Editor – The Voice

Response to Sandra Moore from The Editor

Editor — Wed, 14 Jan 2004 00:00:00 +0000

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.

I think you gave us the whole dollar! However, there are many false and misleading statements in your letter and in several cases you have given your own perspective on information rather than directing readers to the official documents which are easily accessible online. If the readers will bear with me, I’ll address these points one at a time:

“I’m flattered that you chose to include yet another story on the reasons why I quit in this week’s edition of the Voice; you’ve given it a lot of coverage. “

There have been two articles – one by me; one by a student contributor. The latter was prompted by your own public posts on the issue and the vast majority of the information on this issue has been presented by you. You stated that you intent was that students talk about your post, and someone took you up on it. I think the relevant comment here is, “be careful what you ask for:”

“Yet, you’ve never ASKED me why I quit; you just guessed and passed that guess on to the Voice readers (December 17th). I QUIT BECAUSE I WAS TIRED OF ALL THE CRAP! “

I did not make any attempt to say why you left, nor do I know. I relayed the facts about the meeting, and the motions to be considered.

The majority of the council meeting was set aside for you to speak to council and observers. I attended, prepared to take notes on your presentation, but you did not show up. I also sent you a request to have your input in the student written article, but you declined again. I won’t chase you down if you do not wish to comment when requested, but you know where to find me.

Thank you for clarifying the real reason you quit.

“Now on to a ‘real’ important issue, I wonder why the issue of the President’s reprimand from the November meeting did not get any coverage in the Voice? “

Editorial, v11 i51 (http://www.ausu.org/voice/archives/articledisplay.php?ART=2378). Ms. Jabbour’s reprimand was revealed in the first paragraph.

You are correct that the November meeting was not covered directly. Of the two controversial items presented at that meeting, which do you think I might be realistically accused of having avoided?

1. A voted and passed motion of reprimand against one of my employers
2. An extensive and highly provocative motion of dismissal against another of my employers, which was still pending?

I’m curious about your assertion that a reprimand is a “real” important issue, in relation to the resignation and subsequent controversial forums posts of another councillor.

You didn’t “report on the November meeting at all, that’s odd! It’s your job to tell us students what’s going on.”

You are misrepresenting my job requirements under the Voice policy, which you had input into. It is not in my job description to report on the goings on of AUSU. In fact, up until a few months ago the Voice policy stated that the editor answered to AUSU regarding what was published in The Voice.

It was only in a recent policy update that I was officially granted the ability to publish items without AUSU input. You were involved in drafting the new policy, and you are aware that it contains no provision that I must cover AUSU events. I am responsible only to provide a column where AUSU can freely publish press releases and any other content they wish.

I do believe, however, that the Voice should cover these issues, and I do so myself quite often. Once again, any one who wants to try out for the position of council reporter should contact me at voice@ausu.org. You will be well compensated. I would not mind more than one council reporter, to gain a variety of perspectives.

But Sandra, it is dishonest for you to misrepresent my duties and responsibilities. It makes it appear as though I’m not doing the job that I was hired to do. Instead of telling students your interpretation of my duties, you could have referred them to the publicly posted Voice policy: http://www.ausu.org/bylaws/policies.php It’s policy 9.01.

Students are free to comment on this policy and suggest any changes they see fit. Keep in mind that the purpose of having official documents available to the student body online is so that we can refer students to the primary sources of correct information, rather than presenting opinion and conjecture on these matters, which brings me to your next point:

“I assumed the Voice was supposed to report on the actions of ALL of council.”

My duties are not affected by your assumptions.

You were on council for several weeks after the November meeting and as my employer made no comment about my lack of coverage of Debbie’s and your reprimands until now.

“This article was based on your implications as to why I quit (December 17th, 2003)”

I made no suggestions as to why you quit. The circumstances in which you quit are very suggestive.

“One last question, why did Ms. Maguire not contact any other councillors, only Ms. Jabbour (and you the editor of the Voice)? “

A blatant lie – I know of no better way to put it. Ms Maguire has clarified in her response [below] that she wished very much to contact you for your side of the story, and I was looking forward to reading your comments in her article. I would like to add to Shannon’s explanation:

When Shannon told me that she had emailed you and Debbie for both sides of the story, I realized that your AUSU email address might already be shut down. So, I contacted a council member and obtained your home email address. I emailed you way back on December 16th to let you know that the article was being written, and to inquire if you had received Shannon’s list of questions. I said I would email them to your home address if you didn’t get them. You responded to me on December 17th, acknowledging the article and stating that you did not receive the list of questions, which I forwarded to you immediately. I also then received confirmation that your AUSU address had not yet been shut down, so you should have received two copies.

I admit that I did not follow up to ensure that you got the questions, but certainly you were informed that the article was being written, that the impetus for the article was your recent forums post, and that your input was being sought. You were well aware of how to contact me if you did not get the questions. I informed you in my original email that it was entirely up to you if you wanted to reply to Shannon, and that you could contact her directly. I left the ball in your court once you confirmed you were aware of the article.

I’m deeply disappointed that you have left this fact out, and implied that Shannon did not seek your side of the issue.

RE: The Alberta Views column you refer to.

Please see the AUSU press release in this issue, and further coverage in the next Voice. I am awaiting comment from the university to complete my coverage.

“Yeah, AU is in a tough spot considering they are practically a world-wide monopoly in providing distance learning to nearly 30,000 students:”

I suspect that the hundreds of other distance education providers – including the Open University UK ( http://www.open.ac.uk/), the worlds’ largest provider of distance learning with over 150,000 students – might object to the notion that AU holds a worldwide monopoly on this form of learning. This almost sinister (and grossly inaccurate) image of AU is easily as damaging and negative as the one you quote from Alberta Views.

“Government committees place meeting minutes on-line, other student unions (who are campus-based I might add) place their minutes, their agendas, AND their budgets on-line.”

Yes they do. And so does AUSU. Granted, the page was only posted this week, but you’ve known that it’s in progress for about a month. I’m unclear on why you claim to not know this.

Anyone can access the minutes for the past year through a link on the AUSU front page. Please login before selecting the link, or you’ll have to be redirected to the login page. Anyone can email me at webmaster@ausu.org if you have any trouble with the minutes files. Write council if you would like other information posted online.

COMPUTER POLICY

One last thing – I noticed in the forums that you have mentioned that you dislike the council policy allowing councillors to purchase computers with council funds. This is an excellent topic for discussion and an issue that has sparked some controversy. In fact, I will be asking council for more information on the status of this policy. But isn’t this the policy (7.17) that you proposed, wrote, and submitted for review at the May 29th council meeting (http://www.ausu.org/council/minutes/council-2003-05-29.pdf), and approved at the July 11th meeting (http://www.ausu.org/council/minutes/council-2003-07-11.pdf)?

Fascinating.

I’m not as interested in why you left, as in why you never addressed any of these concerns at a council meeting when you had the position to make changes. Had you brought them up at a meeting, and had council not listened, then I’d have an easier time understanding your position.

Tamra Ross Low
Editor in Chief

Quote of the Week

Editor — Wed, 06 Aug 2003 00:00:00 +0000

Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. Security does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than exposure. — Helen Keller We love to hear from you! Send your letters to voice@ausu.org, and please indicate if we... Read more »

Editorial Pages

Editor — Wed, 09 Jul 2003 00:00:00 +0000

THIS WEEK

EDUCATION – From Communism To Free Enterprise – New Voice writer, Jana Thurova, talks about how education has changed in Slovakia with the fall of communism, and how North American education compares.

GRADUATION – What Comes Next? – Debbie Jabbour learns that earning a degree is only half the battle.

BRYON PAEGE MEMORIAL AWARD WINNER ANNOUNCED – Congratulations to AU student Joy Krys!

AU SHORT ON RESEARCH OPPORTUNTIES

Research. To a new university student, it sounds intimidating – something you read, not something you do. Something engaged in by professors and grad students. Certainly not something a lowly undergrad would perform on their own.

Very little emphasis in placed on research in the undergrad years, although you will be taught about how it should be done, how the results should be tabulated, and if you are going to succeed, you will quickly learn how to locate quality, current research from the vast sea of scholarly publications filling any university library.

Once you get past the first couple of years, and start tackling the senior courses, research will become less something you learn about, and more something you do. The change happens almost imperceptibly – first you are simply quoting from a few good sources, and then – later on – you are developing theses and writing in-depth literature reviews to support your theory. You begin using the information that is available to reach new conclusions, to disprove old theories, or to find new avenues of discussion that have been previously overlooked.

This is research, in its first stages.

If you are AU student, this may be as far as you go. In a senior psychology course you may be asked to run a small experiment and analyze the data; you may interview or counsel a friend or fellow student as part of a project or practice session in career counselling, or counselling psych. But serious research, of the kind that becomes published or that is integrated into future teachings? Forget it.

This situation is unique to AU. Other universities offer significant research opportunities. Professors at those schools are not simply teachers – they are working doctors, who continually work to advance their knowledge of and participation in their fields through research projects, published papers and books, and symposium participation. Most often, professors are assisted in their research by students, who apply for the positions as part time jobs while they work on their degrees, or as extra-credit projects to speed up their learning process.

Students nearing the end of their degree may also apply for teaching assistant positions, where they can get hands-on experience with instructing a class, answering student questions, and developing confidence in their academic ability, all while working under a more experienced professor. The professor also benefits by being able to handle more students, or by being able to devote more time to precious research, thus furthering learning for everyone in the field.

AU also has many experienced and dedicated academics among its faculty, but research within AU is sparse. Certainly many AU tutors attend and present at conferences and symposiums, they publish papers and books, and many also work concurrently at other universities. Full-scale research projects, with student involvement, are rare, however.

This represents the greatest shortcoming of an AU education. People often ask DE students if they feel they are receiving a lower quality of education through distance learning. In most respects I would say no. I know that our tutors are as skilled and experienced as those at any university – some exceptionally so. We have more tutor contact, and the work-at-your-own-pace philosophy allows students who want to excel to take their education as far as they dare to dream. We have many opportunities to learn beyond the material..

Nevertheless, I sometimes do feel that my AU education is substandard to a traditional education, and this simply because of the lack of research opportunities.

At other schools, research jobs can range from massive projects that span multiple semesters, to small, finite studies that are completed over the course of a few weeks. Sometimes the job of the student is challenging and time consuming, while in other projects students many simply collect data or perform some interviews. But what is true of all research opportunities is that they allow a student to go beyond their learning and begin to experience what it is like to be part of the evolution of knowledge in a field. It is part of the real world experience that is common to colleges and trade schools, but de-emphasized in traditional university course learning.

Most importantly, it is something that a student can place on his or her Curriculum Vitae or academic resume.

This resume might not seem very important if you simply want to become a university graduate and not take your learning any further. However, research experience may be relevant to an employer looking for an educated employee, and it might give you an edge over other applicants. More importantly, research becomes a significant factor when a student decides to apply for a graduate program.

Not all universities practice ‘open’ enrolment like AU, and most of us want to keep our options open so that we can go on to study anywhere in the world. But, if you want to get into a masters program at another school, you will have to go through an application process and receive approval from a professor in that program.

Many factors are taken into consideration when a student applies for masters studies. Generally a student must show aptitude in their chosen field of study, have an undergrad degree in that field, and demonstrate high academic skills. These criteria are almost always listed in vague terms, as it’s up to the course professors to make individual assessments of interested students. I recall from my own reading on the subject, that the American Psychological Association – in their manual on applying for grad studies – lists previous research experience as being of medium importance in grad applications. In cases where many students apply for limited spaces in a program, a background in research can often be the deciding factor. The more challenging the program, and the more limited the space, the more important research experience becomes.

Additionally, research is very important for professors and other academic staff. It is what helps an academic professional remain in high standing among others in his or her field – and it is a significant factor when a professor wishes to apply for work at another school. If a university wants to draw the very best academic staff, it must provide an environment that nurtures academic growth.

AU, however, does not do this. I have had discussions with two AU academics in the past who have said they would very much like to launch a research project, but those projects never seem to take off. Several students have indicated an interest in being involved in research, and the further along their studies, the more urgent this need becomes. Nevertheless, the opportunities are not here.

Part of the reason is that AU simply does not have a program whereby academics can apply for research funding. We reported last week that two AU professors had received significant research funds, but this money came from the Canadian government. There is nothing so unusual about this, but in most cases universities have at least some involvement in providing research opportunities. For example, universities are responsible for hiring teaching assistants – something AU simply does not do.

I would like to hear from other AU students on this very important issue. Do you want to be involved in research at AU? Do you feel that the lack of such opportunities has had a negative impact on your learning?

Send me your comments, and I’ll publish them in an upcoming Sounding Off column. Even if you don’t want to be published, let me know what you think. Write me at voice@ausu.org. You may also contact the students’ union at ausu@ausu.org if you feel this is an area that the union should focus on.

Letters to the Editor

Editor — Wed, 18 Jun 2003 00:00:00 +0000

We love to hear from you. Send your letters to: voice@ausu.org

Editorial Pages – CONGRATULATIONS CLASS OF 2003

Editor — Wed, 11 Jun 2003 00:00:00 +0000

Convocation is here! SUPPORT AU GRADS.

Send your best wishes for our graduating class, to be published in the next Voice. I will also forward best wishes up to the AUSU office to be taken to convocation, if there is time. Let them know how proud of them we all are.

The Voice would like to congratulate AUSU President Debbie Jabbour, who will graduate this week with Great Distinction! Way to kick ass, Debbie! Your accomplishment is immense, and we look forward to your final instalment of the graduation article.

Friday, June 13m – Convocation – Graduate Ceremony
Saturday, June 14 – Convocation – Undergraduate Ceremony

THIS WEEK

WORTH THE LOSS – An Exclusive interview with AUSU Council member Nicholas Palamarchuk. 7 weeks ago, Nicholas underwent a radical stomach bypass surgery, and he’s doing great. This week he shares his story with Voice readers. It is sure to inspire you.

Just CAUS – CAUS Chair Shirley Barg shares more insights about the proposed Alberta Government education bill 43

GRADUATION 2003 – Read Debbie Jabbour’s second graduation story – this time the convocation of her daughter, who obtained a chemistry degree, with distinction. Next week, hear more about Debbie’s own graduation.

AUSU Council Report – read my perspective on the most recent AUSU council meeting.

NEXT WEEK: A convocation special issue. Coverage of convocation will start next week, and follow through the next few issues. Don’t miss it! One day, it could be you.

CONGRATULATIONS AU GRADUATES!

AUSU COMMITTEES SEEK MEMBERS

AUSU Committees are looking for student members who can volunteer just a few hours a month to answer email or attend teleconferences. Anyone who wants to become more involved with AUSU Student Council can gain great experience and insight through committee work.

The External Committee, chaired by Shirley Barg, needs representatives from Atlantic Canada, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Northern Canada. Contact Shirley at sbarg@ausu.org if you would like to get involved, and help improve services to AU students in your area.

The Academic Committee was dormant for awhile, but now it’s back up and running under chair Tamra Ross Low. We will be working on ways to help assess student satisfaction with AU’s academic services, and need student input into how we should collect data, and what questions we should be asking. A past project of the Academic Committee was the Course and Program surveys on the AUSU website. If you want to have some input into our next project, contact Tamra at trosslow@ausu.org for more information.

Letters to the Editor

Editor — Wed, 11 Jun 2003 00:00:00 +0000

We love to hear from you. Send your letters to: voice@ausu.org

CLASSIFIEDS

Editor — Wed, 11 Jun 2003 00:00:00 +0000

Free classifieds for AU students.

Send your ad to the Editor at voice@ausu.org, with Classified in the subject line.

Editorial Pages

Editor — Wed, 04 Jun 2003 00:00:00 +0000

Convocation is almost here! For an upcoming Sounding Off column, send us your congratulatory messages for this year’s grads, or, if you are graduating, tell us what convocation means to you!

Friday, June 13m – Convocation – Graduate Ceremony
Saturday, June 14 – Convocation – Undergraduate Ceremony

THIS WEEK

THE AUSU 10TH ANNIVERSARY AGM – Reports in this week’s editorial and by Debbie Jabbour

WORK RAGE – Wayne Benedict talks about the causes of work related violence, and how you can recognize the signs. Read this important article and learn now to make your work environment safer.

GRADUATION SPECIAL – Part one in Debbie Jabbour’s 3 part series on graduation

AUSU COMMITTEES SEEK MEMBERS

The Student Planner Committee needs student input into the design and features of the next AUSU student planner. This is a short term committee, but input into this student gift is extremely valuable. Contact ausu@ausu.org if you are interested.

IT’S ALL OVER
THE AUSU 10TH ANNIVERSARY AGM WINDS DOWN

For on-the-scene coverage of the AGM, see Debbie Jabbour’s article 10th Anniversary AGM in this issue.

May 24th marked the 10th anniversary Annual General Meeting of AUSU. This landmark occasion was celebrated as part of an open meeting of the AUSU executive and Council, and all interested student members. Students attended the meeting in person at the Edmonton office, and also via teleconference. Your Voice editor was in attendance over the phone as well.

The meeting began with a welcome message from AUSU President Debbie Jabbour, who also gave a brief overview of how your students’ union was founded back in 1993, and how shaky that first fledgling year was for the newly formed council.

As the Annual General Meeting is the only occasion at which student members may vote on resolutions of Council, student input is of particular importance, and this year students were on hand to provide some valuable insight on the new set of AUSU bylaws.

These bylaws, which replace a set that has been used since 1996, represent nearly two years work. The legislative committee, led by Karl Low, has been primarily responsible for drafting this set of bylaws, but throughout the process all members of AUSU Council have had input into the final draft. Nevertheless, despite the length of time spent on these bylaws and the number of eyes that looked them over, there’s always room for improvement. Thanks to the sharp eyes of the students who attended this year’s AGM, a few small revisions were made and the final version of the new bylaws was unanimously passed by all attendees. Pending approval by the Alberta Government’s Corporate Registry department, these new bylaws will soon come into effect, ending a long term project of this current AUSU council. Next up, council will work on revising the very old and out of date operational policies.

Other items up for discussion at the AGM included AUSU finances for the 2002 financial year. The remaining information presented is mostly contained within the AGM information packet, created for student members of AUSU. This packet will be available online shortly so that any student member may review it, and you can still contact the AUSU office and request a hard copy of the report. As a special treat, all members who receive the packet also receive a photocopy of the very first voice issue, entitled The Paper, which was published in the Spring of 1993. Echoing my recent retrospective editorial, President Debbie Jabbour commented that many articles in that first Voice issue address issues that are strikingly similar to those facing students’ today. A review of this landmark issue shows that for Alberta post-secondary students at least, the more things change, the more they stay the same.

At the end of the meeting, AUSU President Debbie Jabbour invited attending students to say a few words to Council and fellow students regarding their AUSU experience.

Following the Annual General Meeting, students were treated to free food and entertainment courtesy of AUSU, as well as two very special guest speakers — Athabasca University President Dominque Abrioux, and AU Acting VP Academic Judith Hughes, who traveled from Athabasca to speak to the students. Unfortunately, their contribution was not part of the main meeting, so those of us who phoned in and left at the end of the AGM did not hear them. We also missed out on the free food, but those are the breaks when you attend from a distance!.

For superior coverage of this year’s AGM and anniversary celebration, make sure to read Debbie Jabbour’s AGM article this week, and keep your eyes on the AUSU website for a feature page including commentary and photographs from the AGM.

From the perspective of The Voice – which is also celebrating its 10 year anniversary – having this opportunity to delve in to the archives and explore some of the issues that have been facing Athabasca University students since the inception of our union has been both fascinating and illuminating. As important as it is for post secondary students to be aware of the ways in which government, university and student actions can affect the quality and availability of educational opportunities, it is now apparent to me that it is equally important to understand where we have come from so that we don’t repeat the mistakes of the past, or continue taking the same actions expecting a different result.

This anniversary AGM has been an opportunity to explore our past and gain a new perspective on just how challenging it is for many people to obtain a post-secondary education in this province — especially for those who are starting school later in life, who don’t have parental support, or who have financial or familial challenges to overcome.

FREE STUFF FOR AU STUDENTS FROM AUSU!
Do you want a package filled with cool AUSU study related items? This year instead of sending out student planners AUSU has compiled a package filled with products to help you study (and in some cases play). We’ve also included in these packages the latest issue of REALM magazine, a magazine geared towards students entering the workforce.
Don’t delay, we only have 1000 packages available. Send Carla an email at ausu@ausu.org or give her a call toll free at 1-800-788-9041. Make sure to include your name, mailing address, student ID# and email address.

Editorial Pages

Editor — Wed, 28 May 2003 00:00:00 +0000

EDITORIAL PAGES

THE VOICE: 1993 – 2003 10 YEARS AS YOUR STUDENT NEWSPAPER

THIS WEEK

NEW AU PROGRAM – The AU Masters of Nursing is Canada’s first online-only opportunity to obtain this high-demand degree

Fiction Feature – Poetry by Shahzadi Bhatti

Bass Lessons and Gratitude – Musings on the philosophy of giving: by Debbie Jabbour

Post Industrial Society – What does a post-industrial society look like, and has Canada become one? If so, it this a good thing? Wayne Benedict does his best to answer:

Read next week for coverage of the 10th Annual AGM of AUSU and the 10th Anniversary Celebration:

ARE YOU GRADUATING THIS JUNE?
If so, contact Voice@ausu.org to be part of The Voice Convocation 2003 special feature!

Got Fiction?

The Voice publishes all forms of short fiction in all genres. Send your stories, poems, plays, other fictional works to voice@ausu.org.

Need incentive?

We pay!

http://www.brokerlink.ca

Letters to the Editor

Editor — Wed, 28 May 2003 00:00:00 +0000

We love to hear from you. Send your letters to: voice@ausu.org