Concordia Resources: Where to Go for Food, Academics and Almost Everything Else

Special IssueMichelle Pucci — Published September 8, 2015

Academics

Birks Student Centre (Room LB-185)
This is probably where you’ll end up filing all your paperwork: getting a student I.D., paying tuition, requesting letters or transcripts, etc. The line can get long, so think about going early. Most things done at Birks can also be done online (like paying tuition and sorting out OPUS card applications), but the centre is still around if you prefer communicating with humans.

Registrar (Room LB-700)
Not so long ago, online registration was a far-distant dream and people would call in or wait in line to reserve spots in classes. Those days are over, so your contact with the registrar will be slim to none. You can make requests here for an official transcript, withdrawal or a preferred name change.

Vanier Library (7141 Sherbrooke St. W.) and Webster Library (1400 de Maisonneuve Blvd. W.)
Libraries are your best friends in the form of morose buildings. Need help researching? A quiet place to study? Somewhere to melt under fluorescents? Have too much time and need something to read? You can do all this in The Link’s office (minus the quiet part), but librarians are actually qualified to help you figure out what a database is and how to properly use it, among other things. Also open 24/7 (although the librarians aren’t around that long).

Student Success Centre (Room H-440 and AD-103)
Whether you’re a first-year or a returning student, you don’t have to feel like everyone in your class knows more than you (because they probably don’t). The Student Success Centre can help nail down the logistics of studying (i.e. the presentation, writing, software aspects) and also offer mentoring and workshop services. The Career and Planning Services (CAPS) Office (EN-109) can help with job searches (good luck…).

Financial Aid & Awards Offices (Room GM-230 and AD-121.02)
Pretty self-explanatory. You need aid? Bursaries? Scholarships? There may be a way for you to pay off some student debt, just ask. The office’s website has links to financial aid applications and bursary information, but you can visit in person downtown, Monday to Friday and at Loyola on Tuesdays.

Access Centre for Students with Disabilities (Room H-580)
The Access Centre is for students that are differently-abled and looking for support. The centre offers advising, adaptive software, note-taking services, interpretation, reading and writing tools, help with transportation, exam accommodation and more. The office is on the fifth floor of the Hall Building accessible by the escalators.

Aboriginal Student Resource Centre (H-641)
The centre is open to aboriginal students looking for community support or a nice place to hang out. An Elder is on-campus twice a week, and a mentor is around to help students navigate Concordia.

International Students Office (H-653)
The office is for international students struggling with study or work permits, insurance or trying to settle in.

Food

People’s Potato (H-733)
This is a daily vegan soup kitchen on the seventh floor of the Hall Building that feeds hundreds of students at 12:30 p.m. Bring your own Tupperware and make any donations. The food is hearty and healthy and seconds are allowed (you just need to wait out the line again). People’s Potato also organizes food/social justice events and publishes a cookbook series.

Loyola Luncheon (SC-115)
Based on the same concept as People’s Potato, Loyola Luncheon offers vegetarian and vegan lunch at The Hive in Loyola. The Concordia Student Union funds it; the food is healthy, but not as filling. You may need to supplement with a sandwich from the cafe next to it (or bring a lunch).

*Student Emergency and Food Fund *
If you’re in need of food and have no money, you may be able to receive grocery gift cards. Call 514-848-2424 × 3593 or email chaplaincy@concordia.ca for details.

Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard (2090 Mackay St.)
A weekly vegan supper for a donation of a few dollars, Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard usually happens at 2090 Mackay St. on Thursdays, organized by the Multi-Faith Chaplaincy.

Le Frigo Vert (2130 Mackay St.)
Le Frigo Vert is a co-op anti-capitalist organic grocer and cafe, with tables and space behind the counter. Some pre-made food is available in the fridge and you can find cleaning products, alternative health products and samosas most of the time. Closed Friday through Sunday.

Concordia Greenhouse (Hall Building, 12th Floor)
Hall Building: Take the escalators to the eleventh floor, look for Greenhouse signs for the right stairwell, climb to the twelfth and you’re in a rooftop greenhouse. Enjoy it. Study, drink some tea, volunteer your time, sit next to some nice-smelling herbs, buy some produce from the student-run farmers’ market and remember that greenhouses are also open in the winter.

Concordia Farmers’ Market (Room H-224)
The student-run farmers’ market takes over the Green Space in the Hall Building every Wednesday. You can talk to the local farmers who stop by and sell their vegetables, fruits, honey, meats and baked goods.

Support and Health

Centre for Gender Advocacy (2110 Mackay St.)
The Centre offers support services for the community at Concordia and beyond. Peer support and advocacy, sexual health resources and resources for people who are trans, the Centre offers all this and actively plans events and campaigns against gendered violence.

Sexual Assault Resource Centre (Room GM-300.27)
The Sexual Assault Resource Centre is a drop-in centre that provides support for survivors of sexual violence. They provide crisis intervention, advocacy and outreach services. To contact the centre’s coordinator, Jennifer Drummond, email jennifer.drummond@concordia.ca or call 514-848-2424 × 3353.

Health Services (Room GM-200 and AD-131)
This is the clinic for all the poor students without a doctor. Appointments for check-ups, medical or mental health services are fairly easy to book if you have your insurance and student ID. Call ahead. Health Services have offices on both campuses. You can also ask for general prescriptions and medical notes.

Advocacy & Support Services (H-645)
Concordia offers services and student advocates to support people in difficult situations or charged under the code of conduct. The Concordia Student Union and Graduate Student Union also have Advocacy Centres with representatives to advise students on their rights when they are involved in academic and non-academic violations or wish to file formal complaints against students, faculty or staff.

Ombuds Office (Room GM-1005)
The ombudsperson is independent from the university and student associations and can help with informal resolutions, or offer general advice on the best plan of action if you think your rights have been violated.

Getting around, and other services

Shuttle Bus
Getting between campuses can be the worst or easiest experience, depending on the time of day. You may be crammed, trying to stay standing in a bus that lurches and stops in downtown traffic, or you may just wait far too long, start swearing under your breath, regretting the decision to have classes on both campuses. It’s not always terrible: just know the schedule, or skip the shuttle and take the de Maisonneuve Blvd. bike path (about 25 min) or public transit (about 40 min).

Off-Campus Housing and Job Bank (Room H-260)
Also known as HOJO, this student-run housing and job resource is open Monday to Friday on the Mezzanine of the Hall Building (and Thursdays at CC in Loyola), and also has online classifieds. HOJO offers advice for tenants and workers and can help point to legal resources if necessary.

Concordia Community Solidarity Co-op Bookstore (2150 Bishop St.)
The cooperative bookstore on Bishop St. has used and new books, and really nice people. It’s an alternative non-profit, offers workshops and can sell textbooks and work by artists or authors on consignment.

Concordia Security (514 848 3717)
Security is where you can report any crimes (calling 911 works too) and is supposed to conduct investigations for on-campus offences. They also offer an accompanying program for those who want it. They are the key masters, if you need to get into a club or room (you must be on a key list), lost and found (I’ve never found anything I lost at Concordia); and they make access cards that cost $15 so you can access labs in your department.

CSU Legal Information Clinic (Room H-731)
Lawyers are expensive, so get information and possibly a referral from law students. The clinic is run by the Concordia Student Union and doesn’t offer legal advice, but go here if you’re faced with legal charges or tickets and don’t know where to start.