ver The Edge Page

How to Talk to Your Prof

A tip from Cori at the Learning
Skills Center

When you first start going to
UNBC, it may seem like your
professors are distant, intimi-
dating creatures. Anyone who
has been at UNBC for any
length of time knows that pro-
fessors here are unlike those at
any other University. A few
Profs seem to like scaring stu-
dents, and happily maintain an
intimidating image. But most
UNBC instructors are friendly
and open, and are happy to talk
to students.

Remember that two Profs can
be as different as apples and
oranges, so the advice in this
article will not apply to them all.
That said, there are a few gen-
eral ways to get the most out of
talking to an instructor about
your class, assignments, or
excuses.

First, donit assume that the
door is always open, or always
closed.

Some Profs leave their doors
open a crack all the time,
because they want to be
approachable. These teachers
are not unhappy if you knock
on the doorjamb and interrupt
them. But in this case, KEEP
IT SHORT. If they are not com-
mitted to office hours at that
particular time, they are proba-
bly trying to get a million things
done in a short time period. If
they are committed to office
hours, there is an unspoken
agreement that you can use a
portion of that time, and it is up

Alcohol Quiz: Be A Responsible Friend B.A.R.F.

Circle the correct answer:

1) After a stressful week,
you're going out for a big
night to blow-off some
steam. One of you're friends
decides that he/she only
wants to have a couple of
drinks. You should:

A) Laugh at them and bug
them all night.

B) Call them a wimp.

C) Drink more yourself to
make up for them. —

D) Respect their decision
and ask him/her to be a drink
monitor.

2) You're at a bib having a

to the prof to tell you how much
is too much.

There seem to be two kinds of
instructors: those who see per-
sistent students as dedicated,
and those who find them
aggravating. It all depends on
the instructor. Beware of the
prof with the permanently
closed door. Knocking to see if
they are busy seems to be
acceptable, but be short and to
the point, offering to come back
at another time if they are busy.
WARNING: some profs (you
know who you are!) absolutely,
positively hate to be interrupt-
ed. Ask other students if you
wonder about your teacheris
breed.

Introduce yourself clearly.
Even in large classes, instruc-
tors remember the names of
students who care enough to
visit and try to improve their
marks. Bring SPECIFIC ques-
tions, comments, and con-
cerns. Vague questions get
you nowhere fast. Be clear
about what you want to dis-
cuss, and redirect the conver-
sation if itis going off on a tan-
gent. Avoid excuses for late
assignments or other problems
in the class, unless they are
TRUE, relevant, and vital to the
conversation. They have heard
it all before. If you bring a
paper or assignment to your
prof to talk about marking, be
diplomatic. | Confrontational
language, blame, and hostility
will not help you learn why YOU

nt Wellness November 2:

LEGISLATIVE INTERNSHIP PROGRAM
2002 Program

got the mark you _ did.
Remember to accept and hos-
tility will not help you learn why
YOU got the mark you did.
Remember to accept responsi- riTiirsasain= ;
bility for your mark, unless it| jl ¥iseSNMiBepe zen eEEDy 2
was not deserved. Ask your-
self; did you really do your
best? And tell the instructor.
Maybe they can tell you how to
improve. BE HONEST.

They key to getting good

marks on papers and assign-
ments is to understand the
assignment and follow the
directions of the prof. If they
are unclear, tell the instructor.
Ask them what they want.
Now that you have had your
one-on-one meeting, thank the
prof for their time.
They have a million things to
do, and let them know you
appreciate their effort.
Students have often found
instructors at UNBC are far
more approachable than those
at other Universities, due to the
size of the University. _ Itis
important to remember that
Profs are people, too. They
were once first-year and sec-
ond-year students, and even if
it was many years ago, profes-
sors do remember how it feels
to be your place. Sometimes a
professor can turn out to be a
teacher, mentor, squash part-
ner, counselor, or friend. These
are the best kind of Profs, and
UNBC is full of them. Go forth
and TALK TO YOURS.

To provide recent university graduates of a B.C. degree granting institution
the opportunity to gain knowledge and appreciation of policy-making
within the province’s parliamentary system

WHO IS ELIGIBLE
Those who have received a Bachelor’s Degree from a B.C. university or
university college within two years of January 2002

LOCATION
Parliament Buildings, Victoria, British Columbia

TERM
January 1 to June 30, 2002

STIPEND
$15,175 for 6 months (subject to review)

APPLICATION DEADLINE
4 p.m., Wednesday, January 31, 2001

HOW TO APPLY
Program Applications are available from the Political Science
Departments at all universitics in British Columbia, or receive an
application by contacting the Office of the Speaker,
Parliament Buildings, Victoria, B-C., V8V 1X4
Telephone: (250) 387-3952
E-mail: BCLIP@leg.bc.ca
Website: www_legis.gov.bc.ca
ACADEMIC ADVISORS
Dr. Paul Tennant, University of British Columbia
Dr. Patrick Smith, Simon Fraser University

Dr. Norman Ruff, University of Victoria
Dr. John Young, University of Northern British Columbia

ae as

Come in and help and
we will love you forever!

few drinks with friends. You
notice that you're friends is
getting a little tipsy. When
you're all ready to leave, you
see that you're tipsy friend is
planning on driving
himself/herself home. You
should:

A) Keep quiet, he/she can
handle themselves.

B) Confront them, make
them feel stupid for even
thinking about driving when
they’re obviously dunk.

C) Tell your friend you're wor-
ried about him/her and sug-
gest they call a cab. Also,
offer to drive them in the
morning to pick up their car.

4) What kinds of things
3) What are the signs of affect your level of intoxica-
alcohol poisoning? tion?

that passout from drinking
too much. T/F

7) You should plan your ride
home before you go out. T/F
8) Responsible drinking
means 1 drink per hour, to a
maximum of five drinks per
drinking session. T/F

9) You can always tell if
someone has added some-
thing to your drink. T/F

A) Person is known to have
consumed large amounts of = sumed.

alcohol in a short period of B) Amount of food in your
time. stomach.

B) Person is unconscious C) Your size, gender and
and cannot be woken. body build.

C) Person has cold, clammy, __D) Your tolerance.
unusually pale or bluish skin. E) Other substances con-
D) Person is breathing slowly sumed.

or irregularly. F) All the above.

E) Person vomits while
passed out and does not
wake up during of after.

F) All of the above are signs
of alcohol poisoning.

A) How fast alcohol is con-

BE A DRINK MONITOR!
Answers: 1-D, 2-C, 3-F, 4-F,
5-F, 6-F, 7-T, 8-T, 9-F

True or False?

5) You should drink to get
drunk. T/F
6) You should ignore people