The Athabasca University Students’ Union (AUSU) is dedicated to supporting and empowering the Athabasca University (AU) student community through comprehensive advocacy services. AUSU offers two main types of advocacy to address the diverse needs of its members: individual student advocacy and external advocacy. Individual student advocacy focuses on providing personalized support to students facing academic or administrative challenges, ensuring their voices are heard and their rights are protected. On the other hand, external advocacy involves representing the collective interests of the student body to broader audiences, including policymakers and education stakeholders, to drive meaningful change and improve the overall student experience at AU. Learn more about each advocacy branch below, or click the button for a regularly updated list of current initiatives.
Individual Student Advocacy
Your academic concerns are important to AUSU, and we appreciate it when our members bring forward issues that impact their student experience.
Athabasca University is open to discussion with AUSU regarding student concerns, but our feedback must be logical and organized. For this reason, your input is essential.
Please email admin@ausu.org if you have concerns or feedback about things such as:
- course problems
- academic or exam fees
- tutor concerns or commendations
- new course suggestions
- any ideas that will improve your academic experience overall
If you are having any kind of problem with the university, your student funding organization, or anything else related to your university courses, AUSU may be able to advocate on your behalf or provide you with information to assist you in your communications with these agencies. Feel free to contact AUSU if you require assistance or information.
External Advocacy
AUSU regularly advocates on behalf of all our members through a number of initiatives. These include, but are not limited to:
- Member of the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA), including attendance at numerous CASA conferences and advocacy events. AUSU Executive Councillors and members of the Indigenous Circle participate in CASA Advocacy Week on Parliament Hill where student leaders gather annually to advocate to various MPs and senators for accessible and affordable post-secondary education in Canada.
- Member of the Council of Alberta University Students (CAUS), which includes attending various meetings with other students’ unions across Alberta and with the Government of Alberta where AUSU advocates for more funding for Athabasca University and supports for students in Alberta.
- Advocating for our members to the provincial and federal governments for increased educational funding, equitable student loan programs, scholarships and bursaries, and other student issues.
- Student representatives on numerous internal committees with Athabasca University, including the Board of Governors (BoG), General Faculties Council (GFC), BoF Finance and Property Committee, BoG Governance Committee, BoG Honorary Awards Committee, BoG Institutional Advancement Committee, BoG Academic Affairs Committee, GFC Academic Learning Environment Committee, GFC Academic Excellence Awards Committee, GFC Executive Committee, GFC Student Academic Appeals Committee, GFC Student Awards Committee, each Faculty Council Committee, ICT Governance Committee, Pedagogy and Research Service Advisory Group, and the ERP Service Advisory Group.
Please send your valuable opinions, feedback, and suggestions regarding AUSU advocacy to president@ausu.org. We are committed to providing AU undergraduate students with the support they need to succeed and look forward to hearing from you!