December 15, 2011 „ Issue 96 „ http://www.sgps.ca E-Newsletter SGPS Office: Hours of Operation The SGPS Office is open Monday through Friday 9:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. (closed noon until 1 for lunch) We are located in room 021 of the John Deutsch University Centre (JDUC) Graduate International Students on the Pre-Authorized Payment Plan Have you found that your fall and winter term tuition fee payments are disproportionately high? The School of Graduate Studies (SGS) is willing and able to credit more or all of your International Tuition Award (ITA) to your QueenÕs account, which will lower your monthly payments. For more information, please see the document at the end of this newsletter. SGPS Seeks Front Desk Staff Person We are looking to hire 1 person to join our Front Desk team. Pay is $13.50 per hour. Successful applicant will work 6 hours per week. SGPS Front Desk staff are available to answer any and all questions from the SGPS membership. One major focus of the Front Desk staff is to help SGPS members with the health and dental plan. Applications are due January 9, 2012. Interviews will be held during the week of January 9, 2012. For complete details, please see: http://www.sgps.ca/jobs/jobs.html Holiday Office Closure The SGPS Office will be closed between December 17th, 2011 and January 8th, 2012 inclusive for the winter holiday. International Student Identity Cards (ISIC) expire December 31. If you have not renewed your card, please come to the SGPS Office before or on December 16th. DonÕt be stuck without an ISIC for your return trip to QueenÕs! Recycle At The SGPS Office Drop off your used batteries, ink cartridges and old cell phones at the SGPS office and we will recycle them. FAQ on the Pre-Authorized Payment Plan Over the course of past couple of months, the Academic Affairs Standing Committee (AASC) has worked diligently to gather your questions on the new Pre-Authorized Payment Plan (PPL) system. Recently, the AASC had the opportunity to meet with Andrew Ness, Associate University Registrar (Records & Services) from the Office of the University Registrar (OUR), who provided answers to your questions. You can find the FAQ at the end of this newsletter. Please feel free to contact Irene Karagiorgakis, VP Graduate, at vpg@sgps.ca if you have any other PPL-related questions that are not addressed within the FAQ. A message from the International Friendship Group: International Christmas Concert Come celebrate Christmas with music from all over the world at the International Christmas Concert featuring musicians from China, Pakistan, Taiwan, Zambia, Congo and other countries. Lots of yummy treats to follow. Admission is by donation. Proceeds will go towards scholarships for students attending International Christmas Camp. When: Saturday Dec 17 at 7pm Where: St. AndrewÕs Presbyterian Church (Princess and Clergy) Celebrate 20 Years with the Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL) CTL has spent the last twenty years working tirelessly to enhance the quality of teaching and learning at QueenÕs. As we celebrate our first 20 years, we can only do so as a result of this UniversityÕs outstanding students. Join us at our Open House: Date: January 16, 2012 Time: 10:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. Location: B176 Mackintosh Corry A message from the School of Graduate Studies: Expanding Horizons Workshops The School of Graduate Studies (SGS) offers professional skills training to help you prepare for work inside or outside academia after pursuing your Masters and/or PhD. For more information on upcoming Expanding Horizons workshops--and the certificate program being offered in January 2012--please visit: http://www.queensu.ca/sgs/resource/eh.html Free International Student Identity Card All SGPS members get a free ISIC card. Come to our office with your student card to get your free card any day of the year that we are open. A message from ESAC Canada: 2012 Environmental Studies Association of Canada Conference ItÕs that time of year again, the holiday season is fast approaching and grad students everywhere are scurrying to get their applications in for the 2012 conference of the Environmental Studies Association of Canada (ESAC). The conference is being held from May 30 Š June 2, 2012 jointly at the University of Waterloo and Wilfred Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario. ESAC is an interdisciplinary organization and we are accepting applications from environmental students and professionals involved in all manner of research. This yearÕs theme is ŅEnvironmental Knowledge: People and Change,Ó purposefully broad to stimulate participation, discussion, and collaboration. The exciting agenda of the 2012 conference is not to be missed. This year, we are we are collaborating with EECOM to bring you numerous field trips, a poster contest with prizes, enriching panel discussions and presentations and a lecture from legendary environmental author/activist and founder of http://350.org , Bill McKibben. Plus, we are bringing back the Wine and Cheese Social due to popular demand! Deadline for submissions is January 20th, 2012. Please visit http://esac.ca for additional details on how to apply. Travel grants will be available for students who need assistance covering transportation costs. Deadline to apply for travel grants is February 10th, 2012. In order to apply, you must be an ESAC member in good standing. Click http://esac.ca/join-esac/ for more info on becoming a member. You will receive a subscription to the always-relevant Alternatives Journal and the chance to join your colleagues with green hearts and minds in a thought-provoking academic retreat. Health and Dental Insurance Claims Need help filing an insurance claim through your SGPS insurance? Stop by the SGPS Office for help getting your claim in the mail. We will help with the paperwork and pay the postage! SGPS Bursaries The SGPS administers the following bursaries: Emergency Student Aid Dental Bursary Grants Program Sustainability Action Fund Sports Fund Club Fund For more information: http://www.sgps.ca/services/awards.html Fee Refunds All credits for successful optional fee and health/dental opt-outs should now appear on your Solus account. You can verify by clicking on 'Account Inquiry' and then 'Payments' in your Solus account. If you have any questions, please contact Sean (info@sgps.ca). Follow the SGPS on twitter and facebook The SGPS is now using Twitter and Facebook to keep you updated. We will be posting things like upcoming social events, deadlines (registration, optional fee opt-outs, health and dental) and lots of other important information for our members. http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2310661892 http://twitter.com/QueensSGPS A message from The Grad Club: In House Events Monday's All you can eat Spaghetti and $12.00 Domestic Pitchers - 11:30am till 1:30pm Tuesday's 1/2 Price Nachos after 5pm Źfor Members and $3.50 Cocktails Wednesday's Open Mic starts 9pm Thursday's SGPS presents: Trivia 9pm Concerts and Fundraisers on Friday's and Saturday's A message from ITServices: Are you infected - or about to be?? If you bought a new computer this school year, it probably came with some pre-installed antivirus software. But buyer beware, because that software is most likely a slimmed down, 90-day trial version thatÕs about to expire (or already has). ITServices offers full antivirus protection to every member of the QueenÕs community Š free! For Windows users, Symantec Endpoint Protection (SEP) can be downloaded through Ida, the ITServices Desktop Assistant. Macintosh users can access SEP from our Macintosh Software Page. Users should only have one antivirus package installed on their computer. If you would like help figuring out if you currently have antivirus software installed, whether itÕs a full suite, or if itÕs going to expire, please contact the IT Support Centre (ITSC) for free assistance by: calling 613.533.6666; filling out the online help form; or coming to the walk-in support desk at the QueenÕs Learning Commons in Stauffer Library. Speaking of the IT Support Centre, did you know that the ITSC has full-time staff members dedicated to providing software support to students, staff and faculty? Support accessed using any of the three methods above is free of charge! To learn more, visit our webpage: About the IT Support Centre. ITServices Support Centre A message from QFHT: The QueenÕs Family Health Team is Now Accepting Patients! As a part of the Department of Family Medicine at Queen's University, the QueenÕs Family Health Team serves the community through a dual mission of educating medical students and physicians, and delivering high quality primary health care. Our team includes a variety of health professionals Š including Physicians, Nurse Practitioners, Social Workers, Psychiatrists, Dieticians, Nurses and a Pharmacist Š and we are dedicated to delivering the highest quality of care for our patients. As a family medicine teaching practice, we are a training site for physicians in residence ("residents") and other health care professionals. All are involved in the care of our patients, each providing their own clinical experience and expertise. We are also available when you need us: aside from our regular daytime clinics, we also offer an After Hours Clinic, Monday to Thursday, 5:00-8:00 pm, and Saturday, 1:00-4:00 pm. We also have physicians and nurses on-call outside of these hours. The Queen's Family Health Team (QFHT) has two locations: the Family Medicine Centre at 220 Bagot Street, and Haynes Hall at 115 Clarence Street. We are also easily accessible via public transportation. If you (or a family member) are looking for a family doctor, please contact us at 613-533-9303, or by stopping by our main location at 220 Bagot Street to complete the registration form and sign up for your first appointment. You can also find us on the web at http://www.qfht.ca. We look forward to welcoming you to our practice and supporting your health care needs.