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SEAS New Student Orientation 2022

| Monday August 22, 2022 | 9:00 am
2021 SEAS orientation

Welcome to the School for Environment and Sustainability!
We are so glad that you will be joining us in the fall.

This website has information that will help onboard and transition you to SEAS. It has a schedule of Quantitative Review and Orientation events, as well as resources to help you during your first semester at the University of Michigan and beyond. We encourage you to bookmark this site as a repository of useful resources you can refer to in the future. If you have any questions about Orientation, please email seas-orientation@umich.edu or call 734-763-4928.

 

Quantitative Review

This workshop series is OPTIONAL and VIRTUAL. It is held over the summer, in the evenings Eastern Standard Time. Dates, times, and zoom links were sent to your @umich.edu email address. It is intended for students that do not have a strong statistical background or have been out of school for a while and would like a refresher. It is a crash course that covers basic data analysis, data analysis in Microsoft Excel, graph interpretation, functions (linear, polynomial, log, power, hyperbolic), and algebraic equations. Masters and PhD students can attend.

 

Orientation Schedule*

SEAS orientation will take place in-person in Ann Arbor, Michigan and at the Biological Station in Pellston, MI. Housing, transportation, and meals at the biostation will be provided and the associated costs covered by SEAS.

  • Monday, August 22 - First day of orientation - Ann Arbor, MI.

    • 8:30 AM - Coffee and Registration
    • 9:15 AM - Dean's Welcome
    • 10:00 AM - Current Student Panel
    • 11:00 AM - Student Center Presentation
    • 12:00 PM - Lunch
    • 1:00 PM
      • MS/MLA students - specialization breakouts
      • PhD students - PhD careers group discussion with Dr. Ari Renda
    • 2:00 PM - 30 minute break
    • 2:30 PM - Building Community with SEAS DEI
    • 3:00 PM - CAPS 101: Take Care of Your Mental Health with Dr. Juemei Yang
    • 3:30 PM - Optional Events
      • Resource Fair with UM Organizations
      • Student Center Drop In Advising
  • Tuesday, August 23 - Second day of orientation - start in Ann Arbor, get on buses, end day at the Biostation in Pellston, MI.
  • ALL STUDENTS ARE REQUIRED TO HAVE A NEGATIVE COVID TEST BEFORE GOING TO THE BIOSTATION.
    • 7:45 AM - Sign in, pick up BioStation materials, pack lunches for the road, take COVID tests if you didn't do it before arriving at the building.
    • 9:30 AM - Leave for Ann Arbor to head to BioStation
    • 12:00 PM - Stop at a rest stop
    • 1:30 PM - Get back on buses
    • 3:00 PM - Arrive at BioStation, begin free time to unpack and settle into your cabins
    • 4:00 PM - Optional activity - Lions, Tigers, Bears icebreaker game
    • 4:30 PM - BioStation Welcome at Lecture Hall
    • 5:30 PM - Dinner
      • The dining hall serves food between 5:30-6:30 PM.
    • 7:00 PM - Class Photo
    • 7:30 PM - Bonfire or Movie Screening (weather dependent)
  • Wednesday, August 24 - Third day of orientation - Biostation in Pellston, MI

    • 7:30 AM - Breakfast

      • The dining hall serves food between 7:30-8:30 AM.
    • 8:30 AM - Activity Breakout 1
    • 11:45 AM - Lunch
      • The dining hall serves food between 11:45 AM - 12:30 PM.
    • 1:00 PM - Activity Breakout 2
    • 4:00 PM - Free Time or optional social activity
    • 5:30 PM - Dinner
      • The dining hall serves food between 5:30-6:30 PM.
    • 8:00 PM - Stockwell Lab Boat Well Festivities
  • Thursday, August 25 - Fourth and last day of orientation - start at the Biostation, get on buses, end day in Ann Arbor.

    • 7:30 AM - Breakfast + Pack your lunch + Coffee and water are available at the Chatterbox between the volleyball court and the lake
    • 8:30 AM - Activity Breakout 3
    • 11:30 AM - Lunch (outside - the dining hall is unavailable after breakfast)
    • 12:30 PM - Pack up
    • 1:30 PM - Board buses to go back to Ann Arbor.

* This schedule will be updated regularly as we finalize event details.

 

Required for All Graduate Students: Follow the UM Vaccination Policy

Submit your vaccination information.

 

Required for All Graduate Students: PEERS-RCRS Training

All graduate students are required to take the PEERS Responsible Conduct of Research and Scholarship (PEERS-RCRS) online training.

Masters students only need to do the online training. It is approximately 3 hours. This course introduces the key concepts and elements that foster ethical research and scholarship practices.

PhD students need to complete the online training and a minimum of 8 instructor-led contact hours of training before advancing to candidacy.

More information about RCRS training is on the Research Ethics and Compliance site.

 

SEAS Top 3s

SEAS Track Leaders put together their SEAS Top 3s. Their top 3 restaurants, bars, stores, and more. They also have this recommendation map, with places you may want to visit.

 

List of Helpful Resources

The content below contains resources to help you during your first semester at the University of Michigan.

Table of Contents

  • Advising Resources
  • Anti-Harassment Resources
  • Child and Elder Care Resources
  • COVID-19
  • Curriculum
  • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)
  • Housing
  • International Student Resources
  • Learning Accommodations
  • Library Services
  • MCards
  • Mental Health Resources
  • Midterm Elections
  • SEAS Student Center - SEAS Student Support Team
  • Student Organizations
  • Technology Resources
  • Transportation

Advising Resources

Anti-Harassment Resources

Child and Elder Care Resources

University Human Resources provides a listing of child care resources. An additional set of resources have been created for in-home care and tutoring.

If you are caring for an older family member, UM offers elder care resources as well.

COVID-19

Curriculum

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)

Housing

A few questions have already come in regarding housing in the Ann Arbor area. The links below may be helpful to you as you begin your housing search. Additionally, here is the Facebook group for the SEAS incoming class. Please join to get in touch with potential room or housemates.

Off-Campus Housing - Most Graduate students live in apartments off campus.

A lot of apartments/houses in Ann Arbor are run by management companies instead of individual landlords. One of the easiest ways to search these is to check out the companies' websites:

Here are some general sites that have a lot of rental options (particularly for non-management company landlords):

Facebook group for finding housing - Ann Arbor Roommates & Housing

Munger Graduate Residences - There is a graduate residence on campus that may also be of interest to you. You can find information about Munger Residence, here.

Signing and Understanding Apartment Leases - Student Legal Services can help you read through your lease and make sure you understand it. To make an appointment, call them at (734) 763-9920.

International Student Resources

The University of Michigan’s International Center is responsible for advising students on US immigration laws related to F and J visa categories. Contact them at icenter@umich.edu or call them at 734-764-9310 if you have questions.

The English Language Institute (ELI) provides a full range of English for academic purposes courses and academic support for international students.

Learning Accommodations

We want to make sure that you have an environment that you can thrive in. If you wish to register with Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) Office, please start by filling out the Student Application Form and reviewing the registration process on their website. Students already approved for accommodations through SSD will continue to receive their accommodations. Additional resources to be aware of:

Library Services

The University of Michigan Library is a system of 20 libraries that includes a specialized graduate library. With more than 11 million volumes, the University Library is the eighth largest academic library in North America and is considered one of the top research libraries in the United States.

MCards

The Mcard is your official University of Michigan identification card. The UMID number is the cardholder's eight-digit student number listed on the card. MCards can be used as a bus pass on campus, for access to campus buildings after hours, and more.

Submit your photo for your MCard. 

General information about MCards. 

Mental Health Resources

Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) is still offering virtual appointments through the pandemic. You can make an initial consultation request here.

SEAS has a CAPS embedded counselor. Her name is Dr. Juemei Yang (juemeiya@umich.edu). Email her for an appointment.

Midterm Elections

In a democracy, citizens vote to elect representatives to make policy guided by the beliefs and preferences of voters. The University of Michigan encourages eligible students to exercise their right to vote, and students of all citizenship backgrounds to actively engage in issues of public concern. You are encouraged to vote in local and national elections, work at the polls and support democratic engagement. You can find more information at govote.umich.edu or by emailing voterregquestions@umich.edu. Here are the local midterm election dates:

  • UMMA Satellite Clerk's Office opens --- September 27th
  • Absentee Ballots become available --- September 29th
  • Duderstadt Gallery Satellite Clerk's Office opens --- October 12th
  • Registration Deadline (other than going to the clerk's office with proof of residency) --- October 24th
  • Election Day --- November 8th

SEAS Student Center

The SEAS Student Center is where you can find the student support staff including admissions, the registrar and course advising, financial aid, and career services. You can contact the staff by emailing seas.gradsupport@umich.edu.

Other contact information if you want to reach a particular sub-group of the student center staff:

  • seas-careers@umich.edu - direct email to the careers services staff
  • seas-financial-aid@umich.edu - direct email to the SEAS financial aid staff
  • seas-admissons@umich.edu - direct email to the admissions staff

Student Organizations

Hundreds of student organizations enrich your experience outside of the classroom. The most popular among SEAS students are listed below. Visit Maize Pages for a full student org directory.

Technology Resources

Transportation

The closest major airport to Ann Arbor is Detroit International Airport (DTW). If you are flying to Michigan, here are directions on how to get to and from the airport.

The university provides a free campus bus service, learn more about it at the Parking & Transportation website. In addition, the U-M campus and Ann Arbor, in general, are extremely bike-friendly.

Check the Interactive Campus Map to find specific campus buildings. The SEAS Student Center, and most SEAS faculty offices, are in the Dana Building.

Buses

  • Blue buses are for University Bus Routes - They offer free transportation around campus. You can just hop on these buses, no ID is needed.
  • White buses are run by the City of Ann Arbor Transportation Authority - If you have your MCard, you can swipe it when you get on the bus and ride for free. If you don’t have your card, the city bus fare is $1.50.
  • MAGIC Bus - GPS location and E.T.A. for some buses.
  • Greyhound Buses - Budget transportation to popular locations like East Lansing
  • Airbus and Michigan Flyer - Cheap and easy ways to get back and forth from the Detroit Airport during school breaks
  • Paratransit  - Transportation Services offers curb-to-curb Paratransit services for students, faculty and staff that are pre-qualified through the Office of Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD)

Student Driving

Night Transportation

Trains

 

If you are looking for any information that you can't find on this page, you can also check the SEAS student resource guide.