Graduate Student Association

The Graduate Student Association (GSA) is the constituent organization representing all graduate students at UC Davis. GSA uses student fees to fund its programs, which include funds for departments, travel awards, and social events. For more information, including our current social event, funding opportunities, and award recipients, visit our (wiki)!

Government

The GSA is a parliamentary system, where the GSA Assembly is the highest authority in the student government. The Assembly is made up of representatives from every graduate group on campus, where each department is entitled to one voting representative per thirty people in the group, rounded up. The Assembly has ultimate authority on allocation of money (except for the rare occasion when a "General Meeting" is called), including voting on special projects requests at nearly every meeting. The Assembly meets the first Wednesday of every month October to June at 6PM in Roessler Hall, with food provided for representatives.

Check the GSA Assembly to find out who is representing your department, or if there are still vacant positions. For each representative who attends, the students of that graduate group receive a check from the Department Fund at $10 per registered representative, per meeting. Each registered graduate group receives a final check each quarter based on their attendance at each meeting.

The Assembly also elects seven officers to represent graduate students, which each serve different roles. The 2016-2017 Executive Council is:

• Katrina Brock - Chair
• Carlos A. Ruvalcaba - Vice Chair
• Amory Meltzer - External Chair
• Jonathan Favero- Secretary
• Laura Emberson - Treasurer
• Laura McGowan- Public Relations Officer
• Matthew Mayeda - Campus Organizing Director

The GSA is known for little drama and politics, compared to their undergraduate counterparts the ASUCD Senate. That is not to say that it doesn't exist.

Regular Events

During the school year, GSA has a weekly Coffee-Bagel-Donut Day, which provides a free breakfast for dozens of graduate students. They also have a social on the Third Thursday of the month at Woodstock's Pizza. Of course, there is also the monthly GSA Assembly meeting on the first Wednesday of every month at 6PM.

Programs

Annually, the GSA sponsors the Interdisciplinary Graduate and Professional Student Symposium, which allows all UCD grads to present their research in the comfort of their home school, while fostering a spirit of interdisciplinary education.

The GSA also offers many sources of funding, including funds for graduate student organizations, travel awards, orientation for new students, and special projects.