NEW GRADUATE STUDENT INFORMATION

Hello, New Earth and Planetary Sciences Graduate Students ,

I am the faculty Graduate Representative for the UCSC Earth and Planetary Sciences Department, and I'm writing to describe important upcoming dates and activities to help you to plan for the start of the new academic year. There is a lot of information that my colleagues and I will convey to you over the next few months through a series of notes and meetings. Please pay careful attention to dates and deadlines, and be sure to ask if you have questions.

I. Basic Online Resources

Much of the information provided in this note can be found at the departmental web site: http://es.ucsc.edu.  Follow the links on the top bar for a preliminary listing of courses being offered next year, faculty web pages, seminar schedules, and more.  For information pertaining particularly to new graduate students, including the New Graduate Information Form, see http://es.ucsc.edu/grad/newgrads. You should have been contacted already by the UCSC Division of Graduate Studies (http://www.graddiv.ucsc.edu) with referrals to their website, which contains other resources such as financial and registration/enrollment information.

II. Important Dates to Remember (please mark your calendars!)

*Please see the UCSC maps available at: http://maps.ucsc.edu. Some maps are interactive online, and others can be printed at high resolution.

The new Teaching Assistant (TA) Orientation session on 9/25 is for anyone who may be a TA at UCSC who is new to the campus - essentially all new graduate students should attend (unless you are certain that you will never TA during your time at UCSC). The Earth and Planetary Sciences Department graduate student orientation event (Wednesday, 9/26, 2-4 pm) is particularly important. Faculty, staff, and new students will be introduced, we will talk about courses, TA assignments, and other important topics, and you will have a chance to ask questions. This orientation session is required and will be followed by a reception.

III. Teaching Assistant Assignments and Payment

A draft TA assignment list for 2007-08 should be available by early August 2007.  If you would like to receive a copy by email when it becomes available, please send your summer email address to the department Staff Advisor, Cathy Smith (csmith@es.ucsc.edu). Otherwise, the list will be in your departmental mailbox when you arrive. Please note: all TA assignments are tentative and subject to change until formal appointments are made. If you have a fall quarter TA appointment you will receive an appointment letter by 9/01/07; we generally avoid placing incoming graduate students in TA positions during their first quarter at UCSC, but this may be desired and necessary depending on your background, research and teaching plans, and other factors.

If you will be employed as a TA or Graduate Student Researcher (GSR) during Fall 2007, you will receive your first of three paychecks (for the period of 10/1/07-12/31/07) on 11/1/07. Fellowship funds are generally available by the start of the quarter. Contact Student Business Services (http://sbs.ucsc.edu)if you would like to arrange for direct deposit of financial aid. Checks will otherwise be sent to the permanent address of record.

IV. Preliminary Information on Fall Course Enrollment

You will find much more detailed information concerning course enrollment in various university and departmental documents, but here is a brief overview. Many first-year graduate students enroll during each quarter in one or more traditional 5-unit courses, seminars, or independent study (research) courses. New graduate students participate in a Preliminary Interview in the fall, with a committee of faculty, to assess where there may be gaps in preparation for graduate work. On the basis of the Preliminary Interview, and with the guidance of your primary academic advisor, you will develop a course plan for the remainder of your time at UCSC. Note that TAs and GSRs are expected to complete their work in addition to regular classes. TA and GSR work is a form of student employment for which students generally do not receive academic credit.

All first year graduate students in the Earth and Planetary Sciences Department are required to take the following courses: EART 203—Introductory Teaching Seminar (2 units) and EART 205—Introductory Graduate Seminar (5 units) during your first fall quarter; and EART 206—Great Papers in the Earth and Planetary Sciences (5 units) during their first winter quarter. EART 203 will familiarize you with the resources and methods for instruction specific to UCSC. The course usually consists of four, 2-1/2 hour sessions during the month of October. EART 205 will provide an overview of selected topics in the Earth and Planetary Sciences, including current/recent faculty research activities, and will help you learn to read, write about, and discuss scientific papers. EART 205 will meet 2:00-3:45 on Monday and Wednesday afternoons. EART 206 provides a broader overview of some of the most important ideas in the Earth and Planetary Sciences through lecture, discussion, and exploration of the primary literature. Seminal papers in different sub-disciplines are read and analyzed to provide breadth, a common knowledge base, and practice with critical thinking. EART 206 will be taught Winter 2008.

You should arrange to meet with your faculty advisor(s) as soon as possible upon your arrival to discuss appropriate Fall classes. If enrolling in an independent study (research) course, please contact Cathy Smith for the class number, which will change every quarter. We encourage you to pre-enroll this summer if you know in advance which courses you would like to take, since this helps with planning. Open enrollment for new graduate students is available from 7/28/07 through 9/26/07 and must be done online. Unfortunately, instructions for enrollment for new graduate students are confusing, in part (but not entirely) because of the recent transition to online forms and processing. Please refer to the Fall 2007 Schedule of Classes (http://gazos.ucsc.edu/soc/index.cfm) and to instructions available through the Graduate Division web site.  If you are not sure what courses you should take in the fall (beyond EART 203 and EART 205), don't worry! You can sort this out over the next few months and when you arrive.

V. Housing, Contact Information, and Miscellaneous Topics

Housing in Santa Cruz is notoriously expensive and in high demand; the sooner you begin looking for a place to live, the more likely you will find a suitable place. You should have received information from the Graduate Division describing (limited) on-campus housing for married and single students. There is also an on-campus Student Community Rental Program with listings of available local housing (phone: 831-459-4435; comrent@cats.ucsc.edu; http://communityrentals.ucsc.edu; Rm. 125 Hahn Student Services Bldg.). Also, if you fill out and send in the New Graduate Student Information Form (found at: http://es.ucsc.edu/grad/newgrads/gradform.pdf), Cathy can post this information in a public place so that others in search of housing will know of your interest. Please be sure to check the box indicating that we can release your contact information, if you wish. Please also indicate your address, phone, and expected date of arrival, even if you don't want help with finding housing, so that we can stay in touch during the next few months.

When you arrive in Santa Cruz please check in with Laura Jackson (ljackson@pmc.ucsc.edu; 831-459-2244; C276 E&MS Bldg.) to get a key form and office assignment. Cathy Smith (csmith@es.ucsc.edu; 831-459-2504; A251) can help you with numerous general questions or problems. Many departmental communications and reminders are sent via email, so we ask you to arrange to establish your departmental email account as soon as possible. Please send a message to: eshelp@acg.ucsc.edu, with your @ucsc.edu email address. We will provide you a pmc.ucsc.edu unix account, an @pmc.ucsc.edu email alias, and information about accessing Planetary and Marine Computing (PMC) assistance and resources.  Please provide a phone number or mailing address where we can send you the unix account login and password. You will also have a mailbox in the department office, Rm. A234 E&MS Bldg. Please check your box for other information when you arrive. You may also call, email or stop by my office (afisher@ucsc.edu; 831-459-5598; A209) with questions or concerns before or after your arrival on campus.

Best wishes until we meet in Santa Cruz.

Sincerely,
Andy Fisher