GPSO releases 2011-2012 budget

In recent weeks, Graduate and Professional Student Organization members elected a new treasurer and approved the new 2011-2012 budget, with $117,492 to spend this academic year.

As a governing body for the graduate student population at IU, GPSO President LaNita Campbell said the organization administers academic grants for graduate students.
GPSO Treasurer Alex Luboff said a large part of their budget goes toward providing support for academic initiatives in the form of travel, research and conference grants.

While GPSO is only one of the organizations that provide academic grants, their funds are highly sought-after, Campbell said. Students submit proposals for funding, which are then reviewed by a group of about 80 peers.

For the 2010-2011 academic year, about 260 proposals were reviewed, and about one-third of them received funding.

Some of GPSO’s revenue comes from the University Graduate School.

GPSO received more University funding this year after a committee, which included Dean of Students Pete Goldsmith and Provost Karen Hanson, examined last year’s GPSO budget allocation.

“We received an increase based on the fact that in the past we’ve been able to be good stewards of money,” Campbell said. “With what money we’ve had, we’ve basically allocated a lot of it to giving back to graduate students.”

In the past, GPSO hasn’t been able to fully cover all the costs associated with travel for academic purposes: lodging and food, as well as either airfare or gas. Campbell said the budget increase changes that shortfall.

“We’ve been able to cover people’s costs more effectively,” she said. “Hopefully, we’re able to spread the money around more people and increase the likelihood of covering an entire trip.”

But GPSO’s money doesn’t just come from the University.

“Student fees are our largest source of revenue,” Luboff said. About 75 percent of GPSO’s revenue comes from students.

Just as a portion of graduate students’ fees go toward the IU Student Association, which caters largely to IU’s undergraduate population. $1.08 of each student’s mandatory fees go toward GPSO each semester.

GPSO expenditures aren’t limited to academic funding, either.

Nearly half of GPSO’s budget, $57,200, covers staff expenses. The president, communications coordinator and operations coordinator each receive $12,500, as well as health care benefits, for their work throughout the year. Other officers receive smaller stipends.

“The reason staffing is the biggest part of the budget is because the three main staff members have to promote all the events that are going on,” Luboff said. “They also organize all the people volunteering in different committees on campus and through the Bloomington Faculty Council and other sorts of initiatives that are out there.”

A smaller portion of the budget is spent on social events and community-building, GPSO Communications Coordinator Anna Saraceno said.

“We have social hours every month, and it’s just a place for grad students from across departments to come and get some free food and meet each other,” she said.

In addition to social events, GPSO organizes academic and family events.

“There are a lot of grad students that do have kids, and our social hours are usually at night at a restaurant or a bar,” she said. “So we provide events for people who want to bring their kids, too.”

An additional $4,270 has been allotted for other expenditures, including advocacy efforts, website services and other member and staff resources.

For further details about GPSO’s newly approved budget, visit indiana.edu/~gpso.