Continuous Registration

A graduate student proceeding to a degree must maintain continuous registration in each successive term (Fall/Winter/Summer) from initial registration until all requirements for the degree are completed. Exception: A Leave of Absence may be granted on medical (including maternity) or compassionate grounds.

Leave of Absence

A Leave of Absence may be granted on medical (including maternity) or compassionate grounds. If a leave of absence is taken during a period when a student is eligible for funding, the period of funding eligibility is extended by the duration of the period of the leave. A request for a leave of absence must be made one month prior to the beginning of the term for which it is being requested and is subject to the approval of the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. Requests are submitted online through the Graduate Student Web Services Portal.

Part-time Status

Part-time registration in full-time programs may be granted in exceptional circumstances (but will not normally be considered before the student has completed two years in a Master's program or four years in a Doctoral program).  Examples of such circumstances are: admission to another full-time university program, medical or other circumstances that make it impossible for the student to continue to devote full-time attention to his or her program of study, or in a case where the student has secured full-time employment related to the degree that would otherwise be lost.  Note that financial circumstances alone are not considered grounds for a change from full-time to part-time status.  The request should be made at least one month prior to the beginning of the term for which it is being requested and is subject to the approval of the program and of the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. Requests are submitted online through the Graduate Student Web Services Portal.

Absence From Campus

Any absence from campus must be reported to the Graduate Affairs Assistant. An absence for a period exceeding four weeks in any term must be approved by the Graduate Committee and by the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.

Student Safety

Click here for a list of emergency/distress contact information.

The following are some things that can be done to increase the safety of students in the Social Science Centre:

• Do not admit anyone who does not already possess a key into the building during closed hours.
• Do not prop entry/exit doors open during closed hours, either for ventilation or for convenience (e.g., a quick trip to get coffee or snacks).
• Name plates on office doors should have surname and initials only.
• Do not place posters, advertisements, or notices that would lead others to determine (correctly or incorrectly) the gender of the occupant(s) on office doors.
• Consider using the WESTERN FOOT PATROL (telephone: 661-3650; extension 83650 on campus) during evening hours.

Health Insurance

If you are covered by a provincial health insurance plan other than the Ontario Plan, be sure to contact the plan and advise them of your enrolment at Western. Many of the plans will require you to have confirmation of enrolment sent to them, by the Office of the Registrar. The plan offices will also give you information about any restrictions on your coverage while you are out of the province.

UHIP
Students from outside Canada are required to join the University Health Insurance Plan (UHIP) or a UWO-approved equivalent plan.

Opting Out of Extended Health Insurance Benefits
Extended health insurance benefits are provided automatically for full-time graduate students, provided they are covered by their provincial health plan or have an OHIP-equivalent plan (e.g., UHIP). The fee for this extended health plan is included in student activity fees for each term. Students have the option of opting out of these extended health insurance benefits. For further information, visit the Society of Graduate Students (SOGS) web site.

The Graduate Teaching Assistants' (GTA) Union also offers health coverage to students employed as Teaching Assistants.

Social Insurance Number

All employees must have a Social Insurance Number (SIN). Rather than delaying a person's pay, the University has adopted a procedure that will enable payments to be made to non-Canadians for up to the first 12 weeks of employment, during which time a SIN application should have been processed by Services Canada. If a person fails to provide a proper SIN by the end of 12 weeks, further payment will be withheld until the individual furnishes this information to Human Resources. Service Canada is located in the Dominion Public Building at 457 Richmond St. in downtown London. Hours from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (519-645-4580). You will need your passport and your Graduate Teaching or Research Assistant Contract. Present your new SIN information to Human Resources (room 5100 Western Support Services) and to the graduate affairs assistant.

Income Tax Receipts

Your scholarship receipt will be sent to your mailing address in the Student Center; your income receipt will be sent to your mailing address on the Human Resources' system; your tuition receipt (T2202A) will be available online, through Student Services.

Changing Your Address/Banking Information

To change your student address, go to the Student Center.  As mentioned above, your tax receipt for scholarship funding will be sent to this address.

Your income tax receipt(s) will be sent to the address in the Human Resources' data base.  Submit address changes through their web site. You will need your employee user ID (employee email address, excluding "@uwo.ca") and password.   Effective 2009, the student employee user ID and student ID are one and the same.  All others, if you need to change your address but do not know your employee username and password, you may call the ITS help line (83800 from on campus) with your employee ID nuumber (appears on your pay stub; also available from Denise).

Mailboxes

Each graduate student in Sociology will have a mailbox (below your name) in the mail room (5307 SSC) across from the Sociology administrative offices. Mail arrives at approximately 2:30 p.m. daily. Even if you do not choose to have any mail sent to this box, you should check it regularly.

The correct mailing address is:
Department of Sociology
Social Science Centre
University of Western Ontario
London, ON N6A 5C2

Any stamped outgoing mail may be left in the black mesh container on the counter in the mail room.  If you are mailing something to another university in Ontario, no postage is required. Just write IUTS (Inter-University Transit System) in the postage corner of the envelope.

Notices

When notices which are of concern to students come through the Department, they are either posted on the bulletin boards in the hall opposite the administrative offices or circulated via e-mail.

Teaching Assistant Supplies/Copying/AV Equipment

Complimentary copies of the textbooks used in the course for which you are a TA should be available from the professor teaching the course. If the professor does not have extra copies, the UWO bookstore may be able to help out . . . but check with the professor first.  Course professors will provide a copy code for any photocopying required for teaching assistantship work.  AV equipment may be requested from Amy Jacob; at least 48 hours notice is required.

Personal Photocopying

There is a charge of 5 cents per page for students wishing to use the Department copier in room 5307 (across from the administrative offices) for personal use. Graduate students have access, via personal code, to the machine against the far wall, and will be billed by the department administrative officer.

Department Lounge

The Sociology Department Lounge is located in room SSC 5240. Graduate students are welcome to use the facilities available in the lounge, provided they adhere to the KITCHEN RULES (on the refrigerator). Coffee is free; you must provide your own cream and/or sugar. The Lounge may not be used either as an office or for meetings.

Office Space

Every attempt will be made to supply all teaching assistants with office space. Students beyond the funding period must vacate their office, unless advised otherwise. Please note that any personal items left behind in an office will be discarded. Applications to reserve a library carrel for study purposes are available at the D.B. Weldon Library.

Library Study Carrels

Locked library carrels are available under special circumstances (generally, a need for materials that may not be removed from the library, such as periodicals and government documents) for graduate students studying for a comprehensive exam or working on a thesis. For further information and application form click here.

Inter-Library Loan Service

This service is offered at the Reference Desk on the main floor of the Weldon Library. Here you can secure books from other libraries in and outside of Canada. Journal articles are also obtainable, but usually in photocopy form, and there is a page charge. You will need a complete citation for this service. For this and other library services, click here.

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If you have questions after referring to this handbook, please contact Denise Statham, Graduate Program Assistant.

Graduate Program

Graduate Handbook

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