Columns

The Fit Student – Seniors’ Homes or Snowboards

When you turn 80, do you want to snowboard—or decay? Almost 80, Papa, armed with wrenches, stomps his way underneath cars. Papa lifts heavy loads and dumbbell weights. Papa’s phone rings off the hook. Papa might outlive me. Around 80, my former landlady crept up stairwells, frail. She avoided winter sidewalks for fear of falling…. Read more »

The Creative Spark! – Savor Your Writing

“All successful academics work hard … at the craft of writing,” says stylish writing evangelist, Helen Sword (p. 86). Many find that hard work thrilling (Sword). My thesis barely passed. I wrote longwinded sentences in passive voice. But most students write, well, poorly. Why? Universities rarely teach writing outside of the English department, says Sword…. Read more »

Dear Barb – Culture Clash

Dear Barb: I am in my twenties and still living at home. I work full time and take courses at AU. I have recently begun dating a wonderful guy and I can see us working out long term, because we have a lot of common interests and rarely argue. I have met his family and… Read more »

Dear Barb – Talking Slack

Dear Barb: I graduated from AU last year and a few months ago I began working at a new position. I was really excited to be finally starting my career. I work with a team of five other people. Our boss assigned a project for us to work on for the next three months. Initially… Read more »

The Fit Student – Crown of Needs

Do you want to reach your peak? Stand crowned on Maslow’s top rung? Well, heed a rule for champs: the self-actualized help others. My boyfriend sways people to make healthy choices. If he meets smokers, he suggests the gym. If he chats with troubled teens, he urges school and sports. If he sees a teary-eyed… Read more »

The Creative Spark! – My Special Stink Bomb

Did you ever delight at igniting stink bombs? Mixing your chemistry set to get the right stench? Cracking that scent of eggs in Grandma’s basement? Well, I have my own special little stink bomb. A prof slipped me a title of a book: Toxic Psychiatry—a scientology book. Soon after, I ditched my medicine. For the… Read more »

The Creative Spark! – Gobble Your Gallbladder

Could your jokes make you the next Tesla or Edison? Yes, humor awakes creativity—even in the sciences. So, let’s joke around for some quantum leaps: What if you could eat yourself? Gobble your gallbladder and 3D print new growth? No animal would again suffer the butcher. Yet, we’d have no need for pigs, cows, and… Read more »

Council Connection – August 8, 2017 Meeting

All councillors attended the August 8th AUSU council meeting, as well as two AUSU staff members and two student observers, including myself. The meeting was a lengthy one, at just over 2 hours long. The first item of business was to approve a member-at-large for AUSU’s Member Engagement and Communications (MEC) Committee. It was noted… Read more »

The Fit Student – Do it All

Will you do it all? I wanted to be the first woman in space. The first girl wrestler in junior high. The first woman to do, well, whatever. But fame comes with problems: egos, drugs, and gone tomorrows. In grade six, I wrote that I aspired to be a roller derby star. My teacher, not… Read more »