Graduate Program Coordinators (GPC) have access to this ICON site for all the academic and Graduate College resources.

**During the first two weeks of classes, instructors assess students and recommend waivers for any students who demonstrate mastery of course objectives.

**Students who are waived may withdraw from the ESL class without a fee and register for another class. The required ESL course is removed from the degree audit.

With the Graduate College and the Center for Teaching combining their Orientations on Wednesday, August 19 - we were able to schedule two options for in-person Sexual Harassment Prevention Training (SHPT) for CLAS Graduate Assistants with OCRC the week before classes start:

• Thursday, August 20 from 8:30-9:30am at 2301 Voxman
• Thursday, August 20 from 3:30-4:30pm at Shambaugh Auditorium, Main Library

New and returning graduate assistants can attend these sessions. Last fall the in-person sessions took about 40-45 minutes, and we marked attendance so GAs received their compliance. The online option is also available, with instructions here: https://ocrc.uiowa.edu/harassment-training#How-to-enroll

If you can please sign your department up if you are going to participate in one of the in-person SHPT sessions on the below form, that will help with our planning with OCRC:

2026 SHPT for Grad Assistants during TA Orientation – Fill out form

I-9 Scheduling_Fall 2026.xlsx is available for your department to reserve a block of time during orientation week for graduate TA/RA employees to finish their I-9 form in 251 SH. If you need a special arrangement, please reach out and we will try to accommodate you. If you have trouble accessing the link, please let me know.

Please communicate the following to your graduate students:

1.       The scheduled date/time of their group appointment (for in-person verification)

2.       The requirement to complete Step 1 of the I-9 form (online I-9 portal) prior to their appointment

3.       A reminder to bring their original physical documentation to the in-person verification meeting

You may also let them know they have the option to schedule an individual I-9appointment earlier in the month of August if they’re on campus. Current scheduling links only extend a few days out, but we plan to expand calendar availability at the beginning of August.

If you are unsure who needs an I‑9 form completed, please contact us. In general:

1.       All new graduate student employees, and

Below is a template you may use to communicate I-9 instructions directly to graduate employees, including scheduling information if they will not attend the department group appointment. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As you begin employment with the University, federal regulations require completion of an I-9 form to verify your eligibility to work. The I-9 form may be completed up to 90 days before your start date and must be completed within 3 business days following the first day of employment. For a start date of August 19, 2026, the deadline is end of business on August 24, 2026. 

Step 1: Online Entry

(the first step must be completed on or before the first day of employment)

1.       Access the online I-9 portal used by the University of Iowa.

2.       Select a location:

1. Choose your department from the drop-down or select “I don’t know my location”
2. (For reference, CLAS departments begin with ‘11’)

3.       Enter your personal information

4.       Upload clear images of your documentation that provides proof of identity and employment authorization. 

1. If you're not sure what documentation to use, review this list of acceptable documents.
2. For international F-1 students, needed documents are passport, I-94, and I-20. 

Step 2: In-Person Verification

(the second step must be completed within 3 business days of your start date)

1.       Schedule an appointment with an authorized staff member to verify documentation (links below). 

2.       Bring the same original documents you uploaded in Step 1.

Please click any of the links below to schedule a brief meeting with one of the CLAS HR staff in Schaeffer Hall to show your documentation:

Abigail Floryanovich https://calendly.com/floryanovichar/i-9-appointment

Lee Surma https://calendly.com/lsurma/i-9-appointment

Merry Aamodt https://calendly.com/aamodt/i-9-appointment

Nancy McCallister https://calendly.com/mccallistern

We encourage you to complete these steps as early as possible. For more information about the I-9 process, please visit https://hr.uiowa.edu/support/faculty-and-staff-immigration-services/i-9-information. If you have any questions, please contact clas-hr-transactions@uiowa.edu or your HR representative https://resource.clas.uiowa.edu/human-resources/staff.

Access the CLAS Dean's Office File Sharing here. In the Graduate Affairs Department Files, under your department's 2026-2027 you can upload your departmental offer letters for all departmental graduate assistants and fellows, and admission letters for new admits. You will have access to your departmental files only. 

Please complete this by start of fall 2026 semester. If you need someone else in your department to have access to complete this, or you are having any technology/access issues, please reach out to Graduate Affairs Manager Erika Christiansen.

A overview of the process to plan and begin your graduate employment work for the academic year.

For Graduate Education Support Staff:

1. Watch the training video
2. Supplemental information:

• TA appointment process includes budgeting, tracking allocations using HTE (half-time equivalent) and spreadsheets. Do not exceed TA allocations.
• Assigning TAs to courses involves collaboration with DGS, staff, and DEOs, with variations between departments.
• Appointment letters for returning TAs must be sent by mid-April, and planning for the next academic year usually starts in January, including coordination with admissions committees.
• New TA appointments require submission to the HR hub, while reappointments are handled through the grad reappointment system, which opens at the end of May and closes mid-August.
• Track registration status, collective bargaining eligibility, compensation, and position numbers, especially when transferring records between departments.
• Each department should maintain a TA tracking spreadsheet, with notes, HTE tracking, and course assignments.  
• The grad reappointment system should be updated by late June to ensure tuition scholarships are posted to students’ accounts before U bills are sent in July.
• Before the semester starts, the "To Be Paid" report in HR should be checked weekly in August to confirm all TAs are set to receive pay, avoiding payment issues. 

Summer Process for Graduate Appointments is different than the Academic Year.

For Graduate Education Support Staff:

1. Watch the training video
2. Supplemental information:

• TA Appointments for Summer Classes: TA appointments for summer classes is different from academic year appointments. Gather documents, including the approved budget, TA letter template, and Jeff Donohue's instructions.
• Approved Budget and Salary: The approved budget for the summer classes will be emailed to you, including the courses and salaries for TAs. It's important to use the salary column when filing out TA letters and look at the approval status.
• TA Letter Templates: CLAS has TA offer letters templates available on the CLAS website which have been approved by the Graduate College and Employee and Labor Relations.
• Effort Chart: The TA appointment letters require an effort chart, specifying the teaching responsibilities and supervisor. An example for summer is listed here.
• HR Hub Submission: Summer TA appointments are submitted to the HR hub, including the necessary information and documents, the signed offer letter (required) and the approved budget spreadsheet (optional).
• Importance of Budget Spreadsheet: Budget spreadsheet is truth for making appointments, any changes must be approved. Reach out with any questions.
• Start and End Dates: Follow the start and end dates on the TA letter template to avoid any discrepancies in the HR hub appointment request.
• Differences Between Summer and Academic Year Appointments: Summer appointments are standalone and may differ from academic year appointments.