1. WEEKLY WALK-IN SERVICES IN THE GLC – updated 11/10
- Career services: Wednesdays, 2:30-5:00pm, GLC Lobby
- Counseling by Cook: Thursdays and Fridays, 1:00-5:00pm, Green Room
- Financial aid advising: Tuesdays 3:30-5:00, Room A
- GLC Café: 3:30-5:00 every Thursday, Reading Room – year round!
- Graduate School business hours: M,Tu,Th,F: 8:00am-5:00pm; W: 9:30am-5:00pm
- Statistical consulting by LISA: Tu, Th, F, 10:00-12:00, Room A
- Writing Center walk-in assistance: Tuesdays 6:00-8:00, Room A (additional hours in the Library)
2. QUEERING THE WAY: A NIGHT OF LGBTQ ONE-ACT PLAYS
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Nov 10, 11, 12, 7:30pm, 204 Performing Arts Bldg
Eight Actors perform six different LGBTQ stories about family, self-acceptance, childhood, and new beginnings. Queering the Way brings you into an art gallery, church, a mother’s kitchen, Nicaraguan community, second grade school yard to create a picture of many different LGBTQ lives. Limited Seating; For Reservations Email: QTWTICKETS@GMAIL.COM. Posted on behalf of theatre arts graduate student Kristin Kelly.
3. DISSERTATION WRITING SUPPORT GROUP
Tuesday, Nov 11, 12:00-1:30pm, GLC Room D
Do you need some support with staying on track with your writing? Could you use some advice on managing your relationship with your advisor/committee? Would you share some of your experiences with fellow grad students who are going through the same process? Do you need a safe place to decompress from the stress of your dissertation? Join the kick-off meeting for a newly forming dissertation support group and see how it may support your progress. Free lunch provided. Please complete this survey to let us know about your interest in joining this group: https://survey.vt.edu/survey/entry.jsp?id=1415018476458.
4. DISCOVER ISLAM
Tuesday, Nov 11, 12:00-2:00pm, Info Booth A (in front of ABP) in Squires Student Center
Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world with about 1.6 Billion followers. Muslims come from almost every country in the world and speak almost every language. Come and learn more about Islam from your Muslim colleagues: stop by to ask questions, get your free copy of Quran interpretation in English, view Islamic art from different countries, get your name in Arabic, and enjoy tasty Arabian dates. Hosted by Islamic Student Assembly. For more information contact grad student Haitham Elmarakeby, marakeby@vt.edu.
5ish. SHORT STAT COURSE FOR GRADS: GRAPHICS IN R
Tuesday, Nov 11, 5:30-7:30pm, 1080 Torg
Presented by Ian Crandell, this short course will introduce R techniques to produce several statistical graphs including histograms, bar plots, box plots, and scatter plots among others. Syntax to control colors, plotting characters, axes, legends, and labels will be covered, and users will learn to write high resolution graphics to the file type of their choice. The course format includes lecture and computer laboratory components. The lecture component will cover pros and cons of various graphics and approaches, and the computer portion will allow attendees to write, modify, and execute R codes to produce graphics based on these data. The R programming package offers a powerful, flexible, and free platform which can be used to produce publication-quality graphics. See www.lisa.stat.vt.edu/?q=short_courses for instructions on how to register and to learn more.
5. FUNDING YOUR GRAD SCHOOL EXPERIENCE
Wednesday, Nov 12, 12:00-1:00pm, GLC Room G
The GLC Fellows invite you to a discussion with Graduate School and Financial Aid staff members Pat Goodrich and Stephanie Breeding. This will be a sit-down, bring-your-own-lunch event during which graduate students of all disciplines will be able to ask questions and receive help regarding finding assistantships and financial aid while in grad school. For more information contact GLC Fellow George Elane at gle0001@vt.edu.
6. GLC CAFÉ
Thursday, Nov 13, 3:30-5:00pm, GLC Reading Room
Take a break and enjoy coffee, tea, and cookies in the company of your graduate student and Grad School colleagues.
7. KIDS’ NIGHT OUT – FREE WEEKLY DROP IN CHILD CARE
Thursdays, 6:00-8:30pm, Women’s Center (206 Washington Street, enter up the stairs in the parking lot)
Need a break? Have to study or attend a lecture? Want to catch up on work? If you are a VT student with children, bring your kids aged 2-12 (must be toilet trained). No need to pre-register. Childcare provided by the volunteers of Chi Delta Alpha sorority. KNO will be held every Thursday throughout the semester with the exception of home football games and when classes are not in session. For more information, contact Jessie Meltsner at jmelts@vt.edu, 231-7806.
8. PUBLIC LECTURE ON DIGITAL HUMANITIES: BRIAN CROXALL
Friday, Nov 14, 2:00pm, Library multipurpose room (1st floor)
Graduate students, especially ones in the humanities, are invited to this lecture and follow-up conversation with Dr. Croxall about "nontraditional” academic careers, often referred to as “alt-ac” positions. Dr. Croxall has been a prominent public voice on alt-ac issues, and this discussion will give graduate students a chance to hear his story and ask questions about their own career paths. The discussion with graduate students will begin immediately following the public lecture, around 3:30 p.m. Light refreshments will be served. All graduate students are welcome to join the lecture and/or the discussion. For more information contact Dr. Quinn Warnick, qwarnick@vt.edu.
9. GRAD COSMIC BOWLING NIGHT
Friday, Nov 14, 9:00-11:00pm, BreakZONE in Squires Student Center
Join fellow grad students for Cosmic Bowling – a night of dimmed lights, fun music, and lots of bowling! Enjoy reserved lanes at the BreakZONE, plus food, games, and shoes will be provided, but bring some cash if you’d like to play billiards, foosball, or any of the other games in the center. Register for the event at https://survey.vt.edu/survey/entry.jsp?id=1415421496766. If you have any questions, email GLC fellow Laura Koehler at lkkoehle@vt.edu.
10. CONFERENCE APPLICATIONS SOUGHT FOR RACIAL JUSTICE INSTITUTE – 1st posting
Queer People of Color at Virginia Tech (QPOC) has an incredible opportunity to send 2-3 students to a national LGBTQ equality conference called "Creating Change" as well as "The Racial Justice Institute" from Feb 4-8 in Denver, CO. Funding from Student Budget Board will cover about 90% of the attendance cost, and QPOC is looking for interested persons to attend! Learn more about the conference at: http://www.creatingchange.org/index.php. Graduate, professional, and undergraduate students can apply, as well as any allies and supporters in solidarity with the lgbtq+people of color social justice movements. Preference will be given to students who would like to become more active in QPOC’s leadership and/or contribute to QPOC’s mission and goals (https://gobblerconnect.vt.edu/organization/qpoc). If interested, complete a short application at https://survey.vt.edu/survey/entry.jsp?id=1415108092906 by Nov 14, 2014 at 11:59pm. Contact Monica Motley at motleym@vt.edu with any questions.
11. REGISTRATION OPEN FOR DATA MANAGEMENT BOOTCAMP 2015 – SIGN UP NOW!
Graduate students, faculty, administrators, and staff interested in learning more about data management issues and best practices are invited to participate in a Data Management Bootcamp sponsored by seven VA institutions. This free collaborative event will feature experts from across the state and provide opportunities for local, hands-on practical experience. Participating institutions include VT, UVA, JMU, George Mason, ODU, VCU, and William and Mary. New federal requirements encourage researchers to plan ahead for data management and sharing and help promote practices that facilitate reproducible research, data use and reuse, and interoperability among distributed systems. 2015 Topics Include: finding data; metadata and documentation; intellectual property; creative commons and fair use; data transformation and wrangling; version control and cloud storage; databases; data archiving and preservation; grant funding requirements and the new DMPTool. Dates and times: Jan 7, 12-4pm; Jan 8, 8:30am-4pm; Jan 9, 8:30am-12pm. Location: Somewhere in Torgersen Hall (TBA). Register now at http://goo.gl/forms/h6oZTYilsO. Spaces are limited. Email Andi Ogier at alop@vt.edu with questions.
12. CALL FOR NOMINATIONS FOR XCALIBER AWARD – 1st posting
The XCaliber Award celebrates courses and significant course projects that demonstrate exemplary use of technology and student-centered pedagogy resulting in high-impact student learning. Submit nominations by Dec 2, 2014. Self-nominations are welcome. This annual award is funded by the Provost and presented by Technology-enhanced Learning and Online Strategies (TLOS), a division of the Office of Information Technology. Recipients receive a cash award and a commemorative plaque, and are invited to showcase their award-winning activities at a special event. Additional details at https://www.tlos.vt.edu/xcaliber_awards/. If you have questions, contact the XCaliber Awards Chair Dr. Mary English, director of faculty learning initiatives, TLOS.
13. ABSTRACT SUBMISSIONS INVITED FOR GSA RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM – 2nd posting
The 31st Annual Graduate Student Assembly (GSA) Research Symposium will be on Mar 25, 2015 in the Graduate Life Center (GLC). Graduate and advanced undergraduate students are invited to submit an abstract between Nov 1-30. Visit the Research Symposium website at http://blogs.lt.vt.edu/graduatestudentassembly/graduate-research-symposium/ for details and to submit an abstract. Read all information and resources for tailoring your abstract to this event in order to communicate your research to a broad audience (Resources for Communicating Research at https://blogs.lt.vt.edu/graduatestudentassembly/graduate-research-symposium/resources-on-interdisciplinary-communication). Check out the GSA’s other programs and events while you’re there! Questions? Contact the Research Symposium Chairs (Alex Hyler and Joyce Zhu) at gsa.syposium.2015@gmail.com.
14. DONATIONS REQUESTED FOR LITTLE HOKIES DONATE & SWAP
Donations of gently used infant-, baby- and small-child items (clothing, toys, accessories) are requested for this event. Drop off items you no longer want/need for your child so that others may use them! Donations are being accepted November 1-18 at the GLC front desk or in Women’s Center. Contact Dannette with questions dannette@vt.edu.
15. JOIN THE GRADUATE SCHOOL ON LINKED IN – 3rd posting
LinkedIn has created a university page for the Virginia Tech Graduate School in addition to the page for Virginia Tech. Students who use LinkedIn can connect with the Graduate-School page either by choosing to follow it, or by adding the Graduate School to the schools they list in the education section of their profiles. The Graduate School LinkedIn page is at: http://linkd.in/1oRh5Mw.
16. PART-TIME WAGE POSITION FOR GRAD STUDENT OR SPOUSE – 2nd posting
The Senior Program Director (Posting SW0140781) of the VT Graduate School Child Play Group (VT-GS-CPG) will oversee the daily operations of the program, a parent-run cooperative playgroup for children (ages 2-5) with a paid on-site program director. The program will operate three group sessions (3 hrs ea) per day with each group consisting of 15 children. The Program Director works collaboratively with the Childcare Coordinator, Program Session Leaders, and student-parent volunteers to support the mission of the program as well as facilitate daily programming and activities. Experience in early childhood and cooperative childcare programs; admin experience, preferably in an early child hood setting; demonstrated ability to teach effectively and build relationships in a learning community. Go to hr.vt.edu for full job description or to apply.
17. WAGE POSITION OPENING IN GLC – 3rd posting
GLC Operations Specialists work closely with Building Managers for Student Centers and Activities as well as the Graduate School to provide services to the patrons who use the GLC, Squires and Johnston Student Center. The primary role for this position will be table/chair setup in the GLC Multipurpose and venues in Squires Student Center. In addition, this position will be responsible for light custodial work and other various projects in the GLC. Seeking individuals who are able to provide excellent customer service, are adaptable, possess a strong work ethic and are able to lift and move up to 25 pounds. Hiring for shifts starting immediately at a rate of $8.50/hour. Apply online at: https://listings.jobs.vt.edu/postings/52729. Contact Eric Margiotta at Margiotta@vt.edu with questions.
18. VOLUNTEERS SOUGHT TO REVIEW GRDP APPLICATIONS – 1st posting
Volunteers are needed after Thanksgiving to review applications for the Graduate Research Development Program. If you’re interested in a resume builder, a free meal, and fun afternoon, contact Hannah Lane at hglane07@vt.edu. Please indicate "GRDP" in the subject line.
19. PARTICIPANTS SOUGHT FOR ONLINE SURVEY ABOUT COMPOSITION SKILLS – 1st posting
VT graduate students are sought to complete an anonymous, 5-minute online survey developed by a grad student in English about the transferability of writing skills learned during undergraduate studies in composition courses. Participants must be at least 18 and have completed at least one(1) composition course as an undergrad. This study examines how well university composition courses prepare students for working in their field of study, both academically and professionally, by providing skills such as: critical thinking, critical communicating, writing, and researching. The results from the survey will be used to assess undergraduate composition courses and how well they prepare students for their intended majors and professional fields. Access the survey at https://survey.vt.edu/survey/viewResults.jsp?id=1415050141380. For more information, contact Natalie Richoux at nchambe7@vt.edu.
20. GLOBAL AMBASSADORS SOUGHT BY CRANWELL INTL CTR – 3rd posting
The Global Ambassadors program is an exciting and engaging leadership development opportunity designed for current VT students seeking to develop their global leadership skills. Global Ambassadors are charged with welcoming new international students to the Virginia Tech community in 2015-2016 and continuing meaningful interactions with students and the community throughout the academic year. Returning study abroad students, students who have a strong interest in learning about the world, and currently enrolled international students are especially encouraged to apply for this rewarding volunteer opportunity. Learn more about the program at http://www.international.vt.edu/programs_and_activities/global_ambassadors/index.html or attend an optional interest meeting hosted at Cranwell International Center, Harper Hall 1025 on Tuesday, Nov 4, 12-12:30pm. Apply online by Nov 11, 5:00pm at https://gobblerconnect.vt.edu/account/logonrequired?ReturnUrl=%2Fform%2Fstart%2F32257.
21. PARTICIPANTS SOUGHT FOR ONLINE SURVEY ABOUT REAL-LIFE TO-DO TASKS – 3rd posting
A doctoral student is conducting research to collect data on how people organize and remember their to-do tasks. For example, how do you remember to buy a ticket for an upcoming event? Do you rely on your memory or a to-do list? If you have 5-10 minutes, please complete quick online survey. Participants are asked to provide 3-5 real to-do tasks that they intend to do in the future. These can be any tasks related to work, life or school. The data collected will be used for publication only. To participate, visit: https://virginiatech.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_6XYkZ1n2NVK6KEd. This study has been approved by IRB # 14-963. If you have any questions, contact Yao Wang at yxw5167@vt.edu.
Upcoming Events:
SHORT STAT COURSES FOR GRADS BY LISA – FALL 2014 SCHEDULE
LISA (Laboratory for Interdisciplinary Statistical Analysis) is providing a series of evening short courses to help graduate students use statistics in their research. The focus of these two-hour courses is on teaching practical statistical techniques for analyzing or collecting data. See www.lisa.stat.vt.edu/?q=short_courses for instructions on how to register and to learn more. Remaining Fall 2014 Schedule:
- Tuesday, Nov 18: A tutorial for shiny in R;
- Tuesday, Dec 2: Data Analysis in SAS.
Follow LISA on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/Statistical.collaboration or Twitter http://www.twitter.com/LISA_VT to be the first to know about LISA events.
LITTLE HOKIES DONATE AND SWAP
Tuesday, November 18, 3:00 – 7:00pm, GLC Multipurpose Room
Give what you can/Take what you need: graduate students with children (or expecting) are encouraged to participate in a free event to support students with families. Bags will be provided at the entrance and students and their families will be invited to fill their bags with as many items as they may need. Donations are being accepted November 1-18 at the GLC front desk or Women’s Center. Contact Dannette with questions dannette@vt.edu.
DANCE OF NATIONS
Tuesday, Nov 18, 7:00-8:30pm, Haymarket Theter
Dance of Nations is a celebration of the cultural diversity that exists on the Virginia Tech campus. Come watch students, professional dancers and community members from various parts of the world showcase their cultures. Dance of Nations is organized by Council of International Students Organization. For any inquires please send an email to farhady@vt.edu.
BLOODY BE: HYMNS OF HUNGER AND WOMEN-RAGE
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Nov 18, 19, 20, 7:30pm, Theater 101
Meet the historical/mythic figures of Medea, Margaret Garner, and La Llorona in exile. The play explores themes of historic narrative, feminism, and racism through song, movement, and story. Tickets are free; donations of non-perishable items for the Blacksburg Food Pantry are gratefully accepted. Seats are limited, so come early. Contact master’s student Naphtali Fields (naphtalifields@gmail.com) with questions.
GLC MOVIE NIGHT: FANTASTIC MR. FOX
Thursday, Nov 20, 7:00pm, GLC Room F
Join the GLC Fellows for the last movie night of the semester and watch Wes Anderson’s Fantastic Mr. Fox, a film based on a novel by Roald Dahl. Refreshments will be provided. Space is limited, so get there early!