University
of MN Campus: The University of Minnesota-Twin Cities campus
is actually two campuses, one in Minneapolis and one in St. Paul. There
are campus buses that will take you from one campus to another (see below
under Transportation/Buses). The Minneapolis campus is further divided
into an East Bank and a West Bank by the Mississippi River. Cross between
banks on the upper level (the walking bridge) of Washington Ave or again,
take the campus connector bus.
The Chemistry Department is
located in both Smith and Kolthoff Halls. These buildings are connected
via skyways and tunnels on all but the first level. Also, much of the
building is underground: in Smith, you have the basement (B) and the
sub-basement (SB) levels; in Kolthoff, there are the plaza (P), street
(S), and basement levels.
Housing: To find a new
place to live, The University Housing Office in Comstock Hall (next
to Coffman Union, to the West, 4-4476) (www1.umn.edu/housing)
has apartment listings. Both daily newspapers [Star Tribune (http://www.startribune.com)
and Pioneer Press (http://twincities.com)]
have good housing search options on their web sites. Places with
off-street parking are important during snow emergencies. There are
Tenants Unions in Mpls and St. Paul and the University Student Legal
Services to help resolve disputes with
landlords.
Phones: University
info: 612-625-5000 from off-campus; “0” from
any campus phone. University extensions are accessible by the last 5
numbers. Dial 8 to get an outside line. Long-distance calls require a
UPAC number. Minneapolis and the U (both campuses) have a 612 area code;
St. Paul is 651. You must dial all 10 digits to call between area codes.
Do not dial a “one.”
Orientation: All
new students are expected to complete a two week orientation program
before the start of the new semester. The orientation, during the
last two weeks of August, includes getting to know the people that
you need to know in the department, proficiency exams, meeting with
a Three Member Advising Committee to help you design a course of
study that suits you and teacher training, etc. It is capped off
with a party to which the entire department is invited to welcome
you to our department! Check out the orientation schedule here.
Registration: You
will register for courses after your meeting with your Three-Member
Advising Committee (TMC) during orientation.
Before your TMC meeting, you should look at the Chemistry courses
at: www.onestop.umn.edu to determine which courses you think you
would like to take.
Teaching and Research Appointments:
Teaching Assistants (TAs) in Chemistry primarily are positions for graduate
students to teach. Expectations of what is required of TAs depend upon
the class involved. According to University guidelines, TAs work no more
than 20 hours per week: this includes both classroom and preparation
time. First year graduate students are typically Teaching Assistants,
and virtually all first year Chemistry graduate students teach in the
general or organic chemistry program. Don't worry about your teaching
duties. During Chemistry Orientation, you will be involved in an extensive
TA Training Program that will properly prepare you for teaching your
classes, followed by weekly meetings with class coordinators to help
you keep up.
Research Assistants (RAs) work with their professor primarily with lab
research. Their pay may be less than that of TAs. For a standard 50%
Chemistry RA, full tuition, health insurance and the University Fee are
provided in addition to salary. There are other fees, which are the responsibility
of the student. RAs are usually funded by outside grants in specific,
topic-related research they themselves may be pursuing with their advisor.
Pay Schedules: How
much and when will I get paid? For 2008-2009 academic year (Fall and
Spring), full TA’s in the Department
of Chemistry earn $17,374. Research RAs normally receive a departmental
average of $15,794 for the academic year; however this can
vary by research group. Always read your award letters carefully.
Summer earnings can vary depending on the
mix of RA and TA positions. All figures are gross earnings. Pay
periods are two weeks and paychecks are available every other
Wednesday. Paychecks come 10 days after the end of a pay period.
Pay date information can be found at www.hrss.umn.edu/pay/paydays.html.
Hardcopy paychecks can be picked up at 141 Smith Hall. Direct
deposit can be requested online at www.hrss.umn.edu.
Direct deposit pay stubs can be viewed and printed out at this
same address.
There are no breaks in pay between Fall and Spring semesters.
Depending on your summer appointment, however, you may have a
break between the end of Spring semester and beginning of summer,
as well as between the end of summer and beginning of Fall. You
will receive the full amount of your offer letter by the end
of summer 2009.
Foreign
Nationals: The first place you need to go is ISSS. Next visit
the chemistry accounting office. From there you will need to take your
visa and passport to the central
payroll office. From there, you will
be sent to the Social Security Administration to apply for the social
security card. After you apply for the card, you will be given a receipt.
This receipt must be faxed to central payroll, or you may bring it to
the chemistry accounting office.
Tuition: If you are a full-time student with a 50%-time TA/RA or Fellowship
appointment you will receive a full tuition scholarship. Those students
on a 25% appointment will receive a 50% tuition scholarship.
Fees: All students pay various student service fees, computer fees,
a university infrastructure fee and sometime a course will require a
special fee. Student Fees are ~$675.00-$770.00 per semester. You will
also be responsible for buying your own textbooks.
Fee Statements: Tuition Bills will be sent to you via your University
email accounts only. This is the only way that you will be contacted
regarding your fee statement.
U Cards: G22 Coffman Memorial Union, 612-626-9900, http://www1.umn.edu/ucard/umtc/tchome.html A
photo ID must be presented. Digital photos are taken as part of the card
issuance process. Replacement cards (lost, stolen or damaged) cost $15. Get
UCards ASAP, as it is used for access to Smith Hall.
International Students without Social Security
Numbers: See the Accounting Office (141
Smith Hall) for instructions on obtaining a Social Security Number. You
must have a Social Security Number in order to be paid.
Keys: You will be issued keys for
lab. These keys may be picked up in 139 Smith Hall. You will need to
pay a $2.00 deposit for each key issued; this fee is refunded when they
are returned.
Mailboxes: You
will be assigned a mailbox, where you can receive regular mail, departmental
announcements, etc. Please note that you will most likely be sharing
this mailbox with one or two people; whenever there are announcements
without specific names on them, please take one.
E-Mail Accounts: To
activate your UMN central email account visit www.mail.umn.edu and
follow the directions after clicking on the Initialize my e-mail account
option. To activate your account you will need your social security number
and UMN ID number. Once your account is activated you may check your
email by selecting the WebMail Pro: IMAP based webmail option at
www.mail.umn.edu. It is important
that you know that you are responsible for all of the information sent
to you at all of your UMN account. All departmental information
will be sent to you via your central UMN account.
Health Insurance: Please
contact the Graduate Assistants Insurance Office (GAIO) if you any questions
regarding your health coverage. All student will be charged a $66 fee
for health insurance coverage each semester. See www.bhs.umn.edu for
more information.
Taxes: If you rent and your income is less than $35K/yr., you can obtain
a form (either in the MN State tax booklet, or from the post office)
to file for a property tax refund. Your landlord must give you a Certificate
of Rent Paid by Jan. 31 in order for you to file, and refunds will come
around August 15. You are also eligible if you are a homeowner with an
annual income of less than $60K.
MN state sales tax is 6.5%. There is no sales
tax on clothing, food, prescription drugs, and textbooks.
For Other Information:
Main Web Page for all UMN Information: http://onestop.umn.edu
Questions - - Who do I Ask/Where do I go?? (info. can be found at Frequently
Asked Questions)
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