Hello grads,
Welcome to the January GSS Newsletter!
We would love to see your faces in our GSS office and lounge (MBC 2205), so please don’t hesitate to drop by our office to share your ideas, questions, and concerns, or just to have a cup of coffee with us.
The GSS offices and lounge are open Monday – Friday, 9 am – 4 pm.
Announcements from the GSS
GSS Mental Wellness Survey
What’s one thing SFU could do differently to support your mental wellbeing?
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/3MJBW7J ← One question survey!
GSS Volunteer Opportunities
The GSS is actively seeking volunteers among our members to serve on our Benefit Plan and Governance Committees. If you have any further questions or are interested in this opportunity, please contact the Executive Director, Pierre Cenerelli at pierre.cenerelli@sfugradsociety.ca.
We wish to increase your input into SFU’s 2018-2023 Academic Plan. To facilitate this, we have created an Academic Plan Working Group to review the guiding documents from the VP Academics Office, consult membership about SFU’s academic plan, and submit a written, formal response to the Provost. If interested, please contact Chantal Turpin (Director of University Relations) as soon as possible at ur@sfugradsociety.
Graduate Caucus Funding
Did you know that every graduate caucus gets money to spend on almost anything that benefits the grad students in your department? (See the Caucus Funding Spreadsheet for funds available to you for the rest of this fiscal year.)
Playland Tickets
Discounted Playland tickets are available using the GSS discount code. General admission and season pass
discounts for general and junior admission. This code is posted in the GSS Lounge and available by email: info@sfugradsociety.ca.
Please note: The GSS info email is only checked during office hours.
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GSS Events
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Announcements and Events from SFU
Invitation: Open Forum – SFU’s VP Research and International
Sustainable Communities Conference 2018
The Sustainable Communities Conference has been imagined and implemented by a dynamic group of SFU students who are passionate about sustainability and youth engagement.
WHERE: SFU Halpern Centre
DATE: January 27, 2018
Tickets: $15 – https://sccsfu.eventbrite.ca
Sterling Prize Committee
Message sent on behalf of Ron Ydenberg, Chair, Sterling Prize Committee
The Committee for the Nora and Ted Sterling Prize in Support of Controversy seeks new members from the University community. Currently there is an opening for the student representative. The Committee seeks a membership broadly representative of SFU’s diversity.
Nora and Ted Sterling established an endowment at SFU in 1993 to recognize work that provokes, and/or contributes to the understanding of controversy. The Prize can be awarded for work in any field. Full details, including a listing of previous recipients, can be found at www.sfu.ca/sterlingprize. This is Simon Fraser University’s highest profile award, and as such the committee’s work is important. We meet several times in the spring to consider the nominees and to select a winner, and gather again at the award ceremony in October.
Please send an email indicating your interest to Sharon Eng, Assistant to the Sterling Committee, at vpacad@sfu.ca, with subject line ‘Student Rep, Sterling Committee’. A short note indicating the basis for your interest is helpful. The committee will meet beginning in the week of February 19, and generally meets 3 – 6 times. Hence the time required for meetings is not onerous, but additional time is required for the perusal of the nominations and the appended materials.
If you require further information, email Ron Ydenberg at ydenberg@sfu.ca. Please reply by no later than January 31, 2018.
Vancouver Giants Hockey Game
Experience ice hockey, a true Canadian tradition, and cheer on Vancouver’s home-based team, the Vancouver Giants!
Join us to experience an exciting hockey game night on Friday, February 9th, 2018 at the Langley Events Centre.
Is this going to be your first hockey game? Don’t worry; the SFU Hockey team’s pre-game Hockey 101 will turn you into a hockey pro in no time!
Ticket sales begin next Monday, January 15th. Grab your ticket at the ISS Office (MBC 1200) for only $10. at.sfu.ca/cVMWfo
Sexual Violence Support
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Announcements and Events from the Community
Mitacs 2018 workshops
Want to improve your professional skills this spring?
Mitacs is offering a variety of free workshops this semester for grads and postdocs at SFU, including the new online course “Managing Project Timelines”.
Find out more and register here: https://www.sfu.ca/dean-gradstudies/blog/year/2017/12/mitacs-workshops-spring-2018.html
Job Posting: Mitacs Globalink Mentor
Mitacs is hiring Globalink Mentors to host international undergrad students this summer.
“As a Globalink Mentor, you are expected to commit on average 5hrs/week to this four or five month position, and will be compensated $1,400 CDN and $1,700 CDN respectively.”: https://www.mitacs.ca/en/programs/globalink/globalink-mentor
Survey – International Students
The Affiliation of Multicultural Societies and Service Agencies of BC (AMSSA) is researching the accessibility of support services for post-secondary international students in BC.
If you were an international student in BC in the last 3 years (2014-2017), you are welcome to fill out this short, anonymous survey for a chance to win a $20 Starbucks gift card!
Contest closes on January 24, 2018. Feel free to share with other international students you know.