Jul 28 – Aug 2, 2015

1.  WEEKLY WALK-IN SERVICES IN THE GLC – break schedule; updated 5/26

– Career Services advising: on hiatus until fall

– Cook Counseling: Fridays 1:00-5:00pm in the summer, starting 5/29, Green Room 

– GLC Café: 3:30-5:00 every Thursday, Reading Room – continues through summer

– Graduate School summer hours May 18-Jul 31: 9:00am-4:00pm

– LISA Statistical Consulting: Tuesdays,10:00-12:00 in Room A

– Writing assistance: on hiatus until fall

 

2. BOLLYWOOD DANCE CLASSES THIS SUMMER

Mondays and Tuesdays, 3:00-4:00pm, War Memorial Dance Room

Want to look really cool and learn something new at the same time? Join Bollywood Dance Classes this summer and surprise your friends once the semester starts. The classes will cover many other Indian dance forms and are free and open to all. It’s time to grab your dancing shoes! This message is posted on behalf of grad student Garima Malhotra, garima@vt.edu.

 

3. INTERVARSITY GRADUATE CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP: SUMMER BIBLE STUDY

Wednesday, Jul 22, 6:30-8:30pm, 107 Church St. SE (3 blocks from GLC)

The group meets weekly for an interactive Bible discussion. All are welcome! For directions and more information visit http://gcfvt.wordpress.com/.

 

4. THESIS THURSDAY

Thursdays, 8:30am – 3:30pm

Need a quiet space to work on your thesis, dissertation, or course work? Gotta study for exams? Absolutely have to get that article out, like, yesterday? Thesis Thursday is your answer! Thesis Thursday is a weekly gathering of graduate students who want to keep accountable to a regular work time and need a guaranteed quiet place to work. Meet each Thursday just a few blocks off campus at 107 Church Street – 2nd floor of the State Farm office (entrance on Church Street). Free coffee and wi-fi provided, plus multiple spots to sit and study alone or in groups. Plus, there’s a lobby area to take a quick break or talk through a problem with a fellow grad! Stop in any time during study hours. Limited parking available. For more details, please contact grad student Tana M. Schiewer at tanas@vt.edu.

 

5. GLC CAFÉ: JUST THE USUAL, BUT MAYBE WITH ICE CREAM

Thursday, Jul 30, 3:30-5:00pm, GLC Reading Room

The GLC Café is offered throughout the year with free coffee, tea, and cookies in the company of your graduate-student and Grad-School colleagues. To offset the muggy heat this week, maybe we’ll throw in some ice cream.

 

6. LITTLE HOKIE HANGOUT CHILDCARE FACILITY NOW ACCEPTING APLICATIONS – 1st posting

Now accepting applications for the Little Hokie Hangout! The LHH is a new part-day parent cooperative child care program that is run directly across the street from campus. The program director, Mariann Matson, is happy to schedule a time for you to walk through, answer any questions you might have, and provide you with an application form. You can reach her at mematson@vt.edu. This is a play-based program for children who are turning 2 through age 5, but spots are limited so don’t wait! Forms are due by Aug 15. Email childcare@vt.edu for more information.

 

7. NEW CONTINUOUS ENROLLMENT POLICY EFFECTIVE FALL 2015 – 2nd posting

University Council approved a resolution (2014-15H) which requires graduate students to be continuously enrolled in a minimum of three credit hours in all spring and fall semesters at VT from initial enrollment through graduation. Approved "in absentia" status (resolution 2014-15J) or Cooperative Education Program enrollment also satisfy the continuous enrollment requirement. Graduate students who need to break their continuous enrollment may apply for a leave of absence (resolution 2014-15I) or participate in programs and activities approved by the Graduate School that require absence from the University. Any graduate student failing to remain continuously enrolled without approved leave will be resigned from the University. Learn more about these requirements at https://secure.graduateschool.vt.edu/weblog/monthlymemo/2015/07/16/1437061440000.html.

 

8. SUMMER SHORT STATS COURSES BY LISA

LISA (Laboratory for Interdisciplinary Statistical Analysis) provides a series of evening short courses to help graduate students use statistics in their research and teach practical statistical techniques for analyzing or collecting data. See http://www.lisa.stat.vt.edu/?q=short_courses for instructions on how to register and to learn more. Summer 2015 Schedule:

Wednesday, Jul 29: Sample Size Calculations;

Wednesday, Aug 5: Using mixed effects models to quantify dependency among repeated measures.

Follow LISA on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/Statistical.collaboration) to be the first to know about LISA events! For more info, visit www.lisa.stat.vt.edu.

 

9. SHARE INSPIRING/FUN SHORT VIDEO ADVICE FOR NEW GRAD STUDENTS! – still posting

What advice do you wish someone had shared with you when you first started as a grad student at Virginia Tech? What little tidbit of information made your first year better, more successful, more fun? Use your smartphone or camera to record a quick video and share your insight(s) with new graduate students; in the video, hold up or stand in front of a sign that has your first name,  academic level, and department/program (for example, <Monika,  master’s in hotel management>. Clips may be up to 20 seconds long and must be in MPEG4 format. See examples and upload your video at https://drive.google.com/a/vt.edu/folderview?id=0B34tzO_IExZDfjl2anNMLUtJdGFfV2lUcXhSM2h6YUQ0YVVCUjFFb3JBdHZKYWh3NkFlNFk&usp=sharing_eid. The best submissions will be compiled into a short video that will be presented during new graduate student orientation and on the Graduate School’s website. Be creative!

 

10. SIGN UP NOW FOR PAYROLL DEDUCTION OF COMP FEES FOR GRAD ASSISTANTS – 2nd posting

The registration system for paying comprehensive fees through payroll deduction is now open.  Graduate students on an assistantship must either pay their comprehensive fees or enroll for payroll deductions before the payment deadline.  To enroll in payroll deductions, first register for classes, then login to Hokie SPA, choose University Account Information menu, and click on Graduate Students on Assistantship, enroll in Payroll Deduction. You must enroll in payroll deduction each semester in which you wish to take advantage of this opportunity.  Learn more at http://graduateschool.vt.edu/financial/assistantships#Payroll%20Deduction%20of%20Comprehensive%20and%20Capital%20Fees%20for%20Graduate%20Assistants.

 

11. WAGE POSITION OPEN IN GLC: DIGITAL MEDIA CONTENT MANAGER – 1st posting

The incumbent is responsible for managing digital sign, web and Facebook content, including content development and scheduling, screen and software maintenance, website maintenance, and communication and coordination with Grad School and GLC Service Desk staff. Must be FT grad student, have experience with any of the following software applications: Drupal, Dreamweaver, Macromedia Flash, Photoshop, MS PP, MS Paint, Samsung MagicNet Pro, flash converters. Preference will be given for: at least one semester of previous VT enrollment; web maintenance experience; knowledge of services, programs and events offered in the GLC. Must possess excellent communication skills and be able to work in a team environment. Submit cover letter and resume to grads@vt.edu. Position open until filled. Anticipated starting date: Aug 17 or later. $13/hr, approx. 10 hrs/wk.

 

12. GRAD STUDENT VOLUNTEERS SOUGHT TO HELP WITH ORIENTATION – 1st posting

The Graduate School is looking for graduate student volunteers (graduate ambassadors) to assist with international graduate student check-in (Aug 3-21), GTA training (Aug 17-18), the Welcome Center and New Graduate Student Orientation in the GLC (Aug 17-21). Roles include: check-in and registration assistance, information and guidance to attendees; Welcome Center staffing; orientation crowd control; program set up, and more. If you are available and interested in assisting with any of these events, please fill out this short survey: https://survey.vt.edu/survey/entry.jsp?id=1438028410495. Training will be offered to all grad ambassadors.

 

13. VOLUNTEERS SOUGHT FOR MUSCLE FATIGUE AND RECORVERY STUDY – 1st posting

Volunteers are sought for dissertation research study about the effects of different physical demands on muscle fatigue. Participants will perform a set of tasks, requiring forceful exertions of the hand, forearm, and/or upper arm.  Muscular strength will be measured by voluntary contraction and electrical stimulation of muscles.  Other measures will be related to performance and muscle fatigue by monitoring the muscle activity using EMG electrodes. Experiments will be conducted in the Safety Engineering Laboratory in the ISE department. The complete experiment involves up to 7 experimental sessions, each requiring about 4 hours. Participants are paid $10/hour and a $10 bonus after completing all sessions. Participation is voluntary and confidential. Must be age 18-30;  males and females; no current or recent history of a physical disorder affecting the hand/arm; exercise on a regular basis (2-3 times per week). Study protocols have been approved by the VT IRB (13-1160). Contact Ehsan Rashedi at rashedi@vt.edu, (540) 629-0297 with any questions or if interested in participating.

 

14. SUBMISSIONS SOUGHT FOR EXHIBITION OF CULTURES AT SCHOOL OF ARCH+DESIGN – 3rd   posting

Grad student Shabnam Kavousi invites you to contribute to an Exhibition of Cultures at the School of Architecture + Design to display the cultural diversity in the School of A+D. In this exhibition graduate and undergraduate students from various countries and from different parts of the United States bring creative works or objects demonstrating the art and craftsmanship of their respective countries (various media – pottery, calligraphy, fabric, etc.). You can register the craft example by the Sep 19 at: http://goo.gl/forms/ETnfYpmkz6. See more at: http://graduateschool.vt.edu/CAUS_Exhibition_of_Cultures.

 

15. MILITARY VETERANS SOUGHT FOR COMMUNITY INTEGRATION STUDY – 2nd posting

Male veterans, age 18-26, with PTSD are invited to participate in a study about technology for veterans to assist them with integration into their community after military service. Participation involves completing a short background workbook and then attending an interview session that is audio-recorded. Participation could range between 30 minutes and 2 hours and participants will be compensated $15/hr. For more information, contact Ali Haskins Lisle by email ptsdresearch@vt.edu or phone (540)-585-1588.   

 

16. CHILD PARTICIPANTS SOUGHT FOR EYE, GAZE & EMOTIONS TREATMENT STUDY – 3rd posting

If you are a parent or legal guardian of a child/children who are having problems with all of the following: * breaking rules, arguing or fighting; * seem insensitive to punishment; * lack concern or empathy for others, contact VT researchers about a free IRB-approved research study on the VT campus for children ages 6-9. Parents/legal guardians complete questionnaires and children complete in-lab tasks and computer games. Receive between $10-$30 per assessment session, up to $100 total. Contact Lauren at (540) 231-9735; Email: EyeGazeEmotions@gmail.com.

 

17. PARTICIPANTS SOUGHT FOR EVALUATING WEB-BASED KNOWLEDGE ASSESSMENT TOOL – 3rd posting

Participants are sought for helping evaluate a web-based knowledge assessment tool based on concept maps from the student user perspective. The evaluation can be done online and  will take less than 1 hour. The evaluation tasks include: learning the online materials, registering in the system, logging in the system, completing three concept map questions, requesting the report, and completing a survey. There is no direct benefit for participating in the evaluation. If interested in participating, go to http://jupiter.cs.vt.edu/cm/evaluate.jsp  for the online evaluation of the tool. For further information contact Congwu Tao by email tcongwu@vt.edu or mobile 540 838 5482.

 

UPCOMING EVENTS:

 

INTERCULTURAL ENGAGEMENT FALL RECEPTIONS – register now!

Intercultural Engagement Center’s Fall 2015 Welcome Receptions are open to any new or returning student, faculty, and staff member who identifies with or would like to support these groups (Black and African-American, Asian and Asian-American, Hispanic and Latino, Veterans, Students with disabilities, Native American, First-generation, LGBT*Q). An RSVP through the Intercultural Engagement Center’s page on GobblerConnect is preferred for each reception. Learn more at http://www.vtnews.vt.edu/notices/072215-dsa-iecreceptions.html.

 

PARENT SUPPORT GROUP LUNCHEON – register now!

Wednesday, Sep 9

Graduate students with children are invited to join this year’s first Parent Support Group Luncheon. This month participants will have the privilege of hearing from guest speaker Laurie Fritsch about Student Health Initiatives at Virginia Tech that can benefit your family. Lunch is provided, and spouses are welcome. Please register at www.SignUpGenius.com/go/20F0E4FABAA28A1FF2-september. For more information contact Marin Riegger at mriegger@vt.edu.