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Society of Graduate Students (SOGS)

Society of Graduate Students (SOGS)

Your Graduate Student Advocacy Organization and Government at Western University

  • ABOUT
    • Who We Are
    • Our Team
    • Canadian Federation of Students: Local 47
    • Financials
    • Members and Membership Dues
    • The Grad Club
    • Strategic Plan
    • Land Acknowledgement
  • NEWS
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    • Announcements
    • Board of Directors
    • Council Summary
    • Job Opportunities
  • BENEFITS
    • Bus Pass
    • Free Tax Filing
    • Goblet of Knowledge
    • Health & Dental Coverage
    • ISIC Card
    • Peer Advisor for Academic Matters
  • FINANCIAL AID
    • Academic Joint Fund
    • Bursaries
    • Food Bank Program
    • Peggy Collins Memorial Award
    • Social Fund
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    • 125th Anniversary Scholarship
  • GET INVOLVED
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westernsogs

The graduate student union, advocacy organization, and government at Western University. Local 47 of CFS. W: Sogs.ca

Due to the power outage in Middlesex College, the Due to the power outage in Middlesex College, the SOGS office will be closed for the remainder of the day. 

If you require information regarding SOGS services, benefits, or programs during this time, please visit the SOGS website at sogs.ca.
During last month's Pride Week, the SOGS Pride Com During last month's Pride Week, the SOGS Pride Commission hosted and attended a variety of Pride-themed events on campus and in the community! The events included:

โ˜• Rainbow Coffee Club, a meet-up with drinks and snacks in the Beryl Ivey garden. 

๐Ÿน Queer Patio Mixer: nachos, themed drinks, and games at the Grad Club. 

๐Ÿ’ฌ Beyond Nonbinary: Perspectives on Existence and Expansiveness, a keynote by Sydney Brouillard-Coyle at Weldon Library. 

๐ŸŽž๏ธ Queerly Beloved Cinema: a screening of Paris Is Burning (1990), complete with popcorn. 

๐Ÿง  Queervia: A Night of Queer Trivia at the Grad Club.

๐Ÿ’ป Plug In to Pride Virtual Hangout, an online meet-up for games and fun. 

...and more!

๐Ÿณ๏ธโ€๐ŸŒˆ Thanks to everyone who made Pride Week 2026 special! 

๐Ÿ“ธ @windshades
Warm congratulations to Dr. Zakara Stampp from the Warm congratulations to Dr. Zakara Stampp from the Geography & Environment program in the Faculty of Social Science on the successful defense of her Doctoral dissertation! Dr. Stampp's dissertation is titled: "Belonging, Well-Being & Racial Governance: Black Youth Experiences of Anti-Black Racism Across Institutional Spaces in Southwestern Ontario." This work was supervised by Dr. Isaac Luginaah.

๐Ÿค” Did you know that as part of your SOGS-Grad Club membership you are entitled to a complimentary beverage (alcoholic or non-alcoholic) out of our famed GOBLET OF KNOWLEDGE?

The Goblet of Knowledge is a #GRADLIFEWESTERNU tradition! Bring your supervisor and your friends to celebrate. ๐ŸŽ‰

When you successfully complete your Master's degree (i.e., complete a course-based or professional program) or defend your Master's or Doctoral thesis, head over to the @uwogradclub for your free drink in the Goblet of Knowledge!

โš ๏ธ RESERVE THE GOBLET: Because we have limited capacity for the Goblet of Knowledge, book your time with the Goblet at https://www.uwogradclub.ca/reserve-the-goblet (link in bio).
Did you know SOGS has both a Board of Directors an Did you know SOGS has both a Board of Directors and a student government (SOGS Council)? Our council meets monthly, on the last Thursday of the month.

โš–๏ธYou can read the June and July council summaries here: https://sogs.ca/council-summary/

๐ŸŒ To read previous council summaries, head over to https://sogs.ca/past-council-summaries/

These links are available in our bio, too.

#GradLifeWesternU
Another month, another discount for SOGS members! Another month, another discount for SOGS members!

Stay fresh and crisp with a โœ‚๏ธ haircut a Razor's Edge Barbershop. Resident barber, @alber_merza, is dying to get you summer ready with a wash, fade, trim, or whatever you want!

โžก๏ธ SOGS members can get 20% off all haircuts this month
๐Ÿ‘‹ Just tell them you are a SOGS member
๐Ÿ“UCC, Room 5 (Lower level)
๐Ÿ“ž 519.661.3471
๐ŸŒ therazorsedgebarber.ca

#RazorsEdgeBarbershopLondon
Join the SOGS Graduate Peer Support Committee for Join the SOGS Graduate Peer Support Committee for SUMMER GAMES! Get outside, move your body, and destroy the competition๐Ÿฅ‡. 

๐Ÿ“† Saturday, August 22nd
๐Ÿ•ฐ๏ธ 10 AM - 4 PM
๐Ÿ“HSB PRACTICE FIELDS (across from the FIMS/NURSING BUILDING)
๐ŸŽŸ๏ธ $7 PER PLAYER (Groups can register together)
๐Ÿ‘ฅ Teams (of 5) and solo players welcome
๐Ÿ•Pizza lunch and refreshments provided
๐Ÿ† PRIZES for the top 3 WINNING TEAMS (Prizes TBA)

GAMES:
๐ŸŒฝ Corn hole
๐Ÿณ๏ธ Capture the flag
๐ŸŸก Spikeball
๐Ÿƒโ€โ™€๏ธโ€โžก๏ธ Mini obstacle course relay
๐Ÿคพโ€โ™€๏ธ Frisbee
๐Ÿ“šโ“Academic jeopardy

Register at the link in our bio, or click here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfUunYryOzLg7UsTMGoWPHRRa2qMpwUTUXgGYJz5baiUgbmfg/viewform?usp=header
Another month, another discount for SOGS members! Another month, another discount for SOGS members!

Stay fresh and crisp with a โœ‚๏ธ haircut a Razor's Edge Barbershop. Resident barber, @alber_merza, is dying to get you summer ready with a wash, fade, trim, or whatever you want!

โžก๏ธ SOGS members can get 20% off all haircuts this month
๐Ÿ‘‹ Just tell them you are a SOGS member
๐Ÿ“UCC, Room 5 (Lower level)
๐Ÿ“ž 519.661.3471
๐ŸŒ therazorsedgebarber.ca

#RazorsEdgeBarbershopLondon
๐ŸŽจ That's a wrap on the SOGS Summer Makers Market! ๐ŸŽจ That's a wrap on the SOGS Summer Makers Market! On Wednesday, July 22nd, SOGS members turned out at @uwogradclub with ceramics, stickers, art prints, jewellery, crochet, zines, chapbooks, plush dolls, pressed flower art, patches, polymer clay gnomes, press-on nails, film photography, wire-and-stone decor, and a whole lot more.

These makers are Western grad student running a creative practice alongside their research. Give them a follow:

@isaro_xxuu (MOMO) ยท spacedaydreamer ยท @honey_orbit_accessories (Honey Orbit Accessories) ยท Botanical Keepsakes ยท @toadstoollane.store (Toadstool Lane) ยท @_aggieeo (Little Earth Studio) ยท @pressed_by_lilith (Pressed by Lilith) ยท singyuanfilms (MomentsThroughFilm) ยท @bhargavi.ramanathan (Crochet) ยท @sophthompsonnn (Soup's Strings) ยท @sydneybcoyle (Sydney's Books & Pride Shop) ยท @wu.wares (WuWares) ยท @poetry_kit (Poetic Kit) ยท @regrainproject (Regrain) ยท @moonofretribvtion (Moon Of Retribvtion) ยท @leafbystone (Leaf By Stone) ยท Honeyed Hersh ยท PrairieFairies ยท @jmox_artist (JMOX) ยท @wongdful (Delicia) ยท @My_Cutique (Cutique Accessories) ยท Knot.

Thank you to everyone who came out to shop, browse, and support your fellow grad students!

๐Ÿ“ธ @windshades

#GradLifeWesternU
Are you a first or second-year PhD student at West Are you a first or second-year PhD student at Western completing research aligned with neurotechnology and brain-related research, including interdisciplinary projects spanning neuroscience, engineering, artificial intelligence, social sciences, and the humanities?

We invite you to participate in the NeurotechEU Doctoral Network, co-funded by the European Union, which is an international doctoral program connecting researchers across leading universities in Europe and Canada. This network is open to five doctoral students per institution with applications open until August 17th, 2026!

Apply now and become part of the next generation of international neuroscience researchers!

How to apply: https://uwo.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9nKdgcYXTwwDOAu

Learn more about eligibility, requirements, and more:
https://win.uwo.ca/opportunities/neurotech-eu-doctoral-network.html
Join the SOGS Graduate Peer Support Committee for Join the SOGS Graduate Peer Support Committee for SUMMER GAMES! Get outside, move your body, and destroy the competition๐Ÿฅ‡. 

๐Ÿ“† Saturday, August 22nd
๐Ÿ•ฐ๏ธ 10 AM - 4 PM
๐Ÿ“HSB PRACTICE FIELDS (across from the FIMS/NURSING BUILDING)
๐ŸŽŸ๏ธ $7 PER PLAYER (Groups can register together)
๐Ÿ‘ฅ Teams (of 5) and solo players welcome
๐Ÿ•Pizza lunch and refreshments provided
๐Ÿ† PRIZES for the top 3 WINNING TEAMS (Prizes TBA)

GAMES:
๐ŸŒฝ Corn hole
๐Ÿณ๏ธ Capture the flag
๐ŸŸก Spikeball
๐Ÿƒโ€โ™€๏ธโ€โžก๏ธ Mini obstacle course relay
๐Ÿคพโ€โ™€๏ธ Frisbee
๐Ÿ“šโ“Academic jeopardy

Register at the link in our bio, or click here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfUunYryOzLg7UsTMGoWPHRRa2qMpwUTUXgGYJz5baiUgbmfg/viewform?usp=header
Western SOGS members can grab a $20 lifetime lice Western SOGS members can grab a 
$20 lifetime license for SuperTeX at 
www.supertex.io using promo code SOGS20. This special offer is ideal for grad students and researchers handling theses, papers, and conference work.

Ditch the cloud tools and endless formatting struggles. SuperTeX is a robust native desktop app made for academics โ€” write in clean Markdown, organize references visually, and produce publication-ready LaTeX documents
 entirely offline. Your files stay private and secure on your device.

Enjoy full LaTeX power with a simple, distraction-free workflow designed for long-term research productivity.

Claim your lifetime access today at 
www.supertex.io with code SOGS20!

#SOGS #SuperTeX #LaTeX #WesternU #Research #Academia #Thesis
๐Ÿ“ฃ Need funding support to pay for hosting an acade ๐Ÿ“ฃ Need funding support to pay for hosting an academic conference or research-related event?

Get up to $1,000 in financial support!

The Academic Joint Fund is generously supported by Western Research and Western Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies.

๐ŸŽค What Types of Events Are Considered?

โœ…Research Promotion Events
โœ…On-Campus Conferences
โœ…Online Speaker Webinars
โœ…On-Campus Lectures

Note: The AJF is not intended to fund the individual conference or research travel of SOGS members. Apply to the SOGS Financial Support Subsidy instead!

๐Ÿ’ฐSuccessful Applications Can Receive Up to $1,000!

๐Ÿ“… How and When Can We Apply?

Head over to sogs.ca/academic-joint-fund to learn more about the application form and adjudication process.

Timeline:

For events taking place between May 1 and June 30, the application must be submitted on or before April 1, and funding decisions will be shared in April.

For events taking place between July 1 and August 31, the application must be submitted on or before June 1, and funding decisions will be shared in June.

For events taking place between September 1 and October 31, the application must be submitted on or before August 1, and funding decisions will be shared in August.

For events taking place between November 1 and December 31, the application must be submitted on or before October 1, and funding decisions will be shared in October.

For events taking place between January 1 and February 28, the application must be submitted on or before December 1, and funding decisions will be shared in December.

For events taking place between March 1 and April 30, the application must be submitted on or before February 1, and funding decisions will be shared in February.

โ“If you have any questions about the fund, contact academic@sogs.ca
Join the SOGS Mature 35+ Student Needs Committee f Join the SOGS Mature 35+ Student Needs Committee for a monthly meet-up to discuss experiences, concerns, and needs. The committee aims to gather feedback from mature graduate students but also open up a social space for connection and friendship. 

We meet on the last Thursday of every month at 11 a.m. on Zoom. Register at the link in our bio to receive the Zoom info!
Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital is Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital is recruiting young people with disabilities aged 14-29 from across Canada for a paid research engagement opportunity through a virtual Youth Advisory Council (YAC).

We are seeking young people with lived experience of disability who are interested in gaining research experience, sharing their expertise, and helping shape more inclusive digital environments. Participation is open to young people across Canada, and all activities will be conducted virtually. 

YAC members will work alongside researchers to help guide study processes, recruitment, data collection, interpretation of findings, and the development of resources and recommendations. Honoraria will be provided for participation. 

Interested youth can apply using the following application form: https://forms.office.com/r/ApSw2s7w3a
Western SOGS members unlock 4 months free on Reart Western SOGS members unlock 4 months free on Rearticle.io with code
SOGSFREE. Perfect for tackling theses, research papers, and conference submissions stress-free.

Stop fighting with Word formatting or raw LaTeX. Rearticle gives you a smooth visual editor that feels like Word but instantly generates clean, journal-ready LaTeX PDFs. Easily handle citations, equations, code blocks,
 and match top publisher templates from IEEE, NeurIPS, Springer, and more.

Seamlessly import from Word docs, Overleaf projects, or LaTeX .zip files.

Head over to 
rearticle.io and claim your free months with code SOGSFREE today!

#SOGS #Rearticle #LaTeX #Overleaf #WesternU #Academia
๐ŸŽจ Join the Graduate Peer Support Committee for a s ๐ŸŽจ Join the Graduate Peer Support Committee for a showcase of graduate student artisan talent at the Summer Makers Market! 

๐Ÿงถ Twenty grad student vendors will be selling their art, handmade crafts, curated collections, and more! Vendors will be selling: jewelry, pins & patches, zines, ceramics, stickers, plushies, and more!

๐Ÿ“† Wednesday, July 22nd
๐Ÿ•ฐ๏ธ 2-6 PM
๐Ÿ“ Grad Club (Middlesex College Room 19) @uwogradclub
FREE! All are welcome!

Meet one of our vendors, Moon Of Retribvtion, @moonofretribvtion:

"original art transmuted into patches/pins/stickers. anti-fascist, goth, & queer af since 2015."

Stay tuned for more vendor introductions! See you at the Summer Makers Market!
๐ŸŽจ Join the Graduate Peer Support Committee for a s ๐ŸŽจ Join the Graduate Peer Support Committee for a showcase of graduate student artisan talent at the Summer Makers Market! 

๐Ÿงถ Twenty grad student vendors will be selling their art, handmade crafts, curated collections, and more! Vendors will be selling: jewelry, pins & patches, zines, ceramics, stickers, plushies, and more!

๐Ÿ“† Wednesday, July 22nd
๐Ÿ•ฐ๏ธ 2-6 PM
๐Ÿ“ Grad Club (Middlesex College Room 19) @uwogradclub
FREE! All are welcome!

Meet one of our vendors, Leaf By Stone, @@leafbystone:

"I primarily create decor pieces out of wire and stone that resemble trees. I also sell tumble stones, shaped stones, raw stones and create some jewelry and greeting cards with wire trees/precious stones on them. I also make Christmas tree ornaments during the holiday season."

Stay tuned for more vendor introductions! See you at the Summer Makers Market!
๐ŸŽจ Join the Graduate Peer Support Committee for a s ๐ŸŽจ Join the Graduate Peer Support Committee for a showcase of graduate student artisan talent at the Summer Makers Market! 

๐Ÿงถ Twenty grad student vendors will be selling their art, handmade crafts, curated collections, and more! Vendors will be selling: jewelry, pins & patches, zines, ceramics, stickers, plushies, and more!

๐Ÿ“† Wednesday, July 22nd
๐Ÿ•ฐ๏ธ 2-6 PM
๐Ÿ“ Grad Club (Middlesex College Room 19) @uwogradclub
FREE! All are welcome!

Meet one of our vendors, Poetic Kit, @poetry_kit:

"I centre all my art around poetry, and finding the beautiful and meaningful in all I create. I make a variety of things, as I engage in a variety of arts and crafts! I sell lino prints, zines, chapbooks, and knit and crochet items. I often incorporate multiple art forms into one piece (such as an original poem with a crochet frame, or a book with linocut illustrations in it.) My newest project is called โ€œpoetic guideโ€ where I encourage people to intuitively choose a โ€œpathโ€ from a variety of lino printed hand sewn pouches that each contain an original poem, a mini print, and a mini crochet or knit item."

Stay tuned for more vendor introductions! See you at the Summer Makers Market!
๐ŸŽจ Join the Graduate Peer Support Committee for a s ๐ŸŽจ Join the Graduate Peer Support Committee for a showcase of graduate student artisan talent at the Summer Makers Market! 

๐Ÿงถ Twenty grad student vendors will be selling their art, handmade crafts, curated collections, and more! Vendors will be selling: jewelry, pins & patches, zines, ceramics, stickers, plushies, and more!

๐Ÿ“† Wednesday, July 22nd
๐Ÿ•ฐ๏ธ 2-6 PM
๐Ÿ“ Grad Club (Middlesex College Room 19) @uwogradclub
FREE! All are welcome!

Meet one of our vendors, Sydney's Books & Pride Shop, @sydneybcoyle:

"Sydney is a queer, trans, nonbinary activist, author, and entrepreneur. Ney published nir first book, "A Pocket Guide to Pronouns", in December 2023. This book is a great resource to learn about many types of gender neutral pronouns and the importance of inclusive language in trans communities! In addition to selling signed copies of nir book, Sydney sells various self-designed Pride merch, including buttons, magnets, art prints, t-shirts, bookmarks, and more."

Stay tuned for more vendor introductions! See you at the Summer Makers Market!
๐ŸŽจ Join the Graduate Peer Support Committee for a s ๐ŸŽจ Join the Graduate Peer Support Committee for a showcase of graduate student artisan talent at the Summer Makers Market! 

๐Ÿงถ Twenty grad student vendors will be selling their art, handmade crafts, curated collections, and more! Vendors will be selling: jewelry, pins & patches, zines, ceramics, stickers, plushies, and more!

๐Ÿ“† Wednesday, July 22nd
๐Ÿ•ฐ๏ธ 2-6 PM
๐Ÿ“ Grad Club (Middlesex College Room 19) @uwogradclub
FREE! All are welcome!

Meet one of our vendors, Soup's Strings, @sophthompsonnn:

"I began making bracelets as a way to support my mental health and create moments of calm in my daily life. What started as a personal outlet quickly grew into a passion for spreading kindness, and I have since donated more than 650 handmade bracelets to the Children's Health Foundation in London, Ontario. Creating each bracelet allows me to slow down, be present, and find joy in the moment."

Stay tuned for more vendor introductions! See you at the Summer Makers Market!
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