Before You Leave

---

Before you leave new students alone, please help them do something. Thanks a lot.

Help: Check-in

Please help them check in the new graduate apartments. During the office hour (9:00am to 10pm), there will be an on duty RA at the lobby. There is an elevator at the south side of the building. You may want to use it to move the baggage to the second and third floor.

Help: Explain

The RAs probably will explain how things are worked out at the Graduate Apartments. What you need to do is to give them a global view about the beginning:

1. Where is Rice? What is the basic transportation method? Rice has shuttle service in inner-loop, greater-loop and to the new graduate apartments.
2. What is first thing to do? Go to the Office of International Students and Scholars and check in with them. OISS is located in Abercrombie Laboratories.
3. Check in with their own department. Where is their department?
4. Apply for a Rice ID. Where is the police station?
5. Apply for a banking account. Chase currently provides "Rice Student Checking Account" with no monthly fee. Wells Fargo also provides no fee checking accounts. In either bank, ask for a enhanced ATM card with "visa" or "mastercard" logo on it.
6. Apply for a computing account. Where is library and Mudd building? At those places, they can use PC with internet access which means they can probably check their email at old places. The applying process is as simple as clicking apply.rice.edu. Apply for an owlnet account and a ruf account.
7. We will have a special session during the orientation week. At that time, we will explain other things, more importantly, the medical insurance. You see now getting a banking account is important.

The section is still under construction. If I miss something, please point it out to me. You may also explain to them with your own experience.

Help: Shopping

The new graduate apartments are equipped with kitchen and refrigerator. Initially, the refrigerator is empty. If you don't help them shopping for the first time, they won't have anything to eat in the next morning. Please take them shopping once. (The shopping bus will be running from the new graduate apartments only on Saturday). If it is too late that night, set up a time and come back next morning. Things new students might be in urgent need are:

8. Food, cooking utensils (like rice cooker), things they can think of
9. Telephone (They will have different phone lines in each room)

The ideal situation is that when you take them shopping, take them to the bank and apply for an account on your way.

Emergency

Again, if you have trouble or difficulty, please contact me or any other committee members for help. Please give these contact information to new students. Thanks!