Orientation for new graduate students

Welcome to C&O!

pefect nine square You are joining a department that is not only highly invested in its research, but also its community. We are excited to celebrate this achievement with you, but first there are a few things that must be checked off to help you settle into the department:

  1. Complete your Workday payroll onboarding with HR; you cannot be paid until this is successfully submitted.
    • For this you will need to have a registered Canadian bank account. You can select any bank of preference (ie: CIBC, TD, RBC, Scotiabank, etc) but it may help to know there's a CIBC bank located on-campus in the basement of the Student Life Centre as well as CIBC ATMs located throughout campus for your convenience.
  2. Complete the Academic Integrity Module (AIM). This module must be successfully completed within the first 8 weeks of your first term.
  3. Print and complete your NSERC consent form for your supervisor. Follow the steps below to fill out the form:
    • Print your name in the box titled “Name of Trainee”
    • Under "Applicant Information", enter your supervisor's name (if you have two supervisors, we will need one form for each)
    • "Department" is Combinatorics and Optimization, "University" is University of Waterloo
    • Sign and date the form then give to Melissa Cambridge (MC 5116)
  4. Review the Health and Safety policies of the university.
  5. Submit your Directory board consent form; this is optional and up to your discretion. 
  6. Review the C&O Travel and Expense Claims guidelines. These guidelines are applicable to to travel, conference registrations, software, and equipment purchases. The list will ensure you receive the full reimbursement allowed to you.  Should you have any questions about reimbursements please contact our Administrative Coordinator.

Community involvement

On Tuesday afternoons we have our Grad Cookie Time! A purely social gathering for students and supervisors alike to take a break from our busy schedules and catch up on life. This gathering is held in the Math Faculty lounge (MC 5511).

Another great opportunity for gathering and learning is to attend the Tutte Colloquia held on Friday afternoons starting at 3:30pm. These seminars have a wide range of presenters from our own faculty to special visiting lecturers from across the globe. There is social time before and after each seminar that all are welcome to join!

You can also join the graduate student Discord server and Piazza board for more connecting with your fellow grads! Please contact Fernanda Rivera Omana, our C&O graduate student representative, to receive the necessary sign-up links.