Start a Grad Group

Source: https://gsa.unimelb.edu.au/gradgroups/start-a-grad-group/ Parent: https://gsa.unimelb.edu.au/resources/parents-on-campus/

Thank you for your interest in starting a Grad Group.

Grad Groups have always been, and continue to be, an invaluable part of the GSA community. Supporting them and the broader graduate student community remains one of GSA’s top priorities.

What is a Grad Group?

A Grad Group is a GSA-affiliated student society that supports, and is led by, graduate students at the University of Melbourne. GSA’s Grad Groups promote interaction, welfare and cohesion within the University of Melbourne’s diverse graduate student population and fall under the following broad categories:

• Academic
• Business & enterprise
• Creative, media & performance
• Faith & spirituality
• International & cultural
• Physical activity, sports & games
• Political, campaigning & social justice
• Professional development
• Representation & inclusion
• Special interest
• Sustainability & the environment
• Welfare & wellbeing

Any University of Melbourne graduate student can set up a Grad Group! You just need six members, a common interest and some documentation that we can help you with!

If you have any questions about the affiliation process, email us at gradgroups@gsa.unimelb.edu.au or go to our Booking page and choose “Affiliation/Setting up a Grad Group” to book a meeting. 

Why affiliate with GSA?

An affiliated Grad Group receives:

• Funding and grants
• Room and equipment hire
• Representation
• Networking opportunities with GSA and other Grad Groups
• Marketing assistance
• Training
• Public liability insurance
• Services, support and advice

Grad Group funding

GSA provides funding support to Grad Groups. Some of the available funding includes:

• Upfront funding
• Annual funding
• Special grants

Funding is based on group size, with our smaller groups receiving $50 0a year (in annual funding) and our largest groups can receive up to $8,000. Groups may also apply for special grants. Contact our team to find out more about funding.

Joint affiliation

We welcome joint affiliations for student clubs who wish to affiliate with GSA and UMSU.

Useful Resources

• Model Constitution
• Inaugural Meeting Agenda and Minutes Template
• Committee/Member List Template
• GSA Code of Ethics and Conduct
• Grad Group Procedures

Create a new Grad Group

To start a new group and apply for affiliation with GSA, you will need to prepare the following:

• A minimum of six Unimelb Graduate Students to form your Grad Group.
• Your First AGM minutes, showing that your committee was elected by your members.
• A group constitution, outlining your group’s specific aims, structure and relevant rules and policies.
• A membership list of all current members.
• Banking details for the group’s official bank account.\ \ Once you have completed these steps and are ready to get strted, please email us at gradgroups@gsa.unimelb.edu.au and we’ll let you know how to complete the remaining steps.