Graduate Resource Guide Student Engagement & Leadership

The individual students, faculty, and staff at Penn contribute to a diverse and rich community. Explore the many graduate student activities below and learn more about how you can participate in the broader Penn community through student governance and activities. 

The Graduate and Professional Student Assembly (GAPSA) serves as the official representative body and voice for the roughly 17,000 graduate and professional students at Penn within Penn's system of University governance. GAPSA has also been granted the ability to administer a portion of graduate student activities fees, which it uses to provide resources for travel grants, research support, student events, and other activities throughout the year.

In addition to GAPSA, each of Penn's 12 graduate and professional schools has one or more School Governments that focus on school-specific issues, activity funding, and serve as school representatives within GAPSA:  

University-Wide Groups 

A comprehensive list of student groups that are open to graduate students can be found on the Penn Clubs website by filtering the Tags for 'Graduate'. You can also search the database for groups with the word 'Grad' in their titles.

Graduate Affinity Groups

Student organizations at Penn provide communities for students of various identities. Here, we list University-wide student councils and organizations intended to support, advocate, and provide community for graduate students from populations historically underrepresented in higher education and/or the professoriate. A comprehensive list of registered graduate and professional student groups can be found in the PennClubs database.

Another way to get involved on campus is through student-led organizations. See below for links to graduate student groups within each of the 12 schools at Penn and other University-wide graduate student organizations: 

School-based Groups

• SAS Government

• Biomedical Graduate Student Groups

• Dental Graduate Student Groups

• Design Student Organizations

• Education Graduate Student Groups

• SEAS Graduate Student Groups

• Law Graduate Student Groups

• Medical Graduate Student Groups

• Nursing Graduate Student Groups

• SP2 Graduate Student Groups

• Wharton Graduate Student Groups

 If you don't find a graduate and professional student organization to fit your interests, create your own! Penn has several resources to help you:

The Office of Student Affairs is the primary source of information and advice about co-curricular opportunities and resources. Staff members assist students in a myriad of ways, including providing information on how to organize a new student organization, and what resources are available for student organizations.

In addition to providing meeting and event space to graduate student groups, the Grad Center maintains a list of other spaces on campus for graduate student use. 

Graduate students have representation on nearly every standing University and Trustee committee, as well as many ad hoc committees. GAPSA is responsible for recruiting and appointing graduate and professional students to serve on these committees as representatives of the graduate student community.

Most of the seats below are filled during the early Fall through a nomination system. Please contact GAPSA Vice President of Advocacy and Director of Equity & Access for more information about any of these roles.

University Committees

• University Council
  • University Council Executive Committee (15 Seats)
  • University Council Steering Committee (2 Seats) 
  • Committee on Academic & Related Affairs (2 Seats) 
  • Campus and Community Life (2 Seats)
  • Committee on Committees (1 Seat) 
  • Committee on Diversity & Equity (2 Seats)
  • Committee on Facilities (2 Seats)
  • Independent Committee on Honorary Degrees (2 Seats)
  • Independent Committee on Open Expression (3 Seats)
• Academic Planning and Budget Committee (2 seats)
• Social Responsibility Advisory Committee (2 Seats)
• Committee on Manufacturer Responsibility (1 Seat)
• Graduate Council of the Faculties (3 Seats)
• Student Health Insurance Advisory Committee (10 Seats)

Trustees’ Committees

• Trustees’ Academic Policy Committee (1 Seat)
• Trustees’ Budget and Finance Committee (1 Seat)
• Trustees’ Local, National, and Global Engagement Committee (1 Seat)
• Trustees’ Facilities and Campus Planning Committee (1 Seat)
• Trustees’ Student Life Committee (1 Seat)

Other University Committees on which graduate students may serve
Positions may be filled via GAPSA or directly by the convening office. Contact the sponsoring office or the Grad Center for more information.  

• Student Financial Services Advisory Board
• Penn Museum Committee
• Wellness Advisory Group
• Residential Services Advisory Board
• Division of Public Safety Advisory Board (DPS)
• Penn Transit Advisory Committee
• Penn Food Insecurity Task Force

Learn more about important resources, policies, and opportunities for student groups and leaders. 

All student organizations are required to (re)register at the start of the academic year with the Office of Student Affairs. Registration identifies the organization as active and permits them access to University resources with the ability to reserve space, use of electronic resources, use of the Penn name, access to potential funding sources, and permission to advertise themselves as a student-run organization at the University of Pennsylvania.

Additional Guidelines 

• Funding and Financial Guidelines 
• Responsibilities of All Student Organizations
• Student Conferences Guide (PDF, opens in new tab)
• Safety Guidelines
• Guidelines for Student Political Activities (Word, 32 KB)

Event Registration

As part of the University’s community care efforts, all student groups must register all large in-person social events they would like to host on campus, as well as any events on- or off-campus at which there will be alcohol. This includes events held at an off-campus residence or third-party venue at which alcohol may be consumed by attendees which are sponsored or promoted by a recognized University group. 

EVENT REGISTRATION

Events with Alcohol 
Please note that your organization cannot charge for any event at which alcohol will be served unless the venue has a license to sell alcohol (such as a bar or restaurant). This is a state law, not Penn policy. This means that you cannot charge students to attend an event with alcohol has been purchased from a separate vendor than the space which is hosting the event, including social events, happy hours, etc. 

Additionally, free food and nonalcoholic beverages must be readily available for free at any event with alcohol. Please review the full alcohol policy carefully as you plan your events. 

Event Planning 

This presentation on how to plan awesome events (PDF, opens in new tab) and event planning checklist (PDF, opens in new tab) will be helpful to your organization.

As you plan events, you must adhere to all State and University regulations for graduate student organizations. This includes registering your event with University Life. You are liable for what happens at the event, legally and according to the University Policy. 

Paid Events, Ticket Sales, and other Payments 

The University has a number of important policies related to collecting revenue and payments. Please be sure to review these policies and requirements in advance of planning any paid activity or distributing merchandise or tickets valued over $99 to students. 

Payments and ticket sales 
 

Virtual Events and Engagement 

There are a number of resources and tools available for groups planning virtual activities and engagement, including: 

• Virtual Engagement Tools and Suggestions (OSA)
• Creating Community in Your Online course (CETLI)
• Virtual Activities and Opportunities from the Grad Center
• Suddenly Remote: 20 Virtual Event & Activity Ideas (CampusGroups) 
• The best virtual team building activities, according to full-time remote workers (Atlassian)
• 53 Virtual Activity Ideas to Keep College Students Engaged During COVID-19 (Presence)

General Tips and Suggestions 

• Update your group's PennClubs page, website and social media pages - stay active online and engage new members! 
• Create new goals and objectives for your organization to reflect the nature of this semester. 

Group Meetings 

• Continue to meet virtually on a regular basis 
• Consider alternating or varying meeting times to accommodate members in other time zones 
• Meet with your group faculty/staff adviser, OSA, or the Grad Center Director for support and guidance
• Establish a communication plan with your exec team, adviser, and organization
• Continue to build community with your organization members with online group activities
• Maintain an online social media presence as an organization
• Make an effort to recognize members and their contributions online
• Try to conclude each meeting with a discussion of "what happens next?" - Summarize the meeting, review tasks that were assigned, discuss next meeting time or when you will talk next

Connection and Communication 
Think creatively about the best ways to share information and connect with one another while remote. 

• Communication platforms and tools include: FaceTime, GroupMe, Phone calls (!), Social media groups/pages, Slack/Teams/Discord 
• Social media takeovers: assign a member for a day/week to take over the org’s account and share their personal story, reflections, or favorite posts 
• Video challenges: Use TikTok, IG Reels, or other tools to challenge your members - or other student groups - to fun video challenges 
• Q&A: Use social media or online polls to help other students learn more about your organization and how to get/stay involved
• Memories and Stories: share older posts or photos as a way of highlighting favorite events and memories or sharing stories about your members and activities. 

See additional resources and information for student groups in our resource guide.

All student organizations are required to follow the policies set forth in the Pennbook. 

These include: 

• Poster and Banner Policy
• Code of Student Conduct
• Contracts
• Use of Facilities
• Nondiscrimination Statement
• Open Expression Guidelines
• Structures on College Green (Word, 15 KB)
• Promotional Items

Wellness, Safety, and Conduct 

• Privacy and Confidentiality Guidelines for collecting student information / surveys

• Student groups are strongly encouraged to work with OSA or your school’s IT department to obtain institutional (@upenn.edu) emails and related accounts. These accounts will enable your organization to maintain security and confidentiality of your records and aid with smooth leadership transitions.

• We encourage all students to take time to review and understand Penn’s policies and community resources related to student conduct and safety, as well as how Penn supports students who experience unfair treatment, bias, harassment, or any form of violence.  Please see information about reporting concerns and incidents here.
   

• Responding to Sexual Misconduct Handout: Resources for students 

  •  For the most up-to-date information about Penn policies & procedures, go to the Office of the AVP for Equity and Title IX Officer website.

Student Organization Misconduct

All Penn student groups, leaders, and members are expected to abide by all University policies, as well as any additional policies set by their school(s) and program(s). In addition to the official reporting options, any member of the Penn community can report an incident, alleged policy violation, or concerns that a recognized student group has not upheld University policies to the group’s advisor(s) or administrative staff in the school or department in which the group is housed or advised.

Concerns about any University-wide group or group registered with Penn Clubs/OSA can shared with the Office of Student Affairs at vpul-pennosa@pobox.upenn.edu. Concerns and grievances related to GAPSA and GAPSA IDEAL Council-affiliated affinity groups can also be submitted to provost-ed@upenn.edu and gradcenter@upenn.edu.

GIC Workshops and Consultations 
The Greenfield Intercultural Center (GIC) can assist with the development and implementation of diversity or cultural competency workshops that support their organizational goals and objectives. Focusing on knowledge acquisition, behavioral change, action planning and accountability, the center's ultimate goal is to help students, staff and faculty capitalize on the numerous advantages a diverse team has to offer.

I CARE Training
Wellness at Penn offers i care, an interactive gatekeeper training for students, faculty, and staff that builds a caring community with the skills and resources to intervene with student stress, distress, and crisis. Visit the Wellbeing Initiatives i care webpage  to learn more about i care training and resources or to request a training for your group. 

LGBT Center Workshops
The LGBT Center is dedicated to ensuring that Penn is a welcoming place for people of all identities. This includes providing fun and interactive educational opportunities for folks to expand their knowledge and understanding of those who may identify differently than them. Programs can also be customized for your group or department needs

Penn Violence Prevention (PVP) Workshops
PVP workshops cover a range of topics related to relationship violence, sexual violence, stalking, and sexual harassment. Workshops are designed to be interactive and informative and can be tailored to meet the needs of individual groups. Learn more about Penn Violence Prevention above. 

RP@Penn Programs 
The Restorative Practices at Penn (RP@Penn) Program promotes restorative practices on Penn’s campus to build strong communities and address interpersonal and group conflict. RP@Penn offers Restorative Circles, Conflict Coaching, Mediation, Restorative Conferences, Workshops on Communication and Conflict Resolution skills, and Workshops on Restorative Circles. 

Self Defense Training & Safety Presentations
The Department of Public Safety Special Services department offers safety presentations and free self defense classes  for all members of the Penn community and their children. For more information, contact the DPS Special Services team at 215.898.4481 or SpecialServices@publicsafety.upenn.edu.

The Grad Center team advises individual students and graduate student groups on all aspects of graduate life at Penn. Students are welcome to contact us with questions related to our areas of responsibility and expertise. We are also available to meet with students in-person, online, or via phone.

Students with more complex questions or concerns are encouraged to schedule an appointment with the Grad Center Director.