GSA is one of the four component bodies that go to make up Associated Students UCLA (ASUCLA), an unincorporated, non-profit California association founded in 1919. ASUCLA provides a broad range of services to the UCLA community through student governments, student publications, services and enterprises. The Association maintains its own fiscal, personnel and administrative systems and procedures. Certain understandings about the relationship between ASUCLA and the University of California are set forth in the “Statement of Understanding” executed and adopted in 1974.
The GSA-ASUCLA Relationship
Associated Students UCLA (ASUCLA) is a nonprofit corporation consisting of four entities: the two student governments, the Graduate Students Association (GSA) and the Undergraduate Students Association (USA); the Communications Board, and Services and Enterprises. The Statement of Understanding, signed by ASUCLA and the Chancellor, defines the relationship between the Association and the University of California.
Over each of the entities within ASUCLA exists an oversight authority. The Board of Directors serves as the oversight authority for Services and Enterprises. The Communications Board is the oversight authority for the student media. The USA Council has authority over the Undergraduate Students Association. Within the GSA, the decisions of the Forum serve to specify the policies of the Graduate Students Association.
On both the Board of Directors and the Communications Board, the GSA Forum appoints graduate students to serve as members of each board. However, the independence between each of the four entities that define ASUCLA affects the role of graduate students on these boards as well as the relationship between the GSA and the USA. In general, graduate students appointed to either of these boards are entrusted to be responsible to the entity to which they serve. Further, the entities assume that the other entities will not explicitly interfere in each other’s internal activities.
Currently, two explicit agreements exist between the GSA and the ASUCLA Board of Directors (BOD). These agreements specify the guidelines by which funds allocated from the revenues of Services and Enterprises to the GSA can be spent. Moreover, ASUCLA provides direct support services to the GSA through the Student Government Accounting Department and other services, such as access to general area reserves and facilities maintenance through direct charges to the GSA in the form of Administrative and Support Services, Maintenance, and Utilities charges.