FAQ
Any questions about GPSA that are not answered below can be sent to the GPSA President or Vice President.
Any questions about GPSA that are not answered below can be sent to the GPSA President or Vice President.
A: The Graduate & Professional Student Association (GPSA) supports and promotes graduate student education, campus sustainability, and graduate student life at the University of Idaho. This includes creating programs and assisting graduate students during their transition from student life to professional life. The GPSA is also committed to providing a collective voice for graduate students to the University and the State. Below is a list of just a few ways we try to meet these goals.
A: All graduate and professional students in good academic standing at the University of Idaho are members of GPSA.
A: Check the GPSA home page above (www.uidaho.edu/gpsa) to see if your department is represented. It is also important to make sure that your department is not in default. This information can be found on the website as well under senator attendance sheet on the homepage.
A: There are many ways to participate in GPSA: become a representative for your department, join one of GPSA’s committees, come to one of GPSA’s events, and share your ideas, questions, and concerns with us.
Any questions about senator responsibilities not found below can be sent to the GPSA President or Vice President. Additionally, please check the GPSA Constitution and By-laws for the answers to any questions.
A: GPSA Senators are committed to the success of the graduate and professional students at the University of Idaho and to the Graduate and Professional Student Association (GPSA). Below is a list of duties expected of GPSA Senators. This list is taken directly from the GPSA By-Laws as can be found online at www.uidaho.edu/gpsa
224.00 DUTIES
224.01 Senators shall communicate to their academic units/constituents the actions taken by the GPSA
Senate.
A. Communications shall include at least the following information:
A: All GPSA Senators must fill out a senator application form and a senator commitment form in order to represent their department. These forms can be found online at www.uidaho.edu/gpsa under documents tab .
A: If you have to miss a meeting you should find someone else in your department, a proxy, who can attend the meeting in your place to represent your department. This will ensure that your department does not go into default, keep your department represented in senate meetings, and keep you informed on what is discussed at meetings. Please inform your proxy that they cannot vote on any senate bills or resolutions. Proxy does not need to be approved by all senators. Any graduate student from their department can be a proxy and substitute his/her senator.
A: If you had a proxy for both of those meetings, your department should not be in default. However, if you did not have a proxy for those meetings, you cannot miss another meeting or your department will go into default. Each senator can only miss two meetings in a semester.
A: Yes. According to the GPSA By-Laws all GPSA Senators must serve on at least one committee.
A: You only have to serve on one committee, either a University Committee or GPSA committee. Many people serve on more than one committee because of the varying schedules and responsibilities of each committee. Check out what committees are available as you select which committees most interest you.
Any questions about GPSA Committees not answered below should be sent to either the Committee Chair or the GPSA Vice President.
A: All graduate and professional students can serve on GPSA Committees. Contact the GPSA Vice President if you would like to participate on a GPSA Committee.
A: Only GPSA Senators-at-Large and Senators can serve on a University Committee.
A: There are two groups of Committees within GPSA: internal GPSA Committees and external University Committees. These Committees are listed below. More information about these committees can be found on the GPSA website.
A: Please contact the GPSA President to help you find someone else to cover that committee and the GPSA Vice President to inform them of what other committee you would like to serve on.
A: No one can be BOTH senator (representing their department) and senator at large (representing all grads). This is a conflict of interest. Senator at large will have to find someone to represent her department or step down from her senator at large position. The requirements of the senator at large position were something we discussed last year. All senators at large should find a proxy for when they miss a meeting to keep them informed, although there is no consequence for this.
Any questions about Travel Awards should be sent to the Travel Awards Chair.
A: Please turn in your travel award to the GPSA box in Morrill Hall Rm 202. If there are any changes to this location it will be clearly posted on the GPSA website.
A: Your award packet will be due by 4 pm the following business day.
A: GPSA is funded entirely by graduate student fees. Graduate and professional students at branch campuses do not pay fees to GPSA. Because about 50% of the GPSA budget goes to travel awards and because this money comes from graduate student fees, it was decided that branch campus students who do not pay fees to GPSA would not be eligible for travel awards. GPSA has tried several times in the past to figure out how to work with branch campuses to get fees to help add branch campus graduate and professional students to our travel award program. This, however, is a very difficult process and has to date been unsuccessful.
Any questions about GPSA Finances should be sent to the GPSA Financial Director or the GPSA President.
A: GPSA is funded entirely through graduate student fees.
A: Contact the GPSA Financial Director and ask him/her to check on the status of your award.
A: Contact the GPSA Financial Director and GPSA President. They will be able to provide you with the information you need to proceed.
Any questions about how to write a GPSA Senate Bill should be sent to the Senate Speaker.
A: Samples of GPSA Senate Bills can be found under the documents tab on the GPSA website. Further guidelines can be found in the GPSA By-laws. Senate bills generally fall under two categories: amendment or appropriations.
A: Samples of GPSA Senate Resolutions can be found under the documents tab on the GPSA website. Further guidelines can be found in the GPSA By-laws.
A: Each GPSA Senate Bill and/or Resolution must have at least two sponsors.
A: To add something to the GPSA Agenda, contact the GPSA Senate Speaker at least one week before the meeting in which you would like that item to be added.
A: GPSA follows Roberts Rules of Order. Please refer to the quick guide to Roberts Rules of Order on the GPSA website to learn how to bring up a question, point, or how to make a motion.
Any questions about the GPSA Newsletter not answered below should be sent to the GPSA Communications Director
A: Contact the GPSA Communications Director to add something to a GPSA Newsletter. All additions must be in one week before the start of new month.
A: All graduate students are invited to be a featured graduate student in our newsletter. Contact the GPSA Communications Director if you would like to be the featured graduate student.
Any concerns and/or complaints can be directed to the GPSA President.