INSTAAR Grad. Student Guide

Home

Introduction

Faculty etc
Affiliates
Visiting Sci.
Postdocs
Grad. Students
Support Staff
Undergrads

Undergrads
Grad. Students
Grad. Guide
Recent Theses
Courses
Outreach

Other
Resources

Graduate Student Survival Guide

Fall 2004

Welcome to the Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research. This page was created in an effort to take the edge off being the new kid on the block. We are thrilled to have you join the Institute and would like to make your tenure at INSTAAR be the best it can be. We have tried to touch on topics of concern for someone new, but if you find you have questions about something not included - please just ask someone!

Browse by scrolling or choose from the list below:

Mission :: Organization :: Appointment :: Office Space :: Email :: Email List :: Mail :: Keys :: Telephone :: Computer :: Copier :: Fax :: Purchasing & Travel :: Safety & Transportation :: Complaints :: Seminar Attendance :: Information Center Volunteering :: Representation :: Safety Training :: Sexual Harassment :: Drugs & Alcohol :: Univ Policies :: Publication Advice :: Colorado Residency :: Medical Insurance :: Summer Employment fee :: Graduate Teacher Program

Mission

The Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research develops scientific knowledge of natural and anthropogenic physical and biogeochemical environmental processes at local, regional and global scales, and applies this knowledge to improve society's awareness and understanding of environmental change.
The world's high altitude and high-latitude regions are the Institute's traditional focus, but the pursuit of understanding of these regions has led INSTAAR to a geographically wide range of interdisciplinary studies of Quaternary and modern environments, which include research in geochronology, human and ecosystem ecology, hydrology, oceanography, landscape evolution, biogeochemistry, and climate.
INSTAAR's national and international research leadership in these areas is augmented by exceptional strength in graduate education and exposure of undergraduates to the research process, as well as by outreach to the public both locally and nationally.

Organization

INSTAAR is comprised of: faculty, classified staff, professional research assistants, research scientists graduate students, student assistants (undergraduates), professional exempt, and research affiliates.
The governing body of INSTAAR is the Directorate. The Directorate is composed of: both voting and non-voting members. Voting members include the Director, the Associate Director, Fellows, Research Scientists II, Research Scientists III, the Managing Editor of the Journal Arctic, Antarctic and Alpine Research, and the Information Center Librarian; non-voting members include: Fellow Emeriti, the Chief Financial Officer, the Assistant to the Director, and a representative of the Graduate Students, Professional Research Assistants, and Research Scientists I (Post Docs).
INSTAAR is divided up into 4 key areas, each having an elected Group Head:
- Ecosystem Science -
- Geophysics - John Behrendt
- Past Global Change -
- Geochronology - Giff Miller
INSTAAR has faculty affiliated with 7 departments:
- Geological Sciences
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
- Geography
- Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering
- Environmental Studies
- Anthropology
- Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences (ATOC)

Appointment - Graduate Research Assistant

In order to get your appointment properly arranged, you must complete an "INSTAAR Request for Personnel Action for New Employees" form (more commonly known as the "Yellow Form" - attached).
Your faculty advisor/supervisor should help you complete this form, and their signature is required on the bottom. Once this Yellow Form is complete, ask your supervisor which Accounting Technician you should meet with.
Meet with that Accounting Technician as soon as possible to complete necessary paperwork, bring the completed Yellow form (they will also provide you with W4 forms and Direct Deposit forms).
Accounting Technicians are located in the Front Office, Room 267.
Your Yellow Form will need to be updated each semester. All appointment-related inquiries should be directed to your Accounting Technician, Room 267.

Office Space

Your faculty advisor, the INSTAAR Associate Director: Tad Pfeffer, and the INSTAAR Space Committee ultimately determine office space allocations.
On the Yellow Form is a section for office assignments. Please complete this section prior to meeting with an Accounting Tech.
All space inquiries should be directed to either your faculty advisor or Tad Pfeffer.

Email

On the Yellow Form is a section for an Email address. You are required to activate your University email account using the CU PLUS System. You will need your CU ID and pin number to log in - then choose the "activate email" bullet and proceed as directed. Once you have your account, please email Vicky Nelson at Vicky.Nelson@Colorado.Edu so she can set you up on the appropriate INSTAAR email list.
If you have any questions concerning email, see Vicky Nelson Room 261 or call 2-7909.

Email Lists for INSTAAR

Because of the size of the Institute, communication is often via email.
There are 2 email lists on which you should be included: the Graduate Student Email list (instaar-gradstdt@lists.colorado.edu) and the Institute Email list (instaars@lists.colorado.edu). You should be added to these lists for 2 reasons: 1.)a subscription to these email lists will allow you to receive all emails sent to those lists and you will therefore remain informed; 2.)a subscription will allow you to send an email to these lists. Please keep in mind that these lists should be utilized for business purposes only.
Vicky Nelson will add you to these lists once she has your email address (taken from the Yellow Form).
All email list inquiries should be directed to Vicky Nelson, Room 261.

Mail

Have mail delivered to either of the following addresses (depending on mail service):

UPS or FedEx Delivery
INSTAAR
1560 3Oth Street
Boulder, CO 80303

U.S. Postal Service Delivery
INSTAAR
Campus Box 450
Univ of Colorado at Boulder
Boulder, CO 80309-0450

See the receptionist, Room 267, RL-1, about getting a mailbox.
All outgoing campus mail and business-related U.S. mail is collected in designated bins in the Copier Room.
All outgoing business-related U.S. mail requires a speed type number written in the top, right hand corner of the item. You can get this account number from your advisor. You must purchase your own postage for any personal mail and deposit it in the U.S. Mailbox located on the SE corner of RL1, or use "Mail Boxes Etc." at 1630 30th Street.
Outgoing mail is picked up daily in the afternoon.
Incoming mail is distributed between 2:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m.
All mail inquiries should be directed to the recptionist, Rm. 267, RL-1.

Keys

On the Yellow Form is a section for key requests, (make sure your supervisor requests all keys you may need, including office, lab, and common keys). Your supervisor should complete this section.
After meeting with an Accounting Tech. and completing the necessary paperwork, leave the Yellow Form with the Accounting Tech
The receptionist in Rm. 267 will review the form and complete a "Key Record" form which she will give to you. She will also need a copy of your BuffOne Card to enter you into the keyless system.
Take this form to Access Services, located on Main Campus (Stadium, Gate 8) to pick up your keys. A $5 deposit is required, depending on your University Classification.
RL1 is open M-F 6:30 a.m.-6:00 p.m. Use your office key, lab key, or your BuffOne Card to gain access to the building after normal business hours and on weekends.
The copier room and Library are locked between 5:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. Use your "Common" key to gain access to these rooms after business hours.
All key inquiries should be directed to the receptionist, Room 267, RL-1 for RL-1 and Eric Hutton, Room 211, RL-3 for RL-3.

Telephone

All on-campus telephone numbers either begin with a "735" or "492" prefix. When on campus, you can dial: "5-number" or "2-number". Example: The Front Office number is (303)492-6387. When on campus, you need only dial: 2-6387.
To dial a non-University number while on campus, you must first dial an "8" and then the full number, including the area code.
Long distance numbers require a "long distance code". To obtain a long-distance code, first check with your supervisor to see if they have one they would like you to use (the codes are grant-specific). If your supervisor does not have one already established for you, see your Accounting Tech.
All telephone inquiries should be directed to Vicky Nelson. If you do not have a telephone in your office you should see your Accounting Tech to determine whether there is funding available. If so, they will fill out the paperwork to request the telephone.

Computer

There is a common computing facility, but it is not a common computer lab. Therefore, your faculty advisor is responsible for arranging day-to-day use computer facilities.
Your best bet may be to purchase your own PC or Mac computer.
Use of printers, plotters, slide makers, scanners, digitizers, and slide scanners are lab and advisor specific, although there is some shared equipment such as large-format plotters for poster printing. See the INSTAAR Computing page
All Ethernet connection inquiries should be directed to Chad Stoffel, Rm. 277, RL-3.
if your advisor doesn't have a UNIX workstation and you would like access to one, contact Chad Stoffel, Rm. 277, RL-3.

Copier

The copy machine is located in Room 211, RL-1.
All copies require a "copier code/speed dial code", which is entered into the keypad right above the copier. Copier codes are grant-specific and can be obtained through your advisor.
Copy jobs of more than 50 pages should be brought over to ARC (RL-3 bottom floor).
Kinko's are located near Baseline & Broadway and near 28th & Pearl.
All copier code inquiries should be directed to both your advisor and Accounting Tech.
Personal account inquiries should be directed to the receptionist, Rm. 267, RL-1.

Fax

The Fax is located in Room 211, RL-1.
There is no charge to send or receive local faxes. The fax number is (303)492-6388.
To operate the fax machine, please follow the instructions posted above the fax.
To send a fax long-distance you will need a long-distance code (see "Telephone" for instructions on how to obtain this code).
All fax machine inquiries should be directed to the Receptionist, Room 267.

Purchasing & Travel

It is essential that you meet with your Accounting Tech. prior to any purchasing or travel. There are certain University Procedures that we are required to follow and the Accounting Tech. will ensure you adhere to these.

Safety & Transportation

Use Night Ride, Night Walk for escorts to and from campus by calling (303)492-SAFE (492-7233).
Check the CU website on Campus Safety and Closings.
Be aware of the Emergency telephones around campus.
CUPD Dispatcher (303) 492-6666.
See Vicky Nelson, Room 261, for information on how to obtain a parking permit, or visit the CU Parking website.
There are alternatives to driving your car to work. Boulder is an excellent place to bike, skate or walk to school or work.
For bicycle information (registration, rules and regulations, safety, etc.), check out the campus biking guide or call the CU Bicycle Program at (303)492-2322. Registration is an excellent idea as it seems there is a large population of bike thieves in Boulder. Registration through the University might facilitate repossession of a stolen bike.
The 16-mile long Boulder Creek bike path is a great east-west route for walking, roller blading, bicycling, etc. It can be accessed about 1 block south of INSTAAR. To the west, it roughly parallels Arapahoe Ave, lying a few blocks south of it until Broadway and then about a block north of Arapahoe. Heading west from INSTAAR, it travels beside campus, to downtown and up into the mountains. Heading east from INSTAAR, it travels several miles over flat ground.
Boulder has a fantastic bus system, which includes the regional RTD bus system and the Community Transit Network (CTN) of buses that run frequently along several loops including the HOP (circles town), SKIP (Broadway), JUMP (Arapahoe), LEAP (Pearl), BOUND (30th St), STAMPEDE (connects main and east campuses) and DASH (S. Boulder Road). Call call 303-299-6000 for more CTN route information. Your CU Student or Staff Buff One card with a current RTD sticker allows free rides in Boulder, Denver, Longmont, Louisville, and between. If you do not have a Buff One card with RTD sticker or an EcoPass, the standard local CTN bus fare is on the order of $1.10.
For more information on alternative transportation, (Pedestrian and Bike maps, bus routes, etc.), please visit Parking Services at 1050 Regent Drive or the GO Boulder website.

Complaints

Should you find yourself in a situation in which you would like to file a complaint, there are several options. When deciding with whom to meet, first consider who would be the most appropriate resource and then schedule an appointment:

Meet with your supervisor
Meet with your Graduate Student Representative
Meet with the Department Graduate Advisor
Meet with the appropriate Student Services (Judicial Affairs, Sexual Harassment Office, CUPD, etc.).
Meet with the INSTAAR Director.

Seminar Attendance

INSTAAR offers two seminar series: Monday Noon Seminars and Graduate Student Talks. Your attendance is highly recommended at both.
Monday Noon Seminar - You are expected to try to attend most of these talks. They typically cover a wide range of topics to help broaden your knowledge of Quaternary studies. These are brown bag seminars. The Monday Noon seminar is held in the 6th floor auditorium, RL-3.
Graduate Student Talks - Thursday at 4:30 p.m., unless otherwise noted. This is an informal, non-threatening gathering of graduate students and faculty/researchers to listen to a fellow graduate student's progress on his or her thesis. You will be encouraged to give some sort of talk each year. Graduate students organize these talks, and someone will be by to politely harass you to sign-up. The talks can be any length on any topic. This gives you good practice for giving talks, as well as listening to talks and asking questions. The graduate student talk series is held in the INSTAAR Conference Room, 269, RL-1.
You also have access to seminars at other departments or research labs in Boulder. Announcements will be posted on bulletin boards, via email, or on the web.

Information Center Volunteering

Graduate students are asked to volunteer for a few hours one day per semester to help in the Information Center, formerly called the Reading Room. This volunteer service is beneficial to you because it familiarizes you with the layout of the Information Center, its materials, and you get to know the Librarian Shelly and her assistant Jen.
The grad student representatives organize the Information Center volunteer sign-up sheet for Shelly.

Representation

The graduate students have one or two elected representatives on the INSTAAR Directorate. The rep. attends all Directorate meetings, and is considered the "voice" of the graduate students, although they are non-voting members. They report any pertinent issues back to the grad students, and solicit responses to topics of concern.
The rep. also serves on some INSTAAR committees.

Safety Training

As a graduate student, you are considered an employee of the University and are therefore expected to fulfill University training requirements.
If you work in a lab, especially with chemicals, you must attend the Environmental Health and Safety Training course. This is an easy course, and just requires common sense. Ask your lab proctor for information or visit the following website: http://ehs.colorado.edu/

Sexual Harassment - University of Colorado at Boulder Policy Statement

"The mission of the University of Colorado at Boulder requires an open working and living environment free of sexual harassment for students, faculty, staff and administrators. Sexual harassment is prohibited as a form of sex discrimination in the learning and workplace by federal and state law; therefore, sexual harassment is prohibited on campus and in university programs. The university is committed to taking appropriate action against those who violate the University policy prohibiting sexual harassment, including false and malicious allegations."

All University of Colorado-Boulder (UCB) employees are required to attend a sexual harassment workshop, including faculty, staff, and student employees.
Please visit CU's Office of Sexual Harassment.
Workshop schedule

Drugs and Alcohol - University of Colorado at Boulder Policy Statements

"CU-Boulder is committed to excellence in all aspects of personal and academic life. We recognize that alcohol abuse and misuse is a significant impediment to achieving this excellence. Therefore, CU-Boulder permits only responsible, legal consumption of alcohol. The university complies with all federal, state, and local laws concerning alcohol and illegal drugs. As a CU-Boulder student, faculty or staff, you are responsible for acquainting yourself with the laws and university policies regarding alcohol and illegal drugs."

Please note that the policy "prohibits the unlawful manufacture, dispensation, possession, use, or distribution of a controlled substance (illicit drugs and alcohol) of any kind and of any amount. (And), these prohibitions cover any individual's actions which are part of any University activities, including those occurring while on University property or in the conduct of University business away from the campus." Further, "It is a violation of University policy for any member of the faculty, staff, or student body to jeopardize the operation or interests of the University of Colorado through the use of alcohol or drugs. Sanctions that will be imposed by the University of Colorado for employees who are found to be in violation of this policy may include expulsion and/or termination of employment. Compliance with this policy is a condition of employment for all employees."

Please visit the following websites for details:
http://www.Colorado.EDU/humres/policies/ad.html?a=51
http://www.colorado.edu/sacs/ralphie/a/Appendix_B,_Alc.html
You also become subject to NSF policies if you are working on an NSF grant.

University of Colorado Policies

Please visit the following website for other University Policies:
http://www.Colorado.EDU/policies/

Publication Advice

Connie Oehring, Managing Editor of the Journal Arctic, Antarctic and Alpine Research, is a great resource for questions regarding publication submissions and general editorial help.

Colorado residency

The State of Colorado likes to take as much money as possible from our advisors. So, they do not waive out-of-state tuition for graduate students. But, it is easy to gain in-state residency after living here for a year.
First thing to do is to get a driver's license, sign a lease or mortgage, pay taxes, or register your car in Boulder. Towards the end of your second semester, call Residency Classification (492-6868) to obtain the correct forms to apply for instate tuition. The forms are fairly easy, just time consuming.

Medical Insurance

If you are enrolled as a full-time student, you will be automatically enrolled in a basic health insurance program. But, the definition of full-time varies, so check with the graduate school and the health insurance office.
If you are a TA or GRA, your appointment covers approximately half of your insurance.

Summer Employment Fee

If you are employed through the University in the summer, and not enrolled in courses, you will be required to pay into TIAA/CREF retirement account.
Your accounting tech will let you know all about this when the time comes.

Graduate Teacher Program

The University offers courses at the beginning of every semester on teaching strategies and methods. If you take the required number of courses, you can receive a Graduate School certificate in post-secondary teaching.
For further information, contact the GTP office, Norlin Library, Rm. S461 (492-4902), or http://www.colorado.edu/gtp/. General Graduate School information...grants, awards, calendars, etc... http://www.colorado.edu/GraduateSchool/currentmenu.html

top

http://instaar.colorado.edu/education/grad_guide.html
Copyright © 2003 INSTAAR, Univ. of Colorado