Student Fees
Graduate student assistantships include a waiver of quarterly operating and student technology fees. There are several remaining fees that must be paid by graduate students. These fees are listed below and can be looked up here https://www.washington.edu/opb/tuition-fees/current-tuition-and-fees-dashboards/graduate-tuition-dashboard/.
- Facilities Renovation Fee
- Services and Activities Fee
- IMA Bond Fee
- Mandatory U-PASS Fee
If you elect not to become a member of the union, the contract between the union and UW requires that you pay a monthly service fee (see Teaching Assistantship page for more information).
Eligible bargaining unit employees will not be charged a fee for a U-PASS through Spring Quarter 2024.
Union Information
Academic Student Employees (ASEs) at UW are represented by UAW Local 4121. Joining the union is voluntary. Here is a link to the UAW Contract: https://hr.uw.edu/labor/unions/uaw/contract
This includes TAs, RAs, and GSAs. You can find more information on our union at: http://www.uaw4121.org/index.php
In addition, here are a few websites with union-related information:
- for an overview of workers and unions at UW (with info on TA strike & unionization) go to: http://depts.washington.edu/labhist/uwunions/gseac.htm
- for info about the unionization of TAs at UW: http://www.grad.washington.edu/taunion.htm
- UW's Labor Relations office (it's part of HR) has a website with contract information as well: https://hr.uw.edu/labor/
The current Union Steward covering our area is Lee Fiorio = fiorio@uw.edu
More Links:
UAW Local 4121 (our union for TA/RA/GSAs): http://www.uaw4121.org/
Overview of workers and unions at UW (with info on TA strike & unionization): http://depts.washington.edu/labhist/uwunions/gseac.htm
More info about the unionization of TAs at UW: http://www.grad.washington.edu/taunion.htm
Payroll Information
For the calendar of UW paydays, please visit https://f2.washington.edu/fm/payroll/employees/my-pay/paydays
Students should set up direct deposit for their paychecks. This can be done through MyUW Be aware that it usually takes a couple of pay periods before direct deposit goes into effect. In the meantime, paychecks will be issued in hardcopy and can be picked up from the staff in the department’s main office (SMI 408). Please introduce yourself the first few times that you go in to pick up your check.
Recording Leave in Workday
The UAW contract includes the provisions below for Graduate Student TAs, RAs, and ASE Predoctoral Instructors for time off. Please note that this does NOT apply if you are appointed as a graduate student fellow and are paid a stipend. Please see https://hr.uw.edu/studentemployment/time-off-and-leave-policies/academic-student-employees/ for more information.
Department of Geography Process:
University Holidays
For all Geography appointed ASEs in a particular quarter, Geography’s Administrator will log University holidays in Workday on their behalf. This is done to remove an administrative task from ASEs workload. Note that Geography’s Administrator will only be able to do this for grads appointed within the department; if a Geography grad works as an ASE for another department, the grad will need to follow the procedures of that department.
Personal Holiday
Salaried ASEs are eligible to request one personal holiday during the year. ASEs must request the personal holiday in advance. If you are working as a TA, please make the request to the faculty member teaching the class. If you are working as a Predoctoral Instructor, please make the request directly to the chair. Under the UAW contract, the ASE is responsible for finding a substitute for work activities, if needed. The personal holiday does not decrease your 220-hour workload. You will need to log this in Workday.
Sick Time
When you need to use sick time, please contact the faculty member of record (or Chair if you are a Predoctoral Instructor) to report the absence, making sure to also cc the Administrator. The faculty member will inform next steps if needed. You will need to log sick hours in Workday.
Washington State Residency
Out-of-state graduate students should apply for Washington residency as soon as they are eligible (international students are not eligible to apply for state residency for tuition purposes). It takes at least one year to collect the documentation necessary to establish residency, so begin the process now.
See the UW Residence Classification Office’s website for the procedures and documentation needed to establish residency: http://www.washington.edu/students/reg/residency.html
Questions regarding Washington residency should be directed to the Office of the University Registrar Residency Office
Health Insurance, Benefits, etc.
Though it is possible that departmental staff members might have answers to some of your questions regarding benefits, health insurance, etc., these questions and issues are best addressed by the Benefits & Work/Life Office. They can be reached at (206) 543-2800 or by email at benefits@uw.edu and can provide detailed information regarding all of your insurance and benefits questions. For more information, please visit:
- Graduate Appointee Insurance Program (GAIP): http://www.washington.edu/admin/hr/benefits/insure/gaip/index.html
- Benefits & Work/Life: http://www.washington.edu/admin/hr/benefits/
Recommendation Letters
One of your adviser’s and committee members’ most time-consuming duties is to write letters of recommendation for you. It is likely that they will do so multiple times during your tenure in the department (to support grant proposals, fellowships, job applications and so on), and they will continue to do so for some years after you have graduated (in support of job applications or applications for advanced academic programs).
Faculty members understand that letter-writing is an important part of their job, as these letters play an extremely important role in your career. Nevertheless, there are times of the year when faculty can be swamped with letter-writing requests. Your responsibility, therefore, is to ensure that you make the process as straightforward and pleasant as possible for your adviser and committee. After all, a faculty member irritated by a letter request is less likely to write a compelling letter. This means observing the following:
- Give your letter-writers as much warning as possible regarding the due date; ask if they anticipate being away or otherwise unavailable prior to the due date.
- When appropriate, furnish within the body of your email (not through a link) the complete details of the job or competition to which you are applying, and the complete name and details of the person or committee to whom the letter be addressed. If you cannot find this information, contact the source to get it. Do not send out your letter request until you have all this information in hand.
- Where appropriate, offer the letter-writer a copy of the statement or proposal that you have written for the application.
- Provide letter-writers with an up-to-date copy of your C.V. to ensure that the details of their letter match your record.