Below, we have gathered resources to support your further learning and development and your success as a TA at McMaster. Resources are grouped under Teaching and Employment Supports, Student Supports, Technical and Informational Resources, and Building an Accessible, Inclusive Campus Community.

Teaching and Employment Supports

The Paul R. MacPherson Institute for Leadership, Innovation and Excellence in Teaching

The MacPherson Institute offers assistance to enhance your teaching. You can meet with an Educational Developer to discuss ideas to help improve your teaching, or you can consult their extensive library of books, articles, and newsletters on teaching and learning.

The MacPherson Institute also runs the Teaching and Learning Certificates of Completion Program, where graduate students and postdoctoral fellows can take courses to improve their teaching skills and receive feedback on materials such as teaching portfolios.

The MacPherson Institute is located on the fifth floor of Mills Library; you can also contact us at 905 525 9140 x24540 or by email (mi@mcmaster.ca).

CUPE 3906

CUPE 3906 is the union representing McMaster teaching and research assistants (both graduate and undergraduate). You receive benefits from CUPE 3906 and can contact their office if you have questions about your workplace conditions. You might also be interested in attending their General Membership Meetings to keep up to date on information and developments affecting your role as a TA.

You can contact CUPE 3906 by calling their office at 905 525 9140 x24003, through email at cupe3906@mcmaster.ca, or by dropping by their office in Kenneth Taylor Hall B111.

The Office of Academic Integrity

The Office of Academic Integrity strives to assist instructors and students with issues of academic integrity. The main purpose of a university is to encourage and facilitate the pursuit of knowledge and scholarship. This website provides information for students and instructors alike to assist with this purpose and to help avoid problems with dishonesty.

Environmental and occupational health support services (EOHSS)

Environmental and Occupational Health Support Services (EOHSS) is a team of health, safety, and risk management specialists working in the areas of environmental and occupational health, safety, loss prevention, and mitigation. Providing professional and technical support to stakeholders across the University community, EOHSS provides support services and leadership to assist in the continued development and maintenance of an effective Internal Responsibility System.

Campus Security services

In case of emergency when on campus, call Campus Security Services by dialling ’88’ from any university phone or calling 905 522 4135. You can also call 905 525 9140 x 24281, or press the ‘security’ button on any on-campus pay phone. There are direct lines to Campus Security in every elevator on campus and ‘Red Rocket’ emergency phones located across campus. You can also download the McMaster University Safety Security and Transit app from the Security Services website.

Student Supports

Student Wellness Centre

The Student Wellness Centre provides a range of counseling options, medical services, and wellness programs, including group counseling programs, pregnancy testing, nutritional advice, and referrals to specialists. They are located at MUSC B101/B118 and can be reached by phone at 905 525 9140 x 27700.

Student Success centre

The Student Success Centre supports students in writing and academic skills, student orientation, leadership, service-learning, volunteerism, educational planning, employment, and career transition. They run the Writing and Academic Skills Hub, which is a space for quiet study in Mills Library 215, open to all students, 9 am-4 pm daily. They also provide one-on-one appointments with writing advisors, academic peer mentors, and academic coaches. Students can book appointments and register for upcoming SSC events on OSCARplus. The SSC’s main offices are located in Gilmour Hall 110. They can be contacted via email at studentsuccess@mcmaster.ca or via live chat on their website: https://studentsuccess.mcmaster.ca/. 

Student accessibility services (SAS)

Student Accessibility Services (SAS) offers various supports for students with disabilities. SAS assists students with academic and disability-related needs by providing learning strategies, assistive technologies, test & exam administration, note taking programs, and classroom accommodations. They are located at MUSC B107, and can be reached by phone at 905 525 9140 x 28852.

International student services

The International Student Services Office provides services and programs for international students, visiting scholars, post-doctoral fellows and faculty, and their families. The Office is located in Gilmour Hall Room 104, or you can email iss@mcmaster.ca or call 905 525 9140 x 24254.

Graduate Students Association (GSA)

The Graduate Students Association (GSA) represents graduate students on campus. They administer health benefits and organize events for graduate students. You can get involved with the GSA by contacting their office at macgsa@mcmaster.ca or by phone at 905 525 9140 x 22043, or by dropping by Refectory Rathskeller Building East Tower, Second Floor.

Technical and Informational Resources

Mcmaster libraries

The McMaster Libraries network includes all four libraries across campus. The Mills Memorial Library hosts Social Sciences and Humanities collections and the Mills Learning Commons, which is home to many student support services; the Innis Library serves the research interests of the DeGroote School of Business; the H.G. Thode Library services the Science and Engineering faculties, and the Health Sciences Library caters to the Health Sciences.

Classroom Audio Visual Services

If you need to book a data projector or need help using the equipment in your classroom, you can contact Classroom Audio Visual Services for help. They are located in Mills Memorial Library L305, or you can email equipbkg@mcmaster.ca or call 905 525 9140 x 22761.

University Technology service (UTS)

University Technology Service (UTS) administers campus emails, wireless, MOSAIC, student technology labs, and technology help desks. They are located in Burke Science Building 245. You can contact them at uts@mcmaster.ca or by calling 905 525 9140 x 24357 (2HELP).

Campus store

The McMaster Campus Store sells books and supplies for the majority of undergraduate and graduate courses, as well as stationary, supplies, clothing, gifts, and computers. It is located in Gilmour Hall B101, and can be reached by phone at 905 525 9140 x 24751.

Underground media + design

Run by the McMaster Students Union, Underground Media + Design is a full service media and design centre. Their services include printing, copying, and cutting (including large formats), office supplies, graphic design, and poster approval. They are located in MUSC B117 and can be reached at 905 525 9140 x 28684 or by email at underground@msu.mcmaster.ca.

Building an Accessible, Inclusive Campus Community

Accessibility at Mcmaster

The Accessibility at McMaster page is a “one-stop-shop for all things accessibility” on campus, including tips and tools on how to create an accessible classroom, information about the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, and advocacy options on campus.

Equity and Inclusion Office

The Equity and Inclusion office (formerly Human Rights and Equity Services) works with campus and community partners to ensure that McMaster is a place where all students, staff, and faculty are treated equitably and respectfully. Services include confidential complaint resolution processes, educational opportunities, and support for survivors of sexual violence. They are located in MUSC 212, and can be contacted by phone at 905 525 9140 x 27581.

Ombuds Office

The Ombuds Office provides impartial, independent, and informal dispute-resolution advice and assistance to all members of the McMaster community. The Ombuds Office is located in the Student Centre Room 210, or you can email ombuds@mcmaster.ca or call 905 525 9140 x 24151.

Ontario Public Interest Research Group (OPIRG)

OPIRG is a volunteer-driven organization that is dedicated to empowering students and community in exchanging ideas and taking action on diverse social justice and environmental issues. It has a number of working groups related to environmental activism, global citizenship, and indigenous issues. OPIRG is located in MUSC 229 and can be reached by email at opirg@mcmaster.ca or by phone at 905 525 9140 x 27289.

President’s Advisory Committee on Building AN Inclusive Community (PACBIC)

This committee is made up of stakeholders from many parts of McMaster’s campus with a mandate to: identify and anticipate issues affecting equity-seeking communities within, and seeking access to, McMaster University, learn and discuss ways to address these issues, and provide advice to the President on such issues. For more information, consult the PACBIC website or email them at pacbic@mcmaster.ca.

Office of Student Conduct

The Office of Student Conduct contributes to the University’s efforts to create and enhance the ethical environment of the campus community by addressing behavioural expectations for student civility and personal conduct. The Student Code of Conduct, posted at their website, outlines students’ rights and responsibilities in the shared quest to create a safe, inclusive, and fair environment at McMaster, and one that is conducive to learning.

Queer Students Community Centre

Run by the McMaster Students Union, the QSCC describes itself as “A Place For Gender and Sexual Diversity at McMaster.” It offers a contact point for McMaster students that may identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans, or queer and their allies, and offers educational programming and access to resources of interest to the GLBTQ community. The QSCC is located in MUSC 221. You can reach the coordinator at 905 525 9140 x 27397 or by email at qscc@msu.mcmaster.ca

Indigenous Studies Program/Aboriginal Student Support

The Indigenous Studies Program offers a number of services to the Indigenous community at McMaster University. These services include student counselling, writing skills workshops, and an Elder-in-Residence program. To learn more about Student Services in the Indigenous Studies Program, visit them at L.R. Wilson Hall 1010, call 905 525 9140 x 27426, or email indig.admin@mcmaster.ca.