IMPORTANT NOTICE TO STUDENTS:

AUSU Council currently has three positions open, that we are seeking to fill for the final six months of the current term. In accordance with our bylaws and policies, Council can appoint students to fill these positions by a majority vote. Any interested student is invited to submit an application to president@ausu.org, including the following:

All applications will be considered equally, but preference will be given to students who have already actively participated in AUSU Council meetings and committees. There is no guarantee that any or all of these positions will be filled. Deadline for applications is September 12/03. For further information, please contact president@ausu.org

AUSU JOB POSTING

See the News section of this paper for the job posting for the position of AUSU Executive Director. This posting can also be found on the AUSU website at http://www.ausu.org/jobposting/index.php

AUSU ART CONTEST WINNER ANNOUNCED

AUSU is pleased to announce the winner of this year’s art contest, which asked for submissions to be used as the cover of this year’s AUSU Handbook/Planner.

It was a difficult decision this year, because all of the entries were so good, but the planner committee decided on the appropriately titled ‘Teachings’ by Alberta artist Chris Lynch-Aquart.

Chris Lynch-Aquart, a member of the Cold Lake First Nations, was born in Edmonton in 1974 and raised in Calgary. Though raised in a Canadian urban setting, Chris has been most heavily influenced by South Western artists. He uses many traditional symbols and images from Native American mythology and ceremonies to express his ideas.

Largely self-taught, Chris has completed a two year Design and Printing program from the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology. He continues to work at his art and is now comfortable working in such varied media as oil, acrylic, graphite and airbrush.
Chris has sold many originals and his works are on display in England, the United States and throughout Canada. In 1999, Chris was the first place winner in the annual Peace Hills Trust Native Art Contest and his work “A Tradition Carried Forever and Respected with Honour” is featured on their 2000 calendar.

Look for Chris’s painting on the cover of the planner, which should be available by the end of the year.

AUSU IN PERSON DISCUSSION GROUPS

AUSU in-person discussion groups in Calgary, Edmonton, and Medicine Hat would like to invite students to join them in casual, coffee shop get togethers to discuss life as an AU student.

Getting together physically with fellow AU students adds to your university experience. Other students will be able to understand and relate to the joys and frustrations of distance learning. It’s also a way to stay abreast of information relating to AU and the Athabasca University Students’ Union.

To take part in the Calgary group please contact JODY at jwaddle@telusplanet.net.
To take part in the Edmonton areas discussion group, contact RYAN at nicepilotdude@yahoo.ca.
To take part in the Medicine Hat group, contact STACEY at jackenna96@telusplanet.net.

Anyone interested in starting up a group in your area (anywhere in Canada, from small towns to major centres) please contact SANDRA at smoore@ausu.org.

SURVEY ON AU’s PROPOSED REMOVAL FROM THE TUITION CAP

How do you feel about AU being removed from the tuition cap?

Athabasca University, like other universities and colleges in the province, currently falls under Alberta’s tuition fee policy that enforces a ceiling on allowable tuition increases. AU has asked the Alberta government for exemption from the tuition fee policy. If passed, tuition increases for undergraduate courses at AU will no longer be regulated by specific government controls.
To find out how students feel about this proposed change, AUSU has placed a short survey on the AUSU web site at: http://www.ausu.org/tuitionsurvey/index.php. More information can also be found on this page.

To learn more about this issue, students are encouraged to visit the AUSU discussion forums [accessible from the “Message Forums” link on the AUSU front page] and to browse the past several issues of The Voice.

Please take a minute to fill out this simple survey, to ensure that the students’ union is representing you.

CHAT WITH AUSU ONLINE
If you have a question for AUSU, or would like to get to know your council, drop by the chat-room [accessible through the ‘Message Forums’ option on the AUSU home page http://www.ausu.org. You will need an AUSU web site account.] during one of our chat times and talk live with AUSU council members or your Voice editor. All times are MST

Mondays at – 8:00 PM – Councillor Karl Low

More chat times to be posted soon:

FEATURED TUTOR ON THE AUSU WEB SITE
Kim Vaughan
Psychology

Kim Vaughan is a tutor in Psychology, currently teaching three courses: Child Development (Psychology 228), Developmental Psychology (Psychology 323), and Psychology and the Mass Media (Psychology 315).
Kim has been with Athabasca since 2000:

Read more at: http://www.ausu.org/tutor/index.php

NEEDED – VOLUNTEER MENTORS FOR NEW STUDENTS

Do you remember your first few months at AU? Do you remember all the questions you had and the confusions you encountered? Every month at AU there are close to 1500 new registrations and these new students will be in the same boat you were once in. How about helping these students out by offering to be an AUSU mentor? AUSU mentors are “experienced” AU students who are willing to provide a little guidance and support to new AU students. If you are interested in participating in this new venture of AUSU’s or if you’d like more information please contact Sandra Moore at smoore@ausu.org