Your TGSA Board is pleased to announce that it has ratified the following Board Members:
Jordan Balint – Emmanuel Rep (2019-2021)
Megan Bowen – Regis Rep (2019-2021)
Mariia Ivaniv – St. Michael’s Rep (2019-2021)
Sam Needham – Theology Rep (2019-2021)
Michael Rogers – VP-External (2019-2021)
Thank you to everyone who participated in this year’s Call for Nominations!
Nominations are now open for the following positions on the TGSA Board of Representatives:
Vice President External
Emmanuel College Representative
St. Michael’s College Representative
Trinity College Representative
Master of Arts Program Representative
Master of Theology Program Representative
Doctor of Ministry Program Representative
Biblical Concentration Representative
Theology Concentration Representative
Contextual Concentration Representative
If you are interested in one of these positions, or have a colleague you believe would be a good candidate for one of them, please contact the Returning Officer, Michael Buttrey, at michael.buttrey@mail.utoronto.ca.
Candidates must be willing to serve, in the college, program, or concentration to be represented (if applicable), and be nominated by two of their peers by midnight on Friday, May 31. Nominees will receive either notice of their acclamation or details regarding the election process (if necessary) by email after the 31st.
All positions are for two-year terms, and have the following duties:
The Vice-President External will be TGSA’s principal liaison with University of Toronto student unions, attending one UTSU and GSU meeting each year, inviting TST’s UTSU representative (if any) to TGSA meetings, and meeting with them separately if they are unable to attend. They will also work with the University of Toronto and other Board members to inform TST students about and improve their access to university services, and build TGSA’s relationship with TST affiliated colleges, inviting local student representatives to attend TGSA meetings.
College Representatives will be TGSA’s principal liaison with graduate students at their college, reporting the concerns of students at their college at TGSA meetings and posting announcements of TGSA events and opportunities on their college’s bulletin boards and social media groups. They will also attend their college’s student orientation and introduce themselves as their college’s representative at TGSA, and work with other college representatives to build relationships between graduate students at different colleges. The TGSA member holding this position must be an active and registered student of the College that they represent.
Program Representatives will be TGSA’s principal liaison with graduate students in their program, reporting the concerns of students in their program at TGSA meetings and working with other Board members to better understand the issues faced by students in their program through polls, public meetings, and social media. The TGSA member holding this position must be an active and registered student of the program that they represent.
Concentration Representatives are responsible for updating the Board and, by extension, TGSA members of professional development opportunities specific to their area, such as conferences, call for papers, fellowships, job openings, and funding opportunities. Concentration representatives should also work to connect students in their concentration with colleagues across the TST colleges.
For more details on the positions or the election process, please see sections D and E of the TGSA Policies and Procedures, available at http://tgsa.sa.utoronto.ca/files/2018/04/April-2018-TGSA-Approved-Policies-and-Procedures.pdf
Recently, we’ve received a note from a student about the inaccessibility of certain libraries. Our Library Committee rep, M.J., spoke to the librarians at their meeting, and would like to let you all know of this service that is available. It is advised that if this is a service that you are interested in, please register with Accessibility Services first, before contacting your Accessibility Advisor. The following image/list can also be found at https://www.studentlife.utoronto.ca/as/accessibility-advisors
*The following and further information can be found on the Health and Dental Page*
With non-conjoint students losing access to ROSI/ACORN, students in non-conjoint programs can no longer be automatically billed for their UTSU fees. TGSA worked with UTSU to arrange an opt-in process so that non-conjoint students would be able to continue their coverage. UTSU has also opened up enrolment to TST students in part-time degree programs, meaning that all TGSA members can now have access to Health & Dental plans offered by UTSU. Exciting! The opt-in period to have benefits for the 2018/2019 school year runs from September 1st – October 1st. Part-time students and students in non-conjoint programs who want benefits must enrol themselves (and their partners and/or dependant children) in this period. All TGSA students must pay the $38.08 UTSU association fee along with the fees for their coverage listed below. The coverage costs are as follows:
| Who is enrolled | Health Only | Dental Only | Health & Dental |
| Student Only | $185.62 | $155.16 | $340.60 |
| Student & Dependants | $556.86 | $310.32 | $1021.80 |
Please follow the process outlined below to enrol:
8. The next page will give you the option of adding eligible spouses/dependant children.
9. To add dependants to your plan, enter their details. Note: Your dependants can have less coverage than you, but not more. E.g. If you want Health & Dental coverage for yourself, but only Dental coverage for your spouse or children, you can indicate so when you list your dependants.
10. Confirm all the details you have entered are correct and click submit. You will get an email confirming the receipt of your information.
11. Once studentcare.ca has confirmed your eligibility you will be contacted about providing payment, which can be made by debit or credit card. Due to the number of students opting in you may not be contacted until after the enrolment period is over. That’s ok. Your coverage will be back-dated to September 1st once your eligibility has been confirmed and your payment has been processed.
In an attempt to raise awareness to the issue of Sexual Violence and Harassment, this summary of the University of Toronto’s Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment policy, prepared by a fellow TST student, was sent to TGSA members through the TGSA list-serv.
If you are an enrolled student at the University of Toronto and would like more information on how to prevent and respond to sexual harassment and violence, please enroll in the University of Toronto’s “Sexual Violence Education and Prevention Module”, which can be found on Portal.
If you are a TST student and would like to speak to a TGSA Board member about this topic, please feel free to contact your college rep or an exec. member.
