C. Meeting Time and Location 2

1. General Information ...... 2 a. Address ...... 2 b. Telephone ...... 2 c. Meeting Time and Location ...... 2 d. By-Laws ...... 2 2. Student Representation …………………………………………………………………...3 3. GSAC Budget …………………...... 4 4. Faculty and Staff ...... 5 5. Voting ...... 6 6. GSAC Website ...... 7 7. Meeting Minutes ...... 8 8. Subcommittees ………………………………...... 9 9. Funding ……………………………………………………………………………………..10 a. Guest Speaker Funding ...... 10 b. Conference Funding ...... 11 c. Research Funding ...... 13 d. Special Projects …...... 14 e. Special Events ...... 15 f. Graduate Student Organizations ...... 15 g. Academic Engagement Funding ...... 16 10. GSAC Scholarship ...... 18

1. General Information a. Address—The official address of the Graduate Student Affairs Committee is: Graduate Student Affairs Committee Lyman Center, Room 116 501 Crescent Street New Haven, CT 06515 b. Telephone—(203) 392-6165 c. Meeting Time and Location—The GSAC meets on the first Monday of October, November, December, February, March, April and May. Meetings are held from 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM in the Alumni Room of the Adanti Student Center. d. Bylaws—The GSAC operates under the bylaws and procedures listed in this document. d.i. Changes to this document may be made at a regular or special meeting of the GSAC provided: d.i.1. GSAC members have received written notice of any proposed change and the rationale or the change at least one week prior to the meetings. d.i.2. A two-thirds majority of the total GSAC voting membership approves the proposed changes.

2. Student Representation

2 a. Annually, each graduate department will select one student to serve a one-year term as a voting member of the GSAC. The position as a voting member of the GSAC requires a one-year commitment. Only in extenuating circumstances can this commitment be altered, at which time the department’s alternate student representative will become the GSAC voting member. b. Each each graduate department will also select an alternate, who will serve when the GSAC voting member cannot not attend, or if the GSAC voting member can no longer serve on the committee. The alternate position is also a one-year commitment. b.i. The alternate will receive a copy of each month’s meeting minutes and is always welcome to attend monthly GSAC meetings; however, the alternate may only exercise voting power in the absence of the department’s GSAC voting member. c. Both the voting GSAC member and the alternate must have availability on the day and time of regularly scheduled GSAC meetings.

3. GSAC Budget

3 a. The GSAC has a per-semester budget, which is calculated by multiplying the number of full-time graduate students by the Activity Fee. b. The GSAC budget is maintained by the GSAC Coordinator and is the direct responsibility of the Advisor. c. The GSAC Coordinator will make a budget report at each GSAC meeting. The report will contain: c.i. the starting and current balances c.ii. expenditures and their amounts since the last GSAC meeting c.iii. budget lines from which expenditures were taken. d. The GSAC budget contains d.i. Salaries—GSAC Coordinator receives a salary of $6,500 per semester. d.ii. Special Events—Programs may request funding for special events to take place on campus (e.g. a Graduate Symposium or Graduate Departments’ Graduation Celebration. d.iii. GSAC Speakers and Events—GSAC will organize and deliver one event per semester that provides professional and social stimulus to the graduate student body (refer to Section 8.g.iii. for programming details). d.iv. Special Projects—Funding may be requested by departments or groups for special projects on campus. d.v. Departmental Speakers—Professors may request funding for guest speakers to graduate courses. d.vi. Research Funding—Graduate students may request funding to support their research projects. d.vii. Conference Funding—Graduate students may request funding to attend or make presentations at conferences. d.viii. Graduate Student Organizations—funding may be requested to assist graduate student clubs with expenses of operation. d.ix. Miscellaneous Expenses—Funds are used for GSAC expenses such as printing promotional materials and refreshments for meetings. e. These lines are flexible and money can be transferred between budget lines according to the following procedure: e.i. A need to transfer funds to a particular budget line must be identified. e.ii. A source from which the transfer will be made must be identified (e.g. another budget line, the “surplus”). e.iii. A voting member of the GSAC must make a motion. e.iv. The motion must be discussed by the GSAC. e.v. A voting member of the GSAC must second the motion. e.vi. The GSAC members must vote on the motion (as described in Section 5).

4. Faculty and Staff

4 a. The Dean of Student Affairs (or another representative of the Office of Student Affairs) shall serve as the Advisor for GSAC. a.i. The Advisor shall attend all monthly GSAC meetings. a.ii. The role of the Advisor is to provide input at the request of the GSAC members or to ensure the GSAC members are acting within the parameters of the policies and procedures of SCSU. a.iii. The Advisor shall review and approve all GSAC paperwork, financial and otherwise, after it has been prepared by the GSAC Coordinator. b. The GSAC Coordinator is a part-time employee of the GSAC, whose salary of $6,500 per semester is paid through the GSAC budget. b.i. The GSAC Coordinator is responsible for the daily operation of the business and activities of the GSAC and will attend monthly GSAC meetings. b.ii. The GSAC Coordinator shall receive and prepare all paperwork and deliver it to the Advisor. c. GSAC may also have up to two faculty advisors, serving a two-year, staggered term. c.i. A faculty advisory may be either part-time or full-time, so long as the faculty member teaches graduate students and is able to attend all GSAC meetings. c.ii. Each May, the GSAC shall select by voting procedure (see item 3 below) one faculty advisor to serve a two-year term. This term may be renewed if the GSAC members at the end of the advisor’s term choose to reelect him or her. c.iii. The role of a faculty advisor is to develop relationships within the GSAC community and provide additional advice at the request of GSAC members.

5. Voting

5 a. Each graduate department shall have only one GSAC voting member vote. If the voting member is not available, the alternate can and should vote in the voting member’s place. b. Only the student representatives may vote on any motion. Any faculty, advisor or staff may provide insight and advice to ensure that the GSAC maintains the policies and procedures of SCSU, but only students have voting power. c. A motion must be made by a voting member of GSAC. d. The motion must be seconded by a voting member of GSAC. e. In order to vote, a quorum must be present. A majority of the voting members shall constitute a quorum. e.i. In circumstances that require a time-sensitive vote, an email vote may be taken. An email vote shall be extremely rare. Most motions shall be made and voted upon at the following meeting when a quorum is present. f. In order to pass a motion, two-thirds of the voting members must vote in favor of the motion.

6. GSAC Website

6 a. The GSAC Website is an extension of the committee and will serve to educate the student body regarding the mission, goals and functions of the GSAC. b. The GSAC Website shall provide graduate students with information that enhances their academic, social, and cultural experiences. c. The GSAC Website shall provide a calendar of events of interest to graduate students, including but not limited to speakers on campus, SCSU events, and academic/professional/social opportunities for graduate students. d. The GSAC Website shall contain but is not limited to: d.i. The GSAC logo and the words, “Graduate Student Affairs Committee.” d.ii. An introduction to GSAC describing the mission and goals of GSAC and how it benefits graduate students at SCSU. d.iii. GSAC Forms: Downloadable versions of forms and applications for funding requests shall be made available. d.iv. Current GSAC membership: A list of members including student, faculty and administrative representatives, including name; title, if applicable; department; and SCSU email address. d.v. A printable copy of the most current by-laws of GSAC. d.vi. A printable version of each month’s minutes, available upon committee approval of the minutes. d.vii. Graduate student organizations, including contact information and how to form a GSAC-recognized organization d.viii. Recent funding provided by GSAC to graduate students and for what purpose. e. The GSAC Website shall be maintained by the Website Subcommittee Chairperson, as described in Section 5.g.ii.

7. Meeting Minutes

7 a. Minutes will by taken by the GSAC Vice Chair at every GSAC meeting. b. Minutes from all meetings will be reviewed by the GSAC Advisor, the GSAC Coordinator, the GSAC Chair and the GSAC Vice Chair prior to full committee distribution via email. c. Meeting minutes must be distributed to the entire committee at least five (5) days prior to the meeting at which they are to be approved. d. Meeting meetings are to be approve at the meeting following that in which they were taken. e. Minutes from the May meeting will be approved by those bodies listed in Section 4.b. f. Meeting minutes shall included the following information: f.i. All members in attendance listed in alphabetical order by last name. f.ii. Any guests listed in alphabetical order by last name. f.iii. Time the meeting was called to order. f.iv. All agenda items listed in the order in which they were discussed, the details of such agenda items, and any motions and/or voting associated with the agenda item. f.v. Time the meeting was adjourned. f.vi. The information will be organized and presented in a fashion deemed appropriate by the current committee members.

8. Subcommittees

8 a. Though it is not a requirement of the position, all voting GSAC members are asked to volunteer to serve on at least one subcommittee. b. Each subcommittee shall consist of at least three voting GSAC members, no more than one of which shall be the chair or vice chair. c. Each subcommittee shall have its own chairperson, who shall not be the chair or vice chair of the GSAC. d. The chair of each subcommittee shall run the sub committee meetings and report all proceedings to the GSAC at each monthly meeting. e. No motions shall be passed by a subcommittee. All motions must be brought to GSAC proper and be voted upon by a quorum of voting members. f. An advisor need not be present at a subcommittee meeting unless the chair of the subcommittee so requests. g. The standing GSAC subcommittees are Research and Conference Funding, Website, Scholarship, Speakers and Events, and as needed ad-hoc subcommittees. g.i. The Research and Conference Funding Subcommittee is responsible for reviewing applications for funding to support student research and conference attendance once per semester. The subcommittee then makes recommendations to GSAC regarding action for each application. g.ii. The Website Subcommittee is responsible for the management of the GSAC website in consultation with the Student Affairs Advisor and the GSAC Coordinator. g.ii.1. The chair of the Website Subcommittee shall call subcommittee meetings as needed, or at the request of GSAC, to discuss website content and layout. g.ii.2. A member of the Website Subcommittee shall be responsible for keeping an updated calendar of pertinent events and activities for graduate students. g.iii. The Scholarship Subcommittee shall meet once after the scholarship application deadline of March 15 and before the April GSAC meeting. The subcommittee is responsible for verifying all applications are complete and meet the minimum requirements before presenting them to the voting GSAC members at the April meeting. g.iv. The Speakers and Events Subcommittee shall meet in order to plan, organize and deliver one event per semester for the graduate student body. g.iv.1. The event will provide both an academic/professional element (such as a speaker or workshop) and a social element (such as a small reception with snacks). g.iv.2. Graduate students will be charged a small entrance fee ($5.00-$10.00). g.iv.3. Undergraduate students may attend the event for twice the price that graduate students pay, which will help to offset the cost to the GSAC budget. g.iv.4. The remainder of the cost shall come from a budget line of $2,500 per semester. g.iv.5. Departments are encouraged to suggest speakers/opportunities for graduate events.

9 9. Funding

10 a. Guest Speaker Funding—Professors can request funding for guest speakers for graduate courses. a.i. Procedure for applying for funding a.i.1. Faculty members who are requesting funding for guest speakers should download the “Guest Speaker Funding Application” from the GSAC website. A copy of the Guest Speaker Funding Application can be found in (location in document). a.i.2. Faculty members should complete the form and secure the signature of their department chairperson before submitting the form. a.i.3. Requests must be submitted to the GSAC Coordinator at least three weeks prior to the engagement. a.i.4. Faculty members are responsible for making any room arrangements. a.i.5. Faculty should contact the GSAC Coordinator with any questions. a.ii. Procedure for awarding of funding: a.ii.1. The GSAC Coordinator will review the application, notify the faculty member of funding status and submit appropriate paperwork. a.ii.2. After the scheduled date of the engagement, the GSAC Coordinator will contact the requesting faculty member to verify fulfillment of the engagement. a.ii.3. Upon verification, the GSAC Coordinator will submit the required paperwork. a.ii.4. Payment to the guest speaker will be sent via postal mail within one month of the scheduled engagement. a.iii. Criteria and limits: a.iii.1. Courses for which funding is requested must be graduate level (500 and up). a.iii.2. Faculty members can only request funding for guest speakers for classes that they are teaching. a.iii.3. GSAC cannot fund guest speakers who are faculty, staff, or adjunct faculty at SCSU. a.iii.4. There is a maximum of $150.00 per semester that can be requested by any faculty member teaching a graduate course per semester, pending availability of funds. a.iii.5. If the event is publicized, GSAC must be acknowledged as a sponsor of the event. The following statement should appear on all publicity: “This program is sponsored under the auspices of the Division of Student and University Affairs and the Graduate Student Affairs Committee.” a.iii.6. The funds are allocated on a first come, first served basis and partial awards may be granted if necessary.

11 a.iii.7. Funding decisions are based on the prior financial support received by the faculty member and on the availability of funds. b. Conference Funding—Funding may be requested by graduate students to attend or make presentations at conferences. b.i. Procedure for applying for funding: b.i.1. Students who wish to request funding for conference attendance should download the Conference Funding Application from the GSAC website. b.i.2. Students should complete the application, follow all instructions for attachments and secure the signature of their department chairperson before submitting the form. b.i.3. Students who are presenting at events must attach documentation such as a letter of confirmation or event program indicating participation as a presenter. b.i.4. Requests must be submitted to the GSAC Coordinator at least four weeks prior to the conference starting date. b.i.5. Students are required to submit a one-page typed report about their experiences at the conferences within thirty days of the end of the conference. The report should include an overview of the conference and an account of how attendance benefited the student academically and/or professionally. b.i.6. Students are required to submit original, itemized receipts from the conference within thirty days of the end of the conference. If students are requesting reimbursement for gasoline, they must submit a copy of their auto insurance liability coverage page, which includes the dates of coverage. b.ii. Procedure for awarding funding: b.ii.1. The GSAC Coordinator will review the application and place it on the agenda of the next Research and Conference Committee meeting. b.ii.2. The Research and Conference Committee will review the application according to the criteria and limits described in Section 10.c. and make a recommendation to the entire GSAC at the next GSAC meeting. b.ii.3. The GSAC will vote to act on the application. b.ii.4. If funding is approved, the award will be made upon receipt of all required materials, including original receipts for the amount awarded, the one page essay on the conference experience and any other required documentation. b.ii.5. The student must return all receipts and other documentation within thirty days of the end of the conference. b.ii.6. Upon fulfillment of these procedures, the Business Office will send a check to the student via postal mail at the address specified on the application. b.iii. Criteria and limits:

12 b.iii.1. Students must be matriculated and in good standing at the time of the funded event. b.iii.2. Funding limits are set according to the following schedule:

In-State Conference Out-of-State Conference One-Day Conference Attendance $100.00 $200.00 Multi-Day Conference Attendance $300.00 $500.00 One-Day Conference Presentation $150.00 $300.00 Multi-Day Conference Presentation $500.00 $850.00

b.iii.3. Full-time students are eligible for a maximum of $1000.00 per academic year. The maximum amount a full-time student can receive in one semester for attending conferences is $500.00. The maximum amount a full-time student can receive total in one semester is $850.00 if he or she presents at a multi-day, out-of- state conference. In the case that a student both attends and presents at conferences in one semester, the maximum is still $850.00 per semester. b.iii.4. Part-time students are eligible for a maximum of $300.00 per academic year. b.iii.5. Priority will be given to applications of full-time students. b.iii.6. All funding amounts are contingent upon availability of funds. b.iii.7. Funds may only be awarded for automobile gasoline if the applicant includes a copy of the automobile insurance policy showing at least state minimum limits with any receipts. b.iii.8. All receipts must be dated within the duration of the conference and must be related to conference activities. Receipts must be itemized, especially for food and beverages. GSAC cannot and will not pay for alcoholic beverages. b.iii.9. The total amount of funding awarded to graduate students from a single department should not exceed, in the aggregate, more than 20% of the total GSAC Conference budget line for a given academic year. This 20% cap can be waived if excess money is available. In this case, it will be distributed equally among students, within existing limits, regardless of departmental affiliations. c. Research Funding—Funds may be requested to support the research projects of graduate students. c.i. Procedure for applying for funding: c.i.1. Students who wish to request funding for research should download the “Research Funding Application” from the GSAC website. A copy of the Research Funding Application can be found in Appendix H.

13 c.i.2. Students should complete the form, follow all instructions for attachments and secure the signature of their advisor and department chairperson before submitting the form. c.i.3. The application must be complete before funding can be awarded. c.ii. Procedure for awarding funding: c.ii.1. The GSAC Coordinator will review the application and place it on the agenda of the next Research and Conference Committee meeting. c.ii.2. The Research and Conference Committee will review the application according to the criteria and limits described in Section 11.c. and make a recommendation to the entire GSAC at the next GSAC meeting. c.ii.3. The GSAC will vote to act on the application. c.ii.4. If funding is approved, the Business Office will mail a check to the student at the address specified on the application form. c.iii. Criteria and limits: c.iii.1. The maximum award for research funding is $550.00. This amount is contingent on availability of funds. c.iii.2. Funds cannot be awarded for the purchase of personal items (computers, printers, office equipment, etc.). c.iii.3. Justification must be made for the necessity of funding for items requested especially participant incentives, equipment and advertising. c.iii.4. All parts of the application, including the IRB approval letter (if relevant) must be submitted before funding can be awarded. c.iii.5. A copy of the IACUC approval letter (if relevant) must be submitted before funding can be awarded. c.iii.6. A copy of the Graduate Studies Thesis Proposal acceptance letter. d. Special Projects—Funding may be requested by departments or groups for special projects on campus. d.i. Procedure for applying for funding: d.i.1. The requestor should be placed on the agenda for a GSAC meeting that takes place at least one month before the funded project will take place. d.i.2. At the GSAC meeting, the requestor should distribute a written proposal for funding to the GSAC members. The proposal should contain the following information: d.i.2.a. A description of the project d.i.2.b. Identification of a faculty sponsor and a written commitment from the sponsoring faculty member if he/she is not present at the meeting. d.i.2.c. A line budget for requested funds.

14 d.i.2.d. Documentation of projected expenses. d.i.3. The requestor should also give a verbal explanation of the project and be prepared to answer any questions the committee may have. d.ii. Procedure for awarding funding: d.ii.1. After the request is made, the request will be discussed and voted on by the GSAC. d.ii.2. Upon approval, the requestor should discuss the mode of delivery of funding with the GSAC Coordinator, as it will vary depending on the nature of the project. d.iii. Criteria and limits: d.iii.1. Special project activities must primarily benefit graduate students at SCSU. d.iii.2. Funding for special projects cannot be used as direct donations. e. Special Events e.i. Procedure for applying for funding: e.i.1. The requestor should be placed on the agenda for a GSAC meeting that takes place at least one month before the funded event will take place. e.i.2. At the GSAC meeting, the requestor should distribute a written proposal for funding to the GSAC members. The proposal should contain the following information: e.i.2.a. A description of the event, including dates, times and location. e.i.2.b. A description of the way the event will benefit graduate students. e.i.2.c. Identification of a faculty sponsor and a written commitment from the sponsoring faculty member if he/she is not present at the meeting. e.i.2.d. A line budget for requested funds. e.ii. Procedure for awarding funding: e.ii.1. After the request is made, the request will be discussed and voted on by the GSAC. e.ii.2. Upon approval, the requestor should discuss the mode of delivery of funding with the GSAC Coordinator, as it will vary depending on the nature of the requested funding. e.iii. Criteria and limits: e.iii.1. The requestor is responsible for making all arrangements for the event according to SCSU policy. e.iii.2. Funding cannot be used to subsidize individuals who are not SCSU graduate students. f. Graduate Student Organizations f.i. Procedure for applying for funding: f.i.1. The requestor should be placed on the agenda for a GSAC meeting that takes place at least one month before the funded event

15 will take place. f.i.2. At the GSAC meeting, the requestor should distribute a written proposal for funding to the GSAC members. The proposal should contain the following information: f.i.2.a. A description of the activities to be funded. f.i.2.b. A description of the way the activities will benefit graduate students. f.i.2.c. Identification of a faculty sponsor and a written commitment from the sponsoring faculty member if he/she is not present at the meeting. f.i.2.d. A line budget for requested funds. f.i.3. Procedure for awarding funding: f.i.3.a. After the request is made, the request will be discussed and voted on by the GSAC. f.i.3.b. Upon approval, the requestor should discuss the mode of delivery of funding with the GSAC Coordinator, as it will vary depending on the nature of the request. f.i.4. Criteria and limits: f.i.4.a. The graduate student organization is responsible for making all arrangements for activities according to SCSU policy. f.i.4.b. Funding for graduate student organizations cannot be used as direct donations. f.i.4.c. Funds cannot be used for the purchase of personal items. f.i.4.d. Requests for funds for the payment of national or state dues will be reviewed on the basis of benefits. g. Academic Engagement Funding—Funding may be awarded for academic engagements other than conferences, and these requests must be made to the whole of GSAC at one of the monthly meetings. g.i. Procedure for applying for funding: g.i.1. Students who wish to request funding for conference attendance should download the Academic Engagement Funding Application from the GSAC website. g.i.2. Students should complete the application, follow all instructions for attachments and secure the signature of their department chairperson before submitting the form. g.i.3. Students who are presenting at events must attach documentation such as a letter of confirmation or event program indicating participation as a presenter. g.i.4. Requests must be submitted to the GSAC Coordinator at least two weeks prior to the academic engagement starting date. g.i.5. Students are required to submit a one-page typed report about their experiences at the academic engagement within thirty days of the end of the event. The report should include an

16 overview of the event and an account of how attendance benefited the student academically and/or professionally. g.i.6. Students are required to submit original, itemized receipts from the academic engagement within thirty days of the end of the event. If students are requesting reimbursement for gasoline, they must submit a copy of their auto insurance liability coverage page, which includes the dates of coverage. g.ii. Procedure for awarding funding: g.ii.1. The GSAC Coordinator will review the application and place it on the agenda for the next GSAC meeting. g.ii.2. The student will make a presentation to the GSAC, requesting funding at the GSAC meeting. g.ii.3. The GSAC will vote to act on the application. g.ii.4. If funding is approved, the award will be made upon receipt of all required materials, including original receipts for the amount awarded, the one page essay on the academic experience and any other required documentation. g.ii.5. The student must return all receipts and other documentation within thirty days of the end of the academic engagement. g.ii.6. Upon fulfillment of these procedures, the Business Office will send a check to the student via postal mail at the address specified on the application. g.iii. Criteria and limits: g.iii.1. Students must be matriculated and in good standing at the time of the funded event. g.iii.2. Funds will be awarded on a case-by-case basis at the discretion of the voting GSAC members.

17 10. GSAC Scholarship a. Each academic year, GSAC will select two (2) graduate students from the application pool to receive a scholarship of $1,000. Graduate students who meet the eligibility requirements may continue to apply for the scholarship; however, a student may only receive one (1) GSAC Scholarship throughout his or her graduate study at Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU). b. Eligibility Requirements: b.i. During the semester for which the student is applying for the GSAC scholarship, the student must: b.i.1. be a matriculated, full-time, non-doctoral graduate student. b.i.2. have earned a minimum of nine graduate-level credits at SCSU. These credits may have been earned as a part-time or non- matriculated student. b.i.3. have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.5 in graduate classes at SCSU. c. Students should submit an unofficial transcript along with their supplemental essay. d. Supplemental Essay d.i. In addition to meeting the requirements above, students must submit a 500-word essay, addressing the following questions: d.i.1. How do you plan to contribute to the graduate community at SCSU? d.i.2. How would your scholarly endeavors enhance the academic culture of SCSU and promote the mission of GSAC? e. All materials must be submitted by March 15 for the following academic year and will be reviewed by the Scholarship Subcommittee as described in Section 8.g.iii.