December 22, 2017
Spring 2018 semester update
Friday 5th January is TA/TM Day, open to all. See here for information on free workshops available to help you develop your teaching practice, and to become more familiar with the rights and responsibilities relating to your work. Note that if you have previously attended a TA/TM Day event, there are still very likely to be several workshops you could attend which would benefit you and your students, so be sure to check the schedule. For TAs and TMs, you have 6 allocated hours in your contract (every contract, not just your first!) put aside for training and professional development, so all workshops attended should be logged in this way.
After TA/TM Day, TSSU is running a social for all members* at the Diamond Alumni Centre from 4.30. There will be free burgers, chips, pop, and salad, with gluten free and vegetarian options available. There is a cash bar, and we will also be offering raffle prizes. From 6.00, we will be moving the social to Club Ilia. Feel free to join us at either venue!
*Anyone on a TA, TM, sessional instructor or ELC/ITP contract is a TSSU member, and remains so for two semesters following their last appointment.
The new semester timeline pictured above includes many important dates for TSSU members during the spring 2018 semester at SFU. A pdf version of the timeline can be found here. Keep up to date with our public calendar, which also includes scheduling for all TSSU committee meetings. Also, check your email for messages from TSSU, follow us on social media (see sidebar for links), and see your departmental TSSU noticeboard (email organizer@tssu.ca if you need help locating it).
If you are on a TSSU contract, your department should provide you with a copy of the Collective Agreement. A pdf version of this document can also be found here. If you are a TA, see p.77 for an example of the Time Use Guideline form, which should be discussed and completed with the instructor in the first week of classes. If you are a TM, see p. 82.
Information on health benefits can be found here and here. Further information for international students enrolled into Guard.me can be found here.
Other information pamphlets from TSSU:
See here for information on all TSSU committees, including what they cover, and the stipends available to members who join. If you would like to join any committee, come to a General Meeting to get ratified, or notify coordinator@tssu.ca with your interest if you cannot attend.
The first General Meeting of the semester is on Monday 22nd January, 4.30-6.30, at BLU 10921 on Burnaby campus. Open to all members, and with a free dinner provided!
