Graduate Student Resources

Resources for Caregivers

Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)

Graduate Assistants/Associates may be eligible. FMLA offers unpaid, job-protected leave to graduate students for one of the following reasons:

  • for the birth and care of the newborn child of an employee;
  • for placement with the employee of a child for adoption or foster care;
  • to care for an immediate family member (spouse, child, or parent) with a serious health condition; or
  • to take medical leave when the employee is unable to work because of a serious health condition

For more information, see https://grad.arizona.edu/funding/ga/benefits-appointment#family-medical-leave and http://policy.arizona.edu/human-resources/federal-family-and-medical-leave.

Parental leave

Graduate Assistants/Associates (GAs) who meet certain criteria are eligible for parental leave for up to six weeks. Funds are limited and awarded on a first-come first-served basis.

For more information, see https://grad.arizona.edu/funding/ga/benefits-appointment and https://grad.arizona.edu/forms/sites/default/files/uagc_page/graduateassistantparentalleaverequestform.pdf.

Day care

UA Childcare Choice is designed to help students pay for current, qualifying coursework-related childcare occurring in Arizona.

For more information, see https://lifework.arizona.edu/cc/childcare-choice-student, the GPSC website at https://gpsc.arizona.edu/resources-family, or https://grad.arizona.edu/funding/opportunities/graduate-college-financial-hardship-funds.   

 Sick child care

This service provides a caregiver at a subsidized rate to care for your child in your own home while you attend class.

  • Registration in the program is required prior to contracting for services
  • $5/hour; Incremental time is billed in five-minute increments; two-hour minimums

For more information see: https://lifework.arizona.edu/cc/sick_child_and_emergency_back_up_care_program/students.

Equal Opportunity Policies

Disability Resource Center (DRC)

The goal of the DRC is “to ensure that disabled students, employees and visitors, have a similar, if not identical, experience to that of their non-disabled counterparts”. Whether you are a student with a disability or encounter an individual in your classroom that requests accommodations or modifications, the DRC can support you.

For more information see https://drc.arizona.edu/about.

Harassment and discrimination

Among the values upheld by the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences are trustworthiness, responsiveness, compassion, and respect. To be an inclusive campus, we must feel comfortable to responsibly call out behaviors that don’t adhere to our values.

  • Do you feel that you have been treated unfairly? The first step is to discuss the situation with the individual responsible for the unfair action and attempt to find a resolution. Graduate advisors, Directors of graduate studies or Unit Heads may be a useful resource in these situations. If this step is unsuccessful, then the next step is filing a formal grievance. For more information, see https://grad.arizona.edu/policies/academic-policies/grievance-policy.
  • Organizations offering support, advocacy and care:
    • Survivor Advocacy offers confidential services to university undergraduate and graduate students. Meeting with advocates never obligates you to any further action. Sessions can focus on Title IX reporting, academic accommodations for impacted schoolwork, housing changes, medical support and more
    • Oasis (part of CAPS) offers confidential counseling services to university undergraduate and graduate students who are impacted by sexual assault, relationship violence, and stalking
    • Southern Arizona Center Against Sexual Assault (SACASA) offers confidential counseling services, 24/7 bilingual hotline support, and crisis services for individuals and families impacted by sexual trauma
    • Emerge Center Against Domestic Abuse offers multilingual hotline services, safety planning, and an emergency shelter for survivors of sexual and domestic abuse
    • Anti-Violence Project is a 24/7 bilingual crisis hotline for LGBTQ survivors of violence and harassment
  • Connecting with student groups can be a valuable support network. These websites list communities on campus that graduate students participate in: https://gpsc.arizona.edu/resources-community and https://health.arizona.edu/node/48.

Financial Management and Funding

Financial management

Community Activities

Multi-cultural centers

These centers are centered around specific identity groups and shared life experiences.

UA Clubs & Greek Life

Find your community among the Greek Fraternity and Sororities or in one of the 600+ clubs on campus.

For more information, see https://arizona.campuslabs.com/engage/Organizations.

Campus Recreation

Check out the rec center for working out, group classes, intramural sports, guided outdoor trips, and more.

For more information, see https://rec.arizona.edu.

Athletics

Check out high level collegiate sports and cheer on your Wildcats.

  • ZonaZoo - Student section and student-ticketing program for University of Arizona athletics

For more information, see https://arizonawildcats.com.

CALS Student Clubs

Participate in clubs around your academic passion.

For more information, see https://cals.arizona.edu/students/campus-life.

Medical and Health Services

Counseling & Psych Services (CAPS)

Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)

Graduate Assistants/Associates may be eligible. FMLA offers unpaid, job-protected leave to graduate students for one of the following reasons:

  • for the birth and care of the newborn child of an employee;
  • for placement with the employee of a child for adoption or foster care;
  • to care for an immediate family member (spouse, child, or parent) with a serious health condition; or
  • to take medical leave when the employee is unable to work because of a serious health condition

For more information, see https://grad.arizona.edu/funding/ga/benefits-appointment#family-medical-leave and http://policy.arizona.edu/human-resources/federal-family-and-medical-leave.

Food insecurity

Other Support Services

International students

The UA International Student Services connects students to a variety of resources to support your academic success.

For more information, see https://global.arizona.edu/international-students and https://grad.arizona.edu/international-students.

Compassionate Transfer of Leave (CTL)

See here for Eligibility Requirements for being able to apply for Compassionate Transfer of Leave.

  • GAs do not accrue vacation, and therefore are not eligible to apply for CTL
  • Some Fellowship Graduate Students may be employed as an Appointed Professional, and therefore may be eligible for this

Adversity and Resilience Strategies

  • Crisis text line: Text "home" to 741741 to be connected with a trained crisis counselor via text. Go to www.crisistextline.org for more information
  • CALS Life Management Counseling and Consulting Services: CALS staff and faculty can receive mental wellness consultations. All services are virtual, no-cost, and confidential
  • Resilient Arizona for emotional support, crisis counseling, and access to community support
  • The Science of Well-Being is a course offered at no charge by Yale University. Learn how to successfully incorporate specific wellness activities into your life
  • QPR training: A one-hour online training that will provide you with the tools to learn about depression and suicide prevention, understand what the warning signs of suicide are, and how to get help for someone in crisis. Go to qprtraining.com/setup, enter organization code ARIZONAQPR, and then select "Create Account" and complete and submit the student registration form (you are the student)
  • Life and Work Connections Website: https://lifework.arizona.edu/

University Listservs

Navigate to list.arizona.edu. Log in with your NetID to see all lists subscribed to with the email address listed as your official university email address. Information and FAQs about the email list service are available at https://it.arizona.edu/service/email-lists-sympa.

Professional

Surviving Graduate School Articles

The students' guide to surviving your PhD - developed by the University of York PhD students: Surviving your PhD booklet (PDF, 23,243kb).