The first step after joining a research group in ISL is to determine which administrator supports your faculty advisor. This person will be able to answer most any logistical question you might have. This link tells you who's who. All four administrators have offices on the second floor of Packard.

Desk space in Packard is tight, so desks are not automatically granted if you join a research group. Your advisor needs to make a request for desk space to Kelly Yilmaz on your behalf. He may try to make room for you within his student office by evicting old tenants or doubling you up with existing tenants.

Once your desk assignment has been settled and your advisor or his administrator has apprised Kelly Yilmaz of the situation, you may pick up a key to your office from Kelly in Packard 259. She charges a $10 deposit per key which will be returned to you when you return your room key. You may pay in cash or by check made payable to "Stanford University".

If you don't already have access to the Packard Building, you can have your Stanford ID card programmed to open the doors by making a request through your group's administrator. Your admin will make the request to the building manager and will need your student ID number.

If you need a key to the desk to which you have been assigned, read the tiny code off the lock and give it to Kelly. She will order a key. It's free to you.

Getting on the ISL Website

When you pick up an office key from Kelly, she will input your contact information into the ISL personnel roster, from which the ISL website is updated periodically. To speed up the process of getting on the website, send Kelly an email reminder.

She will also eventually add you to the ISL email list (isl-everyone@lists.stanford.edu), or you can self subscribe at mailman.stanford.edu.

Getting My Name on the Door

These are updated by Kelly Yilmaz a few times a year. Or, you can ask your admin to do it more promptly

Getting Supplies, Computers, etc.

Each faculty advisor is financially responsible for his research group's computing and other supply needs. These issues need to be discussed with your advisor's administrator. She may keep in her office the supplies needed by your group. Each research group has different financial resources and the university is not obligated to provide these materials. You may need to purchase them yourself.

Often, your advisor's administrator can reimburse you for out-of-pocket expenses, but you should get prior approval before making the purchase.

How Do I Get Paid?

There are four ways to pay your tuition, lodging, car, etc., while you work on your PhD. Often all four are put together in various combinations.

Use personal funds, student loans, and/or get an outside job.

Professors agreeing to be your PhD advisor are not necessarily agreeing to give you financial support. Be clear on what has been agreed to. Often, professors will have funding for only a couple students and the rest of the students in their group are supporting themselves.

Another way to earn a little money is to become a course grader. Tasha Newsom in Packard 173 is the grader liaison. She can try to hook you up with a needy class and she has employment forms that need to be filled out.

Keep visa issues in mind when looking for employment. If you are not a US citizen, check with the Bechtel International Center on campus for specifics on what you can and cannot do.

Get a fellowship.

If you don't already have a fellowship from an outside source, you may be lucky to receive one upon admission to the Electrical Engineering Department. After that there are very few available. Check with the School of Engineering Dean's Office.

Although students with fellowships may not see a need to affiliate for the first year or two with a research group, it's a good idea to do so. Becoming a contributing member of a research group offers many academic and logistical benefits, least of which can be a desk in Packard.

Be a course assistant.

When you are a course assistant (CA) for a quarter, you receive a bimonthly salary and your tuition that quarter is paid by the Electrical Engineering Department. Natasha Newson in Packard 173 is in charge of these assignments, so you must check with her early on about availability. Besides paying attention to your expertise, she is looking for graduate students with good communication, organization and people skills. You also need to complete an orientation session.

Checking directly with course instructors about their upcoming needs can help. If they like your qualifications, they can put in a good word with Natasha. However, you should never rely on your conversation with the professor as final confirmation that you will be the assistant for a particular course. Natasha makes the assignments and she may have already assigned someone to the course you think you are assisting. Again, check with her early on (like an entire quarter in advance) and demonstrate your communication skills...

Once you have secured the CAship, you need to pick up a salary form from Tasha and have the course instructor sign it.

Get a coveted RA appointment

A Research Assistantship granted by your advisor is not always easy to come by. A standard 50% RA appointment will cover your tuition fees and will give you a semimonthly salary. As mentioned earlier, professors do not have handfuls of these to distribute. They are usually awarded to professors through government contracts, which are hard to come by. Often the government funding sources are not reliable and funding periods may cease sooner than expected. If you are given an RA, you may be expected to work on proposals to increase government funding for the research group and to help your fellow students secure RA's.

When a professor gives you an RA, it is usually after he has become familiar with your research through individual meetings with you, after you have attended his research group meetings, after you have passed the quals, and if he feels your research interests are a good match. It doesn't happen right away. So you are usually on your own for the first few quarters. When offering an RA, the professor will often warn you that it is contingent upon funding and/or performance-- it may only last a quarter. However, most professors take on Research Assistants with the intent to support them throughout their doctoral studies.

A standard RA is at the 50% level during the academic year (presumably you are spending the other 50% of the time taking courses). RA's are sometimes raised to the 90% level during the summer. Often professors will support students during the autumn, winter and spring quarters only. No summer support. Sometimes professors will only have 25% RA's available.

The salary level of a standard 50% RA is about $2,600 a month - gross. Plan to see only two thirds of that since Uncle Sam (our government) takes the rest.

Once a professor has agreed to support you, his administrator will submit an RA form to the department to get you paid. There will also be tax and visa forms to fill out if you've never been employed at the university, so come prepared with your passport, etc.

IMPORTANT NOTE ON EMPLOYMENT:  To be paid by any campus entity or department, you need to have a Social Security Number (SSN). The process to get one can take up to six weeks, so plan in advance.

When Do I Get Paid?

Stanford issues checks on the 22nd of the month (for work done during the first two weeks of the month) and on the 7th of the month (for work done during the last two weeks of the month). For example, if you get an RA for the winter quarter, the payroll department will pay you for the period January 1 through March 31. Your first paycheck will arrive on January 22 and your last paycheck will arrive on April 7.

Get Direct Deposit! If you do get paid by Stanford as an RA or a CA, be sure to request direct deposit of paychecks into your bank account. It's the quickest and most secure way to get paid. (No lost checks, etc.) You can do this in Axess under the Employee Info tab. This new Employee Info page has many useful payroll links which you may need or want to explore.

If you do not have direct deposit you can usually find your paycheck with Kelly Yilmaz in Packard 259 on the 7th or 22nd of the month if you are an RA, or with Mimi Qian in Packard 164 if you have a CA.
 

Wired and Wireless Access

If you wish to plug in a new computer at Packard, you will need to request an IP address from the Packard networking group. The link is on the website ee-networking.stanford.edu. Most of the data jacks (the orange ones) in the Packard Building are live and will work when you plug your IP-configured computer into them.

The same data running through the wires is floating through the air on the wireless network in Packard and just about everywhere else on campus. When you pop open your laptop and try to surf, a Stanford screen will appear requesting your SUNetID. You may need to specify the domain name server (DNS) 171.64.7.55 in the laptop's network configuration.

If you are a visitor and don't have a SUNetID, your Stanford host or one of the four administrators on this floor can grant you a temporary SUNetID valid only for network surfing and only for a week at a time. The form they fill out is on this page: https://tools.stanford.edu/cgi-bin/ext/accounts.

Using the Copier

The copiers in Packard 213 and Packard 366 only operate with codes which are supplied to you by your group's administrator. Both machines use the same codes, so if the one on the second floor is down or busy, you can use the third floor copier.

In general, the copier code provided by your administrator is for research purposes. These copies are charged to your professor's research account.

If you are the CA for a quarter, please get the COURSE copy code from your administrator and use that for handout copying rather than the research code (with which you are so familiar). Copying handouts is costly and can add up quickly to hundreds of dollars on the professor's research account - a bad thing.

Using Phones and Fax Machines

Stanford has its own telephone network whereby you dial only the last five digits of a number to reach another phone on campus. To get "out to the real world" you must first dial "9" to get an outside dial tone.

From most office phones in Packard, domestic long distance is included. For international calls, there are two ways to make a call from a Stanford telephone.

1. If it is a personal call, you can use your personal calling card, the same card you would use to make a call from anywhere in the world. Those are usually initiated as toll-free 800 number calls. Again, remember to dial 9 first: 9-1-800-XXX-XXXX.
2. If it is a business call, ie. it has something to do with research group business, you can get an authorization code from your professor's administrator, assuming the professor has a code and is distributing it to his students. These calls are charged to the professor's research contract. The administrator monitors the detailed monthly statements, and we can see what number was called, from which phone and at what time. Guess what? we can add up things, too.

   To use the authorization code, dial 9, then the number you wish to call. You will then hear a quick succession of four beeps and then the dial tone again. This is the prompt for your 7-digit authorization code. Once you enter that, the call will go through. Calling internationally, you also must dial the international access code (011) and the country code, i.e. 9+011+{country code} + {city code and/or local number}.

There is a lab-wide fax machine in the copier room, Packard 213. It's number is 650-723-8473. There is a sign on the board above it with precise instructions on how to use it. Long distance faxes are handled the same way you handle long distance phone calls.

Each fax transmission should be accompanied by a transmission report that lets you know that the fax went through "ok". If one doesn't pop out within 5 minutes, you can force a report via the menu.

Incoming faxes are usually left on the machine, next to the machine or pinned to the bulletin board behind the machine.

ISL FAX COVER SHEET

Receiving Snail Mail

To receive mail on the second floor of Packard, have it addressed to yourself at

Electrical Engineering Department
Stanford University
Packard XXX (your room number goes here)
Stanford, CA 94305-9510

It's the mail code 9510 which will send the package directly to Packard 213 and prevent it from getting lost. You can find the mail sorted by your last name in the alphabetized boxes in 213.

If you are expecting an express courier package, it will probably be delivered to the Packard shipping clerk, Tharmon Patton, in room 120. He will sign for it and will bring it later that day either to your office or to your advisor's administrator. Yes, Tharmon probably knows who you are!

Please refrain from using Packard as your primary mail drop. Not only does it put extra strain on the Stanford and Packard mail sorters (including the research group administrators who should be kept happy), but Stanford's post office will not forward mail that goes to the departments. So when you leave you either have to contact each sender individually or you have to rely on the kindness of those you leave behind to forward your mail to you. Get a post office box for your bills and magazines.

Using the Kitchen

You are free to use the kitchen facing the atrium on the second floor. You may store your lunch in the refrigerator and you may use the toaster oven and microwave ovens.

Please clean up after yourself. This is like the kitchen in your house. It is not a restaurant with wait service. No one is going to clean your spilled milk in the fridge, your burst tomato in the microwave or your baguette crumbs on the table. It's up to you.

Please don't leave your dishes, cups and utensils accumulating around the sink. They will eventually get thrown away.

If you need to book the kitchen area for an event, please inform Kelly Yilmaz, who keeps the calendar.

Recycling & Garbage

ISL has many facilities for recycling. There are several bins for paper, including one in the copier room. There are several bins for bottles and cans, including one in the kitchen.

If you leave your empty cardboard boxes outside your office door, the custodian will take them to the cardboard recycling dumpster between CIS and Ginzton.

Also in the copier room (Packard 213), you will find a container for used batteries, a container for junked electronics and a cardboard box for used toner cartridges. We also have a roll of plastic envelopes in the copier room for mailing in small printer cartridges. Just pop them in an envelope and pop the envelope in the mail - no labeling required.

To recycle large electronic equipment (i.e. monitors, dead computers), contact your group admin, who will contact Property Administration (PA). PA must be contacted when anything with a inventory ID tag is going to be junked, moved or transferred. Otherwise, our inventory records will be inaccurate and your group admins will be very grumpy people the next time inventory is taken.

In Packard offices, garbage bins are only emptied on Monday nights. So, if you throw your half empty coffee with cream in there on Tuesday morning, it will slowly ripen to a putrid sludge. The building manager has requested that all "wet garbage" be disposed of in common areas like the kitchen, where the trash is emptied nightly.

Booking Conference Rooms

There are nine standard conference rooms in Packard: 036, 214, 242, 277, 312, 339, 364, 124, and 204. Most accommodate 10-15 people. 277 holds up to 20. 204 holds up to 45 (so I'm told).

Packard 101 and 202 have lecture seating. 101 seats 89 and 202 seats 45.

All these rooms are to be used primarily for research group meetings and academic talks. They should not be used for courses or course purposes. You can schedule them through your research group's administrator or directly with the Packard receptionist on the first floor. You must reference a faculty sponsor to book a room. To schedule a room for course reasons, contact Diane Shankle, who will then request the room for the Registrar.

Booking a Data Projector

Several research groups have their own projectors. ISL no longer has a departmental projector for check out. You may, however, ask your group administrator to book the department's, or use the signup sheet located at ee-networking.stanford.edu. The EE projector may be picked up from the Packard receptionist on the first floor. Note that the receptionist is out to lunch from noon to 1 PM, so if you have a noon talk, go a few minutes early.

To reach everyone at ISL, send email to isl-everyone@lists.stanford.edu .

To reach all Electrical Engineering students, you need to self-subscribe at mailman.stanford.edu to the ee-students list if you aren't already on it. Then you can post to it at ee-students@lists.stanford.edu .

Getting Reimbursed for Travel

Don't assume you are going to get reimbursed for travel to conferences unless you have received explicit assurance from your advisor that he can cover your expenses. Professors pay for conference travel from limited government grants or research funds, if they have them. Different professors pay for different expenses.

If you know you are going to be reimbursed by your professor, you need to make sure you keep all your receipts, especially the airfare receipt (even if you are not seeking reimbursement for it - Stanford requires it to prove you traveled). Generally speaking, you should travel on US air carriers. If you're being reimbursed from a government contract, YOU MUST. Make sure your airfare receipt is indeed a receipt and not just a booking itinerary.

If your professor has agreed to pay your rental car expense, be sure to decline the extra insurance the rental company offers on domestic (US) rentals. Stanford University's insurance will cover that and Stanford's accounting office will not reimburse it. However, if the car was rented outside the United States, you DO need to purchase the extra insurance that is offered.

Your research group administrator will need to gather from you a copy of the front page of the conference program, as well as any references inside to your talk. Also, she will need you to fill out a tax form if you are not a US citizen and make copies of your passport, visa, etc.

The Final Stretch

Keeping up to date with Diane
Presumably you have become good friends with Diane Shankle in Packard 165 during your stay in ISL. Throughout your academic career you will be required to periodically give her forms documenting your progress. One of these forms is the doctoral degree candidacy declaration, meaning you have entered the final 1-3 year stretch.

Going TGR
Another nice thing to do at some apropos point is "going TGR" (terminal graduate registration). This essentially means you have finished your coursework and won't be taking anymore classes. When you declare this, your tuition drops several thousand dollars a quarter, relieving a lot of pressure on your advisor's funds, assuming he is footing the bill.

Advertising your Oral Exam
When you have finally accomplished the task of lining up several professors on the same day at the same time to listen to your talk, you are to send Natasha Newson an email with your oral exam details, including location, date, title and abstract. She then distributes this to several email lists. If you likewise email the info to Kelly Yilmaz she will post it to the ISL website and event calendar.

There is also an Electrical Engineering Events calendar located at http://ee-networking.stanford.edu.

Refreshments for the Oral Exam
This is not a real requirement. It is a bribe students have traditionally offered to the professors who are lining up outside the door. Professors on sugar highs are sometimes nicer. It's also an opportunity for your friends to hang out and wish you well. There is no reimbursement offered for these snacks and there is certainly no need to spend much time worrying about bringing them. Often your spouse or your office mates will pitch in and put something together for you.

ISL has two tables in a storage closet which can be used for this purpose if needed. We also have a thermos, hot water heater, knives and bowls. Please be considerate and clean these items before returning them. And please return them to the cupboard from whence they came.

Thesis Paper
Stanford requires your thesis to be printed on acid-free paper. The best and probably cheapest paper for this purpose is the Stanford watermark acid-free thesis paper which is available through Corporate Express, an approved Stanford vendor. It's cheaper than what you would find at the Stanford Bookstore.

The only catch is that your name must be placed on the list of approved buyers, ensuring there is a legitimate use for the Stanford watermark. Your research group's administrator can contact Stanford Purchasing to get your name on this list. Within 24 hours you should be able to call Corporate Express at 800-267-5726 and place the order. This is your expense, not the professor's or the Department's.

Leaving ISL

Leaving ISL is often a slow, drawn-out process. But please don't forget that while you are focusing on your life elsewhere, life here goes on. There are always new students arriving monthly who could really use your desk and computer. Please be courteous and don't hog a desk you really aren't using anymore. Clear out your stuff if you're only planning to come in a few times a month. If we notice you're not really using the desk, we reserve the right to box up your things and reassign it.

Per the note above on mail, remember that you cannot submit a forwarding card to the Stanford post office to have the mail arriving for you in Packard forwarded elsewhere. You need to contact the senders and alert them individually to your new address. You should make arrangements with your office mates or with your research group's assistant to forward any stray mail to you. You should definitely give your new address to your group's administrator in any case.

Please turn in your keys to Kelly Yilmaz. She will refund your $10 deposit and take you off the list. It's best to close this loop and get your name off the key list. In the past when stolen items have been reported to the police, the first thing the police do is ask for a list of the people who have keys to the office in question. This means you may get in the middle of a Stanford investigation five years from now.

Please also leave your desk key in the desk you vacate so that the person who inherits your desk isn't screwed. Practice good karma.