|
|
Research and Graduate Education Orientation will be held the third week of August, the week before classes commence. For detailed information about Orientation schedule, please see Orientation below. We recommend that you arrive in Morgantown no later than the first week of August, so that you can orient yourself to campus, complete payroll information, and take care of any outstanding housing needs such as utilities.
You can fly directly to Morgantown (MGW) via US Airways Express from Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT), or drive to Morgantown from the Pittsburgh Airport. The drive takes less than 1.5 hours.
Driving directions to Morgantown and the Health Sciences Center
The Health Sciences bookstore is located on the ground floor of Health Sciences North. Textbooks for classes offered through the Health Sciences Center can be purchased at this bookstore. The main WVU Bookstore is located in the Mountainlair (Student Union), on the downtown campus.
The Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) system is an easy-to-use transportation system for WVU students and faculty, as well as the Morgantown community. There are five stations: Walnut St., Beechurst Ave. (downtown campus), Engineering Sciences, Evansdale Residential Complex, and Health Sciences. Access to the PRT requires your student ID, which is called the Mountaineer Card. A limited University bus system is also available.
Computers are available for student use in the Learning Center, on the second floor of Health Sciences North. There are two desk-top computers and a printer in the graduate student room for the first-year Biomedical Science students. The room is wired for personal notebook computers, and there is wireless service. Those choosing a wireless connection must register their computers prior to service activation, go to http://oit.wvu.edu/wireless.
During your course of study at WVU, you are required to register for didactic and research credits via the STAR Web registration system or the STAR telephone registration system (304-293-2892 or 1-888-988-4487). For Fall 2007, you will register for the following courses:
Upon admission to the University, each student is assigned a MIX e-mail account (Mountaineer Information Xpress). You should activate this account as soon as possible. If you need help with your MIX account you can contact the (Office of Information Technology) OIT Help Desk at 293-4444 ext. 1. The OIT Help Desk is a support team that serves WVU students, faculty and staff at all WVU campuses. Staff members are available to answer calls during normal WVU office hours and during extended hours on evenings and weekends.
The University just recently combined the Mandatory A and Special Fees B into one required fee. You are responsible to pay all mandatory fees each semester including the summer session, fees are lower during the summer session. For 2008-2009, the fees are as follows: Mandatory for all graduate students University Use Fees: The Health Sciences Center operates two cafeterias on the ground floor. A large cafeteria and dining room located in Health Sciences South, and a smaller cafeteria offering a more limited selection is in Health Sciences North. Students are also welcome in the Ruby Memorial Hospital cafeteria, on the 4th floor of the hospital. In the warm months, the hospital cafeteria's large covered patio is especially nice. Eating and drinking are prohibited in all laboratories.
The insurance that West Virginia University offers to students and visiting scholars and professors is through United Healthcare Insurance Company. In order to be eligible for the insurance the student needs to be enrolled with a minimum of 3 credit hours. Coverage for Health Insurance starts, August 12. We will provide a temporary health insurance card the week of orientation. Students should receive an official health insurance card in the mail later in the year. Students can also go online at www.uhcsr.com later in the year to print off a copy of their card. Eligible dependents of those enrolled in the plan may also participate in the plan. The student is required to be seen at WVU Student Health Service first where treatment will be administered, or referral issued. Students without cars should carefully consider the location of their residence. The PRT does not operate during semester breaks, and Morgantown has a limited bus system. Older graduate students will probably be your best source of information on convenient apartments. Potential housing with resident students will be highlighted in one or more of the three orientation letters written to the incoming students in May, June, and July. A limited number of University-owned apartments are available to graduate and professional students. Once you have been admitted to WVU and have paid the academic deposit, a housing packet with an application/contract will automatically be mailed to you. Allow two to three weeks from the time you pay your deposit for the packet to arrive. Information may be obtained from the Housing and University Apartments Office website, or by calling (304) 293-4491. The Student Life Office (304) 293-5611, in Elizabeth Moore Hall on the Downtown campus, provides a multitude of services for all students from the time they enter WVU until graduation. The office specializes in problem-solving to information concerning privately-owned, off-campus housing. You can also check the classified ads in The Dominion Post and The Daily Athenaeum. Useful Numbers The area code for all West Virginia phone numbers is 304.
The Health Sciences Library (is part of the new Learning Center) on the second floor of Health Sciences North. The hours are posted inside the door and change during the "between semester" periods. If articles from journals are not available in this library they can be obtained by an interlibrary loan. Information on this is available at the front desk of the library. Libraries are also on the Evansdale and Downtown campuses.
A U.S. Post Office is located on the ground floor of Health Sciences North, opposite the small cafeteria and bookstore. Stamps can be purchased from the stamp machine located near the Health Sciences Center bookstore. Campus mail for all first-year students comes to the Office of Research and Graduate Education. You may pick up your mail in the office or we will deliver mail to your cubicle in the student lounge. Please note that Health Sciences Center policy forbids the receipt of personal mail at a University address. Be sure and tell your friends and family to use your home address. Likewise, while you are free to use the ground floor Post Office for sending personal mail, you may not send personal mail using your Health Sciences address. There is a Federal Express and UPS drop-off box located on the ground floor of the Health Sciences Center South, by the shipping dock. Central Receiving and Shipping is located nearby, if you should have any questions about shipping packages.
Any general questions you have during your first year should be directed to Claire Noel, Lea Ann Defenbaugh or Penny Phillips in the Office of Research and Graduate Education. Until you choose a faculty advisor at the end of your first year, we are your administrative home.
During orientation week, you will obtain your ID, parking pass (will be mailed to your permanent address), and an eligibility form to initiate your stipend following the processing of the I-9 and tax forms (bring your original social security card). Orientation sessions will emphasize the core curriculum, research rotations (which you are required to take the first year), research laboratory certifications, and the student health plan. Two social events are held, one with resident students and the other with faculty and students in a picnic setting. The exact date and time for these sessions will be sent to you via the orientation letters.
If you plan to drive to campus, you will need a parking permit. There is free parking without a permit on the Evansdale Campus at the Coliseum, located off Monongalia Blvd. Graduate students are usually assigned to Lot 81, also called "the pit." This lot is on Van Voorhis Road, below the Health Sciences PRT station. It is convenient to the Health Sciences building, and there are two shuttle buses that run periodically throughout the day from the parking lot to the Health Sciences Center. The parking permit costs: if purchased July 1, the cost will be $204.00. Parking permits will expire June 30, 2008. You will be notified (each year) to renew your parking permit. Parking Management recommends that parking applications be turned in before the start of Orientation to secure a parking pass. For your convenience, an application and instructions will be sent to the permanent mailing address listed on your original student application. Please inform us ASAP if this address has changed. If you have not done so by now, complete the application and take the application and your vehicle registration card to the Prete Building on University Avenue, north of the intersection of Patteson Drive (next to the Boston Beanery). The Prete Building is a large tan building on the right, less than a quarter mile from that intersection. The Parking Office is in the middle of the building on the 2nd floor. An Online Parking System is available with general information about university parking.
Payroll Documentation You cannot receive back pay for time that you worked before payroll processing. Therefore, you must be on the payroll before Friday, August 15. Students who are not currently in the WVU payroll system must complete this documentation process. You will complete an I-9 and tax forms with Human Resources on Day 1 of Orientation. If you cannot meet at this time, you may visit Human Resources at One Waterfront Place on Don Knotts Boulevard on any Monday between 9:00 and 4:00 before August 11. Human Resources is located in the West Virginia University Resource Center. Be sure to identify yourself as a Graduate Assistant at the Health Sciences Center School of Medicine so that they may provide you with the proper forms. During the payroll paperwork session, you will be completing withholding forms for income taxes. Married students might want to discuss their strategy for this ahead of time.
To obtain a social security card, you must go in person to the Social Security Office in the Mountaineer Mall. Bring your passport, visa, I-20 form, and a letter from the International Student Office verifying F-1 on-campus employment. It will take at least two weeks to receive this card. But we recommend that you return to the above Social Security Office the next day to receive a written note/letter from the Social Security Office that shows your social security number. As soon as you receive your social security number you need to go to the Human Resources Office located at One Waterfront Place, on Don Knotts Boulevard. This will allow you to be processed for receiving your stipend check. For further assistance, contact the International Student Office in Elizabeth Moore Hall, Room G21 (293-3339). Once you complete the I-9 and tax forms, Human Resources will give you an eligibility form. Return this form to Claire Noel in the Office of Research and Graduate Education as soon as possible. Once we receive your eligibility form, your paperwork can be processed and you can receive payment. Pay Periods Stipend checks are issued twice monthly, on the 16th and 31st for 31-day months, and on the 15th and 30th for 30-day months. If these dates fall on a weekend or holiday, your check will be available the last business day before the normal pay date. Your first paycheck will be issued on September 15. You may pick up your check after 11:00 a.m. in the Office of Research and Graduate Education. Direct deposit is available for students with checking accounts in any U.S. bank.
Long-distance phone calls for personal reasons must be made using your own calling card. For laboratory-related business, each faculty advisor has an access number. They may make this number available to you at their discretion.
For personal use, you can make copies at the Copy Center, located on the ground floor, near the small cafeteria on the northend of the Health Sciences Center building. You can get a copy card for use in the Health Sciences library with their machines. As the card is depleted, you can renew it for further use.
The newest addition to the WVU recreation system is an award-winning recreation center on the Evansdale Campus, within easy access from both the Engineering and Evansdale Residential Complex PRT stations. While this facility does get crowded, it is an excellent place for aerobic exercise, informal sports, swimming, weight lifting, rock climbing, and fitness classes. Other locations open to students are the WVU Coliseum complex, which houses racquetball courts, an outdoor track, and indoor walking facilities, and the Stansbury Hall gym, on the Downtown campus. Access to most recreation facilities requires a student ID, called the Mountaineer Card. Payment for the Recreation Center is included in the mandatory fees.
The University keeps a record of up to four addresses on you. These include your permanent address, billing address, and grade report address. If you want your bills and grade reports to go to your Morgantown address, you must list it as your permanent address. This change can be made in the Admissions and Records office on the first floor of Health Sciences North, across from the elevators. This is particularly important for international students-otherwise your grade reports and bills will go to your country of origin.
After you register for classes, you can obtain your student ID card, called the Mountaineer Card. This card is for personal identification, library privileges, access to the PRT, and recreation center. You can also use it for discounted admission to University-sponsored events. Many businesses in Morgantown also offer student discounts if you show identification. This card will be keyed for access to the student lounge and can also be keyed for access to the Animal Care and DNA core facilities on the Health Sciences campus. You will obtain the card on Day 1 of Orientation. Please have in hand your driver's license or other photo ID.
The room for first-year graduate students and first-year M.D./Ph.D. students is 2039 Health Sciences North, around the corner from the second floor entrance to the library. This large room has thirty work cubicles, two desktop computers, a printer, internet and wireless access, a meeting table, refrigerator, microwave, coffeemaker and sofa. Refreshments are permitted in this room. Please keep it clean.
You will receive a tuition invoice if you register for classes before you complete the I-9 and tax forms. Do not pay the tuition. After you complete these forms and return your eligibility form to the Office of Research and Graduate Education, we will process your tuition waiver. For more information on this process, please see the Payroll section of this orientation guide. |
|||||||||||||||||||||