Graduate Student Association

Serving the Needs of Graduate and Professional Students at UCR

Departmental GSAs

Departmental GSAs

Departmental (Mini) GSAs are smaller, department-specific Graduate Student Associations (GSAs) that operate within the broader Graduate Student Association of the University of California, Riverside (GSAUCR). They serve to represent the interests of graduate students within their respective departments and function under the regulations set by the GSAUCR Constitution and Bylaws.

Departmental GSA Links

Forming a Departmental GSA

Step 1: Register with Student Life

You will need to fill out a Student Organization Registration Form, write a constitution, attend a Student Organization orientation, and submit a membership roster of at least ten students. Student Life is a great help, but if you can’t get five students to register, contact the Vice President of Academic Affairs, and we will help you.

For additional instructional videos like the one above, please visit the Student Life Youtube Channel.

Step 2: Register with the Graduate Student Association

Submit to the Vice President of Academic Affairs a copy of your organization’s constitution, and a cover letter requesting to be recognized as the department’s GSA. Your council representatives are required to sit on one committee to be considered in good standing with the Graduate Student Association.

Step 3: Re-register annually to maintain an active departmental GSA

Inform the Vice President of Academic Affairs who your Mini-GSA Council Reps will be. At the first council meeting the Reps must serve on a committee, one rep if your department has two. You will also need to re-register with Student Life every year. To re-register your mini-GSA, you will need to follow the same process as registering, except that you do not need to submit a constitution (unless it has changed).

Reimbursement Process

Each mini-GSA is allocated a small amount of funds for events/activities/meetings which are accessible to all mini-GSA members, each academic year. All funding for an activity/event is paid initially by the mini-GSA. GSA funds will only be distributed as reimbursements. Unused funds for the academic year do not carry over to the next academic year. Mini-GSAs do not have meeting budgets for summer.

How much money does a departmental GSA receive?

Departmental GSAs which have less than 50 graduate student members (registered members on ‘Highlander link’ website) are allocated $300 ($100 quarterly for 3 academic quarters) for meetings for all members in the departmental GSA (can be used for coffee, food, etc.).

Departmental GSAs which have 50 or more graduate student members (registered members on ‘Highlander link’ website) are allocated $500 ($166.66 quarterly for 3 academic quarters) for meetings for all members in the departmental GSA (can be used for coffee, food, etc.).

How do I apply for a departmental GSA reimbursement?
  • Fill out the Requisition Form according to the instructions provided with the form. 
  • An itemized receipt taped to an 8″x11″ piece of paper
  • Detailed meeting minutes
  • A meeting agenda
  • A list of people who attended the meeting (including NetID, first and last name)
  • If you have any questions or need help forming a departmental GSA, please contact the GSA (vpaa.gsa@ucr.edu).

Departmental Conference Co-sponsorship

Conference and speaker events are an important part of university life. The GSA has funding available to support your next graduate student conference or event. Please review the conference criteria and application below.

What conferences will GSA fund?

Because conference and speaker events are an important part of university life, the GSA has funding available to support conference or speaker events of interest to graduate students. Our first priority is intramural conferences in which graduate students present or plan their academic work, but we have funded other events in the past and hope to do so in the future. Our funds are limited, and we need to stretch them as far as possible.

The conference and speaker funding is not intended to provide sole support for events, nor does it have adequate funds to fulfill that purpose. For GSA to fund an event, we must feel confident that the money will be well spent. We need to know how the planned event will benefit the UCR graduate community and that the event will have the best possible impact. We also need to know that the organizers have considered other funding sources.

What is the process for funding a conference?

Start early! Proposals should be submitted to the GSA office at least two weeks before a Graduate Student Council meeting, which is usually scheduled for the first Wednesday in each month. The Clubs and Allocations Committee will review the proposals and make a recommendation to the Executive Board and then the full council. A pre-proposal meeting (see below) is required between the Clubs and Allocations Committee and the conference organizers before the Council meeting at which the initial presentation occurs. The Council will determine the actual amount of funding. Last-minute proposals will be considered but typically receive less funding; like everybody else, graduate student representatives like to think carefully before making financial commitments. We rarely provide retroactive funding. Conference proposals don’t need to be long; 2 to 3 pages is generally best. We appreciate electronic versions so we can send them to the council members before a meeting. Feel free to include anything to support the value of your event.

What are the requirements for conference sponsorship?
  • Pre-proposal and communication with GSA
  • Short presentation at GSC meeting prior to event
  • Department support letter
  • Open conference for all UCR graduate students
  • GSA logo on all brochures, programs and signs created for the conference
  • Verification
  • Post-conference communication
  • Please visit Conference Allocations Form for more detailed guidelines.

If you have any questions, contact the Vice President of Academic Affairs.

Funding for Departmental Outreach Events

Community outreach events enrich the university, the GSA has funding available to support your next outreach event. To receive mini-GSA outreach funding please complete the following form.