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.

[ed. The following letter was posted in the AUSU forums, concurrent with being submitted to The Voice, and prior to publication. Publishing a letter that has already been printed and publicly discussed is redundant and I realize that Voice quality is not maintained by reprinting dated forums posts. I was unaware that the letter was in circulation until the eve of publication, despite the fact that most of the questions within are addressed to me.

As always, The Voice welcomes your questions, comments and suggestions on all topics. I am extending the suggested length limit to 400 words. Articles on all topics are also considered].

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Dear Editor,

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. 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 joined council to help students, and due to a personal vendetta a certain council member had with me for questioning their spending and their actions this was no longer going to be possible. I also felt I could do more to help students, and councilors, on this side of the fence, as a non-councilor. Nothing was getting done but “picking sides”. Why I left council should be crystal clear by now to you, to Council and to the students.

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? In fact you did not report on the November meeting at all, that’s odd! It’s your job to tell us students what’s going on. According to Ms. Maguire’s article last week:

Tamra Ross Low, the editor of the Voice, is also attempting to ensure that students know what is going on in the Student Council. So far she has been keeping us informed of major events in her editorials.

I assumed the Voice was supposed to report on the actions of ALL of council. If the mayor of my city, Ralph Klein or Paul Martin had a motion of reprimand brought against him, I’d sure want my newspaper to inform me.

Why did you feel it was not important to inform the students of that incident, but it was important to give a lengthy report into the December meeting when I handed in my resignation? This article was based on your implications as to why I quit (December 17th, 2003) and you then again also provided input into Ms. Maguire’s article last week? One last question, why did Ms. Maguire not contact any other councilors, only Ms. Jabbour (and you the editor of the Voice)? Ms. Jabbour states in Ms. Maguire’s article that the wrongdoings of councilors should stay private:

She (Ms. Jabbour) also believes that when a member is removed the only information that needs to be disclosed is the fact that the member was removed and what policy violations they committed. In her opinion, putting too much focus on negative events and all the details involved results in wasting time and overshadowing other positive things that the council is doing.

Shouldn’t the students, who employ the councilors, know “how” their representatives are spending their money and representing them? If councilors make mistakes or perform unethically the students should know! Now, I just finished reading the latest edition of Alberta Views and I wonder if the President of AUSU is representing the interests of the administration at AU or the students?

The most serious issues facing Athabasca students this year are tuition and the effects of Bill 43. Our institution is in serious trouble, since it receives far less funding than campus-based universities, due to the Alberta government’s funding formula, which is based on percentage of infrastructure. Our administration has tried to find ways to cope with this, such as asking for exclusion from the tuition fee policy under government regulation; however, the majority of the student representatives have not been able to support this.

I don’t know if I even want to go into this one, but I’m pretty sure that ALL of council does not agree with Ms. Jabbour’s comments. If AU is removed from the tuition fee policy, I’m pretty sure a lot of AU students may not be able to afford to continue at AU and they lose all of the little predictability they currently have for what their tuition will be from year to year. From what I remember of my time on Council every AUSU councilor was against tuition increases for AU students but one, can you guess which councilor sided more with AU administration? What is going on here? The needs of the students should come first to AUSU not the needs of the AU administration!!!! BUT, all that was described in this Alberta Views article was the frustrations faced by poor AU administrators, not the problems and frustrations faced by the AU students, those that AUSU represent [sic]. Who cares about the students in BC and Quebec who are having a hard time getting students loans to study at AU and the students who do get loans but eek [sic] out a pitiful subsistence on the money provided while trying to raise a family. Yeah, AU is in a tough spot considering they are practically a world-wide monopoly in providing distance learning to nearly 30,000 students with no traditional brick and mortar costs. I’m a little appalled that AUSU chose to have that printed in a publication.

This need for secrecy that the President keeps trying to convey is completely against democratic principles. This is a favorite quote of mine from Ms. Maguire’s article:

The President also expressed some concerns she has with the disclosure of detailed information about the wrongful acts of Councilors. First of all, she believes that such information should not be presented on the main AUSU website because it is accessible to the entire Internet community. She believes that it would be unfair to place such information in a place where it will show up in Internet searches for the entire world to view.

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. The “whole world” is not who wants to see AUSU council information, it is the AU students! The clubs can be put behind a log-in accessible by AU students, why then can’t the minutes? Council needs to start acting more democratically and actively attempting to encourage student input and participation by on-line surveys for major decisions and regular updates. Most importantly the reports of the Executive, the minutes from the meetings and the financial budget NEED to be accessible by the students.

In closing, I think Shannon Maguire’s article was good, but more information sources should have been consulted, primarily other councillors. I’m really glad to see other students taking an interest in their student government.

That’s my two cents,
Sandra Moore

They hesitate, and they regret, and sometimes they petition; but they do nothing in earnest and with effect. They will wait, well disposed, of others to remedy the evil, that they may no longer have it to regret.

Resistance to Civil Government
-Henry David Thoreau

I have recently heard a lot of complaints from my fellow students about the proposed 7.3% tuition increase at AU. So many students are ready and eager to complain about this proposed increase, but not one student has ever asked me “What can I do to keep this from happening”?

As with any political problem that affects the masses it is hard to motivate people to stand up for what they believe in. Everyone is so convinced that if the government does not want to fund education, healthcare, etc., then there is nothing that can be done about it. Wrong! We live in a democratic society, which means that the people have a voice, but that voice is not very audible to the government if only a few people ever speak up.

On Wednesday February 12th the Council of Alberta University Students (CAUS: Athabasca University Student’s Union is a member along with the other 3 Alberta universities) and the Medicine Hat College Student’s Association put on a thought-provoking, informative forum to educate the general public about the rising costs of tuition. I, along with David Stevens from the MHCA, promoted this event to the 60,000 + population of Medicine Hat and area. David also promoted it for two weeks at the college to the students. We were both extremely disappointed when only 15 people were in the audience to listen to the speakers talk about the effects of rising tuition. Where were the hundreds of students who attend Medicine Hat College or the 300+ AU students who live in Medicine Hat?

As students, as parents, as aging citizens, what will happen to us if tuition increases keep rising at the alarming rates they have been over the past 10 years (209% in Alberta since 1993)? Think of what it is costing you to go to school. If you are in a 4-year Arts degree program you incur over $20,000 in debt before you graduate. If you want to go on to grad school, tack on another $10,000. Now if you have a child who will be attending post secondary education in 10 years, it will cost them close to $42,000 to obtain that same Arts degree if tuition rises another 209%. Do you think you are putting enough into RESP’s every month for your children? In order to afford to send your children to school in 18 years, you need to be putting away $200 per child a month. Keep in mind though they will still have books to pay for, and living expenses. Of course, they can buy second hand books while living on Kraft Dinner and donations from campus Food Banks. Who says you have to be well nourished to learn???

What about our aging population? All of those baby boomers that comprise a good proportion of our population are rapidly nearing retirement age. That means we will be left with a shortage of skilled professionals, especially in the rural areas. Alberta is already predicting a rapid decline in their workforce in the next 10 years. The United States is also feeling the pinch of a shortage of trained professionals, but they are doing a pretty good job coming up here to Canada to entice our Canadian trained professionals to take higher paying jobs down there. It’s hard to entice professionals, such as doctors and teachers, to stay in bigger Canadian cities, let alone expect someone to go to a rural area to practice. The pay will be considerably lower and the chance for continued learning and advancement slim. Can we really expect a new Canadian doctor with a huge student debt to take a minimal rural position, when he/she could easily go to the States or the bigger Canadian cities and earn more?

Some universities are proposing to differentiate the cost of some of their programs. Differentiating tuition is the practice of charging different fees for different programs, based on the cost of delivering that program and the supposed earning power of graduates of that program. The University of Calgary is proposing an increase in the faculty of law from the current $4,944 to $10,700 a year by 2005/2006. How many law students do you think will be able to open their practices and dedicate themselves to lower paying levels of law like environmental law with a debt like this? The cost for one year in medicine at this same university is proposed to rise from $6,992 to $14,000 by 2005/2006. With student debt like that we might as well forget about medical students becoming general practitioners, they’ll need to specialize in order to have their loans paid off quicker. Economists know that the more you charge for something the less people will want it. Are more people in Canada going to decline the years of debt associated with a post secondary education? What will this do to Canada?

Why does Canada even charge tuition? Other economically developed countries like Germany, France and Ireland as well as some economically underdeveloped countries do not charge tuition. They see providing post secondary education to people as a boost for their economies and as less of a drain on their social assistance levels. Canada’s economy relies on highly educated and skilled workers. As our workforce is becoming more in demand of skilled workers able to adapt to the increasing use of technical equipment, and our cost of tuition to obtain the necessary skills to fill these positions is going up and up forcing students to abstain from a post secondary education, our economy is left with a lot of empty positions and a lot of unemployed workers unable to fill them.

In the last 10 years the federal government has cut 7 billion from higher education and training. This, along with provincial funding cuts, is what forces universities to jack up tuition. Mind you though, there are some universities that are run by power hungry administrators, unconcerned with educating their current students, but rather on building up their universities to have them internationally recognized.

What can you do besides complaining as you watch tuition rise every year? Watch the Voice for upcoming tuition events at local universities across Canada. Write or email your local MLA, your provincial Learning Minister, your premier, your MP, even Jean Chrétien. Let them know that you are concerned about the lack of funding by both the provincial and federal governments toward education. Education will soon only available to those who can afford it here in Canada. Are you prepared to let that happen?

Below are a few websites that will give you more insight into the rapidly increasing cost of tuition and the rapidly declining level of interest governments have to fund it.

http://www.tuitioncause.com – Council of Alberta University Students
http://www.freezethefees.ca – Council of Alberta University Students
http://www.cfsontario.ca – Canadian Federation of Students

Contact information for Provincial and Federal Government offices related to education:

Ed: This list has been updated since the original publication date

Paul Martin
Office of the Prime Minister
80 Wellington Street
Ottawa K1A 0A2
Fax: 613-941-6900
pm@pm.gc.ca

Alberta Learning Minister
Oberg, Lyle (Dr.) The Hon., MLA
204 Legislature Bldg 10800 – 97 Avenue
Edmonton, AB T5K 2B6
Phone: 780 427-2025
Fax: 780 427-5582
E-mail: learning.minister@gov.ab.ca

British Columbia Learning Minister
Christy Clark
PO Box 9045 – STN PROV GOVT
Victoria, BC V8W 9E2
Phone 250-387-1977
Fax 250-387-3200

Manitoba Minister of Advanced Education and Training
Diane McGifford
Phone 945-3720, 0418
Fax 945-1291
minedu@leg.gov.mb.ca

Newfoundland Learning Minister
John Ottenheimer
P.O. Box 8700
St. John’s, NL A1B 4J6
Phone 729-5097
Fax 729-5896
Email webmasteredu@gov.nf.ca

Northwest Territories Learning Minister
Jake Ootes
P.O. Box 1320
Yellowknife, NT X1A 2L9
Tel: (867) 669-2366
Fax: (867) 873-0169
E-mail: jake_ootes@gov.nt.ca

Nova Scotia Learning Minister
Jamie Muir
P.O. Box 578 – 2021 Brunswick Street, Suite 402
Halifax, Nova Scotia B3J 2S9
Phone (General Information) 902-424-5168
Fax (General Enquiries) 902-424-0511

Nunavut Learning Minister
Manitok Thompson
Tel: 867-975-5600
Fax: 867-975-5605

Ontario Learning Minister
Gerard Kennedy
Mowat Block, 900 Bay Street,
Toronto, Ontario M7A 1L2
Telephone: (416) 325-2929 or 1-800-387-5514
Fax: (416) 325-6348
Email: info@edu.gov.on.ca

Prince Edward Island Learning Minister
Mildred A. Dover
Second Floor, Sullivan Building
16 Fitzroy Street
P.O. Box 2000
Charlottetown, PEI C1A 7N8
Phone (902) 368-4610
Fax (902) 368-4699
madover@edu.pe.ca

Quebec Learning Minister
Pierre Reid
Ministère de l’Éducation
1035, rue De La Chevrotière, 16e étage
Québec (Québec) G1R 5A5
Téléphone : (418) 644-0664
Télécopie : (418) 646-7551
E-mail: Ministre@meq.gouv.qc.ca

Saskatchewan Learning Minister
Hon. Andrew Thomson
Room 307
Legislative Building
Regina, Saskatchewan
CANADA S4S 0B3
Telephone: (306) 787-7360

Yukon Learning Minister
John Edzerza
Box 2703
Whitehorse, Yukon
Y1A 2C6
John.Edzerza@gov.yk.ca

These final two graduate profiles are of students who completed Master’s Programs at AU.

AU GRADUATE PROFILE OF JAN PHILLIPS

AGE: “Not on your life!” (I’ll just guess 29 and holding then :))
LIVES IN: AB
PROGRAM COMPLETED: Bachelor of Arts – Psychology 2001 (with distinction); Masters of Distance Education, 2003
YEARS IT TOOK TO COMPLETE: Just under 6 years for both
FAVORITE COURSE: MDDE 602
FAVORITE TUTOR: Too many to count

I met Jan at the AU Alumni Association event hosted after the June 13, 2003 convocation of AU Masters students. This was Jan’s second time down the AU red carpet, and she may yet have a third trip as she is hoping to complete a Masters of Counselling degree through AU’s affiliation with Campus Alberta. Jan also hopes to one day give back to AU, by becoming an employee. Six years to get both an undergraduate degree and a Masters (all the while working proudly as an Alberta Beef producer) is quite an accomplishment for an AU student, since the average finish date for an undergraduate program seems to be 6-10 years! Jan encourages graduating students to stay involved in their Alumni Association and advises students that “Knowledge is Power”.

Congratulations Jan Phillips, BA, MDE

AU GRADUATE PROFILE OF TANYA CRAWFORD

AGE: 37
LIVES IN: Halifax, Nova Scotia
PROGRAM COMPLETED: Masters of Distance Education
YEARS IT TOOK TO COMPLETE: 4 1/2
FAVORITE COURSE: Loved them all
FAVORITE TUTOR/PROFESSOR: Loved them all

Tanya and her partner Dan made the cross-Canada journey to AU to witness Tanya’s stroll down the infamous AU red carpet as she received her Masters in Distance Education. While completing her degree, Tanya worked in Adult Education; she is currently self-employed as an on-line training consultant for the insurance industry, but plans to look for other employment. Convocation was such a great and memorable experience for Tanya, and she appreciates the opportunity it gave her to network with other distance education graduates. She encourages current AU students to persevere and enjoy their studies – “it’s worth it”.

Congratulations Tanya Crawford, MDE

Look for more profiles in upcoming Voice issues. If you are an AU grad and you were not interviewed on convocation day, contact voice@ausu.org to be a part of AU profiles. As always, we are seeking undergrads, tutors and staff for profiles as well.

Dear Voice Editor,

Last week’s Voice was really good! I especially enjoyed the article on turning 50; it’s nice to see a little humour, as well as the article on a day in the park. These little peeks into the lives of other AU students (which are superbly written), are interesting, entertaining and informative. Keep up the GREAT work!

Sandra Moore
Redcliff, AB

This column contains the last of our graduate profiles from Convocation 2003. Congratulations to all grads. Next week, 2 new alumni profiles.

Sandra Moore caught up with Kilmeny, Murray and Shauna at convocation:

AU GRADUATE PROFILE OF KILMENY PEDERSON

AGE: 46
LIVES IN: Elbow, SK
TRAVEL TIME TO ATHABASCA: 8 hours
PROGRAM COMPLETED: Bachelor of Arts
YEARS IT TOOK TO COMPLETE: 5 years
FAVORITE COURSE: Experimental Psychology
LEAST FAVORITE COURSE: None
FAVORITE TUTOR: Jo-Anne Tomie
HIGHEST FINAL GRADE: 93
LOWEST FINAL GRADE: 65

One of the first students I interviewed, Kilmeny is an upbeat energetic woman with an obvious love of learning. Along with her partner Mel, Kilmeny made the eight hour trek to AU to obtain the degree that has changed her life. She has always wanted a degree, but never really followed through. Another bonus of obtaining a degree, besides personal satisfaction for Kilmeny, was that her studying inspired her children to be better students. Kilmeny’s son is doing well in college and looks forward to learning even more.

Now that the ink on her degree is dry, Kilmeny plans to continue working with ESL students and learning disabled children, maybe do some counselling, and maybe, just maybe, obtain a graduate degree. Kilmeny encourages other students to organize their time, work hard, keep in contact with your tutors and ask LOTS of questions for success at AU.

Congratulations Kilmeny Pederson, BA

AU GRADUATE PROFILE OF MURRAY KOWALZIK

AGE: 46
LIVES IN: AB
TRAVEL TIME TO ATHABASCA: 8 hours
PROGRAM COMPLETED: Bachelor of General Studies – Arts & Sciences
YEARS IT TOOK TO COMPLETE: Many!
FAVORITE COURSE: Abnormal Psychology & Medical Antrhopology
LEAST FAVORITE COURSE: None

Along with his wife Hazel, Murray traveled 8 hours from southern Alberta to receive his Bachelor of General Studies from AU. Murray says that when his children entered university, and he was studying at AU, he developed a collegial rapport with them.

While working full-time, Murray realized how important it was to set up a routine for studying and encourages other students to do the same. Obtaining a degree has been the accomplishment of a personal goal, and he now plans to pursue a Masters degree through AU. Murray and his wife were very impressed with the way Athabasca University organized the convocation and they encourage other students to not miss the opportunity to participate in convocation ceremonies when their turn arises.

Congratulations Murray Kowalzik, BGS

AU GRADUATE PROFILE OF SHAUNA WATT-PORSCHID

AGE: 36
LIVES IN: Dauphin, Manitoba
TRAVEL TIME TO ATHABASCA: 14 hours (1 WAY!!)
PROGRAM COMPLETED: Bachelor of Nursing
YEARS IT TOOK TO COMPLETE: 4.5 years
FAVORITE COURSE: Nursing Trends
LEAST FAVORITE COURSE: Stats or English
HIGHEST FINAL GRADE: 92
LOWEST FINAL GRADE: 67 (English)

Shauna was one of the few students I meet from Manitoba, and unfortunately there will be no photo to accompany this profile, as she was my very last interview of the day and I had no film left. With three children at home, and while working full time, Shauna achieved her goal of obtaining this degree. She now would like to take her Master’s, keep working, and spend more time with her family. She encourages other AU students to be patient (all good things must end, right?) and stated that convocation was such a wonderful experience for her.

Congratulations Shauna Watt-Porschid, BN.

Look for more profiles in upcoming Voice issues. If you are an AU grad and you were not interviewed on convocation day, contact voice@ausu.org to be a part of AU profiles.

As always, we are seeking undergrads, tutors and staff for profiles as well.

Sandra Moore spoke with Audrey and Wendy at AU convocation:

AU GRADUATE PROFILE OF AUDREY COLEMAN

LIVES IN: AB
TRAVEL TIME TO ATHABASCA: 4 hours
PROGRAM COMPLETED: Bachelor Of Nursing
YEARS IT TOOK TO COMPLETE: 12 years
FAVORITE COURSE: Nursing Informatics and Mathematics
LEAST FAVORITE COURSE: English
FAVORITE TUTOR: Ms. Broad
HIGHEST FINAL GRADE: 97
LOWEST FINAL GRADE: 76

When Audrey started her degree her 2 children were in high school and they supported her in many ways while she worked full-time and studied. For many years Audrey looked forward to the personal fulfillment of graduating and she encourages other students not to give up. “It is well worth the effort to finally complete all the courses and graduate.” She now plans to continue working full time in an acute center in a small town and devote more time to her hobbies of sewing and knitting.

Congratulations Audrey Coleman, BN

AU GRADUATE PROFILE OF WENDY KLAUBERT

AGE: 40
LIVES IN: Calgary, AB
TRAVEL TIME TO ATHABASCA: 4.5 hours
PROGRAM COMPLETED: Bachelor Of Administration
YEARS IT TOOK TO COMPLETE: 4.5 Years
FAVORITE COURSE: Human Resource Management
LEAST FAVORITE COURSE: Microeconomics
FAVORITE TUTOR: On-line help (call center)
HIGHEST FINAL GRADE: 96
LOWEST FINAL GRADE: 56

Wendy traveled to Athabasca along with her husband Rudi (sans the two kids) to walk the red carpet to and achieve an accomplishment “like no other.” I met up with Wendy and her husband as they arrived early in the convocation tent to ensure Rudi was able to get a front row seat (well, third row seat as the first two rows are reserved for “important” people like the President of AU’s wife and other distinguished guests). When asked how her family adjusted, Rudi piped up to say that he took on more household duties, to which his wife agreed with praise for his assistance.

Wendy’s advice to other students is to learn the fine art of juggling school with family, friends and work (Wendy should know how to do this, she worked full time while completing her degree in 4.5 years!) Wendy would like to now continue on her studies for her CMA.

When asked what her thoughts were on the convocation experience she said the day had just begun but that the alumni dinner the previous night had been cramped and way too warm.

Congratulations Wendy Klaubert, B Admin.

Look for more grad profiles in upcoming Voice issues. If you are an AU grad and you were not interviewed on convocation day, contact voice@ausu.org to be a part of AU profiles.

As always, we are seeking undergrads, tutors and staff for profiles as well.

Sandra Moore spoke with JACQUELINE ROCHELEAU at convocation:

AGE: 45
LIVES IN: B.C.
TRAVEL TIME TO ATHABASCA: 16 Hours
PROGRAM COMPLETED: Bachelor of Nursing
YEARS IT TOOK TO COMPLETE: 6
FAVORITE COURSE: Senior focus – palliative care
LEAST FAVORITE COURSE: STATS
FAVORITE TUTOR: Many were very helpful, singling one out would be tough.
HIGHEST FINAL GRADE: Passed all courses which was a big accomplishment! thoroughly enjoyed palliative research – got 95% on “evolution of palliative care.”

I met up with Jacqueline, during the AUSU sponsored convocation breakfast sitting at a table with fellow BN graduates, most of whom she had met for the first time.

While working on her degree, Jacqueline worked full time and said that personal discipline is what kept her going as a full-time student and employee. Obtaining this degree has meant personal fulfillment for Jacqueline and now that she is finished she can’t wait to read novels and get back to sewing. She encourages other AU students to not give up and states that the convocation experience was filled with good food, great people and a friendly welcome by the townspeople of Athabasca.

Author’s Note: During convocation, the business people of Athabasca hung bright red ribbons on their storefronts and many put up signs congratulating AU graduates.

Congratulations Jacqueline Rocheleau B.N.

Look for more grad profiles in upcoming Voice issues. If you are an AU grad and you were not interviewed on convocation day, contact voice@ausu.org to be a part of AU profiles. As always, we are seeking undergrads, tutors and staff for profiles as well.

Currently AU is looking to be removed from the tuition policy in the province of Alberta. Under government legislation, AU needs to present increases to tuition to the stakeholders (students and the public) and the Alberta Government. If the increases cannot be justified or the proposed percentage of increase is too high (max. of $267 per full load equivalent per year), tuition does not increase. However, if tuition is deregulated at AU this safety measure will be removed. There will be no more strict regulations and consultation with stakeholders will not be mandatory. In layman’s terms this translates into the possibility of sudden and dramatic increases in tuition for every AU student. It could also translate further into the creation of a post-secondary education obtainable only by those who are able to afford it. Translate it further into a hell of a lot of business and law graduates and few social services graduates. Students will be forced to go into high-income careers just to pay off their student loans.

The question is, why does AU want to be removed from the tuition policy in Alberta? The answer lies in one word: expansion. Unlike most traditional universities, AU’s funding comes mainly from what we pay for tuition, which works out to approximately 70%. The remaining 30% comes from other sources such as government funding and alumni donations. Traditional universities are able to rely on generous alumni and corporate donations, as well as endowments that compose a large percentage of their funding, AU cannot. So, in order to expand and compete with other universities in luring students onto their virtual campus, AU needs money.

Alumni and corporate donations are low, government funding is low, so where will the money come from to expand? Our pockets. Tuition accounts for the majority of AU’s funding, but right now under the tuition policy they can only raise it as high as the government allows. Once removed from the tuition policy, if their campaign is successful, they will have fewer restrictions and raising tuition will not be the arduous process it once was, which in turn will direct less attention on obtaining other revenue sources.

Instead of concentrating on expansion, shouldn’t AU be concentrating on educating the students they presently have? Instead of lobbying the Alberta government to remove AU from the tuition policy, shouldn’t their efforts be concentrated on lobbying the other provincial and territorial governments across Canada for funding or even the feds for that matter, since AU is CANADA’S Open Learning University?

As students we are consumers of education and we have the right to demand that AU remain under the tuition policy to ensure that each and every one of us will be able to afford to complete our degrees. We also need AU to remain under the tuition policy to avoid encouraging other universities and governments to look toward tuition deregulation, which could possibly prohibit our children from attending university. Voice your comments and concerns on this issue on the student discussion forums http://www.ausu.org, accessible under “Message Forums” on the top menu bar.

KEEP EDUCATION AFFORDABLE FOR ALL!

Let us know what you think. Send your comments on this issue to voice@ausu.org for the next Sounding Off column.

Sandra Moore spoke with Wanda Laurin at AU convocation:

AU GRADUATE PROFILE OF WANDA LAURIN

AGE: 45
LIVES IN: Peace River, AB
TRAVEL TIME TO ATHABASCA: 4 hours
PROGRAM COMPLETED: BA – French
YEARS IT TOOK TO COMPLETE: 14
FAVORITE COURSE: Geology 201 – The History Of The Earth
LEAST FAVORITE COURSE: “I can’t say I didn’t get into any course. I found it very serendipitous that I’d be taking a course that I really needed at that time in my life. But Geological Structures was a humdinger!”
FAVORITE TUTOR: Nicole Kunzle
HIGHEST FINAL GRADE: 100% on some essays
LOWEST FINAL GRADE: 52% in French literature

I met up with Wanda, her husband Paul and their children touring the science lab at AU on Convocation Day. Wanda says her family understood that she had course work to do and that she could get a little uptight when she was in the middle of an essay or studying for an exam. One of her daughters shared with me when asked how she felt about her mother going to school and said that she was a little upset her mom did not have as much time to play. Through obtaining a degree in French (while working part-time as a teacher), Wanda also passed her new knowledge onto her children and has succeeded in raising bi-lingual children.

She suggests to current AU students to set aside time each day to devote to studying and be strict with yourself, rewarding yourself with snacks!

Now that she is “so tickled pink to have accomplished this” she plans on taking piano lessons. “You guys know how to spoil us! I feel really pampered and excited to have come for this special occasion.”

Congratulations Wanda Laurin, B.A.

Look for more grad profiles in upcoming Voice issues. If you are an AU grad and you were not interviewed on convocation day, contact voice@ausu.org to be a part of AU profiles. As always, we are seeking undergrads, tutors and staff for profiles as well.

Here’s something a little bit different this week, a graduate student profile. Tony volunteered to be interviewed at the AU Alumni Reception on June 13th, 2003 after receiving his final AU degree, a Masters in Distance Education.

PROFILE OF AU GRADUATE TONY RATCLIFFE BY SANDRA MOORE

Age: 45

Resides in: Edmonton, Alberta

Completed at AU
1. Bachelor of Administration, 1992
2. Advanced Graduate Diploma in Distance Education (Technology), 1999
3. Master of Distance Education, 2002 (December)

As a full-fledged alumnus with 20 1/2 years of AU education under his belt Tony now plans to be active in AU’s Alumni Association

Years to complete
1. 13
2. 2
3. 5 1/2

Tony was a police constable when he commenced his Bachelor of Administration. He continued to work on his program as he started his own business. He then spent a number of years employed with the federal and provincial governments. He finished his master’s degree (and advanced graduate diploma) about the same time as he has started teaching in the Police and Security Program at Grant MacEwan College. Tony left his
full-time employment with the provincial government soon after, giving time for focused studies and part-time teaching. The teaching hours eventually grew, and studies slowed down. Oh, it wasn’t the courses–it was the thesis that Tony was determined to complete despite slow progress.

Tony continues to teach in the Police and Security Program at Grant MacEwan College, presently coordinating field placements. He also owns and operates a small business seeking distance education and training opportunities.

Favorite Course:
Adult Learning and Development, in the MDE program, is Tony’s favourite. It provided a good grounding for the MDE studies and a very successful outcome convinced Tony that he could handle a master’s program.

Favorite Tutor/Professor:
There were so many wonderful tutors and professors that it is too difficult for Tony to name a favourite. He remembers those that went out of their way to provide extra special attention, such as meeting personally to discuss assignments or to attend social functions. In the MDE, daily contact by email or telephone was readily available if needed. A special recognition must be given to the faculty in the MDE program who continue to contribute so much to the field of distance education, far beyond the AU programs. To the late Professor Dan
Coldeway, your contributions will always be remembered by Tony and others.

Advice
Tony thinks it is great that distance education offers flexibility and many opportunities for the programs to follow student needs and time schedules. However, he recommends that students set and abide by a
predetermined schedule. It is too easy to procrastinate. Also, Tony wants to point out that so many tutors and professors have so much to share about their subject area, so be sure to engage in conversations with them.

Other comments
Tony knew he would someday have an opportunity to poke a little fun at an administrative boo-boo He thought this question offered the chance. For Convocation 2003, assumingly wanting a little information
for the biographies to be read, one unnamed staff member in the President’s Office took it upon herself to go further and ask graduands for biological information! She admitted to Tony how red her face was when this slip was identified. Yes, we can have fun at AU–even at a distance.

Congratulations Tony Ratcliffe, B.Admin, MDE

Look for more grad profiles in upcoming Voice issues. If you are an AU grad and you were not interviewed on convocation day, contact voice@ausu.org to be a part of AU profiles. As always, we are seeking undergrads, tutors and staff for profiles as well.