Office Closures week of September 6-10

The office will be closed for Labour Day on September 6, and for Orientation activities on September 8 and 10. We apologize for any inconvenience.

PhD and Part-time positions open on the Board of Directors

 
The GSA is looking for a PhD Director of the Board and a Part-time Director of the Board. The elected Directors will sit on the GSA Board of Directors from September 25, 2010 until April 30, 2011. Any registered PhD candidate or part-time graduate student may apply. To apply the candidate must send in a short bio and platfrom (must not exceed 250 words) and a picture to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it by 10:00 am on Monday September 20, 2010.

There will be an online election held to elect the two Directors on Sept 22, 2010, from 10:00am until 10:00pm. Eligible voters are those students with the same registration status - i.e. PhD students vote for the PhD Director, Part-time students vote for the Part-time Director.

Read more: PhD and Part-time positions open on the Board of Directors

Hiring: Chair of the Board, 2010-2011

Monday, 23 August 2010 00:00

Want to get involved? You can help run a non-profit corporation that enhances the lives of graduate students.

The WLUGSA is seeking applicants to fill the position of Chair of the Board of Directors from September 2010-August 2011.

The position is open to all current and incoming members of the WLUGSA (all full and part time graduate and professional students at Laurier), requires approximately 4-8 hours a week, including monthly Board meetings, and offers an honorarium of $500.00 per semester.  (A job description can be found below)

If you are interested in this position, please send a cover letter and resume This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it by 3:00pm on Wednesday, September 15, 2010. Interviews will take place on September 20th, and the successful candidate will need to be available for Council & Board Orientation on September 25 from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.

Read job description

Parental Assistance Introduced

Wednesday, 18 August 2010 17:50

The GSA is excited to announce a new assistance program for doctoral students on parental leave, starting this September. Developed by the Graduate Student Issues Committee and President Christinia Landry, and endorsed by the Board of Directors on August 17, the program provides free health and dental coverage for the student parent and her/his child.

Starting in 2012, doctoral students on parental leave will be eligible for a Parental Leave Supplement funded by the university. Bill 16: Public Sector Compensation Restraint Legislation prohibits the addition of new benefits to existing compensation plans during the restraint period from March 24, 2010 to March 31, 2012. The GSA has implemented the Parental Health and Dental Assistance for Doctoral Students program to aid students in the interim.

You can read more about the program in the Funding section of our website, or in this article in The Cord. The application form is available here.

Message from the GSA President

Monday, 16 August 2010 15:53

I would like to welcome all new and returning graduate and professional students to Laurier. I am looking forward to this school year as your Graduate Students’ Association President. This year we are focusing on forward-looking. We will be planning for graduate students on our Brantford-Laurier campus in 2011; we will explore the ongoing issue of graduate and professional student space in our Departments by taking physical inventories; and finally, we will be working with the Students’ Union to organize Laurier’s first ever Leadership Conference for graduate students, professional students and undergraduate students in celebration of Laurier’s Centennial.

Although we are planning for the future this year, we will continue to keep up the level of service that graduate and professional students have rightly come to expect from the GSA. We will continue to advocate for ongoing student issues. And finally, we will continue to address any arising concerns from our members. To that end, we are always open to any and all student input or advocacy issues so please feel free to stop by the GSA Office in the Student Services Building or email us. As an advocating body for graduate and professional student concerns our team wants to hear from you.

Finally, I want to encourage you to get involved in the GSA as a Departmental Representative or as a member of one of our seven committees. Volunteering will offer you a chance to professionalize your CV (this is important in today’s economy), get to know other graduate and professional students, make a positive change in the Laurier community and finally, volunteering will help save you from academic overload. Trust me on all of these advantages.

I look forward to meeting you this upcoming year in your capacity as volunteer, concerned student and/or GSA event attendee!
 
Christinia Landry

GSA President

Professional Development for TAs, IAs, and Grad Students

Friday, 30 July 2010 20:18

To All TAs, IAs, Grad students and Post-docs

Are you a TA or IA this year and looking for information about grading, facilitating tutorials or TAing Labs? Are you a graduate student or post-doc who is looking for a professional development opportunity?

Educational Development is hosting the 2010 Teaching Assistant Conference on September 9. This event is open to all TAs, IAs, grad students and post-docs at Laurier. Sessions are identified by three categories:

SA - Sensitivity Awareness
Sessions designated "SA" are designed to heighten your awareness of certain issues that may impact your own personal and professional development and/or your teaching and learning role.

PD - Professional Development
Sessions designated "PD" are either (a) directly targeted at your own personal and professional development regardless of your teaching/instructional assistant role and/or (b) have components that are designed to promote your own personal and professional development.

TL - Teaching and Learning
Sessions designated "TL" are specifically designed to help you develop knowledge and skills with various tasks and responsibilities associated with your teaching/instructional assistant role.

There is something for everyone!

For more information or to register, please visit www.wlu.ca/edev/TAconference.

TA Conference poster. Check out our Facebook Page.
 
Regards,
Educational Development Team

Post-Laurier health coverage, Grad Lounge hiring, and more

Wednesday, 28 July 2010 20:00

Check out the latest newsletter for more about:

1. The Continuum Health Plan: keep having low-cost health coverage after you graduate! www.continuumplan.ca

2. WLU Senate graduate student senator needed: by-election on August 19th. Nominations due August 5.

3. Grad Lounge Hiring: bartenders for 2010-2011. Email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

4. Volunteers needed for Orientation September 8: email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it if you're interested.

Nominations Open For WLU Graduate Student Senator

A by-election for the Graduate Student Senator (WLU Senate) has been called for Thursday, August 19 2010, and nominations are being accepted until Thursday, August 5 at 3pm:

The position is a nearly two-year term from September 2010 through April 2012.

The nomination package is available for download here and in the Documents section of the WLUGSA website. Completed nomination packages are due in the GSA Office by 3:00pm on Thursday, August 5, 2010. Please see the nomination package for job descriptions and election information.

Important Dates:

Thursday, August 5 – Nomination Package, Platform and Bio Due by 3pm.
Thursday, August 5 – Mandatory Candidate Information Meeting 3:00pm in the GSA Office.
Tuesday, August 10 – Open Forum with Graduate Students at 6pm in the Grad Lounge.
Thursday, August 19 – Polls open 10am – 4pm online and in the GSA Office.

Voting

Voting will take place from 10:00am until 4:00pm on Thursday, August 19, 2010. A link to the online ballot will be provided on the home page of the GSA website during the voting period. A computer terminal not requiring a log-in will be provided in the GSA Office throughout the voting period. In the event that only one nomination is received, the candidate will be acclaimed and the Open Forum and Voting will not be required.

Questions can be directed to the Chief Returning Officer, Laura McDonald, at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Sept 7 Career Centre event for Incoming Grad Students

Student engagement in the career development process is an integral part of the Laurier experience.  Managing your career will be one of the most important things you do throughout your professional life.  Experience shows that it is important to examine your options as preparation for a rewarding career path.

The Career Centre is offering a free personality assessment workshop to new graduate students on Tuesday, Sept. 7, 2:00-4:00 in CC 101.

The TypeFocus^TM assessment is an on-line Personality questionnaire that will take approximatley 15-20 minutes to complete.  By attending the TypeFocus Workshop, you will gain valuable insight into your workplace preferences and how they influence your suitabilty for various career areas as well as suggestions for improving your effectiveness within a team setting.

Pre-register for this event by e-mailing Tina King ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) by August 27.  You will then receive the username and password you need to complete the on-line assessment.

There will be a session for Social Work students on Tuesday September 21  - 12 - 2 p.m. at the Kitchener campus in the auditorium. Please register for that session by September 13th.

Board and Committee Vacancies

The GSA Summer Board of Directors has vacancies for the following positions:

• 2 Faculty of Social Work Directors
• 1 School of Business & Economics Director (preference given to students in programs other than the MBA)

These positions are for a 4-month summer term. Meetings are on May 11, June 8, July 13, and August 10. Main duties include attending four summer board meetings and serving on committees.

If you are interested, please contact the Chair of the Board, Dana Gregoire, at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

The following Committee Chair positions are currently vacant:

• Events & Orientation
• Sustainability
• Graduate Student Issues
• Grad Lounge

If you are interested in chairing or sitting on any of these committees over the summer, or sitting on the Policy Committee, please visit the Committees page and contact the appropriate Executive Liaison.

(Updated May 10, 2010)