You can book conference rooms for meetings with your lab mates, your SC meeting, and your QE. You are typically responsible for booking a room for meetings with your SC and for your QE. You may also need to book a room for seminars, tutorials, or review sessions for your duties as a TA.

For committee meetings, you should ensure that you book a room with a projector. If possible, you should visit the room beforehand to familiarize yourself with the projector setup and ensure any required adapters are available. The procedure to book a room within the Department of Biology varies by building and room. You can also book a room through the BGSA, and at McGill's libraries or Thomson House.

You can request access to Stewart Biology Building and restricted areas within the building by submitting a building and key request form to Carole Smith (carole.smith [at] mcgill.ca). To access McIntyre and the Bellini Life Sciences Complex, you should complete this webform. If you encounter problems, contact Carole for assistance.

You can contact Carole Smith (carole.smith [at] mcgill.ca) for basic work orders (e.g., dead light bulbs, plumbing issues) in your office or lab. 

If you need a vehicle within or around the Montreal area for research purposes, you can rent vehicles within Canada and abroad through commercial rental agencies. If booking through a rental agency, you should use the procedure established by Travel Services for benefits like no underage fees, no additional driver fees, and unlimited mileage.

When travelling for field work, conferences, or other University-related affairs, you must complete a travel registry in advance of your departure. The registry is accessed through the McGill Student Travel Registry App – the new platform for students to register any University-related activities taking place outside of Montréal, and you must detail your supplemental travel insurance, emergency contacts, and itineraries. More information on the app and how you can register your travel is available here.

See the Expense Report and Advances sections of this handbook or see this how-to from Financial Services. You can get in-person guidance pertaining to research expenses by scheduling a meeting with the Department of Biology’s Financial Services Team (scipod1.managers [at] mcgill.ca).

You can get help with Minerva through the ‘help’ button (top-right corner). Some pages on Minerva will have specific help pages while others will not. If you can’t find a relevant help page, contact the Minerva Help Line at 514-398-7878. Below are walkthroughs for common tasks on Minerva:

1. How do I use Minerva to register for courses?

2. How can I get my transcripts?

3. How do I apply to graduate?

4. How do I designate a guest to access my financial information in Minerva?

You will generally only interact with Workday when working as a research assistant or TA. Extensive documentation for employees covers most common processes. For connectivity issues, contact the IT Service Desk (514-398-3398). All other questions can be directed to Caroline LeBlond, Luisa Sabaz or info.biology [at] mcgill.ca. You can also contact human resources (hr.hr [at] mcgill.ca, 514-398-4747), but most issues can be sorted out at the departmental level. Note: for many tasks in Workday, if not on campus, one must use the VPN client to connect to McGill’s network.

You should check myProgress regularly to track your progress through the degree program. If any completed milestones are not properly recorded on myProgress, you should notify the myProgress administrator for the Biology department (the GPC). For some milestones such as progress tracking reports, you are responsible for submitting digital copies of the document to myProgress.

Tax receipts pertaining to tuition, such as the T2202A and the Relevé 8, can be accessed on Minerva. Tax receipts pertaining to employment such as TAships, including the T4, T4A, and Relevé 1, can be found on Workday. Unlike a TAship, the Canadian Government does not recognize graduate studies as employment for tax reasons and employment insurance.

If you begin your studies in the Winter term, you are not automatically registered for the PGSS Health Plan or International Health Insurance. If you are from Quebec or another Canadian province or territory, you are not required to enroll for health insurance. If you are an international student, you must enroll for International Health Insurance.

You will also have your minimum level of support determined for an eight-month period rather than a twelve-month period. After the first eight months (January - August), your minimum level of support will be reevaluated for a twelve-month period (September - August).

You will also typically have fewer orientation activities than students entering in the Fall term.

A disbursement schedule can only be modified if the award has not been disbursed. Awards that have not been disbursed can be identified by a status of "Forecast" in the Award/Summary Search Award details. Your supervisor will need to follow these directions to modify the disbursement schedule. Requests for modifications will be processed by Patricia Lianos.

You can verify that you are receiving the financial support specified on your support forms by totaling the value of awards listed on Minerva and the income from your employment (e.g., TA) contracts.

You can use uPrint, a campus-wide copy and printing service, if your lab does not own a printer or scanner. To use uPrint on your personal computer, you must install the uPrint drivers (you must be logged into your McGill account to access the link). Once a document has been submitted for printing, you must go to a uPrint station and swipe your student card to initiate the print. A lab fund number can be assigned to your student ID. Contact tami.piovesan [at] mcgill.ca (Tami Piovesan) for more information. uPrint stations are available in N8/11 of Stewart Biology and in Rm. 276 of Bellini.

The McGill Biology Student Union (MBSU) may have lockers for rent in Stewart Biology. If your lab is on the 2nd floor of the Bellini Life Sciences Complex or the 5th floor of the Stewart Biology Building, you may also have access to lockers and should speak with your lab mates or your supervisor for more information.