GSO Officer Training

What is the GSA?

GSA Executive Board

• Elected by the Senate• President• Vice President• Vice President of

External Affairs• Treasurer• Historian

Office of Graduate Student Life

• Graduate Assistants• Community Liaison• Communications Manager• Travel and Research Grants

Coordinator• Writing Advisor

GSA Executive Administrative Assistant Advises Executive Board and Supervises the OGSL Staff

GSA Senate• Meets monthly: First Monday of Every Month • Senators

• Chosen by Graduate Program Directors

• GSO Representatives• One member per GSO• Can be officer or a general member

• Votes on GSA policies, budgets, and programs

Graduate Student Organizations

• Established in the GSA Constitution and By-Laws• Funded in the GSA budget, which comes from graduate

student fees• New GSOs must be approved by the GSA Senate• GSOs must maintain membership and be reactivated each

year

Three Steps for Success

1. Stay Active and Recognized!

2. Event Approval and Planning

3. Payments and Reimbursement

Stay Active and Recognized• By the second senate meeting or with first co-sponsorship

request• Submit a budget• Submit a registration form

• Attend senate meetings• More than two absences will result in losing recognition

• New or inactive GSOs also need:• A letter from faculty member agreeing to serve as advisor• Constitution• Letter of Intent• A list of membersRecommendation: Contact the GSA Community Liaison

Approval and Planning• Check out our Page! Event Planning• Submit a co-sponsorship application online • Submit a meal pre-approval form (food expenses)• Submit liability forms (off-campus events)• To be handed in the week BEFORE your event • Community Liaison will contact you with forms for you to

distribute

• Contact a caterer• Reserve Space in 25Live • only presidents and VPs have access

Sample Co-sponsorship form and meal pre-approval forms

25Live http

://events.umbc.edu/• Sign in using your

myUMBC information

• Create an Event • Search for your GSO or

Program name • When prompted for a

chart string number, write “GSA funded organization

• Scheduling will email confirmation to your UMBC email

Tutorials on how to use 25Live are made available through the website

Approved Catering• GSOs are responsible for contacting caterers and placing orders for events.

GSA will pay caterers directly, which eliminates upfront costs to your GSO. Please forward any invoices you may receive to gsa@umbc.edu.

• You may only use these approved caterers to order food for your event:

• Chartwell’s: Mr. Tom DeLuca (443) 612-3463• Glenmore Caterers: Mr. Scott Parry (410) 455-5930• Classic Catering People: Mr. Larry Frank (410) 356-1666• Linwood’s Catering: Ms. Taliya Adelstein (410) 581-4920 ext. 26• Main Street Catering: Ms. Kerri Clark (301) 805-2508• ROUGE Fine Catering: Ms. Jean Wade Mayer (410) 527-0007

• GSA can also pay directly for:• Giant Peapod Orders• Skylight Room• True Grits

Payments and Reimbursements

• Submit a post-event form• Include a flyer or e-mail advertising the event and a sign-in

sheet of ALL attendees

• Submit all original, itemized receipts• Submit invoices from UMBC vendors• Submit Google Map directions (travel reimbursement)• If off-campus: ALL liability forms from all UMBC students

Sample post event form

After any event, submit post-event form packet within 10 days which includes: - Post event form- Flyer/email- Original receipts - Catering invoices (if applicable) - Sign-in list of all attendees - If off-campus:

- Liability forms of - Google map directions (to be reimbursed for mileage)

Electronic signature allowed

Updates• Extravagant Expenses• GSA Executive Board has the right to review approval of funds

if the expenditures are thought to be excessive• Estimated Attendance will be considered when approving

events

• Out-of-State or Overnight Travel• Must submit names, travel dates, departure and destination

locations, and mode of transportation• For reimbursement purposes, out-of-state restaurant meals

have the following per person limits:• Breakfast $9• Lunch $11• Dinner $25

Processing Your Documents • Once completed and approved by Community Liaison and

Executive Administrative Assistant, all reimbursements are processed through Accounting • Caterers are paid directly

• Particular Items must be shown on all paperwork• Allow 5-6 weeks for payment • Delivered via check to your address • If Direct Deposit: “State of MD- Vendor Payment”

Contact InfoDeanna Cerquetti

GSA Community Liaison

gsa@umbc.edu(In subject line include “Attn: Deanna/Community Liaison”)

410-455-2773

GSA Office HoursMonday- Thursday*9:00a.m.- 4:00 p.m.

* The GSA Community Liaison will be in on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Feel free to schedule a specific time and day to meet.

Were you paying attention?• What do GSOs have to submit in order to have active status?

• What do inactive or new GSOs have to do to become active?

• How many weeks before an event do you need to submit your co-sponsorship forms?

• Who has access to scheduling events in 25Live?

• Do students ever pay out of pocket for catering?

• How long after an event do you have to submit post event forms?