Society of Graduate Students at Western University

09/07/2026

🛒 Grocery savings are here!

Stop by the SOGS Office (Middlesex College, Room 8) from Monday-Friday 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. and grab your Sobeys Savings Card!

Present it with your Scene+ card during checkout and earn 500 Scene+ points when you spend $40.

Accepted at any Sobeys, Safeway, FreshCo, or Lawtons location.

🚨Don’t wait! Valid only until September 21st , 2026 while quantities last!

09/06/2026

Until October 1st, 2026, you can opt in eligible dependents; a spouse or partner, and children, for an additional fee.
If your household has been juggling separate coverage or no coverage at all, this is the window. It doesn’t reopen until the next enrolment period.
Check eligibility at studentvip.ca/SOGS

09/04/2026

🎓 As part of Grad Student Orientation hosted by , three SOGS commissioners and the VP Advocacy are answering questions about grad school.

📅 Friday, September 11th
🕙 10 a.m. – 10:50 a.m.
📍 Scholar's Square

Panelists:

Paige Reekie (she/her), 2nd year combined MPT/PhD in the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences. Accessibility Commissioner at SOGS.

Lucas Ferreira Marques Dos Santos (he/him), PhD candidate in Inorganic Chemistry. International Commissioner at SOGS.

Malcolm Macdonald (he/him), PhD candidate in the Faculty of Education. Pride Commissioner at SOGS.

Kat Newman-Seymour (they/them), PhD candidate in Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies with a collaborative specialization in Environment and Sustainability. VP Advocacy at SOGS.

Bring your questions!

09/04/2026

Our SOGS President, Matheus Sanita Lima, popped up in a couple of "Welcome Back" videos this week 🎥: one for the President's Office, and one for Western Student Experience.

Joining him are John Doerksen, Vice-Provost – Students, and Steve Xia, University Students' Council at Western University President — with Matheus in the middle! 🤝

Stay tuned; we'll share both videos as soon as they're released! ✨

09/02/2026

09/02/2026

The Fall Opt-Out Period is open until October 1st, 2026.

Before you make a decision, take a moment to see all the benefits available to you.
Learn more at: studentvip.ca/SOGS

09/01/2026

Did You Know?
Your benefits card might be one of the most valuable things on your phone this semester.
Download it now so it's ready when you need it.
studentvip.ca/SOGS

09/01/2026

The position of Deputy Speaker will soon be vacant and requires a by-election at the Thursday, September 24th council meeting. Learn more about the position:

📋 What does the Deputy Speaker do?

The Deputy Speaker oversees the Society's policies, bylaws, and constitution. The Deputy Speaker works with the Speaker to run monthly council meetings and is the Official Liaison for the Policy Committee.

💰The Deputy Speaker earns a stipend of $1,047.60 per month (including 4% vacation pay).

✍️ Want to nominate yourself?

SOGS members in good standing wishing to nominate themselves must submit both a poster and a 1-page nomination statement for inclusion in the Council mail-out to the SOGS Speaker ([email protected]) no later than Tuesday, September 22nd, 2026 at 4 p.m.

⚠️ Please note: campaigning is strictly prohibited outside of the September Council mailout and meeting. Campaigning includes but is not limited to: emailing voters, putting up posters, and social media posts.

❓ Questions?

Get in touch with the SOGS Speaker ([email protected]) to learn more about the role.

08/31/2026

The Faculty of Science has created its own survey to measure the impact of the recent power outages on campus.

"Please complete the Prolonged Power Outage Academic Impact Survey: Science Graduate Students by Friday September 4th to share how you were impacted and your concerns about any setbacks this outage has caused."

https://uwo.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_e55VP6wbVsIxkGO

The SOGS survey can be found here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1c7TxBeK6Zdb4qo43ToSSEDoL1Ka8qztdRNxKQqs9XDE/edit?ts=6a8899d6

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