We may be just a few weeks away from winter break, but AUSU council is still hard at work. Their latest general meeting took place November 17, and here’s a brief update on the latest news.
One important item was the review of policy 9.01, council’s position paper on the deregulation of tuition. The policy was simply up for mandatory review, but It’s important to note AUSU’s position on the subject. Council remains resolved that, as the policy says, a ?regulated tuition policy guarantees some degree of predictability of tuition rates for students,? and that this reflects the will and needs of AU students.
Council also voted to continue the popular SmartDraw program for 2008/09, and reserve funds have been set aside to purchase the licences. If you haven’t downloaded your free copy of this software yet, visit the AUSU homepage and scroll down to find out all the details.
The president’s report contained good news on the economic front: in spite of the current downturn, AUGC predicts that the university is still on track to meet its budget. As well, AU has undertaken a study of communication with students, specifically to find out where gaps in communication still exist and to improve these areas.
The VP external reported that AU has increased the amounts of several smaller awards. (To find out if You’re eligible for any AU awards, check out the Student Awards page here.) Another interesting item raised in the report is a posting in the General Student Chat area of the discussion boards (It’s the Copyright Legislation thread). There are several items that may be of concern to students in the government’s proposed copyright legislation bill, and as part of a package It’s preparing, the AUSU executive wants to find out students? thoughts on the subject.
In news from the awards committee, the current fiscal year began in October and the committee has awarded five available AUSU bursaries to students, as well as one computer.
And as many students have already noticed, pre-orders are being taken for the 2009 AUSU Planners! These are a popular item, and the executive director reports that several new pages have been added to the current edition. they’re free to all AUSU members, so be sure to visit the homepage and reserve your copy.
The last word goes to the AV Committee. They are looking at the possibility of an online radio station, and their initial recommendations will be ready to go to council before the end of November.
Council’s next general meeting will take place January 19, 2009. See you there, in the gallery.