MOVE-IN DAY!

The day is almost here! Your moving away from the nest, and about to live alone for the first time! I bet you're all packed up and excited, but also feeling a little nervous, and not sure what to expect.

HAVE NO FEAR! As ALWAYS... I am here! I'll let you in on some tips from the pros, so you have a super smooth process moving in on Friday! :)

TIP #1 Don't sweat if your parents can't stick around to help you unpack! 

There will be over ONE HUNDRED upper year students at each residence to greet you, and help you get your belongings to your room! So your parents can still attend parent orientation if they have registered! :)

Rain or Shine we will direct you!

  Some upper-years students helping move someone in!

The upper-year students who are there to GREET YOU!

We sometimes really get into the greeting

 TIP #2 Go pick-up your key BEFORE going to your Residence! 

Your room key will not be at your residence! You will have to pick up your key from a residence office. Not sure where the residence office is? Refer to the following:

CHECK IN TIMES AND KEY PICK-UP LOCATIONS
Your Residence	Friday August 31st – Wednesday September 5th	Sept. 6th and after
Tatham, Vanier  and Winters Residences	Housing Complex 1 Office 108 McLaughlin College 8:30am – 10pm	Housing Complex 1 Office 108 McLaughlin College 8:30am – 4:30pm (Mon-Fri)
Pond Road Residence	Pond Road Residence Front Desk 8:30am – 10pm	Housing Complex 1 Office 108 McLaughlin College 8:30am – 4:30pm (Mon-Fri) *
Bethune, Stong & Calumet Residences	Housing Complex 2 Office 101 Bethune College 8:30am-10pm	Housing Complex 2 Office 101 Bethune College 8:30am – 4:30pm (Mon-Fri)

This leads to me to my third tip...

TIP #3 Bring a photo ID when picking up your room key!

You need either your York University Student card, passport, or driver's license in order to pick up your room key, so make sure you have it with you when picking up your room key!

TIP #4 Plan your route ahead of time!

Unfortunately there is some construction on move-in day which will cause some road-closures! To prevent a headache, refer to the updated map which shows which roads will be closed. Also make sure you have the full campus map which shows you where each residence is.

TIP #5 Make sure you know what you can and can not bring into residence!

Don't waste time, space and effort bringing something to residence only to find out you are not allowed to bring it! 
Things to bring:
- picture or poster hangers that don’t damage the wall or door surfaces 

- bathrobe and shower shoes

 - towels and toiletries

- a laundry hamper and detergent

- clothes hangers

- your own bed linens which you can purchase from this website

- under-the-bed storage bins

- alarm clock

- computer and a power bar with surge protection

- headphones

- your health card and medications

- any information that the university sent you over the summer

-mini fridges are allowed!

Things to NOT bring: 

- extra large pieces of furniture (your residence room comes furnished with a single bed and mattress, dresser, desk, bookshelves and chair). Residence furnishings may not be removed from rooms and stored. Storage is only provided for empty trunks and suitcases

- pets (including fish)

- large amplifiers and subwoofers

- candles.

- cooking appliances (including microwaves and toaster ovens). Cooking is not permitted in residence unless you have been assigned a suite-style room that comes equipped with kitchen access. There are microwaves available in most common rooms for heating up a snack or water for your tea.

Hope your all packed and ready to go, and found all this information useful! If you have any more questions, check out the move-in website or comment below!

I'm going to be on campus therefore you all must stop by the RED Zone so we can all meet you! :)

Until Next Time, I'll be Yorking Around,

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Art Attack.. at York?!

Someone had suggested a topic for a new blog post: Art around York! So I went around York with my handy dandy camera and took some pictures of Art. What i realized very soon though... YORK HAS A LOT OF ART! The following pictures are of art found in only TWO BUILDINGS! Crazy right?! Enjoy the pictures, as they are all pretty cool! 

If you look closely, this art actually lights up!

Interesting piece. Looks almost not finished which is cool!

Two separate pieces, but same concept.

Art in Scott Library!

Crazy, confusing, and cool?

This sculpture is found outside the Health, and Environmental Studies Building!

Cool concept with the mouths covered.

No. This picture is not posted upside down.
The tree is actually hanging on the wall like this!

Hope you guys enjoyed the art! Keep your eyes peeled for Part Two, because there is SO much more art found around campus! :)

Until Next Time, Ill be Yorking Around,

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YFS HEALTH and DENTAL PLAN!

You may or may not know this but, every single full-time student is automatically IN the health and dental plan! This means that you will be charged $241.49, for 12 months worth of health and dental coverage! I know, I know... "what does this mean!?", "what if I don't want it?!", "what does it cover?!". Hold. Onto. Your. Horses. People. I'm going to answer some of the most frequently asked questions right in this blog, so you can be in the know about this plan!

What if I don't want the plan?
If you don't want the plan, and you are already covered under a different plan you would want to "opt-out". You can opt-out here.  Just follow the steps, and it'll guide you. Make sure to opt-out by October 5 or else you will be charged and kept in the health and dental plan.

What does the plan cover?
The plan actually covers a variety of things! Some of these include:
- $100/24months for vision care
- 80% prescription drugs, for up to $1000
- $25 per visit for up to $300 for dietician, chiropractic care, acupuncture, physiotherapy, and other services
- The plan covers many other things as well, click here for the full list

Can my family be covered?
You can add your children and/or spouse onto your plan, but it will cost more:

$241.39 is charged to all students or to individual student who enrolls manually.

$468.84 to add ONE dependent (note: this is in addition to $241.39 paid as a student)

$579.65 to add more than one dependent (note: this is in addition to $241.39 paid as a student)

How do I use the plan? Do I get a card to prove I am covered?
You do not get a card with the YFS health and dental plan. Instead you can provide the following information to your health care provider:

Benefit Provider: GREEN SHIELD CANADA

Drugs: (Prescription) YFS + Student Number +00

Dental: Group Policy/Plan No: 11111

Division/Section No: YFS

Employer: York University

Certificate No/ I.D. No: Student Number

That about covers all the questions we have been getting here at the RED Zone! 

Remember: If you DO want the plan you don't have to do anything as you are automatically going to be placed in the plan! 

For more information feel free to contact the YFS through their website or give them a call at 416-736-2100 ext. 58066

Until Next Time, I'll be Yorking Around, 

 

 

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Another Benefit of Being Involved: You Get Your Picture on the YorkU Website

No... I'm not a model, I don't "know the right people", and I didn't bribe anyone. I'm just involved.

Recently the York University website got a brand new update with new tabs, and different look. On top of that they added a new picture of past RED Zone ambassador Ali and I!

Natural born models right?

Never would I ever have thought I would be on the York University website, but I guess that's just one of the perks of being involved. I'm not saying all of you who become involved will be on the website one day, but there are many people who are involved, and are gracing the covers and pages of York University pamphlets and booklets! Pretty cool stuff.

That picture was also taken over a year ago and I did not expect to see it being used after so long, but I guess you never know whats going to happen! Don't let your 4 years fly by everyone: get involved! :)

Until Next Time, I'll be Yorking Around,

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Plagiarism! Know your stuff!

Plagiarism. You've heard about it. You have avoided it. The consequences can be rough. But now that your at University the consequences are more serious than in high school. This includes receiving a mark of 0% on the paper. Getting an F in the class. Or even worse: getting kicked out of University.

DO NOT WORRY THOUGH! The best way to avoid plagiarizing in your papers at York is by simply being aware of what it is, attending workshops, and using the services on campus that are there to help you!

What is plagiarism? 

According to the York University website plagiarism is "representing someone else's ideas, writing or other intellectual property as your own, and is another form of academic dishonesty". 

*To avoid plagiarizing someone else's work you would want to cite other people's work.

What is Academic Dishonesty? 

According to the York University website, committing academic dishonesty includes: cheating, impersonation, aiding, collusion, fabrication, among other dishonest acts. You can find the definition of these acts here.

What is Academic Integrity? 

According to the York University website "as a student, to have academic integrity means that you have adopted principles or standards that consistently govern how you pursue your school work. A student with academic integrity earns a degree with honest effort, and knows that this degree is a true accomplishment reflecting years of hard work and genuine learning. Academic integrity requires you to develop essential skills including research, writing, and documenting.

Now that you know a bit more about what it means to be a student with academic integrity, and what it means to plagiarize, here are some tips to avoid it (even by accident):

- Cite every single piece of information that is not yours! (sometimes students aren't sure if they should cite: when in doubt cite!)

- Make sure you know how to cite according to what your citing! (You can be accused of plagiarism for improper citation. This can be easily avoided by just educating yourself on how to cite). The library, and the colleges host workshops throughout the year on citations! To find out about them click here.

- Get your work proofread! The writing centre can proofread and help you with citation for you essays for free! Take advantage of them as it goes a long way

- Check out the York's Academic Integrity Tutorial which goes over in more detail on citing, and can even test you on academic integrity!

Check out all the resources out there to help you, and good luck writing!

Until Next Time, I'll be Yorking Around,

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