Preamble
The Graduate and Professional Student Association is hereby established to represent the interests of graduate and professional students at the University of California, San Francisco, and within the University of California, and in the greater community.
Article I. Name
The name of this organization shall be the Graduate and Professional Student Association of the University of California, San Francisco, herein referred to as the GPSA. The association shall serve as the official student government for graduate student and professional student members at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).
Article II. Mission
The mission of the Graduate and Professional Student Association (GPSA) is to serve the collective interests of graduate and professional students at UCSF in order to improve student life on a university and system wide level through dialogue, action, and activities between students, faculty, and staff. The GPSA shall serve as an open forum to discuss graduate and professional student concerns and University policy, to inform its constituents, to advocate student interests, to foster relationships between all academic programs, to strengthen connections to better support students, to initiate actions and proposals, and to serve as the voice of students. The GPSA shall also provide services and activities to enhance the quality of student life, educational experiences, and academic benefits for its graduate and professional student members.
Article III: Membership
Any person duly enrolled in a graduate or professional program at UCSF shall be a member of the GPSA. It is the right of all GPSA members to be heard by the GPSA Assembly. Subject to applicable qualifications, all members shall be eligible to hold office in the GPSA. No member of the GPSA shall be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, pregnancy, physical or mental disability, medical condition, ancestry, marital status, age, citizenship, sexual orientation, citizenship, or service in the uniformed services.
Article IV: Membership Fees
Section 1. Each member of the GPSA shall be assessed a quarterly membership fee of nine dollars ($9.00) excluding summer quarter.
Section 2. The fees collected by GPSA will be used to serve the interests of UCSF students.
Section 3. The administration of the use of these fees is the responsibility of the GPSA Assembly as described in this Constitution.
Section 4. The GPSA may increase propose new fees or increase existing fees through the UC referendum process for specified purposes in a manner consistent with UCSF and UC policies and procedures. New fees or an increase in the GPSA fee may only be approved by a majority vote of all members of GPSA in an open referendum in which at least twenty percent of those members vote.
Section 5. In the referendum, the purpose of the fee must be clearly stated with pro and con statements included for voters to read at the time of voting. The administration of the money raised by the referendum will only be used in the way that the referendum states if the referendum is passed.
Article V: Official Documents
This Constitution shall serve as the primary governing document for the GPSA. The GPSA shall additionally adopt Bylaws to govern its internal organization. In the event of a conflict or inconsistency between the Constitution and Bylaws, the Constitution shall take precedence. The GPSA Bylaws shall be adopted by ⅔ majority vote of the GPSA Assembly.
Article VI: Assembly
Section 1. The governing body of the GPSA shall be the GPSA Assembly. The GPSA Assembly shall be made up of an Executive Council and Academic Council.
Section 2. The GPSA Executive Council shall be comprised of:
President
Vice President of Internal Affairs
Vice President of Finance
Vice President of Diversity Affairs
Vice President of External Affairs
Roles and responsibilities of the GPSA Executive Council shall be defined in the Bylaws.
Section 3: The GPSA Academic Council shall be comprised of student representation from the Graduate Division, Physical Therapy, School of Dentistry, School of Medicine, School of Nursing, and School of Pharmacy. Academic council members shall represent students on committees and communicate important issues and events to their constituents.
Section 4. At the end of their terms, GPSA Assembly members are eligible to receive a stipend. The total amount of compensation for GPSA Assembly members shall not exceed five percent of revenue generated by the GPSA membership fee. Stipend amounts shall be outlined in the Bylaws.
Article VII: Responsibility
All legislative and administrative authorities of the GPSA are vested in the GPSA Assembly and are exercised according to this Constitution and Bylaws. The GPSA Assembly is the authority of the GPSA regarding, not be limited to the following:
Be an official representative of graduate and professional students to UC and UCSF administration.
Provide a forum for discussion on all matters germane to UCSF graduate and professional students.
Be the sole appropriative body of GPSA fees.
Organize social, cultural, and educational events for graduate and professional students.
Facilitate the dissemination of information to graduate and professional students, as necessary, on matters that concern them.
Deliberate the recommendations of its constituency.
Article VIII: Meetings
Section 1. The GPSA Assembly shall conduct a public meeting at least once per month from October through May. Notice of all GPSA Assembly meetings shall be given at least three days in advance to all registered UCSF students via their UCSF assigned email address and through personal contact. These meetings shall be referred as “monthly meetings.”
Section 2. Meetings of the GPSA Assembly shall be open to the public. Closed sessions may be called when issues of personnel, award selections, litigation, or other confidential issues will be discussed. All members of the Assembly and the public shall have an opportunity to review and comment on any and all items presented to the Assembly in electronically written or oral mode of communication before such items are brought to a vote.
Section 3. The GPSA Assembly members are expected to attend in their entirety every GPSA monthly meeting. The quorum required to conduct business during monthly meetings shall be the smallest number of Assembly members greater than fifty percent of the number of sitting Assembly members.
Section 4. The meetings will be conducted with Robert’s Rules of Order, subject to the provisions of this Constitution and Bylaws.
Section 5. Each GPSA Assembly position receives one vote during all meetings. No GPSA Assembly member may cast any vote other than their own. In the event that a position is shared by two individuals, the two individuals share a single vote when tallying votes.
Section 6. Proxies for a GPSA Assembly member shall be allowed. The GPSA Assembly member must submit his/her proxy via email to the GPSA President and Vice President of Internal Affairs three days prior to any vote. Each proxy must be approved by a majority vote from the GPSA Assembly.
Section 7. A vote may be conducted online if necessary. In this case, a quorum of individuals is still required for the vote to be considered valid.
Article IX: Elections & Appointments
Section 1. The GPSA Executive Council shall be elected through a campus-wide election in accordance with the GPSA Bylaws. GPSA Assembly member terms shall begin on July 1 and continue through June 30 of the following academic year. The transition between positions shall occur in the beginning of May.
Section 2. For each GPSA Executive Council position, the candidate receiving the highest number of eligible votes will be elected into the position.
Section 3. The GPSA Academic Council shall be appointed by the represented academic student government as outlined in the GPSA Bylaws.
Section 4. If a GPSA Executive Council member position is vacant after the elections are conducted, the vacancy shall be filled by presidential nomination and approved by a ⅔ majority vote of the Assembly.
Section 5. GPSA Assembly members shall be subject to removal for failure to fulfill responsibilities outlined in the Bylaws or found in of violation of any applicable University policies determined by the official University process. Failure to fulfill responsibilities and the mechanism for removal of a GPSA Assembly member for this reason shall be defined in the GPSA Bylaws.
Section 6. Upon removal or resignation of a GPSA Assembly member, that seat shall be declared as vacant. Vacant seats shall be filled as soon as is reasonably possible by appointment or special election as determined by the GPSA Assembly. Nominations shall be made by the President and must be approved by a ⅔ majority of GPSA Assembly members present at a meeting in which there is quorum. If the GPSA Assembly determines a special election, it shall be held in accordance with the GPSA Bylaws.
Article X: Academic Student Governments
The GPSA Academic Council shall work together with each of the academic student governments on those issues which affect their student population. It shall be the responsibility of executive board members of each academic student government to inform the GPSA Academic Council of the needs and priorities of their student population. It shall be the responsibility of GPSA Academic Council to inform executive board members of each academic student government of issues that may be of importance to their student population. It shall be the responsibility of both organizations to develop and maintain a strong rapport.
Section 1. The Associated Students of the School of Dentistry (ASSD) shall be a unique and autonomous body within GPSA and the University community whose purpose shall be to promote and provide for the distinct needs and priorities of dental students. ASSD shall represent dental students as described in the ASSD Constitution.
Section 2. The Associated Students of the Graduate Division (ASGD) shall be a unique and autonomous body within GPSA and the University community whose purpose shall be to promote and provide for the distinct needs and priorities of doctoral students. ASGD shall represent doctoral students as described in the ASGD Bylaws.
Section 3. The Associated Students of the School of Medicine (ASSM) shall be a unique and autonomous body within GPSA and the University community whose purpose shall be to promote and provide for the distinct needs and priorities of medical students. ASSM shall represent medical students as described in the ASSM Constitution.
Section 4. The Associated Students of the School of Nursing shall be a unique and autonomous body within GPSA and the University community whose purpose shall be to promote and provide for the distinct needs and priorities of nursing students. ASSN shall represent nursing students as described in the ASSN Bylaws.
Section 5. The Associated Students of the School of Pharmacy (ASSP) shall be a unique and autonomous body within GPSA and the University community whose purpose shall be to promote and provide for the distinct needs and priorities of pharmacy students. ASSP shall represent pharmacy students as described in the ASSP Constitution.
Section 6. Associated Students of Physical Therapy (ASPT) shall be a unique and autonomous body within GPSA and the University community whose purpose shall be to promote and provide for the distinct needs and priorities of physical therapy students. ASPT shall represent physical therapy students as described in the ASPT Bylaws.
Article XI: Amendments
Amendments to this Constitution may be proposed 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. Once proposed, amendments to this Constitution may be adopted by a simple majority vote of all eligible votes cast, in a vote in which at least 10% of eligible GPSA members must participate.
Article XII: Ratification
This constitution shall be considered ratified by a simple majority vote of all eligible votes cast by GPSA members, in a vote in which at least 20% of eligible GPSA members must participate.*
History
Drafted December 3, 2013
Ratified January 28, 2014
Amended April 16, 2023
*For the 2023 GPSA Ballot, voting threshold was lowered by UCSF Chancellor to 12%. Sixteen percent of the student body participated in the vote on the constitutional amendment changes.