The CIS Ph.D. Committee makes GRA assignments. Every effort is made to match student and faculty interests, particularly for students at the dissertation stage. Faculty with externally funded research grants may request specific students to work on those grants. First year students are assigned to two faculty members and are required to work 20 hours per week. When doctoral sutdents are also assigned teaching, the GRA assignment is reduced to 10 hours for one faculty member. GRA funding carries with it a nominal requirement to work an average of 10 hours per week per assignment for the duration of the term. The working assignments, times and conditions are negotiated between the student and the supervising faculty member. Doctoral students should contact the faculty members to whom they have been assigned before the first week of the relevant term. Faculty members should not have to seek out students to have them fulfill thier GRA obligations. GRA assignments are subject to change, but reassignments are not normally made in the middle of an academic year. Assignments and funding are handled differently for summer terms. Students should not anticipate summer assignments, although modest levels of funding are typically available to qualify students for tuition waivers. Faculty members will be asked to give the CIS doctoral committee feedback on the performance of the students on the GRA assignments. This feedback will be part of the student's record and will be considered in evaluations of the student's overall performance in the program.