Editorial – Wait, I’m the Optimist Here?

I was just realizing how long it’s been since we had a student interview, so I’m really happy to once again be bringing forward the Minds We Meet column. The variety of students that go to AU is something that never ceases to amaze me, as we all got a taste of last week when we met Louisa Daley, the 93-year-old women who walked across the stage for her Bachelor of General Studies degree. And although someone getting a degree that late in life is rare, Deanna Roney points out that it shouldn’t be seen as something unusual?not at AU, anyway?because, as she says, it’s “Never Too Late”.

So, this week, we have an interview a student from the Human Resources and Labour Relations program, Alicia Gallo, as our feature article.

We also have the first article looking at the release of the AU Third Party Review. Barb Lehtiniemi gives a brief overview of the agreement for those that haven’t the time to dig into it themselves. Next week, she promises to return with a more in-depth look at each of the recommendations.

If you’re following this story at all though, you’ve likely seen the report on the review from David Climenhaga at AlbertaPolitics.ca. David takes a much more pessimistic view of the report than I do, suggesting that neither the town of Athabasca or the various unions within Athabasca will be willing to bend to ensure the university is supported. I have more faith that the people of both of these constituencies will be willing to bend now to ensure a better future for themselves later, which has the odd effect of making me take on the optimistic role instead of that of the cynic, a role I’m much more familiar with. But I do think David might be on to something when he points out that the report calls for AU to submit its plan to the government in 2019, an election year here in Alberta, and one that stands to give the university a lot of leverage when the alternative presented in the report is “if a plan acceptable to the government is not forthcoming, to wind down operations.”

As pointed out in the article, the odds of the NDP choosing to wind down the operations of a major university during an election campaign is going to be somewhere approaching zero. And perhaps that’s what Dr. Coates had in mind.

Meanwhile, we also have a look at some tips if you’re like most students, insanely busy and trying to create health meals while still on a budget, brought to us by a new writer, Xin Xu, and the inside scoop on how The Voice Magazine managed to snag an Editor of the Year award from the Professional Writer’s Association of Canada.

And that’s still not all, as we have our usual selection of reviews, news, events, life advice, essay tips, and this week we’re also resuming The Doppelgänger Cure with Book II. I’ve gone back and read Book I in “all-of-a-piece” style here on the Voice, and doing so, I think it gains something that got lost in the week by week format, and it left me wanting to read more of the story, so here it is.
Enjoy the Read!

P.S. If you didn’t already know, The Voice Magazine has a Facebook page and a twitter feed if You’re into that kind of thing!