INFORMATION FOR NEW APPOINTEES FROM THE DEAN OF THE FACULTY

Welcome to Princeton and the Seeger Center for Hellenic Studies! This guide contains extensive resources provided by the Seeger Center for postdoctoral research associates and visiting fellows to ensure that you are well-informed prior to arrival and during your stay at the center. For a quick search, hit Ctrl F or Command F while in the body of this page.

In addition, the Dean of the Faculty’s office offers several programs and resources to help postdoctoral fellows adjust to life at Princeton. For more information, click here. For specific information on housing, visas, and employee benefits, navigate to the For Incoming Postdocs page. Here, you will also find specific information for International Postdocs and Postdocs with Families


J-1 VISA

After your appointment has been fully approved and processed by the Dean of the Faculty's office, you will receive an email within five business days from the Davis International Davis Center with information to begin the steps to obtain a visa. 
Princeton University will sponsor your visa; however, you will need to cover the fees associated with obtaining one. As soon as you receive your visa application, we strongly suggest that you make an appointment at the U.S. Embassy in your home country right away, as appointment time slots fill up quickly. For any visa-related questions, please contact [email protected].

The dates on your DS-2019 correspond to your approved appointment dates. This means that your DS-2019 dates do not need to match your flight dates; instead, they must match the dates of your employment. Furthermore, you can enter the US up to 30 days before and 30 days after the start date listed on the DS-2019. 
 

Visa Scholar Categories

  • The Short-Term Scholar category allows a stay of up to 6 months with no extension possible. 
  • The Research Scholar category (which allows stays beyond six months with possibilities for extension) will be subject to the 24-month bar if your appointment is not extended. This means that you cannot return under this category again until 24 months have passed from the end date. However, you can still return under the Short-term Scholar category at any time.

You can find more information about the Research Scholar and Short-term Scholar categories here, particularly under points 2 and 5.

 

OFFICE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (OIT) 

  • Account Activation - Once your appointment has been processed, you will receive a confirmation email that you can (re)activate your Princeton NetID and password. You can find your NetID and University ID by searching for yourself in the Princeton Directory if not provided in the email. For more information after you have created an account: Get Started with your Princeton email and calendar
  • DUO - You will need to set up DUO for multi-factor authentication. We recommend downloading the Duo Mobile app on your phone. Please do not set up the fingerprint ID, as it may create problems with accessing websites with other devices. If you need help, please contact the OIT Support and Operations Center at (609) 258-HELP (4357). Look for the following icon on the app store of your choice. Faculty and staff can add, edit, and remove devices from Duo, without contacting the Service Desk. The portal can be accessed directly by visiting oit.princeton.edu/duo or through the Duo prompt by selecting Other options then Manage devices. Within the Self-Service Portal, users can now easily Enroll an additional phone or tablet for authentication; Reactivate Duo Mobile on an existing phone number (convenient for upgrades); Create custom names for devices; Remove existing devices; Change their authentication preferences by canceling a login request and choosing a new method.
duo icon

Campus Wayfinding

 

TRAVEL TO PRINCETON

Postdocs and fellows traveling by plane should arrive at Newark Airport (EWR). Instructions from the airport to campus are HERE.


MOBILE PHONE

You will need a U.S. number for several services such as bank access, online food orders, etc. To set up U.S. cellular service, contact any carrier (by phone or online), such as T-Mobile/Mint, AT&T, and Tello. You can install an e-SIM card if your phone is unlocked. If it is locked you will need to order a physical SIM card in the U.S. or even purchase another phone. Once you have arrived here, change the location in settings to the U.S. in order to download U.S.-specific apps such as your bank app, Venmo, Google Maps, etc. 

If you are ordering a physical SIM card or a phone, you may use our address to have it delivered. Please use this address: Your name, Princeton University, 107 Scheide Caldwell House, Princeton, NJ 08544. After you have arranged local housing, please update your Princeton address with your phone carrier online.

We recommend installing an e-SIM, if possible, before you leave on your trip to Princeton. Then you will have data immediately when you land at your destination. 


OPENING A U.S. BANK ACCOUNT

Go back to the intranet home page and click on the Financial Information tile.


HUMAN RESOURCES, New South

  • Form I-9 - The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA) requires all new and rehired employees to establish eligibility for employment in the United States. Princeton University cannot pay you or allow you to work until this verification process has been completed. Please note that non-U.S. citizens must have employment authorization covering their entire Princeton University appointment period to be able to work and be paid for the full appointment.
     
    You must fill out an Employment Eligibility Verification form (Form I-9) in person within three business days of your appointment start date. Human resources will contact you to schedule an appointment to view the appropriate original documents, which establish proof of identity and authorization to work. Appointments are required and can be self-scheduled at: https://calendly.com/careersatprinceton/5-min?back=1&month=2021-09 For questions, please contact [email protected]. If you can schedule an appointment in person, you will meet with an HR representative at New South, room B10 (basement). Please note that if your appointment falls on or after your official start date, you may also pick up your ID card at New South.
  • HR Self-Service - Can be accessed on your first day (not available prior) after you have activated your NetID, set up your password & DUO, AND after you have completed Form I-9. Please see the OIT section if you need assistance with setting up your NetID and password. Please bookmark the HR Self-Service website since you will need to access it regularly. In HR Self-Service you can/will need to:
    • Set up direct deposit. You will need an account number and routing number from a U.S. bank account.
    • Set up paperless election: Elect to receive your W-2 form electronically as you won’t be able to access Self-Service after your appointment has ended.
    • View your electronic paychecks (available three days prior to paydays).
    • Check/update your personal information, including your home and mailing addresses, personal telephone numbers, emergency contact information, and personal email addresses. Please note that you will not be able to make any changes to this information via HR Self-Service after your last day of work at Princeton.https://finance.princeton.edu/our-organization/departments-and-people/financial-services/global-financial-services
    • Elect or waive health benefits
    • For postdocs only – Enter time off under Time and Absence. Visiting fellows should discuss time off with the center manager.


DAVIS INTERNATIONAL CENTER

PLEASE NOTE: The Davis Center is located at the Louis A. Simpson International Building, A-Level (20 Washington Rd). If you are in the U.S. in J-1 status, you MUST check in at the Davis Center within 30 days of your DS-2019 start date, or your immigration record will be terminated. Check-in can only be completed online, by appointment, or during designated walk-in hours. Other visa holders (e.g., H-1B, F-1 OPT) should schedule an appointment or stop in during walk-in hours to report their arrival.

J-1 Visa holders - It is required to register your visa documentation with Global Financial Services. An orientation will be scheduled, or a pre-recorded Zoom meeting will be provided. A representative will go over the process, which includes completing a form and uploading documents in Sprintax. PLEASE NOTE:  If you hold a J-1 Visa, you must also complete a Form I-9 within the first three workdays, or the start date of your appointment will be adjusted to reflect the day on which your employment was verified. Salaries will be reduced per diem to reflect this change. Please go to the Form I-9 section for more information.

Sprintax

A few weeks prior to your arrival, international Visiting Fellows and Postdocs will receive an email from [email protected] requesting to log into Calculus. As mentioned above, Aarifa Mohammed will discuss each section during the orientation or pre-recorded Zoom meeting. 

Social Security Number - If you are a foreign national and have never applied for a social security number, you must do so upon arrival in the U.S. The Davis International Center offers online registration and may schedule a group bus trip to the Social Security office in September. You do not need a social security number to receive your salary. 
 

THE SERVICE POINT, New South 

ID Card - After your appointment is active in the University system, please visit The Service Point, located on the A-Level of New South to obtain a Princeton ID card (also called TigerCard), which you will need to enter buildings on campus outside of business hours. To check if you are active or not, search for yourself in the Princeton main directory.
You must also have your University ID card to gain access to Firestone Library. If you do not have your card before your orientation at Firestone Library with Dave Jenkins Librarian for Classics, Hellenic Studies and Linguistics, please let Monique know. She can request temporary library access for you. Before using your card, please check to make sure it is active.  Placing the magnetic strip against the small black box next to the entrance of a building on campus. The door lock should click, allowing you access.  If your card does not work, or for lost or stolen PU ID cards, please contact TigerCard at: [email protected], 609-258-8300, or in person at the Service Point, Monday through Friday, from 8:45 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.
For information on how to obtain PU IDs to provide library access for spouses or children, please click on https://tigercard.princeton.edu/other-cardsservices. There is a $10 fee per card.

  • Parking and Transportation - You can apply for an official virtual parking permit here for the Theatre Garage. The University offers free shuttle buses that run daily every 5-15 minutes until midnight between University accommodations and campus. Please call Public Safety at 609-258-3135 or 609-258-5771 for questions about routes or schedules, or check the Transportation & Parking Services website.
     

MEDICAL PLAN OPTIONS

Please return to the intranet home page and click on the Health Insurance tile for more information on health insurance and additional services.
 

COMPUTING

The steps:

  • You go to the first link, listed right above
  • You go to the additional sources and find an option to download the Global Network
  • then you will be in the Global Network Protect web portal
  • You log in with the Princeton ID
  • then you will be in the second link. On the right side, you will find an option related to an agent. You click, download and install
  • then you will be in the third link
  • After installing the agent, you go to your laptop and press windows+r and write "\\ss226w" and enter
  • with this you should see the tiger print and tiger print color. You double click on each of them
  • you now can print!
     

For general troubleshooting or software installation, contact Raymond Samaroo to set up an appointment. You may also call the Office of Information Technology (OIT) help desk at 609-258-HELP or visit www.princeton.edu/kb for general troubleshooting tips. 

Any hardware items purchased using Princeton funds (approved by Linda Taylor and purchased by Raymond) revert back to the Center's ownership at the end of your appointment. 

FINANCE, CREDIT CARD, AND SALARY

Go back to the intranet home page and click on the Financial Information tab.
 

WORK SCHEDULES

  • Work schedule - Following Dean of the Faculty policy, researchers are required to be in residence for the full term of their appointments. Their work schedules *do not* follow the students’ course schedule; researchers do not have time off during the students’ fall, winter, and spring breaks. To take time off during these breaks, you would need to apply for vacation days (see below for more information). 
     
  • Absence Management - The Dean of the Faculty requires postdoctoral research associates to maintain their non-productive time (i.e. vacation, sick, personal) in the University's electronic Absence Management System found within the HR Self-Service section on the HR website. For more details, go back to the onboarding page and click on the "Vacation and Sick Time Entry" tile.
     

OFFICE ASSIGNMENTS AND SUPPLIES

  • Space and Supplies - Hellenic Studies provides a shared office for our postdoctoral fellows with individual desk space, computers (if requested), a printer, a scanner, and basic office supplies. Additional supplies needed should be purchased at your own expense. Hellenic Studies stationery (hard copy and electronic) is available for business purposes (applications, references).  We do not provide envelopes for sending applications or personal mail. Please see Monique when you need stationery. 

    The office space is for employees only. Spouses, partners, family members, and visiting friends should work in the University libraries and other common public spaces on campus or work from home. This is a University mandate.
     

MISCELLANEOUS

  • Events - Hellenic Studies: https://hellenic.princeton.edu/events University: https://www.princeton.edu/events
     
  • Business Cards - Postdocs may order business cards at their own expense. Please refer to:  http://www.princeton.edu/printing-mailing/businesscards.html
     
  • Commuting to and Getting Around Campus - Princeton University provides financial incentives for more sustainable commutes including biking/walking, public transit, and sharing a ride with a colleague with the Revise Your Ride commute benefits program. For an individual parking permit, please stop by the Transportation and Parking Office, A-Level of New South, where you will be assigned parking in the Theatre garage.  
    Shuttle buses run regularly from the parking lots to various stops on campus. Please refer to the TigerTransit website for specifics on shuttle routes and schedules. You can also download the Tiger Tracker Transloc app on your smartphone, or view it on your desktop, for real-time bus locations and estimated arrivals.
     
  • Survey on Sexual Harassment - All appointments that carry employee status in the university are required to complete an online survey that provides information pertaining to sexual harassment.  You will receive an automated email to your Princeton email address with a link for completing a short survey. Once it’s completed, you will receive a  certificate.   
     
  • Princeton Postdoctoral Council - Postdoctoral fellows in the sciences have organized the Princeton Postdoctoral Council, a professional and social opportunity for our postdocs on campus.  To learn more and to sign up for their listserv, please visit:  https://pdc.princeton.edu/
     
  • University courses - If you would like to audit a class during your fellowship or view Princeton’s academic calendar, please refer to: http://registrar.princeton.edu/course-offerings/  and https://www.princeton.edu/academics/course-tools If you would like to audit a class, please contact the professor directly to request permission.
    Many fellows have asked us about the difference between auditing a class and attending. To receive credit for auditing a class, and access to Canvas, the electronic system for classroom assignments y changes or updates,  you must enroll in Princeton’s Community  Auditing Program. To view rates and apply online, please, see https://community.princeton.edu/educational-opportunities/community-auditing/registration   http://community.princeton.edu/educational-opportunities/community-auditing/join-program
     
  • TigerTrade is a ‘classified ads’ service primarily used by graduating students to sell items in May as the spring semester ends. However, the service is open year-round and includes housing and apartment rentals.
     

Dining

Please visit the Campus Dining page to view the latest information on campus dining.

  • The Atrium Cafe, located on level 100 of the Louis A. Simpson International Building, serves gourmet espresso and coffee drinks as well as fresh pastries (Only PUIDs and credit cards are accepted). 
  • Prospect House offers staff dining facilities, with a restaurant (the Garden Room) on the main floor and a more casual cafeteria downstairs. (Only PUIDs and credit cards are accepted.)
  • The Frist Campus Center provides a wider range of cafeteria-style food than Prospect House. You may purchase breakfast here. (Cash, PUIDs, and credit cards are accepted.)

For campus cafe and restaurant options, visit Campus Dining's Where to Eat page.
 

Princeton TigerSafe Application

Environmental Health & Safety (EHS) launched TigerSafe in partnership with Public Safety. The free app includes emergency alerts, tools for staying safe on campus, emergency response guides, campus maps, and a variety of health and wellness resources.
 

Princeton University Libraries

Your PUID is required for entrance to every library on campus, and it is useful to carry your ID at all times. To activate your PUID card so that you may check books out of the library, please take your new PUID to the main desk at Firestone Library, where a barcode will be activated on your ID card.

Firestone Library is the most comprehensive circulating library on campus. The Rare Books and Manuscripts Division is also in this building. There are various smaller library annexes on campus; however, not all of them are circulating libraries. For more detailed information, please see the Library Handbook, which is available at the information desk at Firestone Library.

Firestone offers a very limited number of lockers. If interested in getting one, please complete the locker application. If you have questions, please contact the Access Office at (609) 258-5737 or email [email protected].

A complete guide to library services can be found at http://library.princeton.edu/services.

 

Campus Maps

Here are links to some helpful campus maps: