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August 20, 2007

Grad Links is a biweekly news bulletin from the Graduate College at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with news for graduate students and the faculty and staff who work with them. Please share this newsletter with graduate students, faculty, and staff. Here are the announcements as of Monday, August 20, 2007.

Events in the Next Two Weeks!

Check www.grad.uiuc.edu/events/ for details on all these upcoming events!

The Nonacademic Job Search

Wednesday, September 5, 2007
3:00-4:30 p.m.
406 Illini Union

2007 Graduate Student Information Fair

Thursday, September 6, 2007
10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.
Illini Rooms A, B, C
See more information below!

Don't forget to register!

Timely registration is necessary for proper distribution of financial aid and waivers. Don't forget that you need to register for classes before 5 p.m. on Wednesday, August 23 to avoid the $15 late registration fee.

Student Loans, Tuition and Fee Waivers and Fall E-Bills

Graduate students who are receiving student loans and who also hold fall appointments (assistantship or fellowship) that generate tuition and fee waivers should be aware that waivers might not be in place by the time of the first fall financial aid disbursement. In order for the waivers to be applied, the student must be registered and the appointment must be fully processed into the campus system.

The Office of Student Financial Aid processes all tuition waivers for eligible students including assistantship tuition and fee waivers. If your waiver has not been applied, you should check with your appointing unit to confirm that the appointment process is complete. Generally, waivers will be calculated twice a week and appear on E-Bills for registered students. Students receive E-Bills monthly via email. The first E-Bill will be issued September 5.

The first fall disbursement of aid, including refunds, was processed on August 12, and five more disbursements of aid are scheduled before the end of August. The anticipated fall processing schedule is available at www.osfa.uiuc.edu/aid/scholarships/waivers_GA_TW_Table.html. Questions relating to your student loan disbursement should be directed to the Office of Student Financial Aid.

If you have specific questions regarding an assistantship tuition waiver for an assistantship that has been processed, please send an email to finaidwaivers@uiuc.edu or call Andrea Winter in the Office of Student Financial Aid at 333-3330. If you have specific questions related to the processing of an assistantship appointment, please contact Laura Bleakney in Academic Human Resources at 244-2400. If you have questions about campus assistantship waiver policy, please contact the Graduate College at grad@uiuc.edu or 333-6715.

If you have a waiver-generating fellowship and your waiver has not been applied, please contact the Graduate College Fellowship Office at gradfellowships@uiuc.edu or 333-0036.

Students with 2007-2008 Fellowships

If you have not yet returned your signed Notice of Appointment (NOA), please be sure to return it to the Graduate College Fellowship Office immediately. For more information, contact the Fellowship Office at gradfellowships@uiuc.edu.

Students with fellowships and traineeships are encouraged to visit the Current Fellows and Trainees site at www.grad.uiuc.edu/fellowship/fellows.htm for important information about registration requirements, concurrent appointments, and tax withholding from fellowship stipends.

Health, Dental and Vision Insurance

Students with waiver-generating appointments (defined at www.grad.uiuc.edu/gradhandbook/chapterV/section02.asp) receive benefits that include waiver of the health service fee and $130 toward the health insurance fee along with dental insurance and vision insurance.

Students who don't hold waiver-generating appointments may purchase dental and/or vision insurance. Information on how to enroll for dental insurance and the related benefits is at www.grad.uiuc.edu/survivalguide/health.asp#10. Information on how to enroll for vision insurance and the related benefits is at www.grad.uiuc.edu/survivalguide/health.asp#11.

All covered students can also purchase insurance for their dependents during the designated enrollment period, and instructions can be found at the Web pages referenced above for dental, vision and health insurance coverage.

All students paying the Health Service fee have access to McKinley Health Center and Counseling Center services, and information about those services can be found at www.grad.uiuc.edu/survivalguide/health.asp. In addition, students can pay for access to McKinley services for spouses. See www.mckinley.uiuc.edu./units/business_office.htm for more information.

Quad Day 2007!

Looking to get involved on campus? Want to see if there is a student organization that meets your needs? Don't miss "Quad Day" August 21 on the University Quad to check out nearly 500 student organizations looking for members like you! Quad Day also features the world famous Marching Illini and performances by many U of I student organizations.

Graduate Student Information Fair

The Graduate College and University Housing will host the Graduate Student Information Fair (PDF) to welcome new graduate students and their families and introduce them to the dozens of services and resources available to support their study and success! Returning graduate students are also encouraged to attend. The fair will be Thursday, September 6, 2007 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in Illini Rooms A, B, C.

Graduate College Professional Development Workshops

Don't miss all the great Graduate College Career Services professional development workshops this fall for all graduate students! Visit www.grad.uiuc.edu/mastercalendar.htm for more information!

Suppression Request Form Available for Student/Staff Directory

Students may withhold their home address and home phone number from the Student/Staff Directory, the printed version of the University phonebook. To suppress information, complete the online form at: www.publicaffairs.uiuc.edu/resources/directoryforms.html#suppression. Submit your request by September 14, 2007 to suppress information in the 2007-2008 edition. (Suppression requests remain in effect until an online Reinstate Information form is submitted.)

A University NetID and password are required, in addition to a four-digit Personal Identification Number. Those without computer access may use any public computer site on campus or computers located at the Personnel Services and the Academic Human Resources Offices. For more information, contact Creative Services at 333-9200 or creativeservices@uiuc.edu.

Join A University Choir!

If you are interested to sing in a choir here at the University of Illinois, you are invited to audition for one of the following ensembles conducted by School of Music faculty: University Chorus (UC); Illini Women's Chorus (IW); Varsity Men's Glee Club (VMGC); Women's Glee Club (WGC); Concert Choir (CC); Oratorio Society (OS) and the University of Illinois Chamber Singers (UICS).

Auditions for all of these ensembles take place on:
Monday, August 20, 9-12, 1-3;
Tuesday, August 21, 9-12, 1-4,
and Wednesday August 22, 9-12.
They take place in the lower level of the Music Building on 1114 West Nevada, in rooms 1144, 1148, 1147, and 1161. If you have any questions contact Fred Stoltzfus at fstoltzf@uiuc.edu.

Upcoming Deadlines

The Graduate College Events and Deadlines page consolidates all of our calendar information into one, easy-to-read source. Please visit it at www.grad.uiuc.edu/events/, or click on Events & Deadlines under Features on the main Graduate College page.

Wednesday, Aug. 22	Instruction begins - Attend Monday classes
Monday, Sept. 3	Labor Day (all-campus holiday)
Wednesday, Sept. 5	Last day to add a first half-session course Last day to add name to Dec. degree list using Web Self-Service Last day to add or drop a semester course on Web Self-Service
Friday, Sept. 7	Last day to add name to October degree list

Useful Links

Assistantship Clearinghouse - www.grad.uiuc.edu/clearinghouse/
Events and Deadlines - www.grad.uiuc.edu/events/
Fellowship Opportunities - https://www.grad.uiuc.edu/fellowship/
Graduate Handbook - www.grad.uiuc.edu/gradhandbook/
Guide to Graduate Life at Illinois - www.grad.uiuc.edu/survivalguide/
Past Grad Links - www.grad.uiuc.edu/pubs/gradlinks/
Thesis Handbook - www.grad.uiuc.edu/thesis/thesishandbook/

For additional information, contact the Graduate College at (217) 333-0035 or visit the Web at www.grad.uiuc.edu.

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