The Student Guide: follow this link

The Student Guide is a very basic guide for students from students in the PhD Program in Theatre and Performance. It’s a work in progress, most recently updated by last year’s DTSA board but indebted to work from many past students acknowledged in the guide.

Remember, this is not the official department handbook; this is a student-written and edited tool for informal advice. Use this information at your own discretion, but check with the official source of information for completely reliable and updated info. This guide is best used to lead you to where you might find the best answer.

For best results, this book should be used in conjunction with:

  • Theatre Department Doctoral Student Handbook (hard copies available at the Theatre Department Office, online version here)
  • CUNY Student Handbook (hard copies also available in the Theatre Office, available online here)
In the Theatre Department Green Room:
Computers and Printing

There are five computers available for student use in room 3111 and in the Annex.  Printing can be accomplished through any of these computers.  If you are having any technical difficulties, please call extension 7300 (including if you need more paper).  For wireless access, use the network GC Guest.  You will be prompted to enter any email address as authentication

Office Supplies

Next to the printer in room 3111 there is a stapler, staple remover, hole puncher, scissors, staple remover, and tape.  Please return all items.

Video and DVD Collection

The theatre department has a private video and DVD collection in room 3402.  You cannot go into this room without permission from the A.P.O. (Lynette Gibson).  However, you can peruse the holdings by looking at the Video and DVD collection catalogue.  When you find an item you would like to check out, write it down in the Video and DVD collection catalogue kept in the office and request the room key from Lynette.  Please make sure to return the item within 48 hours.

Lockers

Lockers are distributed to incoming students each year.  If you would like a locker and are not an incoming student, it is best to team up with another student and ask Lynette Gibson during the summer if the two of you can share a locker.  She may be able to accommodate your request.  Also, every year the GSC has a lottery for lockers on the fifth floor.  E-mails detailing how to enter this lottery are sent out at the beginning of the fall semester.

Mailboxes

Each student has a mailbox.  If you want mail sent to you, it is easiest to have the addressee write: your name, Theatre Department Room 3112, The Graduate Center, The City University of New York, 365 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10016-4309.

Green Room Annex
  • A DVD & VHS player/converter (You can use this machine to convert VHS tapes to DVDs).
  • Refrigerator
  • Microwave
  • Book Collection
  • TV
  • DVD Player
  • DVD Walkman without headphones
  • Computer
  • Scanner
  • Printer
Thesis Room

The thesis room is primarily for official readings.  However, it also houses the department’s dissertation collection.  These dissertations titles can be viewed and also checked out through the Dissertation Listings notebook kept by the door of the main office.  Please sign out and return the dissertations within 48 hours.

Mina Rees Library

The Mina Rees Library is located on the first floor of the graduate center.

Printing is available from library databases free from the GC network available to GC faculty, students, staff, and designated guests with GC computer network accounts. Network printers reside on the library’s 2nd floor, on the 34th St. side. Additional network printers are available on the Concourse level computer lab and in department labs. See IT guides for Mac printing, color printing, double-sided printing. Printing also available in the Mac Media Lab on the Concourse level. Report printer problems to the IT Help Desk on the Library Concourse level, 212-817-7300 or helpdesk@gc.cuny.edu.

Printing is not available to non-Graduate Center users of the Graduate Center library. Bring your own jump drive to download files from the public workstations.

Scanners are available on the Library’s 2nd floor (East 34th St. side) and on the Concourse level near the Information Technology Help Desk. Scanned files from local computer workstations make files for free transfer to a jump drive, for email, or to the GC U: drive. Scanning is also available in the Mac Media Lab on the Concourse level. See IT help and Help Desk for assistance.

Copy machines use copy cards available for purchase in vending machines on the library 1st and 2nd floors. Copy cards are reusable, but not transferrable to other libraries. Copy cards must be purchased with a $1 bill. Cards are issued with no value. Subsequent refills on the card yield copies for $.10/page. Letter-size paper only. Double-sided copying is available. Report library copy machine problems to the library Circulation/Reserve Desk 212-817-7083 or library-circulation@gc.cuny.edu.

Microfilm can be printed on 2nd floor microform reader/printers using copy cards. Microfilm may also be scanned to local computer workstations for free transfer to a jump drive, for email, or for transfer to the GC U: drive. For detailed instructions and troubleshooting information see our guides: Konica-Minolta or PowerScan.

Fax machines are available on the Concourse level print room for sending free local faxes. See the IT Help Desk for assistance.

Collection Policies: Special Collections & Archives

The Library’s special collections houses rare materials in a variety of subjects. The primary collections are the Seymour B. Durst Old York Library, the Joseph Buttinger Rare Book Collection on Utopias, the Old Imprints collection and a general special collection.

Fitness Center

Students wanting access to a fitness center may use one these facilities at a discounted rate. In addition, adjuncts may often use the fitness center where they teach; see your campus for more information.

Baruch Fitness Center

The Baruch Fitness Center is available to all matriculated students of the Graduate Center for $100 annual fee. A Baruch Fitness Center ID is required.

  1. Get a letter from the Registrar stating that you are a matriculated GC student.
  2. Take the letter to the Baruch Fitness Center Office.
  3. Your picture will be taken.
  4. Payment of $100 (check only) will be requested.
  5. You will receive a picture ID.

Read the Advocate story here for more information.

John Jay College Cardiovascular Fitness Center

Graduate Center students are also welcome to use the John Jay College Cardiovascular Fitness Center (899 Tenth Avenue, Suite 601) for a $275 annual fee (half-year membership is available for $137.50). For John Jay, students must first have a physical examination ($25 on-site exams are available twice a year). For further information, contact Ron Goss at 212.237.8367. Medical Referral forms can be downloaded here.

Fitness Classes at the Graduate Center

The Graduate Center offers fitness classes at reduced rates for students, staff and faculty through the Student Affairs office. Classes include Pilates, Hatha Yoga, and Yoga for Beginners Information on classes is available from the Student Affairs office, at 1-212-817-7400, Room 7301, studentaffairs@gc.cuny.edu. Pre-registration, including a $10 registration fee, and payment is required before the first class for all classes.

Request Legal Consultation

The DSC provides free legal services through the Community Legal Resource Network, which is affiliated with the CUNY School of Law. Consultations are for informational purposes only, and may include such issues as lease agreements, divorce, domestic partnerships, child custody, and debt.

All issues regarding CUNY employment should be pursued through the Professional Staff Congress (PSC) and/or the Adjunct Project.

Room Reservations

All students may use the two DSC lounges on the 5th floor:

  • The Social Lounge (Room 5414) provides a relaxed environment where students can interact on a social basis.
  • The Working Lounge (Room 5409) is more suitable for holding formal meetings or for studying and interacting on work projects.
  • Both lounges are connected by a pantry equipped with a microwave oven, a refrigerator, and a sink.

In addition, a Conference Room (Room 5489) is available for meetings of 15 people or less.

All rooms are equipped with a projector and DVD/VCR player.

These rooms are for the exclusive use of students and Chartered Organizations, and are intended to provide a space where activities organized by students for students can take place. You can come in at any time; door remain unlocked.

Reservations are made on a first-come, first-served basis. It is strongly suggested that room reservations be made at least 2 to 3 weeks prior to your event. All requests must be approved by a member of the DSC Steering Committee. Approval notification is confirmed via email. This is the ONLY official confirmation of a room request. No group of students may schedule regular reservations of a room more than once a week. Groups whose name, membership and/or objectives are essentially the same may be refused multiple reservations under this provision.

Wellness Center

The Doctoral Students Council contributes roughly $96,000 per year to the Wellness Center, in part, to secure a Nurse Practitioner (ext. 7020, room 6422).

Current students can use these services without cost. All medical lab tests for students without insurance are subsidized by the DSC. Students are required to pay only 30% of lab fees. When students receive bills for tests that the Nurse Practitioner ordered, they should take the bill to the Wellness Center for processing instructions.

Psychological counseling and adult development workshops are also available through the Wellness Center.

The Child Development and Learning Center

Room 3201; Telephone: 1-212-817-7032
Director: Ms. Linda Perrotta

Committed to providing a high-quality, developmentally appropriate early childhood education, The Child Development and Learning Center is open to preschool children of students enrolled in the Graduate Center. The center provides a warm, nurturing environment that encourages each child’s natural curiosity and fosters a love of learning. Play and exploration are valued as two of the most important means by which learning takes place. The emphasis on all projects and activities is on the process of interacting with the materials and integration of knowledge rather than the acquisition of specific academic skills. The center also serves as a lab school for faculty and students doing research pertinent to preschool children.

The program is licensed by the New York City Department of Health to serve 27 children between two-and-a-half and six years old, and is staffed with certified early childhood educators. The daily hours of operation are 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Friday. The teaching staff helps parents to develop individualized schedules that meet the specific needs of each child and family. The center observes the Graduate Center calendar, but a June program is also available.

 Food

Food is available for purchase on the first floor, 365 Express Café (and vending machines behind), and on the eight floor, Dining Commons.  In general the hours are:

Dining Commons 11:00am-3:00pm
365 Express 8:00am-7:00pm

Services for Students with Disabilities

The 504 / ADA Coordinator for persons with disabilities is Mr. Matthew G. Schoengood, Vice President for Student Affairs, Room 7301; Telephone: 1-212-817-7400. The Vice President for Student Affairs also serves as the chair of the 504 / ADA Committee for Persons with Disabilities. It is the policy of the Graduate Center to provide auxiliary aids and services and to make appropriate academic accommodations needed by students with disabilities. A few examples of such possible academic accommodations are extended or divided time for taking an examination, as might be required for a student who has a learning disability or for whom physical stamina is reduced (for example, because of AIDS); use of a computer or other auxiliary aid during an examination; taping of classes. Students who wish to request accommodations or have questions about Graduate Center facilities, auxiliary aids and services, or any Graduate Center academic matters should consult with Ms. Sharon Lerner, Director of Student Affairs, Miss Elise M. Perram, Associate Director of Student Affairs, or the Vice President for Student Affairs. Discussions and information regarding a student’s disability will be kept confidential unless a student requests otherwise. Appropriate documentation to obtain accommodations is required to be provided to the Student Affairs office. Students are encouraged to contact the Office of Student Affairs to discuss present and future needs to facilitate effective planning.

Adaptive equipment and computer software are available at the Graduate Center. Computer users have access to screen-character enlargement, text-to-speech, and optical-character-recognition scan-and-read software, a closed-circuit television and voice-recognition software. For students with hearing impairments, the Graduate Center has available a personal FM listening system (for use on an individual basis for classes and meetings). The auditoriums are equipped with infrared equipment to assist those with hearing impairments. The Graduate Center provides readers/library assistants, sign-language interpreters, notetakers, scribes, and other auxiliary services as needed. Contact Ms. Lerner or Miss Perram in the Office of Student Affairs to request accommodation and for additional information about facilities and services available to students with disabilities.

The Mina Rees Library can provide students with disabilities with such services as staff assistance in catalog searches and location of books and jour­nals.

Students with disabilities should register with the Office of Security and Public Safety (Room 9117; Telephone:1-212-817-7761) so that provision may be made for their safety should an emergency arise.

Users of TDD (Telecommunications Devices for the Deaf) within New York state should call the Telecommunications Service at 711 or at 1-800-662-1220. Users of TDD outside New York state should call their local Telecommunications Service.