Getting Settled

Here is a step by step walkthrough of what you will need to do once you get to Baylor to make sure you are properly registered, enrolled, and listed where you need to be on campus.


Baylor Onboarding

Baylor has a list of steps and resources that they want you to go over when you arrive: that is the process they call Onboarding and they divide it in three main steps:

  • Before You Arrive

    Baylor page: Before You Arrive
    Here you will find a couple forms to complete, some reading about your benefits, etc. This is also the time that you want to identify someone at HR who can be your point of contact (you will see that calling HR or getting through to them using their general email address can be challenging, so having the individual Baylor email address of a couple people over there is one of your priorities, at this stage!)

  • On Your First Day

    Baylor page: Day One
    This is when you attend your (virtual) orientation, finalize and submit the forms for which you were missing some piece of information (i.e., your ID number) and make sure you have completed all the new forms they sneakily added on Ignite for you. Yes, some are the exact same as the ones you just submitted in paper; just go with it.

  • Your First Month

    Baylor page: The Weeks Ahead
    During this time it will pay to have that direct contact in HR, because your first month involves benefit enrollment on SmartBen. It will seemingly go well, then at the end of your first month, you will look at your payslip and realize it doesn't match. You will then have to contact HR… This step is really about your first 6 months, to be honest. It might be pertinent to give you the link to Baylor Wellbeing right now… hang in there!


The Links You Really Need

There are a lot of links listed in the pages above… And there are only two sorts of people when it comes to that: those who have already sifted through them all and saved the most useful ones in a bookmark folder on your favorite Internet browser, or those who decided to forget about them all within the first minute of looking at them and will need to reinvent the proverbial wheel next time they actually need those.. Fortunately for the latter, BUPA is here!

Your first order of business:
  1. First, know your BearID
  2. Have your ID card created:
    • Upload an ID photo (optional, but recommended if you don’t want to live in shame for the upcoming years, every time you use your ID)
    • Go have them print it out for you at the Parking Services
  3. Now, go back to your department’s office manager and:
    • Make sure they know you exist and that they add you on all pertinent mailing lists (usually: departmental, postdoc and any other research group you are a part of)
    • Have them fill this form and send it to the email address specified at the bottom
    • Meanwhile, notice how the ID card portal linked above has a tab called OpenMyDoor. It doesn’t open building entrance doors but will open your office.
  4. If you have a car, it’s now time to register for your free parking spot. You need to “Add a Vehicle” first. Then click “Purchase a Permit”, and when prompted to “Select a term”, make sure to choose “Faculty/Staff 2017-2022” (cost should be $0 at the end)
  5. Finally, now that you ran all over campus, you earned a break: list of coffee shops and dining halls down this page.
Other important/useful links:
  • Work and Storage/Back-up
    • Code 42 backs up all or part of your computer, in real time or at intervals
    • Box is Baylor cloud based drive system
    • Graduate school resources: they have a couple interesting academic and career oriented links in there