COURSES 100: Recommendations for the U of A Course Catalogue

The deadline for swapping courses has come and gone and so too has the the deadline for dropping courses sans W. But, as always, after schmoozing Bear Tracks for hours and trying to settle on the last two courses of my degree, I was left wanting more.

I understand the U of A is a prestigious academic institution, but the courses can be very expected. Very obvious. Mathematics-this, biology-that; much like this year’s Oscars, the courses could use some diversity to better reflect the life of a student. I took it upon myself to come up with a few recommendations.

CNTGO 100 – Introduction to Contigo Mugs. 

Apparently a necessity for all U of A students, this course would serve as an introduction to why your coffee gets cold after 3 hours. 

BLING 499 - Hotline

An important lesson in what happens when you leave the city. 

CLASS ETIQT 200 – Fake It Till’ You Make It

80% of lectures are spent multi-tasking: writing and thinking about something completely different at the same time. The other 15% is typically reserved for Tinder and Pinterest. This leaves 5% for answering questions – which is why participation marks are on average worth 5% of your final grade. 

MEME 411 – Advanced Memes

A really great way to show all your Facebook “friends” how funny you are. 

ODR 102 – Introduction to Outdoor Rinks

“Yeah me and the boys are going to pick up a few and then head’er to the ODR for some shinny”

“Wait - what?!?” 

PARK 407 – Advanced Methods in Scamming Free Parking (Or, Learning to Appreciate Your U-Pass)

There is rarely a greater feeling than coming back to your car, with your windshield wipers at the same level of stationary as when you left it. Especially if you just took the bus.

UNI 400 – Student Budgeting

While not many of us are actually living below any poverty lines, we are often budget conscientious. Seriously though, the Safeway just off campus will overcharge you on everything. Do yourself a favour and either bum a ride to Superstore or head down Whyte Ave to Save-On-Foods. 

SWOL 101 - Bro

Self-explanatory. 

TM HORT 322 – Patience, Confusion and Tim Hortons

Frankly if you’re still waiting 30 minutes at CAB Tim Hortons when you could walk to Katz and get your order in half the time, then you deserve an F in life. 

WLKING 113 – Fundamental Skills in Walking

They should offer this. Based on me trying to walk around people, they should really offer this. 

WTANG 231 – 36 Chambers

Basically, 50 or so people sitting around, while GZA and RZA bless their ears with new verse every class. 

So – I’ve got a few ideas. If you have any, feel free to throw them in the comment section below, and I might make your idea into an “official” course offering. 

Shadi - YouAlberta Contributor

Shadi, a soon to be graduate of the Specialization in Mathematics and Economics program, is a fond admirer of the Spring and Summer, Bluetooth speakers, and ItDog. Shadi is currently working as a Recreation Facilitator with Campus and Community Recreation, and plans on eventually doing graduate work in the incredibly cool field of Econometrics. In his free time, Shadi enjoys his bike not breaking, and people not yelling at him to stay off the road.


Editor's note: An earlier version of this post had referenced "MEME 411 – Adanced Memes".... and while it turns out that there are hits when you Google the word "adanced" we definitely meant to type "advanced." Now you know.

YOUALBERTA INTRODUCES: The “Celebrate Valentine’s Day (By Yourself in a Onesie)” Contest.

Listen up lovebirds – YouAlberta is brewing a contest with a prize basically equivalent to a committed partner. For the low price of your best/worst Valentine’s Day story, you could walk away draped in Green and Gold, the envy of your social circle, as you adorn your University of Alberta onesie.

Image courtesy of theodysseyonline.com. A potential front-runner for many of my friend's dates.

Now – I’ve managed to periodically end relationships long before Christmas every year (assuming they even existed in the first place), so most of my Valentine’s day traditions include pity chocolate from my mom and food, but I have higher hopes for you. I’m sure for many, Valentine’s is an endearing ritual of time well spent, and while those stories are nice, we’re looking for something a little more irregular. To give you an example, I give you Valentine’s Day 2015:

4:00PM: Go to outdoor rink.
4:30PM: Play hockey with strangers.
5:30PM: Begin walk to shack to remove skates.
5:31PM: Fall.
10:30PM: Confirmed broken ankle.

"Happy Valentine's Day!" - my ankle.

Think you can top it? We don’t necessarily only want stories of exemplary single-a-tude. If you’ve got something special that happened with that special someone else (keep it PG), then we’d love to hear it. You want that onesie? Of course you do. Read on for rules:

RULES:

• 1 person = 1 submission MAX.

• Must be a current U of A student

• 100 word maximum. 

• You’re allowed to use fake names (or no names at all). 

Deadline extended - Submissions will be accepted until Friday, February 26, 2016.

After a preliminary story selections round by the YouAlberta bloggers, the winner will be decided by popular vote. 

Ready to submit? 

Do it!

Shadi - YouAlberta Contributor

Shadi, a soon to be graduate of the Specialization in Mathematics and Economics program, is a fond admirer of the Spring and Summer, Bluetooth speakers, and ItDog. Shadi is currently working as a Recreation Facilitator with Campus and Community Recreation, and plans on eventually doing graduate work in the incredibly cool field of Econometrics. In his free time, Shadi enjoys his bike not breaking, and people not yelling at him to stay off the road.

YouAlberta Spotlight: The Bike Library

I bike to school every day, and find that at least once a week… something usually breaks. I’ll pop an inner tube, my chain will snap, or my brakes won’t break (since they’re pretty worn). More recently, my DIY pannier (that’s “rear bike bag” in cyclo-language) fell apart and landed on my rear wheel. (It was actually pretty dangerous since is caused me to swerve in front of oncoming traffic.) In any case, when it comes to my bike, things get expensive. Parts aside, bike shops can charge more for labor than an auto-mechanic, and as someone who’s both frugal and stubborn, I won’t have any of it.


So, I often find myself in the Sustain SU Bike Library. Tucked away in SAB, the Bike Library rents bikes out to the U of A community. And even better, it has a full array of tools, as well as some more common parts (for a good price), to help get you and your bike back on the road without severely bankrupting you. I like being able to do the work myself, and since they have mechanics and volunteers on hand to help you DIY your repairs, you can rest assured you won’t screw anything up too badly.

But – don’t take my word for it – take a look at the video and see what makes this community bike library such a campus gem.

Bike Library Hours:

Tuesdays and Thursdays: 2-5 p.m.
Wednesdays: 12-3 p.m.

Location: 

1-13 South Academic Building (SAB).
Please follow the directional signs and enter through the back of the building.

----About the Author

Shadi

Shadi Merhej, a soon to be graduate of the Specialization in Mathematics and Economics program, is a fond admirer of the Spring and Summer, Bluetooth speakers, and ItDog. Shadi is currently working in the Students' Union as staff member with Orientation, and plans on eventually doing graduate work in the incredibly cool field of Econometrics. In his free time, Shadi enjoys his bike not breaking, and people not yelling at him to stay off the road.

AntiFreeze: 7 Graphs That Illustrate Success... Sort Of

It’s here. It, being the Official Winter Student Games: AntiFreeze. By now, teams are probably getting parts of their scrapbooks together, working on their cardio, and mentally coping with the fact that they’re not going to a lot of classes during that first week. I know I didn’t.

By not going to a lot of classes, I mean I maybe went to a couple. I had done AntiFreeze before, but I never really competed in AntiFreeze. The team I joined, the classy clan known as “Reindicks”, was a partially committed bunch. I say partially because there were about 5 or 6 of us who were really committed, a couple who weren’t really into it, and then another dude (our captain) who literally flew away to San Diego the week of. See figure 1.1 below. 

Figure 1.1

Of course, we left almost everything until the week of. For those of you uneducated on the field of AntiFreeze, it is a weeklong tournament, with a variety of competitions that somewhat change year to year. A sled race, a clue hunt, and a scrapbook – those are a few of the events going on. So while we could have built a sled and made our scrapbook during December, figure 1.2 below represents what actually happened.

Figure 1.2

 I’ve catalogued some trends for your pleasure in the graphs below – each with their own explanation.  

Figure 1.3

 Here we see the relation between the number of AntiFreeze days, and the amount of coffee myself, and the rest of the team was drinking. We were ingesting rather healthy amounts for the first day or so, but as the week progressed, sleep became secondary to building sleds and trying to learn aerobic dance routines. 4 to 5 cups of coffee might seem unhealthy, but… well it is. It is unhealthy. Shame on us. Not surprising is the inverse relationship between sleep and coffee. 

Figure 1.4

In case it wasn’t clear how many teammates took off for San Diego: one did. One teammate took off. I didn’t include the dates on the horizontal axis because the entire thing was such a blur, that time itself ceased to really define itself. Though, I have noted the intersection between when AntiFreeze started, and the value of our vertical axis. 

Figure 1.5

Another fun tidbit about AntiFreeze is that the winners receive a free weekend trip to the mountains. Once we had won the tournament, the trip had already felt free. When we were planning the trip, the trip still felt very much free. Once on the trip, the trip still felt free. I can safely say the trip was delightfully free, and “free” really is an asymptotic behavior of the trip (i.e. as time goes on forever, that trip will always feel free, and will have been free). 

Figure 1.6

The above is a graphic representation of how many people saw me in jorts over the course of AntiFreeze. As you can see – roughly 300 individuals saw my jorts. Given the approximate 6” inseam I gave myself (and the fact that I’m 6’3), I’m not sure how I looked in the jorts (probably either amusing or horrifying), but I assume that there are at least a couple people who every now and then see me and think, “Hey, that’s that guy – who was in jorts.” And to those lucky few, I say “yeah, yeah I was that guy in jorts.” 

And now you've seen me in my jorts too...

Figure 1.7

Here we see the expectations vs. reality of work getting done. Anyone who’s done AntiFreeze a couple times understands that the bulk of the work really gets done by 5 or 6 dedicated team members I was not aware of this. 
So. AntiFreeze 2014: Coffee. Coffee and a lot of yelling. I was so sleep deprived that it took a little over three weeks for me to even realize I was in the middle of my winter semester. If you’re not on a team, most of the events are pretty fun to watch – but anything dance related is a good time. If you are on a team, best of luck to you. Try to sneak some sleep in between your scrapbooking and your surprisingly detailed investigation into what kind of plastics will make your sled go faster. 

----
About the Author

Shadi

Hey readers! My name is Shadi and I'm currently doing a double major in Mathematics and Economics - an amalgamation of the two most enjoyable fields fathomable.  

Now - pull up an ear and listen reader: there lives a thriving ecosystem of academia addicts and campus-culture aficionados throughout the U of A, and I'm hoping to get these stories to you. I'm hoping we can on some level create more pride in our university through what really matters: the students. Me? Yes - you! You matter. I want people to hear of what academic triumphs students are achieving, and what new initiatives leaders across campus are championing. Also, from time to time, I’ll try to make you smile with “humor”. I'm looking forward to the semester and being a part of this team, as well as learning more about what's happening across our campus!

Festival of Ideas – A totally Appropriate Name

Admittedly, almost a month ago, when I told my boss I would attend Festival of Ideas, I was entirely clueless as to what this so-called “festival” was all about.  “Ideas!” one might conclude. Indeed – ideas were aplenty. From November 19th, to November 23rd, ideas rained down on Edmonton, as mass hordes of intellects and hipsters who were wondering “what’s science and stuff up to these days?” flocked to various venues. I - was one of those hipster.  Did I attend all of them? No. But the talks I did attend were damn good talks! Good enough for me to share. 

Friday: The Psychology of Scarcity with Eldar Shafir

First of all, let’s talk about how freaking amazing the venue was. City Hall – usually a venue for junior high choirs and the debate of bicycle lanes had its “City Room” (the space directly in front the main stairs) “converted” into a venue. I use the word converted loosely, since they essentially just added 100 chairs to an empty space and called it a venue. But I raise my hat to the U of A, as it definitely set the tone for what was going to be an incredible talk.

Dr. Eldar Shafir came to the “stage”, and might I say – absolutely killed it. A spectacle of wit and incredibly well presented findings, Dr. Shafir did a fine job of educating the audience on why poor people make seemingly… poor decisions. It was wonderful.

The event was over an hour, so I wouldn’t do it justice trying to go over everything here, but something that definitely stuck with me was Shafir’s sidebar about pay-day loan businesses. Here’s a couple facts he brought up:

• There are more pay-day loan branches than McDonalds and Starbucks’ in the US: combined. 

• For any randomly chosen pay-day loan branch in the US, the majority of the money being made is from loans that are being used to pay off previous loans.  

The psychology and tests behind everything he talked about was really interesting, and it definitely seems like something we should all be more aware of. If you want to know more about Shafir’s research (and you should), I’d recommend picking up his book, Scarcity: Why Having Too Little Means So Much.

Saturday Afternoon: Responsibility for Soldiers as a Measure of Societal Maturity

Image courtesy of universityaffairs.ca

So - apparently, the Stanley Milner Library downtown has a really nice theatre – because I was sitting inside of it, and it’s really nice. It was really neat seeing the U of A branching out across the city, and also neat was the guy (Allen Ball), who just had the coolest English accent. Here I was, sitting, scowling at another audience member who decided Taco Time was a good idea, only to have my ears graced with his presence. Though – he just introduced the speaker, Dr. Ibolja Cernak – who had some very meaningful things to say.

A very interesting talk – though I’d say almost too informative – delved into how we’re doing a crappy job taking care of veterans. What was sad to hear was Dr. Cernak’s research, which was looking into how to help soldiers affected by all sorts of mental illnesses, was at a halt because all but one out of the eight grants she had applied for had been rejected. I’d publicly lambaste them on this blog, but she rattled off 8 acronyms I’ve never heard of and then kept the lecture going. Check out her team’s research, then get mad. They basically had enough money to collect a shwack-load of data – and nothing else. If this talk taught me anything, it’s that there are probably tons of research teams trying to figure out and solve different problems – sidelined, because they don’t have funding. You can find out about her research here. 

Saturday Evening: “What the %@&?! Happened to Comics” with Art Spiegelman

Genuinely amazing. Held at the Metro Cinema, this audience comprised of every age group thinkable, unlike the previous two I mentioned – which mainly comprised of not my age. But Art Spiegelman is incredibly cool. Like, smokes an e-cigarette on stage kinda’ cool. (Note that I’m endorsing e-cigarettes or anything… because I’m not.)

The talk was a really insightful and hilarious history of comics, and yes, I say comics, not graphic novels. The talk was really dynamic – with Art talking about things like one of his favorite comics out of a playboy magazine, or how the suicide of his mother affected him. Also, he gave a lot of insight into how and why he wrote Maus, an iconic comic about the holocaust. If anyone should ever have the opportunity to meet, see, or almost any verb that implicates hearing this man talk, I implore you to take advantage of it. Most of the funny bits from the talk are probably a bit too racy for this entry, but something here’s something he said that made me ponder for a bit:

“Comics were the Grand Theft Auto of the ‘50s.”

Nancy - at one point America's most read comic. Not what I would refer to as the golden age of comics.

And that’s what I got to see. I know it’s over, and I know a year from now all 16 people reading this blog post written by me (thanks Mom!) will have forgotten about it – but book time off for this thing. Based off the three events I attended this year, the U of A did an absolutely fantastic job not only arranging interesting and beautiful venues, but also finding some interesting and beautiful minds to fill them.

----
About the Author

Shadi

Hey readers! My name is Shadi and I'm currently doing a double major in Mathematics and Economics - an amalgamation of the two most enjoyable fields fathomable.  

Now - pull up an ear and listen reader: there lives a thriving ecosystem of academia addicts and campus-culture aficionados throughout the U of A, and I'm hoping to get these stories to you. I'm hoping we can on some level create more pride in our university through what really matters: the students. Me? Yes - you! You matter. I want people to hear of what academic triumphs students are achieving, and what new initiatives leaders across campus are championing. Also, from time to time, I’ll try to make you smile with “humor”. I'm looking forward to the semester and being a part of this team, as well as learning more about what's happening across our campus!

Unwind Your Mind, Bro.

I’m a student. You, you might be a student. Being a student, and it being December, means it is nearly finals. For some, finals start now. For others, finals start seemingly forever from now. For other others, they have other circumstances. But the stress is real. So is Unwind Your Mind.

Both mental and physical wellness (or, just wellness in general) are very serious, and often ignored issues. It’s finals. You wake up. You study. You skip leg day (bro!). You eat coffee. You go to bed. You go on reddit. You go back to bed. You watch season 3 of Archer. You go to school. 

Brutal.


But the team responsible for Unwind Your Mind (shout out to Melissa and her crack squad of awesome people) are teaming up with libraries to bring the wellness to you. I sat down with them to get a sneak peek into UYM and left actually excited for finals. The programming is freaking fantastic, and better yet, it’s everywhere. Running from December 1st to the 12th, librarians, student service staff, and over 50 volunteers are going to be dishing out granola bars and puppies to help you (and me) have a more enjoyable finals season. 

Don’t have time to hit the gym? Well don’t freak out about it, because Melissa and the gang are going to hit YOU with the gym. “Actually?” YES ACTUALLY. You’re not going find a squat rack on first floor Cameron, but you will find a yoga class happening basically every day. What else? How about blind folded painting. Or wisdom corners – where you might get help with your writing, or learn something about meditation (depending on the day).  The programming is super extensive, so I’ll just leave this link here and let you figure out what you want to do. 

http://uofa.ualberta.ca/current-students/healthy-campus-unit/unwind-your-mind

The idea behind Unwind Your Mind is great, and as a student, I appreciate it. Generally speaking, a lot of us, drop “us” when finals come around. We forget to do what makes everyday life so great. We stop working out. We don’t eat well. We stop seeing friends. Again – I say generally, so don’t get all offended. UYM is just looking to help bring that stuff back. And what’s even nicer to hear is that the already awesome librarians are incredibly “stoked” to be helping – and can’t wait to see your faces.

Mmmm... pillows and snacks.

So a shout out to all the partners helping with UYM, and to Melissa, Juanita, and the whole UYM squad. Also, there’s going to be a photo contest, where if you take a photo doing something UYM, post it somewhere, and hashtag #UYM, you could win some stuff. Melissa also mentioned trying to help develop tools for faculties and other groups to make UYM a year-round thing. Really, Unwind Your Mind should be year-round. Students always start University on such a high, and end on such a low. This helps makes that high part of the end, and not just the beginning. Good luck with your finals y’all: I hope to see you at the “learn to knit” class. 

----About the Author

Shadi

Hey readers! My name is Shadi and I'm currently doing a double major in Mathematics and Economics - an amalgamation of the two most enjoyable fields fathomable.  

Now - pull up an ear and listen reader: there lives a thriving ecosystem of academia addicts and campus-culture aficionados throughout the U of A, and I'm hoping to get these stories to you. I'm hoping we can on some level create more pride in our university through what really matters: the students. Me? Yes - you! You matter. I want people to hear of what academic triumphs students are achieving, and what new initiatives leaders across campus are championing. Also, from time to time, I’ll try to make you smile with “humor”. I'm looking forward to the semester and being a part of this team, as well as learning more about what's happening across our campus!

Fall Break Study Tip Ideas (In Cartoon Form!)

The YouAlberta team was asked to provide some pieces of study advice based on how they get through midterms, and this is the result... in cartoon form:

(Note: Coffee appears a lot...)

Step 1: Wake up early

Step 2: Make some coffee

Step 3: Go to class

Step 4: Consider a late afternoon nap (or at least crave one...)

Step 5: Check your "To Do" list

Step 6: Find some caffeine

______________________________________________________

When you need to study....

Start by organizing your notes.

Try working out to relax.

Eat healthy study snacks.

Go to class. (This one usually helps.)

Take 10 minute study breaks every 3... hours? Possibly every 30 minutes? Preferably not every 30 hours...

Go to your prof's office hours if you need help with a concept.

And finally... get some sleep.

______________________________________________________________

Panel 1: Wake up early

Panel 2: REALLY early (the clock says "6:00am")

Panel 3: That might be going to class...

Panel 4: Understand a concept... or ask a question?

Panel 5: Study 

Panel 6: Realize you need a break

Panel 7: Head to a coffee line

Panel 8: Take a study/coffee break with a friend

___________________________________________________________________

"Take a Fake Break"

Panel 1: Study like you normally would

Panel 2: Think of a creative way to review your material

Panel 3: In this case, find a resource (like a neuro-anatomy colouring book)

Panel 4: There's the resource

Panel 5: Enjoy taking in the info you need to study differently (in this case, by colouring neuro-anatomy instead of just re-reading your notes)

___________________________________________________________

"How to Survive Midterms (And How Not To)"

Try: Making an Epic Study Plan for yourself

Try: Eating healthy snacks (and yes, there is more coffee in there)

Don't try: Having a Netflix marathon instead of reading

Try: Studying in the library

Don't try: Having a disco wine party the night before your exam

Try: Sleeping the night before your exam

__________________________________________________________________

"Cramming The Night Before An Exam: You Probably Shouldn't"

Panel 1: Realizing that you need to start studying late at night (likely not a good idea)

Panel 2: Studying (a good idea... but probably not late at night)

Panel 3: Time passes

Panel 4: You'll likely start to feel exhausted

Panel 5: More time passes

Panel 6: Move to a different study spot (this could actually be helpful... moving around a little and having a change of scene can be useful)

Panel 7: That could be the sun coming up... or it could be your notes heading out a window... either way, likely not helpful

Panel 8: Realizing that you've been up all night studying can be stressful. 

The bottom line: Avoid being in a situation where you have to cram the night before. Start studying early, break things down into sections to review, and make sure that you take care of yourself.

_________________________________________________________________

This one probably needs a little more explanation....

Step 1: Wake up form a good night's rest

Step 2: Eat a healthy breakfast

Step 3: Attend a review session for your class

Step 4: Study in the library

Step 5: Have a coffee/study break with a friend

Step 6: Study in the library again

Step 7: Work out at the gym.... that's honestly the suggestion here. Honestly. 

Step 8: Get a good night's rest and repeat.

----

So to summarize: 

Stay well rested, eat properly (yes you do need to eat properly), take care of yourself, ask for help when you need it (because it's always okay to ask for help), give yourself a break when you need one, and take your time. 

"Use Us!" And Other Advice from Students Working on Campus

Ah yes – the lower level of SUB. Newly decorated with a flush of neon chairs and ample couches, many a students of taken advantage of the rebooted basement SUB. What once was a maze of incredibly small rooms is now a very social space. But also housed in the basement are a smattering of student services, in a space now referred to as Student Life Central. 

Student Orientation and Recognition, InfoLink, Safewalk, Sustain SU, and Student Group Services are all located within the SLC. You’ve probably heard of at least one of those services before. Though – to be completely honest you’ve also probably never heard of any of them. But allow me help you kind stranger! You see – these services are mostly staffed by people like you. “Sarcastic and prone to procrastination?” No. Well – maybe. But they are students. While working away at their undergraduate degrees, they’re also working away to help make your university experience better. 

From left to right: Erin, Kaz, Alyssa and Jaquie.

To help you understand why they're doing this, I interviewed four students who work in the lower level services. 

YA (YouAlberta): What’s your position?

K (Kaz): I’m a coordinator with Student Group Services, or SGS.

E (Erin): I’m a coordinator with InfoLink.

J (Jaquie): I am the Safewalk Associate Director.

A (Alyssa): And I’m the student engagement coordinator for Sustain SU. 

YA: So what does your service do – in brief.

K: So SGS oversees, registers, and administers student clubs or groups. We also offer training, and grants.

E: In brief?

YA: Yes please.

E: Uh we do a lot, but we offer academic services, student life services, and general campus information. We do our best to connect students to their Students’ Union, as well as answer students’ questions on a Peer Advisor basis. We also do stuff like distribute U-Passes and tickets to events.  

J:  We patrol the campus. 

YA: Sounds dangerous. 

J: We’re really all about safety – so ensuring people get where they want to go: safely. 

A: We offer services… 

YA: I expected as much.

A: So for example, the reusable dish service, sustain exchanges, bike library, the farmer’s market. We’re all about promoting and educating sustainability across campus.

YA: What do you do for your service?

K: I run the granting program. 

YA: What’s that?

K: I give them money. 

YA: How much money?

K: Lots.

YA: Give me a number from 0 to 10 – in millions. 

K: Several. But actually we do have a good amount of money to help support groups.

YA: So what else do you do? 

K: I chair the Student Group Executive Consultation Committee. 

YA: What do you do as chair?

K: I chair the meetings.

E: I’m the Academic Programming Coordinator, so I run the tutor registry, exam registry, and compile academic and advising related information. 

YA: Riveting. But those actually sound really useful. 

J: I sort of handle the overflow from the director. 

YA: What exactly does that entail?

J: Making training, going to committee meetings, among other things – it’s a motley of tasks. 

A: I manage all the volunteers, and run certain things like the Sustainability Summit. But I’m mainly just making sure volunteers have a good experience. 

YA: What’s one service you offer that you’d like to promote?

K: Our wicked video contest. 

YA: Your what?

K: The video contest – get your group to make a video; it’s a great way to promote your student group. 

E: The Tutor Registry.

YA: What’s so great about it?

E: All the tutors go through our training, so you know they’re legitimate. There’s over 100 active tutors as of right now. 

YA: You have to keep your eyes out for those illegitimate tutors. 

E: Not if you use our services. 

J: Safe walks. 

YA: Hilarious. 

A: The Farmers’ Market. 

YA: Love the farmers. Last question – do you use your own services?

K: Ahh no. 

YA: That’s poor advertising. 

K: I’m not in any student groups, and I haven’t made any. But – it’s on my bucket list. 

E: Yep! I mean, I have my U-Pass, but I’ve also bought tickets from InfoLink. 

J: I do.

YA: Which one specifically?

J: I may or may not have been the first one to use our new intoxicated client policy.

YA: Like a drunk walk home?

J: Downtown gets sketchy. 

YA: I’m not here to judge. 

A: I actually use the dishes in SUB to get discounts from the vendors.

YA: What does that add up to? 

A: I think it’s like 25%. 

YA: That’s actually quite a bit. 

A: Actually – you know what… sorry - 25 cents... It adds up.

YA: Last question: why services? Why did you get a job in services?

J: I actually wanted to further my development with Safewalk – and grow professionally within the organization. 

YA: Wow. 

A: Yeah I’d agree with that – also it’s nice getting paid. 

E: I swear I got tricked into it. (nervous chortle) – but it’s a really rewarding experience.

YA: Kaz?

K: Yeah.

YA: Why – why do you work for Student Group Services?

K: For the kids. 

End of interview. 

Now - I also work for services – it’s a hoot. I directly worked on Orientation, and now am working on Student Awards, some other Orientation related things, as well as your Co-Curricular Record. “My what?” Exactly.

It really is rewarding, and got me involved on campus with some incredibly nice and committed people, including the four I interviewed. But seriously: come use us. Like, appropriately. Come appropriately use us. You can find more about us online at su.ualberta.ca/services, or if you really want, just lurk about the basement and peek through our massive windows – we don’t mind. Feel free to wave, because we’ll probably wave back. 

----
About The Author

Shadi

Hey readers! My name is Shadi and I'm currently doing a double major in Mathematics and Economics - an amalgamation of the two most enjoyable fields fathomable.  

Now - pull up an ear and listen reader: there lives a thriving ecosystem of academia addicts and campus-culture aficionados throughout the U of A, and I'm hoping to get these stories to you. I'm hoping we can on some level create more pride in our university through what really matters: the students. Me? Yes - you! You matter. I want people to hear of what academic triumphs students are achieving, and what new initiatives leaders across campus are championing. Also, from time to time, I’ll try to make you smile with “humor”. I'm looking forward to the semester and being a part of this team, as well as learning more about what's happening across our campus!