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Graduate Assistant Handbook
Welcome to the University of Oklahoma, College of International Studies. We are happy to have you join us and look forward to working with you. Here are a few helpful hints for starting work here in CIS.
Graduate Assistant Office - Hester Hall room 175 Graduate Assistants are funded through either the College of International Studies or through the Department of International and Area Studies. Knowing which one is funding you is important to getting started and the MAIS advisor will be able to tell you from which department you are funded. Graduate Assistants will report to work one week before classes begin to assist their assigned faculty in preparation for the upcoming year. There will be a mandatory MAIS orientation that week where students will be introduced to the College, other graduate assistants and the GA office. Assistants must also complete a two-day Professional Ethics Training – Responsible Conduct of Research (PET-RCR) workshop. Your GA work obligation is 20 hours per week, though we do not require that GAs keep track of their hours, and the normal practice is that the GA average 20 hours of work per week. Some weeks you may work more than this, others you will work less. If you feel you are being made to do an unreasonable amount of work, contact the Director of Graduate Studies immediately. The exact nature of the work you do as a GA will vary depending on the needs of your assigned professor. This can include more basic tasks such as making copies, recording attendance, and retrieving items from the library; to more involved jobs such as organizing events, guest lecturing, or assisting with faculty research. Whatever tasks you are assigned, you are expected to do the work in a professional and timely manner and according to the instructions of your assigned professor. GAs who fail to meet these expectations and requirements risk losing their funding for subsequent semesters. Your are expected to be responsive to the requests of your assigned professor. As it is common for much of the contact with your assigned professor to be through email, when you receive work instructions or assignments from your professor via email, you are expected to respond as soon as possible to acknowledge that you have received the assignment and let your professor know your time frame for completing the task. Congratulations once again and please use this handbook as a resource while you are serving as a GA.
Contacts Graduate College
College and Department
Lindsey Johnston Main Graduate College Contact Lindsey responds to inquiries about graduate education and advises graduate students regarding administrative degree requirements. 325-3833 lindseyjohnston@ou.edu
Ronda Martin Ronda is responsible for organizing the semester’s course schedule, adding courses to Ozone, sending out weekly email notifications to students and provides office supplies. 325-1584 rkmartin@ou.edu
Diana Beal Diana oversees the Graduate College tuition waivers. 325-7715 dbeal@ou.edu
Sandi Emond Sandi provides students with payroll information, processes online forms for Graduate Assistants prior to employment and aides in event planning for Graduate Assistants working for the Department. 325-7520 semond@ou.edu
Clay Wesley Clay is responsible for coordinating special projects and events designed to promote graduate student recruitment, retention, and graduation. 325-0797 claywesley@ou.edu
Donna Cline Donna provides students with payroll information, processes online forms for Graduate Assistants prior to employment and aides in event planning for Graduate Assistants working for the College. Donna also provides the office keys. 325-3581 dmcmom@ou.edu Jacque Braun Jacque oversees marketing & media, aids in poster design and printing and reviews publicity. 325-4953 jbraun@ou.edu
Helpful Information & Links: Graduate Assistant Orientation
All graduate assistants (GRAs and GTAs) who wish to receive the Qualified Graduate Assistant tuition waiver must complete a two-day Professional Ethics Training – Responsible Conduct of Research (PET-RCR) workshop. http://www.ou.edu/content/gradweb/aud/current/events/ pet.html
Master’s Degree Forms
All required forms (including Master’s Thesis Topic & Committee Form, Candidacy Forms and Request for Authority Forms) and Thesis or non-thesis checklists can be found at this link. http://www.ou.edu/content/gradweb/aud/current/masters/ norman.html
MAIS Graduate Assistant Orientation
All MAIS graduate assistants are required to attend an orientation for the College, where you will receive valuable information regarding the upcoming year, meet continuing MAIS graduate assistants and get set up in the graduate student office.
Graduate College Deadlines
It is the student’s responsibility to be aware of all upcoming Graduate College deadlines. http://www.ou.edu/content/gradweb/aud/current/deadlines.html
Mailboxes
Graduate Students have mailboxes either in the Department Office or in the main office of the College depending on assignment.
Health Insurance
To enroll in the Student Health Plan the student must complete and return an application during the open enrollment period. Applications can be obtained from the Student Health Plan Office or the appointing department. For more information, contact the Student Health Plan Office, 222 NEL Building, (405) 325-9196. http://www.hr.ou.edu/studenthealth/enroll.asp.
Graduate College Bulletin
The Graduate College Bulletin contains current policies and procedures related to graduate studies. It is the responsibility of all graduate students to familiarize themselves with this information in addition to specific requirements of the particular discipline in which they are seeking a degree. http://www.ou.edu/content/gradweb/aud/current/GC_bulletin.html
Graduate Assistant Handbook
As a graduate assistant, you belong to a unique group within the University of Oklahoma in that you have two basic responsibilities. This handbook describes the university policies that deal with your role as a graduate assistant. Your academic unit may also have its own policies regarding eligibility, appointment, enrollment, workload, performance review, and reappointment. http://www.ou.edu/content/dam/gradweb/documents/Publications/GAHandbook.pdf
Graduate Student Senate- The Graduate Student Senate (GSS) is the official voice of the graduate student body at OU. Together with the Undergraduate Student Congress (USC), the GSS helps allocate student fees to all student organizations and awards Research and Conference grants to graduate students. GSS, along with the USC comprises the legislative branch of the student government. There should be at least one MAIS graduate student on the GSS committee every year.
Center for Research Program Development and Enrichment- CRPDE can provide information sessions, workshops, seminar presentations, and one on one or small group consultation regarding Grants & Grant Writing. http://crpde. ou.edu/