I can’t believe I’ve managed to get this far already. You’ll notice this is an extra big issue, in part because in addition to our usual goodness, we’ve got a Council Connection, the article on the Voice Reader Survey that I promised (complete with pretty pictures), an interview with none other than the President of Athabasca University, Mr. Peter MacKinnon, and a look at how students’ unions in Saskatchewan are handling the recommendations from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and what that, and the recommendations, might mean for Athabasca University.

And then we have the feature article! That’s right, all that stuff isn’t even the feature. This week, we feature Edmonton student, Lauren Calleja, in our “Minds We Meet” column. Working for non-profits and charities, Lauren’s looking to run her first half-marathon soon while she completes her AU program.

The cover of this issue is a reference to Barb L.’s article this week that has a simple idea for how to handle the coming jump to Daylight Savings Time. Personally, I think a better way to handle Daylight Savings Time, at least here in Alberta, would be to eliminate “regular” time (what do you call non-daylight savings?) altogether. I’ve gone on about this before, but I have yet to see any advantage to setting the clocks back at the end of the summer. The sun comes up so late in Calgary anyway that the adjustment doesn’t mean it’s any lighter when most people wake up and head for work, we might as well keep what light we can for later in the day when we have the time to enjoy it.

We also bring another installment of our “Course Exam” column. This time, Bethany Tynes looks at WGST 425, and talks to one of the co-authors, Dr. Karen Nielsen, about what students can expect if they decide to take the course. But that’s not all, Barb Godin also brings us another heart-wrenching tale from her life. If you’ve ever wondered what qualifies her to give advice in the Dear Barb column, I suggest you search the Voice website for her other articles and give them a read.

And this was all on what is supposed to be a short week here in Alberta, with Family Day being celebrated on Monday the 15th. On the bright side, there’s an extra day this month, so maybe I’ll be able to catch up then.

Altogether, this means you’ve got almost 40 pages of material here to keep you entertained, informed, a bit more connected, and maybe even a little bit more aware. It’s a magazine almost as thick as you’d pick up at your local newsstand, and almost all directed straight at you, AU students. While I couldn’t be happier, to be giving you all this stuff, I have to admit, it’s been a bit of a panic all week.

So, seriously, I really hope you enjoy the read. Me? I have to go collapse.