On behalf of the GSS, we want to welcome you to the GSS website. Here you will find information on how our organization serves the needs of graduate student at UConn. The GSS serves four important functions. It is the chief conduit for information about and advocacy to the wider UConn community through the University Senate system. The senate also provides the resources for graduate Tier II organizations, as well as a common place for these organizations to gather and discuss the goals of the graduate community. Through our emergency loan fund, the GSS provides financial resources to individual graduate students. Lastly, our organization provides a social focal point for grads through events such as the Graduate Assistant Information Fair, the GSS BBQ, grad Thanksgiving Dinner, and Grad Prom.
If you have any questions or want to directly email the officers of the GSS, feel free to click on the Executive Committee Tab to find those contacts. You'll want to check this webpage often as is it is frequently updated with important information and links to useful resources!
The Graduate Student Senate is one of the five deliberative bodies at this University (along with the University Senate, the Graduate Faculty Council, the Undergraduate Student Government, and the Board of Trustees). It is the sole body charged with the representation of graduate students. Its strength depends on the active participation of the entire graduate community. We have secured our recent gains because of new graduate student activism. Those times when we have been most successful, the Senate has had a strong core of representatives from across the graduate community.
The Graduate Student Senate (GSS) is composed of representatives from all of the academic departments across the University. Departments, ideally through graduate student organizations within them, choose their representatives. Each department is allotted representation based on its size, pursuant to the Graduate Student Senate Bylaws. Some of these positions are currently vacant, and all students are encouraged to inquire about representation. There are also at-large senators voted to the position by the Senate. All executive positions (President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Communications Director, Parliamentarian, and Activities Director) are elected from within the Senate. Additionally, the Graduate Student Senate has representation on nearly all University committees which have an impact on graduate students.
Our Mission:
- To represent the graduate community within the University community.
- To serve as an advocate of the graduate community's concerns and needs to both the University and non-University organizations.
- To serve as a liaison between the graduate community and the administration.
- To provide services to meet the special needs of the University's diverse graduate community.
- To enhance and encourage cooperation and association within the graduate community.
- To enrich the lives of graduate students at the University.
Our Services:
The GSS is responsible for providing and allocating activity funding for many Tier II Graduate Student Organizations. These organizations' reimbursement requests are approved by the GSS before its submission to the University Student Activities Business Office for final approval.
In conjunction with the Bursars' Office, the GSS maintains a short-term Emergency Loan Service to any Graduate Student currently enrolled at University of Connecticut. Subject to GSS official approval, students faced with unforeseen expenses or pressing needs may apply for a 90-day no-interest loan of up to $1,500.00.
Our Events:
In addition to funding Tier II Graduate Student Organization and their activities, the GSS also organizes several Graduate Student Activities every semester. The GSS' annual events include the Graduate Appreciation and Information Night (GAIN), Graduate Thanksgiving Dinner, the Graduate Student Social Mixer and Speed Dating in the Fall, and the Grad Prom in the Spring. The GSS also organizes several career events and social events intermittenly throughout the year; for more information, please check our news feed and Google Event Calendar on our Events Page.
All GSS events are free to attend and open to UConn Graduate Students with a valid Graduate ID. Some GSS events may require registration, early sign-up or ticket purchases; please check our events page or email us for more information.
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