ARTICLE I.               PURPOSE AND PERSONNEL

Section 1.         Purpose

The purpose of this act is to ensure accountability for and control of Student Activity Fees entrusted to the Graduate and Professional Student Government (GPSG).

Section 2.         Supremacy

These Treasury Laws shall supersede all prior laws and all laws or procedures of any subordinate group operating within the purview of GPSG.

Section 3.         Personnel

a)   Chief financial officer of the GPSG shall be referred to as the GPSG Treasurer.

b)   The GPSG Treasurer shall be treasurer of the GPSG Executive Committee and the Senate.

c)   The GPSG Treasurer shall be elected by the GPSG Senate in accordance with the GPSG by-laws.

d)    The Finance Committee members shall be elected by the GPSG Senate in accordance with the GPSG by-laws. 

Section 4.         Definitions

a)   The term "funded group" as used in this document shall refer to any group of individuals receiving funds from the GPSG Senate.

b)   The term "clubs and organizations" as used in this document shall refer to any group of individuals chartered by the GPSG Senate, and shall exclude the GPSG Senate, the GPSG Executive Board and all committees working for either the Senate or the Executive Board.

ARTICLE II.              CHARTERING AND ELIGIBILITY FOR FUNDS

Section 1.         Graduate and Professional Student Government

The GPSG Executive Board, and committees working for either the Senate or the Executive Board may propose budgets and/or receive specific funding allocations.

 Section 2.         Chartered Organizations

All clubs and organizations holding a valid charter from the GPSG Senate may propose budgets and/or be funded by GPSG.  

Section 3.         Non-Discrimination Policy

In keeping with university policy, SAFC regulations, and the spirit of GPSG, under no circumstance will GPSG or any subgroup thereof ever discriminate on the basis of age, sex, race, color, national origin, religion, disability, nor sexual orientation.

Section 4.         Reregistration

Every organization must successfully register with UNC Charlotte Student Organizations and remain fully compliant with all rules, regulations, and policies governing student organizations that are applicable to graduate student organizations. Failure to meet compliance with Student Organization’s registration process will result in the immediate revocation of all privileges assigned to the said group as a graduate organization, including any financial disbursements or allocations. Such groups will be compelled to seek funding as unchartered group.

Section 5.         Rechartering

Every organization must submit for recharter each year. If an organization does not complete the rechartering process by the appointed deadlines, it will lose any funding previously allocated or pending allocation.

ARTICLE III.            AUTHORITY AND SIGNATURES

Section 1.         Responsibility 

After disbursement by the Student Activity Fees Commission (SAFC) all monies held by the GPSG shall be under the purview of the GPSG Treasurer.

 Section 2.         Freezing of Funds

The GPSG Treasurer has the authority to temporarily freeze funds of any funded group allocated under this Act, for violation of this Act.  At its next meeting the Finance Committee shall then determine the status of the funds involved.  The Finance Committee must either remove the freeze or recommend to the GPSG Senate, at the next Senate meeting a course of action to deal with the violation.

 Section 3.         Authorization of Check Requisitions

All check requisitions must be signed by the GPSG Treasurer and either the GPSG President, or by the GPSG Vice-President in the President’s absence.

 Section 4.         Other Requisitions

All requisitions for supplies and/or service from any on- or off-campus organizations (including the Bookstore, Duplication, Physical Plant, Receiving & Stores, etc.) must bear the authorizing signature of the GPSG Treasurer

 Section 5.         Completion of Requisitions

Before an authorized signature may be placed on any requisition forms, the forms must include

item(s), quantity, name of funded group expending funds and line item to be used.

ARTICLE IV.            PROCEDURES FOR LINE-ITEM TRANSFERS

Section 1.         Line-Item Transfers of $50 or less

a)   Line-item transfers of $50 or less shall be approved by the decision of the GPSG Treasurer.

b)      Approved transfers shall be submitted to the SAFC Business Manager no later than three business days following their approval.

c)   The responsibility of this submission lies with the GPSG Treasurer.

 Section 2.         Line-Item Transfers in excess of $50 but not greater than $200

a)   Line-item transfers in excess of $50 but not greater than $200 shall be submitted, passed, and recorded in the minutes of the Finance Committee before transfers become effective.

b)   Approved transfers shall be submitted to the SAFC Business Manager no later than three business days following their approval.

c)   The responsibility of this submission lies with the Chair of the Finance Committee.

Section 3.         Line-Item Transfers in excess of $200 but not greater than $500 

a)   Line-item transfers in excess of $200 but not greater than $500 shall be submitted, passed, and recorded in the minutes of the Finance Committee. Such transfers will then be brought before GPSG Senate as a formal motion, and will be voted on accordingly.

b)   Approved transfers shall be submitted to the SAFC Business Manager no later than three business days following their approval.

c)   The responsibility of this submission lies with the Chair of the Finance Committee.

 Section 4.        Line-Item Transfers in excess of $500 

a)   Line-item transfers in excess of $500 shall be submitted, passed, and recorded in the minutes of the Finance Committee. Such transfers will then be brought before GPSG Senate as a formal motion, and will be voted on accordingly.

b)   Approved transfers shall be submitted to the Student Activities Fee Commission for approval at the SAFC’s next business meeting.

c)   The responsibility for this submission lies with the Chair of the Finance Committee.

ARTICLE V.              PROCEDURE FOR RECEIVING FUNDS FROM GRADUATE AND PROFESSIONAL STUDENT GOVERNMENT

Section 1.         Finance Committee Procedure for Granting Funds 

a)   All Finance Committee meetings shall be open to all persons, groups, or organizations.

b)   The Finance Committee will, in keeping with institutional demands for viewpoint neutrality, review funding applications only for compliance with the rules dictating good standing with GPSG and appropriate application of the GPSG funding processes. Failure to comply, as judged by a majority vote of the GPSG Finance Committee, will prompt appropriate action by the GPSG Treasurer to bring an organization into compliance with stated rules. If compliance is not achieved by the first day of March, the group will not be allowed to receive funding as a chartered organization for the next fiscal year.

c)   Each year the GPSG Senate will be presented with the proposed budget for the next fiscal year by the Finance Committee to demonstrate that the process has been performed from a viewpoint neutral perspective and to give indications of the distribution of the budget for the coming year. Any questions or concerns with the process should be raised during this meeting. After discussion, by majority roll call vote, the budget will be passed, either as presented or conditional to proposed changes. Criteria for passage will consist of a critical review for compliance with GPSG rules and regulations and the absence of biased considerations. Such problems will be addressed immediately by the Finance Committee, with the actions taken reviewed at the next GPSG Senate meeting.

Section 2.         Bookkeeping and Organizational Audits 

a)   Each club and/or organization shall be required to keep a set of books listing receipts, disbursements, and a current balance of all monies allocated to them by GPSG Senate. 

b)   These books shall also contain the current versions of the GPSG Constitution, By-Laws, Treasury Laws, the Act for Obtaining a Charter, and all pertinent form templates as well as the current versions of the Constitution of the Student Body and the SAFC funding guidelines.  The GPSG treasurer is responsible for ensuring that these documents up-to-date and included in the books, which will be distributed to the group treasurers at the treasury meeting held in the fall semester.

c)      Such books are subject to audit by the GPSG Treasurer at any time with reasonable notice.  Line items on books in the possession of each club and/or organization shall conform to the line items as approved by the GPSG Senate.  

d)   A set of books, with its items conforming to the line items as approved by the GPSG Senate, with total balances for each club and/or organization shall be kept by the GPSG Treasurer.

Section 3.       Financial Liability - Responsibility of Organizations

a)   All expenditures must conform to the approved line items (e.g. monies requested for office supplies must be used for office supplies).  The liability for deviation from this rule shall remain with the funded group making the expenditure and such deviations shall be construed as fraud and should be handled under SAFC policy.

b)   Neither the GPSG Senate nor the GPSG Treasurer is liable or responsible for any contractual relationship or agreement, financial or otherwise, written or verbal, affected or entered into by any club or organization allocated funds under this act or by any of their officers or members.

Section 4.         Revision of Incidental Allocations

All or part of any monies allocated for specific events  (i.e. banquets, social events) shall revert to the GPSG account after a period of not more than thirty (30) days from the occurrence or non-occurrence of the designated event.  This thirty (30) day period is to allow the funded group to submit authorization forms for the expenditures incurred.  After the date of the event the organization may no longer make commitment for the use of the funds.

Section 5.         Authorization Duty

a)      All financial officers are required to complete the yearly SAFC financial orientation. All organization officers having completed this training are then eligible to sign financial authorization forms.

b)    All receipts or requests for money by clubs or organizations must be accompanied by an authorizing form signed by the President or Treasurer of the club or organization.  By authorizing payment the President or Treasurer assumes responsibility for the expenditure.  The form shall also include to whom the check shall be made out, and who will pick it up and where it should be sent.

c)   All receipts must be in the possession of the GPSG Treasurer within thirty (30) days after the expenditure in order to be processed for payment, unless special arrangements have been made with the GPSG Treasurer.

Section 6.         Appropriation and Allocation of Funds

a)      Any chartered group may be funded for the fiscal year.  Such groups must be in good standing with Student Organizations and GPSG. As determined by the Finance Committee, all applications must be filled out completely and correctly and submitted before all applicable deadlines. All amounts, values, calculations, quotes, and other figures must be accurate and reasonable. Each application should include enough verifying information (e.g., price estimates) that predicted costs and expenses can be assessed.  
 

b)      No expenditure shall be approved which has the primary purpose of pursuing or achieving institutional or programmatic demands for academic or professional education or training purposes, except when that demand is for the presentation of graduate student research at professional or academic conferences. Such prohibited expenditures shall include study or training sessions for professional exams, continuing education workshops, academic printing (e.g., theses or dissertations), or educational/training materials (e.g., study guides, training manuals).
 

c)      Funding will occur in three domains: general operating expenses, event, and travel funding.
 

d)      Operating Expenses

                                i.       Operating Expenses will be allocated based on compliance with GPSG charter guidelines. Good-standing status will result in the yearly allocation of $300 to each organization for the purposes of basic operating expenses and organization-building events.

                              ii.       Acceptable operating expenses will include basic office needs, including but not expressly limited to printing, postage, office supplies, advertising, and promotional items.

                            iii.       Acceptable organization-building events will include small events designed for recruitment, to build interest, or to increase involvement in the graduate organization.  Events such as workshops or academic conferences are not considered acceptable organization-building events, and thus cannot be funded using operational expenses.

                            iv.       Funding for any single event may not exceed $100 from this operating fund.

                              v.       All events must comply with the regulations of the SAFC, and may not be for the purpose of a business meeting or be closed to any student of UNC-Charlotte.

                            vi.       This money shall not be eligible for transfer to travel funding.

                          vii.       All expenditures from operating expenses must be approved with a signature by both the organizational and divisional treasurers.

                        viii.       By the end of the fall semester, all chartered organizations must submit a proposal for the expenditure of all remaining operating expenses funding. Any unallocated amounts will revert to GPSG on March 1st. All unexpended operating expenses will revert to GPSG on April 15.

                            ix.       Should a group have not been allocated operating expenses at the beginning of the fiscal year, that group may request money for operating expenses by a written petition to the GPSG Finance Committee outlining their request and how they have achieved good standing status.  The Finance Committee shall review all such petitions and may allocate the full $300 to the group or a lesser amount as determined by the committee.

                              x.       In cases of suspected fraud or misuse of funds, the GPSG Finance Committee will have the right to review expenditures for inappropriate use of funds (e.g., noncompliance with GPSG and SAFC rules and regulations). If the Finance Committee finds by a 3/4 majority that an organization has acted inappropriately, it shall take appropriate action, including but not limited to the assessment of financial penalties, revocation of the organization’s funds, or in the most severe cases, referral to the university for legal or academic action.
 

e)      Event Funding

                                i.       Event funding will be granted to groups seeking to host an event of interest or value to graduate students, as determined by the individual organizations. These may include but are not limited to invited talks, workshops, academic conferences, or other organizational events, excluding events expressly prohibited by section 7b.

                              ii.       Allocation shall be granted on a per event basis and will be made based on the estimated number of anticipated attendees, stated as part of a thorough application that clearly explains the event, its goals, and how it applies to the purpose of the organization. Each application will be submitted to the GPSG Treasurer and reviewed for approval by the Finance Committee. It must:

a.   Include a completed Event Application Form.

b.   Include a publication strategy with at least one sample ad.

c.   A short resume/vita/biography for each speaker.

d.   A Letter of Support from each cosponsor, outlining their contributions.

e.   All sources of additional funding, complete with estimated amounts.

f.    Should it be deemed necessary, one member of the group should be willing to attend and defend the application before the Finance Committee.

g.   All events, honoraria, facilities, and food services shall be within reasonable limits for the number of estimated attendees and the type of event.

                            iii.       For recurring events, estimates of attendance will be compared for congruence with previous years’ attendance as stated on completed post-event Conference Evaluation Forms.

                            iv.       Events will be allocated at a rate of $10/expected attendee, from a minimum of $50 up to a maximum of $3000.

                              v.       All event expenditures shall be capped to promote an equitable distribution of funds.  Each chartered group will be eligible to receive up to $3000 per year.  No limit shall be placed on the number of events that a group may hold per year.

                            vi.       All events will be subject to a discrepancy review. Total actual attendance must not be less by 15% of the original total estimated attendance or 25 people, whichever is greater. The penalty for significant underestimates will be equal to the total difference between the allocated amount and the amount which would be generated from the actual attendance level.  This difference shall be taken from the group’s operating expenses.

                          vii.       All events must comply with all regulations of the SAFC and the applicable regulations of Student Organizations, including compliance with all SAFC, Student Organizations, and state limits and policies. Each event will be open to all students and held on-campus or in the Charlotte Metropolitan area. All events receiving funding must prominently display the logo of GPSG and/or the phrase “Sponsored by GPSG” on all advertising and posters.

                        viii.       Temporary Event Funding Guidelines

a.   Temporary Revision to Section 7e-iv. Events will be funded at a rate of $20/attendee, from a minimum of $50 up to a maximum of $4000.

b.   Sections 7e-vii-a through 7e-vii-c will expire on July 1, 2009, whereupon section 7e-vii-d and 7e-vii-e will become active.

c.   Temporary Revision to Section 7e-iv. Events will be funded at a rate of $15/attendee, from a minimum of $50 up to a maximum of $3500.

d.   Temporary Revision to Section 7e-v.  Event expenditures shall be capped at $3500 per year per chartered organization.

e.   Sections 7e-vii-d through 7e-vii-f will expire on July 1, 2010, whereupon sections 7e-iv and 7e-v will reactivate.

f.    The GPSG Finance Committee has complete authority to alter, augment, or terminate any element of section 7e-vii based on the best interest of GPSG and its constituent organizations. Such decisions must be made by a ¾-majority decision of the Finance Committee and upheld by a simple majority of the GPSG Senate.
 

f)       Travel Funding

                                i.       Travel Funding will be granted for the purpose of helping graduate students in their professional development while increasing the reputation and value of graduate education at UNC-Charlotte. Such funding will be supplied based on completion of individual applications by graduate students to the GPSG Finance Committee. Before consideration, all applications must be signed by both the organizational (if a member of a chartered organization) and divisional treasurers before being reviewed by the Finance Committee.

                              ii.       A traveler, who has received funding from the Student Government Association for a conference, shall not be granted funding from GPSG for that same trip.

                            iii.       Allocations will be based on standardized estimates of travel expenses. The following estimates will be summed to produce a total standardized estimate per trip.

a.   Hotels will be estimated at $100 per night per person.

b.   Transportation estimates are categorized as local, nonlocal-near, or nonlocal-far based on the mileage from UNC-Charlotte to the destination as given by a web site like Mapquest or Google Maps.

·         Local travel: A one-way distance of 300 miles or less will be estimated as $0.50 x round trip distance.

·         Nonlocal-Near travel: A one-way distance between 300 and 1500 miles will be estimated as $300.

·         Nonlocal-Far travel: A one-way distance of 1500 miles or more will be estimated at $350.

c.   Registration fees will be the lowest actual registration fee charged, not including increases for late or non-member registration, society membership fees, or special events (e.g., an end-of-conference banquet). Proof of the value of the registration fee shall be submitted at the time of application.

                            iv.       These standardized estimates will be reimbursed at different rates based on whether a graduate student is presenting or attending (and not presenting) at an event and how distant the event is.

a.   Attending, Local: Graduate students attending local events will be reimbursed at 50% of their total standardized estimate, from a minimum of $50 to a maximum of $250 for individuals from chartered groups or a maximum of $200 for individuals from unchartered departments.

b.   Attending, Nonlocal: Graduate students attending nonlocal events will be reimbursed at 50% of their total standardized estimate, from a minimum of $50 to a maximum of $300 (chartered) or $250 (unchartered).

c.   Presenting, Local: Graduate students presenting at local events will be reimbursed at 75% of their total standardized estimate, from a minimum of $100 to a maximum of $300 (chartered) or $250 (unchartered).

d.   Presenting, Nonlocal: Graduate students presenting at nonlocal events will be reimbursed at 75% of their total standardized estimate, from a minimum of $100 to a maximum of $500 (chartered) or $400 (unchartered).

                              v.       All travel expenditures will be capped to promote an equitable distribution of funds and to encourage graduate student participation in GPSG.

a.   Each student who is a member of a chartered organization will be eligible to receive up to $800 per student per year.

b.   Each student who is not a member of a chartered organization will be eligible to receive up to $400 per student per year.

c.   Each unchartered organization (or academic department) will be eligible to receive up to but not exceeding $1000 per year.

                            vi.       Reimbursements will be subject to the submission of a post-travel settlement form within 30 days of the last day of travel. Receipts must be submitted for all claimed expenses including airfare, accommodations, registration, and any meals claimed. No reimbursements shall be made that will exceed the total value of these receipts.

                          vii.       Any summer travel occurring on or after June 1^st, must comply with all applicable travel deadlines; however, any decision to approve or deny such travel will be decided by the elected Finance Committee for the academic year following the travel.  Travel reimbursement requests for summer travel must be submitted no later than the following September to be reimbursed from that year’s budget.  No traveler shall receive funding greater than the established GPSG caps for any single travel event for any reason.
 

g)      All funding or reimbursement rates, minimums, maximums or other determinations as set forth in Article 5, Sections 7d–f are open to review and revision by the Finance Committee at any point. Such changes will have to be passed by a 3/4 majority vote of the Finance Committee, followed by a majority vote of the GPSG Senate at the next senate meeting. However, no change to any funding rate or policy shall ever cause the actual, real value of student reimbursements to exceed the per-diem amounts set forth by the state of North Carolina.
 

h)      Suspected cases of fraud, misrepresentation, or questionable academic value will subject groups or individuals to disciplinary action by the Finance Committee with advisement from SAFC staff. Any decided action will be taken only by a unanimous vote of the Finance Committee and may include but is not limited to the assessment of financial penalties, revocation of the organization’s funds, or in the most severe cases, referral to the University for legal or academic action.

Section 7.         One-Time Reserve Requests

a)   Special, one-time requests for funds from the GPSG Reserve may be submitted to the GPSG Finance Committee by any chartered organization or GPSG committee. If approved, the request will be recorded in the minutes of the Finance Committee.

b)   Upon approval by the GPSG Finance Committee, all reserve requests will be brought before GPSG Senate as a formal motion and will be voted on accordingly.

c)   Approved transfers must then be submitted to the Student Activities Fee Commission for approval at the SAFC’s next business meeting.

d)   The responsibility for this submission lies with the Chair of the Finance Committee.

Section 8.         Appeals Process

a)      All operating expense, event, and travel allocation decisions made by the GPSG Finance Committee may be appealed.

b)      The Student Activities Fees Commission (SAFC) will hear all appeals based solely on allegations of violations of due process and/or viewpoint neutrality.

c)      Appeals must be submitted to the Student Life Facilities Business Officer, 380 Cone University Center no later than 12:00 p.m. within 5 business days after notification of the decision of the Finance Committee.

d)      Appeals must meet the following criteria:

                                i.            Be submitted on the Student Organization Funding Appeal form,

                              ii.            Provide a full explanation of the reason(s) for the appeal, including how the group alleges the decision violates due process and/or viewpoint neutrality, and

                            iii.            Include details written on or attached to the appeals form.

                            iv.            Any appeal not meeting the criteria above will not be considered.

e)      Appeals will be reviewed by the SAFC to determine whether there is an allegation of a violation of due process and/or viewpoint neutrality and whether all other appeal criteria have been met.

f)       The group’s contact, listed on the appeals form, will be contacted within two business days of submitting the appeal and informed whether or not the appeal meets the required criteria and will be considered.  If the appeal will be considered, a hearing/review date will be set and the group informed of the date.  If the appeal will not be considered because it does not meet the criteria, that decision is final, and no additional avenues of appeal may be pursued.

g)      At the hearing/review the SAFC

                                i.            Will review the submitted Funding Appeal form and any evidence attached to that form.

                              ii.            Will review the submitted application being appealed and any supporting materials/documents submitted with the application.

                            iii.            Will review the recording of the Finance Committee at which the application was reviewed.

                            iv.            Will allow members of the appealing group to attend the hearing/review to answer any questions the SAFC may have, but not to provide extra evidence or information that was not included on the submitted Funding Appeal form.

                              v.            After all evidence and testimony has been presented, the SAFC will then dismiss any members of the appealing group from the hearing/review.

                            vi.            Based on the evidence presented in the appeal, the SAFC will deliberate and formulate a written decision.

h)      The SAFC will notify the group of the SAFC’s decision within 5 business days of the hearing/review.

i)        The decision determined by SAFC is final and no additional avenues of appeal may be pursued.

Section 9.         Revertment

a)   Revertment as used in this document shall refer to the date on which funded groups lose access to their funds.  After revertment, a funded group may no longer spend or incur liabilities which will require the spending of the reverted funds.  The revertment date for all moneys shall be the first Friday in May of each year. All unallocated or unused funds will revert unless a special arrangement has been made with the Finance Committee. The GPSG Treasurer shall have thirty (30) days after the revertment in which to clear the expenditures which occurred prior to the revertment date.

b)   All invoices, receipts, etc. for liabilities incurred before the revertment date must be submitted to the GPSG Treasurer by 5:00 p.m. on the second Friday in June.

c)   The GPSG Treasurer shall send written notice to each funded group at least two (2) weeks prior to the revertment date.

Section 10.       Audits of the GPSG Treasurer

a)   Upon resignation or replacement, the GPSG Treasurer shall request an audit from the internal auditor of the University to cover exactly the time period he/she has been in office.

b)   If an individual serves a second term as GPSG Treasurer he/she shall request the audit as of the date of re-appointment.

ARTICLE VI.             SUSPENSION

Section 1.         Suspension

Any article, section, or paragraph of this Act may be suspended by two-third (2/3) majority vote of the active membership present at the GPSG Senate, with the exception of those articles dictated by the SAFC.

ARTICLE VII.           RULES OF PROCEEDURE

Section 1.         Rules of Proceedure

The rules and definitions contained in Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised, or its latest edition, shall gover the proceedings at and the conduct at the Finance Committee Meetings.  How formal or informal the Finance Committee conducts its meetings any given year is at the discretion of that year’s Finance Commitee and the GPSG Treasurer.

ARTICLE VIII.           RATIFICATION AND IMPLEMENTATION

Section 1.         Ratification 

This Act shall become effective immediately upon ratification by a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of the GPSG Senate and shall supersede any previous financial act passed by the Graduate and Professional Student Government.

Section 2.         Implementation

Upon passage of this Act, the GPSG Treasurer shall send a memorandum to each chartered club or organization which outlines their responsibilities under this Act and notification to attend a mandatory SAFC workshop.  Additionally, during the first month of each fall semester such a memorandum shall again be distributed to each club or organization requesting funds.