From my WORK BLOG...
Yesterday was a slow day... the Executive Board had a meeting that took up a good chunk of the afternoon. Minutes for that should be available online soon. Nothing too exciting came out of the meeting... nothing that I'm compelled to report here at this time. After the meeting, I mainly did some office work - dry stuff - e-mailing people, talking on the phone, etc.
I just sent an e-mail regarding a PERMANENT CHANGE IN MY OFFICE HOURS, as follows: I'm switching my hours that have occurred on Tuesdays from 2pm - 6pm to Thursdays from 2pm - 6pm. That change is effective immediately - so I won't be in for my hours today as I have a lot of homework that needs my attention on Tuesdays. That does not mean that I won't be in the KSA at all on Tuesdays - from time to time I may still show up.
I also notified the KSA of a TEMPORARY CHANGE IN MY OFFICE HOURS. I won't be working my hours next week on their regular days as I will be campaigning for a seat on the Kwantlen University College education council. I'll look at starting up a topic on the governance elections on the election section of this forum.
Today, I did a very thorough revision of a document that Duncan Keist, our LGBT Liaison has been working on - an update to the information about the KSA as listed in the Kwantlen University college online calendar. The following is the text of those revisions... it may or may not go through more revisions later today!
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Kwantlen Student Association
The Kwantlen University College Student Association (KSA) represents over 14,000 students enrolled at all Kwantlen campuses, and is Local 26 of the Canadian Federation of Students.
The mission statement of the KSA is “…to support its members during their time of study by ensuring adequate provision for their welfare, activities, political, and social needs. Through its democratic procedures, the KSA represents and reflects the concerns and priorities of its membership to the University College and beyond, and strives to uphold the rights of each of its members.”
The KSA offers all Kwantlen students support in three main areas:
1. Services;
2. Events & Student Life; and
3. Advocacy & Student Support
Services
Some of the many things sold at the KSA include:
· Discount Bus Tickets, Monthly FareSavers, and FastTrax Stickers
· Discount Gift Cards
· Discount Movie Tickets
· Discount Gym Memberships
· Discount Memberships to the KSA (Talon Room) Fitness Centre in Surrey
· Playland & PNE Pass Sales
· Whistler Blackcomb Lift Ticket Sales
Some of the services offered by the KSA include:
· Discount Photocopying
· Free Local Faxing
· Jumper Cable Loans
· Low-Cost Binding and Laminating
· Low-Cost Colour Printing (in Surrey only)
· Low-Cost Long-Distance Faxing
· On-Campus Locker Rentals
· On Campus Student Posting Boards
Each year, the KSA also provides Kwantlen students with an agenda-daytimer, which students can use to help plan their daily lives.
On the Surrey Campus, the KSA operates the KSA Oasis Café-Lounge, where the Kwantlen community can enjoy a variety of healthy food alternatives and drinks at reasonable prices.
The KSA now operates an online used book buy and sell service at http://www.bcbookworm.com/
Through the Canadian Federation of Students, the KSA offers a number of services that include:
· Cell Phone Discounts through Student Phones (http://www.studentphones.com/)
· Free Tax Filing through UFile.ca
· International Student Identity Card (ISIC) for Travel (http://www.istc.org/)
· National Online Housing Database (http://www.homes4students.ca/)
· Student Saver Discount Program (http://www.studentsaver.ca/)
· Trip Planning through TravelCuts (http://www.travelcuts.ca/)
Through Gallivan & Associates, the KSA offers Kwantlen students a comprehensive health & dental plan. More information on this plan can be found at: http://www.gallivan.ca/studentnetworks/
Finally, in all of its services and operations, the KSA supports environmentally friendly green and ethical initiatives, such as but not limited to:
· Abiding by an ethical purchasing policy
· Using quality recycled paper in all of its copiers and printers
· Ordering promotional products produced from recycled materials
· Supporting and enacting environmentally friendly policies
· Working towards a zero-waste objective
Events & Student Life
The KSA sponsors many on campus events throughout the year, including:
· Candidate debates during municipal, provincial and federal elections
· Diversity and cultural events
· Guest speakers, forums, lectures and readings
· Movie, X-Box, Nintendo and Karaoke events
· One-man shows and other comedy acts
· Music concerts
· Pub nights and club events for Kwantlen students
· Welcome Weeks at the start of each semester
The KSA also regularly fundraises in support of its student support services, such as student food banks to awards & bursaries.
The KSA operates the Talon Room Fitness Centre on the Surrey Campus, where students can work out. From time to time, the KSA also supports classes and sessions in Yoga, Kickboxing and other activities.
The KSA also maintains lounges on every campus with comfortable seating, widescreen-TVs, wireless Internet access and gaming tables (such as foosball, pool and ping-pong tables).
Advocacy
The KSA offers a number of student support services, including:
· Academic Appeal Process Assistance
· Student Food Bank Services
· Fundraising assistance for KSA Clubs
The Ombudsperson is an independent individual who is responsible for handling complaints from Kwantlen students regarding maladministration within the KSA and Kwantlen University College. Based on these complaints, the Ombudsperson conducts investigations to ensure that existing rules and processes are followed. The Ombudsperson then summarizes the findings in a report in which recommendations may be made to either the KSA or Kwantlen to help improve existing rules and processes.
The KSA also lobbies the University College, local government and other organizations regarding issues that matter to Kwantlen students.
The KSA also supports many educational campaigns that exist to raise awareness on issues that matter to Kwantlen students. Further to this, the KSA maintains a brochure centre on each campus with information regarding the KSA and other non-profit organizations of interest to students.
Pride Kwantlen is a commission for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgendered (LGBT) Students. Pride Kwantlen provides resources and events for LGBT students, and caters to the needs and concerns of LGBT students. Please contact the LGBT Liaison at (604) 599-3483 or lgbt@kusa.ca or visit http://www.kusa.ca/pride for more information. The Pride Kwantlen office is located in the Social Justice Centre on the Surrey Campus.
Finally, the KSA also provides services for students who have traditionally faced barriers in accessing post-secondary education. To this end, the KSA operates the Social Justice Centre on the Surrey Campus – a resource centre for individuals who identify with:
· Aboriginal & First Nation Students
· International Students
· Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgendered (LGBT) Students
· Mature Students
· Students with Disabilities
· Students of Colour
· Women
Specifically, the Social Justice Centre:
· Features comfortable seating, meeting space and television
· Provides information, peer support and referrals
· Serves as a meeting and gathering place
· Serves as a place for events, movies and X-Box tournaments
KSA Contact Information
Langley KSA: 604.599.3398
Richmond KSA: 604.599.2721
Surrey KSA: (Main Office) 604.599.2126
Social Justice Centre: 604.599.3483
Website: www.kusa.ca
For more information on how you can get involved by volunteering with the KSA visit the KSA website: http://www.kusa.ca/
The site features complete contact information for KSA officials as well as interactive forums, news, events, and office hour listings.
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That's about it for now.
Time to study,
- Steve