Various Useful (UCLA!) Department Info.

New graduate student setup

  1. Before you arrive: set up a computer account: follow these directions
  2. Talk to Jenny Lee (PAB 1st floor); she will give you a letter to take to the BruinID office.
  3. Get a BruinCard (student ID) on the west side of the first floor of Kerckhoff
  4. Pick an open desk and make yourself at home
  5. Get keys from the first-floor Knudsen Hall desk ($10 deposit per key):
    • Download and fill out the Key Request Form (PDF)
    • For a bullpen office, key F214 (room PAB 3540)
    • For the exterior doors, key X939
  6. If starting as a Grad Student Researcher (GSR), talk to Cecile Change (PAB 2nd floor) about setting up payroll information
  7. Talk to Laurie Liles to get your three copier codes (personal, TAing, and research)
  8. Submit a Helpdesk Request to:
    • activate your ethernet port (send your MAC address, and the wall port number)
    • be added to the "grads at astro" and "all at astro" mailing lists
  9. Sign and return the grad student award letter you were sent with your admission packet.

Setting up air travel/car rental:
  1. Find the flight(s) you want to take (e.g. Orbitz, Travelocity, etc.)
  2. Email travel at finance dot ucla dot edu and request the flight(s)
  3. Tell Laurie Liles:
    • You have requested travel
    • The account number to pay for the travel
    • Ask her to prepare a PO (Purchase Order) number
  4. The travel office will get back to you within 1-2 days with a sample itinerary; check it before accepting! (They have a habit of forgetting car rentals)

Getting reimbursed for Foreign/Hawaiian travel

(The first time you do this, you will need to ask Laurie Liles to "put you in the system")
  1. Collect all your receipts, travel documents, and the account number you will charge
  2. Go to UCLA Express Travel
  3. Select "UC Los Angeles"
  4. Log in with your UCLA ID and password
  5. Click "Expense Reports" on the left-hand side
  6. Click "Create New" in the upper-left
    • Document title: Should be of the form "number/name/destination" -- e.g. HN57707/Crossfield/Keck observing
  7. Click "Notes" and describe the Five Ws of the trip.
  8. Click "Add Expense" for each reimbursable expense
    • Airfare: if prepaid, select "Direct Billing" payment type.
    • Other items (gas, etc.): select "Personal Funds"
    • Lodging:
      • Select "Lodging: Foreign, Per Diem".
      • Search for the location of the lodging (e.g., Isle of Hawaii--Other).
      • Do one day's worth of Lodging, then copy to reach the appropriate number of days.
      • Add a "Per Diem Adjustment" item to bring the total lodging balance in line with what was actually paid: this could be negative or positive depending on whether per diem is more or less (respectively) than what you actually paid (it ought to be negative, or you're living too fancy)
    • Meals:
      • Select "Meals: Foreign, Per Diem"
      • Enter one day's worth, and copy for the number of days in the trip.
      • Add a "Per Diem Adjustment" item to bring the total meal balance in line with what was actually paid: this could be negative or positive depending on whether per diem is more or less (respectively) than what you actually paid (it ought to be negative, or you're eating too fancy!).
  9. Once you're done, ask Laurie Liles to check everything over before submitting. Give her receipts (unnecessary for lodging or food).
  10. Once everything is ready, she will have you sign the expense report and she will send it off for processing (hopefully in 5-7 business days).