Health Plan Accounts for Returning Members Active

Blue Cross has updated the student information. All returning students should find their accounts are reactivated. Students who are new to the plan should be able to use their coverage effective September 21. Account number for new students will be

Health: E043222 Dental D043222 and Personal ID: lsat 7 digits of your UVIC V#.

Cards will be arriving this and next week. Please watch this space for an update when all cards have arrived.

The GSS encouarges memebrs to create an online Blue Cross account with BlueLink, where you can print temrporary cards, view your spending to date, check when items with annual maximums renew to the maximum amount again. Info on BlueLink is here.

Please notify the GSS if you are having problems with your account.

We appreciate your patience. Although you may have paid your tuition on September 1, the GSS does not have complete enrolment data until after September 30.

Board Games and Hot Chocolate

Monday December 7, 6:30 - 8pm

David Clode Room, Grad House Restaurant, Grad Centre, UVIC

Ok Cataniacs, this is your night to shine!

Plus if you are like David Huxtable andare trapped in a 1986 time warp, I am bringing Castle Risk for you.

Here's what I have:

Catan 6 player expansion (always in the David Clode Room, btw)
Catan plus seafarers (4 player)
Carcassone (big box--many expansion options)
Castle Risk (but you have to play with Huxtable)
Scotland Yard (yes, I still have the Mr. X hat)
Citadels (oh such a good game)
Scrabble... (also always in the David Clode Room)
Killer Bunnies (Should be UVIC's signature game)

Decks of cards for Euchre and Big Two fans (you know you are out there!)

Feel free to bring your favourite game along to share--let us know what you can bring!

Kid firendly!
Right after $6 burger beer night (though that is not kid friendly, exactly, but it is parent friendly!)

Victoria Car Share Coop

Graduate Students at UVIC can now join the Victoria Car Share Coop through the GSS for a one time, non-refundable fee of $50. The GSS has 15 seats available through the GSS office.

Memebrship lasts for the duration of your membership in the GSS (i.e. while you are a UVIC grad student), and entitles you to full membership in the car share program, with the grad student as the sole driver. If you are already a member, your original membership fee can be refunded so you can participate in our cheaper rate during your studies--but if you have a family membership currently note that this group membership only permits one driver (the student).

Membership in the car coop is usually beneficial for those who generally don't drive, but wish to have a reliable, low cost car for occasional short trips or errands, to carry something heavy from the store, or for longer distances, such as a trip to Mystic Beach and other great BC Parks in our area! If you want to drive every day, this program won't be for you. If you want to use a car occasionally without the hassle of owning and monthly insurance bills, this might be the perfect option!

There are three cars and a minivan parked on campus. There is a truck and another car parked nearby at Tuscany Village close by. Many other vehicles are located in neighbourhoods around Victoria (including a smart car down in the Railyards!). Vehicle use pricing information is available here.

Victory on Senate

The GSS has achieved another victory in our work for improved graduate student representation at UVIC.

At the October 2, 2009 meeting of the University of Victoria Senate, a motion was passed reallocating the seats for student senators to increase graduate student representation.

Past practice was that graduate students were eligible to run for the seat under the Faculty of Graduate Studies, and that the remaining 15 seats were held by undergraduates. The new practice is that of the 16 student seats, 3 will be allocated to memebrs of the Faculty of Graduate Studies.

The campaign to increase graduate student representation was initiated by former GSS Chair Nicole O'Byrne in the 2008-09 year and has laready resulted in a best practices policy stating the Faculty of Graduate Studies recommends graduate students have an elected representative with voice and vote in department meetings.

Congratulations to everyone who has worked on this campaign.

CAMPAIGN TO EXPAND UVIC CHILDCARE

EVENTS and ACTION: Come out for childcare!

Attend the Bog Meeting to support quality childcare (click image to download poster)

TUESDAY NOVEMBER 24, 11 AM

Attend this lecture:

Monday, November 23, 2009 

Troubling Lessons: Corporate Childcare in Canada and Abroad

Featured Presenter: Dr. Susan Prentice, Professor of Sociology at the University of Manitoba and expert on childcare & public policy

4:00 pm - 5:15 pm

Math and Social Sciences Building at the University of Victoria

Room A104

Susan Prentice (Ph.D.) is Professor of Sociology at the University of Manitoba where
she specializes in childcare and public policy. She is co-author of the new book, About
Canada: Childcare, and is author of numerous articles about childcare policy. She is a
board member of the University of East London's International Centre for the Mixed
Economy of Childcare, a member of the Child Care Coalition of Manitoba, and is
working with CUPE's campaign for public childcare.

Attend the next BOG meeting November 24 to show support for public, on campus childcare.

Learn more: SURVEY RESULTS RELEASED

A childcare advocacy campaign at UVIC has released survey results to be presented to UVIC's Board of Governors. The survey included UVIC faculty, sessionals, staff and graduate students.

MOVE to outsource childcare

At the September Board of Governors (BOG) meeting, the BOG members received a report on childcare options that recommended moving toward UVIC purchasing seats from a private provider called Kids and Company. The GSS is very concerned at this proposal for several reasons:

-it reduces UVIC and parent oversight as the childcare would be part of a national chain

-Other Kids and Company centres have a manager with Early Childhood Education certification, but most staff do not, in contrast to UVIC where all staff have an ECE certificate. Such centres are unlikely to accomodate children with disabilities.

-UVIC childcare permits requests from graduate students and faculty to be sent to parents inviting them to have their children be involved in research. Similarly, undergraduates studying social work and child and youth care may attend and observe interactions at the UVIC Childcare. In this way, having a campus-based, university-led childcare improves learning and research support for everyone on campus.

If you are concerned about this proposal, now is the time to get involved! Write to the Board of Governors chair, Ray Protti no later than November 9 if you wish your letter to be circulated to BOG members prior to their meeting.

Get involved: CHILDCARE ACTION GROUP

Visit the Childcare Action Group campaign blog.

Documents regarding the childcare issue

Handbooks

If you haven't received one yet, come by the GSS office to pick up your free grad student daytimer!

Our beautiful hanbook cover is a photo by Sarah Bonsor Kurki, Education graduate student. Thansk for your beautiful work, Sarah, we have had many compliments.

Handbook layout is by GSS staffer Patrick Reed. We hope you like the new super-slim handbook--we listened to your feedback (thanks for your brutal honesty!) and cut out many pages--leaving only grad student specific phone listings, weekly calendar and semester at a glance planner. Got more suggestions? Let us know!

Wednesday AM Coffee

Have a weekly coffee or tea plus muffins with fellow grad students.

Wednesdays in the David Clode Room, Grad Centre. 9-10:30 am.

November 25, December 2, 9, 16

Writing Wednesdays

Writing Wednesdays for Graduate Students(Hosted by Student Transition Services and Graduate Students’ Society)

Looking for a great study space on campus?Seeking motivation to complete essays or your thesis/dissertation?Interested in connecting with graduate students in a similar state of mind?Drop by the Student Transition Centre, located in the basement of the Student Union Building, room B010 every Wednesday between 10:30am and 2:00pm. It’s a relaxed friendly atmosphere with free coffee, tea, use of kitchenette and a quiet structured working space. Starts October 7th 2009 – You don’t want to miss it!

Pacific Leaders Graduate Fellowship Program Suspended for 2009

Due to "economic challenges" the government of BC is suspending their Pacific Leaders Graduate Fellowship program for 2009. Check here for what the government of BC says about it on their website.

The GSS worked with the other graduate students in BC to campaign for this important funding. BC lags behind most of Canada for graudate funding, and this cut will have a very negative impact on graduate students. Petition to keep the scholarship is here.

Thank you UVIC Alumni Association

The GSS sends a big thank you to the UVIC Alumni Association which has provided a grant to cover half the cost of purcahsing a data projector and teleconference for the Grad House. This equipment will be available free of charge to grad students using our meeting rooms and organizing events at the Grad House!

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supervisory relationship

Questions about your supervisory rights and responsibilities? The Faculty of Grad Studies' policy document is available online: Supervisory Relationship.

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spokeS

SPOKES is a volunteer based program which refurbishes old, unwanted bikes from around the community and lends them out to students, faculty and staff at the University of Victoria. Bicycle bursaries are given out every month, dependent on the number of volunteers and quality of bicycle donations. Click on the bursary application form for more details.

SPOKES also now has bikes available for short-term rental. Click on the rental application form for more details.

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Federal Budget 2009 and what it means for Higher Education

The following document was passed to us by Christine Tausig Ford, Corporate Secretary, Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada. It highlights key items announced in the January 27 2009 federal budget.

Introduction

Finance Minister Jim Flaherty today presented his fourth budget since the government took office in January 2006. With the country in a recession, Budget 2009 proposes a major economic stimulus package, with more than $40 billion in support of the Canadian economy over the next two years. Most of this spending is for economic stimulus measures that are “timely, targeted and temporary”. Advantage Canada and the government’s Science and Technology Strategy remain important documents of reference for the government as it looks to spend money on projects that “protect the jobs of today, while readying our economy to create the jobs of tomorrow”.

In this context, AUCC strongly welcomes the investments in higher education and university research infrastructure announced in the budget, specifically the knowledge infrastructure investment that relates to our pre-budget submission to Minister Flaherty. Industry Canada will manage a $2 billion infrastructure fund to support deferred maintenance, repair projects and construction at postsecondary institutions. A number of other significant announcements related to infrastructure have a university link, notably $750 million for current and future activities of the Canada Foundation for Innovation, including the launch of one or more new competitions by December 2010.

Mr. Flaherty's budget plan predicts a significant deficit of $33.7 billion for the 2009-10 fiscal year and $29.8 billion the following year. Against
this backdrop, 21 federal departments and agencies were asked to undertake a strategic review of their expenditures. The reviews identified savings of $586 million a year that are being redirected to fund new initiatives. This exercise resulted in reductions in the granting agencies’ budgets of $17.7 million in 2009-10, followed by a decrease to $43 million in 2010-11, and to $87.2 million in 2011-12. No additional support for the
Indirect Costs Program was announced. However, additional funding of $87.5 million was announced for the Canada Graduate Scholarship program.

The budget will require the support of newly-appointed Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff to pass in the House of Commons, as the Bloc Québécois
and New Democratic Party have already indicated that they would oppose the budget. Mr. Ignatieff is holding a special Liberal caucus meeting tonight and will inform the House of Commons tomorrow whether Liberal party members will support the budget.

University infrastructure

AUCC’s pre-budget brief recommended including a targeted university infrastructure initiative to address the $2.4 billion in universities’ urgent accumulated deferred maintenance backlog as part of an effective economic stimulus package.  Budget 2009 provides up to $2 billion over two
years for accelerating repairs, maintenance and construction at postsecondary institutions. The funds under this initiative will be
managed by Industry Canada, with 70 percent of the funding dedicated to university infrastructure and the remaining 30 percent for infrastructure
at colleges.

While many details have yet to be worked out, the budget proposes that allocation will be based on project merit and readiness and the funds will
pay for up to half of project costs, leveraging an equivalent amount from other partners.  Preference will be given to projects at universities that
can improve the quality of research and development at the institution. Projects at colleges will strengthen their ability to deliver advanced
knowledge and skills training.

In view of the partnership funding and project readiness requirements, having projects that are vetted by the provinces will help to expedite
project approval.

Canada Foundation for Innovation

Additional funding for the Canada Foundation for Innovation is a major component of the government's infrastructure package. Budget 2009 provides $750 million for CFI, including $150 million in additional funding for the competition currently under way, the results of which are scheduled to be announced in June.

The CFI funding also includes $600 million for future activities of the foundation, including the launch of one or more new competitions by
December 2010 in support of priority areas identified by the Minister of Industry in consultation with CFI and guided by the foundation's strategic
plan, which is to be developed by CFI in collaboration with the Minister of Industry. Budget 2009 sends a strong message that the government is
committed to CFI for the longer term, stating that the government will “continue providing support for leading-edge research infrastructure
through the Canada Foundation for Innovation.”

Federal granting agencies

Budget 2009 indicates that the base budget of the three granting agencies will be reduced over the next three years, as part of the government’s
strategic review process. The combined budgets of the granting agencies will decrease by $17.7 million in 2009-10, followed by a decrease to $43 million in 2010-11, and to $87.2 million in 2011-12. By 2011-12, the decrease represents a five percent cut from the current levels of approximately $1.7 billion. This decrease means that the combined level of funding in 2011-12 of the three granting agencies will be the same as in 2007-08, not taking into account inflation.

The granting agencies undertook the strategic review process in 2008, along with 18 other departments and agencies, in order to identify
low-priority areas where savings could be achieved, so that funding could be redirected within the organization or to other government priorities.
The budget states that the resulting savings are being redirected to fund new initiatives, including funding for a temporary increase in the Canada
Graduate Scholarships program (see separate item).

Details regarding which of the granting agencies’ programs and /or expenditures will be affected by these cuts will be known only as of February 3.

Institutional costs of research

No new investment in the Indirect Costs Program was announced in Budget 2009.  Consequently, we anticipate the budget of the program will remain at its current level of $330 million for the year 2009-10, although we will need to await confirmation of this funding level on February 3 (as
per the granting agency item above). Should funding remain at the current level of $330 million in 2009-10, the overall reimbursement rate of the
program will fall from its current level of 25 percent to approximately 23.5 percent in 2009-10, given that the direct costs funding base on which
the allocation is made (a three-year average of granting agency funding received between 2005-06 and 2007-08) has increased. The overall
reimbursement rate in 2009-10 will be the lowest since the permanent program was established in 2003. In its pre-budget submission to Finance
Minister Jim Flaherty, AUCC called for a minimum additional investment of $21 million in the Indirect Costs Program, in order to maintain the
current overall reimbursement rate at 25 percent in 2009-10.

Graduate student support

As part of its effort to develop the highly skilled workforce of tomorrow, the federal government has committed to providing an additional $87.5
million over three years, starting in 2009-10, to the three federal granting agencies to expand temporarily the Canada Graduate Scholarship
program. NSERC and CIHR will each receive $35 million while SSHRC will receive $17.5 million, to be focused on business-related degrees. The new funds will provide for an additional 500 doctoral scholarships, valued at $35,000 each per year for three years beginning in 2009–10, and an additional 1,000 master’s scholarships, valued at $17,500 each for one year, in both 2009–10 and 2010–11. The CGS program was created in Budget 2003 and currently supports 2,500 master’s and 2,500 doctoral students.

Budget 2009 also provides an additional $3.5 million over the next two years to the Industrial Research and Development Internship program. This will enable the program to offer an additional 600 graduate internships in science and business. The program was first announced in Budget 2007 and received $8.6 million worth of funding over two years to support 1,200 graduate and post-doctoral students in businesses across Canada.

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Grad Student Blogs

Check out the GSS blog: http://uvicgradstudents.blogspot.com/

Also, see this new international graduate students forum, the Graduate Junction

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