1. Information Technology
  2. Policies and Procedures
  3. Student Technology Fee Committee Purpose and Procedures

Student Technology Fee Committee Purpose and Procedures

Download the Student Technology Fee Committee Purpose and Procedures policy or review the policy below.
 

Purpose

The Graduate Center (GC) Student Technology Fee (STF) Committee must execute one official function annually:

  • Provide to the President of the Graduate Center a recommended budget for the allocation of GC STF funds for the upcoming fiscal year.

Membership

The membership of the GC STF Committee is as follows:

  • The GC Doctoral and Graduate Students’ Council conducts elections annually in late spring to select four student representatives and two alternates to serve on the GC STF Committee for the upcoming year. The four students are all voting members of the GC STF Committee. These student members serve one-year terms, with the opportunity to be re-elected repeatedly for subsequent terms of service.
  • The GC Chief Librarian serves as a (faculty) voting member of the GC STF Committee. In addition, three faculty representatives appointed by the GC President serve as voting members of the GC STF Committee. The three faculty are typically selected to reflect the three “clusters” of disciplines at the GC. The faculty members serve one-year terms and are automatically reappointed to serve the following year unless some event dictates the conclusion of an individual’s term of service.
  • The GC Senior Academic Technology Officer is an ongoing ex-officio member of the GC STF Committee, and as such is not a voting member.
  • The total number of voting members then is eight: four students and four faculty.

The GC AVP for Information Technology serves as the Chair of the GC STF Committee and is responsible for organizing and facilitating the meetings as well as overseeing all appropriate follow-up.

The Chair is a non-voting member. The Chair may invite various individuals to attend meetings of the GC STF Committee as resource persons to assist the Committee in its work. No such individuals have voting privileges.

Quorum

A simple majority of voting members constitutes a quorum. A student (voting) member of the Committee who cannot attend the March meeting may be replaced by one of the designated alternates, with voting privileges. A faculty (voting) member of the Committee who cannot attend may identify a fellow faculty member to serve as a proxy, with voting privileges.

All votes are decided by a simple majority. Tie votes are deemed to have failed.

Operations

  • The Committee meets annually in March to formulate its recommended budget for the allocation of GC STF funds for the upcoming fiscal year; however, an additional meeting is held if one is needed.
  • A call for funding requests is delivered by the Committee Chair to the APOs/EOs annually, in advance of the March meeting of the Committee. No call is issued to the student body at large, as it is the responsibility of the students on the Committee to represent those interests.
  • Any current GC student, faculty, or staff member can submit a project proposal to the STF committee by end of business on the second Friday in February and include: the requestor’s name and department; description of proposed project; estimated total cost, price quote including quantity of item(s), rationale and justification for the request to be considered for funding in the upcoming fiscal year.
    • Proposals previously submitted, but not funded for any reason, do not automatically get considered in subsequent years. A new proposal must be submitted.
    • Long-term commitments made by previous Student Technology Fee committees should be honored as warranted when the needs remain unchanged; however, over time, efforts must continue to reduce the percentage of the Student Technology Fee budget committed to recurring costs.  
    • Proposals should include all related needs in one application. Do not submit multiple applications for smaller amounts of equipment that will serve the same purpose.
    • Please be sure to include copies of any price quotes, estimates, suggested vendors, and sole vendor letters that may be required to facilitate the procurement, if approved.
  • The GC business office provides a budget figure for the upcoming fiscal year, in advance of the March meeting of Committee.
  • All proposals submitted are organized and distributed to the Student Tech Fee Committee for review.
  • The GC STF Committee meets in March to review funding requests, needs and interests, and to arrive at a recommendation for fund allocation for the upcoming fiscal year in line with the total amount of anticipated funding availability identified by the business office. The Committee uses a formal voting process, per Robert’s Rules of Order, to finalize its official business with the adoption of a budget recommendation.
  • The budget recommendation is incorporated by the Chair into a document titled "Student Tech Fee Plan" and delivered to the GC President.
  • Upon approval by the GC President, the Plan, now accompanied by the prescribed budget spreadsheet, is submitted by the Chair to CUNY CIS for review, as required.  
  • The Plan is posted on the GC IT website. The Plan includes the names and roles of the Committee members.
  • With the start of the fiscal year, the budget is executed, on a funds-permitting basis. The GC business office determines when funds are accessible throughout the year. In keeping with the University’s position, funds are expected to be expended during the year in which they are collected.
  • On occasion, meetings of the GC STF Committee are conducted for discussion purposes only (no official business is transacted). No formal minutes are produced