AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF ARMENIA.
GENERAL INFORMATION FOR NEW FACULTY AND STAFF

This information may help make your stay at the American University of Armenia and in Armenia , in general, as satisfying and enjoyable as possible. The following material focuses on the questions often asked by visiting faculty. If some of your particular concerns are not addressed here, please feel free to discuss them with the Faculty Services Office.

Faculty Services

The Faculty Services Office, Room 50, handles all non-academic issues concerning faculty. Please feel free to stop by the office to discuss issues that need to be resolved with our Associate Director of Administrative Services, Armen Petrosian and the Faculty Services staff. This office can provide the following additional services for all visiting faculty and staff:

• passport registration and visa extension
• tickets for cultural events
• solutions to problems with apartments
• travel arrangements
• tourism

Upon your arrival at Yerevan ’s “Zvartnotss” Airport (after you have passed through immigration and customs), you will be met by the University driver, who will take you to your apartment in the University’s car or van. In case of missed contacts at the airport, please, call 512.506, Faculty Services Office. If it is after hours, contact the AUA Security Guards at 512.727.

During your stay, the Administrative Services Assistant will be your contact for all types of events and activities. A list of cultural events and other activities, for which you may order tickets, will be regularly posted on the AUA’s website (http://www.aua.am/aua/faculty/events/classic.shtml ). There will be sightseeing trips outside Yerevan . Other campus activities and programs throughout the year will include lectures by local and visiting individuals, receptions, parties, tours, and excursions to sites in Armenia , recitals and concerts by local and visiting musicians and musical groups, arts and crafts exhibits, and film programs.

The Administrative Services Assistant can also help you in planning sports activities during your stay.

Work hours and Holidays

The official hours of business at AUA are 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM . Some offices, however, open at 8:30 AM .

The University observes the holidays listed below.

• New Year’s Day January 1, 2
• Armenian Christmas January 6
• Army Day January 28
• Women’s’ Day March 8
• Good Friday April 14
• Easter April 16
• Genocide Victims Memorial Day April 24
• Labor Day May 1
• Victory and Peace Day May 9
• Republic Day May 28
• American Independence Day July 4
• Constitution Day July 5
• Independence Day September 21
• American Christmas December 25
• New Year’s Eve December 31

Passports, Visas and Airline Tickets

Immediately on your arrival in Armenia, it is important that our staff check your passport, visa, and airline tickets to make sure that everything is in order. We ask that you show these documents to the Administrative Services Assistant (Room 50). There are penalties if visa deadlines are not adhered to and documents are not presented to the Visa office on time. It is important to work with the assistant on this task because it will save time and also, the University does not want to incur extra expenses. You should check the expiration date of your visa with particular care and ask him to extend your visa, if necessary. Please note that you should meet him/her one week before the expiration date. Usually, this extension takes up to seven working days. In case your commitment with AUA lasts for one year or more, you should meet the assistant twenty days in advance for him to apply for a one-year residence card. This extension may take up to three weeks.

Exchange Service

Armenia 's national currency is the Dram. Armenian law states that all financial transactions within the country must be performed in drams. Credit cards are not widely used in Armenia . You may cash your Travelers' checks for a $10 fee (one price whether it is for one or more) at banks such as HSBC, ArdShinBank, Areximbank. The current Dram/USD exchange rate is about 450 Drams for one US dollar.

You may exchange money at any of the exchange offices located throughout the city.

HSBC Armenia Bank has installed ATMs inside the bank on the Republic Square, at the Baghramyan Avenue and Moskovyan Street intersection, on the Komitas and Sayat-Nova Streets, in the “Marriott” Hotel hall, and across the street from the Yeritasardakan subway station entrance, and in Start Supermarket at G. Nzhdeh Street . You can use VISA Network cards.

Student Assistants

On arrival, you may ask for a student assistant from AUA to help you with communication and orientation. That help will include city orientation, shopping, organizing sightseeing trips, assisting in solving any problems with your apartment, and coordinating your other activities. Student assistants are part of AUA’s work/study program and get paid hourly wages. Their help is coordinated through the Faculty Service Office. Time sheets will be given to the students on a monthly basis, and professors are asked to verify hours worked by signing the time sheets.

Apartments

The administration strives to find and equip appropriate apartments for visiting faculty and staff. Although the apartments we procure are among the best that AUA budget can afford ($200 month), they might not meet your full expectations. It is highly advisable to talk with other resident faculty about living conditions and ways foreigners best can make adaptations. They will provide very useful information about where to shop and what to buy.

The apartments are furnished and have basic kitchen facilities, utensils, and bedding. AUA provides every new faculty member with 20 kg of propane for cooking. We will help refill the propane tank (please contact the Faculty Services Coordinator), at your expense. In winter, the University can provide extra electric heaters. Note: resident faculty sometimes pay extra beyond the money provided by the University to acquire an upgraded apartment. It is a personal choice.

The University negotiates for the apartment, but you are responsible for the maintenance of the furniture and other household goods. Please maintain the apartment as you would your own home. You may make arrangements with the Office of Faculty Services for AUA housekeeping staff to clean your apartment. AUA’s cleaning policy includes 1) general cleanings and 2) thorough cleanings.

General Cleaning: machine-wash bed linens, vacuum carpets and floors, clean bathrooms and toilet with special detergent, and wash kitchen utensils.

Thorough Cleaning: all of the above plus, wash windows, polish floors, wash curtains, and clean chandeliers.

The cost for this service is:

$20 for those in residence for 1-5 weeks (one general and one thorough cleaning)

$40 for those in residence for 6-12 weeks (general cleaning every two weeks and one thorough cleaning)

$100 for those in residence for 13-52 weeks (general cleaning every two weeks and one thorough cleaning every three months)

This charge will automatically be deducted in Oakland . For long-term

residents, should you decide to clean your own apartment and launder your bedding, we will hold the deduction and make an annual inspection with you, and decide what, if any, cleaning might be necessary. The cost of such cleaning should not exceed $100, barring unforeseen circumstances.

If you do not wish to do your own cooking or cleaning, most landlords will provide these services for you at an additional personal costs. Average prices are $25-$75/month for cleaning, laundry, and cooking, depending on the requested services.

Availability of water and electricity could be sporadic. You will need to learn about the typical schedule for your location. In order to alleviate the problem with water, AUA seeks to rent exclusively apartments with water tanks and/or with running water. It is wise to purchase or have on hand a flashlight or candles. Also, many landlords provide pails or buckets to store water when it is not available. It is recommended that you drink bottled water or filter or boil tap water before drinking. Tap water is acceptable for bathing or washing dishes or clothes.

Most apartments do not have washing machines, you will need to hand wash your clothing or pay someone (such as the landlord or AUA cleaning lady) to do it for you (please contact Faculty Services Coordinator for arranging this).

Local telephone service may be unavailable at times. AUA’s PBX connection has been quite reliable. It supports such features as voice mail, hold, transfer, switching between lines, users’ electronic directory, etc. that add considerable convenience in daily use. You will receive bills for long-distance calls made from your AUA-rented apartment and/or your AUA office and will need to pay charges for personal calls.

Starting February 1, 2006 , ArmenTel has introduced a new payment system, according to which the following fees are applied in excess of the pre-established 360-minutes/month free of charge conversation time limit:

- from 361 to 1600 minutes: 5 Drams/minute

- starting from 1601 minute: 9 Drams/minute

You will receive this bill as well. You have also an option of paying 5,160 Drams/month for acquiring up to 1600 minutes free of charge phone line use option; 9 Drams/minute will be charged starting from 1601 minute. A fee of 1 Dram/minute is applied for Internet use. This policy does not apply to phone numbers starting with 25, 63, 65 (first two digits) as the analog systems of those stations have not yet been upgraded to digital. See also information at ArmenTel’s official site:

http://www.armentel.com/eng/services/newtar/monthly.htm

Please ask questions. Our faculty services staff will work on your behalf to assure your stay with us is comfortable.

Showers

AUAoperates showers in the basement. They are available for AUA faculty and staff. Showers operate from 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM on Monday through Friday (with a break from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM ). You can reserve a slot for taking a shower by calling the shower-room attendant at 512.787 (Olja). A fee for 30 minutes shower use is 150 Drams, the shower vouchers can be obtained in the Cashier’s office (5 th floor, room 59).

Medical Service

AUA’s Health Center is located on the 6th floor in room 69D. Serine Sahakyan, Nurse, will assist you with minor health-related problems and scheduling appointments with the Health Center Physician, Arayik Sargsyan, MD, as necessary. She can be reached at 512.595. The Health Center specializes in health promotion and education and provides minor acute and emergent care for AUA faculty, staff, and students. Referrals for specialized care are also made in case of serious illnesses. A list of local medical facilities is maintained for referrals of chronic or serious illnesses including those who specialize in western style medical care. The Health Center is open Monday through Friday (except holidays), from 9:00 AM to 5:45 PM.

Photocopy/Fax Services

AUA’s photocopy/fax center is located in the left-wing hallway on the 6th floor (Room N 61). It is open from 8:30 AM to 7:00 PM . It is usually closed on weekends. Depending on faculty needs, however, the photocopy/fax center may open over the weekend. Please have your secretary contact the photocopy/fax office well in advance. For classroom and business use, copies are charged directly to the appropriate account. Orders are served on the following priority:

• Exams.
• Orders from faculty members concerning their classes.
• Orders from the Administration.
• Orders from Research Centers.
• Orders from other organizations located in the AUA.
• Personal orders.

You are supposed to:

• Place orders in advance.
• Submit orders on a standard (A4 or letter side) paper. A master copy of the document should be made in your office. AUA Photocopy Services do not provide services of combining parts of different documents on one sheet.
• Department secretaries should copy up to 5 page documents on the copiers located in the offices.

You can also send the files for photocopying via email to copyserv@aua.am. AUA has recently acquired two modern Konica digital network printer/copiers that have made this possible. Particularly, one of these copiers can combine a four-page document (or, a document that consists of even number of pages) or a file into a double-sided one-page document. In addition to this, it can automatically fold the copies, e.g., into the brochure format.

Copies for personal use cost 40 drams per page.

Sending faxes:

Faculty and department heads are authorized to send faxes and make phone calls at no charge when these are related to University business. Please have the college secretary do this for you. Business faxes may be sent in two ways:

1) If the business fax is to be sent to a fax number that is already on the approved list (posted in the fax room), the faculty and department heads may send the fax with no additional approval.

2) If the business fax is to be sent to a fax number that is not on the approved list, additional written approval must be obtained from the following persons:

College of Business and Management, Center for Business Research and Development
Purusottam Sen

School of Political Science and International Affairs, Center for Policy Analysis
Lucig Danielyan

Extension Program
Varoozhan Harikyan

College of Engineering , Engineering Research Center
Artak Hambaryan

Environmental Conservation and Research Center
Renee Richer

Department of Public Health, Center for Health Services Research and Development
Varduhi Petrosian
Edward Bunker  

Department of English Programs
Jozefa Lewkowicz

All others
Anahit Ordyan
Armen Petrosian

The University administration realizes that this policy is cumbersome and may be inconvenient. Unfortunately, we must institute this policy owing to frequent misuse of the University fax.

For personal faxes, AUA charges 1,500-1,700 Drams per minute based on the line used (for AUA Faculty, Students, and Staff). These rates are at cost.

Computer/Electronic Mail Services

AUA has a LAN with Internet and e-mail access. Faculty can arrange for personal e-mail accounts with the college secretary’s assistance. In addition, University announcements are posted as needed. The following topics are covered:

• AUA and community events are in the “Upcoming Events” directory at http://www.aua.am/events/
• News from Armenian and international information agencies (Aragil News, Azbarez, etc.) are in the “News and Information” directory at http://www.aua.am/aua/inform/

Further information about the LAN and e-mail services may be obtained from the Computer Center Office (Room # 36). Prior to your departure, you may want to write about your impressions of AUA and Armenia in the AUA’s website at http://www.aua.am/aua/faculty/impress.html.

Department Secretarial Offices

Each department has a secretary. Faculty mailboxes are located in their offices. Department secretaries provide services such as typing, message-taking, receiving visitors, photocopying, faxing, translating documents, arranging meetings, and obtaining office supplies.

Cafeteria

AUA’s cafeteria is on the second floor. It is open from 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM on weekdays. It serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The food quality is very good. The Cafeteria accepts individual orders for food preparation. They prepare coffee, soda, juices, pastries and sandwiches and so forth for receptions both in the building and outside. It is prohibited to take Cafeteria utensils (plates, glasses, etc.) out of the hall. Disposable utensils are available for that purpose. Please feel free to address all questions regarding the cafeteria to Kevork Balian, Food Services Coordinator, at 512.720.

There are coffee, pastries, snacks, sandwiches, and soft-drinks vending machines installed in the first floor lobby and in Cafeteria.

The Cafeteria has a TV set with CNN channel.

Library

AUA has the largest English language library in the region. It is located on the first floor to the left of the University entrance and is open on weekdays from 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM and on weekends from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM . Books are arranged by Dewey Decimal Classification. Recent unbound issues of journals are on the shelves along the columns of the room. The library has a General Reference collection located to the left of the circulation desk. Closed reserves are behind the circulation desk. To find the location and call number of a book, bound journal or other library material the computerized catalog will assist you. The library also provides access to online journals, article databases and electronic books supported by various vendors such as EBSCO, Cambridge Journals Online, ACM Digital Library, Blackwell-Synergy, HINARI, Springer Link, etc. The full list of online materials is available at: http://library.aua.am/library.htm.

Curriculum-related learning resources, particularly textbooks, are distributed to students upon a request received from the Faculty member. If Library does not have your preferred textbook in its stock (please check availability at http://www.aua.am.aua/library), you can order it from the AUAC Oakland office (see “Ordering textbooks” section on Page 3 of the “Advisory Information for Visiting Faculty and Staff” guide). It may take up to six weeks for the ordered textbook or software to reach Armenia .

The Library also provides interlibrary loan service to students and faculty at AUA. Book chapters, theses, dissertations, and journal articles not owned by AUA can be ordered through Ariel to  Florida Atlantic University . Requests can be placed at the Reference Desk or e-mailed to  savakian@aua.am.

Materials from the Library's open stacks may be checked out at the circulation desk for a 3-month loan period. Your library card, provided by Papazian library, is required each time you check out materials. We strongly urge you to return all books borrowed from the library prior to departure from the country. Please feel free to address all questions regarding the Library to Mr. Satenik Avakian, Library Director, and staff at 51.27.60 or simply visit  http://www.aua.am/aua/library  

Office Supplies

AUA inventory of office supplies includes all items necessary to conduct normal teaching and research activities. Orders for specific items are to be placed through department secretaries.

Audio-Visual Services

Audio-visual services may be arranged through your department secretary. Requests should be made via email to eantonia@aua.am for all audio-visual equipment needs. Audio-visual equipment for teaching (TV’s, overhead projectors, slide projectors, multi-system video, etc.) must be requested at least one day ahead, by your department secretary.

Transportation

AUA provides transportation for university business and university-related activities only. The Transportation Services office, or your department secretary, can book a University car or van for you (you could look up the transportation schedule from your computer using the following path: \\10.1.0.11\_users\MIS\Admin\CarSchedule\CarSched 2006.xls; the reservations should be sent via email to gkarapet@aua.am). In order to facilitate the work of our faculty and staff, however, for the first week after arrival, the University will provide new faculty with transportation between apartments and the University. You may request this service through the Faculty Services Coordinator. Your student assistant or the Office for Faculty Services may help you arrange for other transportation at your expense.

Scheduling and Space Reservation

You can arrange space for teaching or for other educational activities through your secretary. S/he would call the Office of Student Academic Affairs at 512.790 (office 19c) or send an email request to schedule@aua.am. The room schedule would be looked up using the following path: \\10.1.0.11\_users\MIS\SAS\SCHEDULE\2006.

If you need to arrange space for special (non-educational) events (receptions, refreshments, etc.) please contact Armen Petrosian, at 512.506 (office 50).

Security and Building Schedule

AUA maintains security guards at the entrance to the building. Upon your arrival, your secretary will take care of issuing your ID card, which will give you access to AUA. The building is open daily from 8:00 AM to 10:00 PM and business hours are from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM . To remain in the building after 10:00 PM you must inform the security guards, indicating the length of your extended stay.

Smoking is not permitted on the University premises, including the front steps of the building and the backyard area behind the building.

Shipping of Personal Effects

You can arrange with the Faculty Services Coordinator (FSC) to ship your personal effects abroad. You should apply for this service at least two weeks in advance because they have to arrange necessary documentation, pay shipping fees, take the goods to the airport for customs inspection, and make payments. For shipping antiques or works of art that may be considered to belong to the national heritage (such as rugs, paintings, etc.), the FSC has to obtain an export license from the Ministry of Culture. Photos of these items should be taken and the items should be presented to a special commission of the Ministry of Culture. After the inspection, the commission assigns a value to the item, and charges the owner 20% of the assigned value in addition to some minor administrative charges.

Currently, AUA collaborates with the Austrian Airlines. Charges for shipments to US:

a) (New-York and Washington )

Up to 13 kg -- $68

13 -- 45 kg -- $4.50/pkg

46 -- 100 kg -- $3.50/pkg

101 -- 300 kg -- $3.10/pkg

b) ( Los Angeles )

Up to 20 kg -- $100

21 -- 45 kg -- $5.20/pkg

46 -- 100 kg -- $4.20/pkg

101 -- 300 kg -- $3.60/pkg

Shipments are made on Mondays through Saturdays.

Delivery time: 3-4 days.

This is an airport-to-airport service. Someone should be at the airport to receive the shipment. Notification is sent to the receiver by a corresponding shipping agency. In addition to regular charges, the receiver must pay $50 for US customs tax.

Phone numbers: 512.201 (202, 203, 204, 205, 206, 207).