Press Release 003/110409

November 4th, 2009

Victoria – On November 3rd, a Graduate Student Society delegation from UBC Vancouver had a meeting with the Minister of Advanced Education & Labour Market Development, Honourable Moira Stilwell.

The GSS delegation, headed by its President Arvind Saraswat, used this opportunity to discuss the necessity of establishing a BC graduate scholarship program, ways to encourage construction of student housing, and the need for governmental help in providing accessible childcare facilities at UBC Vancouver. Overall, the meeting was extremely positive and cordial and it was agreed upon that the discussion should continue. In the end, President Saraswat took the opportunity to invite the Honourable Minister to the National Childcare Conference that GSS will organize next year.
The GSS delegation also consisted of Mrigank Sharma, Vice-President Academic and External Affairs and Dumitru Constantinescu, Associate Vice-President External Affairs.

Please address your questions about this press release to Arvind Saraswat, President of the GSS of UBC-V, phone: 604-822-6850, e-mail: president@gss.ubc.ca

The Graduate Student Society of UBC Vancouver represents and advocates on behalf of all UBC Graduate Students to the University, the Government, and the public. We provide academic, professional, social, and recreational services to our members, and act as stewards of the Thea Koerner House Graduate Student Centre.

AVP Finance job description:

The key components of the job include (but are not limited to) holding three office hours per week at the GSS offices, maintaining an email account and responding in good time to inquiries and tasks related to this, regular and responsible attendance at meetings within your portfolio including GSS Council, professional conduct in all duties, and serving the best interests of graduate students as directed by Council. Duties specific to your portfolio involve:

- Provide support to the VP Finance

- Process and monitor Departmental Organizational Fund (DOF) applications

- Assist VP Finance in preparation of Budget and/or other financial documents

- Take minutes at House Finance Committee Meetings

- Assist the Vice-President Finance in the execution of programs and policies of Council as they pertain to Finance and provide support to fulfill the financial tasks of the Society

- Be aware of the programs and Policy of Council pertaining to Finance

- Assist Archivist in work related to the Finance office

- Assist GSS executives in organization of Orientations

- Write a transition report on the activities involved. Last payment will be disbursed after submitting the transition report.

- Attend Council and serve on the Executive Committee with full voting powers

- Write a transition report on the activities involved

- Further duties may be added in order to assure effective use of GSS resources.

Applications close November 10. Please send resumes to Pooria Assadi vpfinance@gss.ubc.ca and Sheila Ballantyne vpadmin@gss.ubc.ca

Job Posting:Communication Coordinator

Application Deadline: Nov.10.2009
Please send your cover letter and resume to vpservice@gss.ubc.ca

Schedules for Communications Coordinator Employment Agreement

Schedule 1: Job Description for Communications Coordinator

Duties:

1. Oversee functioning of GSS communications.
2. Manage advertisements for all GSS events and services.
3. Update and maintain the webpage with the help of Webmaster.
4. Report regularly to VP services on weekly basis.
5. Be available and present to solve COMMUNICATIONS related
Emergency problems.
6. Attend all communications related meetings including GSS internal and
UBC campus wide.
7. Write a completed summary of GSS communication progress and a
transition report on GSS communications coordinated.
8. Facilitate processes for Councilors to remain updated about GSS
activities and for them to communicate these activities to their
constituencies (e.g. Council blurbs, councilors orientation).
9. Maintain communications to the larger membership -
promoting/’marketing’ GSS activities.
10. Create mechanisms to get regular feedback from members about what
they want/need from GSS.
11. Work with Councilors and departmental student society members to get
feedback from their constituents’ likely part of this process.
12. Ensure needs of membership are communicated to Executive, Council and
appropriate committees so that GSS can remain responsive to its members.
13. Create mechanisms to ensure departmental representation is maintained
by as many member departments as possible on campus.
14. Coordinate GSS notes including receiving, compiling submissions, and
circulating every week. Improve existing GSS notes system.
15. Coordinate the GSS posting system as directed by VP services.
16. In addition to above provide two (2) hours of fixed office presence
per week.

This is an on-retainer position meaning you are retained as the
Communications coordinator and some weeks there may be significant work
while other weeks there may be very little work pay uninterrupted.

Schedule 2: Wage

The Society agrees to pay the Employee the sum of $300 per month, which
will be paid bi-weekly, provided that all duties pertaining to the
position are performed to VP Services’ satisfaction. Last payment will
be disbursed after submitting the transition report to VP Services.

GSS Event: Rock Climbing in November!

Who cares about the rainy, lousy weekend? Come and experience the thrill
of rock climbing with your peers. The climbing gym is the best one in
Canada, suitable for all skill levels.

Place: Cliffhanger Vancouver, 670 Industrial Ave
(7 minutes walk from Science World)

Time: 11:00am-1:00pm, Sunday, November 15, 2009
(Meet at GSS at 10:00am or at the Gym at 10:45am)

Cost (cash only): $20 including instruction, gear and transportation
Registration: GSS front desk from 9:00am-4:30pm by Tuesday,
November 10, 2009

Inquiries: events@gss.ubc.ca or 604-822-3203
Things to wear: T-shirt and loose pants

Press Release 002/110209

November 2nd, 2009

Vancouver – A three-person delegation from Graduate Student Society of UBC Vancouver will be meeting with the Minister of Advanced Education & Labour Market Development, Honourable Moira Stilwell on Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009. The meeting will take place at the Minister’s office located in the Parliament building in Victoria.
The GSS delegation, headed by its President Arvind Saraswat, will discuss issues facing graduate student with Honourable Moira Stilwell. Some of the issues to be discussed are graduate student funding; provincial support to encourage construction of student housing at UBC-V; accessible childcare for graduate students with families.
The Graduate Student Society of UBC Vancouver seeks an opportunity to establish a constant, cooperative, and constructive partnership with the Minister, BC provincial government as well as our partners from other BC Graduate Student Societies. Such a partnership would not only promote the cause of the BC graduate students but it will also help make them the guarantors of success for the entire province.
Other members of the delegation are Mrigank Sharma, Vice-President Academic and External Affairs and Dumitru Constantinescu, Associate Vice-President External Affairs of the Graduate Student Society of UBC-Vancouver.

Please address your questions about this press release to Arvind Saraswat, President of the GSS of UBC-V, phone: 604-822-6850, e-mail: president@gss.ubc.ca

Date:Saturday, Oct 31,2009
Time:8:00 pm-Midnight

Where:GSS Ballroom

Free Pizza before 9:00 pm

Costume Contest:

Top Prize:$75
2nd Prize:$50
3rd Prize:$25

***Special door prize draws at midnight***

World Music:
(Persian, Latin, Indian, Western, Club)

Ticket price:
$2 in advance,$4 at the door

**Buy 5 tickets, get one free!**

Tickets are avail be at GSS front desk.

To see more details and RSVP, follow the link below:
http://www.facebook.com/n/?event.php&eid=156469191497&mid=144c2f5G1fcd9e18G2dc85b5G7

CALLING ALL GRADUATE STUDENTS

ITS TIME TO GET YOUR FREAK ON!

KOERNERS PUB IS HAVING A

HALLOWEEN WARM UP PARTY

BEFORE THE BIG GSS PARTY!

TEST OUT YOUR COSTUME ON

FRIDAY BEFORE GOING WILD

ON SATURDAY AT THE GSS BALLROOM

Influenza is caused by viruses, and is generally spread when an infected person coughs or sneezes.

Here are six simple, common sense precautions that can help safeguard everyone’s health:

1) Stay home when you’re sick or have influenza symptoms. Get plenty of rest and check with a health care provider as needed.

2) Avoid close contact with people who are sick. If you are sick, keep your distance from others to protect them from getting sick.

3) Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing, and throw the tissue away immediately. It may prevent those around you from getting sick.

4) Wash your hands. Washing your hands often will help protect you from getting sick. When soap and water are not available, use alcohol-based disposable hand wipes or gel sanitizers.

5) Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. You can become ill by touching a surface contaminated with germs and then touching your eyes, nose or mouth.

6) Practice other good health habits. Get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage stress, drink plenty of fluids, eat nutritious foods, and avoid smoking, which may increase the risk of serious consequences if you do contract the flu.

If you have a fever or cough illness, regardless of where you have travelled, stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them. See a health care provider if your symptoms become worse but call ahead of time to let them know you have fever or cough
illness.

You can call HealthLink BC at 8-1-1, 24 hours a day/seven days a week to speak to a nurse if you have more questions or if feeling ill.

For more steps on how to protect you and your family visit FightFlu.ca

Presentation by UBC Olympic and Paralympic Secretariat.

We have arranged a presentation by UBC Olympic and Paralymic Secretariat,VANOC, UBC RCMP and Integrated Security Unit to inform graduate students about the impacts of 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. The presentation is scheduled for October 22, 2009 from 3:30-5:00 p.m. in the GSS Ballroom. This will be a good opportunity to learn about the plans, ask questions and provide feedback. As always your participation is crucial and will determine the success of this event; I hope you will be able to attend. I will also request you to kindly circulate this message in your department
and encourage fellow students to attend.

Best

Arvind Saraswat

President

Graduate Student Society of UBC Vancouver

P: 604 822 6850 F: 604 822 6858

www.gss.ubc.ca

Quick Recap

What: Presentation by UBC Olympic and Paralymic Secretariat, Re: 2010
Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games

When: October 22, 2009 from 3:30-5:30 pm

Where: GSS Ballroom

Below is a message from the Secretariat.

Dear Graduate Students:

As you may know, UBC and VANOC have been in negotiations regarding the preparation and remediation of the UBC Thunderbird Arena and surrounding areas for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. These discussions are now complete and we are undertaking a Community Engagement Process to share the details of the transportation, security and parking plans, as well as UBC’s internal planning processes.

UBC, VANOC, UBC RCMP and ISU (Integrated Security Unit) will be delivering a presentation together to share information about these plans and to discuss their impact on UBC graduate students.

Together with the UBC Graduate Student Society Executive, we invite you to a presentation meeting on October 22, 2009 from 3:30-5:00 p.m. in the Ballroom at the Graduate Student Centre, 6371 Crescent Road.

We look forward to meeting with you and please don’t hesitate to call if you have any questions or concerns.

GSS FIRST AID COURSES

CPR: Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation
CONTENT: Emergency Medical Services System; Emergency Action Principles;
Airway and Breathing Emergencies; Cardiovascular Emergencies/Strokes;
CPR/AED(Automated External Defibrillation); Preventing of Disease
Transmission.
TIME: (5 hours) from 9:00am to 2:00pm, Sunday, November 15, 2009
COST: $80 (UBC grad students), $100 (All others)

EFA: Emergency First Aid
CONTENT: CPR plus Bleeding Management and Shock; Secondary Survey; The
Red Cross.
TIME: (7 hours) from 9:00am to 4:00pm, Sunday, November 15, 2009
COST: $90 (UBC grad students), $110 (All others)

SFA: Standard First Aid
CONTENT: CPR, EFA, plus Injuries to the Head and Spine and
Musculoskeletal Injuries; Sudden Medical Conditions; Poisons, Substance
Abuse and Misue.
TIME: (2 days) from 9:00am to 4:00pm, Sunday, November 15, and
from 9:00am to 5:00pm, Sunday November 22, 2009
COST (Cash Only): $130 (UBC grad students), $150 (All others)

Cost covers the textbook, certificate and card (valid for 3 years).

PLACE: GSS Building (6371 Crescent Rd.). CLASSROOM: Room 200

REGISTRATION: Please register at the GSS front desk at 9:30am-4:30pm
by Friday, Oct. 30. No late registration is accepted without further
notice.

INQUIRIES: About the registration, please email to events@gss.ubc.ca;
About the courses, please email to newleafnow@hotmail.com or call
1-604-885-1306.

INSTRUCTOR: Sabine Tamm
Sabine has taught First Aid courses across Canada since the early 1990s.
As a Canadian Red Cross Instructor she feels privileged to have applied
her training in wilderness programs for youth, and projects for street
youth. She is a BC-certified Teacher, with a background in fitness,
youth work, and childcare.

*********************************************************
HATHA YOGA ! All levels are welcome.

DATES: Mondays, 5:00pm ¬ 6:30pm

PLACE: The GSS Ballroom (#225 - 6371 Crescent Rd)

FEES (Cash Only): Please pay at the GSS reception before each class.
A drop-in - $7 (grad students)/$12 (all others)

INQUIRIES: Email< events@gss.ubc.ca> for the registration.
See <www.drelika.com > for the information about the instructor.

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SHOTOKAI* KARATE CLASS— All levels are welcome!

Shotokai Karate improves your health, increases your concentration. You
will gain self-confidence and learn an effective method of self-defense.

DATES: Tuesdays, November 3 – December 8, 2009 (6 lessons)
Time: 6:00-8:00pm

PLACE: Ballroom at GSS Building (6371 Crescent Road)

FEES (Cash Only): $30 (UBC grad students), $50 (All others)

REGISTRATION: GSS front desk at 9:30am-4:30pm by Friday, October 30,
2009. No late registration is accepted without further notice.

INQUIRIES: About registration, please email at <events@gss.ubc.ca>;
About the class, please email Vicente Hernandez at
vhernand@interchange.ubc.ca or visit
http://www.shotokai.cl/ingles/frames.html

*********************************************************
MANDARIN CLASS— In Two Levels

DATES: Wednesdays, November 4 –¬ December 9, 2009 (5 sessions)
Level 1 ¬ 5:00-6:30pm
This is the right course for you if you are a complete beginner or feel
that you need to start back from the very beginning to rebuild your
confidence.
Level 2 ¬ 6:30- 8:00pm
This class will continue with level 1. It is recommended that students
have taken an introductory Mandarin class or have some degree of fluency
and understanding.

Not sure which level you would fit in?: Please register for the level of
your best estimate. On the first session, you can consult with the
instructor, and you are allowed to switch the level as needed.

PLACE: GSS Building (6371 Crescent Rd), Room TBA

FEES (Cash Only): $30 for UBC grad student, $50 for All others

REGISTRATION: GSS front desk at 9:00am-4:30pm by Friday, October30,2009. No
late registration is accepted without further notice.

INQUIRIES: Please email events@gss.ubc.ca (about registration) or
lilygu@interchange.ubc.ca (about the class).

INSTRUCTOR: Xiaoli (Lily) GU, M.Ed.
Lily grew up in Beijing China and holds a M.Ed. in Adult Education from
UBC. Since moving to Vancouver in 2003, she found herself appreciating
the multicultural environment Vancouver provides very much. Lily is
currently working with UBC Continuing Studies. She believes in lifelong
learning, and she is always excited about new learning happening in
everyday life. Lily has been teaching Mandarin at GSS since 2007 and her
classes were very well received by the students, especially she is very
patient and also trying hard to make the class more interactive.

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FRENCH CLASS — In Two Levels

DATES: Thursdays, November 5 — December 3 (5 sessions).
Beginner (5:00pm-6:00pm),
Intermediate (6:00pm-7:00pm)

PLACE: GSS Building (6371 Crescent Rd), Room TBA

FEES (Cash Only) : $30 for UBC grad student/$50 for all others.

REGISTRATION: GSS front desk at 9:30am-4:30pm by Friday, October 30,
2009. No late registration is accepted without further notice.

INQUIRIES: About the registration, please email at events@gss.ubc.ca;
About the class, please email at guillaume.lefevre1@googlemail.com

INSTRUCTOR: Guillaume Lefebvre
Guillaume Lefebvre is from France, a second year PhD student in the
Materials Engineering department. He went to an Engineering school in
Toulouse after spending many years in Le Mans. He has been teaching
French at GSS in Summer. If you have specific questions or suggestion,
please feel free to contact him and he will try to adapt the class
according to your expectations.