University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Graduate and Professional Student Federation.

The Graduate and Professional Student Federation 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.

From the description of Records of the Graduate and Professional Student Federation, 1971-1994. WorldCat record id: 34105563

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.

From the guide to the Graduate and Professional Student Federation of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Records, 1968-2002, (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. University Archives.)