You are ready to start earning your Ph.D. (mentally), but there is much to be done to make you official at Emory before the real fun begins of classes, lab rotations and seminars.

You will receive a welcome packet in the mail (usually in June) with information from the Division Office and the Graduate School. There will be lots of detailed information to help you make your way through the logistics of getting started. We want to reiterate what these offices communicate to our students and add some more thoughts.

Who does what in PBEE?

You will have met us during the recruiting weekend, but here is a reminder:

PBEE Director
Dr. Leslie A. Real
lreal@emory.edu

PBEE Program Administrator
Malia Escobar
malia.escobar@emory.edu

PBEE Director of Graduate Studies
Dr. Mike Zwick
mzwick@genetics.emory.edu

What is the Division?

PBEE is one of the programs under the umbrella of the Graduate Division of Biological and Biomedical Sciences. You may have figured this out while applying to the program, but most official things pass through the Division. It is considered the "hub" of all the programs and the liaison between the programs and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. The central administrative office is located in Suite 314 of the Dental Building (old Dental School still called Dental Bldg.) at 1462 Clifton Road.

When do I go to the Division?

The Division handles stipend awards, tuition awards, health insurance forms, course registration, teaching assignments, etc. This office is also the location where you will receive your mail until you permanently affiliate with a lab.

Who does what in the Division office?

Main line: 404-727-2545
FAX: 404-727-3322

Dr. Keith Wilkinson, Director
Acting Director, GDBBS
Professor of Biochemistry
404-727-2545,
genekdw@emory.edu

Cindy Meier, Database Coordinator
Address, presentations, honors and awards updates
Unofficial transcript copy
Training grant preparation
Alumni Updates
Listserv, Database and OPUS Demographic updates
404-727-3215,
cmeier@emory.edu

Shenita Merriweather, Administrative Assistant
GDBBS Registrar - OPUS Training
Student File Coordinator
Poster Boards
Assistant to Kathy Smith, the Director of Recruitment and Admissions
Inquiries
Verification of Important Letters
Assists Dr. Wilkinson and other staff members
404-727-2752,
biomed@emory.edu

Kathy Smith, Director of Recruitment and Admissions
Recruitment fairs
Advise applicants, arrange campus visits
Application processing
Coordinate recruitment mailings
Maintenance of GDBBS website
Publication of viewbooks, brochures, posters, and Annual Report
Contact for web site and server problems
Provides admissions data for training grants
404-727-2547,
smithka@emory.edu

Monica C. Taylor, Director of Student Development
Career Development Information
Expedite Candidacy, Application for Degree, and other forms
Grant and Fellowship Information
Relay GSAS and GDBBS policy
TATTO Coordinator
DSAC Coordinator
Expediting of grade rolls and class rolls
Distribution of bound copies of dissertations
404-727-2678,
mtayl02@emory.edu

Margie Varnado, Business Manager
Payroll
Human Resources
Financial information for fellowship and training grants
Compliance with health insurance policy
404-727-2803,
mvarnad@emory.edu

Before you arrive

Housing
You should obviously find a place to live if you are moving to Atlanta. See the section on Where Students Live to read what our current students say about where they live.

Emory Housing

• Campus housing http://www.emory.edu/HOUSING
• Off-campus housing http://www.housing.emory.edu/off-campus/home.cfm

Other Housing

• Creative Loafing has real estate listings for apartments, etc. to rent. Go to , click on "Classifieds", then look under "Real Estate". (This is a great local magazine paper in general. You can get it, along with other papers, in front of Rollins Research Center at the corner of Gatewood and Clifton Rd.)
• With the Promove service, you go meet with a representative and tell him/her what you're looking for. They tell you what apartments fit your description and give you a map with addresses. http://www.promove.com

Tips:

• You can use various web services like Mapquest.com to locate Emory University and your apartment. For a university address, use 1510 Clifton Rd, Atlanta GA 30322. That's the Rollins Research Center on campus.
• Emory is in the city of Atlanta, in Dekalb County. Many apartments will list themselves as "Emory area". Other convenient locations: Decatur (0-5 min.), Toco Hills (5 min.), Little Five Points (5 min.), Virginia Highlands (5 min.), Midtown (8 min.), Buckhead (10 min.), Avondale (10 min.).
• Some students and faculty live in Stone Mountain about 20 - 30 minutes away.

Fall lab rotation
Students must make arrangements with faculty to discuss supervising their fall semester lab rotation projects. Look in the faculty profile section for contact information.

Transcripts
The Division Office must receive official final transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate (if applicable) institutions from which you have received a degree and/ or attended. The transcripts must indicate the type of degree earned and the date of conferment, not just the courses took and grades. It is best to bring the transcripts to the office in person. If you mail them, please call to confirm they were received.

Insurance
The Graduate School requires health insurance coverage as a condition of registration. Each student must either accept the university sponsored insurance (which the GDBBS is paying for) or opt out by completing the online waiver at www.chickering.com and submitting a copy of their current insurance card to Margie Varnado. (Note: Insurance forms should be completed every year during June and returned to Margie Varnado).

Registration
The Director of Graduate Studies for PBEE will register you for your first semester in the Fall. All students are required to be registered for 12 credit hours per semester to be considered a full-time student.

$$$
After the required documentation is completed, you will begin receiving a monthly stipend check on the last work day of each month in which you are enrolled as a full-time student. The first stipend check will be paid at the END of September, so you should be prepared to meet initial living and incidental expenses until that time.

Fees
You will receive a bill from the Bursar's Office in July for tuition and fees. It should show a credit for the tuition, but you are responsible for paying fall student fees which include activity fees, athletic fees and computing fees. You can mail the payment for fees or pay in person to this office located on the ground floor in the B. Jones Center (1130 on the campus map). Students who neglect to pay these fees each semester are dropped by the registrar from courses, incur a late registration fee of $50 and are not eligible to receive the monthly stipend. In other words, paying these fees is NOT optional.

Parking
Students who need parking must register with the parking office each year. We advise students to sign up online for parking at their earliest opportunity at http://www.epcs.emory.edu/park/. A parking letter is available for students who need to change their parking registration to the Michael Street Deck, which is the deck recommended for incoming students.

Two-day class
First year students must attend the "Values in Science" class (IBS 606). This class is required by any person who is supported by NIH funds, and is a requirement for all students in most programs. You can elect to take this course in January if you prefer. It is given the week before the fall and spring semesters begin.
http://www.biomed.emory.edu/courses/courses_VIS.cfm

Once you arrive

Orientations
The Graduate School will host a mandatory orientation session for new students, as well as a picnic for all students. The date is generally immediately before the first day of classes. The Division will also host an orientation, and PBEE will likely have an informal lunch/ social gathering for all faculty and students to kick off the semester and welcome our new students.

International students are also required to attend an international student orientation hosted by the Office of International Student and Scholar Programs (ISSP). Attendance is mandatory.

Domestic
Students must check in at the GDBBS office within 48 hours after arriving on campus to complete their financial paperwork with Margie Varnado. Bring two pieces of I.D. in order to complete the U.S. Department of Justice Form I-9 (Employment Eligibility Verification). The Division office has a detailed list of what forms of I.D. are accepted.

International
You must go by the Division office to complete financial paperwork and contact Mary Chenault (404-727 7889) to complete tax paper work You must also check in with the ISSP office at 404-727-3300. Go to the ISSP website at http://www.emory.edu/ISSP for more information.

Students whose native language is not English must take an English Language Proficiency Assessment before registering. The ESL Program Director will schedule the assessments. Call 404-727-2183 for more information. Allowance may need to be made to adjust class schedules to accommodate ESL classes.

PBEE specific
Students should contact the Director of Graduate Studies for PBEE and discuss the scheduling of courses and orientation. Newly arrived students must also meet with faculty supervising their fall semester rotation projects.

Drop/add
Students who need his/her schedule changed must complete drop/add with Shenita Merriweather. The form requires the advisor's signature, the signature of the program DGS, or director. Drop/Add is only available for the first week of classes. Students must be forewarned that they must act in a timely manner if they want their schedules changed.

Once you have settled in

People's Room
Room 1117 in the Rollins Research Center has been designated as the official hangout of PBEE faculty, postdocs and graduate students. You may have read some journal articles here during the recruitment weekend. This site also marks the birthplace of many exciting collaborations and publications.

Meet non-Emory scholars
As part of the PBEE Seminar Series on Fridays, the program invites scholars from other institutions to give a talk. It is a good opportunity to meet researchers outside of the program, and you will have opportunities for discussions beyond the seminar itself. Don't be shy about participating in the lunch and dinner set up for the speaker to interact with our students. You may also schedule a meeting slot before or after the seminar, and you can share it with other students if that is easier.

Reserve conference rooms
There are six conference rooms generally used by PBEE in the Biology Department. The biggest ones are Rooms 1052 and 2052 (for a seminar, for example). There are smaller rooms at the ends of each hall: Room 1033, 1133, 2033, 2133. You can reserve these rooms through a contact in Room 2006 in the Biology Department. It is currently Geraldine Duffy. Email: geraldine.duffy@emory.edu, phone: 404-727-6293.

Pre-registration
October

Pre registration materials will be sent to all students, DGS, and program administrators via e mail. Students will need to meet with their program DGS to decide what they should take during the spring semester and to register on OPUS. Any student taking a course with the section "OOP" must get the signature of the course instructor on the permission form, included in the pre registration package.

March

Pre registration materials will be sent to the students for the summer session and for the fall semester. This form must also be turned in to the GDBBS office. For the summer session, all the students will be signed up for Graduate Residency unless they have to take an ESL course or have some other special circumstances.