We serve as liaisons to the faculty and administration of the Graduate School and create a forum for students to communicate concerns and ideas while also providing a platform (or safe space) for open discussion of matters affecting graduate students' lives.
The GSA meets the first Wednesday of the month (August through June) from 5–6 PM. Meetings are open to all students, regardless of whether or not they are a program representative, though a quorum (1/2 + 1 program representative) must be present for formal proceedings to occur. Only representatives may vote. If you are interested in attending GSA meetings, please email the Secretary at umb.gsa.sec@gmail.com to be added to the email list.
Each program determines a representative and an alternate, either through an election, volunteer, or appointment by the Program Director or Coordinator. For a list of current program representatives or if you are interested in serving, please contact the Secretary at umb.gsa.sec@gmail.com. You can still attend monthly GSA General Body meetings without being a program representative.
The GSA has six standing subcommittees, along with other special interest subcommittees as needed. Each representative must serve on at least one subcommittee during the academic year, and each subcommittee must comprise at least three representatives.
The GSA votes on student group funding requests and Executive Board positions, as well as other issues such as the formation of new subcommittees and approving (or modifying) the GSA budget. Each of these requires a simple majority vote of the present representatives (a quorum, or 1/2 + 1 of the total representatives, must be present for any vote). Only one representative per program may vote. Typically, this is the primary representative. The alternate representative may vote if the primary is absent. Amendments to the Constitution require a 2/3 majority vote rather than a simple majority.
University of Maryland School of Graduate Studies. All Rights Reserved.