====== GRACS Communication ======

===== Web site =====

==== gracs CS Web pages ====

  * ''gracs'' Web pages folder: ''/u/www/users/gracs''
  * Anyone in the ''gracs'' UNIX group (GID 2004) can update
  * You may want to ask ''help@cs'' to chown to main person maintaining Web content

==== Wiki ====

  * GRACS Wiki (this!)

==== Calendar ====

  * GRACS Google Calendar ([[https://calendar.google.com/calendar/|Google Calendar]] ID: ''utgracs@gmail'')
  * Be sure that all GRACS officers are given permission to make changes.  (In the "share this calendar" function in Gmail.)
===== E-mail =====

  * Mailing lists:
  * ''gracs@cs'' is an alias for the current GRACS reps.  It's membership is in ''/u/www/users/gracs/gracs.txt''
  * ''gracs-braintrust@cs'' is an alias for the former GRACS reps.  It's membership is in ''/u/www/users/gracs/gracs-braintrust.txt''
  * ''csgrad@utlists.utexas.edu'' is the unofficial grad list.  Anyone can subscribe or unsubscribe, and any subscriber can send to it, but it's moderated by ''gracs@cs''. Messages are usually announcement of items of interest to CS graduate students, such as social events, advice sessions, housing available, summer jobs, etc.
  * ''grad@cs'' is the department's official list, which is maintained by UDB, that only members of the ''prof'', ''dept'', or ''gracs'' UNIX groups can send to
  * ''utcs-advice@utlists.utexas.edu'' -- A mix of new and current students, who can offer advice on areas of Austin to live in, how to manage money, what's a good/bad courseload, etc.
  * Sending mail:
  * I propose we use the ''grad@cs'' list very few times per semester to announce formal GRACS business, like:
      * A reminder of GRACS existence/purpose at the start of the year
      * Nominations opening
      * Election instructions
      * Election results
  * Other announcements, about events and so forth, would go to ''csgrad@utlists''.
  * Also, remember:
      * Use plain text message encoding.
      * For most messages, add a "''Reply-To: gracs@cs.utexas.edu''" header.
      * Remind people to subscribe to ''csgrad@utlists'' on the "start of the year" message.
      * Reming people how to edit their ''utlists'' settings in the ''csgrad@utlists'' messages.
  * To send to ''csgrad@utlists'' with a From of ''gracs@cs'':
      * Go to URL: https://utlists.utexas.edu/sympa/compose_mail/csgrad .
      * Login as ''gracs@cs.utexas.edu'' .
      * Paste your message subject and text into the form and press Send.
      * Reply to CONFIRM e-mail in your inbox //from an account subscribed to ''csgrad@utlists''//.
      * Reply to DISTRIBUTE e-mail (yes, a second e-mail) in your inbox.

  * Forward any "after you graduate"-type job announcements to OEA: oea@cs.utexas.edu .  They'll tell them to join FoCS (Friends of Computer Science) or post via career services.

  * Jobs that are compatible with being an enrolled grad student, like project help, summer jobs, etc., are OK for us to distribute if we want to.  (per Patti 23 Mar 2010)

==== Adding incoming CS grads to mailing lists ====
We add new students to two mailing lists every year:

  * csgrad-<year>@utlists.utexas.edu
  * utcs-advice@utlists.utexas.edu

The fist list (csgrad-<year>@utlists.utexas.edu) needs to be created at: https://utlists.utexas.edu/sympa/create_list_request. The second list (utcs-advice@utlists.utexas.edu) has all enrolled CS grad students added to it. Katie Dahm sends us the list of incoming students around the end of Spring every year. Along with these addresses, be sure to also add gracs@cs.utexas.edu to the csgrad-<year> list.
==== Sample email to incoming students ====

Fellow CS grads,

As the summer starts and preparation for your first semester of graduate school at the University of Texas at Austin, you may find it useful to communicate with other graduate students just starting this fall, as well as students who are current attending the program.  For this reason, we have created and added you to two email lists:

  * csgrad-2013@utlists.utexas.edu (the email list we are sending this to, the list containing all first-year students)
  * utcs-advice@utlists.utexas.edu (containing all currently-enrolled CS students)

Currently, you have all been added to this list with the email address you supplied the department, but if you would like to make any changes (or remove yourself from these lists), you can visit https://utlists.utexas.edu/.

If you should have any other questions about the department, don't hesitate to contact us, your Graduate Representative Association of Computer Science (GRACS) members at gracs@cs.utexas.edu.

Welcome aboard,

GRACS


===== Flyers =====

  * Useful prior to GRACS events

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**//See [[gracs:|GRACS Internal Start Page]] for more GRACS administrative topics.//**