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Animal Biosciences Graduate Program HandbookVersion: Spring 2020Welcome to the Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences (ASCI)This Handbook provides a general orientation to the department, the graduate college, and the UVMcommunity. It also covers the basic requirements of the ASCI graduate programs.I. BEFORE YOU ARRIVEIf you have some questions before you arrive, here are some people who can help:ContactLee AndorsASCI Administrative SupportLia BeliveauASCI Financial Services &Human ResourcesFeng-Qi ZhaoGraduate Program CoordinatorGraduate CollegeOffice of InternationalEducationStudent Financial ServicesPhone(802)656-0155Lee.Andors@uvm.edu102 Terrill656-0136Lia.Beliveau@uvm.edu102A Terrill656-0786fzhao@uvm.edu211 alStudents@uvm.edusfs@uvm.edu330 WatermanLiving/Learning B-162656-5700EmailLocation/Building223 WatermanMail and packages may be sent to the Department at the following address. You will share a mailboxhere as a graduate student.Use this address:(Your name)Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences102 Terrill Building570 Main StreetUniversity of VermontBurlington, VT 05405HOUSINGAlmost all students live off-campus in the Burlington area. We encourage you to find housing during thesummer months (or earlier), when there are more vacancies. Classified sections in the following localpapers are a good place to start: UVM off-campus housing, Burlington Free Press, Seven Days,apartmentguide.com, craigslist.com and apartmenthomeliving.com have classified ad listings.HousingOne-bedroom apartmentTwo-bedroom apartmentRoom for rent*Estimates are without heat or utilities.PublicationEstimated Cost* 850-1200 1200-1800 550-800 Description or Where to find1
Animal Biosciences Graduate Program HandbookCraigslist (most listings here)FaceBookBurlington Free PressSeven DaysBulletin BoardsUVM Res Life Apartments &Family HousingMedical school - Student AffairsOfficeGradnetVersion: Spring 2020Community Classifieds Website“Burlington Area Housing and Rentals” group, “Sell, Trade, Swap,Buy Vermont” or the “Property Rentals” category in FacebookMarketplaceLocal Gannett daily newspaperFree weekly alternative newspaper, distributed Wednesday. Getat City Market and elsewhere.Muddy Waters Coffee Shop on Main St. between Church andWinooski, City Market 82 S. Winooski, UVM Campus Howe Library(near reserve desk), outside Howe Library and in most buildings.Housing options at UVM appropriate for grad studentshttps://www.uvm.edu/reslife/affiliate housingA list for Medical students that is often shared with those in need(656-2150 or ask in Given E215B)Listserv that tends to list lots of housing opportunities.Instructions for signing up for Gradnet can be found athttps://www.uvm.edu/graduate/gradnet.A limited number of university-affiliated off-campus housing apartments are available for full-timestudents at the Ethan Allen Housing facility. Located in Colchester, the apartments are on a bus route,five miles from the main campus. Detailed rental information may be obtained from 802-862-6244.Interested students are encouraged to apply early for these apartments.II. WHEN YOU ARRIVEHere is a list of some things to help get you settled in with the program and life in Burlington.1. Accessing Terrill: Very few spaces require physical keys. In the event you need a key, these aremanaged by Lee Andors in the main office. The building and most laboratories and shared spacesare accessed using your CATcard. See Lee if you are encountering problems with access. If you arelocked out of the building (or your office) accidentally and no one is around, you can call UVM PoliceServices (656-3874, 6-FIRE) by phone or through a blue light emergency phone. During businesshours, you can contact custodial services (656-3385) for assistance with lock outs. To maintain thesecurity of the building and laboratories, do not prop doors open. Do not provide access to anyonewho does not have permission to access a space. Always make sure doors are closed and lockedwhen leaving the building.2. Student ID/CATcard: You can get your student ID card from the CATcard Office in Billings Library,Room B150 (656-4509). Your first card is free. Replacement of worn cards costs 10; replacement oflost cards costs 25. If you have an iPhone or Apple Watch, you can connect your CATcard to AppleWallet and use your device rather than your card. Your CATcard is used to borrow books from thelibrary, use the UVM gym, and ride the city buses for free. You can also use your CATcard as a debitcard, called CAT cratch, to pay for photocopies in the library, campus eateries, and some Burlingtonbusinesses. Your CATcard will also permit entry to the labs as well as Terrill Building after hours. Lee2
Animal Biosciences Graduate Program Handbook3.4.5.6.7.8.9.Version: Spring 2020can help set up your building access for you. For an orientation to what you need to know about theCATcard, visit n.Office space: Most ASCI graduate students have office space in 203 Terrill, the Graduate Office.Access to laboratory and other spaces in the building is controlled. Your faculty advisor submits anaccess request form to Lee Andors for processing.Student profiles: Be prepared to provide a photo and short bio to add to our wall of welcome withina few weeks of starting.Email: To activate your UVM email, set up your netid at the following website:http://www.uvm.edu/account/. You can check mail via the web (http://webmail.uvm.edu), Outlook,or set up the email “client” on your phone or computer. Official UVM communications comethrough your uvm.edu email. Make sure to check this often or auto-forward to the email provider ofyour choice. Some UVM professors will not respond to messages sent from personal, not uvm.edu,addresses, so be sure to use your UVM email for correspondence that you want to have read. Youwill automatically be added to general department, college, and university listservs. Once youcomplete laboratory safety training, you will be added to the important listservs for ASCI, CALS,UVM, and laboratory safety (UVMLABSAFE). The Graduate College has a discussion list with usefulinformation for all grad students. The email address is: GRADNET@LIST.UVM.EDU. Contact theGraduate College to be added to the gradnet distribution list.Computers – ETS: At UVM the IT department has been traditionally known as Enterprise TechnologyServices. Everything you need to know about campus computing can be found through the links onthis page: http://www.uvm.edu/it/students/ --not the most user-friendly site on campus. However,the Tech Team is really helpful. If you have any questions, give them a call at 656-2604, or emailhelpline@uvm.edu, or visit them in the Computer Clinic in room I-117, Billings/Ira Allen Chapel. Theclinic is best accessed from the side of Billings that faces Votey Hall. UVM students have access to afree license for Microsoft Office 365. The UVM software library (https://www.uvm.edu/software/) iswhere to find other programs that you can download and install for free such as statistical packagesand a reference manager. Make sure you configure your computer to allow secure storage andbackup of your data on the UVM servers. You also have access to a file transfer service for sendinglarge files here: https://filetransfer.uvm.edu/Mail/Photocopiers: The department photocopier in the mail room can print black and white or colorcopies. This is the preferred machine for print jobs. The printer in the grad office is appropriate for1- to 5-page jobs only. (There is also a department photocopier on the third floor (room 305), but itonly prints in black and white. Use the first floor machine when possible, especially for large jobs.)The photocopiers can also scan and fax. You need an access code to print to or use this machine.Access numbers are assigned to various departmental budgets (depending on the nature of theinformation you are copying). If the print job is research related, you would use your advisor'sresearch access number; if it is related to the class that you are TAing, you would use the teachingaccess number. Your advisor will tell you what access numbers to use. It is important to keep thesenumbers confidential because the copying charges are linked back to particular budgets.Books: Texts may be purchased from the UVM Bookstore in the Davis Center. Wait for the first fewdays of classes to see which books are essential to buy, which can be checked out from the library orfound at the library reserve desk, and which can perhaps be borrowed from another student.Parking permit (restricted to students living more than one-half mile from campus): Permits areavailable from Transportation and Parking Services, located at the Ira Allen School on Fletcher Place.3
Animal Biosciences Graduate Program HandbookVersion: Spring 2020Check https://www.uvm.edu/transportation/student-parking for the current fee. A parking permit isnot required on weekends, holidays, and after 3:30pm daily. Those needing to park close to Terrilltemporarily to facilitate transport of research samples and equipment must know and follow therules. See Lee Andors for details.Activating your funding (How to get paid)At this point you have returned your offer letter, along with enclosed forms, to the Chair of theDepartment of Animal & Veterinary Sciences, indicating acceptance of the position, salary, and startdate (see below for the information of financial assistance). In addition to the acceptance letter, youmust fill out and return the Data Form and W-4 form needed to start you on payroll. When you arrive,see Lia Beliveau (656-0136) to fill out your I-9 form. To do this you will need the following identification:driver's license, social security card, U.S. Visa, and/or passport. (International students must visit theInternational office as soon as possible after arrival to complete some forms).Payday is semi-monthly on the 15th and 30th of every month, and your check will be sent to thedepartment mail room, 106 Terrill, or directly deposited into your personal bank account. A convenientand highly recommended option is direct deposit of your paycheck, which you can arrange by logginginto PeopleSoft, https://www.uvm.edu/ erp/portal/ (duo multi-factor authentication is required toaccess the site), entering your UVM Netid and password then Click on Human Resources, Self Service,Payroll and Compensation, then Direct Deposit. Be sure to ask what fees, if any, are covered by yourfunding, since you will be required to pay any excluded graduate fees and health fees before you areallowed to register. The University also allows payroll deduction if you cannot afford to pay the fees allat once. This has to be set up at Student Financial Services, 223 Waterman Building, (802) 656-5700.OrientationThe Graduate College hosts a recommended orientation for graduate teaching assistants each fall. HoweLibrary and Division of Computing and Information Technology also host an orientation meeting each fallfor new graduate students.The best suggestion for an international student is not to miss the 5-day orientation offered by theOffice of International Education (OIE) at the beginning of the semester. They give a good orientation ofHowe Library, the Student Health Center, and Patrick Gymnasium and the facilities available. The tour ofthe Howe library could be helpful, as the library is huge and has many sections providing varieties ofservices. The OIE provides direction and help in opening bank account and in getting social securitynumbers. During the orientation, they also introduce the free services provided by Living and Learning(L/L) Center for scholars for whom English is the second (or third) language. An International StudentHandbook is available through OIE for more precise information on housing, immigration andemployment, obtaining social security number, health insurance, legal services, driver's license, studentservices, language improvement and general academic supportUVM Student Health Insurance Plan (UVM SHIP) and Student Health CenterUVM Student Health Insurance Plan is available to UVM graduate students enrolled for 5 credit hours ormore and is mandatory for graduate students registered for 9 or more credits. The College of Agricultureand Life Sciences pays 100% of the cost of single UVM health insurance for all full-time graduatestudents who do not have alternate insurance, with a smaller percentage paid for part-time students.4
Animal Biosciences Graduate Program HandbookVersion: Spring 2020Students who are not otherwise covered under a health policy are required to purchase healthinsurance through the university. All international students, regardless of other coverage, are requiredto purchase health insurance through UVM. There is an additional charge for this extended coveragebeyond the student health fee. The cost of student health insurance can be found here:https://www.uvm.edu/health/insurance. Further details are available from the Student Health Services(https://www.uvm.edu/health/SHS). To participate in this insurance, the student health fee must bepaid each semester in addition to the annual insurance premium.The Center for Health & Wellbeing is available to students throughout the fall and spring semester andduring the summer. The semester fee should be paid at the beginning of each semester. This fee coversunlimited visits to the Center for the summer. It does not include any additional laboratory fees. This feemay be paid at any time and can be paid at the time of your first summer visit to the Center. Anyquestions regarding the Center or this fee can be answered by calling the Center for Health & Wellbeingat 656-3350. The Center for Health & Wellbeing, located at 425 Pearl Street, usually has appointmentson short notice. Another great benefit is free counseling. Working in a small group of intense individualscan be tough and everyo
backup of your data on the UVM servers. You also have access to a file transfer service for sending large files here: https://filetransfer.uvm.edu/ 7. Mail/Photocopiers: The department photocopier in the mail room can print black and white or color copies. This is the preferred machine for print jobs. The printer in the grad office is appropriate for
