For the New Graduate Student 
Student Orientation Details

Internal Revenue Services (IRS) and I-9 forms:

Obtain and fill out the following forms and return them to Academic Department Manager, Tom Gatlin. The deadline for these items is within 3 days of the appointment for Fall 2005, which officially begins August 22, 2005.

• I-9 (new T.A.'s)
• W-4 (everyone)
• Foreign Students only: Verification of Employment

Health Insurance:

Sign up for health insurance within 30 days of hire, which officially begins on August 22, 2005 for the Fall 2005 semester.  Submit your completed application to Benefits in Engelmann 125 by September 21, 2005. All the health plans offered by the State of Wisconsin have what is called a uniform benefits package. In addition to cost, another major difference between the various health plans are the providers or physicians that participate in the plan. If you know of a specific physician, or like the idea of having medical care close to where you live, then pay close attention to the provider's listed with each plan. If you have questions, the Benefits office (414)229-4925 is very helpful in sorting out the various health plans.

Registering for Classes:

• See or contact Prof. Richard Sorbello for advice and class selection.

• To register for your classes on line, go to the I&MT Computer Lab in Bolton Hall, Rm 225, and ask the consultant on duty for help in this procedure. You will have to supply a PIN number, which the consultants can help you obtain.
• Access Paws website

Financial:

• Open a local bank account

• Tom Gatlin or the front office (Physics 442) can provide a form to arrange for automatic payroll deposit.

• New students are eligible to get an advance on their paycheck. Otherwise, your initial paycheck will not arrive until October 1. For more information see the Academic Department Manager, Tom Gatlin (414)229-6266.

Foreign Students Only:

• Get a temporary Social Security Number from the Payroll Office in Engelmann Hall 170. You will need to bring your I-94 and  I-20, which you must present to the Payroll Office.

• To obtain a permanent Social Security Number go to the Federal Building (across from the Grand Avenue Mall) at 310 W. Wisconsin Ave., Suite 260 (on the second floor in the West tower). You will need your passport, I-94 and I-20 forms. Their phone number is 800-772-1213 (national) or 414-297-1790 (local).

You cannot be paid until you have a Social Security Number.

Miscellaneous:

• Get a computer account on the alpha mainframes. Since you are a Physics student: you must have an e-mail  account on the UWM alpha mainframe. (This can be done on-line at the computer lab in Bolton Hall, Room 225.)

• You'll need a separate account for the Physics Computer Lab (Physics Rm. 223) if you are going to use these computers for e-mail and other things. E-mail Toby Keidl to obtain an account at: tskeidl@uwm.edu

• Get a Upass (transit pass) that enables you to use the Milwaukee County Transit System, which is automatically paid through segregated student fees. 

• Make sure you attend the department chairman's party (date to be announced). This is a great way for you to meet the faculty and the senior graduate students.

• Do some outdoor things in the limited amount of sunshine that we have left at this time of year. Go to the lakefront and rollerblade, etc., etc.

• Attend the weekly Wednesday Afternoon Physics Teas (4 pm, every Wednesday afternoon in PHYSICS 453, beginning the second week of classes) to meet and talk with your classmates and your professors.

Housing:

• For information about housing go to the Off Campus Housing (http://www.aux.uwm.edu/offcamp/) page of UWM Auxiliary Services.

Facilities

 

Physics Building

Photocopying: There are two photocopiers in Room 444 for work-related copying. The copy room is open Monday through Friday from 7:45am to 4:30pm.  Get there before 4:30 p.m. since it is usually locked after business office hours.

Library: There are a number of journals and books available in the N. J. Papastamatiou Memorial Library, which is housed in Room 487 of the Physics building.  To access the collection, you may get a key from any Physics department secretary. The lending library contains standard graduate textbooks and a good selection of books in mathematical physics, particle physics and gravitational physics. The journals in the collection include Physical Review B and D, Physical Review Letters, Astrophysical Journal, Comm. Math Physics and Journal of Mathematical Physics. For more current issues, check with professors who have subscriptions or go to the Golda Meir Library located on campus.

Computers: Most research groups have their own PC's and printers. There is a shared laser printer in Rm. 404 that is accessible for printing from any of the mainframes (e.g., your alpha account). This room also has a full set of UNIX manuals.

There are also PC's and Macintosh computers in the Physics Department's computer lab Rm. 223 with a printer that is for general grad student use outside of class hours. The main function of this lab is to support undergraduate lab courses, and the lab is usually tied up weekday afternoons.

FAX: There is a FAX machine in the Front Office (442). However, it is for work-related business only. The FAX number is (414) 229-5589.
 

Elsewhere on Campus

Klotsche Center: This is the Gym that is for students, staff, and faculty, and because of such high demand,  you might consider getting a locker relatively early.

Norris Student Health Center:  The Norris Student Health Center is open on Monday-Thursday 8:00am - 4:45pm and on  Friday 9:00am - 4:45pm.

Golda Meir Library: This is the UWM campus library. The library catalog is available on line.

Computing: Free accounts on one of the alpha servers are made available to all registered UWM students.  Your alpha login and temporary password are sent to you by mail.  There are 7 Computer Labs around campus.  Also, if you have a PC or Mac at home, then find out about the licenses for software and hardware that you can buy cheaply.

Student Union: The Student Union is not necessarily the optimal place to eat. Nevertheless, there are places in the basement to drink beer, shoot pool, and even play ping-pong. There are also film series, art exhibits, and other events in the Union as well as a craft center where you can work on clay or engage in other art studio pursuits.

Fine Arts: There are a large number of theater and music related events on campus, particularly around the Fine Arts building. Many of them are very inexpensive, or even free.
 

Useful Contacts

 

In Physics Department:

Academic Department Manager Tom Gatlin (414) 229-6266:  Tom Gatlin manages the non-faculty support staff including the program assistants, lab technicians, shop and payroll. 

Program Assistants:   Quiana Robinson (414) 229-4474 provides information related to instruction, which includes distributing class lists, handling add/drop slips, handling grade reports, etc. Please see Quiana for office supplies that are used in the course of your T.A. work.

Program Assistant for the Graduate Program:   Wyatt Osato (414) 229-4474 maintains graduate records and ensures that they are in order.  Any applications or petitions that you need to fill-out for the Graduate Program are given to Wyatt.  He also has copies of previous Written Comprehensive Exams, which he will give to those students who ask for them.

Department Chair Dilano Saldin (414) 229-6423:   In addition to the many academic and administrative duties he performs, Professor Saldin handles many of the grievances of both students and faculty.

Assistant Chair Michael Weinert (414) 229-3051:   Michael makes T.A. assignments and teaching assignments for lecturers and faculty.

Graduate Advisor Richard Sorbello (414) 229-4138:   Richard keeps track of the graduate program, can tell you about academic requirements, and generally tries to shepherd you through the bureaucratic and academic challenges that you may encounter in the course of getting your advanced degree.
 

Graduate School (Mitchell Hall):

Patricia Hayes, Doctoral Student Specialist (414) 229-6263:   Pat is the first contact for doctoral students in the Graduate School. She handles all doctoral degree requirements and any other related problems and questions that you might have.

Bernie Beutner, Student Status Examiner and Master's Student Specialist (414) 229-5259:   Bonnie handles M.S. degree requirements and any related problems and questions.

Karen Levy, Director of Graduate Fellowships (414) 229-5840:  Karen handles student fellowships. Doctoral graduate students have the opportunity to compete for fellowships. These graduate fellowships are determined to some extent by judges from the university community at large.  However, it can be to your advantage to have as high a GRE score as possible, since GRE scores are among the few criteria that cut across diverse fields. You might consider retaking the GRE exam if you feel that you might be put forward for one of these fellowships.