The GSA-UW is working on creating alternative service access points for UWaterloo graduate students during this time.
Office Hours: Our office is closed. In-person office hours are suspended for the time being. Our team is working remotely. Please, email us to arrange remote appointments or for any questions you may have:
Kevin McKay, GSA Executive Manager gsa-gm@uwaterloo.ca
David Billedeau, GSA Vice-President gsa-vp@uwaterloo.ca
Website Maintenance We are preparing the launch of our new website. Our current website will be undergoing some maintenance on Thursday April 9 from 7:00am-12:00pm. Many of our links will be removed or redirected during this time.
Free Legal Consultations for the month of April: Due to COVID-19, you may find yourself in a difficult or complicated situation with your employer, landlord, or academic institution, which may leave you wondering about your rights. To support you during the crisis, you now have free access to a legal consultation helpline for 1 month. To consult with a lawyer on issues arising from the pandemic, contact the Appointment Booking Centre at 1-833-288-4620. An agent will take note of your request and forward it to a lawyer who will promptly contact you.
Income Tax Video Seminar: Please note that our in-person Tax Seminar is cancelled for Winter 2020. Instead, our accountant has created a video seminar and PowerPoint Presentation to provide graduates students with an introduction to filing taxes in Canada. The Income Tax video seminar is supplemented with a PowerPoint Presentation that you can download, print, and use to take notes as you complete the seminar. After watching the video, you should be somewhat comfortable with starting and hopefully completing and filling your tax return for 2019. The GSA offers additional support if you feel the need to clarify specific issues regarding your tax return after watching the video seminar. This support is in the form of a series of personal consultation tax clinics that will occur between April and the end of May. Through a one-on-one 15-minute phone call with our accountant, you will be able to ask any further questions you may have. Visit our website for more details.
Empower Me: Should you wish to talk to someone about how you’re feeling or coping during this time, we encourage you to call Empower Me, a mental health and wellness service that offers confidential and accessible support. With Empower Me, you are able to connect with trained counsellors, consultants, and life coaches who are available 24/7, 365 days/year. Learn more at www.studentcare.ca or call 1-844-741-6389.
AGM 2020 Our Annual General Meeting is postponed until further notice. The GSA Board of Directors is working diligently to make new arrangements for the AGM. More details will be announced in the days to come.
Board of Director Elections The campaigning period for the GSA Board of Directors has been put on hold for the time being. More details will be announced shortly.
Council Speaker and Deputy Speaker Elections A second call for GSA Council Speaker and Deputy Speaker will be opened on April 8, 2020 until April 22, 2020. Interview dates will be communicated to candidates directly. For more information, please see our “Get Involved” page.
Live Q&A – Summary Notes Details from the Live Q&A we hosted on March 31 will be sent out in the coming days. We are hoping to host more Live Q&A sessions in the near future. Stay tuned!
We’re hiring!
The GSA-UW is issuing several short-term research contracts to support the operations of the GSA Council on the following topics:
- Graduate student contributions to UWaterloo
- A review of UWaterloo’s environmental sustainability strategy
Deadline to apply is April 13, 2020 at 11:59PM EST. For application details, please see our “Get Involved” page.
More to come regarding:
- GSA Fees update
- GSA leadership term extensions
- Leadership Awards
The GSA-UW will continue to provide updates regarding our services and operations.