====== Who To Talk To ======

If you're facing some issue in your graduate experience, it's not always clear who can help. Here are some ideas:

  * If you need a **room reserved**, email [[rooms@math.ucdavis.edu|rooms@math.ucdavis.edu]].
  * If you have a **tech problem**, email [[help@math.ucdavis.edu|help@math.ucdavis.edu]]. Or visit the tech office at 3117 MSB.
  * If you need **administrative help** (payroll, registration, etc.), email [[studentservices@math.ucdavis.edu|studentservices@math.ucdavis.edu]]. Or visit the department office.

If your situation doesn't obviously fall into one of the above categories, you have some options. 

===== The Galois Group Officers =====

These are fellow math grad students who have been elected or appointed to represent you and your interests. If there's some general issue in the department (e.g. a maintenance problem in MSB, a dearth of geometry courses) or something you'd like advice on, it's appropriate to reach out to the president, vice president, or relevant representative. 

When an officer approaches staff or faculty over some matter, it's much more likely to be understood as a collective issue as opposed to a personal problem.

**[[officers|The current list of officers can be found here]].**

====Discord====

The graduate students in the department run a discord server. This is a great place to ask anything! We're all here to support each other in this program, whatever form that support takes. And if another grad student can't offer the support you need, chances are one of us knows a resource that can help.

===== Faculty =====

If you know someone who you trust with your problem and feel comfortable around, it's okay to go to them for help. Even if they're not your adviser or in one of the following positions. 

==== Departmental Relations Committee (DRC) ====

This committee was formed in 2020 with a specific mandate to promote strong, healthy relations between the various components of the department. Especially between faculty and graduate students. Its members specifically sought out a position where they'd be empowered to address issues. You can contact the committee as a whole by emailing [[drc@math.ucdavis.edu|drc@math.ucdavis.edu]]. Again, you can also ask an officer to reach out on your behalf. Since 2024 there has been a graduate student representative on the DRC who you can ask to pass along any concerns. 

The current members are listed on the [[https://webtool.math.ucdavis.edu/auth/committee_list/|Committee Lists page]], which requires you to log into the department website. (It uses the same credentials as your math email account.) 

==== Other Appointments ====

Certain faculty are specifically appointed to handle departmental and graduate matters. These individuals have also generally //sought out// an official responsibility to support your well-being. Even if they can't resolve your issue, they'll know who to talk to. 

You can find a list of current appointments on the [[https://www.math.ucdavis.edu/about/|department's about page]]. The **[[chair@math.ucdavis.edu|Department Chair]]** has a broad mandate to handle department matters, the **[[vicechair-grad@math.ucdavis.edu|Vice Chair for Graduate Matters]]** is a good resource regardless of which program you're in. The applied math program also has a **[[chair-ggam@math.ucdavis.edu|Chair of the Graduate Group in Applied Mathematics]]**. Contact whichever you're most comfortable talking to, or else ask one of your officers to contact them if you're uncomfortable doing it yourself.

==== Your Adviser ====

Many advisers see themselves as //generally// responsible for the success of their students. If you have an adviser that you're comfortable talking to about non-research matters, they can be a huge resource. This is especially true for matters which are more personal. e.g. you're suffering from burn out, are considering taking time away from the program.

===== The Union =====

Our jobs as TAs, AIs, readers, and GSRs are covered by a collective bargaining agreement, negotiated by UAW 4811. This governs the terms of our contracts, including compensation, work load, and which types of work we can be asked to do. **You do not have to be a member of the union to be protected by these provisions**

If you are curious about your rights, the [[https://www.uaw4811.org|UAW 4811 webpage]] has a link to the current contract under "Our Rights" and then "Academic Student Employee Contract".

If you are having issues with your workload as a TA, Reader, or GSR, it is appropriate to bring this up to whoever you're working for. Especially if they're a postdoc, KAP, or new faculty, it's possible they //don't realize// how much they're asking. This is appropriate even if it's not breaking the union contract. (Most 50% TAships in the department require significantly less than 20 hrs/ week.) If you have questions about what is a reasonable workload, please reach out to older graduate students to get an opinion! The graduate student discord server is a great place to ask questions about normal workloads or if you want help talking to an instructor about your TA workload. Some members of the department are very active in the union and are happy to help out.

Perhaps talking it out doesn't work, is too uncomfortable, or maybe the issue doesn't involve a specific faculty member. (e.g. child care support, access to gender-inclusive restrooms.) You can [[https://www.uaw4811.org/contact|contact the union]] for help. They will be able to support and represent you through the grievance process, which can include anything from informal conversations to formal meetings with UCD's [[https://hr.ucdavis.edu/departments/elr|Labor Relations department]].