now turn to you to vote and be a part of history!
Here are five reasons why we need you and five of your colleagues to vote YES:
- YES aligns APA with countless associations that have found student voting led to more engaged students and stronger leadership pipelines.
- YES may stem ongoing loss of student members by engaging this missing segment in today’s issues, thereby strengthening APA’s longevity and relevance over your career span and theirs.
- YES directs APA to hear from 21,000 people who’ve committed to advanced degrees in psychology, and who are substantially affected by our decisions.
- YES brings us all closer to new, informed perspectives as we seek to strengthen APA as a professional home to all, advancing our new strategic plan to “attract, diversify, develop, and support the next generation of psychology professionals.”
- YES tells graduate students—who are college-educated, who vote in US politics, who conduct research, and who treat patients—that they have the duty and privilege to be involved in decisions affecting their education, training, and the future of their chosen field.
APAGS is proud to have started this movement, and we turn to you to make it a reality. Remember, you will receive a ballot on November 1 and have until December 16 to vote. The amendment will need a “supermajority” (66.6% YES votes) to pass, so word-of-mouth support is nothing short of crucial.
Thank you in advance for being a champion,
Roseann Fish Getchell, Psy.D. (APAGS Chair)
Justin Karr, Ph.D. (APAGS Past Chair)
Blanka Angyal, M.A., Ed.M., Ed.S. (APAGS Chair Elect)
PS: Want to tell more than five people? Great! Please forward this letter to your APA Division, your state psychological association, or any other email list. Didn’t receive your ballot? Check spam for a message from [email protected], and if still nothing, just contact APA’s Elections Office at [email protected] or 202-336-6087.
Please visit the website https://www.letgradstudentsvote.com/ for more information.