It’s been a busy week.
Just today it was announced that the UCP experiment of moving all public health related lab work to private company Dynalife is being walked back. Although they apparently were able to provide decent service in north Alberta and the Edmonton region, their significant difficulties in adapting to the more densely populated southern areas of Alberta has lead to an announcement that Alberta Health Services will be taking over all of their staff, operations, and physical labs. We don’t yet know the price tag for this takeover, but I imagine the cost to buy back what we gave them when the UCP was elected won’t be a small one.
Then yesterday, AUSU passed it’s 2023-2024 budget, which is going to start on October 1. That budget has revenue based on an increase in your student union fees of $0.75 per credit starting on January 1, 2024. That will bring your AUSU fee to $4.50/credit. Where is that money going to go? We’ll have more on that in the AUSU Council Meeting report next week, but I was surprised that even Councillor Amber McDuffe did not argue this, as she’s the councillor who is most likely raise concerns or objections to what Council intends to do.
And all through the week we’ve been hearing about various wildfires, which are now forcing people in Kelowna and the NWT to evacuate their homes. With places throughout the territories, BC, and Alberta, even as far as Calgary, setting up measures to help wildfire refugees. AU also has some help available if you’re a student who’s been affected by the wildfires. You can go to https://news.athabascau.ca/announcements/wildfire-learner-information/ to find out what services and accommodations can be made.
Then there’s changes here at the Voice, as our music reviewer, Jessica Young, has just informed me that she’s decided she needs to focus more on family and school as she gets closer to her graduation. And while I wish her the best, this means we have more openings at the Voice Magazine for current student writers. If you have an interest in music, wouldn’t mind a bit of extra money each month, and would like to have a bit of resume fodder while getting early looks at new and upcoming bands and music, please contact me at karl@voicemagazine.org.
But one thing that isn’t changing is we’re still bringing you great content from students and former students of AU. This week, you can start with our interview with Deanna C., an applied studies student who is focusing on Indigenous studies and educational psychology, who includes some great study tips and advice for new students. Our fiction feature explores the idea of just how far things can escalate if you’re willing to chase them down. And we have part two of the Condemned Girls of India, exploring what’s involved in the sex trafficking trade and how Canada may be being affected.
But our features aren’t the only good reads, with columns like the Fly on the Wall digging deeper into the ideas of discourse and what we can really take as truth as AU students, or [blue rare] contemplating if the end of days is upon us with a wry sense of humour about it. We’ve also got Jessica Young’s last music review, a look at barbequing, whether AI is conscious, book reviews, scholarships, events, and more!
Enjoy the read!
