You probably have committee experience that will be valuable to your work at Carleton University and already appreciate the importance of some basic things such as arriving on time, attacking the issues and not the person and warning the chair if you are going to raise a controversial issue.  However some features relating to committee work at Carleton are relatively unique.  You may be actively engaged in running the institution through your participation in committee work and you may be on the committee as a representative of an academic body or as a CUASA representative.  Here are some of the most important things to keep in mind:

• Understand your duties and responsibilities.

• Understand the mandate (power/responsibilities) of the committee.

• Understand protocol/rules including whether the proceedings are confidential.

• Understand whether there are fiduciary duties and responsibilities involved and whether committee members are insured against failure to carry them out.

• Prepare for committee meetings beforehand by reading agendas, minutes and any reports.

• Solicit input from the constituency you represent (the CUASA office and your Council rep are available for assistance).

• Advocate for your constituents based on their feedback.