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This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held in the Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in our reading room, and not digitally available through the World Wide Web. See the Duplication Policy section for more information.
Size | 18.0 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 13600 items) |
Abstract | The Graduate and Professional Student Federation (GPSF) was founded in 1971 by graduate students at the university to represent their needs and interests to the Student Government and the university administration. It soon was recognized as a quasi-independent organization within Student Government and was granted seats in the student legislature. A particular interest of the federation has been ensuring that graduate students are not overlooked in the allocation of students fees. In April 2021, the name of the organization changed to the Graduate and Professional Student Government (GPSG). The bulk of the original accession pertains to a large-scale survey of the university's graduate students conducted by the Graduate and Professional Student Federation in 1984. The aim of the survey was to identify problems associated with graduate curricula, policies affecting graduate students, and campus life. Included are the responses to the survey, as well as the final report. Also included are correspondence, constitutions, minutes, and lists of GPSF officers. The Addition of March 2012 consists of various records related to the administration, activities, and priorities of the Graduate and Professional Student Federation, 1968-2002. Included are correspondence; constitutions; agendas, minutes, and rosters of the GPSF Senate; histories of the GPSF; budget files; documents related to external committee appointments; student surveys; lobbying materials; and numerous subject files pertaining to issues and topics of interest to the GPSF, including child care, financial aid, student fees, tuition, health insurance for graduate students, research, campus committees, and other topics. There are also copies of various Student Government documents, including legislative bills and other items, assembled by GPSF members. |
Creator | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Graduate and Professional Student Government. |
Curatorial Unit | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. University Archives. |
Language | English |
Processed by: University Archives Staff, October 1995, March 2012
Encoded by: ByteManagers Inc., 2008
Updated because of addition by Sara Mannheimer, March 2012
Updated because of addition by Hannah Southern, Rebecca Stubbs, and Dawne Howard Lucas, August 2022
Back to TopThe following terms from Library of Congress Subject Headings suggest topics, persons, geography, etc. interspersed through the entire collection; the terms do not usually represent discrete and easily identifiable portions of the collection--such as folders or items.
Clicking on a subject heading below will take you into the University Library's online catalog.
The history of the Graduate and Professional Student Federation (GPSF) began in the late 1960s. At that time, Student Government at the university generally focused on the needs of the undergraduates, despite an increasing population of graduate and professional students. This discrepancy was especially apparent in the allocation of student fees, which primarily funded undergraduate institutions and organizations such as the Student Union. In 1968, a handful of graduate students chartered the Graduate Student Association (GSA) with hopes of addressing this inequity.
When the GSA disbanded in 1971, another organization, the Graduate Student Coordinating Committee (GSCC), quickly emerged to fill the void. In the beginning, the GSCC envisioned the creation of a new student government for graduate and professional students. After discussion and debate with university leaders and Student Government, the Graduate and Professional Student Federation emerged as a quasi-independent organization within Student Government and was allocated eight seats on the Campus Governing Council. With its position secured within Student Government, the organization called for the election of departmental officers. As intermediaries between the Graduate and Professional Student Federation and the graduate students, the departmental officers acted both as representatives and as distributors of student fees within each department.
Since its creation, the Graduate and Professional Student Federation has continually fought over the allocation of student fees. In 1979, after numerous attempts by Student Government to defund the organization, an amendment was passed guaranteeing that the Graduate and Professional Student Federation would receive at least 15 percent of the student fees paid by graduate students. In 1992, the Graduate and Professional Student Federation spearheaded an attempt to increase this percentage; this effort failed.
In the early 1980s, the Graduate and Professional Student Federation began to address a wider range of graduate students' needs. In 1982, the organization conducted a study to determine the feasibility of providing affordable health insurance. Then, in September 1984, it launched one of its most ambitious projects, a general survey of graduate and professional students. As Glen Macdonald, chairman of the Commission on Graduate and Professional Student Education, explained in a 1984 memo, "Its purpose [was] to locate and identify major problems with the curriculum, policy and campus life from a graduate student's perspective." Of the 7,053 surveys distributed, 1,750 (25 percent) were returned. The responses were then tabulated and, in February of 1986, the Graduate and Professional Student Federation published its findings. Overall, the survey found that most students were satisfied with the education they received at the university. Nevertheless, it also revealed numerous problems. These included a disorganized financial aid system, a lack of communication between faculty and students, inadequate access to Davis Library, a lack of child care services, and parking.
In April 2021, the name of the organization changed to the Graduate and Professional Student Government (GPSG).
Back to TopThe bulk of the original accession of the Graduate and Professional Student Federation records pertains to a survey of the university's graduate students conducted by the federation in 1984. The aim of the survey was to identify problems associated with graduate curricula, policies affecting graduate students, and campus life. Included are the responses to the survey, as well as the final report. Also included are correspondence, constitutions, minutes, and lists of GPSF officers.
The Addition of March 2012 consists of various records related to the administration, activities, and priorities of the Graduate and Professional Student Federation, 1968-2002. Included are correspondence; constitutions; agendas, minutes, and rosters of the GPSF Senate; histories of the GPSF; budget files; documents related to external committee appointments; student surveys; lobbying materials; and numerous subject files pertaining to issues and topics of interest to the GPSF, including child care, financial aid, student fees, tuition, health insurance for graduate students, research, campus committees, and other topics. There are also copies of various Student Government documents, including legislative bills and other items, assembled by GPSF members.
The addition of July 2022 contains administrative files, including committee reports and resolutions, conference materials, handbooks, and planning materials.
The addition of June 2022 contains materials related to campus issues including the 2018 protests calling for the removal of the Confederate monument (known as "Silent Sam") on the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill campus, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Nikole Hannah-Jones tenure case, as well as other topics.
Back to TopThe Addition of March 2012 consists of various records related to the administration, activities, and priorities of the Graduate and Professional Student Federation, 1968-2002. Included are correspondence; constitutions; agendas, minutes, and rosters of the GPSF Senate; histories of the GPSF; budget files; documents related to external committee appointments; student surveys; lobbying materials; and numerous subject files pertaining to issues and topics of interest to the GPSF, including child care, financial aid, student fees, tuition, health insurance for graduate students, research, campus committees, and other topics. There are also copies of various Student Government documents, including legislative bills and other items, assembled by GPSF members.
Note that, for the most part, original file titles have been retained.
Arrangement: Alphabetical.
Records document the internal administration, operation, and activities of the Graduate and Professional Student Federation and its officers, including GPSF Senate activities. Included are correspondence; constitutions; agendas, minutes, and rosters of the GPSF Senate; histories of the GPSF; budget files; documents related to external committee appointments; student surveys; lobbying materials; and other items.
Box
5
Folder 103 |
Archives, 1995Contains retention and disposition schedule. |
Box
5
Folder 104 |
Awards, 1994 and 1996.Includes the Fletcher Green Essay contest and the Frank Porter Graham Graduate and Professional Honorary Society. |
Box
5
Folder 105 |
Bills, acts, and resolutions, 1999 |
Box
5
Folder 106-108 Folder 106Folder 107Folder 108 |
Budget: General, 1971-2002 |
Box
5
Folder 109-110 Folder 109Folder 110 |
Budget: Allocations, 1999 |
Box
5
Folder 111-112 Folder 111Folder 112 |
Budget: Appropriations, 1997-2000 and undatedSee also Budget: General. |
Box
5
Folder 113 |
Budget: Development and history, 1994-1996 |
Box
5
Folder 114 |
Budget: Regulations and codes, undated |
Box
5
Folder 115-116 Folder 115Folder 116 |
Budget: Requisition requests, 1994-1996Includes blank forms, undated. |
Box
5
Folder 117 |
Budget: Special project requests, 1996 |
Box
5
Folder 118 |
Committees: External appointments, 1991-1995, 1998-1999Includes application, nomination, and appointment information, as well as a list of external committees on which Graduate and Professional Student Federation members served. |
Box
5
Folder 119 |
Committees: University and faculty, 1995-1996 |
Box
5
Folder 120-121 Folder 120Folder 121 |
Constitution, 1975-1999 |
Box
5
Folder 122-127 Folder 122Folder 123Folder 124Folder 125Folder 126Folder 127 |
Correspondence, 1972-2000Correspondence of Graduate and Professional Student Federation presidents and officers, including Katherine Kraft, Lee Connor, Steven Hoffmann, and others. |
Box
5
Folder 128 |
Departments: Demographics and degree fields, 1994-1997 |
Box
5
Folder 129 |
Departments: Education, 1994 |
Box
5
Folder 130 |
Departments: Journalism, 1995 |
Box
5
Folder 131 |
Departments: Nursing, 1994-1995 |
Box
5
Folder 132 |
Departments: Nutrition, 1995-1996 |
Box
5
Folder 133 |
Elections, Spring 1996 |
Box
5
Folder 134 |
The Graduate, 1990-1994GPSF newsletter. |
Box
5
Folder 135 |
Graduate student organizations in North Carolina, 1996-1997 |
Box
5
Folder 136-139 Folder 136Folder 137Folder 138Folder 139 |
History of the Graduate and Professional Student Federation, 1968-1991Includes information on the Graduate Student Association, the precursor to the Graduate and Professional Student Federation. Also includes written histories of the organization, clippings relating to Graduate and Professional Student Federation activities, reports of Graduate and Professional Student Federation studies, and addresses by Graduate and Professional Student Federation presidents. |
Box
5
Folder 140 |
Listservs, 1999 |
Box
5
Folder 141 |
Lobbying, 1995-1997Includes form letters, press releases, informational packets, North Carolina General Assembly and Senate contact information, and other materials. |
Box
6
Folder 142-145 Folder 142Folder 143Folder 144Folder 145 |
Lobbying, 1995-1997Includes form letters, press releases, informational packets, North Carolina General Assembly and Senate contact information, and other materials. |
Box
6
Folder 146 |
Meeting agendas, minutes, and notes, 1996, 1998From community meetings held by the Graduate and Professional Student Federation. Also includes information about the 1996 health insurance survey. |
Box
6
Folder 147 |
Officer files: Attorney General, 1994-1995 |
Box
6
Folder 148 |
Officer files: Student Body Vice President, 1992-1996 |
Box
6
Folder 149 |
Officer files: Vice President of External Affairs, 1993-1994 |
Box
6
Folder 150-152 Folder 150Folder 151Folder 152 |
President's reports, 1998-2003Bi-yearly reports by the Graduate and Professional Student Federation president. |
Box
6
Folder 153a-153d |
President's reports, 2003-2007Bi-yearly reports by the Graduate and Professional Student Federation president. |
Box
6
Folder 154 |
Retreat, September 1998 |
Box
6
Folder 155 |
Senate manual, 1998 |
Box
6
Folder 156 |
Senate meeting attendance, 1996 |
Box
6
Folder 157-160 Folder 157Folder 158Folder 159Folder 160 |
Senate meeting agendas and minutes, 1970-2001 |
Box
6
Folder 161 |
Senate roster, 1998 |
Box
6
Folder 162 |
Stationary sample, undated |
Box
6
Folder 163 |
Student organizations, 1995-1996 |
Box
6
Folder 164 |
Surveys of graduate students, 1992-1993, 1996-1997 |
Box
6
Folder 165-166 Folder 165Folder 166 |
Transition materials, 1990-1999 |
Box
6
Folder 167 |
Treasury Law, 1976-1993Includes treasury manual and treasury law revisions. |
Box 7 |
Treasury Law, 1994-1998 |
Website, 1998Printed copy of the 1998 Graduate and Professional Student Federation website. |
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University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Supreme Court cases, 1997, 1999 |
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University recognition, 1971, 1993-1994, 1998-1999 |
Arrangement: Alphabetical.
Documents collected, and sometimes annotated, by Graduate and Professional Student Federation members who served on the Student Congress or who attended Student Government Executive Branch meetings. Materials include legislative bills, meeting minutes, and other items related to Student Government.
Bills, acts, and resolutions, 1988-1994 |
|
Executive Branch files: 1993-1998Includes meeting minutes, agendas, notes, officer materials, retreat materials, and reports. |
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78th Congress, 1996-1997Includes information on ex-officio membership and the Student Code. |
|
79th Congress, 1997-1998 |
Arrangement: Alphabetical.
Records relate to issues and topics of interest to the Graduate and Professional Student Federation, including child care, financial aid, student fees, tuition, health insurance, research, campus committees, and other matters.
Records include administrative files, including committee reports and resolutions, conference materials, handbooks, and planning materials.
Records contain materials related to campus issues including the 2018 protests calling for the removal of the Confederate monument (known as "Silent Sam") on the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill campus, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Nikole Hannah-Jones tenure case, as well as other topics.
Digital Folder DF-40156/1 |
Anything else, 2019 |
Digital Folder DF-40156/2 |
External appointments, 2019-2020 |
Digital Folder DF-40156/3 |
Future of the GSPF Committee, 2020-2021 |
Digital Folder DF-40156/4 |
Governing documents, 2017-2021 |
Digital Folder DF-40156/5 |
GPSF website, 2019 |
Digital Folder DF-40156/6 |
Newsletters, 2017-2021 |
Digital Folder DF-40156/7 |
General public statements and COVID-19 documents, 2020-2021 |
Digital Folder DF-40156/8 |
Reports, 2017-2022 |
Digital Folder DF-40156/9 |
The executive branch, 2017-2022 |
Digital Folder DF-40156/10 |
The judicial branch, 2018-2019 |
Digital Folder DF-40156/11 |
The legislative branch, 2016-2020 |