The Graduate@Carleton newsletter is typically distributed every Thursday morning. The next newsletter will be sent to you on Dec. 9. That will be the last newsletter of the fall term. If you have any questions, please email us at: fgpa_newsletter@carleton.ca.

As the winter 2022 term approaches, please take a moment to review your course registration and schedule in Carleton Central. Modifications to your winter 2022 schedule can be made until Jan. 24, 2022.

The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council is once again sponsoring its Storyteller Competition. This competition challenges postsecondary students to show Canadians, in up to three minutes or 300 words, how social sciences and humanities research affects our lives, our world and our future for the better. The Top 25 finalists win $3,000 and the Final Five winners among them win an additional $1,000. The deadline to apply is Jan. 24, 2022. Click here for more information.

On Dec. 6, the Faculty of Engineering and Design will release a commemoration video to honour the 14 women who were killed at Polytechnique Montréal in 1989. Throughout the day, the Carleton community will be called upon to stand against gender-based violence through a social media allyship pledge campaign.

A reminder that classes on Dec. 10 follow a Monday schedule!  This is also the last day of fall term classes. Check out the Important Date and Deadlines section at the end of this newsletter for more information.

Our new, one-of-a-kind Building Engineering Master’s and PhD programs are an opportunity for students specializing in building performance, heritage conservation and fire safety engineering to enhance their knowledge of building engineering and specialize in this field. There is a high demand in the private and public sectors for people with this knowledge and skillset. Please note that this program is being offered subject to Ministry approval. Click here for more information.

Will you be a new graduate student or teaching assistant at Carleton this winter? If so, please register for the virtual Winter Orientation here. Orientation materials will be made available to registrants on Jan. 7.

Carleton University will be participating in the 2022 Canadian Graduate and Professional Student Survey (CGPSS) along with all other Ontario universities that have graduate programs. In the new year, you will receive an individual email inviting you to participate in this online survey, which will be open for three weeks. For each week of the survey, three $100 cash prizes will be awarded to students who fill in the survey. Find out why it’s important for you to participate.

Find Out More →

The ITS Service Desk is now offering expanded, after-hours services for those in need of IT assistance. This pilot initiative provides after-hours service to graduate students in need of help, such as MyCarletonOne (MC1) password resets, Office 365 advice and guidance regarding ITS services. This means that students can now contact the Service Desk at any time.

This 10-month pilot program will run until Sept. 2022, after which the need for expanded service hours will be assessed and a permanent offering considered. This project has been made possible in close consultation with CUPE 2424.

As we get close to the end of term, you may be feeling overwhelmed and stressed out. Don’t forget that there are several resources that you can access. Please click here to see these resources.

If you are interested in applying for a 2022-23 Outgoing International Exchange, we strongly recommend that you attend the Exchange Information Session on Dec. 3. Grad students must receive approval from their graduate department in order to be eligible for an exchange placement. The final deadline to apply is Dec. 10. For more information about the Exchange Program, please visit the ISSO website or email exchange@carleton.ca

Every week, The Conversation puts out a list of possible story ideas for PhD students and faculty to write about. Click here to find out about the latest opportunities.

The latest edition of Inside Senate is now available. Senate discussed the development of the Student Mental Health Framework 3.0 and also approved the dates for the spring Convocation ceremonies for all 2020, 2021 and 2022 graduates, in the event that public health regulations allow for these celebrations to be held in person.

If you are planning on travelling during the Winter Break, connect with the International Student Services Office (ISSO) by email isso@carleton.ca for guidance and support.

Join the ISSO, along with their partners from CUSA’s Wellness Centre and Racialized & International Student Experience (RISE), for a free virtual information session designed to help identify and eliminate some of the stress involved with preparing to travel. Register in advance by clicking here for this event taking place Dec. 8 at 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.

If you will be graduating in February, your University Health Insurance Plan (UHIP) will expire on Dec. 31. However, if you are inside Canada, you can extend your UHIP for up to 6 months at a premium of $378 (single coverage) or until such time as you may find you are eligible for Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP). If you are taking fall classes from outside Canada, then UHIP is not required and you can opt out for a refund. Click here for more information.

The ISSO will be offering a full lineup of free, virtual information sessions throughout the remainder of the fall semester. Find out more on the ISSO website:

• Events
• Quarantine Planning Support
• FAQs
• News
• Immigration Support
• University Health Insurance Plan (UHIP) Information
• ISSO Mailbox Videos

The School of Linguistics and Language Studies at Carleton University is offering up to two funded graduate student positions at the MA (1–2 years) level, beginning in September 2022. These positions are part of the project 21st Century Tools for Indigenous Languages, funded by a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Partnership Grant in 2019–2026 and hosted by the Alberta Language Technology Lab at the University of Alberta. These positions are open to new students as well as students who are in the first year of their MA program. For application details, click here. The deadline date to express interest is Jan. 15, 2022.

New alumna Yasmine Atassi credits the connections and mentorship from the Master of Political Management program in helping her secure the job she now holds with Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources, where she is the executive assistant to the chief of staff and a special assistant working on policy.

Read More →

For as long as Scott Bishop can remember, his life has been interwoven with exploration and curiosity. Bishop was born and raised in Nova Scotia with a hunger for adrenaline and perpetual curiosity to explore that led him to an Aerospace Engineering PhD from Carleton. He graduated this fall.

Read More →

The READ Initiative and the Paul Menton Centre are co-hosting an event tomorrow, Dec. 3 from 1 to 3 p.m. to celebrate the International Day of Persons with Disabilities and the PMC’s 30+ year anniversary. You’re invited. The virtual event will be held via Zoom.

Help take Toy Mountain to new heights with Carleton Ravens hockey. Join the Carleton Ravens women’s hockey team tomorrow, Dec. 3, 2021, as the team hosts the Ravens’ sixth annual Teddy Bear Toss. When the Ravens host the Bishop’s Gaiters at 7 p.m., fans are invited to bring a new teddy bear for donation and throw the bears onto the ice following the Ravens’ first goal. All new bears will be donated to Toy Mountain.

Please be reminded that access to the tunnel system at Carleton University remains restricted to authorized individuals and those with approval to use the tunnels for accessibility purposes.

Anyone coming on campus must complete the COVID-19 screening self-assessment every day through cuScreen. You will also need to use a QR code when you enter buildings. And you also need to complete the vaccination attestation form and submit this as soon as possible. You can find the form in cuScreen after you have logged in.

To find out when departments, including FGPA, are open on campus, click here.

To access FAQs about how Carleton is coping with the COVID-19 pandemic, click here. For questions concerning current graduate students, click here. To view FAQs for prospective graduate students, click here. There have been no updates to FGPA’s FAQs this past week.

Any university staff, faculty, or researchers who have cause to access federal government workplaces as a result of a grant or contract held by Carleton, where they may come into contact with public servants, are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Please note that this is a mandatory federal government requirement. Government of Canada contracting authorities will be pursuing means to ensure compliance, up to and including contract terminations with those who do not comply with this requirement.

Dec. 10:

• Fall term ends. Last day of fall term classes.
• Classes follow a Monday schedule.
• Last day to pay any remaining fall tuition fees to avoid a hold on access to marks through Carleton Central and the release of transcripts and other official documents.
• Last day for academic withdrawal from fall term courses (no financial adjustment. After this date, you will no longer be able to drop the course. Academic withdrawals will create no financial change to your fall term fees and will result in a grade of Withdrawn (WDN) appearing on your official transcript. WDN is a permanent notation that appears on your official transcript signifying no academic credit and will not impact your CGPA. The academic withdrawal deadline to drop a full session (fall/winter) course is Tuesday, April 12, 2022, the last day of classes for the winter term.

Dec. 11-23:  Final examinations in fall term courses and mid-term examinations in fall/winter courses may be held. Examinations are normally held all seven days of the week.

Dec. 24 through Jan. 4:

• The university will be closed for the holiday season and will re-open on Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2022. During this period, all campus buildings will be locked. Authorized students, faculty and staff may gain access using their Campus Cards at card readers. Campus Safety Services will provide access to buildings on an “emergency basis only.” The CSS Communication Centre can be reached at 613-520-4444 in emergencies, and 613-520-3612 for general enquiries.
• The following five residence buildings will remain open for the holiday period: Frontenac, Glengarry, Leeds, Lennox and Addington and Prescott. Only those residents who have registered, received permission, and paid to remain will have access to their rooms. Access for all other students will be deactivated as of noon on Dec. 24, 2021, until noon, Jan. 9, 2022. No student will be permitted to remain or enter a closed building. During the closure period, no dining service outlets will be open. The first meal served in The Caf for the winter term will be dinner on Jan. 9, 2022.
• Athletics facilities will be closed Dec. 25, 2021 and Jan. 1, 2022. For more information regarding specific facility operations over the holidays, including the Ice House, Fitness Centre and Pool, please visit the Athletics website.

Jan. 5, 2022: University reopens at 8:30 a.m.

Jan. 10, 2022: Winter term classes begin.

Jan. 24, 2022:

• Last day for registration for winter term courses.
• Last day to change courses or sections (including auditing) for winter term courses.
• Graduate students who have not electronically submitted their final thesis copy to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs will not be eligible to graduate in winter 2022 and must register for the winter 2022 term.

For a complete list of all official academic and financial dates and deadlines, please go to the Registrar’s website. For all financial matters, go to Student Accounts.