UNews - Alex Mass

Kassam eager for challenge

trevor.kenney — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 21:54:58 +0000

While it may have taken two votes to fill out executive council and general assembly, there was no question who students wanted as their next ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Students' Union president.

ULSU president-elect Taz Kassam, a BA and BMgt student, is one of only four women to ever hold the position and she is looking forward to the challenge.

"I am deeply appreciative of the support, both during and following the election," says Kassam. "I am very excited about the opportunities ahead and am ready to serve as a representative for the ULSU."

Due to a lack of nominations in the general election, the Students' Union was forced to hold a by-election to fill out remaining vacancies on executive council and general assembly.

Kassam will be working with Allan Hall, vice-president administration, who held this position last year; Keith McLaughlin, vice-president academic. The position of vice-president Internal Affairs, will be decided in a by-election, which was held after the public.

"I'm excited to pass the torch to next year's executive team," says Alex Massé, vice-president academic. "They're all solid people with relevant experience. They've also been very perceptive of some of the areas that they can improve upon over the past year."

Kassam is no stranger to the ULSU as she has been an active volunteer for the organization. The 22-year old, who grew up in Calgary but has called Lethbridge home for the last five years, does not lack the skills necessary to be successful in the demanding position of ULSU President. She acquired invaluable experience while serving on the executive council with the Management Students' Society and Jeux de Commerce West Business Competition, where she served as event co-ordinator of the 5th Annual Chillin' for Charity Polar Bear Dip that raised more than $16,000 for the Lethbridge United Way.

Kassam aspires to decrease student apathy through activism and communication. She describes her platform as one that encompasses a grassroots approach, and she has decided to work on matters that will most benefit students. After all, ULSU is an organization for the students, and run by the students.

"I believe the low levels of student engagement stem from a lack of communication from the ULSU and a lack of knowledge about the Students' Union," says Kassam. "It is my hope, along with the executive council, to reverse this increase in student apathy and decline in student empowerment. The longer we travel on this road the less likely the opinion of the student will matter."

Increasing the importance of post-secondary education in the eyes of the government is important to Kassam and she intends to battle this by generating student involvement through lobbying efforts for affordable and quality education.

The ULSU 2010/2011 General Assembly currently includes Andrew Williams, Lisa Rodych, Zack Moline, Tyrell Dasilva, Shane Groarke and Cole Schneider, who are all arts and science representatives; Kyle Hammond as the organization of residence students representative. The remaining General Assembly positions will also be decided in a by-election. Visit www.ulsu.ca for full election results.

The ULSU exists to represent students' interests at the provincial and federal levels of government and to provide value-added services, spaces and programs to enhance the campus community.

Kassam elected ULSU President

trevor.kenney — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 16:39:49 +0000

Management student Taz Kassam is the President-elect of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Students' Union (ULSU) and the fourth woman to hold the position since the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's founding in 1967.

Kassam's executive team includes Allan Hall, a veteran SU contributor who returns to the SU governing body as vice-president administration, and Keith McLaughlin, a former news editor of the Meliorist and recent winner of the SACPA Student Speaker Challenge, as vice-president academic.

More than 21 per cent of ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge students cast their ballots last week in the ULSU 2010/2011 General Election.

"I'm excited to pass the torch to next year's executive team," says Alex Massé, the current vice-president academic. "They're all solid people with relevant experience. They've also been very perceptive of some of the areas that they can improve upon over the current year."

Kassam, who takes office May 1, 2010, says she was deeply appreciative of the support, both during and following the election.

"I am very excited about the opportunities ahead and am ready to serve as a representative for the ULSU."

The position of vice-president internal affairs remains vacant; the ULSU is currently in the process of running a by-election to fill this position and other general assembly positions that are also vacant for the 2010/2011 year.

"We have a phenomenal and talented group of people who have just been elected and I am just as excited to find out the results of those who are running in the by-election, which will complete the ULSU team," says Kassam.

The ULSU 2010/2011 General Assembly currently includes Andrew Williams, Lisa Rodych, Zack Moline, Tyrell DaSilva, Shane Groarke and Cole Schneider, who are all arts and science representatives; Kyle Hammond is the Organization of Residence Students Representative.

The ULSU exists to represent students' interests at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ as well as on the provincial and federal levels of government and to provide value-added services, spaces and programs to enhance the campus community.

Governance proves invaluable

trevor.kenney — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 21:26:56 +0000

Different people can take different things out of the same experience.

So it is with members of the 2009-2010 Students' Union Executive Council, who share what they learned in student governance over the past year and how it has impacted their ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ careers.

Jeremy Girard, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Students' Union (ULSU) president, had been involved with the organization for three years prior to deciding to run for executive council.

He recognized the value of the ULSU to the student body and decided that he had the capacity to lead the organization in continued progress, trying to make it more professional, accountable and valuable to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ community.

"There is no doubt in my mind that I have a sharp advantage, in terms of governing, managerial, professional, financial and communication skills, for getting the career I want, whatever that may be," says Girard of the experience.

Cole Lehto, vice-president internal affairs, ran for council because he was interested in expanding the activities he took part in during his academic term.

"I felt I had done a lot of things in my life, I wanted to be able to say I've been more than a student and this has been a great step in that direction," says Lehto. "I think the main reason you should get involved in anything during your time as a student is to broaden your scope and perspective."

Alex Massé, vice-president academic, has a less romantic take on why he pursued public office. He says he ran for council, simply, for something to do.

"I had no big plans or grand ideas. It just seemed like something I'd do ok at," says Massé.

Calling it a very rewarding position socially, Massé says he was able to meet a variety of fun and motivated people that he otherwise would never have crossed paths with.

"I think I'll gain a lot more from the personal growth I've undergone than from the additional point on my résumé," says Massé.

Allan Hall, vice-president administration, had always been thinking about running for council.

"I wanted to run for office because I wanted to help make the campus a better place for students," says Hall.

Hall says he has grown from the experience and become a well-rounded person throughout the last year.

"I have learned a lot about human resources, non-profit governance, public relations and countless other things," Hall says.

Homer-Dixon on campus for two sessions

trevor.kenney — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 16:35:35 +0000

Thomas Homer-Dixon, one of Canada's most important ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, will deliver a keynote speech entitled Twin Peaks: Peak Oil, Climate Change and the Future of a Generation, Thursday, Feb. 25, 7 p.m. in PE250 as part of Peak Week, presented by the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Students' Union (ULSU).

"Homer-Dixon's talk is going to address how we're facing two issues that could be catastrophic for human civilization – oil depletion and climate change," says Alex Massé of the ULSU, "and how addressing one without the other won't solve anything."

The Prentice Institute will also be hosting Homer-Dixon along with U of L Geography Chair James Byrne and U of L Sociology Chair Trevor Harrison in a panel discussion entitled Science, Politics, Tipping Points. This Prentice Institute Brownbag Series event will take place at noon, Feb. 25 in Students' Union Ballroom A.

Peak Week examined by ULSU

trevor.kenney — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 15:45:34 +0000

Peak Oil is the point in time when the rate of oil production reaches its highest level and begins an immutable reduction. There is wide speculation surrounding whether this event has already happened or how far into the future it can be expected to happen. Peak Oil and related issues will be the subject of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Students' Union's (ULSU) Peak Week, Feb. 22-26.

"The thing that inspired me to focus on Peak Oil is the fact that most people don't even know it's an issue, even though it threatens the very core of modern civilization," says Alex Massé, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Students' Union vice-president academic and organizer of the event.

"Oil is not only used to power our vehicles," says Massé, "it is also used in the production of everything from plastic to food. The week will address such issues as how oil and gas depletion will affect the economy, Canadian and International politics, manufacturing, food supply and much more. It will open people's eyes to the fact that everything we take for granted is under threat."

Massé describes how experts differ on the issue of whether humanity will be able to adapt to this changing world.

"We know that if we don't adapt soon, oil depletion will cause the collapse of global civilization and the collapse of humanity's capacity to sustain our population," he says.

The ULSU has an exciting week of events to shed light on the issue of Peak Oil. There will be displays in the U of L Atrium featuring educational content and student artwork related to Peak Oil.

"Homer-Dixon's talk is going to address how we're facing two issues that could be catastrophic for human civilization – oil depletion and climate change," says Massé, "and how addressing one without the other won't solve anything."

The Prentice Institute will also be hosting Homer-Dixon along with U of L Geography Chair James Byrne and U of L Sociology Chair Trevor Harrison in a panel discussion entitled Science, Politics, Tipping Points. This event will take place at noon, Feb. 25 in Students' Union Ballroom A.

Other events for the week include a screening of the acclaimed documentary, A Crude Awakening, and, pending final confirmation, a lecture by acclaimed Alberta author Andrew Nikiforuk. Once confirmed, details will be posted on the ULSU website, www.ulsu.ca.

Gauging the effects of peak oil

trevor.kenney — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 23:08:44 +0000

Massé describes how experts differ on the issue of whether humanity will be able to adapt to this changing world.

"We know that if we don't adapt soon, oil depletion will cause the collapse of global civilization and the collapse of humanity's capacity to sustain our population," he says.

The ULSU has an exciting week of events to shed light on the issue of Peak Oil. There will be displays in the U of L Atrium featuring educational content and student artwork related to Peak Oil.

Tuition rates a point of advocacy for students

trevor.kenney — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 20:53:46 +0000

Deficits, funding shortfalls and tuition hikes are all common words floating around the hallways of Alberta's post-secondary institutions the past few months.

During the Ralph Klein era, Alberta saw tuition fees hit an all-time high, which led to a new tuition fee policy in 2006. In November of that year, the Government of Alberta implemented the Tuition Fees Regulation initiative. This policy indicates that tuition cannot escalate above the rate of inflation measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI).

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta wants to see tuition rates calculated by 'market modifiers' which means that tuition for professional and graduate programs such as medicine, dentistry, law, business, pharmacy and engineering will experience grave increases.

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge students are fortunate that their administration has chosen not to go down that path.

"President Bill Cade stated explicitly at the Oct. 9 Town Hall Meeting that the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge would not pursue any differential increases," says Alex Massé, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Students' Union (ULSU) Vice President Academic. "In fact, he portrays the idea of raising tuition for professional programs as ridiculous."

Thus far, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge students are safe from a major tuition hike for the 2010/2011 year; although, there are no guarantees of this continuing.

"The U of L administration has made it clear that they will not be seeking any increases beyond the CPI cap for the next academic year, but the government has told students that the regulation could be opened for amendment for a period of two to five years, and we have no guarantee that the U of L will not seek differential increases in future years," says Massé.

"When the cap was implemented, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta used 2004 as the base year from which increases would be calculated," adds Massé. "The U of A argues that they should be able to recalculate the base rates because they weren't given an opportunity in 2006 to adjust their professional programs to market value."

This comes at a time when the U of A is facing a $60 million deficit, along with most institutions across the province that are experiencing funding shortfalls. The Northern Alberta Institute of Technology has proposed a 40 per cent tuition hike for all programs; however, Doug Horner, Alberta Minister of Advanced Education and Technology, rejected this proposal.

"Horner let the PSE institutions know that the Ministry would accept proposals similar to the U of A's: they have to be justified and they have to be aimed only at specific programs," says Massé. "But, we do not believe that any differential tuition increases are justified."

According to Massé, if differential tuition increases are allowed to come into effect it could mean that some students will be forced to enter into a discipline of study based on their financial means over their ability or ambition.

"This means the government will be stifling the potential of many of the best and brightest prospective students," says Massé.

Advocacy is one of the mandates of the ULSU, and it works hard on all levels of government to lobby for the needs of students.

"The ULSU will work extensively with the Council of Alberta ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Students to send a strong message directly to the Government of Alberta, the bottom line being that right now student employment is at a record low and requests for student aid are at a record high, and this is the worst time for the government to allow large tuition increases," says Massé. "Depending on how things go over the next few weeks, we will certainly consider active student campaigns and media events to hammer that message home."

Tuition rates a point of advocacy for students

trevor.kenney — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 18:46:45 +0000

Deficits, funding shortfalls and tuition hikes are all common words floating around the hallways of Alberta's post-secondary institutions the past few months.

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge students are fortunate that their administration has chosen not to go down that path.

Thus far, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge students are safe from a major tuition hike for the 2010/2011 year; although, there are no guarantees of this continuing.

"Horner let the PSE institutions know that the Ministry would accept proposals similar to the
U of A's: they have to be justified and they have to be aimed only at specific programs," says Massé. "But, we do not believe that any differential tuition increases are justified."

"This means the government will be stifling the potential of many of the best and brightest prospective students," says Massé.

Advocacy is one of the mandates of the ULSU, and it works hard on all levels of government to lobby for the needs of students.

Wiszowaty to speak at Galileo's

trevor.kenney — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 19:24:59 +0000

There is no way to truly understand the hardships developing countries face than to immerse yourself in that situation. Robin Wiszowaty has done this and on Monday, Oct. 26, she will share these experiences with the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge.

"Robin Wiszowaty has experienced things that U of L Students could learn a lot from," says Alex Massé, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Students' Union vice-president academic. "We're honoured to be hosting her lecture."

Wiszowaty, who was born and raised in Illinois, has devoted her life to helping others. She has done this by immersing herself into Maasai life, living in a small Maasai village in Kenya with an adoptive family in a hut. She spoke solely in Swahili, and was forced to confront issues like extreme poverty, drought, corruption and female circumcision.

Kenya is now home for this fearless young woman. She splits her time between her adoptive family in Kenya and her Toronto residence.

Wiszowaty is also an author and a motivational speaker, and she is serving as the Kenya Program Director for Free The Children in Kenya.

Wiszowaty has written a memoir that details her experiences and struggles while living in Kenya entitled My Maasai Life: From Suburbia to Savannah.

On Monday, Oct. 26 at 10 a.m. in Galileo's Lounge (SU234), she'll speak to students, staff, faculty and the general public about her trials and tribulations in a talk titled, My Maasai Life.

Amnesty International's Neve highlights Global Justice Week

trevor.kenney — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 16:15:25 +0000

Battling for human rights has been a lifelong commitment for Amnesty International's Alex Neve. The insight he's gained from being on the front lines of that battle will form the basis of the lecture he'll deliver to a ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge audience during Global Justice Week, Sept. 30 to Oct. 2.

Neve will cap the week with his lecture, Economic Insecurity, National Insecurity: Don't Lose Sight of Human Rights. The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Students' Union (ULSU), in collaboration with the Graduate Students' Association (GSA) and Lethbridge Public Interest Research Group (LPIRG), is hosting the three-day event. Neve's talk is Friday, Oct. 2, 7 p.m. in PE250.

"The purpose is to raise awareness of the fact that we live in an unjust world," says Alex Massé, ULSU VP Academic and organizer of the event. "It's so students living here, in the richest part of the world, don't take their position for granted."

Within the last year, economic uncertainty has been on the minds of many, from governments to average citizens. Neve, the Secretary General of Amnesty International Canada since 2000 and member of the organization since 1985, says that can't take away our focus from human rights.

"The message I want to convey is that we live in insecure times," Neve says. "We live in times of economic insecurity, especially in the last year."

Because of this, human rights often get pushed to the back burner in times of economic distress. Amnesty International is trying to put human rights back into the forefront.

Neve, who holds a Bachelor of Commerce Degree, a Bachelor of Laws Degree and a Master of Law Degree in International Human Rights Law, believes that security of any sort should be grounded in human rights.

Amnesty International has long advocated for fair trials to ensure justice, the proper handling of prisoners in Afghanistan, as well as improvements to Immigration Security Certificates (a legal mechanism used by the Government of Canada to detain and deport non-citizens). According to Neve, there are currently five Security Certificate cases in Canada in which Amnesty International is involved in various ways.

On the economic front, Amnesty International launched the "Demand Dignity" campaign, which looks at human rights violations that lead to and deepen poverty. This is a worldwide campaign that was launched in May. Neve explains that we don't often look at human rights in terms of poverty.

Amnesty International also highlights the plight of Indigenous people in Canada, particularly with regard to women's issues and the role of the economy in deepening poverty.

While Neve's presentation highlights Global Justice Week, a variety of other events will be taking place, including a talk by Joshua Key, author of The Deserter's Tale: The Story of an Ordinary Soldier Who Walked Away From the War in Iraq.

Events begin Wednesday afternoon as U of L professors take the podium at Galileo's Gallery, beginning at 3 p.m. Dr. Kent Peacock of the Philosophy Department presents, Justice in a Hungry World; Dr. Patrick Wilson of the Anthropology Department presents, Fair Trade and Global Economic Injustice: Opportunities and Obstacles; and Bruce MacKay of Liberal Education presents, Genocide: Never Again or Always.

UNews - Alex Mass

Kassam eager for challenge

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