Resources for Students
DAGS Travel Grants
The application process is currently open for conferences occurring from January 2012 to April 2012. To be eligible for a Travel Grant, you must meet the following criteria:
1) Must be a paying member of DAGS.
2) Must have already applied for or be ineligible for an FGS Travel Grant .
3) Must be attending a conference relating to your program of study.
4) Must not have received another DAGS Travel Grant during the same fiscal year.
Applications will not be accepted retroactively or for conferences that will occur after graduation.
Applications are available online (below) and must be submitted via email to office_dags.ca . The time stamp on these emails will be used to establish the order of these applications, as grants are provided on a first come, first served basis, and will thus be used as part of the screening process.
Incomplete applications will not be considered. Please review the application form for further information regarding the application process.
FGS Travel Grants
For information on the travel grants provided by the Faculty of Graduate Studies, click here .
DSU Handbook
A free handbook from Dalhousie Student Union Services is made available to students in the early autumn. In addition to useful information, it contains an agenda for keeping track of classes and deadlines.
The Dalhousie Multifaith Centre
The Dalhousie Multifaith Centre strives to explore the fundamental issues and concerns of the world from a religious perspective in a setting that encourages open and free discussion, and that appreciates divergent histories, attitudes, options, and values. The Centre is a space where students, staff, and faculty can address the basic questions of meaning and purpose in their lives no matter what their faith, philosophy, or doubt may be.
Map of the Dalhousie Campus
For a map of the Dalhousie campus, click here .
Student VIP Health Plan
As a full-time student and member of Dalhousie Student Union (DSU), you are automatically enrolled in the Student VIP Health Plan . Part-time students may opt into the plan. This plan provides a comprehensive set of supplementary health insurance benefits in excess of those provided through your provincial Medicare program.
Intramurals
There are about 50 teams participating in intramural competition each year in such sports as softball, basketball, volleyball, bowling, squash, raquetball, broomball and hockey, to name a few.
Dalhousie's intramurals organization includes men's, women's and co-ed competitive leagues, with teams representing faculties, departments, residence halls and other recognized groups. Leagues are open to all students, faculty, staff and Dalplex members.
Sports Clubs
Another way to get involved in sports and recreation at Dalhousie, get fit and meet new people is by joining one of its many sports clubs. The University Sport Club Program consists of some 25 active clubs comprised of students, faculty, staff and community members. There are three classes of sports clubs available at Dal: competitive, recreational and demonstration. Clubs conduct regular pratices and participate in organized leagues and tournaments at local, regional and often national levels. Some of these clubs include: fencing, karate, rowing, water polo, cross country running, badmington, womens ice hockey, rugby, curling, scuba, track and field, basketball, and volleyball and figure skating. Membership in a sports club is open to all students, staff, faculty and members of Dalplex and require a minimal membership fee. Contact Athletics and Recreation for further information.
Social Activities
There are numerous clubs and societies on campus. Some of which you are automatically a member as a graduate student here at Dalhousie. Your student fees provide financial support to these organizations, so it is important to get involved.
You are automatically a member of DAGS (Dalhousie Association of Graduate Students), which represents the interests and concerns of all graduate students at Dalhousie. All full-time students are also members of the DSU (Dalhousie Student Union); part-time students can become members by paying the full student fees. Matters of a general interest to all students are under the direct control of the DSU Council, and the DSU regulates student organizations (including DAGS).
The graduate students in your department likely have a graduate student society as well. Again you would automatically be considered a member of that society. These departmental societies are registered with DAGS, which provides them with financial, social and political support.
There are other clubs, societies and associations with interests as diverse as chess, scuba diving, politics, religion, photography and marketing. Refer to the Dalhousie Student Union's extensive list of student organizations. If you dont find the group you want, then we encourage you to create one! Visit the DSU office on the second floor of the SUB and ask for a list of clubs and societies with their contacts.
Bisexuals, Gays and Lesbians
DalOUT provides gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, transsexual, two-spirited, gender variant, intersexed, queer individuals, and the people who support them with education, advocacy and support.
Allies at Dalhousie support students, staff, and faculty of the full spectrum of sexual and gender diversity. Allies work to provide programs, services, training, support, referral, and resources on Rainbow or lgbt issues at Dalhousie.
International Students
The Centre provides services and programs for international students. It is a resource and activity post for students and is dedicated to ensuring that international students make the most of their stay in Canada. The Centre can assist with locating temporary accommodation.
It organizes reception and orientation programs that assist international students in adjusting to the new culture and in achieving their educational and personal goals. The Centre provides ongoing information and advice on financial, legal, immigration, hospital insurance, housing, and employment and personal matters. The Centre acts as a referral point to other services on campus. A variety of social, cultural, and educational programs are also held throughout the year.
The Centre has a lounge where students can meet or study. A number of international and national publications are on hand. International students may use the Centre as their permanent address to receive mail.
Dalhousie Women's Centre
The Dalhousie Women's Centre exists in recognition of the common and diverse social, cultural, cognitive, and physiological needs of women. Run by the Dalhousies Women's Centre Society, the Centre provides a meeting place for faculty, staff and students to collaborate in groups, discuss important issues, and share common concerns. The Dalhousie Women's Centre houses a resource library for both research and personal reading and it offers referrals to women's services in the Halifax area. The Centre offers a wide variety of programs and events throughout the year, including Week of Reflection and International Women's Week. Located at 1229 LeMarchant St., all members of the Dalhousie community are invited to visit, and the DWC always needs women with energy and the interest to volunteer. Office hours are Monday to Thursday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., call at 494-2432.
Libraries
University Libraries
The Dalhousie University Libraries serve students, faculty, and staff not only at Dalhousie but all over the region. Likewise, Dalhousie students have access to library materials from the six universities in the Halifax area, government offices, schools and an excellent public library system.
Dalhousie has four libraries where as a graduate student, you may borrow much of their book holdings for a period of up to 3 months. These libraries include: the Isaak Walton Killam Memorial Library, the W.K. Kellogg Health Sciences Library, the Dalhousie Law Library, the Pharmacy Library and the DalTech Library. All of these libraries are linked with NOVANET, the centralized computer network connecting most of the major university libraries in the city. This network provides an integrated catalogue of the collections at all the libraries involved. NOVANET can be accessed from within the libraries, or on the network within the libraries, or on the network within your department or from home through the phone lines (check with the computer service information desk on the basement floor of the Killam Memorial Library).
The libraries also have an extensive collection of CD-ROM databases which may be accessed from the libraries or remotely. Some of these data bases include: Anthropological Literature, Aquatic Sciences & Fisheries Abstracts, Applied Science and Technology, Canadian Business Trade & Technology, CANSIM, Environment Abstracts, Medline, Life Sciences, etc.
You might find it valuable at the beginning of the year to attend one of the library tours and instructions sessions. There is usually a schedule of these sessions posted in the libraries in September, or you can ask at the Reference Desk.
Carrels and Study Space
There are about 60 closed carrels in the Killam Library that are available for graduate students. Since carrel space is at a premium, only students who do not have study space in their own departments and are currently in the thesis-writing stage of their degrees are eligible. If you are in the thesis-writing stage of your degree and your need a carrel, contact your graduate supervisor as soon as possible in September. Students who find that they are able to share carrels are encouraged to indicate this, as it might increase their chances of getting one. Please remember that the key to a carrel is not a license to keep materials from the Library for your sole use.
As well as assigned carrels, the libraries have numerous open ones for general use. These are available to all students on a daily first come, first served basis. Some departments also have office space available for their graduate students.
Public Libraries
The Halifax Memorial Public Library on Spring Garden Road is the closest branch to Dalhousie campus. An excellent assortment of books and other literature are kept at this location and three other branches located around the city. The basement is equipped with books and toys for children of all ages, and there are full programs of puppet shows and movies. Call 421-6983 or drop into the library to pick up a schedule. Or visit the Halifax Public Libraries website.
The Rebecca Cohn and The Art Gallery
The Dalhousie Arts Centre houses the 1,000-seat Rebecca Cohn Auditorium, a 250 seat theatre, two studios, a sculpture court and the Dalhousie Art Gallery.
The Dalhousie Art Gallery is located on the lower level of the university's Arts Centre, below the Cohn Auditorium. Established in the 1953-4 academic year, it is the oldest public art gallery in Halifax, with a mandate to collect, preserve, interpret and display both historical and contemporary works of art. Its programs of exhibitions, lectures, films and artists' presentations are offered free of charge. In its role as an academic support unit, the Gallery provides a locus where aesthetic appreciation and criticism may develop and where related cultural issues may be examined. Guided tours and topic-related seminars are offered for school and university classes by qualified Gallery staff (by arrangement). The Gallery is an active area of research, producing scholarly publications to accompany exhibitions; as well, it maintains an extensive library of art journals and publications which are always available for reference or study. The Gallery is the custodian of a rich, varied permanent collection of art, which it holds in trust for the enjoyment and education of the whole community. The continued operation of the Dalhousie Art Gallery as an active exhibition centre is made possible with generous funding from Dr. John A. Scrymgeour.
