Cal1 Card

The GSAOs will provide your Cal1 card during orientation, but you will need to do the following: 

• Bring a valid photo ID (such as a driver's license, state ID card, passport, or high school ID) to orientation.

• Have your student/employee identification number handy (this can be found on your CalCentral profile). GSAOs will also have this information if needed.

• Work with your faculty advisor to determine which labs and buildings you will need access to. After consulting with them, email a completed RCNR Facilities Access Application and Agreement (found here or on the Facilities website here) to cnrfa_mgmt@berkeley.edu (and cc espm_gradsupport@berkeley.edu).  

AC Transit EasyPass Clipper Card

The AC Transit EasyPass Clipper card is issued to UC Berkeley students and can be used for public transportation on local buses and BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) metros. Buses (AC Transit) are FREE for students, but BART is not (you can load $$ onto your Clipper card at any BART station or online). 

To get your AC Transit EasyPass Clipper card, you will need to schedule an appointment to go in-person to the Cal 1 Card office in Sproul Hall. For information about how to schedule an appointment and what to bring, visit: https://cal1card.berkeley.edu/get-a-cal-1-card/. 

ESPM Orientation

You will be invited to a department orientation the week before classes start. Here you will meet your Head Graduate Advisor, GSAOs, and other departmental leadership, receive information on the program requirements, and be introduced to some relevant resources, including the Natural Resources & Environmental Sciences Library. 

New Graduate Student Orientation (NGSO)

A broader orientation for all new graduate students. You can sign up for different presentations and sessions. Dates and information can be found here: https://grad.berkeley.edu/students/welcome/. New graduate students are also required to take online and in-person Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment training (https://grad.berkeley.edu/students/required-sexual-violence-and-sexual-harassment-prevention-training/). 

Teaching Conference for First-Time GSIs

All first-time GSIs must attend the required teaching conference before the fall semester begins. International GSIs have a separate teaching conference. More details can be found here: https://gsi.berkeley.edu/programs-services/conference/fall-conference-information/. 

All first-time GSIs are also required to register for a 375 teaching skills course regardless of previous teaching experience.

Meet your Graduate Student Affairs Officer (GSAO)

Each division is supported by a GSAO. It's important that you schedule a meeting during the first week/s of class. They will go over information that will be helpful during your first semester, including requirements, appointments, and all the must-do's during your first year and beyond. 

Department GSAO's:

Ryann A. Madden supports students in the Master of Forestry program and Ecosystem Sciences PhD division. 

Zarah Ersoff supports students in the Range & Wildlife Management MS program, Society & Environment and Organisms & Environment PhD divisions. 

Sign up for relevant campus listserves & ESPM Slack Channel

Make sure you are on the espmdept_gradupdates@lists.berkeley.edu mailing list. There may be a lot of messages, but we promise you you'll miss something important if you don't. This is the one-stop location for people to communicate with all of us ESPM grads - so courses get announced here and nowhere else sometimes, there are social events you might miss, and job offers and seminars you might want to know about. Again, you should regularly receive emails on the espmdept_gradupdates listserv (espmdept_gradupdates@lists.berkeley.edu). If you are NOT receiving emails from this listserv, please contact your GSAO and espm_gradsupport@berkeley.edu.

For other listserves, login to bConnected at https://bconnected.berkeley.edu/home. Select the “bConnected Lists / Google Groups” icon, then select “browse all” to identify listserves to join. 

A link to join the ESPM Slack channel (espmgraduatestudents.slack.com) should be sent out during the first week. If you do not receive an invitation you can sign up manually or email the GSA for more information.

Getting paid

• If you are hired as a GSI or GSR for the semester, there is HR paperwork (OnBoarding) to sign (hiring stuff, W-4 for withholdings, etc). You are not considered hired and can't get paid until this paperwork is taken care of! So do it ASAP! 

• You usually also can't get paid until you are registered for 12 units. In fact, you're not considered a registered student until CalCentral says you are taking 12 units.

• Paychecks for GSIs and GSRs are distributed on the 1st of the following month (i.e. paycheck arrives on Sept 1 for work completed in August). 

• Set up direct deposit in CalCentral (for stipends/fellowships/departmental awards) and UCPath (for GSI/GSR paychecks). 

• If you are a GSI/GSR, there are a few UCPath benefits elections you will need to complete. Some of these are more applicable than others (for example, SHIP, the student health insurance plan, is separate from UCPath, so you will not need to make insurance selections on UCPath unless you'd like to set up a pre-tax Health Savings/Flex Spending Account). This is a bit confusing, so reach out to your GSAO if you have questions!

California residency

• If you are not a California resident, there are things you will want to start as soon as possible so when you apply for residency you are more likely to get approved. This is important since your graduate funding only covers the first year of non-resident tuition (since it takes one year to get CA residency). More information can be found here: https://registrar.berkeley.edu/tuition-fees-residency/residency-for-tuition-purposes/residency-requirements-graduate-students/. 

• Below are things you need to remember to do BY THE END OF THE FALL SEMESTER:

  • • • • Change your driver's license (THE SOONER THE BETTER)

        • Update your voter registration (this will come automatically with updating your license)

        • Update your vehicle registration

• WHEN YOU FILE TAXES:

  • • • • Make sure to pay income taxes in California! Claim that you are a resident of California! 

Getting access to buildings

• Get keys/codes for the rooms/places you need access to. Useful ones: your office, the outside door to the building your office is in (because these buildings may be locked during off hours when you might need to get in), the mail/copy room in your building, shared grad spaces (ex. the S&E lounge and shared S&E/ERG kitchen or other spaces). Email facilities at cnrfa_mgmt@berkeley.edu to submit your request for building access.

Editing your public profile on the ESPM website

• Log into the ESPM Our Environment website (https://ourenvironment.berkeley.edu/, scroll down to the bottom of the page, and click the login link at the bottom) to update your profile (login with your CalCentral info).