Over the Edge + September 14, 2005

OfficialWelcome 7

NUGSS President

Hello everyone and welcome back
for the yeat. Hopefully you are all well
rested from the summer and ready for
some work. I would like to thank ev-
eryone that participated in Shinerama
this past weekend, your attendance is
greatly appreciated. This looks to be an
exciting year for NUGSS. Our biggest
project will be getting student support for
the Northern University Student Center
(NUSC). There will be a referendum
at the end of September where we will

VINCENT CHAN

be asking students if they are in favor
of raising student fees to help build the
building. The NUGSS board will be vis-
iting classrooms and talking to students
throughout September to ensure that all
students are informed. If you have any
questions at all feel free to come by the
NUGSS office and ask whoever is there.

There are several upcoming events that
students should, watch out for. At the
same time as the Referendum there will
be a bi-election for the VP Student Af-

fairs and an election to appoint five stu-
dents to Senate. If you are interested in
either of these you should come by the
office as soon as possible to pick up the
appropriate forms.

One of the bigger events that we are ex-
cited about is the arrival of a refugee stu-
dent from Ethiopia, which has been or-
ganized through WUSC, ‘This couldn't
have happened if it wasn't for the sup-
port from students. We should all make
an effort to make him feel welcomed at
UNBC.

It is important to us that everyone at
UNBC feels comfortable and accepted.
One of the larger aspects of NUGSS is
the clubs and services that are associated
with us. Clubs are a great way to meet
other students around campus and be in-
volved in extracurricular activities. Some
of the clubs with NUGSS are the men's
and womens rugby teams, the Asian club,
the Chemistty club, and Pride UNBC.
You can check out the NUGSS website
www.nugss.com for a list of clubs or come
by the office. If there is a club that you
would like to see that hasn't been devel-
oped yet, then feel free to start one on
your own, As well, with the-number of
events that NUGSS organizes, we are
always looking for volunteers to help out.
If you are interested please stop by the
office,

If you have any questions for me feel
free to email me at president@nugss.
com, I'm always willing to make time to
listen to your concerns. Good luck get-
ting settled in and best of luck with this
semester.

Sincerely,

Colin Phillips

NUGSS President

S&

ROB VAN ADRICHEM

To those of you who are new to UNBC,
I extend my welcome to you as you begin

your university studies here. To those of

you who are returning, welcome back.

Among the findings that emerged from
the student survey that Maclean's maga-
zine conducted last year was the very high
ranking that UNBC received for the qual-
ity ofthe university's “learning environ-
ment.’

Many things contribute to the quality
of a learning environment. The beauty
of this campus plays a role, as does the
informality of UNBC’s human environ-
ment characterized by the ease of interac-
tion that occurs among students, faculty

~ and staff. As a small university, UNBC

has been able to be highly personal and
to treat people as the individuals they are
rather than as numbered entities lost in
the mass environment of large classrooms
and segregated buildings, At UNBC, you
have a name. 7

The individuals at UNBC form a het-
erogeneous group. Our students, faculty
and staff come from all over the B.C.,
Canada and the world. They. include
Canadian First Nations and Aboriginal
peoples; international students and recent
immigrants to Canada; and Canadians of
a wide range of ethnic backgrounds. They

include people of many religious faiths,

'UNBC President

people of differing sexual orientations,
and people of a range of abilities and dis-
abilities. What binds all of these people
together is their attachment to UNBC as
learners, and their commitment to making
UNBC a positive and. healthy learning en-
vironment.

Universities are places where people
learn, and where they learn through active
questioning, through open debate, and
through hours of investigative research.
They learn to understand better who they
ate; to explore what they might becoime;
and to realize their full human potential.
And they do these things not in isolation,
but as part of a broader learning commu-
nity. It is important that the community
provide each individual, whoever they are
and whatever they represent, with the re-
spect and the space they need to grow as
individuals who enjoy self-esteem.

The sense community at UNBC — a
community that is personal, not imper-
sonal; a community that is tolerant and
open, not threatening and condemnatory;
a community that is friendly and positive,
not mocking and hostile ~ is the type of
community that helps to make UNBC
the successful learning environment it has
become.

I look forward to your positive contti-
butions to the further enhancement of
UNBC’s “learning environment,’ and I
look forward to your growth as an indi-
vidual who will carry the positive imprint
of a UNBC education and a UNBC com-

‘munity experience with you throughout

your lives.

Welcome again to UNBC at the start of
the 2005/06 academic year.

Dr. Charles Jago

UNBC President