t

The Exchange Rate

Please do not get confused
because it is not time to talk
about money or business as
the title may.depict, but rather
time to talk about some acad-
emic exchanges which | think
will have a total life effect and
experience on your . entire
being. If my assessment ‘is
correct then so be it but if not
| stand to be corrected at the
people court. Almost every
student uses Student Street
at least twenty-five times a
week. Either going to the
classroom for lectures or vis-
iting the cashiers desk to set-
tle debts owed to the school
‘Or to add/drop courses at the
registrars help desk, or just to
stroll across the street to
catch a glimpse of the beauti-
ful and often unassuming
faces of the ladies at the front
desk of the registrars office.
Care to know what, little or no
attention is paid to the stream
of office on the other side of
the street because to some of
us these bunch of offices are
there because they want to
be there or because the
school should have them to
make it complete the look of
the street. Even worse, they
rve minor purposes which
not add anything to the
-attainment of our degrees,
but hey, don’t be misled. Try
to look ahead to the long-
term investments rather than
the short term, which fortu-
nately or unfortunately most
of us find ourselves in now.
There is one office that we
overlook and take its activi-
ties for granted, but which
can structure our academic
career as our future enhance-
ment is the International
Centre.
Friend, you will be living a
fools paradise to think that
the center exists because the
school has some internation-
al student sand so the center
is there to serve their inter-
ests. Check this scenario; this
writer bumped into a fellow
student during the ‘student
success week’ and the nor-
mal exchanges began “Hi I’m
Frank and you?” “I’m Mike,’ |
replied. “Where do you come
from?” he asked. “I’m from
Ghana,’ | answered. The next
question was “can you tell me

exactly where Ghana is locat-
ed on the world map because
| have forgotten my. geogra-
phya bit?” 1 am absolutely

certain that this was one of .

ihe reasons why the foundér
of this great institution
thought it wise to»establish
the Centre apart from its aca-
demic purposes.

Great idea for students of
UNBC to exchange to the
universities of other countries
far from home to achieve aca-
demic laurels, gain some
form experience and have a
fairly good idea about how
things run differently from
other countries. But for me
this opportunity is the time for
students to really build and
mould their career in terms of
job opportunities. For all you
may know some of these
countries on which we go
exchange have some of the
big and powerful multination-
al companies, of which we all
dream working for one day
are located there. A friend of
this writer had this to say
“Had it not been my gradua-
tion, | wouldn’t have come to
Canada because the school
on which | went on an
exchange has offered me a
good program from my mas-

ple

ters degree” What's more, “l
have also secured a job in
one. .of..the..big. companies
which runt concurrently with
my masters program” and
guess what? “have been
offered one of the best con-
tracts any undergraduate stu-
dent could ever have.” This is
the kind exchange ~
being preached
here. It is also aj
question of timing}
and not just going);
anyhow. Talk to peo-|"-...”
like Tracy}.
Woodburn, Mark
Weich, Norry Kaler,

respective trips and}
you will know exactly},
what | am talking
about.

The center runs aj There ar

have gone on an exchange
program before will have the
opportunity to share their
experiences with other stu-
dents. She also hinted that
there will be an educational
fair in November and urged
all students to take active part
in these activities.

number of activities|Exchanges

apart from its exchange pro-
grams. But rather sadly
patronage has been on the
downside. In an interview
with Mrs. Lyn Benn, the co-
ordinator of the center, the
month of October has been
dubbed “information session
month” where students who

1u interested in

Take advantage of our YouBET!

program for Business

and Entrepreneurship Training

Learn what it takes to

start and grow a business.

Sign up for a YouBET!

workshop today

If you feel provoked and
challenged after reading this
article, why don’t you take ten
minutes off your often too
“busy” schedule to talk to the
staff at the international cen-
ter when walking across the
“students street.” Your ques-
tions and doubts about the

ces to go with International

ia _¢@ :
e tons of pla

whole idea of exchange will
receive positive and favorable
answers. Remember that the
essence of university educa-
tion apart from its academic
achievements is to offer you
serious challenges and situa-
tions and also toughen and
prepare you adequately to
face the rough
of this world.

sun, the race is
not to the swift,
nor the battle
for strong, nor
mibread for the
awise, nor riches
to the intelli-
gent, nor favor
to the men of
ill; but time
chance
happen to them all.”

Let me remind you first
before | run to catch the bus
home that those who make
history are those who go with
the TIDE OF TIME. The train
is about to take-off. Hurry!
Lest you will miss it.

Workshops

Quesnel, Cet 13

Prince George, Oct 28

Oct 24

sof. Oct 27

Phone 250-614-4414

Prince George

or 1-888-377-9675

wwrw.youth.gov.be.ca