Information for new MS and PhD graduate assistants and US citizens, Fall 2023

Welcome to the Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science!

Last Updated, April 24, 2023  We are hoping to have a Zoom/Skype meeting on June 5th.  Details will be sent to your UI email address.

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Housing Information for All Students

The department has a housing webpage, please let us know if you have any questions or concerns. If you are looking for a roommate please let us know and we can update this web page!

Looking for housing options

All US citizens that are financially supported (TA, RA) need to be here on August 16.

All students will register for classes the week before classes start.

MYUI, and its website will serve as a hub for students to access several of the UI systems and tools they use most. 

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Fall Classes Advising will be August 15-19

All NEW UI students must meet with their advisor prior to registration.  There is no worry about getting into any of the classes we teach. 

  • IF you are an Actuarial Science MS or PhD student you will need to meet with Professor Shyamalkumar.  Email him at shyamal-kumar@uiowa.edu to dicuss what classes to take.
  • IF you are a Statistics MS or PhD student you will need to meet with Professor Aixin Tan. She will email you before the week of August 15.

New Graduate College Welcome and Orientation, August 16

The Graduate College Fall 2023 Graduate Student Orientation event will take place on Wednesday, August 16, 2023.  A registration form will be sent to your UI email sometime this early summer.

All new doctoral and master’s students are invited to attend. More information coming directly from the Graduate College! https://grad.uiowa.edu/graduate-college-orientation-schedule

New Teaching Assistant Orientation for ALL new Supported Graduate Assistants, August 18, Virtual Event 9 a.m. - noon.

  • Not required but highly recommended.
  • https://teach.its.uiowa.edu/NewTAOrientation
  • This event will introduce participants to the role of teaching assistant at the University of Iowa and prepare them for the first week of classes and beyond.
  • Participants will discuss evidence-based teaching strategies, including for lesson-planning, inclusive teaching, and face-to-face instruction, with Center for Teaching staff. Participants will also choose two workshops of interest to them out of several options; these will be facilitated synchronously by experienced TAs.

Financially Supported Graduate Students must come in person and present required documents for employment verification.   

  • Check back here later this summer with the latest up-to-date information!  You will need to present your social security card, driver's license and/or passport. The college is changing the procedures and will let us know sometime this summer how they want to do this. 

 

New Student Department Orientation, August 18 at 9 a.m., Room to be determined.

  • All New Student Orientation —Group Introductions and General Policy Procedures.

New Graduate Assistants Orientation, August 18 at 1 p.m., Room to be determined.

  • Our Director of Graduate Studies will have a department review of expectations and your specific roles in our department. Teaching and grading assignments will be explained, as well as preparation, teaching tips, problems and questions, quizzes and exams, weekly meetings, grading, appropriate office use and the Sexual Harassment Prevention Education.

Mailbox in 241 Schaeffer Hall 

All graduate students will have a mailbox in our main office.  The faculty do as well.  Please check your mailbox at least once a week!

Office Desk Assignment

Nearly all supported students will have a desk in one of our offices.  The assignment priority (in this order) includes: Ph.D. and Fellowship candidates, research assistants, half-time teaching assistants, quarter-time teaching assistants and lastly graders.  Having a desk is a privilege and should be used only for University business.  Office assignments will be given to students on the first day of classes, August 21.  Keys are checked out ONLY after that time.  Please remember to keep the rooms clean and take out all trash to the large bins in the main hallways.

Set-up your University of Iowa Email

All University of Iowa students are required to activate their assigned uiowa.edu email address, as all official communication from university offices are now sent via email, rather than hard copy. This address usually follows the pattern firstname-lastname@uiowa.edu.  (However, often times a number is also attached.) 

To activate the account:

  • Log on to MyUI
  • Click on My UIowa / My Email / Request Email Account
  • Complete the specified steps

Students who prefer to maintain only their work or home email addresses can do so by routing the uiowa.edu email to a work or home account. To do so, follow these steps:

  • Log on to MyUI
  • Click on My UIowa / My Email / Update Email Routing Address
  • Complete the specified steps

Important Notes:

  • If your uiowa.edu email address is routed to a different account, you will not need to change your address in ICON, as your messages will already forward to your routed address.
  • To reduce bulk/mass email: 
    As a University of Iowa student, you may be receiving emails which are related to university activities but which do not apply directly to you or your program. To "unsubscribe" from these mass emails sent out by the university (except from university administration and UI Student Government):
    • Log on to MYUI
    • Click on My UIowa / My Email / Email Account Filter filter bulk mail
    • Make sure that none of the categories are checked

Required Graduate Assistants Teaching Courses:

  • ONLINE CLASS Requirement: Sexual Harassment Prevention Edu.  Use your HawkID and password to log into Employee Self Service. Click the Personal tab, next (under Learning and Development) click on Sexual Harassment Prevention Edu., follow instructions.  You may not be able to access this until you have completed the employment verification. 
  • ONLINE CLASS Requirement:  Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), Use your HawkID and password to log into Employee Self Service. Click the Personal tab, next (under Learning and Development) next click on Available Online Icon Courses, next FERPA Training, then click on View Details twice and the last click will be to Enroll in this ICON Course Session. You may not be able to access this until you have completed the employment verification. 

Administrative Department Staff:

Professor Aixin Tan

Director of Graduate Studies, Statistics and Data Science Graduate Advisor: aixin-tan@uiowa.edu  (319) 335-0821

Professor N.D. Shyamalkumar

Actuarial Science Graduate Advisor:  shyamal-kumar@uiowa.edu  (319) 335-1980

Margie Ebert

Academic Services Coordinator, margie-ebert@uiowa.edu (319) 335-2082

Heather Roth

Administrative Services Coordinator heather-roth@uiowa.edu (319) 335-0712

Tammy Siegel

Department Administrator, tamara-siegel@uiowa.edu, (319) 335-0706