February 15, 2012 • Issue 99 • 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) 2012 SGPS Election and Referendum The SGPS is very pleased to announce the 2012 SGPS General Election and Referendum. The election is scheduled for March 1 and March 2, 2012. Voting will be done online. You will receive voting instructions closer to the date of the election. The nominees and referendum questions will be posted in a future edition of the newsletter (prior to the voting dates). If you have any questions about the election, please contact the CRO (cro@sgps.ca). Open Positions There are 7 positions open including President, VP Campaigns and Community Affairs, VP Finance and Services, VP Graduate, VP Professional, Board of Trustees Representative and Graduate Senator. These positions are a great way to earn valuable experience and add to your CV. Complete details are available on our website via the link below. Extended Nomination Period The nomination period for the SGPS Election will run from February 1st, 2012 to February 20th, 2012. The nomination package is available via the link below. Frequently Asked Questions We have created a document that answers many of the frequently asked questions we receive during election time. You can access this document via the link below. Our Website Contains All The Details For more details, including descriptions of the open positions, the nomination package, FAQ, important dates and more, please follow this URL: http://www.sgps.ca/jobs/election.html Issue 100 of the SGPS E-Newsletter The SGPS will celebrate the 100th edition of the e-newsletter at the end of February. If you have any suggestions to help celebrate this milestone issue, please contact Sean with your thoughts and/or ideas. You can contact Sean via e-mail at info@sgps.ca SGPS Hiring For Multiple Positions The SGPS is hiring several work-study positions: An office and research assistant An accessibility initiatives assistant Minimum one Student Saver local discount solicitor These position are either available or will soon be available on the work-study site. Find them by searching for Queen's University Society of Graduate and Professional Students. Please note that these positions are only open to students who have work-study entitlement. SGPS Spring Semi-Formal The SGPS is excited to inform you about our Annual Spring Semi-Formal on April 20th. Come out on join us for a delightful evening on the waterfront at the Harbour Restaurant. For only $35 you can enjoy appetizers, a delicious three-course dinner with a glass of wine and a complementary drink ticket. The night will include some fun social games, prizes and an open cash bar throughout the night. The evening will be capped off by a night of dancing at the Grizzly Gril. For more information check out our next SGPS newsletter (first week of March), or contact us at social@sgps.ca. A message from Queen’s University & St. Lawrence College: OAIE Conference 2012 Queen's University and St. Lawrence College are pleased to invite you to the Ontario Association of International Education (OAIE) 2012 Conference, to take place at Queen's University on May 8-10. Our conference theme this year is "Creating Connections: Intercultural Competence in Practice".  We hope that you will take advantage of this great opportunity to network amongst university and college colleagues from Ontario, to give and participate in international education professional development sessions, and to enjoy the delights of springtime in Kingston. Registration for the OAIE 2012 Conference is now open!  We would also like to encourage you to consider submitting session proposals.  Please visit the following website information, where you will find the preliminary conference schedule, accommodation and registration information, and the guidelines for session proposals: http://www.quic.queensu.ca/oaie Detailed conference schedule information will be available from 1 April. Please contact your Conference Organizational Committee at oaie@queensu.ca if you have any questions. We look forward to seeing you in Kingston in May! SGPS Athletics News GOODLIFE Goodlife memberships for the Mar 15, 2012 start day may now be purchased at the corporate discounted rate of $235.00 (for 7 mths). All of your information plus cheque or cash are due in the SGPS office by FEB 29, 2012. NO EXCEPTIONS. Please see the website for full details and instructions: http://www.sgps.ca/services/goodlife.html Keep your Heart Healthy with a Free Personal Training Sampler during the month of Feb only with your SGPS/Goodlife Corporate Membership http://us2.campaign-archive2.com/?u=536839d99d4034b2c6e0a6a9c&id=69b63a760d&e=e5d3744ab2 SGPS Children's Development Centre 5km/10km Run Walk: The SGPS will subsidize part of your race entry fee. Race is Sunday March 25th . Your Waiver, $10 (cheques payable to SGPS or bring cash) and email address are due to the SGPS office by Noon on Feb. 17th! You'll receive a commemorative race shirt and loads of fun! Check FB or SGPS newsletter for details. https://www.facebook.com/events/302882316428943/ Are you part of a graduate student intramural team? Don’t forget to apply for the Sports Fund to cover some of the costs of your team. See SGPS website for details. http://www.sgps.ca/services/awards.html ARC This spring Queen's University will be host to the Ontario Special Olympics Spring Games. There are plenty of opportunities for the Queen's and Kingston community to volunteer at such a prestiges event. Check out the website for info on the games: http://specialolympics2012games.com/volunteer-c6.php QUEEN’S GAELS Queen’s will be hosting the CIS Volleyball championships in March 2-4, 2012. The tickets are going fast. Get yours here: http://english.cis-sic.ca/championships/mvball/index Are you in a band? Feel like getting your music heard in front of a large crowd at the ARC? Why not volunteer your entertainment at the CIS Volleyball Championships. Contact Kelly Smith for more information on entertainment and other volunteer opportunities: homevent@queensu.ca KINGSTON SPORTS Running Room Run Club is every Wednesday at 6:00pm and Sunday at 8:30am. There is no cost to join the run club. The runs depart from the store at 277 Princess St. See website for more details. http://www.runningroom.com/hm/inside.php?id=2324 Free Yoga every Sunday at Lulu Lemon Kingston 10:30 – 11:30, 270 Princess Street. See website for more information. http://www.lululemon.com/kingston/princessstreet ** Are you a Graduate/Professional Student and a Varsity Athlete? Do you know one? Send us your name/pic/ bio/sport to be featured in our next newsletter email: athletics@sgps.ca ** 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. FREE Queen’s 2012 Facilitated by graduate and professional students at Queen’s University, the FREE Queen's 2012 workshop series is offered to Kingston community members on most Wednesday evenings between February 8, 2012 and April 25, 2012. FREE Queen's 2012 workshops offer participants the opportunity to engage in a variety of free workshops geared around the expertise of workshop facilitators. On February 8, 2012, join us for our workshop titled 'Advanced Facilitation: Mastering the Meeting' on how to organize and facilitate effective, efficient, and engaging meetings! For more information on this and other coming FREE Queen's 2012 workshops, and how to register, visit www.sgps.ca/events/freequeens.html, email Irene at vpg@sgps.ca, or call 613- 533-2924. All workshops are held at Pathways to Education, 263 Weller Avenue, Kingston, ON, K7K 2V4. Light refreshments provided. Seating is limited, so sign up early. We look forward to seeing you there! A message from Queen’s University International Centre: QUIC wants YOUR photos! The Queen’s University International Centre (QUIC) is proud to host our 4th annual International Photo Contest!   The contest is open to ALL current students of the Queen’s community. Whether you’re an international student commenting on your impression of life in Canada, or a Canadian student who has had an invaluable experience abroad, this is your chance to submit your photos!   The submission deadline is Friday, 17 February, 2012, midnight.  Please send your photos to quicphotocontest@hotmail.com. Participants can win a Grand Prize of $200, in addition to a host of other gift certificates/prizes from local restaurants and shops.   A Gala Reception will be held at QUIC on Tuesday, 13th March from 4 – 7pm to showcase winning photos and all submissions. For more information and contest submission guidelines, please visit: http://www.quic.queensu.ca/photocontest A message from PSAC 901: The 901 Bite News Bulletin Fifteen minutes every month is all the time it takes to stay current with PSAC 901. Check out The 901 Bite - a news bulletin for Queen’s TAs and TFs. http://psac901.org/resources-2/901-bite/ A message from the Iranian Student Association at Queen's University: Norouz Party 1391 @ Kingston Date: Friday, March 23, 2012 Time: 7:00pm until 2:00am Location: Zorbas, 1474 Bath Rd, Kingston  We would like to take this opportunity to cordially invite you to our much anticipated annual Norooz Party. We will come together for an unforgettable night to welcome the start of 1391. This is the only Iranian party in Kingston that happens once a year to bring together the students, faculty, alumni and families together for a night of music, dancing and celebration. Those that attended last year know that this is not an event to miss. We have taken from our experiences in the past and fine tuned the details to make this the best Norouz Party Kingston has seen to date. Tickets are available through Paypal secure payment. Please visit http://isaqu.blogspot.com/ to buy ticket. Cost: 30$ available online until March 1st. 35$ available online until March 17th. 40$ available online untill March 22nd. There will be a very limited amount of tickets at the door for $45. Similar to last year, the event will take place at the prestigious ZORBAS banquet- a luxurious venue best suited for the fully Persian experience we plan to deliver. The doors will open at 7:00 and dinner will be served at 7:45 pm. Dinner will consist of a delicious three-course meal catered by KIF, Kingston’s only Persian restaurant. Appetizers: Kashke-bademjan, salad olvie, barbari, mast-khiar, variety of salads Main Course: Kabab Koobideh, Jooje Kabab (chicken kabab), Fesenjan, Baghali-polo and chicken Desert: Sholezard, Iranian pastries. Beverages: Pop, Coffee and tea will also be served. After dinner, at 9:00 we have a short performace and following that, DJ Shagz, a professional Persian DJ will take over and lead the night on. There will also be a fully equipped bar and dance floor where we will celebrate till the early hours of the morning. So rest  assured that the evening we are planning will be one to remember. We encourage you all to join us with your friends and family to celebrate this timeless tradition, together and in style. Semi-formal Attire. If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact Pegah at pegah.oghabi@queensu.ca We hope to see you all out there. Your 2011-2012 Executive A message from the Women in School of Computing: Screening of the Movie: Miss Representation Women In School of Computing (WISC) would like to invite YOU to a movie "Miss Representation".  This is a documentary that exposes under-representation of female leaders by mainstream media. It portraits some of the most influential and powerful women in America such as Condoleezza Rice and it also brings statistics and facts about media bias.  This is FREE event OPEN for everyone. Snacks and beverages will be available for purchase. http://www.missrepresentation.org/the-film/ Date: March 1st (Thursday) Time: 5-7 pm Location: Walter Light Hall 210 Cost: FREE (snacks and beverages available for purchase). Mark your calenders and bring some friends along :) Yours Women In School Of Computing A message from the Queen’s University International Centre (QUIC): Conversation Group keeps meeting at the International Centre all winter! The Queen's University International Centre (QUIC) award-winning English Conversation Group is intended to help international degree students, staff, and their spouses who wish to improve their English grammar and pronunciation.  
The Group meets every Thursday, 5 - 6:30 pm at the International Centre (in the JDUC). Registration is not required.
Generally, the sessions include a group activity as well as small group discussions with volunteers. The summer facilitators are Bob, Janice and Laura.  Here is what the facilitators had to say: "Our topics range from the sublime and serious to the ridiculous and humourous. No matter what the theme, everyone laughs and enjoys themselves. In the past themes have ranged from staging mock debates in election years, to celebrating Chinese New Year by finding your perfect match according to the Chinese horoscope. We've discussed homesickness and culture shock, gotten dressed up for Hallowe'en, designed vacations for those wanting to flee winter, tackled stereotyping, gambling and old age. We love to have suggestions from our participants and are happy to design our sessions around them. With each topic we include a few related idioms, occasionally a pronunciation point and even a few songs during the semester. The scope of topics is as wide as the imagination."  Program information is also posted at: http://quic.queensu.ca/incoming/els.asp. 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. Your Queen's netID and Password Please remember that Queen's will never ask you for your netID password or other confidential details about your Queen's e-mail. You may receive e-mails from time-to-time that ask for such information. Please be advised that they are not legitimate e-mails. If, for any reason, you send your Queen's password to a third party, you should immediately change your password. Info on changing your password can be found at: http://www.queensu.ca/its/email/tutorials/emailaccount/netid.html SGPS Skate Rental Gather your family and friends for a spin around the ice! A perfect way to spend a winter day in Kingston. We have men’s, women’s and children’s skates in various sizes and they are available to rent FREE of charge. The skates are due back the next business day before 4:30 pm. Please be prepared to leave some form of identification at the SGPS office. This ID will be returned to you upon the return of the skates. There are many indoor and outdoor rinks available for public skating. Click on the link below for the fall and winter public skating schedule.http://www.cityofkingston.ca/residents/recreation/programs/skating/publicskate.asp Queen’s gears up for Recyclemania 2012 For the second year in a row, Queen’s will be participating in Recyclemania, an international competition aimed at promoting waste reduction activities at university campuses. Queen’s joins hundreds of other schools in Canada, United States, Mexico, the United Kingdom and Qatar who will also be recording waste and recycling data for the eight-week competition. The data collected is then ranked to show which school collected the most recyclables, generated the least amount of trash per capita, and has the highest recycling rate. Are you an eco-warrior? Submit your best tip on how to reduce your waste and be entered to win green prizes! Email tips to: sustainability@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 CFRC 101.9FM: CFRC 101.9fm opportunities and events FEBRUARY 16: MATTHEW BARBER AT THE MANSION A fundraising concert at the Mansion, 506 Princess, featuring CFRC alumni Matthew Barber, Old Haunt and special guests. Doors open at 9pm, $10-15. FEBRUARY 17: GRAD CLUB DJ NITE All are welcome to join CFRC DJs and volunteers for our monthly nite at the Grad Club, 162 Barrie, on Friday, February 17 from 8pm to 12am.  A great way to unwind at the end of a long week!  FREE. FEBRUARY 22:  HOMELESSNESS MARATHON The 10th annual Homelessness Marathon airs on Wednesday, February 22, beginning at 5pm and broadcasting until 7am on Thursday, February 23. Covering issues of housing, poverty and life on the street, the Marathon originates from a live studio on the icy streets of Montreal each winter. FEBRUARY 28:  VOLUNTEER APPLICATION DEADLINE CFRC is accepting applications for its winter cycle of volunteer recruitment and broadcast skills training.  To participate, download and complete the application form at http://cfrc.ca/blog/volunteer/become-a-volunteer FEBRUARY 29:  BLACK HISTORY MONTH FOCUS PROGRAMMING CFRC offers a day of special programming in recognition of Black History Month on Wednesday, February 29 from 1-8pm. For more information about CFRC's programming or to view the complete schedule, visit our website at http://cfrc.ca. A message from the Cultural Engagement Group: Curling Event HURRY HARD! The Cultural Engagement Group invites all international and Canadian Queen’s affiliates to join us in an evening of curling! Date: Friday, March 2nd Time: 7:40 pm to 10 pm Location: Garrison’s Golf and Curling Club. Cost: $16, which includes equipment (“slider”) rental and two fun-filled hours of curling! All you need to bring is a clean pair of shoes, and your excitement! First timers/beginners are especially encouraged! Sign up in the QUIC main office or SGPS office, or by emailing ceg.queens@gmail.com. Spaces are limited – sign up right away! First come, first serve! Deadline to sign up is February 22. 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! Seize the Opportunity and Use Your Voice As graduate and professional students, there are many opportunities for you to get involved and participate in the governance of the University. Serving on a committee, council or working group is an excellent way to have a voice in matters that affect us all. It allows you to directly influence the way Queen’s functions as a teaching and research institution, and as a community of scholars, students and staff. It also provides valuable experience in how to negotiate and advocate and it looks great on a CV. So let’s not just talk about what we wish the University would do, let’s actually use what we’ve been given to raise educational standards at Queen’s. Senate Nominating Committee (two year term) At this time the Senate Nominating Committee seeks faculty, staff and students who are willing to put their names forward for committee service, beginning September 1, 2012. Terms are usually for two years, with the number of meetings per year depending on the particular committee's area of responsibility. For a list of vacancies, visit the website at: http://www.queensu.ca/secretariat/senate/committees/vacancies.html You can click on the committee name to read the terms of reference and composition. An online application form is at the bottom of the vacancy list. The need for members to serve on all these committees is pressing. Queen's community members are urged to consider putting their name forward, either for a committee dealing with a subject that is of immediate interest or concern to you, or for a committee dealing with a subject that you know is important. Applications will be accepted until March 16, 2012. If you wish to discuss the opportunity of serving on a Senate committee, please contact the Secretariat Office at (613) 533-6095. COPYRIGHT WORKING GROUP - VACANCY Interested in Copyright? Do you want have a role in determining how copyright news is communicated on campus?  Join the Copyright Working Group.  This group – which currently includes faculty members, librarians, staff and representatives from the AMS and Campus Bookstore – will provide input and feedback on copyright issues at the university and help guide the services and initiatives offered through the Copyright Advisory Office. This group currently has an opening for one SGPS student member. If you would like to be a part of this group, send your name and a brief 200 word statement that outlines why you are interested in being a part of this group to mark.swartz@queensu.ca. CDC/HDH Run or Walk Attention runners and walkers! As part of the SGPS’s Healthy Lifestyles Initiative, we invite SGPS members to sign up for the CDC/HDH Race to benefit The University Hospitals Kingston Foundation, Child Development Centre. The SGPS will be subsidizing race entry fees for SGPS members and their families. Please download the PDF entry form, fill it out, place in an envelope with your EMAIL, $10 cash or cheque ONLY and submit to the SGPS office by February 17th, 2012 at NOON. If you plan to collect pledges you can also submit those in your envelope on the 17th. The SGPS will drop off your entries to the proper locations. Date: Sunday, March 25, 2012 Time: 9:45 am Location: Race begins and ends at the JDUC, Queen’s University Entry Form: http://www.sgps.ca/downloads/2012CDCEntryForm.pdf Cost: $10 for SGPS members [actual cost is $15 (Child) $25 (Adults)] Distance: 1 km Fun Run for Kids (Includes a participation medal and a T-shirt) 5 km walk/run (Includes  a T-shirt) 10 km run (Includes a T-shirt) Race Kits available on Race Day after 8:30 am. (Unisex sizes: S, M, L, XL) **See Website for further details http://www.events.runningroom.com/site/?raceId=7492 Questions or Concerns? Contact athletics@sgps.ca A message from the School of Graduate Studies: Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition 3MT is a university wide competition for Queen’s Masters (thesis only) and doctoral students in which participants present their research and its wider impact in 3 minutes or less to a panel of non-specialist judges.  The challenge is to present complex research material in an engaging, compelling way, using only one slide. The three minute thesis competition provides graduate students with an opportunity to refine skills that can be transferred after graduation to diverse career paths.  Distilling research into a clear form, without over-simplifying or making overly-complex, and highlighting the wider implications of this research are important skills to carry into post-graduate employment and public service. Prizes Prizes for the top three participants in each heat, compliments of the Campus Bookstore. Overall Winner: $1000 cash Overall Runner-up: $500 cash People's Choice: 32 gig iPod Touch For details on rules, judging and eligibility, please visit: http://www.queensu.ca/sgs/3mt.html 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