Your reliable first stop

Welcome - or welcome back - to the start of another academic year. If you need help or advice, the place to start for all advice and information is your college registrar's office - your reliable first stop for advice and information. Your college is here to give you friendly and helpful attention. If you have a question about a particular course or academic program, you can directly approach the department or college responsible for it. If you need an answer or need some help, reach out: many are here to help you find what you need.

Arts & Science Council elections

Arts & Science Council is the main governance body of the Faculty. Council is made up of students, faculty and staff representatives, all of whom are elected by their peers. It approves policy and curriculum shaping the academic lives of every Arts & Science student. It is also an important consultative body for the Dean. This is a chance to influence the shape of your education and put your hard-earned experience to use for the benefit of all. Elections for first-year reps and other open student positions on the 2011-2012 Arts & Science Council will take place September 27-28.

Program fee dates and course enrolment

Waiting lists for F and Y courses will close on September 18 and the last date to add F and Y courses on ROSI is September 25. Students' F and Y course loads will be "frozen" on October 5 for program fee purposes. F and Y courses dropped after that date will still be counted toward your overall course load for the year for program fee purposes. Note: it is best that you drop courses you do not intend to complete before September 25 so another student may take your space. Remaining in such a course for part of the term will mean unnecessary expenditures on textbooks and a waste of your class and study time. Decide this week which of your F and Y courses will get your full attention, drop the others and focus on what you intend to complete.

Dean's Student Initiatives Fund

The application deadline for the winter competition for the Faculty of Arts and Science Dean's Student Initiatives Fund is November 1. This award was established to provide financial support for undergraduate or graduate student initiatives that aspire to create dialogue and foster a greater sense of community.

Work-Study Positions now available

The Work-Study Program provides eligible students with an opportunity to meet financial needs and gain practical experience during the school year. To view these opportunities, log in to your Career Centre account and select 'Job Search' from the left-hand menu, then select 'Work-Study'.

Students examine urbanization and development in western China

A group of geography and Asia-Pacific Studies students recently visited the city of Chengdu, China to observe the impact of a new program that shifts investment from the country's prosperous coastal cities to its rural inland provinces. The visit included an opportunity to see how reconstruction efforts following the massive Sichuan earthquake in 2008 address the needs of residents, and the ways these efforts fit with the larger development strategy for the region.

UC One: Engaging Toronto

University College has launched UC One: Engaging Toronto with a set of four streams and seminars in which first-year students will use the city around them as the focus of interdisciplinary investigation. It follows in the tradition of other successful first-year college programs, Vic One and Trinity One.

The next Internet sensation?

Donny Ouyang is surely not the only undergrad to have fantasized about emulating Mark Zuckerberg and building the next billion-dollar Internet company. But when the second-year Rotman commerce student mentions that he plans to create the next Facebook, it's not just the idle musings of a teenager.

Nanochemist Geoffrey Ozin wins Albert Einstein Award of Science

University Professor Geoffrey Ozin has won the Albert Einstein World Award of Science, recognizing him as one of the architects of the rapidly-emerging field of nanochemistry.

Get ready to vote: provincial election day is October 6

Residents of Ontario who are at least 18 years old and Canadian citizens can participate in the upcoming provincial election. If you are living away from home, you have the option of voting for a candidate in the electoral district where you are currently living, or a candidate in the district where you permanently live. Get more information on how to get on the voters list and advance polls on the Elections Ontario website.

Experience the world!

Thinking of going on exchange, doing a research term abroad or participating in a joint program? Several of U of T's partner universities will be holding information sessions in September. Come out and talk to representatives from institutions you are interested in. All information sessions will take place in the Global Lounge at the Centre for International Experience (33 St. George St.).

Run for the Cure comes to campus

This year's Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation CIBC Run for the Cure will take place right here on the St. George Campus on Sunday, October 2. Sign-up today to help raise funds for breast cancer research and help U of T win the post-secondary challenge. Don't want to run? Organizers are also looking for volunteers to help out on the day.

Register for Hart House classes

Discover yourself this fall with classes for mind, body and spirit. Whether you're a budding screenplay writer or cycle-fit fanatic, ballroom dancer or wannabe clown, squash player or actor, there's a class for you at Hart House. Registration is now open.


For detailed listings of events and opportunities for students, be sure to check out Ulife at ulife.utoronto.ca and follow us on Twitter @UTulife. What are you doing after class?

Writing and other academic skills

The beginning of the year is exactly the right time to work on your skills so you see the benefits even on your first assignments. The College Writing Centres cooperate in offering a series of workshops for all students, new and returning, that will help you strengthen those skills at the core of university work. They run through the fall term, and are repeated in the winter term, but better to prepare early than to try to repair later.

Still Orienting: Queer Orientation week 2011

New and returning students are invited to participate in Queer Orientation 2011. Many great events are taking place on all three campuses from September 18-24. Come out, meet new people and find your community at U of T.

Are you the first in your family to attend post-secondary education?

Being the first in your family to pursue post-secondary education (a first-generation student) is something to be proud of. Gain access to resources and support by joining the First in the Family Peer-Mentor Program. Drop by the open house on September 22 to learn more about the program and meet some of the mentors.

Take 5

Life is busy, but that's all the more reason to take a break and think about five essential things you can do each day for your mental health: build community, stay active, try something new, explore what the campus and surroundings have to offer, and give back. Throughout October, Health & Wellness, in partnership with programs and services across campus, will be working to raise awareness around the factors that promote and influence positive mental health. Take a break. Get involved. Get connected. Visit www.healthandwellness.utoronto.ca for details.

Emily's New School Year's Resolutions

It's the new school year and I want to make the most of it. There's something wonderful about the new year. You have a fresh start, a completely new cast of people and ideas to fill up your day-to-day. Even though I'm going into my fourth year, everything feels new again when the leaves start turning gold and the air gets crisp. Read our blogger Emily's New School Year's resolutions.