The Graduate and Professional Student Senate (GPSS) is the official student government for all graduate and professional students at UW-Seattle. GPSS represents students to the UW administration and state and federal governments and puts on regular social and professional events. Each UW department or program sends two Senators to Senate Meetings every other Wednesday at 5:30PM.
Senator Requirements
-
Attend at least three* Senate meetings per quarter
-
Get input from students in your department
-
Relay information from the Senate to students in your department
*If you will be unable to meet the attendance requirement but still wish to serve as a Senator for your department please contact Jack Flesher (he/they), GPSS VP of Administration at gpssvpadmin@uw.edu.
Why Become a Senator?
- Ensure students in your department are heard
- Meet people from other parts of campus
- Develop professional communication skills
- Provide information and resources to your classmates
- Boost your resume
If you are interested, talk to your Graduate Program Advisor about the process for becoming a Senator in your department. If you have any questions email us gpss@uw.edu.
Senator Handbook
The GPSS Senator Handbook contains information about the history, purpose, and operations of the GPSS. Below is the list of topics addressed in the handbook:
- GPSS History
- GPSS Structure
- GPSS Function
- Committee Information
- GPSS Organizational Chart
- Officers & Staff 2015-2016
- Meeting Dates 2015-2016
- Senator Rights & Responsibilities
- Parliamentary Procedure
- Parliamentary Procedure Guide to Common Motions
- GPSS Constitution
- GPSS Bylaws
For more details, please check the GPSS Senate Handbook.
How to Become a Senator
Each UW degree-granting department or program may have up to 2 Senator seats. Every program is charged with finding a democratic process to determine how Senators are selected. Because of different program sizes and the abundance of concentrations or specialties, each program may petition to be represented in a way that makes the most sense to their students. The appointments must be confirmed by a non-student Staff member in the department, usually someone in “student services” or a “graduate program adviser.” They should email Jack Flesher (he/they), GPSS VP of Administration at gpssvpadmin@uw.edu to confirm Senator appointments or for questions about processes.
Non-academic seats are selected by the organization by election or appointment. Established non-academic seats include:
- Black Student Union
- DCenter
- GSEE
- QCenter
- RCSA
- Student Veteran Life (SVL)
- UAW 4121