Vol. 26 Iss. 07

Volume 26, Issue 07 - 02/16/2018

An Interview with the AUGSA Executive Director

Ross Tyson is the Executive Director of the Athabasca University Graduate Students’ Union.  He earned a BSc and Med at the University of Alberta.  Here he took some time to sit down and talk about how he found AU and the AUGSA, the tasks and responsibilities associated with the position, the open university environment, the… Read more »

The Fit Student—Eat Your Worms

Would you eat worms?  A rat buffet?  Hamburger Helper?  If so, you’re well on your way to a three-thousand calorie day. My favorite childhood memories?  Me and Mom munching crazy dishes: gizzards, livers, and cow tongues. Even Papa joined the charade, chomping snake meat, frog legs, and other crawlies.  To this day, Papa boasts watching… Read more »

Dear Barb-Stuck in the Middle

Dear Barb: I am the mother of two teenagers and I work full time and take care of my aging parents, plus my husband takes care of his aging parents.  We are so busy taking care of everyone that we don’t have a life of our own.  We both have siblings and they are doing… Read more »

A Little History of the Emoji

Spend some time on social media or send a text message and it’s pretty much guaranteed you will come across some little faces and symbols.  Ah yes, it’s the emoji.  Like them or loathe them, these little visuals are not only augmenting an online conversation, they often are the conversation.  They express laughter, tears, and… Read more »

Many Small Steps on the Path to Truth and Reconciliation

“We live on an island surrounded by a sea of ignorance.  As our island of knowledge grows, so does the shore of our ignorance.”  — John Archibald Wheeler (1911-2008), American theoretical physicist. Should every university program require mandatory indigenous-content courses?  That’s a question I pondered in 2016 after reading Tamra Ross’s article, “Truth and Reconciliation—Will… Read more »

Six Things You Should Know about Chinese New Year

As I child, I would talk about the lunar new year instead of Chinese New Year.  My father would correct me.  “You mean Chinese New Year”.  He corrected me not because he wasn’t aware the festivities were shared with many Eastern Asian cultures, but that the way our family celebrated the new year was particular… Read more »

Editorial—Happy Chinese New Year

Despite my name, I’m not of Asian descent at all. I’m a mixed bag of eastern European and Germanic elements. But that doesn’t mean I don’t get targeted by telemarketers that are only able to speak in some asian language I can never recognize. Still, I’m always  interested in the cultures and celebrations people have… Read more »

Starting Over

Embracing a major life change late in life is no easy task.  Perhaps a marriage did not turn out the way you expected and you found yourself single after envisioning a long life together with one person.  Perhaps your job ended unexpectedly and options remain scarce to continue in the same field.  Or perhaps where… Read more »

Trusting Academic Instincts

Submitting my first essay for my first graduate level course was stressful; it was probably similar to the first essay I submitted for my undergraduate course. I spent a lot of time preparing quotes, editing, editing, and then a bit more editing. I used a trick taught by The Voice Magazine’s editor and worked through… 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 Feb 15: March degree requirements deadline Feb 28: Deadline to apply for course extension for Mar Feb 28: AUSU General Election Ballots Open Mar 6: Last day to vote in the AUSU… Read more »

Vintage Voice

With the 2018 Winter Olympics in full swing in Pyeongchang, South Korea, we take a backward glance at Olympics past. Sorry, Pyeongchang!  Maybe next time!  When the city of Vancouver BC was awarded the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, writes Stephen Thomson, not everyone was celebrating (especially not Pyeongchang, South Korea.)  “The bidding process is kind… Read more »

Scholarship of the Week

Scholarship name:  A-1 Auto Transport Annual Scholarship Sponsored by:  A-1 Auto Transport Deadline:  March 10, 2018 Potential payout:  up to $1000 Eligibility restriction:  Applicants must be current full- or part-time students at an accredited or non-accredited institute, truck driving school, or other logistics program, and have a minimum GPA of 3.0. What’s required:  An e-mail… Read more »

AU-Thentic Events

New Program Students Orientation (Undergrad) Tues, February 20, 12:00 to 1:00 pm MST Online Hosted by AU Faculty of Business business.athabascau.ca/event-details/business-undergraduate-new-students-information-session-feb2018/ Register online at above link AUSU Election Debate #1 Tues, February 20, 1:00 to 2:00 pm MST Online Hosted by AUSU www.ausu.org/event/election-debate-1/ No pre-registration necessary AUSU Election Debate #2 Thurs, February 22, 6:00 to… Read more »

Student Sizzle

AthaU Facebook Group Chris stirs up team spirit with information about Olympic athletes who have an AU connection.  Alison questions the disparity between AU and ProctorU exam-request timelines.  Stephanie is looking to connect with other students doing a BA in Anthropology and several human beings respond. Other posts include access to course materials, feline study… Read more »

Canadian Science News

Federal Funding for Basic Science Research May Increase CP24 News said that the research community of Canada has, for a long time, wanted a substantial increase in funding for science. 2018 may be the year for this to happen. With the Liberal government federal budget being only a few weeks away, there is a predicted… Read more »