HOLIDAY PARADE OF LIGHTS
On Saturday, November 16th, 2013 the Downtown Halifax Business Commission will be holding the annual Holiday Parade of Lights in downtown Halifax. There are a variety of cool and festive floats as well as entertainment, music and opportunities to donate to Feed Nova Scotia. It’s a FREE event and a
great way to kick off the holiday season! So get some friends together, grab
some hot chocolate and take in the beautiful lights!
HRM CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTING
Check out this other great, free holiday event on Saturday, November 23rd,
2013! The annual tree lighting will be held in Halifax Grand Parade and there
will be a visit from Santa Claus, FIREWORKS, music, entertainment and of
course, the tree lighting ceremony! As well, make sure you bring a nonperishable food item for Feed Nova Scotia!!!
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November 2013
RUN FOR THE CURE
NEW LOUNGES
Throughout the months of September and October, Residence Assistants here at SMU have
done some fantastic fundraising for the CIBC Run for the Cure. Run for the Cure is dedicated to raising funds and creating education and awareness programs for breast cancer research. Thousands participate in the Run each year and our Residence Assistants (RAs)
were working hard for the cause as Team Ridiculously Awesome!
The RA’s have been working very hard on and off campus fundraising money for Run for
the Cure. You likely noticed the RAs in the Loyola Colonnade with their Bake Sale table
during September as well as the homecoming football game in October paired up with Athletics. The team raised a significant amount thanks to the wonderful people here at Saint
Mary’s donating what they could for a tasty treat.
Another event held was ‘Pie/Wax Your RA’, held in the Loyola. This event allowed RAs to
raise money by getting pies thrown at their faces! Some of the male RAs also had participants pay to wax a part of their leg and chest! Now that is dedication to the cause! They also
painted pink ribbons in honor / memory of people affected by this disease in Hen Alley.
Our most successful event was taking our fundraising off campus to the Superstore on Bar-
You may have noticed the newly renovated lounges on certain floors in Loyola & Va-
rington Street. The RAs bagged groceries for four
nier. The new lounges are equipped with a recycling centre as well as new lounge fur-
hours for customer’s charitable donations.
niture! The University Residence plan to
th
The Run took place on Sunday, October 6 where the
team showed school spirit with enthusiasm; ready to
celebrate their fundraising efforts being ‘Ridiculously
Awesome! (RA)” A grand total of $2546.15 was
raised by the RAs for breast cancer research! A big
thank you to everyone who supported our team and helped raise money for such a great
renovate lounges on all floors within the
coming years! The new layout of the
lounges are designed to create an open
atmosphere that encourages community
on each floor.
cause we could not have done it without you!
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4TH FLOOR
STUDENT
CENTRE
420-5761
Whether you are on a sports or volunteer team, or you would just
like to validate activities that foster your professional and
personal development visit www.smu.ca/career to activate your record
today.
Now. Is your Co-Curricular Record active?
GREAT OPPORTUNITY!!!
SO CHECK IT OUT!
Stay Over Requests
During the Holidays
All students must vacate the residence within 24 hours following their last scheduled exam, paper or
class in December. Stay Over Request Forms during the holiday break will be made available on
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 1st in the Centre for Housing & Residence Life (LR114)
Unfortunately, the regular residence occupancy period does not include the Christmas break.
Students interested in staying in residence between their last scheduled exam and January 5th, 2013
must apply by November 30th, 2013. A fee of $200.00 is charged for requests received before the
deadline, extra charges may occur for requests received after the deadline. For more information
please visit the Centre for Housing & Residence Life
Stay-over requests only apply to students also registered for Residence in January 2014. There will
be limited University and Residence Services available during the Christmas break.
Extension Requests
All students must vacate their Residence rooms for the Christmas break within 24-hours of their last
scheduled exam, paper or class.
If a student needs to stay longer than the allowed time, Extension Request Forms will become available November 1st in the Centre for Housing & Residence Life
 A fee of $30.00/day is charged for each day beyond December 19, 2013.
 A fee of $60.00/day is charged for each day beyond December 19, 2013 for requests received
after December 2, 2013
 All requests are reviewed by the Director, Housing and Conference Services and are not guaranteed to be granted
Early Arrival Requests
The Residences will reopen on January 5th, 2014 for second semester. Students who wish to arrive
earlier than this date must complete an Early Arrival Request Form. They will be available in the
Centre for Housing & Residence Life starting November 1st, 2013.
 A fee of $30.00/day for arrival to Residence prior to the reopening on January 5th, 2014
 A fee of $60.00/day for arrival to Residence prior re-opening for requests received after
November 30th, 2013 deadline.
 Early arrival requests are not necessarily granted.
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3
NOISE VIOLATIONS AND FINE
Ever wonder what noise fines are like living in Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM)? Here is your
answer! Below, we have summarized HRM’s Noise By-law (By-law # N-200) side by side with
Saint Mary’s University Residence Noise Policies. See for yourself how the two compare:
HRM
RESIDENCE
Quiet Hours for Residence
Sunday-Thursday:
10:00 pm-8:00 am
Friday-Saturday:
12:00 am-8:00 am
During Exam period: 24 hours
“Quiet Hours” for HRM*
Monday-Thursday:
9:30pm-7:00am
Friday:
9:30pm-8:00am
Saturday:
7:00pm-9:00am
Sunday:
7:00pm-7:00am
Fines for Noise Violations
A $50.00 Notice of Fine (NOF)
A student is required to meet with a
Residence Coordinator if they receive 3 NOFs
 A student is required to meet with the
Director of Housing and Conference Services if
they receive a 4th NOF
 A student may be dismissed from residence
after receiving a 5th NOF
Fines for Noise Violations
A minimum of $125.00 to a maximum of
$10,000.00
 Possibility of imprisonment for up to a year
 A second offence within six-months
warrants a minimum fine of $200.00 (HRM
N-200 §8,9.2)



*for certain types of noise.
http://www.smu.ca/administration/resoffic/documents/
ResidenceLifeHandbookSeptember2010.pdf
http://www.halifax.ca/legislation/Bylaws/hrm/bln200.pdf
24 Hour Quiet Hours
Special quiet hours go into effect at 8:00pm Sunday, November 24th, 2013.
These hours continue for the duration of the exam period and are in effect 24 hours a day. This
means that all noises (such as playing of music, voices, TVs) must be self-contained within your
own room. Room and lounge doors are to be kept closed and individual post-exam celebrating is to
be done outside of residence.
Warnings for Noise Violations will not be given. Any violation of the 24 hr Quiet Hours will
result in an automatic $50 Notice of Fine (NOF).
The Co-Curricular Record
The Co-Curricular Record (CCR) is a formal university-verified account of student
participation and achievements that focuses on co-curricular activities and their according learning outcomes. It is available to all enrolled students and recent graduates
to validate their prior non-academic commitments.
When applying for employment, scholarships or to graduate schools, CCR gives you
an edge. It reveals your applied soft skills (self-management, leadership, organizational, public speaking, communication etc.) from your out-of-class participation. These
soft skills are practiced and developed through active involvement in the following
activities:
Recognized Activity Categories
Leadership roles in any department
Student Government Positions: President SMUSA,
Chief Returning Officer SMUSA, Director…
RA, TA, LEAP Program Mentor, VP, President…
Varsity, Intramurals & Sport Clubs
that are of transformational kind
Football (Cornerback), Women’s Hockey (Defence),
Men’s Soccer (Keeper), Curling (The Lead)…
Awards such as scholarships, bursaries,
honours and athletic awards
Athlete of the Week, AUS All-Star, CIS athlete of
the week, Most Valuable Rugby Player…
Professional / Personal Development
for which academic credit is not provided
Trumped Competition Member, Health Education Presenter, Academic Senate Member…
Student Societies found on campus
Volunteer Work related to campus
Event Coordinator, Project Manager, Fundraiser,
Treasurer, Multi-Media Designer, Promoter...
SAGA Volunteer, IDS Awareness and Fundraising, Sustainability Assistant, Shine A Light…
Please remember to be considerate and respectful of your fellow residence students’ right to a quiet
and studious residence.
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13
Remembrance Day Services
Remembrance Day is a public holiday in Canada where we honour
the past and current members of the armed forces. The University
will be closed on Monday, November 11th, in lieu of the November
11th holiday.
There will be various services in the HRM. If you are interested in
attending a service, here are some that will be happening nearby
(most services begin at 11:00am):


Halifax Grand Parade (corner of Barrignton St and Prince St)
Camp Hill Cenotaph, in the Camp Hill Cemetery (corner of
Robie St and Vetran’s Memorial Ln)
 Point Pleasant Park (at the Sailor’s Memorial on the
Waterfront. Follow Sailor’s Memorial Way).
Important Dates in
November & December
EXAM SCHEDULE
The Fall 2013 semester exam schedule has been posted to Banner. To view your schedule, follow
these steps:
 go to www.smu.ca and click on Current Students
 click on Self Service Banner on the left-hand menu
 click Enter Secure Area and use your A# and pin to log in
 click on Student Information, then Registration, then Student Details Schedule
 select September-December 2013 from the drop-down menu
You should now have all your registered courses, with their final exam dates and locations listed on
your screen. Exams begin on November 29th, 2013 and end on December 17th, 2013. You are required to vacate residence 24 hours after your last exam. See page 3 for more details.
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November
11
12
27
28
29
December
8
17
18
- Remembrance Day. University closed. No classes.
- Last day to withdraw, without academic penalty, from three
or six credit hour courses taught only in the Fall term.
- Last day of classes in Fall term.
- Study Day. No classes.
- Start of formal examinations.
- Patronal Feast of the University. No exams.
- End of final exams and end of the Fall term. Subject to change.
- Residence closes for holidays.
For the full list of Important Dates for 2013-14 as listed by the Registrar, please visit:
http://www.smu.ca/servicecentre/dates.html
5
EMERGENCY NOTIFICATIONS
A new emergency mass notification system has been implemented throughout the
University,
including Residence. The following are the notifications you could hear in future cases of
emergency:
General Emergency: This is an emergency, evacuate, evacuate, evacuate. This is an emergency. Go
to the nearest exit immediately. Do not use the elevators. This is an emergency.
Bomb Threat: This is an emergency, evacuate, evacuate, evacuate. Take your personal belongings and go to the nearest exit immediately, do not use the elevators. This is an emergency.
Leave Campus: This is an emergency. There is an emergency on campus, leave the grounds
immediately. This is an emergency.
Lock Down: This is an emergency lock down. Take shelter in the nearest classroom, office,
or
residence room. Lock the door. Follow any lock down procedures posted in the room. This is
an emergency lock down.
Shelter in Place: This is an emergency shelter in place. Take shelter in the nearest classroom,
office, or residence room. Lock the door. Follow any shelter in place procedures posted in the
room. This is an emergency shelter in place.
Move Away: This is an emergency. Move away from all buildings. This is an emergency
Power Failure: There is a power failure in this building. Please exit the building within 15
minutes
Gas Leak: This is an emergency. Stay inside the building. Close all windows and doors due
to a
possible gas leak. This is an emergency.
Test: May I have your attention please? This is a test. This is not an emergency. This is a test.
All Clear: May I have you attention please? The state of emergency has ended. Please go
about your normal routine.
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MY NAME IS
________________
and I am an RA!
Hello, my name is Tariro Dheka and I am from the beautiful continent of
Africa from a beautiful country called Zimbabwe. So I’ve come a long
way! I am in my second year, studying International Development studies.
Likes: spending time with friends, peace and quiet, travelling,
swimming, I love people who can make me laugh, I love kids and I
love life
Dislikes: DIRT and poor mannerisms, bugs
I became an RA because my previous RA set an awesome example
for me, it inspired me to do the same because helping people, talking to people and being a reliable friend and leader is something I
love to do. Things tend to get overwhelming at times and sometimes you just need a listening ear.
Interesting Fact: I am part of triplets!!
Hi, my name David Slipp and I'm from Saint John, New
Brunswick. I'm a second year Arts student majoring in Psychology and Criminology.
Likes: Reading, watching movies/netflix, spending time with
friends, and old video games.
Dislikes: Clowns, snakes, and people who talk during lectures.
I became an RA because I wanted to play a more active role
in the res community and be involved in making SMU a more
enjoyable environment for everyone who lives here.
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MY NAME IS
________________
and I am an RA!
Hello, My name is Kneal Gaitor and I am a Returning RA from Nassau, Bahamas which also happens to be the capital of the Bahamas. I am in my 3rd
year of my Bachelor of Science program in Biology.
Likes: biology, playing videogames, meeting new people, hanging out, girls,
watching tv, skyping my mom/texting my dad, sushi, action movies
Dislikes: 8:30am classes, drama/romance movies, rule breakers, vegetables,
chemistry, that awkward elevator silence, calculus
I became an RA because I always liked helping people, so I figured why not
do it on a more official level. Also as an RA you automatically meet a minimum of 22 (your floor members) mostly new people each year.
Hello, my name is Pamela Kent and I'm from Windsor, Nova Scotia
and Mount Uniacke, Nova Scotia.
Likes: Going for a walk in the woods, reading, me time and hanging
out with friends and family
Dislikes: Cheese, spiders, snakes, being startled, people cracking
their knuckles, and people chewing with their mouth open/loudly
Why you became an RA: I had a great experience on my floor last
year, and I wanted to help pass on that experience to others.
Interesting Fact: I'm the oldest child, and the middle child. However
I am not an only child, and I am not a multiple.
A WORD FROM YOUR DIETITIAN
ERICA SAVAGE, REGISTERED DIETITIAN
Why You Don’t Want to Skip Breakfast
By: Erica Savage, Registered Dietitian
So maybe you stayed up late to study and wanted those extra precious minutes to
sleep in or review your notes before you run to class. You skip breakfast, figuring
you can make up your missed nutrients at lunch. What’s the big deal missing one
meal right?
Breakfast is exactly what the word entails; you’re breaking the fast that has occurred
after sleeping, for sometimes up to ten hours or more with no food. It has been
shown that individuals who consume breakfast have greater success with weight
loss/maintenance. Breakfast is so important because it kick starts your day, fuelling
you with energy to start your morning, helping with concentration and mood. It triggers our bodies to wake up and get vital functions up to speed for the day.
On the flipside, individuals who skip breakfast tend to choose foods higher in sugar
and fat, as their blood sugars are low and their body is craving energy. They typically ingest more calories throughout the day; which long term can result in weight
gain. Skipping meals also has a negative effect on metabolism, causing it to slow
down, and also can result in decreased concentration and negative mood.
Enjoy breakfast at the Dockside; even if it’s something small such as a piece of toast
and peanut butter, and grab a piece of fruit to go. Try a boiled egg, fruit and yogurt
or have an omelette and a piece of fruit.
In a rush and don’t have time to swipe in? Hit the Apple Peel and grab a smoothie,
yogurt parfait or sandwich. Or swing by the C-Store for some trailmix, fruit and
Greek yogurt. Not a “breakfast person”? Grab a multigrain sandwich, wrap or hummus platter. Even something small such as a granola bar and apple are better than
having nothing in your system. This will get you fuelled for class and ready to take
on your daily endeavours!
For more information on nutrition or dietary related concerns, contact dietitian@smu.ca.
7
WITHDRAWING FROM RESIDENCE
All students who are graduating or withdrawing academically from Saint Mary’s University
at the end of first semester are reminded that you must officially withdraw from Residence.
Please refer to the online Residence Handbook, at
http://www.smu.ca/administration/resoffic/handbook.html for complete details concerning
the withdrawal procedures and check out steps. If you are planning to withdraw academically after first semester, please notify the Centre for Housing & Residence Life (LR114) in
writing by 5pm on Friday, November 15th, 2013 that you intend to withdraw. We will
then update our database to ensure that you are not charged any second term Residence
Fees other than your $500 deposit. As a reminder, if a student withdraws from residence
and does not simultaneously withdraw from the University, or if a student is dismissed by
the University from residence, the student is not eligible for an adjustment of room fees and
will be assessed fees for the entire academic year.
The Counselling Centre
Personal Counselling Couples Counselling Academic Coaching Consulting
4th Floor Student Centre, 420-5615
counselling@smu.ca
www.smu.ca/counselling
12 Tips for Emotional Wellness
Eat healthy, balanced, and regular meals
Try to get 30 minutes of exercise most days
Manage your time – prioritize, schedule tasks,
and minimize procrastination
Sleep well – aim for 7-9 hours per night
Try to balance school, work, and life, according
to your values and goals
Manage your stress – take action on the tasks
you can control
Take time to relax
Be mindful & take time to appreciate the positive aspects of your day
Smoking Policy
The Residence Life Office wishes to remind students that smoking is not permitted on the university
campus. Please help us to provide a safe and healthy Campus for the entire community by not smoking on campus property. For more information on the smoking policy visit: http://www.smu.ca/
health/tobacco-free.html
Spend time on your hobbies
Also, in Residence, all floors are considered non-smoking. This policy reflects the University’s
commitment to providing a smoke-free environment for all students, faculty
and staff. Violations of the smoking policy are fineable offenses. A minimum fine of $100.00 will be issued per each offense.
Express your feelings instead of keeping them inside
8
Set goals according to your values and take a small
step each day to work towards them
Spend time with people you care about and who care
about you
9