Connecting with your fellow classmates may be a challenge while attending a university like Athabasca, but AUSU is doing its best to mend the distance between students through online events. The AUSUnights Summer Bash, a Zoom event that took place on Friday, August 9, was replete with students from all over Canada who logged-on to play trivia games, win prizes, and get to know each other.
Not only was it an enjoyable meet and greet, it also presented an opportunity to engage with our student representatives. Jodi Campbell, the Executive Director of the AUSU, hosted the event, with help from his fellow council members – Olivia Shepherd: VP Community and Wellness; Diana Ramirez: VP Finance and Administration; Faustina Arsenault: AUSU Councillor; and Samantha Colvin: Social Media Coordinator. Jodi and Olivia created trivia games, both a challenge and a nostalgic throw-back to “Summer Cruising Tunes” of the 80’s, 90’s, and 00’s. Luckily, I was born in the 80’s, so I took first place in the first round, but was less lucky in the second – Olivia didn’t hold back, with questions like, “how much did the tree house in the 1995 movie Now and Then cost?” and “in the song “Summer Nights” from the movie Grease, how late did Sandy and Danny stay up?” (In case you’re curious, the answers are $129 and 10pm, respectively). Winning bragging rights wasn’t the only reward of the night, several of us took home a $25.00 gift certificate from Amazon, and all who attended were able to claim free Athabasca swag.
By the end of the event, most of us were comfortable enough to unmute and chat with one another. After some friendly competition, it was easy to fall into discourse about several topics, both personal and relating to our individual experiences with online learning at Athabasca. Hearing the ‘why’ behind what drove others to choose this form of learning was gratifying and validating—especially when so much of what we do is isolating by nature. It was also educational, as someone who has not taken an online exam yet, I learned useful tips and tricks about navigating the world of ProctorU vs. in-person testing.
If you’re interested in connecting with fellow AU students, come to the Welcome Orientation by AUSU on September 5th at 5:00pm MDT. This event is for all students, new or returning, and will be a good opportunity to learn more about student services, ask any questions you may have, and meet members of the AUSU.
To RSVP to this, or any other upcoming events, go to https://www.ausu.org/events/ 
You can also download the Athabasca University Students app to get updates on what other students are up to and have access to the Student’s Union, University Information, and Student Life.
