The Student Experience

YES.  All students are required to have health insurance.  International students are well advised to apply for temporary insurance before they arrive on campus.  Once they begin their studies, graduate students will automatically be eligible for extended health and dental coverage paid for through student fees.  Students can opt out of this coverage  if needed.  To obtain temporary health coverage before your arrival on campus, David Cummings Insurance Services Ltd. is the preferred insurance company.  Contact  http://www.david-cummings.com/sfu  for more information.

Students are advised to apply immediately for coverage under  the BC Medical Services Plan as soon as they arrive on campus:https://www.health.gov.bc.ca/exforms/msp/102fil.pdf

For more information:

• Canadian students
  
• International students

YES.  SFU Residence and Housing manage all student residences on campus. Residences include dormitories, family apartments, townhouses, towers, and a dining facility.

Through Off Campus Housing Services, http://sfu.myidealhome.com/ SFU provides a service to students who prefer to live off campus:  Using the off campus housing form (OCH101),  SFU students seeking housing can review a variety of types of property, post a personal profile, and search for potential roommates. Information is reviewed and posted daily, so you know your housing information is always up-to-date. SFU Students always search for FREE and can post and search for FREE for your ideal Roommate on the SFU Roommate Finder.

NO.  From Simon Fraser University students can access the city of Vancouver, North Burnaby, Coquitlam and New Westminster using public and rapid transit (Bus and Skytrain).  To help keep student transportation costs to a minimum, SFU has a “UPASS” program that provides you access to area transit facilities: with your name, your photo, and an indication of your enrollment status http://students.sfu.ca/upass

The UPASS Program:  The U-Pass is funded in part by a mandatory student fee which is currently $104.36 per term (or $26.09 per month). The U-Pass fee is automatically added to your student account when you enroll in a U-Pass eligible course, and must be paid at the same time as you pay your fees and tuition.   The program is mandatory for all eligible SFU students and provides unlimited, all zone access to public transit in Metro Vancouver (the GVRD), including unlimited access to TransLink Bus (including Community Shuttles and West Vancouver Blue Buses), SkyTrain and SeaBus services (all zones), and discounts on West Coast Express Train fares.

The SFU Library is dedicated to providing access to collections, services and facilities of the in support of the teaching, learning and research goals of the Simon Fraser University community.

There are a limited number of offices on 5th floor of the Bennett Library that are available to graduate students on a semesterly basis.  Offices are awarded to applicants through the Office of the Dean of Graduate Studies (Maggie Benston, Room 1132 / 778.782.6568).
Specific library carrels throughout the Bennett Library are designated quiet study space. There is also a silent study room on the 5th floor. Group study rooms on the 2nd floor can be booked in advance.
The Bennett Library now offers computers with MS Office, statistical programs and other applications in our Information Commons facility on the 3rd floor. You need to sign on with your Academic Computing account identification. Other computers through the building offer access to the library catalogue, databases, e-journals and the Internet but not word processing, etc.  In addition, carrels on the 2nd and 6th floor offer laptop users plug-in access to the campus network. Laptop users with wireless network cards can access the campus wireless network within the Bennett library.

Blusson Hall is the permanent home of the Faculty of Health Sciences.  Graduate Students will find open concept research labs, large lecture halls and seminar rooms, a large graduate student lounge, an office devoted to student networks provided with a computer, office space supporting Teaching Assistants (with either a computer and access to printers wireless access for laptop computer use) basic office supplies for TA's, and support services including audio visual equipment.  Mail boxes and lockers are available to our students, as well as 95 workstations supported with wireless access for lap tops as well as a portion of workstations that are hard wired for desktop or laptop connections.  
FHS has a 36 workstation computing lab.  Each computer has the most recent versions of SPSS, SAS, and the Microsoft Office suite of programs.  Printing facilities are available in the lab for a nominal printing charge.  The lab is also outfitted for core teaching with a ceiling mounted projector and teaching podium.

SFU provides a long list of services for students.  For a full list of services refer to http://students.sfu.ca.  Some of the services that our students find themselves using are: 

Career Services
Career Services provide personal career advising to current and recently-graduated students, as well as workshops, an online job posting service, fairs and events. We also offer self-help career resources, computer work stations, and access to labour market information. 

Centre for Students with Disabilities
We help disabled students eliminate barriers to reach their academic and personal goals, through individualized services and accommodations for students with psychological, physical, or learning disabilities. We provide liaison between students and instructors, access to adaptive technologies, and course materials in alternative formats. Due to possible delays, students are requested to contact the Centre as soon as possible, preferably three months prior to the start of the term. Documentation of disability is required. 
  
First Nations Student Centre
The First Nations Student Centre supports the vision of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis students at SFU, through our First Nations Recruiter, programs, ceremonies, and resources made available to all self-identified Aboriginal students. We provide support services in a culturally appropriate context, and at Convocation provide our graduating students with a formal Honouring Ceremony to celebrate their achievements.

Health and Counselling Services 
We promote mind-body wellness to enable students to realize their full potential and achieve their academic, personal and career goals. Services are responsive, professional and foster self-reliance. We work as an integrated team to provide high-quality health care, counselling and physiotherapy, and outreach programs.
 
Interfaith Centre  
We are an ecumenical and interfaith chaplaincy of six chaplains representing the Christian faith and other religions. We provide a meeting space and a wide spectrum of social and spiritual services, and we are committed to serving the entire SFU community--students, staff and faculty.

Recreation & Athletics
Recreation and Athletics provide facilities and programs for students, staff and faculty to maintain a life-long habit of social physical activity. We offer classes, intramurals, sport clubs, and our CLAN teams of varsity athletes in 14 programs, which compete in Canadian and US university leagues. 

Student Learning Commons (SLC)
Visit the Student Learning Commons (SLC) for friendly and knowledgeable assistance with a wide range of academic writing, learning, and study strategies. The goal of the Student Learning commons is to provide you with resources and tools for academic success. The SLC encourages collaboration, discussion, and peer learning. Workshops are offered to students looking for additional help in ESL, writing, technology, library, learning.  

SFU International http://students.sfu.ca/international/ is the central coordinating body for most of the university’s international activities.  SFU International believes that the quality of education grows when a classroom is filled with students from around the world, when discussions include cross-cultural perspectives, when faculty and staff grow their skills internationally, and when students can study and work abroad.   They coordinate programs and support services for international students, opportunities for students to study abroad, opportunities for staff to build professional skills abroad, services for faculty seeking international development projects.  They support development of international programs, development of international co-op opportunities, events addressing current international issues and concerns.  General information about many of these topics is also available in the International Student Handbook. Please note that the International student advisor  can only provide general information on Permanent Residency.  ISAs do not provide academic advice. 

International Students can get advice from SFU International in person, via telephone to 778.782.4232,  via email to intl_advising@sfu.ca.

International student advisors can help you  with the following: 
    study permit and temporary resident (entry) visas
•    on campus employment regulations
•    social insurance numbers (SIN)
•    co-op, post-graduation, and off-campus work permits
•    visitor visas and work permits for spouses/common-law partners
•    health insurance and the Canadian medical system
•    US visitor visas
•    personal, cultural and academic transition
•    any other non-academic questions or concerns