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Graduate Student Association GSA
  1. Graduate & Professional Student Association
  2. Resources
  3. Event Planning
  4. Planning an Event

Planning an Event

Planning an event is not an easy task - there are many hurdles to overcome, such as funding application, room reservations, triton activity planner (TAP) submission, etc. We hope this information helps you plan your event smoothly! If your question is unanswered, please send an email to contact@gsa.ucsd.edu

Get started

If you are a new student organization, you need to first register as a student org. This requires you to find, at minimum, four principal members who will act as leadership for your student org. Once registered as a student org, you have access to many resources. This includes web space to create a website, access to the triton activity planner (TAP) for event planning, and the ability to apply for funds. To register as a student org, find more information here.

If you are a department, you are eligible to apply for funds through any GSA request fund. For a description of available funding sources, click here.
 

Requirements and timeline for planning an event

The main requirements for planning a successful event are:

  • Sending in a funding application with complete budget information
  • Reserving a room or space
  • Submitting an alcohol form if needed
  • Submitting an EHS form depending on the type of food served
  • Submitting a TAP form
  • Advertising your event to graduate students
  • Once approved, host a fun event!
  • Collect signatures on a sign-in sheet during the event
  • Submitting appropriate paperwork.


There are many important deadlines to keep in mind! Make sure you give yourself plenty of time to plan your event in order to ensure full funding and event approval.

  • 4 Weeks in Advance: Submit a funding application using the GSA funding request application.
  • 3 Weeks in Advance: Submit a completed alcohol permit to the Community Service Officer with sections I through VI complete.
  • 3 Weeks in Advance: Submit a completed EHS permit to EH&S if needed.
  • 3 Weeks in Advance: Start your TAP form
  • 2 Weeks in Advance: Submit your TAP form
  • During the Event: Have everyone sign a sign-in sheet for funding purposes
  • Right After the Event: Submit all paperwork for reimbursement within 21 days after the event

Submit a Funding Application

For GSA funding, you can find tons of information over in our funding section.

There are many other sources of funding for graduate students. For a list of centers that provide funding, click here. For tech fee waivers, the University Centers Advisory Board (UCAB) can waive tech fees depending on the size of the event.

Reserve a Room or Space 

To reserve a room in University Centers, use UCSD's online reservation system. 

To reserve a space with GSA (Cafe Vita or the Grad Lounge), go to our GSA reservation page. 

There are many other rooms you can reserve! Outside of the UCEN and GSA reservations, the facility manager or MSO (Management Services Officer) of the building can help you reserve a room. Talk to your Grad Coordinator if you are unsure who the MSO is for your building.

Alcohol Permit 

Any event that serves alcohol requires a completed alcohol permit to be submitted to the Community Service Officer (CSO) three weeks in advance. The only exception is a small event (<30 students) that takes place in a small community room of a Housing and Dining facility (Cafe Vita included).

The alcohol permit form can be found here. There are many regulations to keep in mind when filling out the form. When writing the description, make sure you include all relevant information. Remember that IDs need to be checked at the door and there can only be one entrance to the room. Events can never have alcohol outside without security guards, unless it is in a fully enclosed courtyard. The distribution of alcohol also needs to be regulated.

Once filling out section I of the form, you are required to obtain 6 signatures before sending to the CSO. 

  • Section II: Key Official - this is the person in charge of the event
  • Section III: Student Sponsors - these are two sponsors from your student org who will be assisting with the event
  • Section IV: Group Advisor - this is your CSI (Center for Student Involvement) advisor. For GSA, our advisor is Evelyn Rose
  • Section V: Facility Manager - this is the MSO or facility manager of the building you will be hosting your event in
  • Section VI: VCSA or Dean of Graduate Studies - This can be either Juan Gonzalez or Dean Barrett

Once all the signatures have been obtained, send the form to cso@ucsd.edu 3 weeks in advance. When you receive the signed form by the campus police, be sure to print it out and have a copy available at your event.
 

Environmental Health & Safety (EHS) Form 

When your event is public and food will be served, make sure you fill out a EH&S permit. You can find the application here. Submit the application 3 weeks in advance.

Make sure you read and understand the temporary food permit guidelines. Read all the information here.

Triton Activities Planner (TAP) Form

All on-campus events, except for small meetings or get togethers, require a TAP submission. The TAP process must begin 21 days before the start of the event. When starting the TAP form, the event time, room reservation, event description, and funding information must be available. Begin the TAP process.

Within TAP, there are several modules you will or will not have to compete based on the event logistics. After filling out a questionnaire, the relevant modules will be shown for you to fill out. The TAP form must be completed and submitted 14 days before the start of the event.

Advertising the Event

If your event received funding from GSA, make sure to include the GSA logo on all flyers. You can access the logo by emailing VP Finance.

The following mailing lists are available for advertisements:

  • GSA Announce: Send an email to gsa-announce-l@ucsd.edu to send the information out to all graduate students who are registered to the mailing list. In case you are not on the mailing list, you can register here.
  • Grad Life: Grad Life is a weekly email sent out to all grads from the Graduate Division. Send your event information with the subject ADD GRADLIFE to gradlife@ucsd.edu the Wednedsay before the next Grad Life newsletter, which goes out every Wednesday.
  • GSA Reps: Send an email to your GSA representative and ask them to send an email to all GSA reps, who in turn will forward to their departments.
  • GSA Facebook: Post on our facebook page or send us a message to UCSD GSA facebook and we will post the message.
  • And many more!: There are many other areas to advertise...check out facebook pages for different student orgs or departments and post on their pages.

Hosting the Event

Once everything is approved, you are good to go! If you have a signed EH&S and / or an alcohol permit, make sure you have a hard copy available at the event. Also, make sure you have a sign-in sheet for reimbursement purposes.

Reimbursements

Make sure you submit all reimbursements within 21 days of the event ending. For full information regarding reimbursements, check out the reimbursement page.