Tech Fund
A Student-centred initiative that focuses on supporting the information, communication, and technology needs of the students at the iSchool
About the Tech Fund
The Tech Fund is a student-centred initiative dedicated to improving the student experience by focusing on supporting the information, communication, and technology needs of the students at the iSchool.
Tech Fund Fees
| Fee | Fall Term Charge | Winter Term Charge | Annual Total |
| Part Time Students | $12.50 | $12.50 | $25.00 |
| Full Time Students | $25.00 | $25.00 | $50.00 |
Students contribute to the Student Tech Fund automatically when they pay their tuition fees each year. The funds are then used to meet our mandate:
“[to] directly enhance ICT (information, communication and technology) based learning, research, exhibiting, collecting and administrative services for Masters of Information (MI), and Master of Museum Studies (MMSt).”
This could be a number of things, ranging from purchasing new computers for the Inforum or student lounge furniture to funding an event or workshop.
The Tech Fund Committee consists of five Student Representatives, an iSchool Faculty Advisor, and an Information Technology Advisor. Each Student Representative is allotted one vote, while the faculty and IT advisors are not allotted voting powers, they are also responsible for putting forth proposals, purchasing equipment, promoting purchases to the student body, and informing both MISC and MUSSA about Tech Fund activities and receiving council approval for purchases exceeding $3,000. Check out the available technology to borrow from the Inforum!
Tech Fund
By-Laws
Submit an Idea
Contact
Projects
- Purchased Square financial system and label maker for MISC
- Provided support for MMSt students' exhibition projects
- Provided funding to support iSkills workshop support
- Student conference support
- Purchased new items for the 7th floor student lounge as part of MISC's Student Lounge Revamp Project
- Provided tech items as raffle items for MISC/MUSSA events and two of MISC's charity fundraising bake sales
- Held a referendum to reduce the annual Tech Fund Levy fee (see Referendum Results below for more details
- Running a referendum to secure future funding for Tech Fund
- Funding equipment and staffing for Studio 307
- Collaborating on and funding iSkills workshops
- Funding student-run events through the Request for Funds Program
- Purchasing new meditation equipment for the Inforum
- Researching possible VR equipment acquisitions for the Inforum
- Collaborating on and funding iSkills workshops
- Funding student-run events through the Request for Funds Program
- Purchasing new laptops and tablets for the Inforum
- Funded iSkills Workshops
- Tech Fund Speed Dating Event
- Funded iSkills Workshops
- PHP/MySQL Workshop (provider: iSchool Institute)
- HTML/CSS Workshop (provider: Ladies Learning Code)
- Photoshop Workshop (provider: HackerYou) - survey results (PDF)
- Funding for the Code Rally
- Tech Fund Ideas Party:
- Puppy day
- Raspberry Pi
- 19 Tablet screen cleaners
- Coffee Machine for the 7th Floor Lounge
- 2 Samsung 46” Skype-enabled LED Displays for Inforum Group Study Rooms – 1 more to be ordered
- Microsoft IT Academy License
- 20 licenses for OmniGraffle Pro (OS X Version of Visio)
- 3 iPad 2’s
- 1 RIM Playbook
- 30 Wireless Mice for netbooks
- Data Projector for Museum Studies (can be booked through Inforum)
- Multi-Touch Coffee Table – yet to be purchased size range from 26” to 103” – we’re looking at about 32-36”
- 4 Sony Voice Recorders
- Budget allocation of $3,000 set aside to bring a Guest Speaker to the iSchool – TBD
- 7 frames for the student lounge
- 1 toaster oven for the student lounge
- 2 DSLR cameras for the Inforum
- Plants for the Student Lounge
- Smartboard for the Student Lounge
- 10 Dell Notebooks
- Sony Voice Recorder
- 10 Camcorders
- 4 iPads, iPad covers, and Apple Care
- 4 Galaxy Tabs
- Job Spice Access
- Crossref (Software for FIQ)
- Smartboard for 5th Floor Lobby (half of cost)
- Dell Workstation for the MISC Office
- 4 New Computers, Tables, Chairs (1/3 of cost)
- 21 New Computers (1/3 of cost)
- Total Renovation of the Student Lounge
- 4 Samsung Netbooks
- 2 Kindles
- Furniture for Student Lounge
- Voice Recorder and Camcorder
- Media Lab Devices - iMac, scanner, printers, etc (previously in room 119, now in room 328)
- 10 Dell Laptops and 10 Licenses for Office 2007
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- A sink for the lounge: Because of the way Bissell is built, this would cost $15 000+ and involve ripping out part of our (newly painted) walls and some of the flooring in several rooms on the 7th floor. Sorry!
- A T-card machine: U of T has suggested that they will be eliminating the T-card in the near future. They have not indicated what it will be replaced with, but it will almost certainly render this $10,000 purchase obsolete. Maintenance of a T-card reader is also very expensive, and the Student Tech Fund cannot guarantee that we will be able to permanently cover this expense.
Minutes
- December 18, 2012
- October 15, 2012
- September 26, 2012: Other Items
- September 26, 2012: Strategic Planning
- July 18, 2012
- May 31, 2012
- May 10, 2012
- February 23, 2012
- January 17, 2012
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Referendum Results
- 2019-20: MI/MMSt students voted for the annual Tech Fund fee to be reduced to $40/year for full-time students (previously $50/year) and $20/year for part-time students (previously $25/year)
- 2016-17: MI/MMSt students voted for the annual Tech Fund fee to be reduced to $50/year for full-time students (previously $100/year) and $25/year for part-time students (previously $50/year)
- 2012-13: MI/MMSt students voted for the continuity of the Tech Fund Levy Fee to remain at $100/year for full-time students and $50/year for part-time students.