TST Graduate Students' Association (TGSA)

Hi everyone, I hope you are well!

First off, apologies for the delay in updating our website. It has been a crazy first few months of the semester. I hope you all had a restful reading week and are settling into your routines.

We started off the academic year with the Toronto School of Theology Orientation for our new incoming students. Attached below you can find the ‘TGSA Orientation Package 2020/21’ that was handed out to all those who attended. Everything you need to know about TGSA can be found in the orientation package (NB: Even returning TST students will find it useful).

At the beginning of September, TGSA hosted a ‘SSHRC and OGS Grant Writing Workshop’ which was well attended and very beneficial. Although we were not able to record to session, TGSA forwarded an email to all TST students with information and links to the SGS website where a previous SSHRC info-session was already recorded and available for use. Towards the end of the month, TGSA hosted a ‘Back to School Social Hour’ via Zoom where friends, new and old, gathered for conversation.

TGSA is currently in the midst of planning events, workshops and socials for this year. As of this moment, everything will be online via Zoom. However, come January, we may begin hosting events, workshops, and socials in person. We are also working to organize our annual Conference; and there will be an upcoming referendum on a change to the TGSA Constitution and the possibility of switching our affiliation from the University of Toronto Students’ Union (UTSU) to the University of Toronto Graduate Students’ Union (GSU) (more information on that later).

If you have not already done so, please join our Facebook group and also follow us on Twitter @tstga. We communicate using these platforms and also via email. Furthermore, you will find the same information reiterated on this website.

If you have any question or concerns please do not hesitate to reach out to us at tgsa@utoronto.ca.

Best,

Mia Theocharis, TGSA President

Hi all,

Please see attached the schedule and Zoom links for our conference on Friday, June 11th! If you have any questions don’t hesitate to contact TGSA directly at tgsa@utoronto.ca or Patrick Nolin, VP Conference at patrick.nolin@mail.utoronto.ca.

We hope to see you there!

Hi all, I hope everyone is well and looking forward to the summer months ahead!

At the end of every academic year, it is customary for TGSA to host an AGM where we discuss with members what we did throughout the school year. Due to the pandemic, we were unable to host one. Instead, we decided to create “A Year in Review” poster that discusses everything we would have talked about during the AGM — you can find the attachment below. As a courtesy to students, we hosted an informal Zoom meeting on Monday, May 31st for anyone who wanted to drop in and ask the board questions. As we move into the summer, TGSA board members will be taking time off, however, if there are any urgent issues please do not hesitate to contact us at tgsa@utoronto.ca.

Lastly, don’t forget about our upcoming conference on June 11th entitled, “Traditioning Sources for Contemporary Theological Engagement.” You can find more details by visiting the event page on Facebook: https://fb.me/e/1qFGI4hTs. 

Thank you, everyone! We look forward to hopefully seeing your faces on campus in the fall.

Dear TST Graduate students, 

This email is to notify you that the nomination period for available TGSA positions commences today April 13th, 2021 and will end on May 1, 2021. 

Below is the list of all vacant positions available on the TGSA Board (as of April 12, 2021). Please note that all positions are for a two-year term, and have duties as described in section D of the TGSA Policies and Procedures, available at: http://tgsa.sa.utoronto.ca/files/2018/04/April-2018-TGSA-Approved-Policies-and-Procedures.pdf

1. VP EXTERNAL
2. EMMANUEL COLLEGE REP
3. DOCTOR OF MINISTRY REP

*Please note that the positions of concentration reps (such as Systematic Theology Rep) will not be filled during this time as these positions are up for review by the TGSA Board.

Candidates must be nominated by two of their peers and be willing to serve. College reps must also be registered at the college in question. Nominees will receive either notice of their acclamation or details regarding the election process (if necessary) at the end of the nomination period which is May 1, 2021 — you can expect an email the first week of May. 

For future inquiries or nominations, please address them to the Chief Returning Officer (CRO), Fiona Li at fionakay.li@mail.utoronto.ca. 

Sincerely, 

Fiona Li

CRO for the TGSA 2021 Nomination/Elections

Dear TST Graduate Students, 

This is a notice for you all that TGSA will be inviting nominations for positions on its Board of Representatives. The nomination period will begin on Tuesday, April 13, 2021 and will end on May 1, 2021.  

A full list of vacant positions will be advertised in Monday’s email. All positions are for a two year term, and have duties as described in section D of the TGSA Policies and Procedures, available at: http://tgsa.sa.utoronto.ca/files/2018/04/April-2018-TGSA-Approved-Policies-and-Procedures.pdf

Candidates must be nominated by two of their peers and be willing to serve. College reps must also be registered at the college in question. Nominees will receive either notice of their acclamation or details regarding the election process (if necessary) by email after May 30, 2021. 

Please take the time during this weekend to discern whether you are interested and called to serve your student body through TGSA! 

For future inquiries or nominations, please address them to the Chief Returning Officer (CRO), Fiona Li at fionakay.li@mail.utoronto.ca

Many thanks for your time and consideration! Please be on the look out for the official opening of the nomination period on Tuesday. 

Hi everyone, we hope you had a wonderful Easter weekend!

TGSA would like to invite you to our last event of the year: Getting (Back) on Track for Writing: A Time and Task Management Workshop. As graduate students, we might find that dedicated time for writing is often placed on the “back burner”, as our focus is spread across several other commitments each semester: coursework, teaching and grading, research, and other tasks that add up. Moreover, managing our time and projects across several platforms – and even devices – can result in fragmented workflows. Do you find yourself in this situation, in addition to navigating issues around motivation, procrastination, and/or perfectionism?

If so, join us Friday, April 16th from 1:00-2:00 pm where we will discuss practical strategies to get (re-)started on your writing, maintain momentum without burning out, set realistic milestones that work for you (and your supervisor), and deal with any distractions that might come your way. Also bring your questions and feel free to share your past experiences so that we can troubleshoot any roadblocks together as a group.

Our facilitator, Yaseen Ali, is a learning strategist at U of T who works with students on all areas of academic performance, ranging from metacognition and effective study techniques to co-creating personalized time management approaches. He is also completing his Ph.D. part-time in the Language and Literacies Education program at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education.

Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83926893868?pwd=TUg0MmFLUytYUWVOMlJ1UlFqVG5pdz09

Looking forward to seeing you all there!