AUSU December 2015 Newsletter

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Holiday Closures

Please be advised that AUSU and AU are closed over the holiday season from December 25 to January 4, inclusive.

We open back up for regular business on January 5, 2016.

For students with a December 2015 course end date, please see this important notice from Athabasca University about their holiday closures and revised December deadlines.

AU Service Standards Survey

What has your experience been with AU service?

The survey is completely confidential, but AUSU will compile the data received to use in discussions with Athabasca University about their service standards.

Contact services@ausu.org with any questions.

November 2015 AUSU Award Winners

AUSU is pleased to announce some of the award winners from this past November AUSU Award Cycle. Congratulations to all of the lucky recipients!

Academic Achievement Award:
Michelle McNair and Christopher Workman

Balanced Student Award:
Brendan Hancock and Tammy Levigne

Returning Student Award:
Natalie Chan and Kelly Jobson

Student Service Award:
Carolyn Goetjen-Pilgrim and Kimberley Nault

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AUSU provided many other awards but not all winners are announced for confidentiality reasons. For more information about all of the AUSU awards available, visit our website.

Edmonton Meet & Greet

AUSU President Shawna Wasylyshyn is hosting a Meet & Greet in Edmonton on December 16. Stop by to meet some other AU students and get to know your AUSU council!

Date: December 16, 2015

Time: 1pm MST

Place: Good Earth Coffee, 9942 108 St.

Student Spotlight - Natalie Chan

Natalie Chan recently won AUSU's Returning Student Award.

Natalie “returned” to school twice. She decided to pursue a BComm in 1994 as a single mom while working full time. However, two years into her program, her son was in an accident and suffered a severe traumatic brain injury, so Natalie quit school and worked full-time to take care of her son. Eight years later, Natalie returned to school. After she completed 3 additional advanced business courses she was granted her Business Diploma. In 2014, her son underwent surgery to stop his seizures, and with a bit of the load lifted, she decided to complete her degree. Natalie is now enrolled in her last three courses towards her Bachelor of Management degree and has maintained a GPA of 3.72.

Congratulations on your accomplishments, Natalie! We wish you great success in the future!

Help over the Holidays

The holidays can be a stressful time, and has a higher rate of breakdowns and burnouts than any other time of the year. Whether you are facing the holidays solo, stressed out due to numerous social obligations, overwhelmed by your to-do list, or just feeling the pressure of the colder, darker days, AUSU would like you to know that you are not alone. The Student Lifeline can help.

Call Student Lifeline 24/7 to speak to a confidential consultant, or log in to the website to chat securely with a consultant online or to access hundreds of resources.

1-800-567-2255
(TTY 1-877-371-9978)

www.lifeworks.com

username: AUSU
password: wellness

Follow us!

facebook.com/AthaUSU

twitter.com/AthabascaUSU

AUSU Council Meeting

AUSU's next council meeting is December 10, 2015 at 4:30pm MST.
All members are welcome to attend. To RSVP, email admin@ausu.org.

What is your AUSU Council Up to?

The AUSU council is currently working on a lot of things to assist and represent our membership, including:

Working with the University advocating for fair funding formulas from the new provincial government
Preparing an advocacy program to bring awareness to AU about their Service Standards and how they impact students
Continuing to manage AUSU’s services and ensure member awareness
A comprehensive review of AUSU’s bylaws, policies, and processes
Greater transparency and communication with our members through the mobile app, regular newsletters, social media interaction, nation-wide meet & greets, regular Q&A sessions at council meetings and more.
Working with the Voice Magazine to help increase engagement and revitalize the website
Representation on many internal and external committees, including official appointment of two voting seats on the AU Board of Governors and several new appointments with CASA, the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations. For a full listing of the committees AUSU is part of, visit our advocacy page.

The AUSU committees are all hard at work as well:

The Media Engagement and Communications Committee is working on initiatives to engage the membership, ramping up participation in the Voice, and getting volunteers for committees.
The Awards Committee has been working hard reviewing the over 150 award applications we received for the November awards cycle to determine the winners for each award category.
The Finance Committee prepared a new budget for 2015-2016 and is working on a strategic review of AUSU’s financial planning.
The Forensic Audit Recommendation Committee has been doing research, contacted all of the participants from the AGM, and is now working on recommendations for council.
The Executive Committee continues to meet weekly to keep issues moving and communication flowing.

If you have any questions or concerns, please email services@ausu.org.

AUSU wishes you
a safe and happy
holiday season!