Yes, I know. It’s been a week and last week’s PDF still hasn’t been put up. And what’s going on with the website, what happened to the Minds we Meet article I wrote about?
The problem is that putting that article up was a bad call on my part. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, last week, The Voice Magazine, or more specifically, I, decided that even though our feature student interview happened to be a candidate in the coming election, there would be no issues with publishing the piece.
I thought this because after looking at the piece, and thinking about it, I noted that the piece made no mention of AUSU, or issues relating to AUSU or the election or candidacy, it’s timing was purely coincidental (these pieces go up on a first-come, first served basis), and that AUSU does not restrict what The Voice Magazine chooses to publish. With all that in mind, it seemed obvious to me that there was no conflict of interest in publishing the piece.
But I should have thought further. It’s not just actual conflicts of interest that matter, but apparent conflicts of interest. Whether done innocently or not, it could have been seen as giving one candidate an advantage over the others. And whether AUSU controls what The Voice Magazine publishes or not, it’s not unreasonable for students to think it’s a possibility. With that in mind , I’ve pulled both the Minds We Meet article in question, and the PDF that article was in, until after the appeals process of the election, just to make sure we’re not giving undue influence to any one candidate.
With that said, I should also note that the polls are open now and will be so until Monday. You should have access to a ballot in your email, so make sure you take the opportunity to use it. If you don’t see one, check your spam folder, and check any alternate email addresses you may have given Athabasca University. Once again, your vote will determine who are the people who will be responsible to represent you to the government, to the university, and will be responsible for designing and overseeing any services that AUSU offers with your student fees.
Meanwhile, this week, we’ve got a feature interview with a student who is not a candidate, seeking her Bachelor of Professional Arts through AU to catch up with her life plans of attaining a degree.
I’m also recommending the Fly on the Wall this week, as he opens up with a personal tale about how we reproduce ourselves at AU in more ways than we may think.
And if you’re just starting out with AU, or perhaps your part-way through and starting to wonder if your current degree really is where you want to go with your life, Francesca Carone brings some additional information you may want to consider when you’re looking toward what your future degree should be.
Plus, we of course have scholarships, events, advice, and more! Enjoy the read!
