Bring on the Little Kids!

Last week the U of L officially broke ground on the lastest addition to the campus – construction has begun on the new Daycare Facility here. This is a pretty big deal considering that this push for on campus daycare has taken nearly five full years to come to fruition.

Ground was broken by student leaders, senior level administrators, members of the Daycare Action Committee (DAC), and the outside service provider for the daycare facility. For many of the students present this opening was a large victory as the movement to bring daycare onto campus began as a grass roots movement. DAC was formed with the support of faculty and staff here at the U of L, but largely was made up of students. Their study on the need for daycare on campus was the prime spring board that got this issue moving along in the upper levels of administration. You can find many of their studies here.

All of those who worked so hard to bring this service to campus, congratulations – here’s to 2010, when the facility will officially open its doors for service.

Cheers,

Eric
VP Internal

ULSU Club of the Year Winner – GALIA

Congratulations are due to the Gay and Lesbian Integrity Association (GALIA) here at the University of Lethbridge for winning the ULSU Club of the Year Award!

Out of the 5 clubs nominated for this award, GALIA was selected by the ULSU Clubs’ Council as the best club on campus for this year. GALIA has shown a high level of professionalism and spirit in all of their events – they have renewed the face of their club by increasing the number events they host. They have sponsored advocacy events and social nights alike, and very shortly will be painting a brand new mural in the tunnel.

On behalf of the ULSU General Assembly, I would like to extend a well deserved congratulations to GALIA.

Cheers,

Eric
VP Internal

So I Slept on the Ground Last Night

This goes out to Tim, Derek, Kyla, Dan, and Kathleen – the 5 brave students who are taking a proactive step to bring homelessness to the foreground as an issue right here in Lethbridge.

I really support the work that is being done right now by the 5 Days for the Homeless crew. In order to show our support, the ULSU executives took it upon ourselves to spend a night in the cold with our friends. The wind was a bit bad (it blew some of the food away that was donated and seemed to threaten to suck the roof right off the house) but all and all it was a pretty relaxed night – if you consider relaxed sleeping in tight quarters with 9 other people, including some who haven’t showered in 4 days, all while the cold ground is sucking the heat out of your body through your sleeping bag.

The 4 execs looked pretty haggard this morning (especially considering we only spent 1 night out there.) Being out there made me think about something that was brought up in a class I had earlier this week. The ability to go in and do this kind of awareness work feels good – you raise money, raise awareness, and in the end have some impact on the problem. But imagine what living like this all time must be like – all those good feelings I have about this cause are supported by the fact that I knew I would get to go home and have a shower. I knew I would get to leave the cardboard box house and get into a change of clothes. The prospect of living like this day in and day out for even a small amount of time seems truly draining.

The proof is in the once smiling faces of the 5 brave students who even as I type sit outside right now.  Don’t believe me, just go out and say hi to the homeless kids in front of the SUB and see for yourself – they have been pretty good at putting on a happy face, but they are starting to show some serious wear.

Please, ff you have any change in your pocket, or a couple quarters you know are hiding under a sofa cushion, then put that money to good use. Donate. Every little bit counts – help 5 Days reach their goal of raising $10,000 right here in Lethbridge.

Cheers,

Eric
VP Internal

I blogged on my experience from last night at jpro86.wordpress.com, so feel free to check it out. I echo Eric’s sentiments in giving serious credit to the five students who are spending their last night outside the SUB  tonight. The wind is howling and I am sure they are huddled in the shelter right now trading stories of the week and discussing what they have experinced. Their blog is really interesing and a great reflection of thier experince, check it out at 5days.ca

Jenn Prosser

VP Academic

Awards, Awards, and More Awards

***NOTE*** The deadline for the Student of the Year award has been extended until March 24, 2009.

I am pleased to announce that the ULSU is accepting nominations for two awards that are given out each year – The “Student of the Year Award” and The “Students’ Union Club of the Year Award.“

Student of the Year Award
This is an annual award presented to the student who embodies leadership, commitment, and contributes to the betterment of U of L students;  this may be exemplified by involvement in clubs, non-profit organizations, student organizations, community and volunteerism.

The DEADLINE for nomination submissions is March 24, 2009.  The winner will be presented with this award at the annual ULSU Changeover Reception on April 16th.

Students’ Union Club of the Year Award
This annual award will be presented to the Students’ Union ratified club that has demonstrated the most outstanding effort and dedication in its endeavors over the past year. This club should have preformed successful initiatives and should be in excellent standing with Clubs’ Council.

The DEADLINE for nomination submissions is March 18, 2009.  The winner will be presented with this award at the annual ULSU Changeover Reception on April 16th.

If you would like to nominate a club or individual for either of these awards please email VP Internal Eric Hawthorne at su.internal@uleth.ca

Please include in the email:

• The Nominee(s) name
• An email address to contact the Nominee(s)
• A well written description of why the nominee should be chosen for this award

Cheers,
Eric
VP Internal

PM Harper to address the country tonight.

 

Todays Globe and Mail (as well as every other Canadian news source):

Mr. Harper will speak to Canadians at 7 p.m. ET Wednesday in an effort to justify his decision to stay in power rather than yield the prime minister’s office to Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion and his alliance with the NDP and separatist Bloc Québécois.

The Prime Minister’s Office has recommended to broadcasters that airtime be given to only one representative of the proposed coalition. However the NDP has written to the President of CTV News, Bob Hurst, requesting that all three party leaders be allowed to speak tonight.

This is having the country a buzzing. Twitter, Blog’s and website have sprung up in a matter of days devoted to the changes being made in Ottawa and trying to educate Canadian’s on our parliamentary process. Mainstream media has also made the effort to be as informative as possible but with headlines such as “No! No! No!” and “We need stability, not a political circus” the Canadian public is seeing the cracks in our mainstream media.

more bands!

Ok, in case you can’t tell, my camera is very poor at getting everything right when it comes to taking pictures. Sometimes the shots look great, and sometimes the shots look poor, so dearest bands, if your picture looks crappy I apologize. I tried to pick your best shot. But I digress;

We just saw the strongest showcase of the conference. Don’t get me wrong; the variety/lecture showcase we had in the afternoon that featured the likes of Darrin Rose (comedian) Jason Escape (escape artist) Daniel Packard (speaker) Cory Johnson (speaker) and Garbage! The Revolution (documentary) was great for our programming. But these bands were just a great night; they have been the capstone event at COCA as far as I can see.

Day 3:

Hey Ocean – What a preforming band! They had a great flow from song to song in such a short set (you only get 20 mins each at COCA. Yuck!) They brought out some new instruments for an indie band, including the flute and a few different percussion lines. A knock out performance!

hey rosetta! – You have to respect a band that puts strings in their set. My picture does not show it well, but “hey rosetta!” features two string instruments. On a purely personal note, I love hearing strings mixed into pop and folk music. These guys did very well.

God Made Me Funky – Wow. If there was a party band that would kill every show they played, then “God Made Me Funky” would be it. The crowds at COCA have been moderate at best, but all of a sudden those funk notes hit the air and people were just having too much fun. They brought the room to life. Arms went from folded to pumping fists and clapping in the air. As I said, wow.

Will Currie and the Country French – I am not to sure about these guys. Will Currie (I assume is the front man) on the piano and lead vocals was great. He made the show more enjoyable for me. I am just not sure about the rest of the band. They seem fresh and full of life, but not really sure about a larger show. Maybe nerves got the best of them; still well done all around.

The Coast – <insert Jenn Prosser screaming like a teenage girl over the Backstreet Boys circa mid 90’s> These guys did alright. Reportedly (since I am a bit ill-informed here) their original EP is much better than the content they played for us off their new album. Still, new or old content, they sounded a bit off. Who knows maybe the sound guy just didn’t know what to do. I still enjoyed these guys, but they weren’t the best we have seen for the conference.

Once again folks, these are just my opinions on the bands we have seen at COCA 08 in Ottawa. Jenn and I are having a blast, but it is very late, and I am very tired. Until tomorrow (when Jenn attempts to kill me for giving “The Coast” a less than absolutely stellar review)…

Cheers,

Eric
VP Internal

Bands!

Here are a few shots from our two nights out on the town so far:

So far we have seen 11 bands play over the past 2 days. For what its worth, here’s what I have to say about them all.

Day 1:

Creature – Great band with some funky beats. They really do their own thing, but wow do they rock! They have such a high energy show and a great presence for the stage.

Escalate! – The kind of band you would hear in a high class lounge; their songs flowed together. Awesome sound and entirely instrumental.

wordPEOPLE – A solid six person crew with male and female vocals that blended well. The had some great crowd interaction.
Day 2:

More or Les – These guys were the surprise of the night for me. A killer DJ (she is called DJ KillaJewel) and man could she spin those beats. More or Les kept the club going near the end of the night and played an awesome show with some very quick rhymes.

Crash Parallel – Rock out! They sounded great, but nothing about them was innovative or overly exciting. A great show, high energy, but I am afraid they are competing with a saturated market in terms of genre.

The Carps – Haha! These guys got kicked off the stage but damn they got the crowd going! COCA started them late and didn’t give them the extra time they should have! Boo! But they have balls and a great show to back up their attitude. (They promised to play nice if we ever book ‘em at our school.)

The John Henrys – Yee-Haw! Really though these guys had some very impressive showmanship. Need a good opener out west? These guys are what you are looking for.

Jon and Roy – We meet again! These guys played the Zoo two years ago. Their surfer rock tones are as good as they have been and they have a new disc out! A personal favorite for me and they capped the night off at the venue with some great songs.

Kae Sun – Some great beats. He seemed very political and conscious in what he was saying. He has a larger group, normally, but all and all he preformed well.

The New Cities – These guys did their thing; unfortunately I felt like I had heard their thing before. Fallout Boy, Good Charlotte, Panic at the Disco… the list goes on. Sorry guys, but no thanks.

Dan Mangan – Best show of the night! A west coast boy with a real heart for music. He has such a good blend of folk sound, melodic vocals, and poetic lyrics, look out for Dan to start breaking out big time in the next year. He will need some solid promotion, but man this is the kind of music that reaches deep into you.

Tonight’s show is going to be sick! “Hey Ocean,” “hey rosetta!,” and “The Coast” have peaked some major interest around the conference as well as the funk sensation “God Made Me Funky.”

More pics to come.

Eric
VP Internal

Convocation

Summer is just around the corner. Birds sing, bees buzz, and at the University of Lethbridge banners wave in the wind.

Yes, it is time for Spring Convocation.

It’s a perfect day for a celebration, the sky is clear and the air is warm. Here at the ULSU we have rolled up our sleeves and joined in the effort to make the Convocation Ceremonies go off without a hitch. Between pouring tea, shaking hands, distributing parchments, and framing degrees all of the executives have found places to contribute for this massive event.

High fives all around and congratulations Graduates of the 2007/2008 class.

Eric
VP Internal

The State of YOUR Union has been carried to the series of tubes in the sky

That’s right boys and girls….the University of Lethbridge Student Union now exists in your laptops, palms, blackberry’s and where ever else those series of tubes reach.

Stay tuned for ULSU news, information and all around good times.