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.

Western creates parental leave for grad students

A graduate student at Western University successfully advocated to change parental leave policy for her university. She is also lobbying the tri-council agencies to ensure they each offer the same leave to parents.

Read about it in the Western. Read Western's leave policy here : grad students with no tri-council funding are granted $1500 parental leave and 12 months leave per child while pursuing their graduate work.

Fire Hydrant retires

Legendary UBC student politician, Darren "Fire Hydrant" Peets completes his PhD, retires from student politics and moves to Japan; the Ubyssey has this excellent article chronicalling his many years of advocacy.

Supporting the strikers

80 people came out to support the SUB steelworkers in their 7th week on the picket lines Wednesday night.




Thanks to grad students in CUPE 4163 (some members above), CUPE 951 and VIPIRG for joining in this effort and coming out to show your support for the strikers. Ben Johnson from the steelworkers bargaining committee enjoys the party with union member Jose Barrios (below).






Rebecca Taylor (Grad Rep for Indigenous Social Work masters program and VIPIRG staffer) raises a ruckus with her sing-a-long (below).

All these great photos by GSS Chair Nicole O'Byrne. Thanks Nicole!

GSS Annual General Meeting

When: Tuesday, October 28, 5pm
Where: Grad House restaurant at the Grad Centre
Who can vote: Any UVIC graduate student currently registered at UVIC
What to bring: Your valid grad student ID

Food will be provided!

Agenda:

Approve Agenda
Approve Minutes
Approval of 2008 audited statements
Appointment of the auditors
Consideraton of motions received with due notice
Other business

*Audited statements, minutes, and motions received with notice will be available at the Graduate Students' Society offices and posted on the GSS website http:gss.uvic.ca by October 21, 2008. Please submit any motions for consideration at the meeting to Stacy Chappel gssmgr@uvic.ca no later than October 20, 2008 at noon.