Article I. Purpose
The purpose of these Bylaws shall be to provide procedures to be used in conducting the business of the Graduate and Professional Student Association of the University of California, San Francisco (GPSA).
Article II. Authority
These Bylaws are formed under and are subject to the terms and limitations of the GPSA Constitution.
Article III. Definitions
The following definitions shall be established for these Bylaws:
“GPSA Members” refers to the whole body of students at UCSF that pay GPSA fees.
The “GPSA Assembly” refers to all elected members of the executive council and appointed members of the academic council consisting of representation from each academic unit, program, or school.
A “sitting member” is a duly elected or appointed member of GPSA Assembly who currently occupies a seat.
A “vacant seat” is a seat for which there is currently no sitting member.
An “academic year” shall begin on the first day of Summer Quarter and end on the last day of Spring Quarter the following year.
“Diversity” refers to the variety of personal experiences, values, and worldviews that arise from differences of culture and circumstance. Such differences include race, ethnicity, gender, age, religion, language, abilities/disabilities, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, geographic region, and more.
Article IV. Assembly Responsibilities
Section 1. President: The duties of the President shall be:
To serve as a representative and advocate for the GPSA Assembly and all UCSF students
To prepare the agenda and to conduct meetings of the GPSA Assembly
To supervise the routine operations of the GPSA Assembly
To serve as liaison between the GPSA Assembly and administration of the University
To correspond and meet regularly with the Chancellor, Vice Chancellors, and Deans concerning the activities of the GPSA Assembly and the needs of UCSF students
To provide a “State of the Union” address conveying the mission and goals of the GPSA Assembly for the academic year
To serve as a liaison to the entire UCSF community
To respond to issues that arise involving the welfare of UCSF students
To transition the next President-elect by asking him/her to attend the last meeting of the academic year and explaining his/her role and responsibilities during the last month of the current President’s term
Shall attend the last GPSA meeting of the academic year prior to assuming his/her seat
Section 2. Vice President of Internal Affairs: The duties of the Vice President of Internal Affairs shall be:
To keep and make public minutes and record attendance of the GPSA Assembly meetings
To serve as liaison with campus publications, including Synapse, the student newspaper, and write reports as necessary
To oversee the formation of, chair as necessary, and appoint student representation on GPSA committees to conduct GPSA business. Committees including but are not limited to Events, Special Interests, Dual Degree & Self Supporting
To nominate student representation on campus-wide committees (excluding diversity-related committees) for GPSA Assembly Approval. Committees including but are not limited to: Academic Senate, Campus Community Centers Advisory Committee, Chancellor's Advisory Committee on Sustainability, Housing Committee, Library Learning Commons Committee, Student Services Fee Advisory Committee, Transportation Advisory Committee
To hold a quarterly meeting with umbrella Registered Clubs & Organizations (RCOs) in order to coordinate RCO events on campus
To facilitate the dissemination information about RCO events to the campus
To serve as Election Chairperson
To review and maintain hard copy of Robert’s Rules of Order
To assume the duties and responsibilities of the President in the President's absence
To transition the next Vice President of Internal Affairs by asking him/her to attend the last meeting of the academic year and explaining his/her role and responsibilities during the last month of the current Vice President of Internal Affairs’ term
Shall attend the last GPSA meeting of the academic year prior to assuming his/her seat
Section 3. Vice President of Finance: The duties of the Vice President of Finance shall be:
To prepare the current year’s budget for presentation at the first GPSA Assembly meeting
To present a summary of the financial activities of the GPSA Assembly at every meeting
To represent the GPSA Assembly in financial dealings with the University and other campus entities
To chair the Student Services Fee Advisory Committee and prepares GPSA’s annual Student Services Fee Budget proposal
To prepare the GPSA guidelines for funding for Registered Clubs and Organizations (RCOs)
To supervise the administration of the GPSA Assembly funds according to the Bylaws and procedures established by GPSA Assembly and in conjunction with UCSF Controller’s Office
To hear student grievances that may arise in the administration of the GPSA funds and to make recommendations to the GPSA Assembly concerning their adjudication
To review and periodically update the administrative procedures of the funds
To be the signatory for the GPSA Assembly account
To prepare a preliminary budget for the following year to guide the next Vice President of Finance and present it at last meeting of the term
To transition the next Vice President of Finance by asking him/her to attend the last meeting of the academic year and explaining his/her role and responsibilities during the last month of the current Vice President of Finance’s term
Shall attend the last GPSA meeting of the academic year prior to assuming his/her seat
Section 4. Vice President of Diversity Affairs: The duties of the Vice President of Diversity Affairs shall be:
To coordinate programs and initiatives promoting growth of diverse student populations
To hold a quarterly meeting with diversity-related Registered Clubs & Organizations (RCOs) in order to coordinate RCO events on campus
To facilitate the dissemination of information about diversity-related RCO events and resources
To nominate student representation on campus committees which pertain to campus diversity for GPSA Assembly Approval. Committees include but are not limited to, Campus Committee on Family Services, Committee on Disability Issues, Committee on Diversity, Committee on GLBT, Committee on the Status of Women, Council on Campus Climate, Culture, and Inclusion, Student Health and Counseling Advisory Committee
To communicate regularly with the Office of Diversity and Outreach, the Multicultural Resource Center, the LGBT Resource Center, First Generation Support Services, and International Students and Scholars Office and report back to GPSA Assembly on the state of diversity initiatives, support, and resources
To hear student grievances that may arise regarding campus diversity issues and to make recommendations to the GPSA Assembly concerning their adjudication
To transition the next Vice President of Diversity Affairs by asking him/her to attend the last meeting of the academic year and explaining his/her role and responsibilities during the last month of the current Vice President of Diversity Affairs’ term
Shall attend the last GPSA meeting of the academic year prior to assuming his/her seat
Section 5. Vice President of External Affairs: The duties, shared by one graduate academic student and one professional student, of the Vice President of External Affairs shall be:
To attend meetings and serve as the representative of the GPSA Assembly to external organizations for which the assembly maintains membership, including but not limited to University of California Student Association and the Council of Student Fees
To coordinate logistics for annual UCSF hosted University of California Student Association meeting
To attend meetings of the Regents and, when necessary, to prepare testimony for the meetings on issues important to the GPSA Assembly
To bring graduate and professional student concerns to local, state, and national legislative bodies
To seek information about policies from external organizations that may affect GPSA, report this to the GPSA Assembly, and recommend action by the GPSA Assembly
To coordinate student involvement in the annual UCSA Congress, Students of Color Conference, Lobby Day and any other UCSA meeting or conference deemed necessary; and to inform students of registration and funding procedures and policies
To nominate student representation on system-wide committees for GPSA Assembly Approval
To inform UCSF students of the annual Student Regent application and selection process
To transition the next Vice Presidents of External Affairs by asking them to attend the last meeting of the academic year and explaining their role and responsibilities during the last month of the current Vice Presidents of External Affairs’ term
Shall attend the last GPSA meeting of the academic year prior to assuming their seat
Section 6. Academic Representatives
The Academic Council shall be comprised of:
1 Medicine Representative appointed by the Associated Students of the School of Medicine
1 Pharmacy Representative appointed by the Associated Students of the School of Pharmacy
1 Dentistry Representative appointed by the Associated Students of the School of Dentistry
1 Nursing Representative appointed by the Associated Students of the School of Nursing
1 Physical Therapy Representative appointed by the Associated Students of Physical Therapy
1 Social Sciences Representative appointed by the Associated Students of the Graduate Division
1 Basic Sciences Representative appointed by the Associated Students of the Graduate Division
The duties of the Academic Representatives shall be:
To be a line of communication between constituents, school and/or program, student organizations, and academic administrators
To ascertain the interests, needs and priorities of graduate students in his or her academic unit and to act as their representative to the GPSA Assembly
To inform their graduate student community of issues which may affect them and of activities in which they may wish to participate
To meet with academic administrators in their particular schools and/or programs to communicate needs and update administrators on GPSA Assembly business
To sit on at least two of the following: a GPSA committee, a workgroup, or a campus or system wide committee on behalf of the GPSA Assembly
Article V. Committees and Workgroups
Section 1. The GPSA Assembly shall actively seek representation on committees and workgroups from among the GPSA Academic Council and GPSA members by making specific information about each committee available and by providing a forum that will facilitate recruitment.
Section 2. New committees seeking student representation shall fall under the purview of the Vice President of Internal Affairs unless the GPSA Assembly designates the committee as diversity-related.
Section 3. Each committee and workgroup, in its area of concern, shall provide information, advice, and feedback to appropriate members of the GPSA Assembly. This shall include making a written or oral report of its activities at each assembly meeting after which it has convened.
Section 4. Each committee and workgroup, in its area of concern, shall also recommend policies, procedures, priorities, and actions to the GPSA Assembly.
Section 5. A GPSA committee and work group may be created or dissolved by a majority vote of the GPSA Assembly.
Article VI. Budge
Section 1. GPSA funds shall be managed by the Vice President of Finance.
Section 2. The Vice President of Finance will present an annual operating budget at the first GPSA Assembly meeting of the academic year for GPSA Assembly approval. Once approved, the annual GPSA operating budget must be made public to all GPSA members.
Section 3. Budget allocations may be changed after their original adoption by a majority vote of the GPSA Assembly.
Section 4. The GPSA Assembly shall annually appropriate a portion of its funds for use by UCSF student Registered Clubs and Organizations (RCOs) for events, activities, and organizational expenses. RCO funding request shall be submitted as a formal proposal describing the intent, purpose, and budgetary need. This request shall then be reviewed for approval by Student Life in accordance with GPSA RCO budget guidelines set each academic year.
Article VII. Election Chairperson
Section 1. The Vice President of Internal Affairs shall be the Election Chairperson.
Section 2. The Election Chairperson shall be responsible for the administration of all GPSA elections, including the maintenance of the election calendar, publicizing of elections, publication of election results, as well as the interpretation and enforcement of the elections policies.
Article VIII. Election Procedure
Section 1. Annual elections for GPSA Executive Council shall be scheduled to allow for completion of the election cycle by the end of April.
Section 2. For the GPSA Executive Council elections, the online petition for candidacy and election calendar shall be posted on the GPSA Assembly website and sent out to all GPSA members via their UCSF assigned email address at least one-month prior to the application deadline.
Section 3. The Election Calendar shall be presented by the Election Chairperson and approved by the GPSA Assembly at the first meeting of the Winter Quarter. The Election Calendar will include:
Deadlines for submitting online petition for candidacy
Dates of on-campus campaigning
Dates for election voting
Section 4. Any GPSA member who is in good standing with the University and their respective academic program may run for an Executive Assembly position by submitting an online petition for candidacy which includes a publishable statement (no more than 500 words) describing the candidate’s reasons for running, qualifications for office, and goals if elected.
Section 5. Those individuals who fail to meet the application deadline will not be on the ballot.
Section 6. An individual may serve no more than two terms on the Executive Council.
Section 7. Verification of eligibility of each candidate and distribution of the GPSA Executive Council ballot shall be delegated to Student Life.
Article IX. Election Voting
Section 1. All GPSA members are eligible to vote in GPSA elections.
Section 2. GPSA members will be emailed a unique ballot each Spring quarter. The ballot will include a candidate statement for each GPSA member running for an Executive Council position.
Section 3. Each GPSA member vote will remain anonymous.
Section 4. For each Executive Council position, the candidate receiving the largest number of eligible votes shall be elected.
Section 5. Candidates do not have to receive the majority of the total votes cast to be declared winner. A candidate may win by relative majority, also known as plurality. In the event of a tie vote, a run-off election will be held.
Section 6. Write-in candidates are eligible to be elected to a position on the GPSA Executive Council if they receive at least thirty (30) eligible write-in votes and win by a relative majority. The write-in candidate must be a GPSA member who has been an enrolled for a minimum of two quarters.
Section 7. Results of elections shall be entered in the official GPSA Assembly meeting minutes and posted through various communication channels on campus.
Section 9. The vote total of each candidate will be available upon request.
Article X. Run-off Elections
Section 1. If there exists a tie vote for any Executive Council position, a run-off election shall be held.
Section 2. The election shall take place as soon as deemed possible by the Election Chairperson, not to exceed two weeks from the primary election results.
Section 3. Run-off elections shall last two consecutive days as determined, pre-announced, and advertised by the GPSA Assembly.
Section 4. Run-off elections shall be held for the contested position(s) only.
Section 5. The run-off election shall be conducted in accordance with Article IX.
Article XI. Changes in Voting Procedures
Section 1. Changes in the mechanisms of voting shall be allowed but must be approved by the GPSA Assembly prior to date when a primary or run-off election shall begin.
Section 2. The Elections Chairperson must assure that new mechanisms maintain:
Fair accessibility to cast a vote for all GPSA members
Protection of voter anonymity
Security of access to ensure validity of individual ballots
Reliable and accurate ballot counting
Article XII. Candidate Election Campaigning
Section 1. The term "campaigning" shall be defined as any public action initiated by either a candidate or a member of his/her campaign staff to persuade members of the student body to vote for or against a candidate(s).
Section 2. Campaigning on-campus will begin at a time designated in the election calendar. On-Campus refers to areas and structures owned by the University of California.
Section 3. Distribution of campaign literature will be permitted at all locations on the UCSF campus. Campaign literature may not be distributed where to do so would cause the disruption of the normal flow of traffic and does not damage or deface university property.
Section 4. The use of GPSA and/or University supplies, equipment, computers, electronic messaging and/or telephones (except in a manner available to the general student population) is prohibited. The use of the campus mail system is strictly prohibited. Use of university systems to encourage general participation and voting in the election will be permitted.
Section 5. Each candidate is responsible for the actions for all persons and organizations participating in her/his election or sponsoring or promoting her/his candidacy. It is the candidates responsibility to inform their supporters of the Election rules and regulations.
Section 6. Violation of the above provisions may result in penalties imposed by the Election Chairperson. The penalties may range from suspension of all or part of a candidate's campaign to the candidate's disqualification. The appeals procedure is delineated in Article XIII.
Section 7. In instances where there is an alleged violation of the University Rules and Regulations, the case may be referred to the appropriate university entity.
Article XIII. Election Appeals
Section 1. Alleged election violation shall be heard by the Election Chairperson.
Section 2. Appeals of decisions and penalties by the Election Chairperson shall be made to the GPSA Assembly at their next scheduled meeting.
Section 3. In the occurrence of any violation of the Election, the Election Chairperson shall employ the following guidelines in determining recommended penalties: the severity and effect of the offense; the intent of the offender and/or he/her campaign staff; and the cooperation of the offender and/or her/his campaign staff.
Section 4. Penalties for Election violations will be recommended by the Election Chairperson and then voted on by the GPSA Assembly.
Article XIV. Ballot Measures
Section 1. A ballot measure is any initiative, referendum (fee measure) or constitutional amendment that the GPSA Assembly puts on a ballot.
Section 2. A ballot measure may be initiated by a ⅔ majority vote of the GPSA Assembly, by the majority resolution of any academic student government, or by a petition containing signatures of at least 5% of GPSA members.
Section 3. For a ballot measure petition to be considered valid, all signatures collected must include the student’s signature, printed name, her/his UCSF student identification number, and the date he/she signed the petition.
Section 4. Campaigning and voting for ballot measures must following the same procedures outlined in Article XII.
Article XV. Special Elections
Section 1. The Election Chairperson shall submit for approval to the GPSA Assembly a timeline for special elections as necessary. This election may not be conducted during the first or tenth week of classes of any quarter and shall be a minimum of two (2) days in duration.
Section 2. Campaigning and voting for special elections must follow the same procedures outlined in Article XII.
Article XVI. Amendments
Section 1. The Bylaws shall be reviewed on an annual basis and approved by GPSA Assembly during the first meeting of fall term either as is or provisionally. Should the bylaws be approved provisionally an ad hoc committee shall be formed by the Vice President of Internal Affairs to address the elements of concern.
Section 2. The Bylaws may be amended or revised by a ⅔ majority GPSA Assembly vote.
History
Drafted December 3, 2013
Ratified January 28, 2014
Amended February 6, 2023