Graduate Students and Faculty

In the history department at my university at least one graduate student is selected to sit in on faculty meetings. However, the process by which this individual is selected, what their role is at faculty meetings, and their obligations to the faculty and their fellow graduate students is in no way publicized. It seems both logical and fair that these requirements be clearly spelled out and accessible to all faculty and graduate students. Furthermore, just as graduate students elect their representatives in the department's History Graduate Student Association, so too should they be able to vote for their faculty representative. This restores transparency to the entire process and makes the elected individual responsible to his or her peers for communicating pertinent information regarding the status of the department. If the proceedings of the meetings is deemed too confidential for the general graduate student population, then what is the point of even having a student representative? I believe that establishing a presence in the department is critical for continued excellence in graduate studies. I intend to raise these issues with the department's Graduate Program Director; I will report back on my findings when I have more concrete answers.