IN THIS BULLETIN:
Meetings/Workshops/Events:
1. REGISTER TODAY: GRADUATE SCHOOL RECRUITMENT, PROGRAMMING, AND CLIMATE WORKSHOP
2. UNDERREPRESENTED AND MINORITIZED (URM) GRADUATE STUDENT LUNCHEON
Administrative Announcements:
3. NEW STUDENT ORIENTATION
4. IMMIGRATION CHECK-IN ONLINE FOR NEW INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
5. RAISING AWARENESS OF THE OMBUDSPERSON
6. ASSISTANTSHIP BANNER ENTRY INFORMATION AND DEADLINES
7. REGISTRATION OPEN FOR FALL 2019 GTA WORKSHOP – RESTRICTIONS APPLY
8. NEW REQUIREMENT FOR STUDENTS PURSUING GRAD DEGREES AT VT
Deadlines/Dates to Remember:
AUG 5 Web Drop/Add for Fall 2019 opens
AUG 16 Last day to defend for Summer II
Meetings/Workshops/Events:
1. REGISTER TODAY: GRADUATE SCHOOL RECRUITMENT, PROGRAMMING, AND CLIMATE WORKSHOP
Thursday, August 22, 9:00am-12:00pm, Newman Library-Multipurpose Room 101
The Graduate School is hosting this interactive workshop to share information from our various offices with you as well as discuss how we can support you and your unit. Please RSVP by August 15 at https://virginiatech.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_008MW4XdcXeDqzr. If questions, please contact us at ORDI@vt.edu.
2. UNDERREPRESENTED AND MINORITIZED (URM) GRADUATE STUDENT LUNCHEON
Wednesday, Aug 28, at 12:00pm, Graduate Life Center Multipurpose Room
The Office of Recruitment, Diversity, and Inclusion invites you to attend our graduate student luncheon. This event hosts new and returning students, faculty, and staff members. Please register at https://virginiatech.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_39n9xQfTkTgQwm1 and feel free to share with others! If you have any questions, please email us at ORDI@vt.edu.
Administrative Announcements:
3. NEW STUDENT ORIENTATION
The Graduate School offers an online guide for new students (see https://graduateschool.vt.edu/admissions/getting-started-as-a-student.html), as well as a variety of events and activities to help their transition to graduate school. The list of programs and events is available at: https://graduateschool.vt.edu/student-life/events.html. Welcome week from August 19-23 provides a daily information fair in the GLC lobby and ends with new student orientation on Friday, August 23, 9:00-11:30am. Please encourage your students to stop by and gather information about campus and area resources and participate in informational and social events. A mass email was sent to new students in Blacksburg on Aug 1 about the student guide and orientation.
4. IMMIGRATION CHECK-IN ONLINE FOR NEW INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
New international students must check in online with our International Graduate Student Services (IGSS) for immigration purposes after they arrive in the U.S. and secure permanent housing in Blacksburg. Their check-in will be reviewed and approved by an immigration advisor within 3-5 days; after that, students may apply for a social security number if they secured an on-campus job (assistantship or wage). Review the process at https://graduateschool.vt.edu/student-life/immigration-services/new-student-guide/mandatory-check-in.html. Students may register for classes, get their Hokie Passport, and take care of other items on the new student checklist (https://graduateschool.vt.edu/admissions/getting-started-as-a-student/new-student-checklist.html) before they complete the online check-in.
5. RAISING AWARENESS OF THE OMBUDSPERSON
Connecting face-to-face with students and the faculty they work with is one of the best ways for individuals to learn about the resource the Ombuds office can provide. One way to do this is to allow 10 minutes for a short presentation during your orientation programs for first year students. These conversations will cover an intro to the role, the types of support available, and certain initiatives that the office is working on. I also enjoy providing longer sessions built around specific skill-building topics (Working through conflict, expectations conversations, giving and receiving feedback, etc…) during first year seminar courses. Speaking during a faculty meeting would be another way to increase awareness of the role with those that work directly with students on a daily basis. If you would like to schedule a session or discuss other opportunities to connect with your students and faculty, please contact Bryan Hanson at bryanh76@vt.edu.
6. ASSISTANTSHIP BANNER ENTRY INFORMATION AND DEADLINES
Please ensure that your department’s 2019-20 assistantship and fellowship PAFs are entered as soon as possible. The early entry of appointments and corresponding tuition awards will ensure that the student can:
* Have the out-of-state differential waiver applied to the bill prior to the August 12 payment due date;
* Open subsidy link for those who purchase the student medical insurance;
* Sign up for the Comprehensive Fee Payment Plan prior to the first deduction.
7. REGISTRATION OPEN FOR FALL 2019 GTA WORKSHOP – RESTRICTIONS APPLY
Registration site (https://secure.graduateschool.vt.edu/gtaworkshop/) for Fall 2019 GTA workshop (GRAD 5004) is now open. All new GTAs are required to take this course and should be registered by dept. graduate coordinators (they cannot register themselves). Coordinators please register your students using the above site by August 6, 2019. Please be aware of a special situation – Squires is not available this fall for the Phase I fall workshop. Therefore, the Phase I workshop will be held in the GLC, with capacity limited slightly vs. past fall sessions. If you have a student for whom it would be nice to take GRAD 5004 this fall, but not essential, please consider registering that student for the spring 2020 GRAD 5004 course. GTA workshop sessions focus on themes important for new GTAs, including oral presentation skills, ethics, pedagogical techniques and skills, conflict resolution, threat assessment, handling student personal information, using campus research tools, and computer security. Phase I is held on a single day, Tuesday, August 20, 2019 between 8:30 am and 4:00 pm; ALL REGISTERED STUDENTS MUST ATTEND THIS FULL-DAY WORKSHOP IN ORDER TO PASS THE COURSE.
8. NEW REQUIREMENT FOR STUDENTS PURSUING GRAD DEGREES AT VT
The Commission on Graduate Studies and Policy recently approved a new requirement for students pursuing graduate degrees at Virginia Tech: an inclusion and diversity education component as part of their studies. This requirement aligns with the Graduate School’s goal of providing all students with an affirming, inclusive, and diverse education program that helps prepare them for the challenges they will meet in their post-graduation careers. Four topics must be included in the plans: the University’s Principles of Community; the impact of personal actions and words; avenues of redress and shared responsibility as active bystanders to recognize and disrupt bullying; and a process of individual introspection and reflection leading to awareness of one’s own words and language. Other topics also may be included. Each program, department, or college may develop its own plan for meeting the requirement, and all plans must be approved by the Graduate School after submission by the unit’s Graduate Program Director or its equivalent. For more information about the requirement, including whom to contact for assistance and questions, please visit the Graduate School’s Inclusion and Diversity Requirement webpage at: https://graduateschool.vt.edu/faculty-and-staff-resources/inclusion-diversity-requirement.html.