Gingerbread folks!

These gingerbread folks are made possible by history grad students! (Because one of them gave me some supplies from their gingerbread decorating party so I could do some with my son). Any suggestion for names?

Bird on holiday

I know grad students never really get holidays, but bird is taking a tropical vacation none the less. He promises to submit a draft on Dec 26. Ginger Punk is taking over for the rest of the year.

McGill's Thomson House struggling

McGill's famous (at least to me) Thomson house is having financial difficulty and is restructuring, according to an article in the McGill Daily.

For those not familiar, Thomson House is the grad centre for McGill, a lovely old Montreal home converted into a luxurious private club for grad students.

As an undergrad I used to gain entry by getting "signed in" as a guest of my friend, a fellow QPIRG staffer doing her MA at McGill.

I look back nostalgically on the beautiful wainscotting, small cozy rooms, the gorgeous ball room upstairs (used for dances and movie screenings) and the dingy basement caf ($3.99 dinner! -- ok it was prego pasta sauce on spaghetti), and in truth it is my dream to bring more of that cozy, club like, atmosphere to the Halpern Centre. Without the Prego on spaghetti or sign in sheet.

We have achieved some of this in our renovation by making the smaller "David Clode Room" a grad student hangout centred around the fireplace, and we are currently purchasing some new furnishing (booths!) for the large room in the restaurant. Also, we finally have some art back on the walls after many trips to the Maltwood where their patient staff let us comb through their offerings looking for just the right thing.

Today, I am fascinated by the story because I, too, deal with housing a restaurant within a grad students' non profit, and trying to find the best way to structure everything to make sure its not too expensive, it feels like grad students' own space, and we don't lose a ton of money! The world is not designed for businesses who aim to make things both high quality at a low cost for members, and running a bar is a risk for anyone, not less for a non profit student government. Those who attend our AGM's have heard me and executive members speak about the tough times we had a few years ago, and also know we have managed to rebuild financially, although we are always nervously watching the books... but I have no doubt McGill's PGSS will rebuild as well--Thomson house is too good to lose!--and I wish them luck with all the work ahead!

Representation Campaign Victories

The GSS is currently campaigning to guarantee representation for graduate students in departmental meetings. Grad students in Sociology lost their long standing right to voice and vote in department meetings last summer. Philosophy students are similarly fighting to maintain their full rights, having been reduced from full representative status to attending the beginning of the meeting and speaking to items in the previous minutes.

Read the Grad Rep Council motion in support of graduate student representation here.

Come to the GSS and sign the letter to support grad students in philosophy who are fighting to save their seat at the table!

CAMPAIGN NEWS

• History in Art grad students have won a guarantee of representation in their department--including voice and vote.
• Physics & Astronomy grad students have increased their representation to include a grad student from each discipline at the table.
• Changes to Senate elections policy have been won. Previsouly, although no policy precluded their candidacy, graduate students had been refused the right to run as the senator from their home faculty and had been directed to run for the sole Faculty of Graduate Studies seat. Due to lobbying by the GSS the interpretation of the rules has changed and graduate students can now run for all student seats on the Senate.

Sustainable UVIC

Consultation on the UVIC Campus Sustainability Policy and Action Plan is ongoing. You can read the draft and submit your input here.

Update on York TA's strike

Getting a reputation as one of the most active and determined campus unions, or any canadian union for that matter, is York's TA union.

Check out this article on their strike.

http://wsws.org/articles/2008/nov2008/york-n15.shtml

Support fellow grad students family in fun online auction!

Hi All, Some of you might now Jill through the Sociology department, others may not but might be interested in some of the items up for auction. Feel free to pass this along to anyone who might be interested. Thanks!

~Beth -----------------------

One of our valued and respected colleagues at BC Stats is facing significant challenges. Last July, Jill Adams' husband, Roger Stephen, fell 35 feet while climbing with friends at Pitt Lake, north of Vancouver. The fall severed his spinal cord and as a result, Roger lives with a permanent spinal cord injury. Over the past fives months, Roger has been bravely and pragmatically working hard towards a full and active life in a wheel chair. Jill and Roger are also facing huge challenges with their home they bought two years ago. They have a home he can't get into, a bedroom he can't maneuver in and a bathroom he can't use. Unfortunately, there are not many resources they are eligible for to help with costs of renovating and insurance is not available. As the months continue to pass since the accident, accessibility continues to be a challenge:

http://www.fernwoodneighbourhood.ca/pdfs/villagevibe_november2008.pdf.

We have decided to host a fundraising event to help ensure they can have a home that is wheel chair accessible, safe and comfortable. There have been many little elves and angels working around the clock to bring you the Roger Stephen Auction. Many businesses and artists in Victoria, BC and beyond have generously donated a wide array of auction items.
We invite you to participate in the online auction and have a wonderful shopping experience as it is just in time for the holiday season. To access the website and view the items up for bid, click on the link below:http://1-2-move.net/browse.php?id=176 .

Online bidding is easy. Here are the steps to place a bid:

(1) Register on the website by completing and submitting the registration form.

(2) Wait for a confirmation email. (Confirmation ususally takes about 30 minutes. The web site and the URL have been donated to us for this purpose, so thank-you for your patience.)

(3) Shop for you or someone special in your life (or both!). When you see an item of interest, place a bid. Once you have placed a bid, keep an eye on the action.

You have until Monday, November 24 to place that winning bid!
All proceeds from winning bids will go to accessibility renovations. If you don't wish to bid on items (or have lost your bid), but still would like to contribute or have any questions, email Kris Ovens directly at kris.ovens@gov.bc.ca. Unfortunately, as this is not a registered charity there are no tax receipts.
Thank you for your support and generosity. And please pass this email on to anyone you think may enjoy shopping this way. If you would like to pass this along to people who do not online access, and/or would like to see the descriptions/lists for each item up for bid, please see the attached document.
<> Happy shopping and let the bidding war begin!!
Sincerely,
All of us at BC Stats
Beth Collins Analyst Surveys & Analysis, BC STATS (250) 356-7982 www.surveys.gov.bc.ca P Please consider the environment before printing this email.