AUSU Chat Time

If you have a question for AUSU, or would like to get to know your council, drop by the chatroom [accessible through the 'Message Forums' option above - you need a website account] during one of our chat times and talk live with AUSU council members or your Voice editor. All times are MST

Mondays, 4:00-5:00 PM - President, Karl Low
Tuesdays, at 10:00-11:00 AM - Councillor, Emily Dukeshire
Tuesdays, at 3:00-4:00 PM - VP External, Barbara Rielly
Wednesdays, at 9:00-10:00 AM - Councillor, Bethany Porter
Wednesdays, at 11:00-Noon - Councillor, Huma Lodhi
Wednesdays, at 5:00-6:00 PM - VP Finance, Sarah Kertcher
Thursday, at 8:00-9:00 PM - Councillor, Shaun Driscoll
Fridays, at 2:00-3:00 PM - Councillor, Heather Fraser
Watch this page for more chat times...

President's Spring Update

An update from new President, Karl Low

Dear Members;

Wasn't that a party? 103 Candidates at the outset, whittled down to 70-some on the ballot itself, and finishing up with your current Council of nine. The changeover period is now complete, and Council elected its new executive group, consisting of myself as President, Barb Rielly as your new VP External, and Sarah Kertcher as your new VP Finance. We want to give thanks for the service provided from the outgoing members, Lisa Priebe, Mac McInnis, and Joy Krys, and thanks to all of you for running or getting engaged in the political process and bringing forward your ideas. Rest assured that Council will be taking a look at each of these ideas over the coming term.

Voter turnout for the election, though lower than we'd hoped in absolute numbers, was approximately equal in ratio to other Alberta Universities on an FLE basis... [click here to read on].

New Council Takes Office

New executive elected

At 7:00 pm, April 14, 2008, the 2006/08 AUSU council was dissolved and the newly elected councillors began their two-year term. The election of the new executives was also completed. The execs will serve for one year, at which time a mid-term re-election will take place for the three exec positions. Council wishes to express our deepest gratitude to the four departing councillors -- Lisa Priebe, who served two terms and was president for three years; Real Beaulieu, who served one term; Joy Krys, who served two terms, and Mac McInnis, who completed his third term on council. We wish them all the very best. Your new council is:

Karl Low - President
Barbara Rielly - Vice President, External
Sarah Kertcher - Vice President, Finance
Bethany Porter
Lonita Fraser
Shaun Driscoll
Heather Fraser
Zil-E-Huma Lodhi
Emily Dukeshire

Watch our site for bios of your new councillors, coming soon.

Annual Report 2008

On Saturday, March 8th, AUSU held its 2008 Annual General Meeting to present the 2006/07 financial report.

AUSU 2007 Annual Report

Read the 2008 Annual Report in web resolution (smaller, 2 meg file).
Read the 2008 Annual Report in print resolution (larger, 6.5 meg file).

Attention Shaw internet users

We have learned that many shaw email ip addresses are currently appearing on a number of blacklists. Because our server ensures our user data is safe from attacks by blocking blacklisted accounts, many Shaw users may not be able to get through to us. If you have emailed and did not get a reply, please try emailing from webmail or call us for more information.

AUSU Merchandise for Sale

Due to a high demand for AUSU merchandise, and delays in setting up our online store, we have put together a quick catalogue with a few items we have in stock now. To download it in pdf, click here and save the file to your desktop. Shipping costs will be calculated per order and we'll let you know by phone or email. We are only accepting credit card orders at this time, unless you are able to visit our Edmonton office. Please excuse the poor quality of the product photos. These will be improved shortly. More product will be available soon. Suggestions are welcome

Watch your mailbox for another edition of AUSU News & Views

The latest edition of AUSU news is in the mail and on its way to all AUSU members. This edition features information on the 2008 AUSU elections as well as updates on everything AUSU has been working on in recent months. For those who are not on our current member list, and anyone who wants to dig into the newsletter right away, click here to access the online version.

SmartDraw, a $297 software value, free for one year for AUSU members

AUSU has purchased a licence agreement to supply the award winning SmartDraw software to all AUSU members (current undergraduate students). To access this deal and find out more, log in and then click here.

SmartDraw allows you to create a wide range of graphics for your assignments and submit them electronically in a Word file. You can also place your graphics in Excel or PowerPoint files, or export them as TIF, GIF, or JPEG files to make a web graphic or even a logo. Just a few of the graphics you can make include venn diagrams, genetics charts, graphs, organizational and flow charts, and Gantt charts. For any course that requires charts that cannot be easily created in Word or Excel, this should be a real time saver and make it easier to submit all portions of an assigment by email. Remember, though, that you should always check with your tutor to find out if there is a specific format they prefer. Your tutor does not have to have SmartDraw to view these graphics, however. Installations under this program are good for one year. The package includes both the Standard and Health Care editions of SmartDraw.

2007 TUITION, EDUCATION AND TEXTBOOK AMOUNTS CERTIFICATE

Update from Athabasca University Financial Services...

Athabasca University Financial Services is pleased to announce that the official 2007 Tuition, Education and Textbook Tax Credit Certificate (T2202A) forms will be available on-line by the end of February to all eligible students. The forms will not be mailed out and instead are on-line in printable format for all students to access. Please visit AU's web site at www.athabascau.ca for further details on obtaining your tuition, education and textbook tax credit information for your 2007 tax return.

AUSU Frappr - we're all over the world!

Join our map and show us where you are. Please view our map and if it's your first visit, read through the posting information. Please email our webmaster if you have any questions. Enjoy!

AUSU members have the option of purchasing Health, Dental and Travel Insurance at student rates. The Campus Value Custom Plan is offered through Ingle International and Imagine Financial, and is available to students in most locations across Canada. If your location or age group is not listed on the rate sheets, or if you want additional coverage not included in the plan, please contact the insurer to find out about more options available to AUSU members. For more information on the plan and all contact information, see the full page story in our newsletter (link below), or visit our health plan webpage, here. Exclusive for AUSU members: AUSU members (aged 44 and under) who sign up to this program within 30 days of enrolment are guaranteed coverage.