Services for Students

MELC Club

The MELC Club (MELC-C) is a student organization that provides students of the Department of Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures a forum to share research with one another, as well as organizational and financial resources to host well-known lecturers in the field of Middle Eastern languages, culture, and politics. The Club promotes awareness of Middle Eastern cultures on the IU campus and in the greater Bloomington community.

Egyptology Club

The Egyptology Club is a student organization that promotes the study of Ancient Egypt. The club is open to all Indiana University students.

Student Health Services

Students must be enrolled or at least one credit to be eligible for Student Health Services.

If a student is enrolled for three or more credits during the fall or spring semester or six or more credits in the summer, a health fee is assessed. Students enrolled in fewer than three credits are charged for each office call.

To learn more about the services offered, please visit the IU Health Center.

University Housing Services

As a rule, a graduate student should be enrolled in at least ten credit hours to be entitled to accommodation in university housing; however, individual arrangements can be worked out. For students taking qualifying examinations, it is sufficient to submit a memo from the student’s department with that information to remain eligible for university housing. A variety of housing options, on and off campus, are available in Bloomington. Students interested in living on campus should call (812-855-1764), email askrps@iu.edu, or visit Residential Programs and Services.

There is a great demand for campus housing. If a student wants to live in the dormitories or campus apartments, it is strongly recommended to apply as soon as possible. The advantages of on-campus housing include a direct connection to the internet through the university network and free university cable television. Most utilities are also included in the price of rent. Students interested in living off campus are advised to visit Bloomington personally to find accommodations. For fall leasing, it is best to search during late spring. The University owns several off-campus properties, but the availability of these for fall is usually unknown until late April or early May. For more details contact Residential Programs and Services, Indiana University Real Estate, or consult the Bloomington Herald-Times.

Library Services

The Indiana University Libraries are one of the major academic library systems in the United States. In addition, IU is a member of the Big Ten Academic Alliance, a consortium of the “Big Ten” universities plus the University of Chicago. This gives IU faculty and graduate students access to the libraries of the other members, including such major research libraries as the Universities of Chicago and Michigan.

Materials not held by IU can usually be obtained through interlibrary loan within a few days. IU Libraries subscribe to almost all major academic databases.

Graduate students are entitled to use all the University library facilities and resources. Most library materials can be checked out for 120 days.

The library offers orientations for students.

The bibliographer concerned with Middle Eastern materials is Akram Khabibalaev(akkhabib@iu.edu, Wells LibraryE960).

College of Arts and Sciences Leave of Absence and Parental Accommodation for Graduate Students Leave of Absence

Leaves of absence allow graduate students in the College of Arts and Sciences to deal with unforeseen events that interfere with their academic progress. During a leave you are not expected to make progress toward your degree. Although you may complete coursework from previous terms during a leave, you may not attend class or use the leave to catch up on current coursework, prepare for exams, or write your dissertation.

The purpose of this policy is to provide continuing support of graduate students in the College who need temporary relief from duties because of a medical or family situation.

The information provided here is intended to serve as a general guide to graduate student leaves of absence in the College. All leave requests are reviewed and granted on a case-by-case basis.

Eligibility

To be eligible for a leave, you must be enrolled full time in a College graduate program and have completed at least one semester (a minimum of nine credits) in the program. You also must be in good academic standing—if you are on academic probation, you are not eligible for a leave.

Leaves of absence may be granted under the following circumstances:

For medical hardship (physical or mental illness, chronic conditions, conditions requiring multiple treatments, overnight hospitalizations)
To provide care for family members (spouse, dependent children under age 18, domestic partner, child of a domestic partner, or parent)
For military service. Leaves for military service are coordinated with IU Veteran Support Services and the College Graduate Office. International students who are called to military service are encouraged to contact the Office of International Services to determine how such service affects their academic and visa status.
For other personal reasons, in exceptional circumstances
For more information, please visit here.

Applying for a Leave of Absence

Before requesting a leave of absence, you should first discuss the leave and possible alternatives with your department. If you decide to proceed with your leave request, you must follow these steps:

Fill out a leave of absence request and submit it to your department.
If the leave is for medical reasons, fill out a medical certification form. Leaves for medical reasons cannot be approved until the medical certification form is received by the College Graduate Office.
Meet with your program’s director of graduate studies to create a leave of absence return plan

Submit your leave of absence request, your leave of absence return plan, and, if applicable, your medical certification form to the College Graduate Office.

The College Graduate Office will review your request and make a formal decision. You and your department will receive official notification of the decision by email.

For more information, visit the College of Arts and Sciences Leave of Absence page.

Parental Accommodation

The College of Arts and Sciences is committed to accommodating the needs of graduate students who are new parents. If you hold a College-funded student academic appointment (SAA) of at least 37.5 percent FTE and have completed a minimum of one semester (a minimum of nine credits) in the College, you are eligible for a parental accommodation period up to six weeks once in your academic career.

You must complete this accommodation period within six weeks of the birth or adoption of a child. During the accommodation period, you will continue to receive full support from the College, including the SAA stipend, health insurance, and fee remission.

Because summer appointments are discretionary, parental accommodations are not available during summer sessions.

Academic Accommodations

A parental accommodation is not a leave of absence, as you must remain enrolled in at least six credit hours during the accommodation period. However, the accommodation period allows academic flexibility, including extended deadlines and the ability to postpone coursework, exams, and other academic duties. It is your responsibility to work with faculty in your department to determine what academic accommodations can be made.

The College will not cover the cost of replacements for non-instructional SAAs.

Applying for Parental Accommodation

To request a parental accommodation, you must follow these steps:

Contact your department to request academic accommodations and to notify your department’s director of graduate studies of the expected timeframe for your absence from SAA duties.
Fill out the parental accommodation request and the medical certification form and submit them to the College Graduate Office. Your department may ask to review the medical certification form prior to submission to the College Graduate Office.
Please note that your parental accommodation cannot be approved until your medical certification form is received by the College Graduate Office.

The College Graduate Office will review your request and make a formal decision. You and your department will be notified of the decision.

For more information, visit the College of Arts and Sciences Parental Accommodation page.