Mission of Graduate Student Commons

Our goal for this facility is to provide a comfortable and welcoming space that will attract a wide spectrum of graduate students and foster graduate student interaction and a sense of community. To that end, the Graduate Student Commons Governance Board utilizes the Graduate Student Commons and rental income to promote graduate student academic well-being, success, and camaraderie. The GSC offers a variety of spaces, including small study rooms, computer terminals, and a lounge for social interaction. Our aim is to make it a resource for graduate students to stop between classes where they may check email, hold office hours, attend or hold a meeting, or join a homework study group, for example.

The GSCGB will entertain requests for funding for programs that support our mission. Sponsored events can take place either in the Graduate Student Commons, elsewhere on campus, or at an off-campus location. Sponsored events should aim to primarily serve graduate students. If graduate students are not expected to be the majority, please indicate the proportion of the audience that is expected to consist of graduate students as well as the proportion of total sponsorship being requested from the GSC. Please also indicate how the event aims to promote graduate student well-being, camaraderie, and/or academic success. Programming requests that have been sponsored by at least one other agency will be preferred.

GSC Event Proposal

The UCSC Graduate Student Commons offers limited funding for campus events, travel and educational opportunities for the benefit of graduate students. Please note: The GSC can only co-sponsor events if:

• You have answered all the questions below and submitted them on time.
• The event is open to graduate students from more than one department, and
• graduate students are a significant part of the expected audience or the organization committee.

How to request funding from the GSC

• Submit the web form at least 3 days before the GSCGB meeting at which you want the request to be decided.
• >Submit a specific budget for your event.
• Come to the meeting and be prepared to explain your answers.

Requirements

For events that GSC decides to fund, we have the following requirements:

1. GSC must be listed as a sponsor or cosponsor on any event promotional materials such as fliers and emails, e.g. by including the sentence “Co-sponsored by the Graduate Student Commons Governance Board.”
2. Copies of event fliers should be submitted to the Graduate Student Commons. Our mailing address is:

   Graduate Student Commons
   201 Graduate Commons
   University of California Santa Cruz
   1156 High Street
   Santa Cruz, CA 95064

3. Submit an email announcement about your event to GSC's Facilities Manager (dbrookes at ucsc.edu) at least five days before the event..
4. There are a couple of ways to receive the funding. If your organization has an account with the university, the funds can be transferred into the account directly from the GSC account. Please send the Facilities Manager your organization name, account number (fund and organization number) as well as the accountant/operations contact for this account.
   
   If you do not have a university account, then WITHIN FOUR WEEKS of the event, you must submit either a Direct Payment form (for non-food items,) or an Entertainment and Student Programming Reimbursement form (for food items). The person applying for reimbursement has to sign twice: once under "requester," and once under "host."; GSC CANNOT fund alcohol! The ORIGINAL receipts must be included and they must be itemized (listing all items and the individual prices). If you fail to meet the four week deadline, you forfeit the right to receive any funding from the GSC.
   
   IMPORTANT: Unless you have done so in the past, you need to fill out a 204 form. And if you are not an American citizen, there is additional paperwork required.

Co-sponsorship Funding Application

• On-line co-sponsorship funding application: (available soon).