Bylaws

University of Virginia Graduate School of Arts & Sciences Council

Providing a Home for Graduate Students on Grounds

By Laws

I. ORGANIZATION

Purpose: The Graduate Student Council (hereafter GSC) serves primarily a liaison function manifested on several levels. The GSC provides an information exchange and is a sounding board for students in different departments. Within the broader University community the GSC serves as a liaison between graduate students and other student government bodies and the administration. On a statewide level, the GSC communicates with similar representative bodies at other institutions, as well as with state officials.

Structure:

The GSC shall have an executive board consisting of a president, secretary, and treasurer. Descriptions of duties for such officers are provided for in the GSC Constitution, and may be supplemented in these by-laws. Voting members shall consist of all designated department representatives and ex officio representatives (i.e., GSAS representatives to the Honor and Judiciary Committees, and to the University Student Council). As provided for in the Constitution, from time to time, the GSC president will appoint ad hoc committees for specified purposes.

Meetings:

Meeting times and dates for each semester shall be determined at the first meeting of the term. The GSC shall meet no less than six times during any one academic year. The president will be responsible for scheduling the time and place of these meetings, and will make reasonable public notice of their date, time and location. Additional meetings may be held as specified by the president or at the call of one-third of the voting members.

II. BUDGET AND APPROPRIATIONS

Guidelines:

The GSC will follow the Board of Visitors guidelines for the use of student activity fee funds. In particular, the GSC recognizes that "the purpose of the student activity fee is to provide financial support for student organizations that are related to the educational purpose of the University of Virginia. As a required student fee, the monies collected by the University for funding student activities are public funds which must be administered in a manner consistent with the educational purpose of the University as well as with state and federal law." It further recognizes that "the following expenditures and activities do not relate to the educational mission of the University and thus are not eligible for funding: honoraria or similar fees; religious activities; social entertainment or related expenses; philanthropic contributions and activities; political activities; activities which would jeopardize the University's tax exempt status."

Criteria:

The GSC will make appropriations decisions according to the following criteria:

Interdepartmental/interdisciplinary nature of the activity; A general comparison of the size of the group with the amount requested; The amount from additional funding sources, including self-generated funds, being applied to the activity; Consideration of the participants in and beneficiaries of the activity; Past history of GSC funding of the organization or activity; Written justification and verbal representation of the request at the appropriate meeting; Availability of student fees; and An evaluation of the line items of the request.

Procedure:

Appropriations decisions will be made by voting members of the GSC according to the following procedure: Appropriations may be made at any regular meeting.

The discussion of individual appropriations will be limited to ten minutes, unless a majority of the voting members present vote to continue the discussion.

Prior to the April meeting, the treasurer will prepare a prospective budget that includes the following: expected revenues for the coming year; operating budget for the GSC; expected revenue surplus available for allocation to department groups and non-operational GSC activities in the fall semester. Prior to the December meeting, the treasurer will prepare a midyear budget summary that includes the following: actual revenues and expenditures during the first semester; any reconciliation changes required to avoid a deficit; remaining surplus available for allocation in the spring semester.

All allocation requests will be submitted to the treasurer no later than one week prior to the council meeting at which said request is to be debated. Allocation requests must include:

a detailed explanation of the project, with particular attention for the interdepartmental/interdisciplinary activity; a detailed description of interdepartmental/interdisciplinary expenses and a summary of the total project expenses; a detailed description of the other sources of revenue (including self-generated funds); the amount of the allocation request and an explanation of the intended use.

Persons or organizations allocated funding by GSC must complete a written report including but not limited to the final budget, the exact use of all GSC funds, sources of all funding, attendance, and the overall success of the event. This report must be submitted to the GSC treasurer within three months of the event or by the first day of July following the event, whichever comes first. The recipient relinquishes all rights to further use of the allocated funds at the time the report is submitted. Groups that fail to meet this requirement may be ineligible for future GSC funds. At council meetings, the treasurer will provide copies of all properly submitted requests for review by the GSC members. At the December and April meetings the treasurer will provide budget reports.

The GSC, under the chair of the president, will draw up a revenue allocation plan that does not exceed the expected available surplus revenue amount for the next semester. The plan will be approved with a single vote, a majority of voting members present being sufficient to pass.

Questions? Contact Us at: gsasc@scs.student.virginia.edu