Extern job shadowing and you

One day you’re reading the Intranet and you spy this entry about a U of T job shadowing program, and, intrigued, you open it. You fill out a few forms about your vocational interests and sign up for an orientation meeting, and just like that you’re in.

You show up for the orientation meeting with a sort of mild social anxiety because you’re not sure what it’s going to be about, or whether you’ll have to do much talking. You’re not even 100% sure you’re going to the right room at the right time, because the instructions were a little like, information overload; there were so many numbers and dates and there’s the possibility that you might have gotten confused. But you end up showing up to the right room anyway, and are lured into comfort by the nice solid wooden surroundings of the room and the cherubic program leader. This is the part where you discuss which kind of vocation you’re going to job shadow in, and your overall attitudes/knowledge/stage of self-actualization in regard to your career choice. There's this sinking feeling when the program leader makes you talk to the person next to you about afore-mentioned attitudes/knowledge/stage of self-actualization but you strike up a comfortable rapport and it’s OK.

The next stage is to apply via the Career Centre website to various employers, filtering by field (e.g. journalism, medicine, finance) and then choosing a specific company. You get to  apply to three or four locations, ranking them in order of preference. And then in the application you have to write several 250-word essays about various topics, e.g. what you know about the vocational field, what makes you interested in it (incld. relevant experiences and skills you might possess), and then you have to repeat this process for every position you apply to (the cherubic program leader was not lying, you come to find out, when he said that you should not leave this stuff to the last minute)--and if you're like me you probably end up applying to positions within only one field so you can copy-paste some of your application answers to other positions.

If you come up with some fantastically deep and philosophical answers to these questions, and/or at least show some rudimentary mental engagement while writing them, you’re accepted into the University of Toronto’s Extern Job Shadowing program! Next up is a second meeting, this time to discuss logistics of contacting your host and what to wear/how to act, planning questions to ask them, and generally how to represent U of T flatteringly and not appear like a slobbering York neanderthal. Rules: no begging for employment, no inappropriate dress, no bluntly asking how big someone's salary is, etc etc. You have to again talk to the person beside you, this time preparing questions to ask your host, a lot more painful than last meeting because it’s like, unless you’re actually really on top of things you’re thinking about this for the first time and a lot of the conversation is umms and ahhs and blank stares. After this meeting you have a month before your job shadowing starts.

And so like if you’re as bad as I am you left all the preparation to the last minute, and so on the morning that you’re supposed to first meet your host you’re scrambling to think of questions to ask and picking clothes, and the pants you were vaguely planning to wear end up being too tight (because of course you only try them on right before having to leave, pants  which the last time you wore them was in 2011) and the zipper won’t go all the way up so that pretty much eliminates wearing a tucked-in dress shirt, and all your nice sweaters are in the wash or lost somewhere, adding to the stress of a blizzard outside and the fact that you’ve gained weight seeing as your pants no longer fit. And so by the time you’re out of the house you’re completely out of your mind with confusion and general social anxiety and a lack of sleep because of said social anxiety the night before, and of course there’s a huge accident on the DVP so that you arrive half an hour late (something you should emphatically do everything that is humanly possible to avoid doing to your host) to the office of Canada’s #1 News Station with traffic updates on the 1s of each hour so that your host has already finished the whole tour with the other job shadowing students. Basically, don’t be like me.

But then things go pretty smoothly. Your frazzle and anxiety appear outwardly like flushed interest and you get to meet all the employees and they’re all friendly and nice and give you some valuable tips on how to approach your career, and you leave the offices feeling much better than you did when you entered and it’s OK.

The final steps are to write a physical thank-you letter to your host and to fill out an online reflection form from the U of T Career Centre, and once all that is done you can request a certificate of participation. The experience is truly valuable, in my opinion: there’s no better way to see what a job is actually like than to visit the workplace and talk to the workers. If you’re on the fence about your career path, as many people probably are, this is the thing for you. It’s completely free, and runs twice a year, and is easier than I make it sound here. Go for it.

Your guide to UTSC government 2: getting meaningfully involved as a student

So last week I wrote about the structure of UTSC’s government, the various roles that people have within it, and how it functions. Today I thought it would be good to explore how to get involved within your school, what you can do as a student to participate in this government or inside the various functioning bodies of the school in general.

1. Work and Volunteering
Probably the most practical thing that you can do while you study at UTSC is get a job while you’re there! The work study program allows any full time student at UTSC to apply apply for a medley of jobs that will pay you for the entire summer semester, or fall/spring term.

The SCSU also hires also hires students regularly to work in many positions, both paid and voluntary.

You can also gain valuable experience through the various volunteer roles available on the SCSU employment site.

The Department of Student Life offers a great website to browse through the various student jobs available, as well as matching you with good volunteer opportunities. 

2. Student Organizations - Campus Groups, Student Societies, Departmental Student Associations, and Greek Clubs

Student clubs (or, campus groups as they’re officially called) are the meat and potatoes of student life. It’s probably the most obvious way to get involved at school as a student. If you’ve ever stepped foot on campus you’d have noticed the various banners, fliers, and events in the school thanks to the effort of so many people like yourself who just want to get together with an idea and have fun with it. Campus groups celebrate our diverse religious, ideological, and political affiliations, and also provide a place to discuss and promote various sports and hobbies. Campus groups are approved, supported, and funded by the Department of Student Life, you can apply to make your own as per the instructions on their website. You’re pretty much allowed to make a campus group for anything you want as long as it’s not illegal, some kind of weird money making scheme, or discriminatory (you know, the bad kind of discriminatory).

The benefits of starting up a campus group as opposed to having your own secret club is eligibility for $funding$, access to school resources (your own emails, ability to book rooms, etc.), and street cred (everyone will know the badass non-alcoholic flip cup club was YOUR idea).

If you would like to join an existing campus group, a full list of them, their objectives and contact info, can be found here.

There are also Student Societies that collect levies directly from your school tuition fees, (eg, fusion radio). These are like Campus Groups but they follow much stricter guidelines. Student societies can also have formal relationships with Student Society Affiliates (like the Women’s Centre), and they can recieve funding from their parent Student Society.

Departmental Student Associations (DSAs) are great to get involved in because they allow more formal relationships to form between you and the various faculty and administration. They also make you seem like the cool ‘leader’ of your whole student department. DSAs represent your academic department, and they also advocate on the behalf of those students, so they’re a great channel to air your academic grievances through, and stand up against academic injustices. (Also great for finding that cool nerdy leader guy who can help you with helping yourself do homework).

There are fraternities and sororities that hang around campus, but the University does not officially associate with them, although many of them provide a lot of great charitable and social services too.

3. Student Unions, Public Interest Research Groups, and Community Organizations
The Scarborough Campus Student’s Union represents the undergraduate students on campus. It is a local chapter (99) of the Canadian Federation of Students, a Canada-wide student union that provides student services and lobbies on their behalf. You’ve probably heard of the CFS because of all the ‘Drop Fees’ literature, posters, and campaigns that they produce and organize. They have half a million members (you probably are one), and use their collective power to provide some great student run things like Travel CUTS, the International Student Identity Card (which provides cheap movie tickets and train fares when you’re in Bolivia for example), the Studentsaver Card (which gives you discounts at home), Homes4students.ca, the Student Work Abroad Program (SWAP), and the National Student Health Network.

The SCSU does the same thing but on a more local level. They provide many part time jobs for students, as previously mentioned, and they also provide services like discounts on Metro Passes, Raptor’s tickets, health and dental plans, and more. They lobby local governments and the school administration on our behalf. It’s also probably the most actively political group on campus (lately), which is proven by the very loud hallway dj election campaigns you’re probably familiar with. Love it or hate it, it’s probably really good to get involved with them because they represent you as a student.

There are also Public Interest Research Groups (PIRGs), that research, act on, and organize around social and environmental justice issues. Scarborough Campus doesn’t have one per se but there is one at the Hart House. PIRGs can have a lot of political clout, for example, in many of the English Universities in Montreal during the Maple Spring protests last year, they were the organizational bases for much of the actions, research and literature that supported the protests. Although they are broadly progressive by definition, they’re good to get involved with if you feel very strongly about social and environmental issues as a student and want to create effective change in those areas.

Finally there are community social and political organisations (like the Toronto Youth Council, and Scarborough Youth Council), that also broadly try to influence the community at large, including the education system. The Toronto Youth Cabinet allows people between the ages of 13-24 to sit in city hall, and work directly with the city counselors, mayor, and community partners. It’s a great place to see the inner workings of politics on the city and how it impacts your day to day life and education, and to feel like you can create a direct impact on that.

UTSC Profiles - Professors Profile

As promised my friends this week I've decided to risk my neck and poke some fun at the establishment.

General disclaimer: None of the characters depicted here are of a specific person. They are all intended as general exaggerations of stereotypical characteristics.

Now that we have that out of the way...

I BRING YOU:

THE SCIENCE PROF

• Is extremely offended that you aren't keeping up with the latest trends in string theory
• Thinks being dressed up entails wearing jeans 
• Does not notice if you dyed your hair from black to purple
• May have used science themed pick up lines (Hey there, you turn my software into hardware) or at the very least will find that hilarious.
• Does not know who the Kardashians are thus lives in blissful ignorance

THE ART PROF

• For someone with Socialist (almost Commi) political leaning wears awfully nice clothes
• Has long hair, because its awesome thats why
• Says no more than a five-minute critique, talks for 15 minutes straight
• Is offended if someone thinks Marcel Duchamp's upturned urinal is stretching the definitions of 'art'
• Has been vegan for so long that dark chocolate and tea makes them hyper

THE MANAGEMENT PROF

• Likes to talk about how much money they make every year
• Has three companies, is working as a consultant, teaching, fathering children, playing the stock market and then will think about your emails
• Has an affinity for nice cars
• Uses 'business people speak' and is thus constantly questioning your 'core-competency'
• Teaches 'ethics in business', laughing the whole time

THE RENEGADE PROF

Once in a while ladies and gentlemen we come across a prof so awesome, so unique that placing them in any category is a challenge. That prof is the renegade prof. 

Like Batman he swoops into a room swift and heroic. The boring three-hour lecture becomes a riot of laughter and group discussions. Godwin's Law is broken several times and stories of sketchy trips in Morocco (that he doesn't remember all that well for many reasons) are told. 

This prof is the reason I stay in school. The monster of Academia has yet to suck their soul dry and so they fight the good fight. To the examples of such epicness I have encountered so far, I salute you all. 

That is the end for today's mildly offensive stereotyping. May the force be with you for midterms and assignments! 

<3 Z

Your brain on a 1-hour lecture

Five ways to combat post-reading week blues

When I was in grade school, I used to spend the last night of summer crying in my bed. The thought of a new year, new stationery, having to wake up at six, the whole shebang terrified me. Then day one would come and I’d go back to being excited about friends, homework (It was grade school!) and the lunchbox.

Not much changed at university; we are all usually more depressed than ever at the thought of returning to school. Returning to life, and COURSES and early mornings is an intolerable thought to reconcile one’s self with.  After all, what could be worse than returning from Montreal to Scarborough? Well, a lot actually, but this is the average UTSC’ers head we’re getting into: Scarborough is the monster that often refuses to leave us alone.

SO back to the original point. After refusing to unpack my suitcase for four days after I returned to UTSC residence lest my vacation actually end, I decided to put myself through the ‘de-depressing’ process. 

5 WAYS TO COMBAT THE POST-HOLIDAY BLUES

•         Be reasonable; don’t overbook/over pack your schedule. If you’re just getting back from a week of lazing around or travelling with your friends, nothing will suck your soul out more than four classes, three meetings and a commute all in one day. Be careful when prioritizing your schedule so that it doesn't irritate you and stress you out. We have another half of a semester to go!

•            Instead of spending your time reminiscing and allowing yourself to feel frustrated with life, try to do something constructive with your memories. This is a good time to write about whatever you feel like; you have a free pass to spend hours photoshopping/collaging/uploading photos. That process is more therapeutic and enjoyable to you than for anyone who may see them. It’s the best kind of walk down memory lane, without actually being there. The fun will be multiplied if you get together with whoever you spend some of your vacation with and share photos together!

•          Go back to a new year. Remember the resolutions you DIDN'T manage to keep? Start again. People don’t need new years or months to get started on new goals, the just need a fresh state of mind -- the feeling of having accomplished something so that they may come back for more. Now that the week is over and midterms may have crashed upon many of us, make the time more optimistic for yourself by focusing on the positive changes you want to bring in your life.

•              CLEAN. Every time I decide to unpack a suitcase (which is actually way more often than I realized), I am also hit with the truth about how messy/unorganized my room is. Start the new month and the second half of this semester by de-cluttering your life. You may have done just that during reading week, but most of us aren’t that ninja productive despite the fact that we can be. Now is the chance. The euphoria of having finished a dreaded task will most definitely offset the post-holiday blues.

•        START PLANNING YOUR SUMMER. IF you are coming back for courses, you have a week in between to live it up. If you aren’t, you have fpir months at your disposal. Whether you chose to work, volunteer, sleep the time away, travel, get hitched, graduate, and prepare for grad school. It doesn’t matter; the official year will be coming to an end in just five weeks. There is so much NEW to look forward to. There’s money to save, and treadmills to run on (summer means NO lumpy coats to cover up every food baby ) and websites to bookmark.

Everybody will have spent their reading week differently, well except the * cough cough SCSU*. Everybody can continue that vacation however they please. It’s time to embrace the exam time and own the semester. Maybe you can go out with a bang ?!

Cheers

Saving the day one conversation at a time

After hearing about this "Spotted: UTSC" page on Facebook I decided to check it out. After reading an obscene amount of posts about people talking about other people through an anonymous medium. I thought to myself, "You've got to be kidding me." I know that there have always been people that are shy or scared to talk to a select group of people but I had no idea it was this bad.

I know social media is supposed to be a way for people to connect but I think it's doing the complete opposite. Once a computer or phone is removed as a medium for communication people get completely lost. They have no idea how to carry on a conversation or are too scared to talk to people in real life. Just a quick fact for everyone who didn't know, before social networking, people actually had to approach somebody and introduce themselves to them! (I know it's crazy!)

After going through multiple pages and what seemed like an infinite amount of posts I decided to help out the UTSC community. I decided to make a list of ice breakers to help people overcome this fear of talking to new people. So here it is:

1. Yeah, no, that girl’s not my girlfriend or anything.
2. Hi, I’m [name].
3. Hey, sorry, you probably don’t remember me but the other day you asked for a pen and I said no, and I felt like I was kind of rude, I mean I really didn’t have a pen to loan you, I just had the one and I needed it to write that, but I felt like maybe I came off rude and, I dunno, I worry a lot about that I guess, and I didn’t want you to be thinking like ‘wow that dude sure was an asshole’ all week, which you probably weren’t, I know, you probably didn’t even give it a second thought, but like honestly I was just sitting here kind of hoping you’d sit there again so I could apologize and this isn’t really turning out as planned, so sorry, for this too, and um, my name’s [insert name here].
4. So you went to school with him?
5. You sound drunk.
6. Can I call you Brittany? You remind me of a Brittany.
7. No, I’m not going to add you on Facebook.
8. Hi, is anyone sitting here?
9. You played basketball? I throw crumpled up pieces of paper in the garbage bin! TWINSIES!!
10. So, you’re a Senators fan?
11. You’re the girl from the bus right?
12. Do you live around here?
13. Hi, so… uh… my mom told me to come over here and talk to you.
14. Cool hair. Purple’s my favorite color.
15. Wow, you’re a great kisser.
16. Um.. can you teach me how to play four square?
17. Hey, is the Internet working?
18. I like your beard. (this one never fails, girls.)
19. Yo' girl, lemme holla at you for a quick sec?
20. Which Harry Potter book is that? My favourite is the fifth.
21. Well, that’s the second time I literally ran into you today. But you don’t have tacos in your hand this time. I like tacos though, so I wouldn’t mind if you were holding them again. My name is Moiz, by the way.
22. Your eyes are like brown diamonds. Beautiful.
23. Wow, what an awesome Led Zeppelin t-shirt!  I love Zeppelin.
24. So… how about we go on a date?
25. Is anyone sitting here?
26. Hey shawty.
27. Sorry, I know this is a weird question but do you know anyone who could sell me ecstasy?
28. Do you know where the bathroom is?
29. Hello.
30. A/S/L?
31. Can I lay with you?
32. I’m drunk messaging since I need alcohol in order to get the nerve to ask you…
33. What would you do if a car came at us right now?
34. So, you wanna make out?
35. You have a very beautiful smile. Why aren’t you smiling more often?
36. Can I borrow your sweatshirt?
37. Hey, can I see your book? It’s a really cool book. I like old books.
38. Hey, how’s it going?
39. I like your shirt.
40. I wanna Channing all over your Tatum.

Your guide to UTSC government

Have you ever wondered how UTSC works? I mean, like, how is it structured or laid out? Is it like a corporation? Do we have a CEO? A president? How much input does the government have in our institutions? I found myself wondering, so I made an outline of UTSC and brief explanations for the various councils, and bodies with links for your further studies. These are especially poignant with the current governing council and campus council elections going on right now. I hope you enjoy and tune in next week as we explore the various student associations that the students of UTSC are part of, and that represent us on our behalf.

General Layout of the UTSC Governing Bodies

Governing Council

The Governing Council is the Governing Body of the University of Toronto. It’s been responsible for all the top level academic, business, and student affairs decisions of University of Toronto since it was established in the University of Toronto Act, 1971 by the Commission on University Government. (Former Ontario Premiers William Davis and Bob Rae  helped, btw). 

It consists of 50 members, 25 from within the community and 25 from outside.The two heads of the University, The President, and the Chancellor, serve by virtue of their positions, Ex Officio. Eighteen positions are appointed, 16 by the Lieutenant-Governor-in-Council (it is a public University after all), and two senior administrators are appointed by the President of the University. The Council elects a Chairman from the officials appointed by the lieutenant-governor-in-council.

Thirty positions are elected. They consist of 18 teaching staff, eight alumni, eight students (four full-time undergrads, four part-time undergrads, two grad students), and two administrative staff.

Students and the senior administrators appointed by the president serve one-year terms, everyone else serves three-year terms. Elected members may serve for up to nine consecutive years.

The Governing Council meets around six times a year, anyone can attend a meeting and it is live-streamed for your convenience. Check their website, for details.

The Governing Council has three Boards, The Academic Board, Business Board, and University Affairs Board, and several standing committees, some of which specifically serve each board.

There is an executive committee, made up of members of the Governing Council, which sets the agendas for the Governing Council, among other functions, which might be considered to be the actual inner circle of top governance at the University.

The Chancellor

The Honourable Michael Wilson serves as our Chancellor. He is the titular head of the University (like the Queen is the titular head of Canada). He represents the University of Toronto to an external committee, and “plays an essential ambassadorial role inadvancing the University’s interests within the local, provincial, national andinternational arenas.” He is also the head of Convocation and is responsible for conferring your future degree.

He is elected for three years by University alumni, and since he is at the head of the University, he has a seat on most councils and committees by Ex Officio.

The President

President David Naylor serves as the University of Toronto’s CEO. He is expected to have “general supervision over and direction of the academic work of the University and the teaching and administrative staffs thereof.” He has several vice presidents that serve directly under him, including our own Vice-President and Principal of the University of Toronto Scarborough, Franco J. Vaccarino.

He also has a seat on most councils and committees, as per his Ex Officio status as the president.

Vice-President and Provost

Cheryl Misak serves as our Vice-President and Provost. She is responsible for “academic and budgetary matters at the University of Toronto.” As such she has several Vice Provosts under her. Her office’s organisational structure is very clearly laidout and there's even a cool chart! 

Council of the University of Toronto Scarborough

The Campus Council is similar to the Governing Council, but primarily concerned with campus wide affairs. It has three very distinct committees (Agenda committee, Academic Affairs Committee, Campus Affairs Committee), which provide separate roles from the Campus Council per se, and hold separate elections from Campus Council. Members of the Governing Council are also present in the Campus Council, and half the members are again from outside of the University of Community. Until recently it was called the College Council and operated under different rules, in fact it is going through a transition right now, with new rules going into effect in July. This article will reflect the upcoming rules.

Campus Council changes and amends bylaws by which the council and the university act, creates committees as needed, and broadly influences policy in its early stages. 

Members of Campus Council, chart taken from
University of Toronto Scarborough Campus Council Terms of Reference

 Please note: “Other members of the community” are defined as “individuals in the broader community who have an interest in, commitment to or affiliation with the campus.”
LGIC stands for Lieutenant-Governor-in-Council, and is the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario.

Agenda Committee

The Agenda Committee is the overseer of the Campus Council, it directs the council’s decisions, motions, proposals, and acts on them. It also oversees constitutional changes, certain scholarship awards, and the electoral process for the councils. Members are representatives of other school councils and committees. Only one student representative, the current SCSU President sits on the agenda committee. Think of it as the Campus Council's equivalent to the Government Council's Executive Committee.

Members of the Agenda Committee, chart taken from
University of Toronto Scarborough Campus Council Terms of Reference

Academic Affairs Committee

Oversees and approves curricular and academic matters, such as programs, courses, academic regulations, and academic policy. Largest Committee, almost half of it consists of teaching staff.

Members of the Academic Affairs Committee, chart taken from
University of Toronto Scarborough Campus Council Terms of Reference

Campus Affairs Committee

Responsible for matters that directly concern the quality of student and campus life, as well as directing and planning uses of campus resources. 

Members of the Campus Affairs Committee, chart taken from
University of Toronto Scarborough Campus Council Terms of Reference

Vice-President, Principal of University Toronto Scarborough

Franco J. Vaccarino is the University of Toronto President. He leads the executive group of Vice-Principals and the Office of Business, Operations and Strategic Affairs, and sits on the campus council as well as its committees.

Vice-Principal Research

Professor Malcolm Campbell serves as the Vice Principal of Research, he works with the U of T Vice-President of Research to direct research at the University, so that they are in alignment with each other. He is the chair of the UTSC Research Advisory Board.

Dean and Vice-Principal Academic

Dr. Rick Halpern serves as the Vice Principal of University of Toronto. His office is responsible for oversight of faculty appointments and career progression, development and administration of academic policies, and development and review of academic departments and programs, as well as management of the academic budget.

Dean and Vice-Principal Student Affairs

Desmond Pouyat is the Dean of Student Affairs, his office is responsible for most of the campuses student services, including student clubs.  It is also responsible for maintaining a healthy relationship with student leaders on campus.

The Office of Business, Operations and Strategic Affairs

Headed by CAO Andrew Anifuzzaman. This office is responsible for operating the complicated school institution. Functions include, communications and public affairs, government and external relations, financial services, information technology, facilities management, business and space planning and planning, capital construction, campus safety and security services, health and safety, emergency planning and business continuity, hospitality, retail, and conference services.