Did You Know?

Fellowship and Grant Opportunities

For the latest funding information, go to Student Financial Support at http://www.gradstudies.ucdavis.edu/ssupport . Listed, you will find “Grant and Fellowship Opportunities”, plus campus-based “Internal” and “External” fellowship information – which include search engines for external funding and the external fellowship application processing policy and procedure, as well as other funding resources.

Also, don’t forget about the Research Training Grant Programs that are available. For more information, go to http://www.gradstudies.ucdavis.edu/ssupport/medicinetrainingprograms.html .

2009 Fall Financial Aid Disbursement

Financial Aid disbursement dates are available at http://financialaid.ucdaivs.edu. Students are encouraged to check the status of their financial aid at http://financialaid.ucdavis.edu/myawards to ensure that all outstanding requirements have been satisfied. Late or missing documents may delay processing and prevent disbursement by the September 17 fee payment deadline. Due to the volume of mail we receive, it may take two weeks to review documentation submitted. We strongly encourage students to take immediate action so that aid is available to pay fees. Short-Term Loan Application Review for Fall Quarter begins September 1. Please see the Short-Term Loan announcement online at http://financialaid.ucdavis.edu. For general assistance, feel free to contact the Financial Aid Office at (530) 752-9246, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday-Friday. You can also fax documents to (530) 754-7022, or e-mail gradfinaid@ucdavis.edu.

Jobs!

Check out postdoc and graduate student employment postings at http://www.gradstudies.ucdavis.edu/employment.

Mandatory Health Insurance

As you may know, the University of California requires that all students have health insurance. To help you meet this requirement, UC Davis automatically enrolls all registered students in the Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP). Fees for SHIP coverage are charged to your student account each quarter, along with your registration fees.

Stressed Out?...

Need something to calm and relax you? Feel like you’re not performing at your best? The Stress and Wellness Clinic is here for you. The Stress and Wellness Clinic is a Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) sponsored program designed to address student needs specific to stress and anxiety, while improving an overall sense of well-being. The clinic offers a number of workshops, groups, and one-on-one counseling sessions aimed to provide you with strategies and information proven to help decrease symptoms of stress. To find out more about our Stress & Wellness Clinic, call CAPS at (530) 752-0871 and ask to schedule an appointment with one of the Stress and Wellness specialists.

Obtaining Medical Care Outside of Davis

If you are outside of the Davis area during the summer and are in need of non-emergency medical services, please remember that you must obtain a referral from Student Health Services (SHS) BEFORE receiving off-campus medical services. SHIP claims will not be considered for payment without prior referral from SHS. To verify your SHIP eligibility and obtain a referral, call a SHIP coordinator at (530) 752-6055. Please leave a detailed message so the SHIP coordinator may return your call and provide you with a referral as soon as possible. For medical emergencies, go to an urgent care or emergency facility for treatment. Referral by SHS is not required for emergency treatment..

MyAwards

MyAwards replaces the current eFAN (Financial Aid Notice) for 2009-2010.  
Graduate students are advised to visit MyAwards (http://financialaid.ucdavis.edu/MyAwards) – the new and improved electronic application – to view any departmental or outside awards they may have been awarded, and to view and satisfy any open requirements posted by the Financial Aid Office. Your eligibility for "need-based" financial aid loans will be determined during the summer to allow departmental and outside awards time to be awarded and posted to your account. For more information, visit http://financialaid.ucdavis.edu, e-mail gradfinaid@ucdavis.edu or call (530) 752-9246.

SHIP Benefit Update

• Dental: The Delta Dental annual maximum benefit will increase to $850 per year for PPO dentists only.
• Medical: Chiropractic Services: maximum of $25 per visit and $100 per calendar year changed to 10 visits per calendar year (80% in network, 50% out of network).
• Addition of Transgender Surgery Benefit up to $75,000 lifetime maximium.
• Addition of academic or educational testing.

Research Participants for Reading Study Needed

Adults between the ages of 18 and 80 are needed for a study on reading and language comprehension at the Adult Development Lab, Department of Human and Community Development. English must be your native language. The stipend is $40 for two, 2-hour sessions (scheduled at least one day apart). For more information, call (530) 752-6968 or e-mail adultdevlab@ucdavis.edu.

Financial Aid Office Hours Change

Assistance for Graduate Students will be available by phone or appointment only. Students can receive assistance by calling (530) 752-9246. Calls will be monitored from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and voicemail is available after hours. As always, questions can still be sent via e-mail to gradfinaid@ucdavis.edu.

SHIP Premium Costs for 2009-10

The cost of SHIP will be charged to your student account along with your registration fees each term. Three quarterly payments provide year round coverage. Costs for SHIP for graduate students for the 2009-10 policy year are $653 per quarter = $1,959 per year.

Graduating?

If you graduate at the end of fall or winter quarter and want to remain enrolled in SHIP for an additional quarter, you may enroll in SHIP as a non-student. Submit an enrollment application to Student Health Services within the first five business days of the quarter after graduation. More information is available at http://healthcenter.ucdavis.edu/insurance.

Check Your MyAwards for Verification

Your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) may be selected for verification. Check MyAwards financialaid.ucdavis.edu/MyAwards during spring and summer for any verification requirements. If selected you will need to submit a Verification Worksheet and a complete copy of your 2008 Federal Income Tax return and W-2s. Failure to submit all required forms or documentation may delay your financial aid in fall.

SHIP Waiver Applications

Final deadline for waiver applications for quarter students is September 17. You can file your SHIP waiver application for 2009-10 academic year online at http://healthcenter.ucdavis.edu.

Sign Up to be on the GSA List Server

Have you ever missed a Graduate Student Association event because you didn't know it was happening? GSA has created a list server where GSA can directly inform you of graduate issues and events – including Woodstock's Free Pizza Night and alternate venues for Coffee/Bagel/Donut Day.

To sign up, just send an e-mail to listproc@ucdavis.edu and write in the message box "sub gsals your name". Replace "your name" with your real name and exclude the quotation marks.
Example: sub gsals John Smith
Once signed up, you will start receiving e-mails from the GSA list server (gsals@ucdavis.edu). If you have any trouble signing up, you can find answers at the IET Web site (http://email.ucdavis.edu/eml/listprocFAQ.php#sub-ucd).

For more information please visit the GSA Web site (http://gsa.ucdavis.edu) or contact the GSA Campus Organizing Director Matthew Thompson (gsacod@ucdavis.edu).

Report Department Awards/Outside Resources

We want to remind graduate students to inform the Financial Aid Office of any additional awards or resources you expect to receive or are receiving for winter and spring quarter of this academic year. The importance of reporting department and other awards is to prevent an overaward which results if the total awards exceeding the academic year budget. If an overaward occurs, the student may be billed for any excess aid or their loans may be pulled back.  

Internship and Career Center

Whether you aspire to an academic career or a career beyond the Ivory Tower, the Internship and Career Center has a variety of resources to help you on your path. We offer one-on-one career advising, specialty workshops, and panel discussions on a wide variety of topics, including: how to craft a C.V. and cover letter, transferring your skills outside of academia, and career options in various fields. For more information, visit http://iccweb.ucdavis.edu/graduates.

Women Grads Listserv

Information provided to the Women Grads Listserv is specially focused to address the concerns of graduate women, including funding resources, programs and events and links to informative Web sites and articles. Join this listserv by e-mailing wrrcgrad@ucdavis.edu. For more information, call Brook (530) 752-3372 at the Women's Resource and Research Center.

Participate in Research Studies

USDA, ARS Western Human Nutrition Research Center seeks participants for its nutrition research studies. One goal of their research is to create and test food-based strategies, or “nutrition interventions” to improve human health. Men and women receive financial compensation for their participation. Most study visits are held on the UC Davis campus. Participants can live in Yolo, Sacramento, or surrounding counties. To learn about research studies, call the study phone number (530) 752-5177 or visit their Web site at http://www.ars.usda.gov/pwa/davis/whnrc/nutrition.

Professional Development Series

The Professional Development Series (PDS) provides a variety of training opportunities on topics of professional development interest to graduate students and postdoctoral scholars. PDS is offered by the Office of Graduate Studies and co-sponsored by other UC Davis units. For a listing of events please go online to http://www.gradstudies.ucdavis.edu/pds or contact Teresa Dillinger (tldillinger@ucdavis.edu). If you'd like to subscribe the Professional Development Series listserv to receive information about upcoming workshops visit https://listproc.ucdavis.edu/listproc and select PROFDEVSERIES.

Women's Survive and Thrive Handbook

To share ideas, issues, concerns, and celebrations that you think should be included in this electronic magazine, or if you are willing to write about your experiences as a women grad, please contact Brook at wrrcgrad@ucdavis.edu or (530) 752-3372, Women's Resource and Research Center.

Blue Cross of California Name Change

Blue Cross of California started doing business as Anthem Blue Cross on April 1, 2008. Blue Cross of California products and services are offered under the Anthem Blue Cross brand. Members will now log into http://www.anthem.com/ca instead of http://www.bluecrossca.com to access the secure member web tools. Members who have already set up a username and password with Blue Cross will continue to access information at Anthem by using the same username and password, providing the existing information meets the Web site security standards. If not, the member will be prompted to make necessary updates upon login. If you need assistance, please call the number on the back of your ID card (1-800-888-2108).

Teaching Resources

Ever wish you could learn more about teaching but find that you can't seem to get away from your computer? The "Tomorrow's Professor" listserv, hosted by Stanford University, provides a handy solution – it will send two interesting postings about teaching and higher education to your e-mail inbox each week for free. To look at some previous postings, check out their Web site at http://ctl.stanford.edu/Tomprof/postings.html#teaching and its accompanying blog at http://amps-tools.mit.edu/tomprofblog/archives/tomorrows_teaching_and_learning, or sign up at http://ctl.stanford.edu/Tomprof/subscribe.html. If you have any questions, please contact Mikaela Huntzinger (pmhuntzinger@ucdavis.edu) or at (530) 752-9088.

Internship and Career Center Library

Looking for information about the academic job search or careers beyond academia? Need information on teaching colleges classes? Looking for ideas for how to write a dissertation? Visit the Internship and Career Center Library in 215 South Hall! We have an extensive collection of books for graduate students and postdocs. Although our books cannot be checked-out, they are available for you to browse from Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-Noon and 1:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. Visit our online catalog and scan the “Grad Student/Postdoc Collection” section for all of our titles http://iccweb.ucdavis.edu/graduates/GradStudentResources.htm.

Changing Your Registration Status

Are you planning to change your registration status, such as going on PELP or Filing Fee, graduating or withdrawing from UC Davis? Plan ahead by becoming informed about its impact on your SHIP eligibility, enrollment, and fees. Go to http://healthcenter.ucdavis.edu/insurance/eligibility.html for detailed information.

Teaching Assistant and Research Assistant SHIP Fees

If you are a TA or a RA and have a question about whether or not your SHIP fee will be paid on your behalf, contact your department office. Remission of SHIP fees is determined and managed through your individual graduate departments.

Moving?

Please remember to update your current mailing address on SISWEB or at the Office of the Registrar. If you don’t keep your current mailing address on file, you may not receive important information from Anthem Blue Cross, Delta Dental, VSP, and Student Health Services, including your SHIP ID cards.