Archive

From Where I Sit – Doing Life’s Laundry

As I sit in front of my laptop in my favorite chair in my favorite room, I’m struck by the ‘piles’ that regularly sprout up around me. You’ve probably got some too wherever you’re sitting. In my case the piles are stacks of books—textbooks and study guides from Athabasca University or current novels that I… Read more »

AU INDICATORS – AU Students Coming Back for More

And the survey says … … Athabasca University students come back for more. While 55 per cent of AU’s students to the end of February 2004 have taken one course, a growing number of students take two or more courses. Some students take many more courses. The current breakdown is as follows: Number of students… Read more »

Exam Season

April is the month of exams for post-secondary students across regions and academic disciplines. As a distance student of Athabasca University (AU) I have written numerous invigilated exams, but I wrote them whenever I was ready for them”?April had no special exam-related significance to me. Further, the courses that I have taken, and continue to… Read more »

Fiction Feature – Sally’s Story

She did not really know why she was there. She told herself it was because she had more work to do, but she did not believe her own explanation. She had run out of tasks, out of clearing the desk, out of ideas. She was simply there avoiding going home. ‘Home’ was an important concept,… Read more »

Mel Gibson’s The Passion Of The Christ

Mel Gibson’s film, The Passion of the Christ is marketed as a Gospel-based account of the last twelve hours before Jesus’ death. What Gibson delivers is a gore-fest that has more in common with his Mad Max and Lethal Weapon legacy and the pre-Reformation church than it does with contemporary Christian theology or an understanding… Read more »

AU Recognized At ICDE Conference

AU President Dominque Abrioux (left) accepts the ICDE Institutional Prize for Excellence. The International Council for Open and Distance Education (ICDE) recognized the hard work of all Athabasca University staff in making the University one of the world’s outstanding distance and open learning institutions. At its 21st World Conference in Hong Kong, Feb. 18-21, ICDE… Read more »

Editorial Pages

FINDING A TOPIC Why is it so hard to find an essay topic, when we are given the opportunity to write about anything we choose? What’s the phrase? A-holes and opinions — everybody’s got one. True enough, and the evidence is abundant. Take a look at any online forum or e-newspaper that allows readers to… Read more »

Response to Debbie Jabbour’s “Counsellor Liability”

We love to hear from you! Send your questions and comments to voice@ausu.org, and please indicate if we may publish your letter in the Voice. Response to Debbie Jabbour’s Counsellor Liability March 24, 2004 http://www.ausu.org/voice/articles/articledisplay.php?ART=2696 Debbie Jabbour argues that a court ruling on counsellor liability has school counsellors worried, “with good reason”. I don’t disagree… Read more »

A Challenge to the New Council

We love to hear from you! Send your questions and comments to voice@ausu.org, and please indicate if we may publish your letter in the Voice. Dear Ms. Editor With just some 80 people out of a possible 33 000 students voting in this election a clear message has been sent to our Student Union! That… Read more »