NEWS

August 2019 General Meeting/Council Summary

Read the full August General Meeting / Council package, see here.

The next Council meeting will take place September 26th in MC 110.

Speaker’s Corner: 4-5pm (prior to Council meetings, last Thursday of the month) @ the Grad Club. For all Council related matters, contact speaker@sogs.ca.

Upcoming Events:

• SOGS Fall Orientation for Graduate Students. All events are or start at the Grad Club. Some events require tickets, which can be purchased in MC room 8.

MONDAY, Sept. 9

• • Family BBQ *Kids eat free*. Tickets $5 at SOGS office. Bring your own white fabrics to tie-dye. 
  • Bring Your Own Crafts Night: 7pm. 

TUESDAY, Sept. 10

• • Drop in Breakfast: 8:30-11am Free coffee. 
  • International Graduate Student Issues Committee Meet & Greet: 3-5pm.
  • Meet Your Commissioners event: 5-7pm. Ice cream. Prizes and trivia!
  • Trivia Night. Prizes for winning teams. Get there early to grad a good seat. 

WEDNESDAY, Sept. 11

• • Welcome to Your Grad Club: 4-7pm. Appetizers and prizes. 
  • Board Game Night: 7-11pm.

THURSDAY, Sept. 12

• • Amazing Race: 1:30-3:30pm. Starts at the Grad Club. Sign-up via the link on our Facebook event page. Huge prizes: $200, $150, $100 gift vouchers + free tickets to Bonfire Night for top 3 winning teams. All participants earn a $5 gift voucher for the Grad Club. 
  • Gradcast Trivia Night: 5-7pm. Meet the Gradcast committee! Gradcast is the official radio show of SOGS.
  • Bonfire Night: 7pm, Corn on the cob, hot dogs + drink. Unlimited s’mores. Movie theatre popcorn. Screening of “Dodgeball” $5 tickets available at SOGS. 

FRIDAY, Sept. 13

• • Indigenous Graduate Student Breakfast: 9-10:30am. Free breakfast. Sign up via the link on our Facebook event page. 
  • Karaoke Night: 7pm-12am. Complimentary drink tickets (max 3 tickets) for singing (max 1 drink ticket per solo/group song) + pub grub appetizers. 

Self-Care and Support

• SOGS Peer Advisor for Academic Matters: Ariana Potichnyj (advisor.academic@sogs.ca)
• Graduate Peer Support (GPS): drop-in will resume in the fall (mid-September) – Tuesdays and Thursdays, 5-7pm room TBA.
• Dissertation drop-in: Fridays from 10am-3:45pm. Bring your lunch, coffee and snacks, and write in a stress-free space all day in the SOGS multi-purpose room.

 SOGS Financial Support and Funds

• SOGS Non-TA Food Bank
• Academic Joint Fund
• Wellness Joint Fund
•  Rexall Savings Card (20%)

Motions

• A number of motions were passed regarding amendments to the SOGS Constitution, Bylaws, and Policies. These amendments reflect changes in the SOGS membership structure affected by the Student Choice Initiative. These amendments include: 
  • changes to the membership requirements under section 1.5.1. of the Constitution;
  • addition of a new category of membership for graduate students granted a Leave of Absence;
  • new wording in Section 1.6.1.4. of the Constitution that directs to the Bylaws for determining departmental representation at Council;
  • clarifications to the Duties of Commissioners (Bylaws 2.2.6.);
  • minor wording changes within Chapters 3 and 4;
  • added statement within the Bylaws regarding the Constitution and Bylaws superseding Committee Policy documents;
  • minor wording changes to a number of Committee Policy documents;
  • Changes to the Goblet of Knowledge procedures: SOGS members will receive one free drink from the Goblet as long as they submit a request with minimum notice of 2 business days; non-members may use the Goblet but will not receive a free drink.
• A motion was passed to use $1600 from the Orientation Handbook line item to purchase additional SOGS swag for orientation.
• A motion was passed to use a portion of the funds allocated to the Graduate Student Research Assistant position towards funding a Public Relations position.
• The 2019 year-end financial audited statements were approved.
• A motion was passed to change the title of the Racialized Commissioner to “Racial Equity and Inclusivity Commissioner.”

Read the full July Council package here.

The next Council meeting will take place August 22  in MC 110. *Please note this is in conjunction with a SOGS General Meeting.

Speaker’s Corner:4-5pm (prior to Council meetings, last Thursday of the month) @ the Grad Club. SOGS Council Feedback survey: tinyurl.com/SOGSCouncil.  For all Council related matters, contact speaker@sogs.ca.

Upcoming Events:

• The Grad Club is hiring a new trivia master/mistress. Email gradclub@uwo.ca if you’re interested 
• The Women’s Concerns Commissioner and the Wellness Education Centre want to organize a Parenting Support Group for Graduate Students. Please help by filling out this survey. 
• SOGS is commencing the Household Donation Drive on August 1-September 14. Bring your small to medium-sized household goods to the SOGS office. The department with the most donated items wins a sweet prize.
• Monthly Karaoke Nights: Aug 23, 7pm @ the Grad Club
• SOGS goes to Canada’s Wonderland! Saturday, August 17 (8am-8pm). $65 per person. Buy your tickets at the SOGS office AFTER the long weekend. 

Self-Care and Support

• SOGS Peer Advisor for Academic Matters: Ariana Potichnyj (advisor.academic@sogs.ca)
• Graduate Peer Support (GPS): drop-in will resume in the fall.
• Dissertation drop-in: Fridays from 10am-3:45pm. Bring your lunch, coffee and snacks, and write in a stress-free space all day in the SOGS multi-purpose room.

 SOGS Financial Support and Funds

• SOGS Non-TA Food Bank
• Academic Joint Fund
• Wellness Joint Fund
• Rexall Savings Card (20%)

Elections

• SOGS Ombudsperson: Martin LeFebvre was acclaimed.
• SOGS Racialized Commissioner: Mohammad Sharifi was elected.

Motions

• A motion was passed to call a SOGS General Meeting on August 22, 2019, to address proposed amendments to the SOGS Constitution. These amendments reflect changes in the SOGS membership structure affected by the Student Choice initiative and must be finalized before the SCI options are put into effect.
• A motion was passed to schedule the 2019 August SOG Council meeting to coincide with the general meeting on August 22, 2019.

For the full June Council package, see here.

The next Council meeting will take place July 25th in MC 110.

Speaker’s Corner: 4-5pm (prior to Council meetings, last Thursday of the month) @ the Grad Club. For all Council related matters, contact speaker@sogs.ca.

Upcoming Events:

• Monthly Bring Your Own Crafts: July 8th, 7pm @ the Grad Club
• Monthly Board Game Night: July 17th, 7pm @ the Grad Club
• Monthly Karaoke Nights: July 19th, 7pm @ the Grad Club
• VRcadia event July 25 (after council) (8pm – ?). Refreshments will be provided. VRcadia is the VR event space at Richmond St. and Oxford St. The owner is a previous SOGS member. Entire space will be booked off for SOGS members.
• SOGS goes to Canada’s Wonderland! Saturday, August 17 (8am-8pm). $65 per person. Buy your tickets at the SOGS office AFTER the long weekend. 

Self-Care and Support

• SOGS Peer Advisor for Academic Matters: Ariana Potichnyj (advisor.academic@sogs.ca)
• Graduate Peer Support (GPS): drop-in will resume in the fall.
• Dissertation drop-in: Fridays from 10am-3:45pm. Bring your lunch, coffee and snacks, and write in a stress-free space all day in the SOGS multi-purpose room.

 SOGS Financial Support and Funds

• SOGS Non-TA Food Bank
• Academic Joint Fund
• Wellness Joint Fund
•  Rexall Savings Card (20%)

Elections

• Speaker: Lola Wong was acclaimed as the new SOGS Speaker
• Call for SOGS Ombudsperson nominations (election to take place at July Council): SOGS members in good standing wishing to nominate themselves to the position must send their nomination (as well as an optional 1-page election poster/platform for inclusion in the SOGS Council mail-out) to the Speaker (speaker@sogs.ca) no later than July 16th  at 5:00 pm EDT. 

Motions

• A motion was passed to create the position of Racialized Students’ Commissioner.
• A motion was passed to provide an honorarium to the GSTA Committee Chair for his service in May-June 2019.
• A motion passed to delay the start of the Research Assistant position until January 2020.
• A motion to restructure and update Section 3.6 “Other Policies” and to relocate these policies into a new Chapter 4 entitled “Position Statements” was passed.
• Motions were passed to extend the Freedom of Expression committee’s term to Fall 2019 in order to plan and execute a Freedom of Expression event in mid-to-late September, and to allocate $200 from the President’s discretionary fund to this September event.
• A motion was passed to charge HST on SOGS membership dues.

Read the Council Summary

April 25, 2019

Continue reading “April Council Summary”