Fall 2025 New Graduate Student Virtual Orientation

- 10:20-10:30 AM Overview of Bio Sci Facilities from our Facilities Manager, Jordan Gonnering
- 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

Thursday, August 21^st
- New International Students Only: 10:00 am – 4:00 pm CST – International Student Orientation (Part 1 Online, Part 2 On Campus in Mitchell Hall 195 – registration is open now and is available in your ISSS Connect portal)
  - If you aren’t able to make it to this orientation, there will be another orientation on August 28th (the 8/21 session is specifically for students with assistantships, the 8/28 session for all other graduate students).
Monday, August 25^th
- 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm CST – New Graduate Student Orientation, presented by the UWM Graduate School (Virtual – Please Register Online) strongly recommended for all students
  - This virtual orientation will be followed by an in-person Meet-and-Greet & Resource Fair from 4:30-6:00 pm in the Student Union Ballroom.
Wednesday, August 27^th
- 10:00 am – 11:30 am CST – Biological Sciences New Student Orientation (Virtual) required for all students
- 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm CST – Chemical Hygiene and Safety Training, presented by University Safety and Assurances (Virtual) required for all new Teaching/Research Assistants
Friday, August 29^th
- 12:00 pm – 2:30 pm CST – Graduate Organization of Biological Sciences Picnic (In person – outdoors on campus, behind Enderis Hall – shown on the map below) there will be food, drinks and games provided – we can’t wait to meet you all there!

Tuesday, September 2^nd
- 10:00 am – 11:00 am CST – Benefits Review Session (Virtual – Please Register Online) – not required, but strongly recommended for all new employees. As a reminder, all new employees need to apply for benefits within 30 days of August 25th (the start of your contract)
  - If you aren’t able to make it to this review session, there is another session on September 16th from 3:00-4:00 pm.
Friday, September 5^th
- 9:00 am – 12:00 pm CST – New Teaching Assistant Orientation, presented by the UWM Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) (Part 1 Online before the start of the semester, Part 2 In Person – Please Register Online) required for new Teaching Assistants only
  - Followed by optional but recommended trainings throughout the semester (10/24, 11/21, 12/19)

Between 8/25 and 9/1, all TAs should complete the two hour long, self-paced online TA orientation, presented by the UWM Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) (please monitor this webpage for online training access)
Biological Sciences Department Safety Training and quiz (required for all students/employees working in labs)
Biosafety Training (required for all students/employees working in labs)
Student Health and Wellness Center Presentation (strongly recommended for all students)

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 need to set up an appointment to submit your hire paperwork closer to the start of the semester – you will receive an email with instructions for this soon, if you haven’t already (you will meet in in Engelmann Hall, Room 125). It’s very important to complete this by August 27th at the latest, to ensure you are hired and paid on time.

Review UWM’s Graduate Assistant appointment fact sheet for general appointment information and to answer many FAQs.
Submit your Benefits application. You have thirty days from your start date (8/25/25) to submit your benefits application. Click here for more information.
Review new employee onboarding page here.
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.

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 have a mailbox in Lapham S181.
Workday
- The Workday 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 School Resources
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.
Housing