Support Our Science Walk Out march on May 1st

Sun Apr 30 20:16:31 PDT 2023

Hey GAPS change-makers!

Reminder that the Walk-out to Support Our Science is happening Monday (tomorrow) May 1st. We'll be leaving TRIUMF at 10am to walk to UBC, but you could also join the Walk-Out directly at Lee Square (outside the Nest) at 10:30 if you're running late. We'll march to the UBC President's office at 11am so I'm planning to be back at TRIUMF by 12pm.

If you didn't get a chance to make a sweet sign on Friday, we'll have all the sign making gear in the MOB Auditorium by 9am so you can get some last-minute creativity going on.
Also, if you're not sure whether your supervisor will be angry with you for walking out, remember that we are asking government to give them more money in their grants! Most supervisors should support this and be marching with us!

Finally, any modern-day protest is as much about the social media storm as it is about turning up in person. So be sure to a) share a public social media post voicing your support and include #supportourscience / #nationalwalkout and tag your MP, and b) get your friends and family to email their MP<https://www.supportourscience.ca/contact-your-mp> demanding more funding for science. Making politicians feel this is a voting issue is how we get real change.

See you tomorrow!
Your GAPS

________________________________
From: Gaps <gaps at triumf.ca>
Sent: Friday, April 28, 2023 11:43
To: Gaps <gaps at triumf.ca>
Subject: Re: Support Our Science Walk Out march on May 1st

Sign making underway! Come help create some sweet posters for Monday!

[https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/QIT_PDZ0GMP38WcLcXIJFw9jHTUMGiLol24hFHrePyi4vYMp1B-MAMcBIKL2GfHX6OrZuk6MiHqQ-DHXVkJKgvvO0j2rfaXHm8sdFZ48GRnp6brktLuYt1FOZ8jym22If7x7R_xB8RYgot7gTc02MVEdH1vj8xql3Q3myqAT0waC4_MhfXmRF8zIfkTBY1IsKav6koDOykevjiG7xtW36GOHgIIWjGXpeEFvoyNsVZOm8yGnxLDLdYOvb3n_rDYIrlTd7rZU-elrT1VyMFW4JwQ2nAXvn2vDhaR8fsh0sp1W3eG5Ty56q-vPIhsS9kZxVghS3VR2HOmF9R4e-7kUZYY2YbsxEPy3uEWkl86k7oj1l5qTgaWbcb9csMWhXJOHnIFziGGKnx1L8KN2bLFQOVkNIjWz5tKp2fu6WMKpIIMsGQmjqE86HJrQ9E9jKOAyxe4P00Fr831FeO5YwdPaJwwQjG1LVfo7D3HNZlAuMc-AQAkAwM8fy_KkuCSyj7UMt1qt3AWbtXiLvhSr0L_R2ZtgcwvKTDA3G4IdDhI8Cp1dsU8LTKaIUoePQylxiFvC9Q-ykqcqTp3jtt1kUdM6vepF1EOQGqXCAOjGEZU-ADJZ3LohDBq4zfP5ZWt--pNnJyva__dXLYbWjhgcKE4FF4R8sg5DRWY14Ke5phO-Wrwd1BcBEda_FsQbb7QsCatcCxQttoWUPvEl3ym9gO1_-DKSJ31Uy6dCIqh9yEb-g8Ostb91M798UrubP2plWUKd4Kg-e3ewOGkdfB00c_63XdLKdDbjDjvoT20XLtab__awUzIaCoTyBv3F3Ndi6-8_nfJAERMHInyJPy4lwZB4FgZXH0hN4C4J0KYKAkBrrCX6jnFKhk3iscq7I8ez9fByXvW4lfcEAUFqent_HrYGcQh7p52ercNc2e63nRX7_yepiYln9X0KNSGkULSkQJA2u5rdUb4vRpLzJOSHIp5MvOo=w2734-h1538-s-no?authuser=0]

Your GAPS
________________________________
From: Gaps <gaps at triumf.ca>
Sent: Wednesday, April 26, 2023 15:42
To: Gaps <gaps at triumf.ca>
Subject: Re: Support Our Science Walk Out march on May 1st

Hi GAPS crew,

Some details on the sign making session on Friday:

  *   GAPS will be providing coloured markers and some cardboard for signs. But if you have a handy piece of cardboard at your house, please bring it as our supplies may be limited!
  *   The sign making session will be on Friday 11am in the MOB Auditorium, plenty of space for creativity!

Cheers,
Your GAPS
________________________________
From: Gaps <gaps at triumf.ca>
Sent: Monday, April 24, 2023 21:13
To: Gaps <gaps at triumf.ca>
Subject: Support Our Science Walk Out march on May 1st

Hey GAPSers!

I'm sure you're all painfully aware how low graduate stipends and postdoc salaries are, especially given how expensive Vancouver is. One of the main reasons that has been provided by TRIUMF management as to why they can't increase salaries is that expected salaries are set for grant applicants by NSERC/NRC, so our supervisors literally can't ask for more money from the funding agencies. NSERC hasn't increased CGS scholarships since 2003, so the $17.5k CGS(MSc) scholarship should be worth $26.4 today. Yet despite this obvious crisis, any increase in the NSERC budget was left out of the 2023 budget<https://www.universityaffairs.ca/news/news-article/universities-research-granting-agencies-left-out-of-federal-budget-2023/> for the second year running, despite petitions, protests, and advice from the Advisory Panel on the Federal Research Support System, so it's crucial we ramp the pressure up!

In protest of this neglect from our government, GAPS is joining with scores of universities across Canada for a Walk Out organised by the lobbying group Support Our Science<https://www.supportourscience.ca/nationwide-walkout>. If you support sending a strong message to Trudeau that grad students shouldn't be paid below the poverty line and that post-docs deserve a living wage, then join us on May 1st! We'll be meeting out the front of the MOB at 10am to march to the Nest at UBC, where UBC is organising at 10:30, before marching to the UBC President's office at 11am.

If you can't make it because of meetings, then leave the meetings: that's the power of a walk out! But if you want to do something more, then you can write an email to your MP<https://www.supportourscience.ca/contact-your-mp> to amplify our voices.
And if you want to create a sweet sign for the walk out, GAPS will be holding a sign making session this Friday 28th at 11am.

See you on Monday (or maybe Friday)!
Your GAPS
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