General Policy and Information

Administration and Staff 2023-24

RolePerson
Department ChairGraham Leuschke
Associate Chair for Undergraduate StudiesLeonid Kovalev
Associate Chair for Graduate AffairsWilliam Wylie
Assistant Chair (TA assignments)Moira McDermott
Assistant Chair (class scheduling)Jeff Meyer
Coordinator of Mathematics EducationJoanna Masingila
Senior Administrator (budget, payroll)Julie O’Connor
Administrative Specialist (registration)Kelly Jarvi
Office & Textbook Coordinator & Graduate RecorderM’Tia Williams
Office CoordinatorKim Canino

Departmental Committees 2023-24

CommitteeMembers
Executive CommitteeGraham Leuschke (chair),
Lee Kennard,
Joanna Masingila,
Lixin Shen,
Andrew Vogel
Graduate CommitteeStephan Wehrli (chair),
Jianxuan Liu
Yuan Yuan
Undergraduate CommitteeSteven Diaz (chair),
Duane Graysay,
Jeff Meyer

Academic Advisors 2023-24

Student GroupAdvisor
Graduate students without a PhD advisorDeclan Quinn, Jani Onninen, Yuan Yuan
Mathematics or Applied Mathematics majorsAndrew Vogel (A-G),
Leonid Kovalev (H-M),
Stephan Wehrli (N-S),
Steven Diaz (T-Z)
Statistics majorsHyune-Ju Kim
Mathematics minorsLeonid Kovalev
Applied Statistics programsPinyuen Chen

MGO Executive Board and GSO Senators 2023-24

RolePerson
PresidentHenry Potts-Rubin
Vice PresidentMichael Vance
TreasurerJesse Hulse
SecretaryKarie Schmitz
Colloquium OrganizerElana Israel

Textbooks, Calculators and Supplies

All instructors will receive one copy of the textbook used for the course they are teaching, as well as any available supplementary materials (e.g. solutions manuals) from M’Tia Williams.

Calculators will be lent to you (by Ms. Williams) for the semester for the course you are teaching if it requires a calculator. Please remember to return the calculator at the end of the semester unless you may need it for the course your will be teaching for the next semester.

If instructors lose these items, the department cannot be responsible for replacing them.

The department provides you with supplies related to your teaching responsibilities, such as grade books, red ballpoint pens, graph paper, etc. If supplies are required, please see any one of the office staff.

Mailboxes

You should check your mailbox regularly, preferably daily; at least every 2 days. For security reasons, students are not allowed to place items in or remove items from the mailboxes. Therefore, do not send students to place items in your mailbox.

Copiers

There are two copiers in the Math Department (Room 215) for faculty, staff and TA use. TAs may use the office copiers for teaching and research related materials only. When using the office copiers for more than a few minutes, please notify the office staff to let them know how long you will be and to be sure none of them will need the copier soon. You should remember that the office staff and faculty have priority when it comes to photocopying. Otherwise, photocopying privileges are on a first-come first-served basis.

Tutoring

The Department maintains a list of individuals willing to tutor students on an individual basis. All arrangements for payment of the tutor are made between the parties involved. Graduate students are given an opportunity to be included on the list of tutors for subjects in which they are qualified to tutor. If you would like to be included on this list please email Leonid Kovalev (lvkovale@syr.edu).

Department policy prohibits anyone who is officially assigned to a course, either as instructor, recitation instructor, or grader, from tutoring for extra pay any student(s) in any section of that course.

Room Reservations

When you wish to reserve a room, please see Ms. Kelly Jarvi or if she is unavailable see Ms. O’Connor. Rooms are reserved on a first-come, first-served basis. Keep in mind that rooms are particularly scarce during class hours, and always scarce at the end of any given semester. Please make your request several days before you need the room.

Answering Machine and Voicemail

If you need to contact the department before or after normal business hours, please call 315-443-3849 and leave a message or send an email to MATH-STAFF@listserv.syr.edu. All staff members, and any work study student working at the front desk can retrieve any messages left at this number.

Be sure to include your name, the situation, and a number where you can be reached. If you are ill or there is an emergency, please follow the instructions in the section Emergencies.  When you call in during normal business hours, you can call any of the staff members, and speak to someone. But, please do not leave a voice mail message at their extension, as only that person can retrieve the message. Should that person not be present that day no one would get the message.

Phones

Personal phone calls should be kept to a minimum.

Questionnaires

During the semester, you will receive several questionnaires either in your mailbox or by email. Please try to return these to the appropriate individual well before the deadline dates printed on them.

The questionnaires include (but are not limited to): Office Hours, Clinic, End Hours, Teaching, Future Intentions, etc.

Department Hours

The mathematics office is open 8:30-5:00pm Monday-Friday. You should not plan on having access to the main office before 8:30am or after 5:00pm. The office staff must secure the office before leaving at 5:00pm. Please be mindful of that if you are in the office at 5:00pm.

During the summer, the department’s hours are 8:00-4:30pm.

The office will be closed on official University Holidays only. Please check the Academic Year Calendar for these dates.

Computers, Calculators and Other Equipment

See the ITS page Classroom technology instructions for instructions on using classroom microphones, cameras, monitors, etc. 

The department has several overhead projection units for calculators, view/overhead projector units (on a cart, to be used with laptops), 1 black and white n-view unit. All of this equipment is available for daily or extended use, but must be reserved with Ms. Jarvi. All equipment will be dispensed on a first-come, first-served basis. Please return all equipment the way you found it.

Computers

The computers in 400 Carnegie and in the offices in Smith Hall are available for use by graduate students in the mathematics department.

Hopefully, there are enough of these computers to give everyone adequate access. Please be considerate of others. Also, bear in mind that there are many other computer resources available on campus: see the ITS map.

The computer cluster in Room 124 is scheduled for classes on most class periods. Instructors, who would like to hold an unscheduled class in this cluster occasionally, should contact Ms. Jarvi to reserve a time.

Information Technology and Services (ITS) helps students and faculty members with computing equipment. ITS provides a variety of support options for students, faculty, and staff.

Classroom Security

Windows

Rain and wind can destroy parts of a classroom when the windows have been left open. If you open windows, please close them when you leave the classroom. The next instructor can open the windows, if they choose to.

Lights

Some rooms have motion-activated light switches with a manual switch on the top. The lights in these rooms should be left in the “on” position at all times, i.e. do not switch off the lights in these rooms.

Doors

Since non-mathematics classes are often scheduled in Carnegie after 5:00pm, do not lock doors as you leave the room but please do close the door (unless of course the next instructor is walking in).

Exceptions

Room 111 door will remain locked at all times when not in use. (The staff will ensure that it is locked after each colloquium.)
Room 124 (computer Lab) door should be locked, the lights switched off.

Main Office Rules

Microwave

The microwave in the main office is for the use of the faculty and office staff only. TAs are asked to use the ones in Carnegie 400 or in Smith Hall.

Office Staff Lunches

The office staff take staggered lunch hours so there is always at least one person available to help you. If possible, ask a person who is working at that time to help you rather than someone who is obviously eating lunch or on break.

TA Offices and Keys

If you are not returning for the upcoming semester, please give your keys to Ms. Kim Canino. Your desk and office will need to be cleaned. Everyone will not be leaving at the same time, so please ask Ms. Kim Canino by what date you should have your desk and office cleaned. All returning TAs will receive a questionnaire from the Administrative Secretary (Ms. Kelly Jarvi) requesting you to make office selections for the upcoming academic year. New offices are assigned in time for the beginning of the fall semester.

Pay information for TAs

We strongly recommend setting up a direct deposit. This will ensure that you have access to your money even if the office closes on vacation or you leave campus before the last payment of semester is issued.

Bulletin Board

The bulletin board outside of Ms. Jarvi’s office will post announcements periodically. Please check the bulletin board in the event you may have missed something in your mailbox.