University Student Services

The Graduate College

204 Coble Hall 801 S. Wright St., Urbana, 333-0035

The Grad College serves the needs of prospective and current graduate students.  The college offers numerous workshops about professional development, including managing the graduate school experience, CV critiques, dissertation writing seminars, and thesis depositing workshop.   Check the campus calendar for more details.

Employment:  To qualify for a tuition and service fee waiver, graduate employees must have at least a 25% appointment.  A 25% appointment is equated to 10 hours of work each week; a 50% appointment equals 20 hours/week.  Employees are entitled to “all-campus” holidays, like Labor Day and Martin Luther King Day, etc.  For many assistantships, this means that you are responsible for hours during Spring Break and between Fall and Spring Semesters.  Most appointments are for 9 months, and summer appointments are for 2 months.  Hence, possibly only 11 months are covered (no one gets paid in August), and the university is not required to grant vacation days.  Payday is the 16th of every month, or the Friday before the 16th, if it falls on a weekend.  Your first paycheck, whether as an employee or fellow, does not come until September 16th.  Financial Aid offers “emergency loans” of up to $800 for grads to cover expenses until that first paycheck arrives.  You will also want to keep in mind that unless otherwise noted in your funding package, you are only being offered 9 months of funding by the department.  For more information on our employment contract, please consult the GEO website.

The Graduate Employees Organization

809 S. Fifth Street, Champaign

The GEO offices are located at the McKinley Foundation and its website is www.uigeo.org.  The GEO is a democratic member-run union for all graduate employees.  Through the GEO, TAs and GAs can negotiate with the university over healthcare, wages, and other working conditions.  Graduate employees at UIUC have been working through the GEO since the early 1990s to increase stipends, to improve benefits, and make other changes.  The GEO has made significant improvements in graduate employee working conditions, including our first contract and fully subsidized vision and dental care, and strives for more.  The GEO also handles grievances for all members of the bargaining unit.  In order to run the union, every graduate employee covered by the contract is required to pay a “fair share fee” or “representation fee” to the union.  While membership is optional, the dues are mandatory, yet everyone benefits from the union.  If you would like more information or want to join, the GEO would love to hear from you.

Office of Minority Student Affairs

130 Student Services Building

610 E. John St., Champaign, 333-0054

The OMSA provides guidance and counseling support and services to minority students in all areas relevant to their success on the campus, including financial aid, academic issues, race relations, etc.  The office serves both undergraduate and graduate students on campus.

The Graduate College’s Educational Equity Programs Office (333-0038) works closely with the OSMA as well as the Counseling Center, the Black Graduate Student Association, La Casa Cultural Latina, the Afro-American Studies and Research Program, and the African American Cultural Program.  The mission of that office is to address questions of access to and participation in graduate education by individuals from groups that are currently underrepresented at UIUC.

International Student and Scholar Services

432 Student Services Building

610 E. John St., Champaign, 333-1303

Formerly known as the Office of International Student Affairs, the ISSS provides advice and information on immigration, income taxes, employment, healthcare, and financial aid.  The ISSS is an advocate for international education and seeks to facilitate cross-cultural adjustment when international students arrive on campus.  If you are a new international student at UIUC, you will receive information from ISSS and will be required to check-in with the staff upon arriving in Champaign-Urbana.  Do not hesitate to contact ISSS at isss@illinois.edu if you have any questions or concerns; they would love to hear from you.

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Resource Center

Office of Inclusion and Intercultural Relations, Room 323, Illini Union

1401 W. Green St., Urbana, (244-8863)

The LGBT Resource Center is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.  This office is a resource for anyone who is interested in learning about LGBT people, issues, and concerns.  For the LGBT community, the office provides services and support for full inclusion for all within the university.  The campus environment mirrors homophobic and/or heterosexist attitudes of our larger society, therefore this office seeks to address homophobia on campus.  It provides confidential forums and advocates for queer academic resources.  It also serves as a resource for various internal and affiliated groups on campus, include the Ally Network, Q-Connect, the Campus Union for Trans Equality and Support, and more.  Please visit their site for more information.

The Gender & Women’s Studies Program (333-2990) trains students to identify where and how inequalities are produced and reproduced.  The program offers a graduate minor in gender and women’s studies, a graduate minor in queer studies, and some funding opportunities.

The Women’s Resource Center (333-3137) at 703 S. Wright St, 2nd floor, provides programs and services addressing the unique needs of women students.  Issues addressed include dating abuse, sexual assault, women returning to college, body image, harassment, and campus safety.  Some scholarships are available through this office.

Safety:  In times of emergency or crisis, always seek assistance!  Besides the Women’s Resource Center, there are several other services to call if you are the victim of harassment, abuse, or assault.  Gather good advice, but you can always refuse further assistance if it is not right for you.  The Emergency Dean (333-0050) provides information to students in an emergency situation and is a resource for where to turn for help.  The Rape Crisis Services 384-4444 is the crisis hotline for central Illinois.  The Counseling Center (333-3704) 610 E. John St., provides individual counseling, couples counseling, therapeutic services, and self-help groups, and the services are fully paid for through student fees.  The Counseling Center also deals with rape counseling as well as alcohol and drug assessment and counseling, eating disorder counseling, study skills development, and more.

For safe evening transportation, call MTD SafeRides (265-7433).  This service provides free rides for students in need of secure campus transportation. Hours vary depending on seasons. SafeWalks (333-1216) is a courtesy service provided to students, faculty and staff, so we don't have to walk alone on campus. Hours are Sun-Thurs 9 pm -2 am and Fri and Sat 9 pm - 3 am.

The UIUC Division of Public Safety (333-1216) offers courses in R.A.D., or Rape Aggression Defense.  The R.A.D. system is for women only and teaches realistic, self-defense tactics and techniques.

UIUC and officials of both Champaign and Urbana are working to improve pedestrian safety on campus following bus-pedestrian accidents.  As pedestrians, bicyclists, and drivers, please be safety conscious!

Other Phone Numbers and Links