TST Graduate Students' Association (TGSA)

Sent on behalf of Patrick Nolin, VP Conference.

Call for Papers
Toronto School of Theology Graduate Students’ Association (TGSA) Conference
Traditioning Sources for Contemporary Theological Engagement
June 11t​h​, 2021

Theology when properly conceived is informed both by its past expressions and the theologian’s response to the present context. There thus resides a continual tension in theology: between contemporary concerns facing a faith-based community and a commitment to particular traditions. “Traditioning Sources for Contemporary Theological Engagement” seeks to explore projects that reflect upon past sources in their constructed argumentation, employed methodology, or underlying assumptions that may provide insights for contemporary theological projects. ‘Traditioning’ may be interpreted as a process of: creatively, constructively, and/or critically retrieving traditional sources (broadly conceived across denominational and religious perspectives) for the production of insights to meet the need for a theology “at the level of our times.” This conference seeks a wide range of perspectives on this topic and is open to proposals from a variety of disciplines, including: theological ethics, religious studies; Biblical studies; historical, systematic, practical, and/or critical theologies. Papers might explore:

• The uses and abuses of ‘tradition’ as a theological source/norm;

• The authority of tradition(s) in relation to other theological sources;

• Re/consideration of what rightly counts as ‘tradition’;

• Theologies of retrieval/​ressourcement;​

• Dynamics of power in the ‘traditioning’ process;

• The interplay between traditions’ authority and contemporary pressures;

• cultural, religious, and/or ethnic plurality and traditional particularity

Graduate students are invited to propose 20-minute presentations by submitting a title and abstract of no more than ​400 words ​in a ​MS Word ​document and sent to tgsaconferences@gmail.com no later than ​Monday, April 5t​h​. Selected proposals will be presented ​Friday, June 11t​ h ​2021 ​in an online format in accordance with current health and safety precautions. All inquiries can be directed to ​tgsaconferences@gmail.com​.

Hi everyone, I hope you had a productive and restful reading week! 

As promised, attached is Director Angela Tregalia’s slide show from her presentation on the Sexual Violence Prevention and Support Centre from our Graduate Student Town Hall which was held on Friday, February 5th. 

Also, I wanted to remind everyone that our workshop—Building an Online Presence through LinkedIn—will take place this Friday, February 26th from 10-11 am. 

Registration is required for this event. If you would like to attend please sign up via the google dochttps://docs.google.com/document/d/1tK3DXfKfdGQHza4PIowAsp6pYXADbmz4W7ZxVxZk98E/edit?usp=sharing. Deadline to register is Wednesday, February 24th. Those who sign up will receive an email with the Zoom link. If you signed up but didn’t receive an email please reach out to me personally atmia.theocharis@mail.utoronto.ca. 

Looking forward to seeing you all there! 

Hi everyone, 

TGSA would like to invite all of you to our workshop Building an Online Presence through LinkedIn with Mary McAuliffe, a Career Educator at Career Exploration and Education at the University of Toronto. 
Workshop: Building an Online Presence through LinkedInDate: Friday, February 26^th 10 – 11amPlatform: Zoom

NB: Registration is required for this event, only those who have registered will receive a Zoom link. If you wish to attend, please register via https://docs.google.com/document/d/1tK3DXfKfdGQHza4PIowAsp6pYXADbmz4W7ZxVxZk98E/edit?usp=sharing.

Workshop Description:LinkedIn is considered to be one of the top social networking sites for job seekers. Whether you are new to LinkedIn or looking to update your profile, this session will help you optimize your LinkedIn profile and use various features to support your job search, career exploration & networking goals. By attending this workshop you will:

1. Understand why LinkedIn is an important tool for career exploration, job searching and networking with professionals in your field of interest.
2. Understand best practice (dos and don’ts) with regard to having an online presence.
3. Identify key elements to optimize your LinkedIn profile and strategies for showcasing your professional identity(ies).

Workshop Facilitator:Mary McAuliffe is a Career Educator, at Career Exploration & Education at U of T.  In her role Mary works with undergraduate and postgraduate students to help them identify career exploration opportunities through one on one sessions and workshops. Prior to this role Mary worked for many years as an Occupational Psychologist and Consultant in the fields of Recruitment and Human Resources in role in Banking, Education, Government and not-for profit and brings a wealth of HR consulting, selection and coaching experience.

We look forward to seeing you there. Wishing everyone a peaceful and productive reading week! 

Hi all, I hope this post finds you well. 

Thank you to those who attended our Graduate Student Town Hall last Friday with Angela Treglia, Director of the University of Toronto Sexual Awareness and Prevention Centre. For those who were not able to attend, Angela has kindly offered to share her slideshow with everyone and I will send that out as soon as I receive it.

In the meantime, check out this video to better acquaint yourselves with the centre: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVlgCtEE9vw&feature=emb_title. Furthermore, here is some important information from Angela’s presentation: 

• The centre is open to all conjoint and non-conjoint students at the Toronto School of theology; and you do not need to make a formal report to access their services, the centre will accommodate individual needs without reporting. Whether or not you decide to file a formal report is your choice and your choice only. 
• As a result of COVID-19, operations are now remote via Zoom, phone or email. If you do call the centre directly, your call will be sent to voicemail but do not be alarmed! Angela assured us that the centre will call back that day. Also, there is currently no waitlist to book an appointment. 
• It is important to note that the Sexual Awareness and Prevention Centre is NOT a crisis centre, they do not offer counselling directly. They offer support by connecting individuals to the right resources, helping facilitate the reporting process if you chose to file a formal report, and offer educational services. 
  • For example, if you need accommodation quickly (i.e. needing to drop a class) they will make this accommodation happen without a report. 
  • Although the centre does not offer crisis counselling directly, they will put you in contact with reputable crisis centres in the city of Toronto and/or in the province. 

If you or anyone you know has experienced sexual assault, violence, or harassment please reach out to the Sexual Awareness and Prevention Centre at the University of Toronto. You may also reach out to your TGSA College Representative if you feel more comfortable doing so and they can assist you in contacting the centre. 

In the second part of the town hall, we met TST’s very own Victoria James and Jennifer Bardeggia. Victoria is the new Assistant Registrar and Coordinator of Institutional Research and Jen is the Academic Office Assistant who has been at TST for many years. Victoria and Jen are the faces behind the GCTS email and they have been working diligently to attend to all of your messages. If you do not receive a response, please feel free to send them a reminder. 

Have a wonderful rest of the week! 

Our November event is typically geared towards mental health and this year, TGSA will be hosting a virtual yoga and wellness workshop for all students wanting to destress from the craziness of school and life. It will take place on Friday, November 20th from 1:00 to 2:00 PM. Stay tuned for a Zoom link.

Looking forward to seeing you all Friday!

Ps. This is a beginners class, no experience necessary! You will need a water bottle, towel and yoga mat if you have one. Also feel free to keep your Zoom camera off if that would make you more comfortable.