TCSA Emergency Grocery Assistance Funding

In light of some limitations on the TCSA’s capacity to distribute emergency funding to students while our office is closed, we would like to update students on some changes to our student funding programs. The Emergency Student Assistance Fund that we established at the end of March has proven to be difficult to sustain due to limitations with virtual banking capabilities. We have reverted back our emergency grocery funding program available for students who may need assistance with necessities such as groceries. As a result, the remaining $25,000 of our funding budget that was originally to be donated to Trent for the Student Rapid Relief Fund will remains under TCSA jurisdiction to distribute as part of our Grocery Assistance Program.

The TCSA Emergency Grocery Assistance Program is available to undergraduate students with Peterborough Symons campus as their home location. Students may apply for the Grocery Assistance Program once per semester. If you are in need of financial assistance to buy food for a certain period of time, fill out the form here to apply for consideration. Bursaries are provided in increments of $50 up to a maximum of $100.

Contact vpcampaigns@trentcentral.ca if you have any questions.

Update Regarding TCSA Student Funding

The TCSA is happy to announce that between March 25, 2020 and April 9, 2020, we were able to distribute $87,500 in funding to Trent University students in financial need due to the implications and added stress as a result of COVID-19. Due to limitations in our capacity to sustain this method of distributing financial aid, we will be donating the remaining $25,000 of our funding budget to Trent University’s new Student Rapid Relief Fund (SRRF), which has been established to assist students experiencing financial hardships due to the evolving COVID-19 pandemic. The SRRF is available to undergraduate Trent students, based on financial need, and will provide support toward groceries, supplies, unexpected travel home, job loss or reduced earnings, medical costs, and mental health services.

Students can find out more about the SRRF by clicking here. Students can apply for the SRRF by logging into myTrent and navigating into the “Finances” tab. Domestic students can click the “Domestic Undergraduate Funding Application” form, while international students can click into the “International” tab and select "Student Rapid Relief Funding for international Students".

We would also like to inform students that the TCSA Grocery Assistance Program has .

We would also like to inform students that the TCSA Grocery Assistance Program has been re-opened for students experiencing financial or food insecurity. Undergraduate students whose home campus is Peterborough (Symons) can apply for this program once per semester. To apply for the TCSA Grocery Assistance Program, please click here.

We hope you continue to stay safe and stay tuned to our website and social media for updates about our services. Your student union is here to support you.

Questions can be directed to vpcampaigns@trentcentral.ca.

COVID-19 FAQ

Looking for answers about campus services and support for students, including mental health resources, government updates, and financial aid?

The TCSA has compiled a COVID-19 FAQ page to answer some questions that students may have. This webpage also includes resources for students such as links to mental health resources, government financial aid, and academic advising.

Click here to access this webpage.

An Update Regarding TCSA Services

As we gain a better understanding of the impact that COVID-19 is having on the community we would like to give all our members and campus and community partners an update on the status of TCSA services.

Following our recent spring election, our Executives and Board of Directors will be undergoing a period of transition, until Sunday, April 5, 2020. During this time, incoming and outgoing Executives will be meeting digitally to ensure a smooth transition of duties and services within each role. A listing of services and portfolios related to each executive position can be found on our website: https://trentcentral.ca/executive. Feel free to reach out to any of our executives, at any point, at the contact information below, or send us a general email to info@trentcentral.ca and we can direct it to the proper channel.

In regards to TCSA services, Trent University has closed all buildings on campus, including the Student Centre. Due to this closure and adherence to physical distancing directives, our office will be closed for the unforeseeable future. We are continuing to work to ensure that essential services required by our members can be received in a timely manner. Please see the following for the status of TCSA services:

Trent Student Benefits Plan

Your student health and dental plan is fully operational for all students who are enrolled in the plan, whether in Canada or abroad. You can still make health claims and travel claims as you normally would, through our benefits website: www.studentvip.ca/trent. Students are still able to access our Live Chat services should they have any questions regarding their health and dental plan. Visit www.studentvip.ca/Trent to connect with one of our Live Chat Agents.You can also contact StudentVIP directly by emailing info@studentvip.ca or calling 1-888-918-5056. 

If you are abroad, or an International Student who has returned home, you may also call CanAssistance, the 24/7 multilingual call centre that can offer assistance or help with health and travel claims. The contact numbers for CanAssistance are:

  • Within North America: 1-800-563-4444

  • Outside North America (Call Collect): 1-506-854-2222

Direct2U Prescriptions

While the TCSA office is closed for prescription pickup, you can call Alliance Pharmacy at 1-877-796-7979 to get your prescriptions re-routed for pickup at an alternative location that is convenient for you.

Transit

At this time and as a result of the closure of Symons campus, the Trent Express West Bank and East Bank buses, including the Late Night Trent Express, have been suspended. Should you require travel to and from campus, the #1 George North bus will still be available to pick-up and drop-off at Bata Library. 

All regular Peterborough Transit routes are continuing to operate, and as of Tuesday, March 31, 2020, they will run on an “enhanced Sunday schedule” seven days a week, every 40 minutes, beginning at 8:00am and running until 7:20pm.

Start times for the Handivan service remain unchanged, though the service will finish at 7:20pm. The Community Bus will operate from 9:00am until 4:50pm, seven days a week.

All Peterborough Transit routes and schedules can be found on the City of Peterborough’s website: https://peterborough.ca/transit. 

Student Fees & Emergency Assistance Funding 

The TCSA recognizes that the transit service has been significantly impacted and that our membership’s ability to utilize the transit pass has been diminished. As the transit fee is non-refundable we are unable to issue any refund requests. However, we are creating an Emergency Student Assistance Fund by combining funds from various TCSA budget lines (such as budgets from cancelled events) and existing student funding lines (such as the Grocery Assistance program) to create a broad source of funding for students who may require assistance through this challenging time. 

The new Emergency Student Assistance Fund will be available to students in the coming weeks. This fund is being established to support our members who are in serious financial need. Please apply for funding if you require:

  • Assistance with essential supplies and groceries

  • Emergency health and dental coverage

  • Academic funding

  • Transit and travel assistance

Please note that the Association is suspending other kinds of funding normally offered to increase the amount of support available to our members while COVID-19 persists in the community. 

The Emergency Student Assistance Fund application form is available on our website by clicking here. Students who submit an application will receive a response once the application has been reviewed. If you have any questions or concerns about the status of your application or about TCSA student funding, please email operations@trentcentral.ca. 

Contact Us

Please know that the TCSA is here to support you in any way we can. We are in the process of compiling information and resources surrounding COVID-19 that you may find helpful; stay tuned to our website and social media for updates. Our staff and executives are available at the following email addresses:

Trent Student Benefits Plan Notice Re: COVID-19

Attention all students (a message from StudentVIP):

Your health coverage under your Trent Student Benefits Plan has not changed. Trent recognizes the level of concern around health and safety. Rest assured knowing that your Student Health and Dental plan has appropriate coverage and measures in place to support and assist you during this time. Our partner, Medavie Blue Cross, has a continued commitment to ensure there is no interruption to coverage for our students. The 24/7 multilingual call centre (CanAssistance) is fully operational and is taking steps to remain operational for students who require assistance abroad. Contact numbers are as follows:

Within North America: 1-800-563-4444
Outside North America (Call Collect): 1-506-854-2222

You can still make health claims and travel claims as you normally would, through our benefits website: www.studentvip.ca/trent. Alternatively, you can call 1-833-867-3468 and ask for Travel Claims Department, or email travel.claims@medavie.bluecross.ca

Students are still able to access our Live Chat services should they have any questions regarding their health and dental plan. Visit www.studentvip.ca/Trent to connect with one of our Live Chat Agents. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact StudentVIP directly at info@studentvip.ca or 1-888-918-5056

TCSA Elections: Unofficial Results Posted

Thank you to everyone who voted in the 2020-2021 TCSA Elections. Unofficial results have been posted to our website and can be viewed by clicking here.

We would also like to thank all candidates who participated and campaigned in this elections period. If anyone has feedback about the elections process, or questions on how you can get involved with the TCSA, please email tcsaelections@trentcentral.ca

TCSA COVID-19 Updates: Office Closure & More

As you may have heard, Trent is closing all campus buildings except for essential services by end of day today (Monday, March 16).

In an effort to support social distancing and reduce non-essential in-person interactions, the TCSA will be closing its office and operations at 4pm today. 

Students who pickup their Direct2U prescriptions at the TCSA office: please call Alliance Pharmacy at 1 (877) 796-7979 to get prescriptions rerouted for pickup at an alternate location that is convenient for you. If you have a prescription currently in our office that has already been delivered, you can pick it up at Student Health Services in Blackburn Hall, Suite 111. Please call ahead to confirm that the prescription is there and that you will be picking it up. Phone: (705) 748-1481. Hours: Monday to Friday, 9am-12pm & 1:30pm-4pm.

If there are specific services that we are able to provide digitally to support you, please let us know. Feel free to email any of the TCSA staff members and Executives. Contact information can be found by clicking here.

TCSA Elections will close at 4pm today. All undergraduate students can vote online just by finding your ballot in your myTrent email. Please help decide the who your next Student Union will be!

Lastly, the Trent Express East Bank and West Bank buses will stop operating as of Thursday, March 19. The George North will continue to operate to and from Bata. 

Stay tuned to our social media for updates, as well as trentu.ca/coronavirus. We thank you for a great year. Stay safe and healthy! 

TCSA Elections Update: Voting

Hi everyone, We would like to inform you that the TCSA Elections are still taking place!

Online voting is currently taking place and you can vote from the comfort of your home. Simply log into your MyTrent email to find your Elections ballot.

All undergraduate students can vote, whether you’re part-time or full-time, domestic or international.

We thank you for your patience during this time, and we thank those of you who have already taken the time to vote.

Voting will close at 4:00pm Monday, March 16, 2020. Be safe, practice social distancing, and VOTE!

TCSA Updates: COVID-19

To the members of the TCSA:

As of Friday, March 13, 2020, all in-person classes at Trent University (Peterborough and Durham campuses) have been suspended. The university plans to deliver all classes online or in other alternative means beginning Wednesday, March 18, 2020. In addition to this, the university is cancelling all events until further notice. This is a preventative response to COVID-19. For more information and updates from the university, please refer to trentu.ca/coronavirus or you can email covid19info@trentu.ca with specific questions. 

In response to the university’s preventative measures, the TCSA will be making the following operations adjustments until further notice: 

All TCSA events have been cancelled and office hours will significantly reduce to the operating hours of 12pm to 4pm, Monday to Friday. 

Starting Saturday, March 14, the Trent Express East and West Bank buses will be operating on a 20-minute schedule, seven days a week. This schedule can be found on our website at the link: trentcentral.ca/transit or on your TCSA mobile app. There will be no late night Trent Express service starting Saturday, March 14th. Please follow Peterborough Transit on twitter (@ptbo_transit) to receive updates regarding transit. 

If you receive Direct2U prescriptions, we recommend for you to contact Alliance Pharmacy at 1 (877) 796-7979 to get your prescriptions delivered to an alternate location. If you still have prescriptions at our office, you can pick them up between our reduced hours of 12pm to 4pm Monday to Friday until further notice.

Further precautions are being taken by the TCSA regarding Elections and other services. More information will be shared on our social media and website as it becomes available.

The TCSA recognizes the level of concern around health and safety. Please refer to Trent University announcements and the Peterborough Public Health Unit for any updates and how to take further precautions. If you have any further questions on TCSA operations during this time, please reach out to us by email at operations@trentcentral.ca or call us at (705) 748-1000.

In Solidarity,

Ann-Majella McKelvie

TCSA President

TCSA Elections: Candidate & Referenda Platforms Posted

Candidate platforms of the students running in the 2020-2021 TCSA elections have been posted to our website. Read about each candidate and what they're hoping to accomplish by clicking here. Profiles of the referenda questions being posed have also been posted.

**We are still accepting nominations for the following Commissioner positions until 4pm today:

Ethical Standards Commissioner
Environment & Sustainability Commissioner
Gender Issues Commissioner
Mature & Transfer Students Commissioner
Part-Time Students Commissioner (2 Seats)
Queer Students Commissioner

We hope you will join all candidates and referenda groups as they present their platforms at the TCSA Elections: Speeches event on Wednesday, March 11 starting at 6pm in the Student Centre Event Space.

Questions can be directed to elections@trentcentral.ca

We're Hiring: Part-Time Student Jobs Available

The TCSA is hiring part-time student staff in the positions of Brand Ambassador and Front-Desk Receptionist. We are also seeking a full-time student staff for the summer term.

The Association’s Front Desk Receptionists are a team of front-line staff who ensure a quality customer service experience. While overseeing point-of-sale transactions and completing assigned secondary responsibilities, they are relied upon to resolve simple concerns while directing more complex questions to the appropriate staff person. 

Brand Ambassadors serve our membership by promoting the services and work of the Trent Central Student Association. As part of a team and as individuals, they help create opportunities for membership engagement throughout the year.

For complete job descriptions and instructions on how to apply for these positions, click here. The deadline to apply for these positions is Wednesday, March 18th, 2020 at 4:00pm.

Due to the volume of applications only candidates who are selected for an interview will be contacted.

TCSA CUPE 3908 Labour Disruptions

To the members of the TCSA:

As of Monday, March 2nd at 12:01 am, CUPE 3908 Unit 1 will be in a legal strike/lockout position if bargaining does not reach an agreement between the Union and Trent University. 

CUPE 3908 Unit 1 represents all contract faculty at Trent University. A strike position will result in some courses not being continued to be taught and a number of assignments and exams not being graded. Find information about CUPE 3908’s demands at the link: http://cupe3908.org/.

The TCSA stands in solidarity with CUPE 3908, and we call on Trent University to provide contract faculty with fair and non-precarious working conditions. Stay tuned for information on how to support CUPE 3908 and further solidarity work. For updates, please visit https://www.trentu.ca/cupeupdate/. 

With a potential strike position, there will be several TCSA services that will face disruptions. The following services will be interrupted or delayed:

Transit

Transit will not cross picket lines if a strike takes place. All buses that come to Trent University will only be able to drop off students near the main entrance. Please plan accordingly when travelling to and from campus. Follow the TCSA on Facebook and Twitter (@theTCSA), as well as Peterborough Transit on Twitter (@ptbo_transit) to receive updates on any updates to transit.

Direct2U

Direct2U prescriptions will also face disruptions in the event of a strike, as FedEx drivers will not cross picket lines. We recommend planning ahead and getting your prescriptions directed to another pharmacy or location for pick-up. Students can get their Direct2U prescriptions transferred to an alternate location by calling Alliance Pharmacy at 1 (877) 796-7979. We will provide updates about our Direct2U service as we receive them. 

TCSA Elections will continue according to the current timeline. Other TCSA services within our office will continue to run during our regular office hours of Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 6:30pm, and we will continue to provide updates via social media and our website, trentcentral.ca.

We recognize these disruptions are not ideal, and the TCSA is committed to supporting students as the situation progresses. If you have any questions, feel free to call our office at (705) 748-1000 or email info@trentcentral.ca or president@trentcentral.ca. 

In Solidarity,
Ann-Majella McKelvie
TCSA President

TCSA Spring Elections: Nominations OPEN

Each year, the TCSA holds general elections in February/March to fill all Executive and Board of Director positions. We encourage all students who are interested in getting involved on campus tp run for a position.

The nomination period for the 2020-2021 TCSA elections officially opens at 9:00am on Monday, February 24, 2020. All elections documents and dates can be found by clicking here or clicking on the “Get Involved” tab at the top of the page. Nomination packages can also be picked up in the TCSA office on the second floor of the Student Centre.

Completed nomination packages are to be submitted to the TCSA office by 12:00pm on Friday, March 6, 2020.

Questions about any of the positions or the elections process can be directed to TCSA Chief Electoral Officer, Matthew Seaby, or Deputy Electoral Officer, William Stuart, at tcsaelections@trentu.ca

Message from the TCSA for Students with Dependents Affected by Elementary School Board Labour Disruptions

Elementary Parents and Guardians:

Over the last several weeks, as a result of central labour agreements not being reached between the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario and the Ministry, there have been disruptions of service by elementary teachers across Ontario. As a result, there have been expressed difficulties by Trent students with dependents in finding child care and support for days with disruptions.

The TCSA acknowledges the significant barriers and difficulties Trent students may face in finding resources for their dependents and are working with agencies on and off-campus to help address concerns. Please contact President Ann-Majella McKelvie at president@trentcentral.ca if you are experiencing difficulties on days with disruptions and are seeking support.

TCSA Student Award of Excellence: Nominations Open

Nominations are OPEN for the TCSA Student Award of Excellence. Each year, the TCSA recognizes students who have excelled in academics, athletics, arts, and community leadership. We invite you to nominate a fellow student who you feel is a leader in both the Trent and Peterborough communities who demonstrates outstanding dedication and effort in various fields, including, but not limited to: academics, social, politics, arts, volunteerism, and athletics.

Deadline for nominations is February 29. Nominations can be made by clicking here.

Successful recipients will be chosen by a selections committee and notified in early March.

We're Hiring a Full-Time Community Coordinator

The TCSA is hiring for a brand new full-time position, Community Coordinator. The Community Coordinator is relied upon to coordinate the Association’s Vendor Program by building and maintaining positive relationships with vendors through sponsorship opportunities and events. This position is also responsible for ensuring that the services the Association provides to recognized Trent University Clubs and Groups are effectively coordinated.

For a full job description and instructions on how to apply for this position, click here. The deadline to apply for this position is Wednesday, February 19, 2020 at 4pm.

Due to the volume of applications only candidates who are selected for an interview will be contacted.

TCSA Winter Semi-Annual General Meeting: Agenda and Materials Posted

The TCSA winter semi-annual general meeting will be held on Sunday, January 26, 2020 from 12pm to 2pm in the Student Centre Active Learning Classroom (2.02). We invite all students to attend to learn about what our Directors have been working on, how student money is being used, and what changes we are making to our by-laws and policies.

Meeting agenda and relevant documents have been posted to our website and can be viewed/downloaded by clicking here.

Bring your student card to vote on changes that will affect how your student union operates.

Pizza and refreshments will be served.