SOCIS Newsletter! January Edition!

SOCIS Newsletter! January edition!

Welcome to January, SOCIS! It's the beginning of a new semester and we're at the point where we have a ton of time on our hands, and very few assignments to do. We are running a few social events over this month so that you finally have a 'productive' use of your free time.

If you know someone who would like to be on the mailing list for the newsletter but for some reason doesn't know how, please direct them to http://socis.ca and have them click on the subscribe newsletter button on the right hand side of the webpage. And now for the exciting events we have planned!

Topics:

• LAN Gathering
• Paintball
• CS Games
• SOCIS Meetings
• CISters
• How to Get Involved
• Feedback and Questions

LAN Gathering

Thursday, January 21st
7:00 PM
Reynolds 001A

Nothing provides a perfect break from schoolwork like a SOCIS-hosted LAN Game Night. Come on down to Reynolds 001A for our popular gaming event and spend an evening destroying your friends in a classic game of Unreal Tournament. The LAN Gathering will take place in the basement of Reynolds immediately after our weekly SOCIS meeting.

Paintball

Friday, January 29th
Mountain Underpass (South Residence)

Round two. Fight! After last semester's epic success, this year's second paintball event is coming up. A perfect opportunity for an excuse to shoot your classmates on the last Friday of the month (January 29th). We'll give you guys more information as the date approaches.

CS Games

Everyone is invited to apply for CS Games, an annual computer science competition with participates from all across the continent. The competition takes place this year in Montreal from March 5th-7th. We send two teams each year, consisting of ten people each, so space is limited.

The approximate cost of the entire event is $200.00 and the Computer Science department will subsidize that amount if your overall average in CIS is greater than 70% or if you have over 90% in CIS1500, provided that it is the only CIS course that you have taken. As well, SOCIS will provide funding for students who do not meet the department requirement so that the full cost is not necessarily required. We are requesting a $20.00 non-refundable deposit to ensure commitment from those people that demonstrate interest in attending.

For more information, come to the CS Games meeting on Thursday, January 21st in Reynolds 219 and visit www.csgames.org. If you are interested, e-mail exec@socis.ca with your name, year, CIS average (whether it's above 70%) and anyone who you want on your team.

SOCIS Meetings

Every Thursday
5:30 PM
SOCIS Lounge, Reynolds 010-011

Do you have a great idea for a SOCIS event but don't know who to talk to? Have you ever desired changes in and around the SOCIS lounge? Come out to a weekly SOCIS meeting and have your voice heard. We are always looking for new and excited ideas for things to do during the time between our assignments and gaming, when we're off our computers. Everyone is welcome to the meeting, and after meetings, we often have a game of Mafia or a social event running, so stick around and have an awesome Thursday night.

Find us on the web.
Find us on Facebook.
Read our latest Meeting Minutes.

CISters

Next meeting is Wednesday January 20, 2010 at 5 PM in Reynolds 219
Contact them for details

CISters' mandate is to encourage women to pursue careers in computing and information sciences. CISters provides a supportive environment and positive female role models to promote computing related careers to CISters members.

They run a number of events each semester, from Exam Stressbuster Game Night, movie/tv nights, and more. You've seen them on campus at our CIS bbq in September.

You can contribute by volunteering your time at events and by giving input at meetings (and becoming members: guys, it's not just for girls).

Find them on the web.
Find them on Facebook.

How to Get Involved

The best way to get involved is to come out to our regular SOCIS meetings at 5:30 PM on Thursdays, in the lounge (Reynolds 010/011) and volunteer as a class representative or become a member of the system staff. Come to our meetings, check out our website or email exec@socis.ca for more information.

Feedback and Questions

The best way to give feedback is to attend meetings and provide your feedback directly. However, don't fret if you can't make it, as there are other ways to provide your insight. If you can't make it to our regular meetings, go to the Suggestion Forum on the SOCIS website and give us your suggestions (http://socis.ca). If you're shy or you prefer to be anonymous, you can e-mail exec@socis.ca with any ideas or questions. If you'd like to book an appointment with one of us in person, send us an email with your available times and we'll do our best to accommodate you. You can drop by the SOCIS lounge any time during the school day, and there will most likely be an executive member there to help with your queries.

Also, the easiest and laziest way to get involved with SOCIS without leaving your classroom is to talk to one of your class representatives (the folks that talk in front of the classes).

Keep your eyes out for:

Kevin Shea and Valtchan Valtchanov (First Year Class Representatives)
Shaun Zanin, Trevor Thompson and Sacha Bagason (Executive and acting Secon Year Class Reps)
Jason Lapp (System Administrator)
Robyn (Robert) Smith (President and Third and Fourth Year Class Representative)
Matt Bond (Honours Class Representative)

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Don't forget about the basic services that SOCIS provides for you such as cheapest pop on campus ($0.50), $1.00 chocolate bars, free printing, and comfy place to socialize with fellow CIS students (Reynolds Room 010/011). If you haven't already, come find us in the basement of the Reynolds building!

Thank you very much for reading the SOCIS newsletter and we hope to see you in the lounge and at our future events!

Regards,

SOCIS Executive Team

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