Graduate Student Association

Are you interested in influencing the direction of the University? Do you have a passion for graduate student advocacy? Every year, you can run for a position in the GSA or nominate someone else!

Membership-wide elections of the GSA occur each spring semester for the following positions:

• President
• Vice President
• Treasurer
• Secretary

To run for election, candidates must have paid their GSA fee for the spring semester. Additionally, it is asked that candidates do not plan to graduate before the end of their term, which lasts one year.

Calls for nominations are sent each spring via email, usually in February or March. The Elections Committee then hosts a Candidate Forum, where nominees can discuss their forums. Online voting will then occur among the graduate student body in April, and the newly elected officers take office on June 1.

We hope that you will exercise your rights and responsibilities as a graduate student here at UAlbany by participating in the election, whether as a candidate, voter or both. Change starts locally — please vote! 

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact the GSA Elections Committee at [email protected].

What types of grants are offered?

• Professional Development Grants: Intended to pay for or offset travel and other costs related to conference/exhibition/seminar participation.
• Research Grants: Intended to pay for or offset costs incurred while conducting sanctioned research.
• Project Grants: Intended to offset the cost of thesis specific project costs, not classes or books.

All types of grants are for amounts up to $650. Grant funds are generated entirely from graduate student activity fees.

What activities are funded?

Approved Professional Development (PD) activities include:

• Presentation of a paper, poster, literary piece, or artwork
• Serving as a discussant or panelist
• Chairing of a session or panel
• Attending a workshop
• Limited membership
• Costs incurred due to health concerns or parental responsibilities will be considered with permission of the Grants Chair

Sanctioned PD expenses include:

• Room and board expenses incurred while participating in an event and/or on the day immediately preceding or following an event (i.e., while in transit to or from place of residence)
• Registration fees for academic conferences, symposia, literary readings, exhibitions, and other academic meetings

Approved Thesis Project activities include:

• A single project towards a thesis for a degree
• Supplies for a thesis project for example art supplies for studio art MFA or supplies for a community outreach event for MPH
• Activities towards a thesis that fall outside research or a professional development activity

Sanctioned Research expenses include: Travel to and from research facilities

• Purchase of equipment and supplies (non-durable)
• Remuneration of human participants
• Costs associated with specialized research training (including travel to obtain such training, but not including credit-bearing courses)
• Room and board expenses at research facilities or field sites (not including research in Albany, NY)

GSA grants will not fund:

• Purchase of books or supplies for classes
• Computers, other hardware, or any durable goods
• Any publication costs
• Living expenses
• Tuition fees
• Costs for department activities

• You must be a matriculated University at Albany Graduate Student (full- or part-time)
• You must show proof of paid mandatory graduate activity fee for current semester
• GSA officers are eligible for grants while in office if the following requirements are met:
• Officers will submit grant applications under a pseudonym so as to anonymize their application
• Percentage of officer request funded will be reported along with percentage funded across all applicants
• One additional non-applicant member of the executive board will oversee the funding process, specifically, will confirm reviewer scores of the applicant
• Students serving on the GSA Grants Review Committee are not eligible to apply for GSA grants in the category they are evaluating
• First-time applicants will be given preference in terms of funding

Note: Students on the Grants Review Committee will be asked to recuse themselves from evaluating applications from people they know to ameliorate bias.

Application

All applications must be written for layperson comprehension. Reviewers of your application may include persons unfamiliar with your academic specialty. Please keep this in mind when preparing your application materials.

During open application periods, the forms will be available through MyInvolvement.

• Research Project Application
  You must complete the GSA Research Grant Application Packet with your CV included, and a copy of IRB paperwork (if applicable) on MyInvolvement. You must also have a letter of recommendation emailed from one faculty member to [email protected] by the deadline. No letters will be accepted after 11:59 p.m. of the deadline.
• Thesis Project Application
  You must complete the GSA Professional Development Grant Application Packet with your CV attached on MyInvolvement by 11:59 p.m. on the deadline.
• Professional Development Application
  You must complete the GSA Professional Development Grant Application Packet with your CV attached on MyInvolvement by 11:59 p.m. on the deadline.

Budget

Budgets must be written as a bulleted list or in a table format starting with the dollar amounts and including a brief explanation of the item. 

Any further details should be included in your description, not the budget. Your budget should match your application description. 

A total for all costs and requested amount (if different from total costs) must be at the bottom. 

Travel items must include both the total cost spent as seen on the receipts, alongside the New York State reimbursement rates. Failure to use these rates will result in a rejection of the budget.

Judging Criteria

Research Grant Proposals (in rough order of importance):

• Clarity of exposition (e.g., are the aims and methodology of the project understandable to laypersons)
• Significance of the research to the discipline or field
• Reasonableness of budget
• Strength of the Curriculum Vitae (preferred) or Resume
• Strength of faculty recommendation
• See above budget statement

Professional Development Grant Proposals (in rough order of importance):

• Clarity of exposition (e.g., are the aims, methodology, and results of the paper/project clearly outlined in the description)
• Significance of the paper or exhibition to the discipline or field
• Importance of the conference to the applicant’s professional/educational development
• Reasonableness of budget
• See above budget statement
• Strength of the Curriculum Vitae (preferred) or Resume

Additional Information

Knowledge of and compliance with the GSA Grant Guidelines is the responsibility of the applicant.

• All applicants will receive an “approved” message on MyInvolvement when their application has been confirmed by the Grants Chair. This does not guarantee the applicant will be awarded any funds but simply confirms the application is complete and has been submitted.
• If the project has multiple authors or is a group presentation and all or some members wish to apply for GSA funding, please notify the Grants Chair at [email protected] before submitting the individual applications. Please note that each application must be prepared separately.
• The entire grant review process should not exceed eight weeks from application deadline (except in cases where there is an appeal or other special circumstance).
• All individuals receiving a grant or not receiving a grant will be notified by letter within two weeks from the time final decisions are made.
• Any individual(s) denied grant funding may request in writing the reasons for denial.

Grants funds may be used for PD activities or research that fall up to one semester past the previous granting period’s deadline. 

For example, a student may apply for funds in the fall to reimburse an activity that occurs during the fall funding period or that occurred during the previous spring funding period. 

In special circumstances, the Grants Chair may, at their discretion, grant the extension of a grant award into the next funding period. 

All requests for such an extension must detail the special circumstances surrounding the request and must be submitted in writing to the Grants Chair before the end of the original award period.

Review the Important Deadlines for specific dates.

Note: If the period deadline falls on a weekend or a holiday, the effective deadline will be the next regularly scheduled University at Albany business day.

To claim a grant award, the award recipient must, by the end of the current funding period, submit the following items:

• All grant recipients must scan their original receipts, award letter, summary of expenses, and signed reimbursement form, and email a single PDF to the Grants Chair.
• Professional Development Grant recipients must show proof of attendance, including but not limited to: a photocopy of the conference/activity program cover page and the relevant page(s) which show the grant recipients participation, a photocopy, photograph or hard copy of a nametag, or a certificate of completion.
• Research Grant recipients who did not supply proof that they have gained an IRB or IACUC approval at the time of application, must do so at this point. They must also provide proof of research.
• The reimbursement materials must first be submitted via email to the Grants Chair, and then a hard copy dropped off in the Grant Chairperson’s mailbox in the GSA office. The GSA Grants Chair shall make sure documents are properly completed and provide assign a purchase request number. The President and Treasurer will submit the documents to UAS, which will verify the documents and mail a check to award recipients.
• In extenuating circumstances, extensions may be filed. Extensions may not exceed the last day of the next funding period. If a research or travel project extends beyond the end of the initial funding period, the grant recipient is required to file an Interim Grant Report to the GSA Grants Chair at the close of that funding period, and submit their receipts/expenses documentation upon completion. The Interim Grant Report will briefly detail progress, expenses to date, and the work remaining.
• No more than one PD and one research grant may be in progress.
• The grant recipient is responsible for keeping track of the date for application and claim submission; the GSA Grants Chair will not send out reminders to students.
• The GSA Grants Chair is responsible for maintaining complete and current financial records on each grant awarded and is monitored by the GSA Treasurer. These records are for audit purposes as well as general accounting needs.

• Awards will be disbursed upon receipt of electronic copies of original receipts, award letter, summary of expenses, signed reimbursement form, and proof of attendance/research for all grant recipients, and submission of IRB paperwork for research grant recipients.
• In very special cases, part or all of an award may be made available prior to the start of the research project. Special cases include individuals unable to finance their research project with their own or other funds. Applicants may petition the Grants Chair in writing for special treatment any time after the grant awards have been announced. The Grants Chair will respond in writing detailing the terms of the agreement. The Grants Chair will place both the request and the response in the applicant’s file.
• In special cases a log of expenses may be accepted. Special cases may include, for example, living expenses for individuals conducting extended research in the field or at distant research facilities or odometer records when a personal vehicle is used for travel.
• Receipts totaling more than an allocated portion of the award will be excluded. For example, if a student receives a grant of $400, and if two nights of hotel expenses are authorized and the New York State reimbursement rate for that city is $75 per night, then only $150 of a $362 hotel bill would be paid. The remaining award amount ($250) must be claimed with receipts for other expenses (some of which may be governed by similar caps due to New York State per diem regulations).

Approval for research involving human or animal subjects must be included in the application. 

• The UAlbany Institutional Review Board (IRB) reviews all research projects which collect information on or about living human subjects. The IRB is also responsible for determining whether a research project will impact human subjects.
• The UAlbany Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) reviews all research involving animals.

Applicants must attach documentation that proves that approval has been received.

• During the evaluation period the applicant is responsible for informing the GSA Grants Chair if they receive other funding or intend to withdraw from GSA grant competition.
• After the evaluation period and until the close of the funding period, the applicant is responsible for informing the GSA Grants Chair if they were unable to undertake the project as originally planned (e.g., because of a delayed or denied visa) or of the intention to forego a UAlbany GSA grant award.
• Written notification of the intention or need to forego a grant award shall result  in no penalty to the applicant. The Grants Chair will acknowledge any such withdrawal in writing, and the declined award will be treated as over-funded monies.

• Public discussion of any specific information on, or about, current or past GSA graduate student grant proposals is forbidden. All grant proposals are confidential and should not be discussed with anyone outside the Grants Review Committee. Only information waived by a GSA Grant Consent form signed by the applicant will be eligible for public viewing. Any information filled out on the Grant Release Form will be deemed available for public viewing or transmittal and may be used to promote GSA programs at the discretion of the Grants Chair.
• The GSA reserves the right to make a public announcement, if an applicant is notified or sent an award letter, posting their Name, Discipline / Department and brief description of their project / presentation on a public forum such as the GSA website. Applying for this grant is consent that the GSA may post this information at the GSA’s discretion and will not be liable for any damages in posting.
• No member of the GSA Grants Review Committee, other than the Chairperson, is allowed access to any grant proposals, faculty evaluations, or  GSA evaluations from any other funding period.
• The Chair of the Grants Committee is allowed access to all previous grant proposals and evaluations. In the case that the current Chair of the Grants Review Committee submitted a grant proposal in a previous funding period, he/she is not allowed access to their application packet if they waived their right of access.
• No one shall have access to grant proposals and evaluations from the current funding period except the Grants Chair, members of the current Grants Review Committee, and the current GSA office manager.
• Proposals and evaluations, both successful and unsuccessful, will be kept as digital files to be overseen by the GSA Grants Chair as well as on file on the MyInvolvement website for a minimum of three years.
• Research and Professional Development grants will be evaluated separately.
• The GSA Grants Review Committee will take no longer than eight weeks to evaluate grant proposals and make final decisions regarding awards.

The award amounts will be determined by two factors. 

1. The average of the applicant’s scores from the individual committee members
2. The total amount of available grants resources and the number of applications in the period. 

Data is adjusted for insignificant statistical deviation, and similar scores will receive similar funding.

Prevailing New York State per diem guidelines will be used to determine legitimate GSA travel expenses (including mileage), meal expenses, and lodging expenses. As per budget details, both the actual cost as on the receipt and the NYS per diem Guidelines must be included.

The Grants Chair may incrementally adjust individual award amounts to reflect extraordinary proposals. Adjusted Grants must be documented in writing by the Grant Chair, with a copy of the Justification for Grant Adjustment:

1. Placed in the applicant’s Original Application file
2. Circulated to the Assembly at the next meeting after the award
3. Sent to the award winner

There are two conditions for appeal:

• Where a faculty evaluator for the applicant has been unfair or biased.
• Where the Grants Committee has been unfair or biased.

There are two time periods in which an appeal may be initiated:

• During the review process, while the grant applications are still in committee, during which the Grants Committee will determine the results of the appeal.
• After the committee reviews and within two weeks of the date that award notices are sent from the GSA office. In this case the appeal must go to the GSA Assembly.

The applicant must submit the appeal in writing to the Grants Chair who will forward the appeal to the Grants Committee or the GSA Assembly.

If the Formal Grant Appeal process results in the awarding of a grant to a student and the grant moneys for the relevant funding period are expended, the money awarded to the student will come from the grant funding cycle next following the Assembly’s decision.

Students must notify the GSA Grants Chair in the event that a student obtains adequate funding from other sources and chooses to decline a GSA grant award or accept a lesser amount.

The amount of money allocated by the GSA to the total grant fund will be distributed based on the average actual demand of the previous two years. 

In approximate terms, this amounts to 50% of the annual budget spent in the Fall (e.g., combined previous summer and fall periods) funding period and 50% of the annual budget spent in the Spring funding period.

Situations Considered Misappropriation of Grant Awards

• If a student’s budget or travel plans change and they did not inform the Grants Chair. Such changes are allowed when the student informs the Grants Chair and the change is approved.
• When the GSA grants are applied to student expenses associated with class work or a project other than that specified in the grant proposal.
• When a student a) does not complete a research project or part thereof funded by a GSA grant, or does not undertake the travel or conference participation specified in a travel grant proposal, and b) has collected all or part of the award in advance of the travel or research.
• When original receipts or adequate documentation of expenses incurred are not submitted and a student has collected all or part of the grant in advance of the travel or research.

GSA Procedures for Misappropriated Awards

• The student will be contacted and given the opportunity to explain and rectify the situation.
• If the student does not explain or rectify the situation to the satisfaction of the GSA Grants Committee, the Grants Chair will contact the student’s faculty advisor and department chair.
• If the situation cannot be adequately resolved by the student or her/his faculty advisor and department chair, then the GSA Grants Committee will notify the University Bursar’s Office, which may then commence collection procedures with the student.