Back to School: Orientation Week

Welcome back students! And for many of you, welcome to SIM!

The fall semester kicked off with SIM Orientation; a week filled with welcome events and activities designed to introduce new students to Dalhousie and the SIM community. The students were welcomed to a breakfast mixer, went on a campus tour, attended the annual Dalhousie Libraries Summer Shine, and networked at the Professional Organizations and Associations Fair. The week concluded with a SIM social at the Oxford Taproom which saw a great turnout, and many slices of pizza eaten!

SIMSA has exciting programming planned for the upcoming year. We are currently ordering SIM apparel, which is also available to faculty, staff, and alumni. We have an updated constitution with reformed chair positions and roles. We are working in conjunction with other societies in the Faculty of Management to put on exciting joint events like an international fair and a book club. SIMSA is also working closely with SIM to plan a fall event for both students and faculty. With October around the corner, there are sure to be many spooky events lined up. Stay tuned…

Below is a picture from the Halifax City Walk, an orientation event led by SIMSA’s Non-Academic Chair, Janine. Is there a lovelier way to end a walk in Halifax than in the Public Gardens? Perhaps a stop at Dairy Bar!

SIMSA Highlight: 2022 SIMphony

This SIMSA highlight is on the first annual SIMphony, a semi-formal event celebrating all members of the SIM community! On April 23, 2022, the SIM community gathered at the St. Mary’s Boat Club to celebrate the achievements of students, alumni, faculty and staff. The Covid-19 pandemic inhibited larger celebrations over the past few years, and it was wonderful to gather as a collective to celebrate.

There was good food, beverages supplied by our friends at Good Robot Brewing Company, and even better dance moves on display. Although it was a bit chilly, a beautiful sunset over the Northwest Arm was a spectacular highlight of the evening. SIM’s Director, Dr. Sandra Toze, offered warm words of welcome to our almost 90 attendees. There were conversations with old friends, introductions between new ones, memories shared, and many laughs had. 

We appreciated the efforts of all of our student volunteers who helped this event to run so seamlessly. SIMSA would like to extend our thanks to the Dalhousie Student Union and the School of Information Management for the funds that contributed to ensuring that this event was a huge success! SIMSA dedicated $3 from every ticket sold to a newly formed EDIA fund, raising over $250 dollars. This will be the first of many steps taken towards advancing our EDIA initiatives and programming over the coming years.

Please enjoy some photos of the evening- we look forward to celebrating next year with alumni, faculty, staff, students, and our incoming class!

Thanks for a great 2021/2022!

Another year at SIM has come and gone. SIMSA would like to congratulate the graduating class of 2021-2022 and the entire SIM community- students, faculty, and staff- for their hard work and extraordinary efforts navigating the uncertainty brought by the Covid-19 pandemic.

This year was a busy one, and SIMSA worked hard to put on various academic and non-academic events and programs for its students and advance other initiatives. Over the summer term, SIMSA will be working to develop its programming for the 2022-2023 year.

We are sad to say goodbye to Annalise (Chair), McKenzie (Communications), Poppy (EDIA & Special Projects), Jakob (Academic), Lisa (Digital Publications), and Sam (Non- Academic), but are so excited to see what their next chapter holds. We appreciate all of your hard work on SIMSA and will miss you dearly!

As summer term kicks off and students begin their practicums, internships, summer jobs, and new courses, we want to reiterate that SIMSA is here to support you. Please do not hesitate to get in touch over email, social media, or through our website if you are an incoming or returning student with questions or looking for support 😊 Have a wonderful summer everyone!

-SIMSA 2021/2022

Back row from left to right: Geoff Krause (incoming Digital Publications), Sakshi Jeswani (incoming Communications), Sam Schwanak (Non-Academic), Meaghan Rout (Finance), Janine McGregor (Incoming Non-Academic), Courtney Svab (incoming Co-chair), and Lisa Olson (Digital Publications). Front row from left to right: Maddie Hare (Incoming EDIA & Special Projects), Annalise Benoit (Chair), McKenzie Young (Communications), and Madeleine McGregor (Incoming Academic Chair). Not pictured: Poppy Riddle (EDIA & Special Projects), Selena MacDonald (Incoming Co-chair), and Jakob Kubke (Academic Chair).

Year-End Party (Already)!

We’ve reached the end of another year and it’s time to celebrate! Join us for our End of the Year Party on Saturday April 6 from 7 pm til midnight at the Red Stag! Tickets are $20 for students and guests, $30 for faculty. There’ll be food, music, drinks, awards and more! Contact Amy LeMoine (alemoine@dal.ca) or Kira Chalupa (krchalupa@dal.ca) to purchase tickets or for more information!

Upcoming Event: Lunch and Learn + ASL!

As our Information Session with NSLA approaches tomorrow at noon, we also have another Lunch and Learn event to look forward to next week! Join Ellie Bernard-Wesson, MLIS Candidate 2019, as she takes us through another fun and informative session on American Sign Language (ASL)!

Pizza will be available, $5 for 2 slices. Please contact Dan Phillips to order (dphillips@dal.ca)!