Graduate Student Handbook
Department of Crop and Soil Sciences
Washington State University
2007-2008
Policies and Procedures
Upon arrival in Pullman, students appointed to assistantships (TA or RA) should contact the Academic Coordinator to complete required forms such as an I-9 and W-4. Be sure to bring your Social Security card and driver's license (or birth certificate). Foreign students will need to present a valid passport and a proper visa; other personal data may be needed to complete the appointment. The University requires that TA’s (whose native language is not English) pass an English proficiency exam prior to beginning their TA duties.
Fall assistantships are from August 16th-December 31st and spring assistantships are from January 1st-May 15th. Your first paycheck will arrive at your home, if you do not have direct deposit, on September 10th or January 25th.
Assistantships are considered to be taxable income in the state of Washington and Federal tax will be deducted from your paycheck. There is no Washington State income tax. If you are on an assistantship, you will receive tuition and health insurance waivers, but you will be responsible for fees such as service activity and building fees. The Graduate School usually awards non-resident tuition waivers to domestic students for two semesters. After two semesters, domestic students should apply for residency at the Office of Student Affairs. International students normally receive non-resident tuition waiver awards from the Graduate School each semester since they are ineligible to become residents. WSU pays health insurance fees for you, but not your dependents. Dependent health insurance information can be obtained by visiting the Benefit Services website at http://www.wsu.edu/benefits/index.html
Graduate students on appointments enter into an agreement with the University that both parties are expected to honor. University policy requires graduate appointees to work 20 hours per week and to be at work each workday, including periods when the University is not in session (e.g., Spring and Thanksgiving Break), with the exception of legal holidays. Department policy, however, permits exceptions for students to work less than half-time while taking heavy course loads, but full-time during summers and other periods with light academic responsibilities. Research Assistant responsibilities may include research assigned by the student's advisor as well as thesis or dissertation research. Most Teaching Assistants should expect to spend up to 20 hours per week on TA duties. Work schedules must be arranged with the thesis or dissertation advisor and/or TA supervisors. Students making satisfactory progress can expect funding for 2 to 2.5 years for a M.S. degree. Students working towards a Ph.D. can expect funding for 2 to 3 years beyond the M.S. or 4 years beyond the B.S.
Graduate students must reside in the state of Washington to qualify for any tuition or residency waivers. Currently, Graduate School policy sets time limits for teaching and research assistant positions: two years (4 academic year semesters) for master's candidates and four years (8 academic year semesters) for doctoral candidates. However, it is departmental discretion to extend this policy. Residency waivers are not up to departmental discretion, and the Graduate School will only grant out of state tuition waivers to domestic students for two semesters. Once a student has resided in the State of Washington for 12 months, they must apply for residency with the Graduate School. International students with certain visas are granted out of state waivers for the duration of their studies at WSU, since they are ineligible for residency. Because of constant changes in residency requirements, students are encouraged to consult their advisor or the Graduate School for current policy (see appendix VI for a requirement checklist).
RA and TA positions are for nine months. Summer hourly appointments are for one to three months at a rate that is equivalent to the normal RA appointment rate. Vacation time is negotiable with the student’s major advisor and, if applicable, the campus advisor. Absences during normal work hours must also be arranged with a student’s major advisor and, if applicable, campus advisor.
Students who want to withdraw from the appointment should always submit a letter of resignation to the Department Chairman. For details on resignation, contact the Academic Coordinator, Johnson Hall Room 205.
On-campus students on hourly appointments should see Jolene Wetterau, Johnson Hall 201, before the first day of work.
The copy machine in Johnson 291D is to be used only for copying materials that are clearly related to a faculty research project, or to copy course materials for the course in which the student is a TA. Graduate students may not use the CSS copy machine to copy any personal material such as classroom notes, term papers, books, theses, etc. When in doubt, consult your advisor. Copy cards may be issued by your advisor and are restricted to research purposes only. Copy machines available for copy card and personal use are located at Copy Centers, French Administration Building, and at all libraries on campus.
Courses at the University of Idaho:
Register for WSU course(s) taught at UI via myWSU (formerly METRO) along with your other courses. Be sure to contact the Academic Coordinator and let them know what UI course(s) you have enrolled in. The end of the semesters at UI and WSU do not coincide. Therefore after the WSU grade submission deadline, you will not receive a grade for the UI course(s) on your initial grade report. The Academic Coordinator will work with the UI departments to get your final grades and they will be added to your student record as soon as it is received and processed from UI.
Transportation to the U of I campus is available through the Wheatland Express commuter bus route or by car pooling with other graduate students. The Wheatland Express bus is free for WSU faculty, students, and staff, as long as you have your cougar card with you. Information on bus schedules can be found at www.wheatlandexpress.com
The Graduate School requires an annual review of each graduate student (see Appendix III). In CSS, this review includes academic performance, research accomplishments and, when applicable, performance as a TA. These reviews are given to the student by the thesis or dissertation advisor and discussed with the student and their thesis or dissertation committee. Teaching Assistants are also evaluated at the end of the semester by their students (see Appendix IV & V). If the student's progress is unsatisfactory, the thesis or dissertation committee will be consulted to determine if graduate student status should be continued. The Department Chair will notify the student in writing of the committee's recommendation and forward a copy of the report to the Graduate School.
Graduate Student Representatives:
In addition to your advisor and the Graduate Coordinator, you also will be represented by at least one, but no more than two, graduate students. The graduate student representative acts as a liaison with the faculty and attends all faculty meetings except those involving personal matters. He/she will communicate your suggestions to the faculty and will serve as your advocate. Departmental committees with graduate student positions include the Computer, Graduate Studies, Safety and Space Committees, and Search committees. These representatives are elected by the graduate students and are the representatives for one academic year.
All graduate students in the university who are currently enrolled in 10 or more hours are members of the Graduate and Professional Student Association (GPSA). GPSA represents the concerns of graduate students within the university and nationally. The CSS program has at least one representative to the GPSA Senate (the governing body for GPSA) who is elected each fall. Many of the important advisory committees within the university itself have voting positions for graduate students. Students are encouraged to become involved in positions of interest. To contact the GPSA, you may visit http://www.wsu.edu/~gpsa/, go to 308 Compton Union Building, or call (509) 335-9545.
Greenhouses and Growth Chambers:
The College operates a greenhouse facility for research on wheat and legumes and other greenhouses along Grimes Way. Growth chambers are located in both sets of the greenhouses. To schedule greenhouse and growth chamber space, contact the greenhouse supervisor Dan Dreesmann (dreesmann@wsu.edu) or go to the homepage, http://pgf.arc.wsu.edu/index.html. Greenhouse policies and regulations can be found there, along with the space request form. All people who use the greenhouses must take a Worker Protection Training course (about 1 hour) that is offered periodically by the greenhouse crew.
If grievances arise, the student should discuss the problem with their thesis advisor, the Graduate Coordinator, the Department Chair, or as a final resort, the WSU Ombudsman. The WSU Ombudsman Office is in Wilson Hall, Room 2 and may be contacted by visiting http://www.wsu.edu/~ombuds/ or by calling (509) 335-1195.
Students on a graduate student assistantship are provided health insurance at no charge. Dependant/Spouse coverage is not automatically provided, but is available for a fee. For complete information regarding coverage, please visit the Health and Wellness Services website at http://www.hws.wsu.edu/Student_Info/Insurance.htm . Once your assistantship has ended you are not eligible for COBRA.
Arrangements for housing should be made prior to arriving at WSU since accommodations are limited. University apartment reservations for single students and families may be obtained at Housing Reservations in Streit-Perham. Call (509) 335-4577 to make residence hall reservations. For off-campus housing, contact the Pullman Chamber of Commerce at (509) 334-3565 or www.pullmanchamber.com, local real estate agencies, or local newspapers (Moscow-Pullman Daily News). You can also visit www.pullman.com which has links to rental websites.
To obtain keys for Johnson Hall, PBS I, your office, labs, greenhouses, etc., see the Office Staff in Johnson 201. There is no initial charge for the keys, however, in the event that they are lost or you leave the University without returning them a $3.00 replacement fee per key will be charged, or a bill will be sent to you. If the keys are not returned your transcripts will be held by the Registrar's Office. Security is the responsibility of everyone, so please assume responsibility for locking your office and lab doors after regular hours.
The Department of Crop and Soil Sciences will provide office space and desks for students on regular appointments. Office space is limited and you may have to wait for an opening. Contact the Academic Coordinator for a desk and space assignment.
Paychecks are mailed or direct deposited on the tenth and twenty-fifth of the month. Paychecks cannot be forwarded, so make sure that all address changes are dealt with immediately. Address changes can be done through WSU's home page www.wsu.edu by using the myWSU system. We highly recommend that all TA/RA's sign up for automatic payroll deposit. This can be done at the Payroll Office (room 236 French Administration).
Graduate students may request secretarial assistance only in limited situations. Administrative Assistants will not type personal letters, class reports or similar materials for students. Where there is a question, have your advisor submit the material. Typing of your thesis or dissertation is considered personal work. You may request assistance with mailing or sending fed-ex packages if they are clearly related to faculty led research work.
No student purchases can be made without approval from their advisor. Most research supervisors maintain "blanket" purchase orders at WSU facilities (Central Stores, Chemical Stores, Surplus Stores, Technical Stores, etc.) and service centers (Physical Plant, Technical Services, etc.). To purchase supplies, an authorization number must be obtained from your supervisor. For other purchases, see the main office personnel. If unforeseen needs arise in the field, contact your advisor and/or the main office for authorization of an emergency purchase order. You will not receive reimbursement for items purchased from outside vendors without advance authorization.
For liability and reimbursement purposes, all students must complete a Travel Authority form for any trip they take that is outside of Pullman (or any other station for off-campus students). These forms are available from Dori Emerson or on the CSS Website. At least 14 working days before a trip, this form must be submitted, signed by the department chair and initialed by your advisor. In some circumstances, travel advances may be obtained by submitting a request at least three to four weeks before the trip. If you need reimbursement, you must complete a Travel Expense Voucher within one week of your return.
You are strongly urged to attend professional meetings; however, the department often does not have funds to pay travel expenses of students on appointment. Advisors may use grant or project monies to pay partial travel expenses for graduate students attending meetings. The Graduate School does disburse some grant-in-aid travel funds, which can be used for travel to professional meetings. Application forms for student travel grants may be obtained from the Graduate School, French Administration Building, Room 324 or http://www.gradsch.wsu.edu/. The Crop and Soil Sciences Department also has the O.A. Vogel Washington State Crop Improvement Association Travel and Education Grant, as well as the Harry E. Goldsworthy Fund. Check with the Academic Program Coordinator about the availability of these departmental awards. It is advisable to apply for a travel grant if you are presenting a quality paper at a professional meeting. In addition, space may be available in University vehicles or some faculty members may share travel expenses.
The department owns several vehicles available for department business. They are intended only to provide low-cost transportation to local sites and businesses. Vehicles are checked out in the main office, and specific policies are available at the front desk.
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