The Voice columnists are enjoying a well deserved vacation. This week, catch up on what happened in 2003 with this selection of memorable articles, letters, and news from the university. In this special year-end edition you will find: * ALL OF YOUR FAVORITE ARTICLES FROM THE PAST YEAR * * UNIVERSITY NEWS – WHAT CHANGED… Read more »
This week Alberta Learning released a report which compared provincial tuition rates and the average salary of post-secondary graduates according to their province of residence. “The comparison shows post-secondary graduates earn more money over their lifetime, experience fewer and shorter periods of unemployment, and have improved health and overall life prospects compared to those with… Read more »
Dear AU Student: Have you wondered how you could get involved with your Students’ Union? Have you wanted to play a role in shaping the experience of AU students? Here is your chance! It is election time again for the Athabasca University Students’ Union (AUSU). Elections will be held on March 20, 2004 so get… Read more »
The Sounding Off column is where AU students have their say on a variety of topics. It can be difficult to convince students to comment, and this column often is not included in The Voice due to a lack of response. Once in a while, however, a topic strikes a chord within readers, and many… Read more »
The Sounding Off column is where AU students have their say on a variety of topics. It can be difficult to convince students to comment, and this column often is not included in The Voice due to a lack of response. Once in a while, however, a topic strikes a chord within readers, and many… Read more »
The Athabasca University Students’ Union (AUSU) represents AU students and their interests. The Union strives for a fair and accessible election process for members to the Students’ Council. To this end, AUSU is seeking a student to fulfill the role of Chief Returning Officer (CRO) for the 2004 AUSU General Elections. Position Duties and Responsibilities… Read more »
The Sounding Off column is where AU students have their say on a variety of topics. It can be difficult to convince students to comment, and this column often is not included in The Voice due to a lack of response. Once in a while, however, a topic strikes a chord within readers, and many… Read more »
The same Voice mugs and fleece jackets that you have seen pictured as prizes on the Annual Reader Survey page, are also for sale at great introductory prices. Own your own Voice logo merchandize, and let everyone know that you are a student of Canada’s premier distance education provider! The Voice coffee mug is a… Read more »
Published on September 3, 2003 [v11 i36], A Hole in The Heart gave Voice readers a glimpse of the aftermath of September 11th from two angles: the commercialized, tourist curiosity that Ground Zero has become, and the raw, emotional aftermath that still haunts the citizens of New York. A few months ago, I found myself,… Read more »
Long time Voice writer Audrey Karperien’s articles always receive high praise for their originality, insight, and quirky, smart humour. The Disembodied Student Body, published on February 26, 2003 [v11 i09], is both an imaginative tribute to the diverse and diffuse nature of the AU student community, and a vivid example of Audrey’s unique style. Smack…. Read more »
Published on December 18th, 2002 [v10 i49], Debbie Jabbour’s explanation of the new AUSU grading system is so comprehensive that AU provides a link to the article on their website. If you’ve been having trouble understanding how the new grading system affects you, read on! AU is going to a new Alpha/4.0 grading scale for… Read more »
Marilyn Oprisan was the first AU student to respond to our call for submissions for the Voice Fiction Feature, introduced this year. While some readers have felt that fiction is superfluous in a university publication, overall the response to this column has been excellent, and the number of students eager to submit their fiction grows… Read more »
Published on February 19, 2003 [v11 i08], Don’t Complain is a call to arms for students who are worried about changes to education funding, but who sit back and hope that things will improve. At the time of the article, the AU tuition hike was merely proposed — now it’s a reality. Did students do… Read more »
Paradise, published on August 27, 2003 [v11 i35], is a biting vignette of a day in the life of the modern bourgeois summer time-share dweller. Know to Voice readers as a poet, Sara published only one short-story in The Voice, and it was selected by a Voice reader for inclusion in this year-end issue. Dusk… Read more »
Published on September 10, 2003 [v11 i37], Invisible Women targets an uncomfortable contradiction in Canada’s progressive reputation on the treatment of minorities, and violence against women. Falling between the cracks, ineligible for the special services reserved for immigrants, aboriginal women in Canada are frequently the victims of violent and sexual crimes, and yet little attention… Read more »
Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition recognizes the experience and skills of mature students who bring a diversity of learning experiences to their university education. In some cases, prior learning and job skills may be granted university credits, and for a skilled person, a university degree may only be a few courses away. On April 23,… Read more »
Barbara Godin’s first Voice contribution, published August 13, 2003 [v11 i33], reflected the perspective of many mature students who have found new reasons to love learning, and embrace that time of life when once again, life’s goals can be all about you. As I reluctantly approached my fiftieth birthday I wondered if turning fifty would… Read more »
Published in the September 24th, 2003 [v11 i39] issue of The Voice, Unlearning is a wry look at educational goals, and a plan to do it all again, in reverse! If all goes according to my plan (but really, why should it?) by June of the year of our Lord, 2007, I will have completed… Read more »
Published on September 10, 2003 [v11 i37], Internet Addicts brings Voice readers information on a very simple and practical method to determine if internet use is becoming excessive. If awareness is the key to avoiding addiction, then read on, and learn the signs of problem internet use. The internet has become so important and widely… Read more »
It’s easy, it’s patriotic, and it’s your constitutional right, but what if you had to make a donation to your favourite party to secure the use of the ballot box? And what if you had to keep paying that party each year, until the next election, even if you weren’t happy with their performance? Federal… Read more »
Voice readers have followed the Academic progress of Wayne Benedict for several years. On July 30, 2003 [v11 I31], Wayne wrote of his decision to finally become a full time AU student, and of the vehicular sacrifices he was prepared to endure in order to fund his new vocation. At that time, Wayne had no… Read more »
On March 12, 2003 [v11 i11], Athabasca University was about to decide on a new course extension policy that would require all extensions to be purchased 30 days prior to the course end date. Due to protests by AUSU, AU chose not to implement the new policy at that time, but the option has been… Read more »
Published on January 15, 2003 [v11 i03], Feminotzi explores the precarious middle ground inhabited by the modern, equality-seeking woman who is uninterested in the politically motivated micro-management of language, society and lifestyle which is advocated by some modern feminists. I’m not a feminist (at least not in the more negative sense that word has taken… Read more »
The ultimate Christmas action toy? Perhaps not, but a conversation piece to be sure! Published on January 8, 2003 [v11 i02], Chrétien Action Figure might have been the result of a night terror brought on by holiday over-indulgence, or maybe it was simply a Christmas wish for an Canadian leader with a modicum of personality…. Read more »
Amanda Lyn Baldwin works with autistic children, and has gained a perspective that few of us ever will have. Beyond the noises, ticks and uncommunicativeness, autistic children live in another world that is a mystery to all but them. Published on March 26, 2003 [v11 i13], A Portrait of Autism provides a glimpse inside that… Read more »
In contrast to the students with poor writing skills there are a number of AU students who write very well and who demonstrate not just good critical thinking but considerable creativity. These students are often in our senior English courses. I have selected a number of their essays and posted them in the home pages… Read more »
Julia Nielsen of AU’s Counselling Services Unit [CSU] has created a fantastic resource to help students prepare term papers, available at: http://www.athabascau.ca/html/services/counselling/writing/. The interactive slideshow website takes students step by step through the process of planning, researching, writing, editing and documenting a term paper. Also included are links to sites describing the most popular citation… Read more »
Originally published February 5, 2003 [v11 i06]. See Debbie Jabbour’s A New Grading System in this issue for a detailed explanation of how the new system affects AU students, and instructions on how to calculate your GPA. This is to advise you of an important change in the undergraduate Grading Policy at Athabasca University. Athabasca… Read more »
It’s July, and the lazy, hazy days of summer are still a long way off for staff at the Science Lab at Athabasca University’s main campus. As is the summer routine, about 45 students will descend on the lab during the course of July to complete intensive lab courses in biology, microbiology, chemistry and ecology…. Read more »
The first Master of Nursing degree program to be delivered fully online in Canada receives approval from Alberta Learning Athabasca, May 9, 2003 – The Centre for Nursing and Health Studies at Athabasca University announces government approval of the first Canadian Master of Nursing (MN) program to be delivered completely online. Although other universities have… Read more »
Originally published April 2, 2003 [v11 i14] and April 9, 2003 [v11 i15], this two-part article details the ongoing AU project of preparing for accreditation in the United States. The work continues on a comprehensive document to be presented to the accreditation board in 2004: Spearheading AU’s Middle States accreditation efforts are Nancy Parker (liaison… Read more »
Building upon the success of last year’s pilot of the introductory course of the Bachelor of Circumpolar Studies program, the University of the Arctic (UArctic) has begun both web-based and classroom delivery of Contemporary Issues in the Circumpolar World. A recap from the UArctic news release provides details: Twenty-five students at eight sites around the… Read more »
CUTC 2004 (Canadian Undergraduate Technology Conference) January 22 – 24, 2004 Delta Toronto East Hotel The Canadian Undergraduate Technology Conference (CUTC) is about technology, innovative ideas, and the people who turn these ideas into reality. The Canadian Undergraduate Technology Conference was started in 2000 by a few visionary students from the University of Waterloo, and… Read more »
“It was such a laugh to stand up there and show another side of the university, and another side of myself, and to see people really enjoy it.” – Alan Davis According to Alan Davis, he knew two things for certain that bitterly cold day about eight years ago when he interviewed for the position… Read more »
Here are a few memorable letters sent to The Voice this past year. We’d love to hear from you. Send your letters to voice@ausu.org. Dear Editor, Re: Tutors – Emails I sympathize with the students that feel ignored by their tutors! So I want to offer some unasked for advice! A tutor once told me… Read more »
Here are a few memorable letters sent to The Voice this past year. We’d love to hear from you. Send your letters to voice@ausu.org. Nimra brings up some excellent points that I’d like to build upon (Nimra’s letter can be found here: http://www.ausu.org/voice/articles/letterdisplay.php?ART=1535). Tutors often teach more than one course, and if you’re a student… Read more »
Here are a few memorable letters sent to The Voice this past year. We’d love to hear from you. Send your letters to voice@ausu.org. Dear Voice Editor, I was delighted to read the editorial in The Voice, Vol 11 Issue 19 (http://www.ausu.org/voice/articles/featuredisplay.php?ART=1517) re: student finances. It was informative and I hold strong feelings about this,… Read more »
Classifieds are free for AU students! Contact voice@ausu.org for more information. TEACH ENGLISH Overseas: Jobs $$ Guaranteed-Great Pay. TESOL Certified 5 days in-class, on-line or by correspondence. FREE Information Seminar. FREE Infopack: 1-888-270-2941 or globaltesol.com – http://www.globaltesol.com RED DEER COFFEE GROUPS Red Deer Athabasca University students meet at the Chapter’s Starbucks on the last Thursday… Read more »
