Vol. 26 Iss. 03

Volume 26, Issue 03 - 01/19/2018

Minds We Meet – Interviewing Students Like You

Sinead Hickman is originally from Whitehorse, Yukon, but moved to Alberta as a teenager.  She currently resides in Red Deer with her two young children and her husband whom she credits for allowing her to achieve her educational goals.  She has been an AU student off and on for the past decade and is in… Read more »

Course Exam—ADMN 233 (Writing in Organizations)

According to the syllabus, ADMN 233 (Writing in Organizations) is a three-credit introductory business and administrative studies course “for students wishing to improve their written communication as it applies to the workplace.  Writing in organization involves a problem-solving process requiring that one analyzes situations, make decisions, and inform others of those decisions.” Writing in Organization… Read more »

The Study Dude—Stephen King Sans K-12

Do you want to write like an illiterate?  Like Stephen King stripped of K-12?  Like J.  K. Rowling at a loss for how to handwrite the letter “H”?  I’d bet you do—that is, if you love Shakespeare.   Some say Shakespeare, an illiterate, honed his mastery in adulthood.   Others say he had a ghost writer.   As… Read more »

From Where I Sit—One Perfect Word Redux

Faithful readers of this space may remember that in 2017 I wrote about author Debbie Macomber’s decades-long habit of choosing one perfect word to focus on for a year.   She chose words like wisdom, prayer, surrender, hope, purpose.   My own experiment with the word ‘kindness’ was not a total failure.   I didn’t do all the… Read more »

Fly On the Wall—Truth Tellers

Last year, we addressed the idea of us, noble scholars, reduced to asinine drudgery and suggested that behind our mild-mannered veneers we have a cornucopia of fruitful intellectual possibilities.  We posed the question, is truth itself impossible? Education means philosophical inquiry, even if it’s only to realize that each act we engage in and each… Read more »

The Not-So Starving Student—

Have you ever been dying to host a dinner party, wanted to impress the guests, but also not to drain your wallet? I realized the crux to hosting an excellent party doesn’t all depend on the food, but it certainly is one of the highlights.  So instead of going out of your way to scroll… Read more »

The Fit Student—Reward Yourself!

What brings you pleasure?  Lunch at a comedy club? Lunch by a still pond?  Or lunch loaded with Redbulls and ballpark franks at a spelling bee? I once got highs over perfect math grades.   I’d stare at math textbooks until midnight, solving problems.   A 100% exam scored a victory.   Anything else, meh.   Yet, I fretted… Read more »

Media Review—A Monster Calls

Book/Film: A Monster Calls Author: Patrick Ness Illustrator: Jim Kay Before her death from breast cancer in 2007, writer Siobhan Dowd began to develop a story about a boy facing the imminent loss of his mother to cancer.  She drew inspiration from the highly poisonous yew tree, which was nevertheless the source of an anticancer drug she was… Read more »

Dear Barb-Broken Hearts, Online

Dear Barb: I have a six-year-old daughter who was recently diagnosed with a heart condition.  She was apparently born with it, but it wasn’t apparent.  Now she needs to take medication for it.  My husband and I have not told my daughter about her condition.  My husband says our daughter doesn’t need to know.  He… Read more »

The Bank of You

Will 2018 be the year you make a difference in someone’s life?  Could you help someone lift themselves out of poverty, launch a small business, or complete their education? Making a big impact is easier than you think. In 2017 I invested in a Peruvian corn farm.  On the same day, I invested in a… Read more »

Mary’s Story

On July 22, 2017, my sister passed away.  She was only thirteen months older than me.   I wrote about Marion (Mary) in a previous issue of The Voice Magazine. Mary and I spent part of our childhood together.   She was my closest sibling, and I always felt we were a part of each other.  I… Read more »

Not a New Year’s Resolution

I have written several articles on how to keep organized; this is because I had never found a method that worked for me long term.  As the New Year is upon us I have taken some time to reflect on my current process and if this is going to work moving forward, because this year,… Read more »

Editorial—A Promethean Editorial

It might be overselling it a bit, but I’m going to be stealing a little bit of the fire from my betters this week, hence the article title. The fire I’m going to steal is from the upcoming Council Connection.  You may have heard from some shady sources that AUSU Council was planning on raising… Read more »

AUSU Update

This space is provided free to AUSU: The Voice does not create or edit this content. Contact services@ausu.org with any questions. IMPORTANT DATES Jan 26: Call for Nominations Opens for AUSU Election Jan 31: Deadline to apply for course extension for Mar Jan 26: Deadline to submit Nomination for Election Feb 9: Deadline to register… Read more »

Student Sizzle

AthaU Facebook Group Amanda seeks insight on using ProctorU and the comments reveal a surprising rule about smartphones—you have to show it to the ProctorU rep, even if you don’t have one.   Patricia seeks prep tips for writing the GMAT and the comments devolve into a discussion of AU’s MBA.   Cheryl asks and receives advice… Read more »

Vintage Voice

Is your call really important to them?  Taking turns on both sides of the call centre desk. Hang on to your scrotum.  Busby LeClair reveals MegaLog Corp’s sinister call centre strategy.  “You will…be required to explain your question/concern/comment/complaint to a minimum of six obviously bored and uninterested employees in a variety of departments unrelated to… Read more »

Scholarship of the Week

Scholarship name:  Kin Canada Bursaries Sponsored by:  Kin Canada Deadline:  February 1, 2018 Potential payout:  $1000 Eligibility restriction:  Applicants must be Canadian citizens or landed immigrants, and must be enrolled full-time at a post-secondary institution.   See full eligibility requirements. What’s required:  A completed application form, including contact, educational, and financial information, details on volunteer and… Read more »

AU-Thentic Events

New Program Students Orientation (Undergrad) Thurs, January 25, 5:00 to 6:00 pm MST Online Hosted by AU Faculty of Business business.athabascau.ca/event-details/business-undergraduate-new-students-information-session/ Register online at above link Bannock and a Movie “Lana Gets Her Talk” Fri, January 26, 12:00 to 1:00 pm MST Athabasca University, Peace Hills Trust Tower, 12th floor, Room 1222, 10011 – 109… Read more »

Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor;  Hi, I just wanted to give a point of feedback on the professor who wrote that nursing assistants are using AU and doing psych 290 to upgrade to rn; we are not nurse assistants. We are licensed practical nurses and professionals in our own right already, practicing within our own scope and with… Read more »