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Graduate Student Orientation
Graduate student orientation is available both through an online canvas course and an in-person with event on the lead up to and during Welcome Week.
Friday, August 29, 2025 | In-Person, 51社区黑料Burnaby campus
51社区黑料Grad School Essentials: Find your place at your pace
Join us and our 51社区黑料partners in person to learn how to take advantage of the resources available to you as a grad student at SFU. Listen to panelists sharing their own grad school journeys, talk about the supervisory experience, share insights into research and more!
See this year's sessions below.
Registration now closed
We invite incoming students to use the Canvas platform to meet new students across all our academic disciplines, to build a base of support as they enter grad school, and to connect with our service units that will support them throughout their graduate career ahead of the in-person events during Welcome Week.
Some main features found within the Canvas platform are:
- Welcome messages from key community members
- Various information on a range of topics, hosted by different groups across SFU, including: funding, career services, health and counselling, research, writing, teaching and learning, as well as Indigenous and International student support and services
- Review materials in your own time and return to them throughout your time in grad school
- A wide range of service providers to support academics, professional development, well-being, and transition into the 51社区黑料community
- Pages for different graduate programs with links and resources, contact information, and other tools to help you get started
Questions about orientation?
Contact Charity Slobod at grad_prod@sfu.ca
Professional Development & Student Experience Manager
| 8:15鈥�9:00补.尘. | Check-in. Location: Outside BLU 10901, right beside door from the main 51社区黑料Transit Exchange. | |
| 9:15鈥�9:45补.尘. | Opening Address (Elder Scholar Dr. Richard Vedan, Dr. Dilson Rassier, Dr. Mary O'Brien) | |
| 10:00鈥�11:00补.尘. | Concurrent Sessions #1 (Select one)
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| 11:15a.m.鈥�12:15 p.m. | Concurrent Sessions #2 (Select one)
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| 12:15鈥�1:15 p.m. | Lunch | |
| 1:15-2:15 p.m. | Think Fast: Grad School Trivia International Student Transitions: Shared Stories & Global Student Centre (GSC) Social Indigenous Students: Learning the Lay of the Land |
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| 2:15鈥�3:15 p.m. | Burnaby Campus Tour | |
| 3:30鈥�6:00 p.m. | Graduate Student Society (GSS) Social at | |
Building your research and writing toolkit
Ali Moore (Digital Scholarship Librarian, Research Commons) and Julia Lane (Writing Services Coordinator, Student Commons)
鈥淚 wish I knew about this when I was just starting鈥︹�� In the library, we hear this sentence a lot from graduate students when we introduce them to writing, research, and thesis-support resources and strategies. Guess what? You are just starting. In this 60 minute session, Nicole White (Head of the Research Commons) and Julia Lane (Writing Services Coordinator) will introduce key tools, supports, spaces, and services for you to put in your research and writing toolkit.
TA Essentials - What You Need to Know
Kayla Hilstob (Chief Stewart, Teaching Support Staff Union) and Karine Fernandes (Secretary-Treasurer, Teaching Support Staff Union)
The Teaching Support Staff Union (TSSU) is dedicated to improving working conditions for teaching assistants (TAs) and many other workers on SFU鈥檚 campuses. We are here to support you by helping you understand and stand up for your rights, whether that鈥檚 understanding the Collective Agreement, your TA contract, your benefits, your rights as a TA, and more!
Graduate Studies: Funding & Awards
Dr. El Chenier (Associate Dean, Scholarship, Faculty of Graduate Studies) & Rachel Dawson (Associate Director, Training & Awards, Faculty of Graduate Studies)
Graduate Studies award staff will provide an overview of funding sources, related resources, tips and tricks on how to use our Graduate Awards System and Document Library. We鈥檒l also cover and answer any questions related to Tri-agency and other major competitions, award processing and payments.
Navigating the Student-Supervisor Relationship in Grad School
Hannah Buteau (Academic Graduate Student Support Specialist, Faculty of Graduate Studies) and Dr. Malcolm Kennett (Associate Dean, Student Affairs, Faculty of Graduate Studies)
In this session, we will discuss the student-supervisor relationship, a major component of your graduate school experience. You'll learn best practices for building a productive and supportive partnership, understand important policies and regulations that guide these relationships, and have the opportunity to ask questions to ensure you're set up for success. This session will provide you with the tools and insights needed to thrive in your graduate school journey.
The Graduate Student Society: Building Community and Advocacy
Harjap Grewal (Advocate and Policy Advisor, Graduate Student Society) and Ravi Soni (Director of Student Life, Graduate Student Society)
Danica Reid (Director of Academic Relations, Graduate Student Society)
At this session you will learn more about the GSS services (Health, Dental, UPass, & more) as well as our advocacy work for individual students and through collective campaigns. You can also find out about getting involved either from within your department or directly with the GSS and its committees. As a member driven organization, we hope to build community among graduate students through events, socials and our collective work with the society. Join us!
Indigenous Students: Learning the Lay of the Land
Nicole Manson, (Indigenous Academic & Student Liaison in the Faculty of Communication, Art & Technology)
Come and visit. Talk to and meet the Indigenous person who will be sending you informative emails during your time at the university. Learn some of the significant places and resources that can make your pathway at 51社区黑料more enjoyable and easier to navigate.
International Student Transitions: Shared Stories & Global Student Centre (GSC) tour
Zoreen Nuraney, (Student Transition Educator, International Student Services), Fakhreddin Amirhosseini (Mechatronics, MSc), Yuxin Cao (Anthropology, MRM), Vanja Veki膰 (Linguistics, MA)
Student panelists from around the globe discuss challenges and
opportunities they faced starting at SFU. Walk
away with a new awareness of the resources and
people here at 51社区黑料to support you! After the panel, join us for a short guided tour towards the Global Student Center - a dedicated lounge for international student to mingle, ask questions and enjoy snacks.
Think Fast: Grad School Trivia
Stacey "The Peak Puzzler" Makortoff, (Associate Director, Communications, Marketing, and Student Experience, Faculty of Graduate Studies)
Ready, set, trivia! Dive into an hour of fast-paced fun where your brain gets a workout and your grad school toolkit gets a boost. In this one-hour team trivia challenge, you鈥檒l race through questions, unlock grad school tips, and bond with your colleagues.
Graduate Student Society (gss) Social
, UniverCity (SFU)