IN THIS BULLETIN:
Did You Know?
Did you know that the university is offering COVID tests to students who plan to travel outside Blacksburg during the Thanksgiving break? Testing will be available Nov 14-24, and students must register by Oct 26 if they wish to be tested. The test is free, but anyone who fails to cancel a scheduled test within 48 hours will be charged $100 on their student account.
Meetings, Workshops, & Events
1. Little Hokie Hand-Me-Down: Volunteers Needed
Deadlines & Dates to Remember
Until November 6: Little Hokie Hand-Me-Down donations accepted
Policy and Procedure Updates
1. Changes to GTA Workshop Registration and Enforcement of Enrollment Requirement
2. Managing Spring Assistantship Offer for New International Students
Administrative Announcements
1. A Letter from Dean DePauw Regarding Spring Break
2. Post-Thanksgiving Updates
3. Edward Bouchet Honor Society Nomination Period Open
4. Jigsaw Connect Video Archive
5. Resources for Graduate Student Mental Health and Well-Being
6. Seeking Input for Graduate Coordinator – Graduate School Guide
7. Annual Review of Online Application Supplemental Forms
8. Little Hokie Hangout Enrollment Open
Meetings, Workshops, & Events
1. Little Hokie Hand-Me-Down: Volunteers Needed
Little Hokie Hangout is happy to announce they are once again hosting their annual donation event. Volunteers are needed on November 10th from 10am – 2pm to help unload donations and set up tables in the GLC multi-purpose room. Volunteers will be staggered to ensure safe numbers, and all donations received will have been quarantined for at least 72 hours before set up. Interested persons may contact Marin Riegger directly at childcare@vt.edu.
For graduate students who wish to “shop”, thy may sign up for a slot on November 11 or 12 at the following link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0E4FABAA28A1FF2-little2
Deadlines & Dates to Remember
Until November 6: Little Hokie Hand-Me-Down Donations Accepted
The Women’s Center, Graduate School and Graduate School Assembly is hosting the 7th Annual Little Hokie Hand-Me-Down event on November 11th and 12th in the GLC Multipurpose Room to benefit VT graduate students and families. Now collecting unused/gently used children’s items for ages 0-10 until November 6. Donations may be dropped off on the VT Women’s Center porch, and may include any of the following:
Toys (including music and DVDs,) books, clothing (baby, children, and maternity), formula, medical supplies (lactation devices), strollers, unexpired car seats, school supplies, bedding (for cribs and for parents), bathing and grooming supplies (bathers, unopened creams, powders), feeding supplies, baby gear (activity gyms, bassinets, play mats, carriers, etc), and diapers. In order to maintain the safety of those handling the items, please completely box or contain in plastic bags any donations. For more information, contact jmelts@vt.edu.
Policy and Procedure Updates
1. Changes to GTA Workshop Registration and Enforcement of Enrollment Requirement
Starting in Spring 2021, graduate students will be able to register themselves for the GTA training workshop or departments may register their students through the regular course request and drop/add process. All GTAs are required to complete the one-credit course, https://graduateschool.vt.edu/academics/courses-and-scheduling/graduate-school-courses/gta-workshop.html. A recent audit has indicated that 168 current GTAs have not completed the course. These students will receive an email notification next week regarding the requirement to complete this course at the next available opportunity, which will be spring 2021. The spring 2021 GTA workshop will be offered in fully virtual fashion (largely synchronous but with asynchronous portions and options).
2. Managing Spring Assistantship Offer for New International Students
If a new international student is unable to schedule a visa interview by Friday, Dec 11 (with an interview date before the spring semester begins), the hiring department may rescind the assistantship offer and extend it to another student. The hiring department must:
- notify the student that the offer has been withdrawn due to the student’s inability to arrive in the U.S. in time for the spring semester, and work with the student on potentially deferring admission and assistantship offer to a future term
- request the termination of the assistantship contract at https://sites.google.com/vt.edu/gradschoolresources/funding-requests/contract-termination
- notify the Cranwell International Center by emailing to international@vt.edu regarding the termination of the contract and potential deferral of admission, so that the student’s SEVIS record can be updated.
Administrative Announcements
1. A Letter from Dean DePauw Regarding Spring Break
To emphasize and support the earlier message sent from Provost Cyril Clarke (https://www.provost.vt.edu/provost-message-spring-break-2021.html), Dean Karen DePauw has released a statement to faculty regarding the planned changes to the Spring Break schedule for the upcoming semester. You may review her letter here: https://graduateschool.vt.edu/fall2020-plan/springbreak-2021-dean-message.html
2. Post-Thanksgiving Updates
The university will remain open after Thanksgiving and through the winter breaks as usual. Graduate students can continue their research and scholarly endeavors. Also, graduate students living on campus will be allowed to stay in their residences and will need to work with Housing and Residence Life to make appropriate arrangements for their continued stay.
3. Edward Bouchet Honor Society Nomination Period Open
The Edward Alexander Bouchet Graduate Honor Society (Bouchet Society) recognizes outstanding scholarly achievement and promotes diversity and excellence in doctoral education and the professoriate. We are seeking nominations for graduate students who are within 1-2 semesters of completing their doctoral degree. Find out more at https://graduateschool.vt.edu/about/diversity/bouchet-society.html. Nomination deadline is Nov. 23rd. Please email shernita@vt.edu if you have any questions.
4. Jigsaw Connect Video Archive
Do you want to review past Jigsaw Connect sessions which focuses on strategies for recruitment and retention? Videos are stored at https://graduateschool.vt.edu/recruitment/jigsawconnect.html
5. Resources for Graduate Student Mental Health and Well-Being
Cook Counseling Center has student resources at https://ucc.vt.edu/. Please familiarize yourself with its content along with initiatives specific for graduate students especially zoom drop-in hours and cost. If you need a contact, please email Dr.Rita Klein for graduate student specific concerns at rfklein@vt.edu.
6. Seeking Input for Graduate Coordinator – Graduate School Guide
Hello from Matthew Grice in Admissions and Academic Progress at the Graduate School. I’m working on a guide for graduate coordinators which will cover what the Graduate School does, how we can help you do what you do, the various ways we interact with departments, and the lifecycle of a graduate student from the perspective of the institution as a whole.
If you don’t mind, I’d like to request your help in preparing this guide by asking you a few questions. Your answers can help me to understand how things look from your perspective in the departments, including how you perform certain tasks and how you accomplish certain objectives. I’m also interested in your feedback on what the guide should be sure to address and what information you’d like to have presented.
- What Banner screens, Banner commands, or Banner reports do you use to manage, query/look up, or make changes to the records of students in your department?
- What Banner screens, Banner commands, or Banner reports do you use to manage, query/look up, or make changes to the records of professors/faculty in your department?
- Do you handle Banner access requests for faculty members and staff in your department, for instance if a new faculty member is hired? If you don’t handle this, who in your department does?
- What software or programs or system does your department use for recruiting students (if any?) Does this fall under your purview, and if not, who in your department handles this?
- What would you particularly like to see covered in a Graduate School guide for graduate coordinators?
Thank you for your time! Please feel free to share anything you would like and I will try to incorporate it in the guide whenever possible. You can email me at matth83@vt.edu, or call at 540-231-8473 (please call Monday – Thursday).
7. Annual Review of Online Application Supplemental Forms
An annual review of our inline application supplemental forms for changes, updates, and improvements is important to help ensure that your program’s information is being accurately reflected in the online version of the Virginia Tech Graduate School application. To review your departmental program information page and supplemental page (questions specific to your program), please first login to Slate using your VT credentials for the login. Once in Slate, navigate to the 2020 Application Review folder. From this location you can use the “Search Forms…” option located on the upper right-hand side of the page to find forms specific to your program(s). To view a form, first click on the line item to open a landing page and then select “Edit Form” on the upper right-hand side to access the form contents. For the purposes of this audit, do not comment on the deadlines as they exist on your Program Information page. Deadlines are managed through the Program Maintenance Form and are not the focus of this review. Carefully review the language and links and provide feedback following the instructions below.
Any changes to your department supplemental should be submitted through the Slate Assistance Request Form and selecting the Annual Supplemental Review assistance item. You may choose to free text comment in the form, pdf print the supplemental pages, and make notes via “sticky note: (Ctrl + 6) and “Highlight” or “Cross-out” text (Tools > Comment & Markup > Highlight Text / Cross-Out Text) features using Adobe, or you may print off the pages and with clear/neat handwriting print your changes, then scan to pdf and upload in the form. The review and confirmation of the application supplemental needs to be completed no later than Friday, December 4, 2020. Questions should be directed to Janice Austin at jema@vt.edu.
8. Little Hokie Hangout Enrollment Open
The Spring 2021 Little Hokie Hangout enrollment form is now live. Preference for enrollment will go to current and former LHH families through Thanksgiving. After Thanksgiving break, enrollment will open to all interested families. Access the enrollment form here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSchm4dz7A1aWZhnB6g_oEcb12XMguKrBD_dv9bVv0v71oSwnw/viewform?usp=sf_link