Proposed Grant Bylaws 6-12-08

Proposed Grant Bylaws to replace existing Article B-5:

6-12-08

ARTICLE B-5: Grant Committee and Funding for Graduate Student Programing

Section 1. Purpose

In order to support its continuing efforts to enhance the graduate student experience, the Association will provide funding for specified graduate student programming activities. All grant proposals should strive to foster broader recognition and understanding of the graduate student's role in the University. Approved proposals should also fascilitate greater academic, professional, and/or cultural integration between graduate students and faculty, industry, undergraduate students, members of the administration, and/or graduate students in other departments.

The Enrichment Grant will sponsor broad-based educational, cultural, or professional development projects proposed by members of the Rice University community and open to all graduate student participation.

The Graduate Student Activity Grant (GSAG) will provide supplementary funding for primarily (but not restricted to) social events that may not be able to accommodate all graduate students and do not fit the guidelines of the Enrichment Grant.

The Association has also allocated funds for graduate students who wish to develop programs related to University or greater Houston community service. Interested students should contact the Community Service Chair directly with proposal requests. The Community Service committee will be responsible for setting the guidelines for funding and reviewing these proposals.

Section 2. Membership of Committee

The Graduate Grant Committee, hereafter referred to as the Committee, shall consist of the Vice-President for Internal Affairs, the Treasurer, the Secretary, and two members of the Association. The Vice-President for Internal Affairs shall act as the chairman of the
Committee.

Section 3. Applications and Reimbursement

1. Eligibility : All Rice graduate students, undergraduate students, faculty, staff, and campus organizations may submit proposals.

2. Application Procedure : A proposal shall be submitted to the Committee via the online submission process found on the GSA website

3. Committee approved proposals must be presented by a representative of the party seeking money to the Council prior to the start date of the program or event. If no representative is present the proposal can be tabled to the following Council meeting assuming that the program is still eligible for funding.

4. Application timeline: To allow the Council to simultaneously compare competing proposals, the Council will plan to vote on presented proposals at meetings in the following months: August, October, January, and March. Grant proposals may be submitted any time during the interim. However, proposals submitted on a week prior to a Council meeting will likely be scheduled for the next meeting in which a voting decision will take place.

5. Approved programs must provide acknowledgment of GSA sponsorship to their participating constituencies. For applicable grants, this could be in the form of a promotional GSA logo or advertisement on program materials.

6. Funding will be provided on a reimbursement basis on the following conditions. These conditions must be met within one month of the event or program’s completion:
a. Post program evaluation submitted online via the GSA website to be reviewed by the Committee.
b. Original receipts and invoices for services/fees paid submitted to the GSA Treasurer.

Section 4. Approval

1. Committee Review (applys to Community Service Committee also)
* The Committee will review the grant proposals and ensure that they are representative of the general mission of graduate student programming as defined by Section 1. It may recommend revisions or request resubmission as needed.
* If four out of the five Committee members agree that a request should be granted, the Committee will contact a representative from the party submitting the proposal to present to the Council for final approval. In the event that several proposals are of the same caliber, those proposals with the potential for bringing the broadest practical benefit to the community of graduate students will be given priority.
* The Committee also reserves the right to revise the deadlines for grant submissions due to unforeseen circumstances

2. Council Approval
* The GSA Council will vote on each request presented to it by the Committee. A majority vote of the Council is needed to approve any grant proposal.

Section 5. Expenses

Prior to the beginning of the fiscal year, an official Grant Budget will be determined given the following guidelines. Up to four Enrichment Grants will be given each fiscal year with a maximum of one thousand dollars ($1000) of funding per award. The GSAG will have a maximum of two hundred fifty dollars ($250) per award and the number of awards will be left to the discretion of the Committee. Grant money awarded in any one semester shall be limited to two thousand, five hundred dollars ($2500). Because many graduate students remain on campus all year, the semesters shall be defined as: fall: August through December, spring: January through July.

The Grant Budget may be increased in a given semester if approved by a majority of the GSA Council. The GSA Council may also, with a majority vote, apply any surplus money available in the GSA account to fund proposals directly. Throughout the fiscal year, the Treasurer shall keep a record of all grants approved for funding, the amount paid to each grant, and any amount left outstanding.