Graduate Student Handbook: Funding and Financial

FUNDING AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Overview: Funding Landscape

All Botany graduate students receive a guarantee of support based upon the degree the student is planning to obtain and the degree in which they enter the program:

• M.S. students receive five semesters of support
• Ph.D. students who enter the program with a M.S. receive eight semesters of support
• Ph.D. students who enter the program with a B.A./B.S. receive ten semesters of support. Funding is based upon the area of student and the funding available through the advisor’s lab. Some students are funded entirely by Teaching Assistantships, others a combination of Research Assistantships and Teaching. You should discuss with your prospective advisors the type of funding their students usually receive.
  • When counting semesters, any funding that is paid through the University payroll system is counted towards the number of semesters of support. For example, if a student receives an Advanced Opportunity Fellowship or a NSF GFRP those semesters count towards the total of semesters of support.
  • Summer is not included in the number of semesters of support.
    • Students should discuss with their advisors possibilities of Research or Project Assistantship possibilities within the lab. The Botany department has a few Teaching Assistantships during the summer, but they are limited and not offered until the department has approved of the Teaching Assistantships (based on enrollment, generally decided in late April.)
    • Summer support is also available through the department’s yearly Awards Competition deadline is determined by the Awards Committee, but occurs each spring.
  • The department offers Research Assistantship and Fellowship Awards through the Awards Competition. Competition occurs each spring, details of available awards is on the department website (under “Awards and Grants”): https://botany.wisc.edu/financial-support/
  • International students are funded the same as domestic students. International students should be aware that they are limited to working 50% time, if they have any questions, they should discuss with the International Student Services department to make sure they are in compliance with federal rules.

Graduate Assistantships (TAs, PAs, RAs, Lecturer [SA] positions) Process for awarding graduate assistantships:

Each semester the Graduate Coordinator sends out a survey asking students of their expected funding for the next semester. IF the student knows they have funding (i.e. project assistantship or research assistantship with their advisor) they must report it. IF they do not, they give their TA preferences for teaching botany or biology (or other) courses available in the next semester. The Graduate Coordinator shares this information with the instructors and lab coordinators for those courses. They then review the TA applicants and their qualifications and relay their preferences to the Graduate Coordinator. The Graduate Coordinator and the Director of Graduate Studies then allocate teaching assignments, weighing needs and preferences across the department.

Responsibilities

Teaching Assistants work closely with their major advisors and with the faculty leading the course they are teaching to simultaneously teach and progress as a graduate student. TA’s are key components of the Botany Department’s teaching program. They are valued as colleagues as well as teachers in training.

They are expected to work closely with the instructors and course / lab coordinators (supervisors) who lead their courses. In particular, they are expected to:]

• attend all lectures, discussions, and course meetings as assigned by the lead instructors
• subscribe to the course’s philosophy, approach, and expectations as laid out by their supervisors and in the course syllabi.
  • work consistently to thoroughly familiarize themselves with the subject matter and content of the course
  • communicate regularly and effectively with their fellow TAs and supervisors to ensure that all expectations and responsibilities are shared and met
  • track and log the time spent on various teaching and preparation activities and record these on the TA Time Allocation forms

Teaching Assistants are assessed by their immediate supervisor and through the AEFIS survey. Their supervisor reviews these assessments and discusses them with TA’s to help all parties to improve how courses are taught. Such reviews may also identify opportunities to re-allocate or augment resources as needed.

Research Assistants work closely with their major advisors and their research teams to simultaneously perform research and progress as a graduate student. Their advisor directs their research activities by:

• communicating overall research priorities, proximal goals, and general expectations;
• specifying activities the RA is expected to perform and guiding the student as needed in research;
• making clear all responsibilities expected for those working in the lab regarding proper lab protocols, research conduct, etc.;
• clarifying what progress the should make to reach research goals and monitoring student work to ensure that good progress is being made;

Research Assistants, in turn, are expected to:

• attend all lab meetings, individual meetings with their advisor, and other meetings as assigned;
• familiarize themselves with all relevant lab safety and research procedures and protocols;
• work consistently and industriously to perform research at the highest level possible;
• communicate regularly and effectively with their lab mates and advisor to ensure that all expectations and responsibilities are being properly shared and met;
• track the time spent on research activities to ensure that expectations are met;
• meet all UW expectations and requirements regarding lab safety and the ethical conduct of research (e.g., by meeting requirements of the Institutional Research Board, etc.);

Graduate Students report to the supervisor designated in their position offer letter.

Project Assistants work closely with their major advisors and their research teams to simultaneously do research and progress as a graduate student. Their advisor directs their activities as they:

• communicate overall priorities, proximal goals, and general expectations;
• specify activities the PA is expected to perform and guiding the student as needed in their work;
• make clear all responsibilities expected for those working in the lab regarding proper lab protocols, research conduct, etc.;
• clarify what progress the student is expected to make to reach the project’s goals and monitoring student work to ensure that progress is being made;

Project Assistants, in turn, are expected to:

• attend all relevant meetings with their supervisor and other meetings as assigned;
• familiarize themselves with all relevant lab safety and project procedures and protocols;
• work consistently and industriously to perform their assigned activities at the highest level possible;
• communicate regularly and effectively with their lab mates and supervisor to ensure that all expectations and responsibilities are shared and met;
• track the time spent on assigned activities to ensure that expectations are met;
• meet all UW expectations and requirements regarding lab safety and the ethical conduct of research (e.g., by meeting requirements of the Institutional Research Board, etc.);

Graduate Students working as PA’s report to the supervisor designated in their position offer letter.

TA and PA Collective Bargaining

The contract between the state and the Teaching Assistant’s Association covering TAs and PAs (oser.state.wi.us/docview.asp?docid=7113) is no longer in force; however, the university is continuing to use the terms of the contract until final university policies are adopted. Since the TAA no longer represents TAs and PAs, sections of the contract referring to “union” rights and responsibilities are no longer in effect. TAs and PAs can find policies in the contract related to: grievance procedures; appointments; orientation, training, and evaluation; non-discrimination; termination; health and safety; and benefits, including sick leave, vacation, and leave of absence.

RA and PA Appointment Policies

Appointments: Research Assistants and Project Assistants are made on a semester by semester basis.

Performance Criteria: An evaluation should occur once a semester by the supervisor using the following criteria. A copy of this evaluation is then shared with the student and the Graduate Coordinator (sample form in Appendix). Such records will normally remain confidential but provide a record of regular evaluation and review. The records may be consulted by the Director of Graduate Studies, the student’s Advisor, and/or her/his graduate committee.

1. Lab safety and Health;
2. Academic honesty and integrity in handling data & results including efforts made and hours worked;
3. Quality of the research or other work performed including accuracy of the data collected, careful design and planning for the research or other work, and careful and skilled performance of experiments or fieldwork.
4. Maintaining up-to-date, accurate, and complete lab records including lab notebooks, data files, and carefully documented sample and/or data records and back-ups.
5. Making steady progress in terms of gaining lab skills, proficiency in lab techniques, and analyzing and interpreting results.
6. Research Productivity: Outputs in the form of: (1) raw results, (2) data analyses, and (3) syntheses of the data and results for example in the form of presentations at lab meeting presentations and manuscripts.
7. A rating summarizing this evaluation as superior, adequate, or deficient.

Orientation & training: is provided by the PI/or lab director. This orientation and training will include:

1. Lab safety and health guidelines;
2. Adequate training in scientific integrity and ethics;
3. All relevant and appropriate laboratory techniques and procedures.

Non-discrimination & policies related to grievance procedures: see university policies and sections IX and X above.

Termination: Once a student has been rated deficient, they have one semester to bring their rating up to adequate or superior otherwise if the position is a continuing RA position, it may be terminated.

Benefits, including sick leave, vacation, and leave of absence: see university policies

Stipend Levels and Paychecks

Stipend rates for graduate assistantships are set by the University. Current rates for TAs, PAs, RAs and LSAs can be found on the website for the Office of Human Resources: https://www.ohr.wisc.edu/polproced/UTG/StuAsstApptT.html.

Graduate assistants are paid on a monthly basis and stipends are usually deposited directly into student’s bank accounts. You can authorize direct deposit by filling out the Authorization for Direct Deposit of Payroll form (uwservice.wisc.edu/docs/forms/pay- direct-deposit.pdf) and returning it to the Graduate Coordinator.

Tuition Remission and Payment of Segregated Fees

TAs, PAs, RA, and Lecturers (Students Assistants) with appointments of 33.3% or higher (approximately 13 hrs/week) receive remission of their full tuition (in- and out-of-state, as applicable). Students with these appointments are still responsible for paying segregated fees.

Health Insurance Benefits

TAs, PAs, RA, and Lecturers (Student Assistants) with appointments of 33.3% or higher (approximately 13 hrs/week) for at least the length of a semester are eligible to enroll in a health insurance program. Information about health insurance options can be found at ohr.wisc.edu/benefits/new-emp/grad.aspx.

Current monthly premiums can be found at https://www.wisconsin.edu/ohrwd/benefits/premiums/. Questions about health insurance can be directed to Julie Olson, Birge 132.

Maximum Appointment Levels

The Graduate School sets the maximum levels of graduate assistantship appointments. International students should be especially aware of maximum levels of employment. For more information on these policies, please visit https://grad.wisc.edu/acadpolicy/#maximumlevelsofappointments.

Enrollment Requirements for Graduate Assistants

Students with graduate assistantships must be enrolled appropriately. Detailed information about enrollment requirements can be found in the Graduate School’s academic policies at https://grad.wisc.edu/acadpolicy/#enrollmentrequirements.

Fellowships

There are many different kinds of fellowships on campus. Some are awarded by the program, some are awarded by the school/college, and still others are awarded by the Graduate School. In addition, a number of students have applied for and won fellowships from federal agencies, professional organizations, and private foundations. The terms and conditions of fellowships across campus vary widely. If you have a fellowship, make sure you understand the obligations and benefits of that fellowship, including stipend, health insurance eligibility, eligibility for tuition remission, pay schedule, etc.

Graduate School Fellowships

The Graduate School administers a number of different fellowships on campus, including: the University Fellowships, Chancellor’s Fellowships, Mellon-Wisconsin Fellowships, the Dickie Fellowships, and a variety of external fellowships (https://kb.wisc.edu/gsadminkb/page.php?id=34761). If you have questions about these fellowships, please contact the Office of Fellowships and Funding Resources, http://grad.wisc.edu/studentfunding/currentstudents.

Departmental Fellowships

The Botany Department has awards several fellowships and summer support. See the Botany website for the specific funding available. Applications are every Spring semester for the summer of the current year and the next academic year (i.e. Spring 2016 competition is for travel research/awards for Summer 2016, Fall 2016 and Spring 2017)

External Funding/Fellowships

We encourage all students to seek out and apply for funding from sources external to the university (e.g., federal agencies, professional organizations, private foundations). The Graduate School supports selected federal/private fellowships through the provision of tuition support and health insurance, list at kb.wisc.edu/gsadminkb/page.php?id=34761.

The Graduate School also provides remission of the non-resident portion of students’ tuition (if applicable) to students who win external fellowships that are payrolled through the university and provide an academic year (9-month) stipend of $11,924 (2016-17 rate) or an annual year (12-month) stipend of $14,574. (Ask the Botany HR or Graduate Student Services Coordinator for current rates.)

Students should be aware that fellowships and awards from external sources will each have unique terms and conditions that you should take time to understand. Questions on external fellowships can be directed to the Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Funding. grad.wisc.edu/studentfunding/types

The following are some sources of information on external funding:

1. Major external fellowships: wisc.edu/gsadminkb/page.php?id=34769.
2. The Grants Information Collection (GIC) on the 2^nd Floor of Memorial Library library.wisc.edu/

The GIC is a great collection of print and on-line resources to help students find external fellowships and scholarships. You can learn how to set up a personalized profile on several on-line funding databases, and get regular notices of relevant funding opportunities. PLEASE REMEMBER: the timetable for identifying, applying for and receiving such external funding is generally quite long; plan on 9-12 months between the time you start your search and the time you may receive funding.

Once you find a fellowship, scholarship, or award to which you want to apply, consider contacting the Writing Center (writing.wisc.edu/Individual/index.html). The Writing Center staff can provide valuable advice on crafting your application.

Each Fall semester the Botany Student Services Coordinator organizes a NSF GFRP writing group (September-October).

Fellows with Concurrent Appointments

Students with fellowships payrolled through the university may hold concurrent graduate assistantships and/or student hourly appointments up to a total maximum combined annual stipend of $44,162 (2016-2017 maximum). Concurrent appointment policies will vary across external agencies, so please be sure to review the terms and conditions for your award. If you have any questions about concurrent work along with your fellowship, please feel free to contact the Office of Fellowships and Funding Resources.

Funding for Study Abroad

The International Fellowships Office provides information about opportunities for international research, grants, scholarships and other funding.

Funding for Conference/Research Travel

The Graduate School provides a limited amount of funding for dissertators and final year MFA students whose research has been accepted for presentation at a conference. For more information about this funding, visit the Student Research Grants Competition website.

In addition, the Graduate School runs the Travel Research Grants competition which provides funds to support travel related to your dissertation/thesis research. Students must be dissertators or final-year MFA students. For more information about this funding, visit the Student Research Grants Competition website.

The Botany Department has award funds available to cover some Conference and Research Travel. Applications are every Spring semester for the summer of the current year and the next academic year (i.e. Spring 2016 competition is for travel research/awards for Summer 2016, Fall 2016 and Spring 2017)

Loans

The Office of Student Financial Aid (OSFA) (finaid.wisc.edu/graduate-students.htm) assists graduate students whose personal and family resources are not adequate to cover the expenses involved in attending the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The office also provides counseling to help students manage their money effectively, information on other potential sources of financial assistance (such as employment), debt management counseling, and small short-term loans for emergency situations.