New Student Orientation
MEMORANDUM
TO: Incoming Educational Psychology Students
FROM: Kristie Stramaski
SUBJECT: Departmental Information
Once again, welcome to the Department of Educational Psychology. We are looking forward to having you join us this fall! And to those of you who already joined us, we hope that your transition to TAMU has gone well and that you are finding your niche here in the department.
The purpose of this memo is to share some information about procedures/policies, etc. here in our department. I am hoping that it will be helpful to receive this information early.
Departmental Mailboxes
Every student in the Ed Psych Department has a student mailbox that is located in the Student Commons on the 7th floor. Materials sent to you through campus mail, departmental flyers, and general information from the university and from your program, etc. are all distributed through these boxes. They are arranged alphabetically and color-coded by program. Boxes will be reassigned to include incoming students in mid-August. We encourage you to check your box frequently.
Email Accounts
The Department of Educational Psychology requires that every student in the department maintain a NEO email account. This can be done without charge through your enrollment at TAMU. To set up your account, you will need to go to the Computer Help Desk in the Blocker Building. They will help you claim the account and provide the software necessary to install the program on your computer (if you wish). Please take several computer disks with you when you go to Blocker. As soon as you have your account, please provide me with your address. Computers to check you email are available in the EREL (Educational Research and Evaluation Lab) on our floor and at various other computer labs. You will need an EREL account to use their services and we will have information on how to set this account up. Students who do not obtain a NEO email account during the fall will be blocked from registration for the spring semester until they do so. Email is our primary method of communication within the department. We use it to notify students of changes in courses, degree plan requirements, job openings, etc. Programs maintain email addresses as well and use email to communicate current program information. Please note the policy requires you to have an active NEO email account. We understand that you may also have a commercial account. However, we will use your NEO account to communicate with you from the department. This is also the account that other departments across the university will use.
Registration
As an admitted student you are eligible to register for classes as you wish. I strongly urge you to speak to your temporary advisor before registering. You can register yourself through on-line registration or you can call my office (979-845-1831) and I will register you.
Registration and Payment Deadlines
The last day to register for fall classes is August 27th. If you do not register until the 26th or 27th, payment is due no later than 5 PM on the 27th.
Graduate students must pay tuition and fees by Friday, August 27. If you do no pay by 5 PM, you will be dropped from all classes and will be required to pay a $100 Late Registration Fee to reregister. You are required to pay by this date even if you have not received a bill, which frequently happens with those who register late. Please note that this means the payment must be received in the Fiscal Department by that time. Post marks, late delivery of overnight mail, etc. do not forgive the late fee. Just a word to the wise to be timely with your payment. Please also note that you can set up a payment plan-but that your first payment will be at least 50% of the total amount due + $15 partial payment fee.
Important Information for Those Fellowships and/or Grants
1. Unless you are informed otherwise, all students who are on fellowship, assistantship and/or grants must be enrolled for a minimum of nine hours for both fall and spring terms. You must be enrolled for a minimum of six hours for the summer (a combination of six over the two five-week semesters; or 6 hours for the 10 week semester). There are no exceptions to this policy. Compliance is checked by Payroll monthly and you must maintain the minimum hours for the entire semester.
2. If you are on departmental assistantship, you will need to check in with Ms. Angela Welch, the Academic Business Administrator for the department, when you arrive on campus. She has your necessary paperwork for payroll, arrange for new employee orientation, etc.
3. If you are on a grant, you will need to check in with Ms. Kathy May, who handles all grant activity for the department. She will have your necessary paper work,
help with book stipends, etc. Office assignments will be available through Ms. Cathy Watson.
Immunizations:
Many first-time graduate students find themselves unable to register for classes because they have a block that has been put against them by the Health Center. This happens when the student fails to supply the Center with complete immunization records or fail to get a necessary shot. You should have been notified if you fall in this category and I would urge you to work with the Health Center to have the block removed as soon as possible.
Local Address & Phone Number
Please provide me with your local address and phone number as soon as you arrive in Bryan/College Station. If you already have a new address, please complete the enclosed form and return it to me.
Student Services Office
My office is located in Room 704, Harrington. I hope you will stop by as soon as convenient for you. I'll be happy to help you with anything that I can, to provide information as I have it, campus maps, etc. My office is open each day from 8-5 PM.
First Day of Classes
Our first day of class for the fall is Monday, August 30th.
Please do not hesistate to call me (979-845-1831) or email me ( kstramaski@tamu.edu) if you have any questions or need help with anything. I am looking forward to seeing you soon.
