Good luck as you negotiate the maze of paperwork
which greets you at the beginning of your first semester.
ACLAnet
This is a site hosted
by CompLit at UMass. Work started on redesigning has stalled a bit
right now -- anybody interested in helping out? The hope is that
it can serve as a clearinghouse for information around issues in TEACHING
Comp Lit. There are a lot of syllabi up on the site. Take a
look, and submit yours as well! www.umass.edu/complit/aclanet
.
Bills
There are certain fees which are neither waived by a TAship nor by university sponsored fellowships. You can have these fees deducted in increments from your paycheck – BUT NOTE THAT THE DEADLINE FOR SUBMITTING PAPERWORK FOR AUTOMATIC DEDUCTION IS SIGNIFCANTLY EARLIER THAN THE DEADLINE for full payment. If you do not submit the paperwork in time, you will be required to pay the entire fee at once (generally due early in October).
!!! MAKE SURE YOU CHECK GEO ELIGIBLE on your bill so that you do not have to pay the supplemental insurance fee if you are receiving a GEO eligible fellowship or assistantship.
Buses
Local Buses: Good news – they're free! (The Northhampton bus charges a small fee in the summertime only). The busing system is quite extensive and most buses run pretty frequently during the day and every half hour at night. On Saturdays, when traffic is bad, the Norhthampton bus can be delayed, but generally they are pretty reliable. Schedules online: www.umass.edu/bus. Or pick up the following schedules in the bus which are likely to be most helpful.
the five college bus system (which includes B43 - Northampton, and M40 -- Northampton Express)Peterpan Bus: If you want to visit New York City, Boston or other cities during weekends and holidays, peterpan bus migth be a good choice. You may buy your ticket at the postoffice on campus and check the bus fare and schedule online at: peterpanbus.com.
#30 (Belchertown Rd / North Amherst)
#31 (Sunderland /South Amherst)
the Amity Shuttle (which runs to Big Y and Stop and Shop, the two big grocery stores).
You can get to Bread and Circus by taking the Northhampton bus. The bus stop signs have disappeared, but there is a stop right at Bread and Circus – just tell the driver that's where you are going if you are unsure where to pull the cord. The Northhampton / Amherst buses run later on the weekend.
Classes
Don't forget to check out their detailed course descriptions at each department's web page. Not all English courses welcome Comp Lit students, but some professors are quite open to Comp Lit students. English is in Bartlett (main floor), the languages in Herter (French, Italian, Spanish and Portugese – 4th floor, German and Classics – 5th floor). Judaic Studies is in Herter as well.
Asian Languages and Literatures (http://www.umass.edu/asianlan/)
Classics (http://www.umass.edu/classics/)
English (http://www.umass.edu/english/)
Film Studies (http://www.umass.edu/film)
French/Italian (http://www.umass.edu/freital/)
Germanic Languages and Literatures (http://www.umass.edu/germanic)
Judaic Studies (http://www.umass.edu/judaic/)
Spanish/Portugese (http://www.umass.edu/spanport/)
Women's Studies (http://www.umass.edu/wost/)
Computers
Good news and bad news. We get free printouts at UMass, which is pretty unusual. The bad news is: computer lab space is limited and frequently busy. In addition, the hours are limited – not a single lab is limited to just student use, but rather always available as a classroom as well. However, in some cases professors will let you use free computers fifteen minutes after class has begun in the library lab. My (Beverly's ) first choice is generally the writing program lab on the main floor of Bartlett, which is generally open in the late afternoon and evenings. The library lab (7th floor and 16th floor) and the lab in the Lederle Graduate Resource Center (main floor of the lowrise) are probably your next best bets. There are also computers available in the Foreign Language Research Center, in the basement of Herter annex, but beware: these computers are NOT run by OIT and tend to crash freqently. In addition, if you use new paper there you have to pay 5 cents per copy. We are working on getting some old computers installed in the grad student offices as well.
Contracts
Don't forget to sign your contract. Make sure that there is a GEO membership form attached to your contract, which asks you whether you would like to become a full member of GEO and whether you would like your fees (required minimum fees or full GEO membership fees) deducted in weekly increments from your paycheck. We recommend that you become a full GEO member, has GEO has done a lot of work for us in the last years – including working for contracts, significant raises in minimum salaries, and health insurance. (Dental insurance is in the works). You also are only eligible to vote if you are a full member. Our contract is online at the GEO site.
Films
There are several places to look for films for your class. Unfortunately, they are not really connected to each other. Foreign language films are available in the Foreign Language Research Center – if you get your name entered in the computer as an instructor, you will also be able to check films out for up to two days. Their German collection is particularly extensive, but there are quite a lot of films in other languages as well. Films not available in the UMass library but available in the Five College Catalog can be ordered through the Academic Media Instructional Services in 303 Goodell (see their web page at www.umass.edu/aims) or call 545-2548.
GEO
The Graduate Employee Organization is our graduate student union. See the back of your contract for information on how to become a member. (See contracts) They have a web site -- but they don't update it all that frequently, so don't hit the panic button if you see dire warnings for issues you thought were already resolved (for example, pay raises). You can also view your contract there.
Keys
Unfortunately, to get a key to your office (and if you are a TA for discussion sections, to the office of the professor with whom you are working), the applications must be hand delivered to the key office of the physical plant, which is located next to the textbook annex. If you are eligible for keys, Linda will fill out an application for you and get the appropriate signatures.
Libraries
Remember that you can order any books from the four colleges, even if we have a copy in the UMass library. If a book you want is on reserve or checked out, it may be faster to get it from the four colleges. Just go to the library home page, select "library catalog," click on four college catalog, then do a search for the book. Then click on "request item" and type in the relevant info. Your book will be waiting for you at the front desk of the library -- normally within 48 hours. Don't forget to renew your four college books online -- they are due within four weeks of your request unless you renew them.
Office Space
If you have a TAship you are eligible for office space. Ask Linda to which office you have been assigned. Note that we have a microwave, refrigerator, and a small lounge area in Bartlett 15 – even if your office is not there, feel free to make use of that space.
OGSCL
One of many acronyms to acquaint yourself with! This is our Graduate Student Organization. We urge you to attend our meetings regularly and to participate. We are the people sponsoring this handout, and a good source of info for you. Please send your new email address to Lan at amannur@complit.umass.edu as soon as possible so that she can get you signed up on our listserv. Our website, at www.umass.edu/complit/ogscl, provides you with past newsletters, a directory of grad students, teaching information and more. Lan is maintaining the web pages of directory and misc. information , so if you have suggestions or complaints, email her at ldong@complit.umass.edu.
Professional Organizations
You should definitely start out by joining the Modern Language Association. Membership will entitle you to a free copy of the MLA handbook which will be your reference book for all the picky citation questions you won't want to memorize!!! You will also get the PMLA (the publication) as well as the annual directory and call for papers. These are important steps in acquainting yourself with professional issues in Literature. You can join MLA online at
www.mla.org.
You may also want to consider joining other professional organizations relevant to your field. As there is a fee for each organization, choose carefully: consider which organizations require you to join in order to present papers, for example, and which organizations have regular publications. Some organizations will allow you to join listservs, through which you can generally get lots of information without the fees. A partial list of organizations and listservs is on the OGSCL web page (www.umass.edu/complit/ogscl).
Reading Group
We are hoping to replace this with a faculty and grad student Cultural Studies colloquium -- keep checking for info!
Registering
Don't be alarmed if you can't get into a class on the first try (this happens most frequently with classes in the English department). Keep trying, and also go to the class on the first day to see if the instructor might be willing to let you in.
Women's Studies/Graduate Certificate in Advanced Feminist Studies
Quite a few Comp Lit students are also doing the graduate certificate. Check with Anita, Beverly, Jeanine, or Shu-Chen if you would like more information. The office is on the 3rd floor of Bartlett.