The Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures (EALC) hosts an annual seminar for first-year MA and PhD graduate students in EALC. The aim of the seminar is to provide first-year students with information and advice for how to succeed and thrive in graduate school. The success and popularity of this seminar owes to the generous support of the Martindale Memorial Fund, which was established by Kevin Martindale to honor the life of his wife, Marlene Plutchak Martindale. Marlene Martindale spent years at the University of Illinois working with international students from Asia helping them to practice their English and to adjust to living in a new country. This seminar usually takes place in September and includes panels of EALC participants from second-year MA students to senior faculty.