The Graduate Student Senate (GSS) presents a forum through which graduate students from all the University of Delaware's departments and programs can come together to share information, to represent graduate student opinion, and to discuss issues that affect graduate students. The GSS acts as an advocate for graduate students while fostering collegiality and professionalism. The GSS is charged broadly with several principal duties: 
 

• To foster a sense of connection among graduate students in all departments.
• To represent an informed consensus of graduate student opinions and to advocate for those positions.
• To serve as a forum for discussion of issues that affect graduate students, and as a vehicle for action on those issues.

Honor societies at the University of interest to graduate students include Phi Beta Kappa (scholarship in liberal arts), Phi Kappa Phi (scholarship, without regard to area of study), Alpha Zeta (agriculture), Omicron Delta Epsilon (economics), Kappa Delta Pi (education), Tau Beta Pi (engineering), Pi Mu Epsilon (mathematics), Sigma Theta Tau (nursing), Sigma Pi Sigma (physics), Psi Chi (psychology), and Sigma Xi (scientific research). 

The University is committed to creating an educational community that is intellectually, culturally, and socially diverse, enriched by the contributions and full participation of people from different backgrounds. Toward that end, the University seeks to increase the racial and cultural diversity of its student body, faculty, and staff, to create a climate that encourages all members of the University community to respect and appreciate individual and cultural differences, to promote equity for people of different backgrounds in all areas of University life, to develop organizational practices that involve the participation of diverse groups, and to enhance the curriculum by including the perspectives of different races, cultures, and genders. The Commission to Promote Racial and Cultural Diversity guides the University in carrying out these goals. Members of the commission are appointed by the President. 

Under the leadership of the Assistant Vice President for Affirmative Action and Multicultural Programs, the office seeks to foster a greater awareness and understanding of issues that will promote an improved environment for students, faculty, and staff. As part of its charge, the office provides services to the entire university community. In addition, it supports the functions of the Affirmative Action Office, the Campus Diversity Unit, and the task forces and caucuses of the Commission to Promote Racial and Cultural Diversity. Matters related to discrimination based upon race, ethnicity, gender, class, sexual orientation, disability, religion, and acts of intolerance are the concern of this office. The office draws upon the talent and experience of faculty and staff in its efforts to address diversity issues. One of the major responsibilities of the office is to present diversity education workshops to the campus community. The offices are located in Hullihen Hall, rooms 124 and 305-307. For further information, please contact (302) 831-8735 or send e-mail to Ronald.Whittington@mvs.udel.edu. 

The University is committed to achieving equity for women and to responding to their concerns in all University endeavors. The twenty-three member Commission on the Status of Women, which reports to the President of the University, consists of faculty, professional and salaried staff, and students. The Commission identifies problem areas, makes recommendations for change, and works closely with the Office of Women's Affairs and other units to implement change. Recommendations have been implemented in the areas of safety; sexual assault; sexual harassment; sexism in the classroom; salary equity; child care; and recruitment, promotion, and retention of women. The Commission also initiates and assists in implementing programs on the changes occurring in our society as a result of newly defined roles for men and women. The Student Travel Award Program provides funding for students presenting scholarly papers and participating in panel discussions and other activities dealing with women's issues. It also supports women students' participation in professional organizations as conference presenters. 

The Office of Women's Affairs works with the University community to increase awareness and understanding of women's issues including gender bias in the classroom, date rape and sexual assault, and women's health and career concerns. This is accomplished through programs and supportive services that encourage women to develop their intellectual talent, to achieve academically, to identify long-term goals, and to participate equally and fully in society. Support counseling and confidential advice for women with problems and possible grievances, including sexual harassment, are available. To contact the Office of Women's Affairs, send e-mail to OWA@mvs.udel.edu, or call (302) 831-8063. 

The Center for Black Culture's program is directed at the educational and personal development of African-American students on the campus. The center's goals are to support academic development and to provide opportunities for meaningful interaction among faculty, professionals, and staff members. The center develops cultural programs that stress cultural awareness for African-American students and the entire University community. Some examples of the educational and cultural programs that have been presented or co-sponsored by the center are the Annual Black Arts Festival, field trips to the Afro-American Historical Museum in Philadelphia and programs on black male and female cultural and social development. Concerts have included such artists as , De La Soul, Noel Pointer, Ossie Davis, Phyllis Hyman, and Regina Belle. Ruby Dee, KRS-ONE, A Tribe Called Quest, The Lost Boyz, Malik Yoba, Martin Lawrence, Dr. Michael Dyson, and the Alvin Ailey Dance Company have appeared on campus. Nikki Giovanni, Tony Brown, Shirley Chisholm, and Gwendolyn Brooks have also been presented as speakers. The center also provides leadership development workshops for the Black Students' Union and the Cultural Programming Advisory Board. These two organizations work together with the center in promoting cultural awareness and involving students in campus activities. The center's hours are Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, contact the Center for Black Culture, 192 S. College Avenue, (302) 831-2991, fax (302) 831-4097, or send e-mail to CBC@mvs.udel.edu.

Foreign Student and Scholar Services offers a support system for undergraduate students, graduate students, and English Language Institute students, as well as their immediate families. Services offered include counseling on immigration regulations, academic and personal counseling, interpretation of tax laws, and cultural adaptation. Information on travel abroad, employment abroad, travel advisories, International Student Identity Cards and Youth Hostel memberships is also available. The Cosmopolitan Club, open to all students, promotes international understanding through cultural diversity. 

Foreign Student and Scholar Services is located at 4 Kent Way in the International Programs Center. For additional information, please call (302) 831-2115. The University of Delaware is permitted under federal law to enroll non-immigrant foreign students. 

The English Language Institute is a University support service for foreign students who need to improve their language skills for graduate or undergraduate study. The Institute offers six levels of intensive language instruction that address listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. For graduate and undergraduate students, the Institute offers two English for Academic Purposes courses. One focuses on developing the oral/aural skills necessary for such academic tasks as notetaking, oral presentations, and seminar discussions, and the other emphasizes composition skills necessary for research and college writing and reading skills for improving speed and comprehension. Students in the Institute receive tutoring as well as listening laboratory instruction, and access to the University's computer-assisted learning system and ELI's Self Access Learning Center. Additional programs offered by the Institute include a testing preparation course to develop skills strategies for taking the language proficiency sections of such tests as the TOEFL; business English courses, which focus on English usage in international business; and the International Teaching Assistant Training Program, which provides language instruction and a pedagogical and cultural orientation to newly appointed international teaching assistants. Private tutoring in language skills is also available. The Institute is located at 189 West Main Street. For further information, call (302) 831-2674 or send e-mail to ELI@MVS.UDEL.EDU. 

Each academic department operates a regularly scheduled weekly colloquium series. Graduate students are exposed to speakers from other institutions and from all over the world. Regular lectures and lecture programs include the Research on Women Series and the Research on Race, Culture, and Ethnicity, both sponsored by Women's Studies. 

The intellectual life of the University community is considerably enriched by visits to the campus of many outstanding scholars and lecturers. A well-established Visiting Scholar Program virtually ensures that each month during the academic year one or more outstanding scholars in the areas of instruction offered by the University will visit the campus. Visiting Scholars speak to classes and seminars and usually present an evening lecture to which all students and interested members of the community are invited. Students are given the opportunity to talk with the scholar at luncheon and dinner as well as in informal conferences arranged by the sponsoring department. 

Under the aegis of the Office of Minority Affairs, the Visiting Minority Scholars Program sponsors lectures and colloquia by distinguished minority scholars. As part of the program, the scholars sometimes reside in the Martin Luther King, Jr. Humanities House and interact with student residents. 

Distinguished lecturers and scholars also visit the campus under the auspices of the Winterthur Program and the Lank Exchange Program. The Winterthur Program for the study of early American culture was established at the University in 1952 with the support of the Rockefeller Foundation and the cooperation of the Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum. As part of the program, which consists of graduate courses at the University and laboratory work in the Winterthur Museum, distinguished lecturers from other institutions are invited to spend several days at the University. 

The Lank Exchange Program, named after the Delaware alumnus who established it, encourages the exchange of cultural and scientific knowledge between the University of Delaware and the University of Montreal. Scholars from each university visit the other campus for several days; their activities are similar to those of the scholars in the Visiting Scholars Program. 

A program of speakers dealing with national or international issues is supported each year by the Faculty Senate Committee on Cultural Activities and Public Events, academic departments, Continuing Education, the Student Center, and student organizations. 

A number of activities in the arts enhance the cultural life of the University and the community. Both the Performing Arts Series and the Faculty Senate Committee on Cultural Activities and Public Events bring to the campus outstanding programs including concerts, dance, opera, and theatre. Academic departments such as Art, Music, and Theatre, along with the Student Center Programs Advisory Board  and International Programs and Special Sessions contribute to the cultural life of the University with concerts, films, theatre, and art exhibitions. Bus tours are regularly sponsored to the Metropolitan Opera in New York, along with selected museum exhibits and theatre offerings. 

The University sponsors art exhibitions throughout the year at the Perkins Student Center Clayton Hall, and Old College on the Newark campus. Musical programs are presented by visiting artists and lecturers and by music students and faculty. The Department of Music offers a variety of opportunities to perform in musical ensembles. The Chorale, the Men's and Women's Choruses, Collegium Musicum, University Singers, Marching Band, Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band, Jazz Ensemble, Chamber Orchestra, Opera Workshop, and a variety of chamber ensembles are important contributors to the musical life of the campus. Auditions for these organizations are open to all members of the University community. The Music Department has a Music Resource Center in Room 109, Amy E. du Pont Music Building, for listening to department-owned records, CDs, and videos. 

Recognition is given to the importance of ethical and moral influences in the development of the individual. Students are encouraged to attend the churches of their choice and to contact their own denominational organizations on the campus. Most denominations are represented in Newark or in nearby Wilmington. In addition, there are a variety of registered student religious organizations on campus. They include Baptist Campus Ministry, Campus Advance for Christ, Campus Crusade for Christ, Chabad House, Church and Campus Connection, Delaware Student Fellowship (Presbyterian), Episcopal Campus Ministry, Hillel, and Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship. Registered student religious organizations also include Latter Day Saints Student Association, Lutheran Students Association, Muslim Students' Assocation, New Song Students,  Presbyterian Campus Ministry, Thomas More Oratory, Warriors for Christ, Wesley Foundation, and Word of Life Campus Ministry.  A complete list of registered student religious organizations can be found at http://www.udel.edu/RSO/stuorg.html#rel.

Full-time graduate students on campus are encouraged to make use of the recreational athletic facilities of the University and to form intramural teams. The facilities include Carpenter Sports Building, the outdoor pool, and the Rust and Gold Ice Arenas. Full-time graduate students are entitled to attend intercollegiate athletic contests by using their student ID card. Students interested in this option should inquire at the Bob Carpenter Center Box Office. 

The Department of Public Safety is responsible for police and security services on the campuses of the University of Delaware. Public Safety staff provide 24-hour-a-day response to reports of on-campus emergencies and criminal actions. Reports of emergencies or requests for assistance may be communicated directly over more than 200 "dial-free" campus emergency telephones, or by calling the University Police emergency number, 9-911. 

The Police Division of the Department of Public Safety is staffed by 47 men and women who have met the police training certification requirements of the State of Delaware, and who exercise full law enforcement authority on the campus and contiguous streets. Public Safety also employs 20 full-time security officers and approximately 35 part-time Student Security Aides. These staff receive departmental training and assist the University Police by performing non-law enforcement duties. 

The most recent annual report of campus crime statistics is included in The Official Student Handbook. A copy of the most recent annual report of campus crime statistics is available upon request from the Department of Public Safety, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716-4210. 

University personnel (students, faculty, staff, and visitors) are extended the privilege of operating and parking motor vehicles on campus only in accordance with the conditions stated in the publication Motor Vehicle Regulations. Copies of these regulations are available from the Parking Services Office of the Department of Public Safety. All vehicles parked on campus (other than at metered spaces and in pay lots) must be registered with the Parking Services Office and display a current parking permit. This requirement is in force at all times throughout the year. 

Graduate students are eligible for parking privileges only if they commute daily from their homes to the University. Car pools are encouraged. Graduate students who reside on campus may register for resident student parking permits, which are valid only in specific lots. Exceptions will be granted for students with verified physical handicaps or other special needs. Assignment of parking lot privileges will be made at the time of vehicle registration, consistent with the regulations currently in effect. 

The University reserves the right to remove and store, at the owner's expense, any vehicle parked on its property that lacks registration or is otherwise in violation of the motor vehicle regulations. University parking privileges are subject to revocation for repeated violations of the motor vehicle regulations. 

All students must carry a valid UD#1 CARD (identification card). Privileges accessible with the UD#1 CARD are determined by course enrollment, classification, status, etc. 

New and replacement cards can be obtained at the UD#1 CARD area, Student Services Building (831-2759). Lost/stolen cards should be reported immediately to UD#1 CARD during office hours or by calling UD#1 CARD (831-2273) 24 hours a day. Cardholders will not be responsible for any transactions once they have reported cards lost or stolen. 

The Student Health Service (SHS) provides a full range of primary care, treatment, and referral services aimed at maintaining the physical and mental well-being of undergraduate and graduate students. 

The SHS is located in Laurel Hall, a free-standing ambulatory care center situated on the main campus south mall area at the intersection of South College Avenue and East Park Place. The SHS is staffed by physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, technical and support staff­all well trained, fully licensed professionals. 

Most of the medical services provided by the SHS are paid for by the semester or winter session Student Health Service fees, which are assessed all full-time students. Part-time matriculated students can elect to pay the semester or winter session health fee(s) and be eligible to receive services. Services are primarily provided on an appointment basis and include routine laboratory work; immunization services; minor surgery and related non-operative orthopedics; inpatient (bed patient) care; gynecology services and limited medical transportation services. Diagnostic x-ray services are provided at the SHS. Billing for this service is routinely accomplished through the student's health insurance carrier. Charges for pharmaceuticals and laboratory work done off campus are the responsibility of the student. 

The University also sponsors a low-cost accident and health insurance program for all matriculating students. Additional information about the insurance program is sent to students and is also available by contacting the Student Health Service. 

The services of the Center for Counseling and Student Development include individual counseling, group counseling, graduate training programs in counseling, career development programs, a career library, paraprofessional training, special interest workshops, and consultations with widely diverse University groups and individuals. These services are available to all University of Delaware students who pay the Student Health Service fee. The center is staffed by psychologists, psychiatrists, and counselors who are trained to assist college students achieve their full academic potential, make realistic career and education plans, and/or work toward resolution of personal concerns. At the center, students may discuss freely, in a confidential and professional setting, any concerns they may be experiencing. The emphasis is on assisting students to understand themselves more clearly and to utilize their potential more fully so that they may solve problems now and in the future. Appointments may be made by calling the center at (302) 831-2141. 

Services for students with disabilities at the University of Delaware are designed to provide equal educational opportunities for disabled students and to encourage full participation in University programs. Students with disabilities (other than learning disabilities and/or attention deficit disorder) may contact the Office of the Americans with Disabilities Act Coordinator to obtain services, including among others: pre-admission information; individualized needs assessment; priority registration; auxiliary aids, such as assistive listening devices, sign language interpreters, cassette recorders and materials on tape; consultation and advocacy; and information and referrals. Further information may be obtained by contacting: Americans with Disabilities Act Coordinator, (302) 831-2835 (Voice) or 831-4563 (TDD);  e-mail to ADACoordinator@mvs.udel.edu. 

Students who qualify for accommodations as a result of a documented learning disability are encouraged to contact the Academic Services Center at (302) 831-1639 for information about services and the process for obtaining reasonable accommodations.  Students with learning disabilities, attention deficit disorder (ADD or ADHD), and traumatic head injury (acquired learning disability) may be eligible to receive the following services:  test accommodations, educational consultation, academic coaching, and referral to other campus or community service providers. 

The University of Delaware Career Services Center is committed to providing assistance to graduate students. Resources and services have been designed to enhance job-seeking skills as well as to assist in identifying career options. 

A series of workshops is offered regularly to provide extensive instruction in the areas of developing a vita, preparing for the interview, and implementing job search strategies. A special program entitled "Finding Jobs in Academia" is open to all graduate students and is normally held during the fall semester. 

The Chronicle of Higher Education is an example of one of the periodicals, books, pamphlets, and other related material available in the Career Resource Center and on-line. Specific job vacancy information and directories of potential employers are also maintained in the center. Visit the Career Services Website at http://www.udel.edu/CSC/career.html for additional resources. 

Graduate students may also elect to establish a credential file with the Career Services Center. The references maintained in this file may then be duplicated and used to support the candidate in the application process. The necessary registration forms and blank reference evaluations can be obtained from this office. 

Opportunities for on-campus interviews are available through the Campus Interview Program. Personnel representatives from over 500 companies, schools, and organizations visit the office each year to conduct interviews. Attendance at one of the Orientation Sessions (J.O.B.S.), which describe the sign-up system, is required. 

Other services and resources offered to students include individual appointments for career advisement and a Career Information Library. 

The Career Services Center is located in Raub Hall at the corner of North College Avenue and Main Street. For additional information about these services, visit the center, or call (302) 831-8479. 

The Office of Alumni and University Relations, under the supervision of the Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations and with direct responsibilities to the President, conducts programs and activities for diverse constituencies of the University community and its alumni. The office serves as a liaison between the University of Delaware and the Alumni Association Board of Directors, who represent the world-wide alumni body of more than 90,000 living alumni. 

The Office coordinates such major events as Homecoming, Alumni Wall of Fame, Presidential Citation for Outstanding Achievement, Alumni Spring Luncheon, Winter and Spring Commencements, University Summer Arts Festival, University Performing Arts Series, New Student Convocation (with Admissions Office), Honors Day, Parents Day, and Legacy Day (with the Admissions Office). The Office of Alumni and University Relations also coordinates University building dedications and groundbreakings, University awards ceremonies (Medal of Merit and Medal of Distinction programs), and honorary degree presentations, and assists with arrangements for class reunions, special interest reunions, and alumni club events of the over twenty-five regional clubs throughout the country. It also conducts a travel program specifically targeted for alumni of the university. 

In addition to the University Alumni Association, there are satellite alumni associations in the Colleges of Agriculture and Natural Resources; Business and Economics; Engineering; Human Resources, Education and Public Policy; and Health and Nursing Sciences. The Black Alumni Organization offers programming especially oriented to black alumni and assists in recruiting and counseling black undergraduates. 

Through the Volunteer Admissions Support Team (VAST), coordinated jointly by the Office of Admissions and the Office of Alumi and University Relations, alumni throughout the country help recruit outstanding students. 

The Undergraduate Student Alumni Association (SAA), initiated in 1983, serves currently enrolled students and provides them with the opportunity to interact with alumni. 

Inquiries concerning alumni activities should be addressed to Robert R. Davis, Assistant Vice President for Alumni and University Relations, (302) 831-2341;  e-mail robert.davis@mvs.udel.edu.