I hope you have had an enjoyable month since the last PG Update. Over this time I’m sure a number of you will have written a speech and competed in your department round of Thesis in 3. Congratulations and good luck to those who are competing in the University final on the 8th of September! It is shaping up to be an exciting evening!

As you have probably seen, it is election time around campus. Make sure to use your vote to support the candidates that you think will do a good job on the Exec of the UCSA in 2021, especially the Postgrad Rep as they will have the role of representing you. You will have received an email with a link that enables you to vote. Voting ends on Friday.

This year UC is running the UC Postgrad Experience Questionnaire (UCPEQ). This survey is run every two years and is a valuable tool to enable students to tell UC about their experience here at university, both academically and socially. The survey will take about 15 minutes to complete, with the option to save and come back, and UC uses your feedback to adjust how they support postgrad students both now and in the future. There are awesome prizes up for grabs including a $1,000 Aotearoa NZ travel voucher! Be sure to check your emails and fill out the survey to ensure your voice is heard!

If you are at the beginning of your studies, the Academic Skills Centre, Library and the PGSA are running a “Kick-start your Research” workshop, which will be held on Tuesday 25 August from 2–3pm in The Living Room (next to the University Book Store). This is a great opportunity to get the answers to some questions you may have about your research.

As mentioned in the last update, Helen – a yoga teacher – is excited to get the opportunity to do some yoga classes with postgrad students. She will be running a live session on 19th of August at 12.30pm on the PGSA noticeboard. More info about the yoga sessions can be found here.

We know that being a student can be financially challenging. If you are currently experiencing temporary financial difficulty you might be eligible for financial support. Please visit UC’s financial assistance webpage for more information about either this or other financial assistance available at UC. This webpage has a clear breakdown of the different grants that are available.

As always, if you have any ideas on how the UCSA can improve the postgrad experience, please get in contact. The UCSA would love to hear your ideas on areas that we can improve on. Feel free to get in contact with the UCSA Postgrad Rep via email: postgraduate@ucsa.org.nz

Ngā mihi,

Tori McNoe
UCSA President