Graduate Student Life

This is held one week prior to the first week of Fall Semester classes. All incoming graduate students are expected to attend this meeting. Important information is disseminated at the meeting and any changes in policy are discussed, as well as the discussion of duties and assignments of various assistantship positions.

All graduate students should obtain a university e-mail account (PID) through Hokie Spa and provide the Graduate Counselor with an e-mail id no later than the ECE Advisement Orientation Session. Many departmental announcements are made via e-mail, such as seminar notices. E-mail should be checked daily in order to receive these announcements for ECE graduate students in a timely manner. E-mail may be read from computers in the university computer labs as well as several sites within the department. Students are responsible for receiving all departmental information distributed by e-mail.

Graduate students may also obtain an ECE Computer Workstation account once their Virginia Tech PID is set up. The workstations offer many computational tools for graduate students that may be used in their classes or research.

The ECE Department provides desks, in Whittemore Hall, Durham Hall, Torgersen Hall, and other locations, for as many students as resources permit. GTAs may use, on a shared basis, desks in several rooms which are dedicated for that purpose. Alternatively, those GTAs who have teaching responsibilities in our various laboratories may use desks in those labs if desks are available. Except for the dedicated GTA desks, all other student study desks are reserved for GRA use and are under the control of laboratory, center, or research group directors. Any student seeking use of a desk should see his or her advisor for further information.

All desk assignments are considered to be temporary and are reviewed for continuation at least annually. All graduate student offices are to remain locked at all times. Food products (other than packaged snack-type items) are not to be left in any graduate student office. No use of any tobacco product is permitted anywhere in Whittemore Hall, Durham Hall, or Torgersen Hall.

The research professor responsible for lab and office use must approve all keys and access codes for graduate students. Any lost or misplaced keys must be reported to the ECE Facilities Coordinator immediately. Based on the facts of the case, authorization of replacement of the key may be granted, but such replacement is not automatic.

Access Codes for buildings must be obtained from the faculty advisor or interim faculty advisor. The lock combinations are changed periodically and students must acquire new access codes when this occurs. Keys for access to the outside doors are not issued to students.

Students must return keys to the ECE Facilities Coordinator upon completion of degree, departure from the university, or departure from a given office. Failure to return keys to the ECE Facilities Coordinator can result in a hold on the student's account, therefore denying access to official transcript and diploma.