UTM's Association of Graduate Students

We’ve tabulated the results from the survey you filled out regarding the Grad Lounge renovations! Please see the link below to read them!

UTMAGS Survey Results – Renovation of Graduate Lounge

Are you interested in meeting professionals with advanced degrees? This is your chance to find a mentor that will guide you through your academic career and help you prepare for a successful career outside of academia. The GMP has over 60 professionals with various advanced degree backgrounds who are willing to mentor graduate students. This is a great chance to increase your professional network and gain insightful advice from people who have been through grad school. Most of these mentors are also willing to provide you with informational interviews and are happy to connect you to other companies and inform you of possible internship positions.

A recent UTM alumni, Michael Preston (PhD, geography) was a member of
Venture and the GMP and had this to say about our programs:

Thanks to Venture’s coordinated networking events with current professionals
holding post-graduate degrees, I was able to identify a whole range of careers
that require the transferable skills of graduate students, which I had no idea
they even existed. Venture also offered a fantastic Graduate Mentorship
Program, where I was able to get one on one advice on how I should specifically
prepare for the business world. Being proactive in my career search and the
advice I gained through networking was key to my success in being offered a
new career in consulting, so soon after completing my PhD. I thank the team at
Venture for this opportunity and opening a whole new world of possibilities.

If you are interested in joining the GMP and learning more about alternative
careers and meeting professionals in your field of interest, please register by
sending Venture an email! You can also learn more about the GMP by viewing
the attached poster or visiting our website at www.venture-connections.ca

The Family Care Office will be hosting a UTM Parenting Discussion Group facilitated by their MSW practicum student starting January 29th. Details are outlined below:

Dates: Wednesdays Jan. 29, Feb. 26, March 12 & 26
Time: 12:00 to 1:00 p.m.
Location: Davis Building, Room 3138

Share your successes and frustrations of raising children with other parents in a safe and supportive environment. We will discuss parenting strategies, tips and resources to help you meet your parenting goals. Please feel free to send us your specific topics of interest via email.

Facilitator: Lina Zahreddine, Master of Social Work Candidate

All University of Toronto students, staff, faculty and postdoctoral fellows are welcome. Register at http://www.familycare.utoronto.ca/events/discussiongroups.html#Anchor

The Princeton Review is seeking teachers for Canada’s most popular preparation program for the MCAT (Medical College Admission Test). Our courses bring together specialist instructors in each of the MCAT’s five major subject areas to provide students with a fantastic teaching team to go along with our comprehensive textbooks and online practice problems.

Get more information and apply today by visiting us here or at www.facebook.com/TPRCanada and click on the “Teach For Us” tab.

You can also contact us at infocanada@review.com or 1-888-876-5545, Ext. 1210. (Please include a current resume and cover letter in your initial email.)

What we offer:

• Build your teaching skills and resume while helping Canada’s future doctors! You will have the amazing opportunity to be THE teacher for your section, lecturing and leading problem solving. You will see student results and get student feedback.
• Excellent pay. Starting teaching rates can range from a minimum of $23/hour up to $30/hour, plus we pay teachers for training and work outside the classroom such as prep time.
• All teaching, no grading. The MCAT is a computer based test. We need you to care about your students results but you won’t be marking any papers.
• Training. We train you for our program (with its own specialized textbooks and lesson plans), but our training will help you in all your teaching endeavors.
• The opportunity that fits for you! As the largest program of its kind in Canada, The Princeton Review’s MCAT program has convenient locations at your campus and in your community, and we offer a wide range of options in terms of work schedule and level of time commitment.

What we expect:

• Outstanding knowledge and experience in one of the MCAT’s five subject areas (Biology, Physics, General Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Verbal Reasoning). Successful applicants have included professors, graduate students/teaching assistants, medical students, and in some cases, senior undergraduate students intent on pursuing careers in teaching or medicine. All applicants are tested as part of our hiring process, and applicants who have taken the MCAT before must provide their scores.
• One of the most engaging and effective teachers our students have ever had. Our students want someone who will hold their interest and who they’re confident is giving them the direction they need.
• Dedication to student results. You show it by prepping, by communicating with our helpful administrative staff about all student issues and needs, and by your professionalism in fulfilling all your commitments.
• Availability to go through our hiring process, and if successful, to train during the winter term (one weekend) and teach during the spring/summer.
• Prior teaching experience. This can come in many forms, but you should know from past experience that you will be confident and successful in a teaching environment.

Student Affairs and UTMAGS are planning on proposing some new legislative changes that involve increases to UTM grad student tuition fees. These changes concern grad student access to UofT’s athletics facilities over the summer term.

Currently, grads do not have access and must pay out of pocket for a summer membership. We would like to get your thoughts on our proposal, which is detailed in our short survey below.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/JVBLSR7

Hello Grads!

UTMAGS would like to thank everyone for participating and making last night’s Christmas party and fundraiser a huge success!

We thought you’d like to know that all your efforts resulted in us raising over $1000 for the Typhoon Haiyan Relief and a cart-load of non-perishable items for the Daily Bread Food Bank!

If you’d like to help top up those donations, we will be continuing to collect funds and food items from Faculty until this Friday at noon, so please let your PIs know.

Thank you all again for your generosity! Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year to everyone!

If you are seeking support and advice on any personal family matters, a family care advisor will be available on the UTM Campus to meet with students, staff and faculty for individual confidential consultations. Book an appointment to discuss the following:

– Planning for a child, pregnancy, resources for new parents.
– The University’s maternity/parental/adoption/primary caregiver leave policies.
– Child care, schools & other programs for children.
– Services and supports for an aging family member.
– Balancing work, study & family.
– Parenting strategies.
– Bereavement resources.
– Separation & divorce resources.

Time: Appointments are available between 10 am and 2pm
Fall term date: December 13, 2013.
Winter term dates: Wednesdays: January 29, March 5, April 9, and May 28, 2014.

To book an appointment, please email family.care@utoronto.ca with the following information: your student or staff number, UofT employee group and/or your union affiliation if applicable, and a brief explanation of your enquiry.

In the spirit of this wonderful season of giving, UTMAGS has organized a fundraising initiative for the Canadian Red Cross’ Typhoon Haiyan Relief, as well as our local food bank, Food Banks Canada.

We will be collecting funds for the Red Cross’ Typhoon Haiyan Relief and non-perishable food items for Food Banks Canada from faculty, staff and labs on Tues., Dec. 17th.

Please contact utmags@utoronto.ca to let us know if you have funds and food items for us to pick up.

The lab with the greatest donation (both funds and food items) will be rewarded with a pizza lunch on us, and will be announced at our Christmas Party on Wed., Dec. 18th at the Blind Duck Pub.

All monetary proceeds from both the party and our fundraising collection on Dec. 17th will go towards these charities.

Thank you all for your help and let the fundraising begin!

IMI will be hosting the third talk of its seminar series on Wednesday, Dec. 11th.

The speaker this month will be Dr. Kevin Canning. Kevin is the Director of Research and Alliance at GSK and he will be talking about Industry Partnerships with Academia.

All UTM grad students are invited to attend!

UTMAGS is hosting an awesomely fun-filled Christmas party on Wednesday, Dec. 18th at 6pm in the Blind Duck Pub.

Please join us for food, candy, karaoke and some amazing raffles and competitions!

In this spirit of the Holidays, UTMAGS will be raising money for charity and will be collecting $5 per person at the door for food and drink. Please RSVP by Monday, Dec. 16th to utmags@utoronto.ca.

In addition, we will be raising money through our raffle for over $1000 worth of prizes which include an iPad mini, a Kindle Paperwhite, movie packages and more! Raffle tickets will be sold for:

1. $2/ticket
2. $10/10 tickets
3. $20/30 tickets
4. Non-perishable food/ticket

Students will also be able to choose which prize they use their raffle tickets for. Tickets will be on sale from Monday, Dec. 16th until 7-8pm on Dec. 18th. UTMAGS will make the rounds before the party for those who are interested in purchasing tickets beforehand.

We will also be holding a FREE gingerbread house making contest and ugly sweater competition!

To enter the gingerbread house contest, please email utmags@utoronto.ca by Thursday Dec. 12th, so that we can deliver kits to you on Friday, Dec. 13th. Teams will bring their gingerbread house to the party where it will be judged.

To enter the ugly sweater contest, just wear your ugliest Christmas sweater to the party. And of course, prizes will be awarded to the winners!

See you all there!