Did you know?

Physics Department

• The physics department has funding from the FGPA each year to support graduate students who are attending conferences. Details and forms for these travel bursaries can be found on the FGPA website. For more information please contact Heather Logan.
• The Carleton physics department is currently undergoing an Institutional Quality Assurance Process. For more details on the process, please see the procedural pdf. If you have questions or concerns about this process, please contact Terry Pilkington, our graduate representative on the review committee.
• The physics department has general departmental meetings several times a year. If there is something you would like to have brought up at these meetings, please contact the graduate student representative, Martin Martinov.
• If you would like to be added to the Astronomy Nights mailing list, send a blank email to subscribe-astronomynights@lists.carleton.ca.

Faculty of Graduate and Postgraduate Affairs (FGPA)

• Do you know who does what in the FGPA?
• If you applied for a Tri-Council award (i.e. NSERC, OGS, etc), you can find out when you'll hear back about your application here.
• The administration process for scholarship funding has changed. Funding will no longer be administered through payroll. Instead students can pick up cheques for their scholarship funding on October 1-3, after which the cheques will be mailed to the student's address.
• Carleton TAs can receive up to 5 hours of paid TA training each year. The options for TA training workshops can be found on your Carleton Central account under 'Student support services' >> 'TA training'. Check out the EDC website for other certifications and opportunities.
• Professional development opportunities and workshops are also available through GradNavigate. You can register for workshop in Carleton Central under 'Student support services' >> 'My Career' >> 'Register for a workshop or event'. These workshops can also be counted toward your paid TA hours.
• There is a new procedure for submitting your thesis electronically. As of November 1, 2014, you be required to upload the examination copy of your thesis/dissertation prior to your defence. Instructions can be found here.

Graduate Students' Association (GSA)

• The Graduate Students' Association (or GSA) represents the interests of graduate students on campus and provides us with many services, including: health and dental care; grants and awards; printing, faxing and photocopying; the use of a lounge, boardroom, and bike repair stand; summer softball league.
• Open letter to freeze tuition: Please sign the GSA's open letter to the Board of Governor's regarding upcoming tuition increases.
• The GSA is requesting feedback on Carleton's current payment process for scholarships. Please send any feedback to vpagsacarleton.ca.
• Please participate in the Ontario Graduate Caucus' Not in the Syllabus survey on graduate student mental health.
• If you have received a misleading funding package from Carleton, the GSA would like to hear about it.
• The UPass agreement is up for renewal. If you have any opinions on the matter please email your feedback to feedback@gsacarleton.ca.
• The GSA is currently in conflict with the Carleton administration and CUSA (the undergraduate student association) over the administration of the university center fee. A referendum question in September 2014 on whether the UC Fee should be cancelled and the GSA levy increased by an equivalent amount had the following results: 96% in favour, 4% against.
• The GSA council has monthly meetings. If there is something you would like to have brought up at these meetings, please contact Katy Hartling and Matt Dunford, the physics representatives.
• Specific academic concerns are discussed on the Graduate Academic Caucus. The physics representatives on this caucus are Martin Martinov and Patricia Oliver.
• Check out the GSA's awareness campaigns!

CUPE 4600

• As a graduate student and/or teaching assistant, you are represented by the CUPE 4600 bargaining collective under Unit 1. If you have questions about anything union-related, please contact Nelson Miksys, our physics representative.
• During the first month of each term, you are paid only at the end of the month. If you need to be paid before this, through CUPE 4600 you can apply for a TA Advance of  up to $750. For more information, please contact Nelson or CUPE 4600's business agent, Stuart Ryan. 
• Check out the CUPE 4600 website, the letter of support from our GSA exec, or email cupe4600mobilizegmail [dot] com  for information on the TA strike situation at UofT and York; this could affect our barganing position!
• CUPE 4600 is investigating possible errors in the Tuition Increase Assistance rebates distributed to TAs. Please check that you have received the correct rebate and notify cupe4600carleton [dot] ca of any errors.

Student Experience Office

• Any volunteer work or extracurricular activities that you engage in can be documented on you transcript using the Co-curricular record.

Carleton in general

• Your  tax forms from Carleton are now available on Carleton Central. Also, as a member of the Canadian Federation of Students you can prepare and file your taxes online with UFile.ca for free using promo code FAY1493.
• There is a new portal for room bookings on campus called Enterprise.
• Carleton has released a new Events calendar. If you would like to promote an event on campus it can be submitted to the calendar at http://events.carleton.ca.

Other things to consider

• You may want to check out the Global Internship Program.
• You may be interested in applying for the OPTICS Summer Institute.