Resources and opportunities

Graduate student shared mailboxes (by last name) are in the mailroom B.C. Matthews Hall (BMH) 2313. General information is usually circulated via email to your @uwaterloo.ca email address. It is the student’s responsibility to periodically check their mail box and to keep apprised of daily email activities. 

At the beginning of each term students may request a randomly assigned desk in the graduate student spaces. Each desk includes a lockable two-drawer file cabinet. There are also shared graduate student desks available for day use when you are working on campus irregularly. 

A fob to permit access to the Department outside of 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. can be obtained from the Department Administrator. If a key for a classroom is needed for TA responsibilities, this will be assigned to you for that term.

Most forms that you will need as you go through your graduate program can be obtained through UW Learn (for departmental forms) or at Graduate Studies Office forms (for university-level forms).

Graduate students may use department letterhead stationary for correspondence related to official department business. Letterheads may not be used for personal correspondence. Letters must be typed to present a professional image and must carry indication of the student's departmental affiliation (e.g., teaching assistant, research assistant, graduate student, etc.). Please be aware that the department is not responsible for providing office supplies for graduate student use. In the case of teaching assistants, the supplies required to fulfil those responsibilities will be provided to the respective faculty members. Students may see the Department Administrator to get necessary supplies.

Permitted use of Department letterhead includes:

• approved research projects
• correspondence regarding publication and presentation of papers
• correspondence related to duties as a teaching assistant

The Graduate Student Association maintains a notice board for student news, events, and thesis defenses outside of BMH 2314 and BMH 2308.

Graduate students are permitted to use the departmental photocopier located on the second floor (B.C. Matthews Hall, room 2313) for teaching assistant and research assistant work. Students are not able to send print jobs to the department copier. Students can scan from the department copier to their @uwaterloo.ca email address. For their own coursework and thesis work, students should direct all printing to W Print. You can select which printer to release the print jobs at. The closest one is in the Expansion building, second floor above Starbucks.

Computer use for graduate students is provided at three workstations in the graduate student space on the south side of the department, second floor of B.C. Matthews Hall by the kitchen. These computers are available for student use for word processing, statistical analysis, web browsing, email clients, graphics software, etc. Students are also able to connect wirelessly through the University of Waterloo wireless network from almost anywhere on campus, or through ethernet connections at each graduate student desk. You must supply your own ethernet cable. 

All graduate students are advised to obtain a University of Waterloo email account as soon as possible. This account is used by the Department and University to relay important, often time sensitive, information to you. It can also be used for data analysis and data storage. A general information session on Department computing will be held during orientation week when you can learn about setting up your e-mail account. (Note: if you also completed a bachelor's degree at Waterloo, you should forward your @edu.uwaterloo.ca email to your @uwaterloo.ca graduate student email so you receive all of your messages.)

Please contact the Health Computing staff for any questions about computing resources.

The Health Teaching Assistant (TA) Manual is designed to help you prepare for your role and to have a successful experience as a teaching assistant. It outlines typical roles and responsibilities of TAs, summarizes academic integrity requirements, and directs you to university resources and policies relevant to TAs.

There is an ever-growing number of research groups and centres in, or affiliated with, the Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies and/or Faculty of Health. Research centres and groups present an excellent opportunity for you to engage with Waterloo’s academic community, from participating in research projects to attending events and presentations.

Students with temporary or ongoing disabilities needing accommodations to meet academic requirements can register with AccessAbility Services to arrange those accommodations.   

Human Rights, Equity and Inclusion provides a list of anti-racism resources to help students, faculty, and staff develop a deeper understanding of anti-Black racism, racism toward Indigenous peoples and people of colour, as well as tools for campus community members to engage in anti-racism work across campus. 

Campus Wellness provides physical and mental wellness services for students. 

Waterloo's Centre for Career Action offers high quality in-person and online services to help you achieve your career goals. Seeking a career in academia? See University Affairs, for job postings at Canadian universities.

The Centre for Teaching Excellence (CTE) offers free workshops for graduate students who work as Teaching Assistants and Lecturers. The Centre also offers the Certificate in University Teaching program to all Waterloo PhD candidates.

Each term, Information Systems and Technology (IST) offers Information Technology Professional Development (ITPD) courses. These usually consist of a one- or two-hour lecture over one to two days. Topics range from software languages to computer program packages. Watch for the IST newsletters in the early part of each term for announcements about courses or check the term schedule.

In addition, occasional workshops and introductory courses related to the microcomputer labs in the Faculty of Health are organized for students. Watch for announcements and sign-up sheets related to these courses on the bulletin boards near the labs.

Grad students at Waterloo can submit funding proposals to the Graduate Studies Endowment Fund for initiatives that enhance the learning, research, and overall experience of graduate students. Examples of funded projects include improvements to graduate student common space, academic events organized by graduate students, and improvement of physical and electronic resources for graduate students.

The Student Success Office provides support for academic and personal development services, resources for international students, as well as study abroad and exchange support.

Unlike many other universities in Canada, graduate students and faculty at the University of Waterloo retain rights to the intellectual property they develop at the university.