About Us
The CERLAC Student Caucus is a student-led organization representing graduate students affiliated with York University's Centre for Research on Latin America and the Caribbean (CERLAC). We serve as a bridge between students and the broader CERLAC community, advocating for student interests while promoting research and collaboration in Latin American and Caribbean studies.
Our Mission
The CERLAC Student Caucus exists to:
- Represent and advocate for graduate students affiliated with CERLAC, ensuring their rights to academic freedom, safety, and inclusion within the academic community in adherence with the CERLAC Student Caucus's mission, vision and values.
- Foster a collaborative and supportive community among CERLAC-affiliated students.
- Participate actively in CERLAC governance and decision-making processes to ensure student interests are reflected.
- Facilitate funding and support for student-led initiatives aligned with CERLAC's academic, professional, and community-building objectives.
Membership
- Membership is open to all CERLAC Diploma Students and Registered Research Associates.
- Membership is opt-in, requiring expressed interest and good standing.
Membership Privileges:
- Decision-making rights at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) and other General Meetings.
- Eligibility to sponsor funding requests.
Leadership
Our organization is led by a team of dedicated graduate students:
- 1 Co-Chair (Latin American Studies Focus)
- 1 Co-Chair (Caribbean Studies Focus)
- 1 Administrator
- 1 Graduate Representative (Latin American Studies Focus)
- 1 Graduate Representative (Caribbean Studies Focus)
- 1 Communications and Outreach Coordinator
- 1 Member-at-Large
Get Involved
We welcome all eligible students to become members and participate in decision making and other activities! Join us for academic events, social gatherings, and opportunities to connect with fellow scholars interested in Latin American and Caribbean studies.
Contact Us
- Follow us on social media: @CERLACStuCaucus (Twitter(X)/Instagram/Facebook)
For complete details on our organization's structure, governance, and procedures, please refer to our constitution, available here.
Student Caucus Events
The CERLAC Student Caucus Presents: Climate Change in the Caribbean: The Role of Capital in the Climate Crisis and the Movement for Climate Justice.
Guest Speakers:
MALENE ALLEYNE is a Jamaican human rights lawyer and founder of Freedom Imaginaries, an organization that uses human rights law to tackle legacies of slavery and colonialism. She holds a Master of Laws degree from Harvard Law School and a Master of Advanced Studies degree from the Graduate Institute of International Studies, Geneva. She is qualified to practice law in Guyana and Jamaica.
ESTHER FIGUEROA, Ph.D., is a Jamaican independent film maker, writer, educator and linguist with over thirty-five years of media productions including television programming, documentaries, educational videos, multimedia and feature film. Her activist film making gives voice to those outside of mainstream media and focuses on the perpetuation of local and indigenous knowledge and cultures, the environment, social injustice, and community empowerment. Figueroa’s films include Jamaica for Sale (2009), Fly Me To The Moon (2019). In 2013, Figueroa was Distinguished Writer in Residence at University of Hawai’i English Department. Her environmental novel Limbo (2013) was a finalist in the 2014 National Indie Excellence Awards for Multi-cultural Fiction.