Fall 2023 New Graduate Student Virtual Orientation

Welcome to the Biological Sciences Department, everyone!

We’re looking forward to welcoming you all to the university. The Biological Sciences new graduate student orientation will be held virtually on August 23rd, and we will discuss the Biological Sciences program and answer any questions you may have! Most other new student/employee orientations and trainings will be virtual as well, and we’ve included links to each of these below.

The Graduate Organization of Biological Sciences is also holding an informal in-person social event/picnic on Friday, August 25th, from 12:00 – 2:00 pm, and we are looking forward to seeing you all there!

Orientation Information

New Employee To-Do Items

Student Resources

Biological Sciences New Student Orientation Information

  • Wednesday, August 23rd 10:00 – 11:30 AM CST (Click here to join)
    • 10:00 – 10:30 AM Introductions
      • Dr. Gerlinde Höbel (Bio Sci Graduate Program Representative)
      • Rhianna Driebel (Bio Sci Graduate Program Coordinator)
      • Uyiosasere Aigbe
      • Hossein Asgari
      • Saswata Chakrabarty
      • Alyssa Grandsard
      • Evan Harper
      • Shokry Mahmoud
      • Julianna Miller
      • Trinity Raspberry
      • Nash Turner
      • Sian-Yong Wei
    • 10:30 – 10:45 AM Program Overview & Guidelines
    • 10:45 – 11:00 AM Discussion with GOBS (Graduate Organization of Biological Sciences)
    • 11:00 – 11:30 AM Q&A and Closing Statements

Fall 2023 Orientation & Training Schedule

  • Wednesday, August 23rd
  • Thursday, August 24th
    • New International Students Only: 10:00 am – 3:30 pm CST – International Student Orientation (On campus in the 4th floor conference room of the Golda Meir Library – Registration is open now and is available in your ISSS Connect portal)
    • 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm CST – Benefits Review Session (On Campus – Please Register Online) – not required, but strongly recommended for all new employees. As a reminder, all new employees have to apply for benefits within 30 days of August 21st (the start of your contract)
      • If you aren’t able to make this review session, there will likely be a video recording added to their website and there is also another session on September 13th from 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm.
  • Friday, August 25th
    • 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm CST – Graduate Organization of Biological Sciences Picnic (In person – outdoors on campus, next to the Sandburg Residence Hall – shown on the map below) there will be food, drinks and games provided – we can’t wait to meet you all there!

  • Monday, August 28th
    • 9:00 am – 12:00 pm CST – New Graduate Student Orientation, presented by the UWM Graduate School (Virtual – Please Register Online) strongly recommended for all students
    • 1:00 pm – 3:30 pm CST – New Graduate Assistant Orientation, presented by the UWM Graduate School (Virtual – Please Register Online) strongly recommended for all new TAs/RAs
  • Tuesday, August 29th
    • 9:00 am – 4:40 pm CST – Teaching Assistant Orientation, presented by the UWM Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) (Virtual – Please Register Online) required for new Teaching Assistants only
      • This orientation will be followed by an in-person New TA Social on campus from 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm CST.
  • Date TBD – We will send information about scheduling your student photo, at the beginning of the semester.

Online Asynchronous Trainings

New Employee To-Do Items

 

  1. ASAP: Schedule an appointment with HR to complete I-9 employment authorization and other hire documents, if you haven’t completed this in the past.

    • The University of Wisconsin Milwaukee has a centralized on-boarding process with campus Human Resources, and the required forms and instructions for this process and additional next steps can be found here. You will meet in Engelmann Hall, Room 125 (Map). Angela Broderick, UWM HR Coordinator, should be reaching out to schedule an appointment if you need to complete this step, if she hasn’t already.

  1. Review UWM’s Graduate Assistant appointment fact sheet for general appointment information and to answer many FAQs.
  2. Submit your Benefits application. You have thirty days from your start date (8/21/23) to submit your benefits application. Click here for more information.
  3. If you’ll be on campus, review parking and transit information here.
    • There are several options for parking on campus, including Pay by Phone Parking (Parkmobile), Ride Sharing, Staff Permits, Prowl Line (campus shuttles), discounted Milwaukee Country Transit bus passes, and more. For complete information, please see the Parking & Transit website.

Student Resources

  • New Student Guide for International Students
  • Biological Sciences Main Office (Lapham S181)
  • Print/Copy Information
    • Location: Lapham S182
    • Copy Code: I’ll send individual copy codes as the semester approaches
  • Keys
    • If you will be working on campus, we will issue keys for you to access labs. You can work with your advisor to make sure we issue the proper keys.
  • Mailbox
    • All employees will have a mailbox in Lapham S181.
  • My UW System
    • The My UW System portal gives you access to your payroll, absence management, benefits, and etc. portals.
  • GOBS (Graduate Organization of Biological Sciences) Break Room
    • You will have access to the GOBS room (LAP S197) to sit between classes, study or attend GOBS meetings.
  • Graduate Assistant Handbook
    • This is a great resource for you to review during your time in the graduate program, when you have any questions about your graduate appointment.