Spring 2023 RA Funding Form is Now Available & Due Nov. 21

It is time to submit Spring 2023 RA funding forms for students being hired as RAs at OSC.  The fillable OSC Spring 2023 RA Funding Authorization Form is available at http://www.optics.arizona.edu/academics/funding/graduate-student-appointments. The submission deadline is Monday, November 21, 2022. The form needs to be completed by both the student and hiring professor. Completed forms should be emailed to grad-funding@optics.arizona.edu.  All forms submitted after the deadline will be considered late and may not be processed in time for the standard Spring 2023 RA start date of 1/2/2023.  Please read the following carefully.

GRADUATE STUDENTS

Inquire now with your funding supervisor to see if you will be hired as an RA for the Spring 2023 semester. Read the entire authorization form carefully to know what you are responsible for and be aware of the following:

• Offer Letter:  Shortly after you submit your completed funding form to me, I will email you a formal university offer letter for the RA position. You need to review, electronically sign, and email the letter back to me as soon as possible.
• The required trainings listed on page 1 need to be completed prior to submitting your form to me. RCR and COI Trainings are valid for up to four years and proof of completion does not need to be submitted again if you submitted to me within last four years.  OSC safety trainings only need to be completed once
• RA’s need to complete all post-hiring required trainings which may include UA Harassment & Discrimination Prevention Training, UA Information Security Awareness Training, etc. Employees to be emailed directly regarding training completion. Failure to complete required trainings may result in GA position termination
• You must be registered in a minimum of 6 units prior to submitting your form (includes research units such as OPTI 599, 910, 920).
• The “PCN#” line can be left blank. I will assign this to each position.
• Only PhD students who pass the comprehensive exam before 1/2/23 qualify to be promoted to Graduate Associate for Spring 2023..
• If you are a 1st year Ph.D. student on a FoTO fellowship for the 22-23 academic year, you do NOT need to submit a RA Funding Form.
• Only students being hired as an RA by an Optical Sciences professor must complete the OSC RA form. If you are being hired in a different department, you should contact that department for instructions on their hiring process.  
• If you were hired as an RA in August for the Academic Year (fall and spring) then you do NOT need to submit a new form.  Refer to your signed offer letter to determine the length of your RA appointment.  Contact me if you have questions.
• If you plan to graduate and leave a graduate program before the conclusion of the fall semester, please contact me as we may need to explore alternative hiring options (non-RA position).
•  Additional helpful information available in the UA Graduate College GA Manual (policy, benefits, etc.)

PROFESSORS

Your prompt response is important!   Please be sure to complete the Faculty Information section of the form (pg. #2) and answer all questions of the Export Control (page #5) regarding the nature of the student research (last page).  If you are a professor whose funding is managed by a different department, then that department is responsible for processing the hiring of your RA, per UA Graduate College policy.  You will need to contact the department to inquire about their hiring process.  Note that a different form will likely be required.

Remember, a graduate student is not authorized to work, and a principal investigator may not assign a research project until funding and student academic registration is verified by OSC Academic Programs, Accounting, and Human Resources, and hiring is completed.  Retroactive hire/pay is not supported.

Please direct questions to:
Mark A. Rodriguez, MPA| Manager, Academic Program Finance & Operations

Meinel 412
mrod@optics.arizona.edu
520.626.0888