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Why does Michigan Tech have a Graduate Student Workspace Cleanout form?
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Do I need to submit this form if I'm an online/coursework only/non-research student?
What if I was never assigned an office?
Yes. The workspace cleanout form must be submitted by ALL graduate students. MyMichiganTech does not have access
to data that would enable it sort out students that do not work in laboratories or
have offices. However, completing the form is expedited if you did not work in a laboratory
or have an office on campus. After providing information about yourself and your degree
the form will only open sections that require your response
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How do I complete the Graduate Student Workspace Cleanout form?
- The Graduate Student Workspace Cleanout form is a fillable PDF form that will open different sections depending on your answers
to specific questions. If you worked in a laboratory with chemicals, samples or other
materials, this form should be completed with assistance from your advisor to ensure
that these materials are properly managed.
- After completing the form, print a hard copy and provide the signatures indicated
at the bottom of the form.
- Can I sign the form with a Digital Signature? NO. The current version of the form
CANNOT accept digital signatures.
- After the form has been signed, create a digital copy and save it to your computer.
If you do not have access to a copier/scanner to make a digital copy, you can take
a picture of the competed form with your cell phone's camera.
- If you did not start this process until after you left campus, you may need to create
a digital copy of the form after you have signed it and email it to your advisor for
their signature and any required departmental signatures. A digital copy of the signed
form will then need to be sent back to you for submission to MyMichiganTech (see below).
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Do I need to submit this form if I am planning to continue my research in the same
laboratory, as a PhD student or an hourly employee?
Yes. If you indicate on the form that you are planning to continue your research ,
you must still submit the form but you are not required to provide a full list of
the equipment, chemicals and samples you are using in the lab nor clean out your office.
This however, is a good time to dispose of materials you no longer need and to organize
the materials you will be using in the next stage of your research career.
5
My department has their own exit form. Do I still need to submit the completed Graduate
Student Workspace Cleanout form?
You may be able to submit a copy of your completed departmental exit form instead
of the Graduate Student Workspace Cleanout form. For example, if you did research
in a laboratory, the Graduate Student Workspace Cleanout form will require that you
provide specific information about the equipment, chemicals and samples you worked
with. If your department also requires the same information on their exit form, it
may be submitted as documentation that the equipment, chemicals and samples you worked
with are being properly managed. Please contact ehs@mtu.edu if you would like to submit a copy of your departmental exit form instead of the
Graduate Student Workspace Cleanout form.
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When should I submit this form?
The form must be completed before you graduate and/or leave the University. An email
will be sent from the Office of Compliance Integrity and Safety during the semester
you plan to graduate, reminding you that the form must be submitted. Most students
will leave the University after graduation. However, some students who are completing
a graduate degree that involves laboratory research, may plan to leave the university
to write their thesis or dissertation or pursue other activities before graduating.
In this situation the form should be completed as soon as you have concluded your
laboratory research.
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Can I still work in the laboratory after I have submitted this form?
Yes. We recognize that it is sometimes necessary to do one last experiment after you
thought you were finished. You can continue to work in the laboratory as long as you
are a student. The form is designed to ensure proper disposal of chemicals, samples
and other materials that are no longer necessary for continuing research in the lab
and to provide your advisor with a comprehensive list of the materials that you are
planning to leave behind. As a student, you will still have access to these retained
materials as well as other laboratory resources until you graduate.
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Can I still work in my office after I have submitted this form?
Yes. Submission of the signed form provides your assurance that your office space
will be clean and ready for the next person when you leave. It is not an eviction
notice.
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What kinds of equipment and instruments should I list?
List the equipment and instruments that you were responsible for while you were a
graduate student as well as any equipment or instruments where you were the primary
user. It is not necessary to list shared laboratory or departmental equipment/instruments
unless you had responsibility for their maintenance and operation.
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What are surplus chemicals and other hazardous materials and what should I do with
them?
These are any unused chemicals or other potentially hazardous materials remaining
from your research. This includes but is not limited to chemicals, paint, adhesives,
solvents, fuel, radioisotopes, nanomaterials, biological material, etc.) If there
are no plans to use these materials for future research in your advisor's laboratory,
you must make arrangements for their proper disposal or you must transfer them to
another researcher who will take responsibility for them. DO NOT save or transfer
chemicals or other hazardous materials if there are no plans for their use in future
research.
We appreciate your ecological conscientiousness in not wanting to throw away something
that may be useful sometime in the unforeseeable future. However, the disposal cost
for chemicals and other materials that have been saved and then accumulate in the
laboratory without being used can be extremely expensive. The University will cover
the cost for their proper disposal at the time of your graduation. Future disposal
of these materials will be billed to your advisor or department. Contact EHS for assistance
with disposal of chemicals and other hazardous materials.
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What should I do with samples, standards, products, reagents, stock solutions, and
other materials I used or created during my research?
If these materials are useful to other researchers in your advisor's laboratory you
may transfer them to another individual who will take responsibility for them. Be
sure these materials are properly labeled with their name, an indication of any hazards
associated with the sample and a list of ingredients if it is a mixture. For products
that you have created it may also be useful to provide a reference to your research
notebook.
Materials that will not be used for continuing research in the laboratory should be
disposed appropriately. Contact EHS for assistance with disposal of materials that
contain regulated chemicals or other hazards.
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How can I get additional help with this form?
Email EHS or call 906-487-2902.