V-Fund

Application Dates:

Introduction

In 1997, after nearly 30 years of service at Case Western Reserve University, Assistant Dean Edward Verhosek retired. Dean Verhosek had an tenure marked by devotion to the rights and concerns of graduate students. When he retired, the GSS struck a committee to oversee the choice of a retirement gift for Dean Verhosek and we met with him to find out what he would like as a remembrance from the students he had helped for so many years.

True to his altruistic form, he suggested that the gift he would appreciate most was a fund named in his honor to assist graduate students financially with expenses encountered in the latter part of their studies. He drafted "Thoughts on the ‘V' Fund for Graduate Students" to give us a start on how to make the grants-to-students a reality.

In addition to honoring Dean Verhosek, the V Fund also provides a vehicle for graduate students to be helped by graduate students, and thus provide a salient means for GSS to provide a meaningful service to the graduate student body by providing funds for incidental costs incurred in thesis research that are otherwise usually left to be paid out of pocket by the graduate student.

In December 1999, by overwhelming majority, the Graduate Student Senateapproved the second amentment to their bylaws in order to establish thecommittee that is responsible for the administration of th e V-Fund. Shortlyafter the GSS Executive committee designated the funds and theCWRU Board of Trustees established an endowment from those funds fordisbursement through the V-Fund.

Eligibility Criteria (Student)

• Enrollment in the School of Graduate Studies as a full or part-time, degree-seeking student
• Completed at least 12 credit hours of graduate level course work by application date.

Eligibility Criteria (Use)

• Conference Presentation (max $100) - must include a copy of the conference confirmation of acceptance for presentation of paper/poster.
• Thesis/Dissertation Binding (max $50)
• Other ( but see restrictions)

Restrictions

• One grant-in-aid per student [per semester] with a lifetime maximum total of $150 to any one student
• No grants made for payments toward tuition, fees, fines, or professional society memberships
• No grants made for attending a conference without presenting a paper/poster

Distributing the grants

• When
  • Announcement of availability to be made at the beginning of each fall and spring semester by the committee.
  • Except in unusual circumstances of immediate need, all grants are approved on a reimbursement basis.
  • Application deadlines for the grants will be Nov 1, March 1, and Sept 1 of each academic year. (In some instances the committee is allowed to move theapplication date by no more than one week by unanimous vote.) The grant money must be used during the semester of application.
• How
  • Applicants will submit a one page application form confirming eligibility by the appropriate deadline for the semester. ( See Application)
  • The committee that currently assesses the eligibility of graduate student organizations for GSS funding (Student Organizations Committee) will take on the responsibility of assessi ng the eligibility of graduate students applying for the V Fund.
  • The student will request the amount of money needed for the event, according to the guidelines and maximum allowed.
  • All eligible applicants will be placed in a lottery and the committee will draw applications and distribute approved funding until the allotted money (currently set at $1000 per semester - $3,000 per year) is used. Students must also provide original receipts prior to receiving the monetary award.
  • Students may enter the lottery once per semester so long as eligibility criteria are met.
  • The number of students assisted will be dependent upon the amount of requested money approved- for example, 20 students can be assisted if everyone requests $50 for thesis binding; only 10 students can be assisted if everyone requests the maximum $100 for attending a conference.

Application

Applications should be handed in or sent by campus mail to Graduate Studies, Nord Hall, 6th floor. All applicationsmust be received by the date noted on the form to be eligible for consideration.