UNews - BRIANNE ROHOVIE

Students' Union has busy summer

trevor.kenney — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 16:06:58 +0000

By BRIANNE ROHOVIE

With all four ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Students' Union (ULSU) Executive Council members having hit the ground running upon taking office May 1, several initiatives set for completion this summer are already well underway.

"We've had opportunities to meet with many people we will be working with this year in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ community, municipally, provincially and even federally," says ULSU president Jeremy Girard, adding that he plans to keep a strong focus on maintaining the value of the ULSU to these external stakeholders throughout his term.

An equally important task, planning main elements of ULSU events and initiatives for 2009-2010, is also slated for completion this summer. With this being a central responsibility of the VP Internal, the next few months will prove crucial for Cole Lehto.

"By the end of summer we intend on having concrete arrangements with the artists who will perform at the Zoo this year, as well as plans for what will be involved in other ULSU events," Lehto says.

Among additional tasks on Executive Council member's to-do lists are: complete a detailed plan for Fresh Fest 2009, take steps to have a used text book exchange program in place for this school year and make arrangements to host academic speakers and ensure the ULSU food bank is prepared to continue serving students at a high level of functionality.

"I want to see the food bank running efficiently and effectively all year," Lehto says. "With the addition of a food-planning guide, which will act like an in-hand counsellor, we can provide an even greater service to food bank users."

From September's Fresh Fest to April's Last Class Bash, with awareness weeks, concerts, charity drives and club events in between, Girard promises 2009-2010 will be a great year at the U of L.

"I think this year we have the potential, through our many initiatives, to reach more students than we ever have before," says Girard, adding that the Executive Council is prepared to work as hard as is necessary to do so.

"Although we've begun our terms very strongly, I'm sure that over the year our energy levels will fluctuate," Lehto says. "We plan on keeping pace in a way that allows us to cross the finish line still running."

Microcredit program has its rewards

trevor.kenney — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 17:39:40 +0000

With increasing financial burdens being placed on students, it is quickly becoming less economically feasible for many to participate in projects and experiences beyond a standard post-secondary education.
The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Students' Union (ULSU), through its travel and conference grant program, strives to enable student participation in activities that may not otherwise be financially viable. Recently, the ULSU helped finance a trip to Costa Rica for four Rotaract Club members who assisted a microcredit (small loan) project.
Jason Pan became involved in the microcredit project because he saw it as much more than a volunteer opportunity.
"I see a lot of myself in the people we help," says Pan, a fifth year ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge biology student. "My parents do not come from well-to-do backgrounds and in a sense, helping others is akin to helping people like my parents live and achieve their goals."
Rotaract holds an international fundraiser each year; last year the organization began the microcredit project in Costa Rica. Without microcredit programs, countless impoverished individuals worldwide, unable to gain access to traditional financial credit, would likely never exit poverty.
"It was incredibly meaningful to be able to visit the community and interact with the people who will benefit from the money that we raised," says Alix Blackshaw, a third-year ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge neuroscience student, who also participated in the project. "To see the help we can bring to their community really shows that a few dedicated students and some hard work can make a huge difference."
Projects like this are testament to the significance of student involvement in extra-curricular endeavours complimentary to a post-secondary education.
"��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ is about experiencing new things and capitalizing on new opportunities," says Adam Vossepoel, ULSU president. "Through travel and conference grants, we facilitate this growth and allow students to move beyond their academic agendas to participate in international projects or events relevant to their education."
Brianne Rohovie is the ULSU Communications Coordinator

Logo reflects ulsu vision

trevor.kenney — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 15:53:56 +0000

After 20 years and just as many council changes, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Students' Union decided this was the year to develop a new logo — one that truly embodies the ultimate goal of the organization and why it exists.

"Updating the ULSU logo is something that has come up throughout the years, always as a minor issue, but it's very important the ULSU have a strong and recognizable logo so that we can be seen as having a presence on campus," says ULSU
president Adam Vossepoel.

"Our old logo was so hard to work with, it was
really unbalanced and asymmetrical," says Susan Curtis, ULSU executive assistant and the woman behind the new logo design.

"There was a lot of detail put into the creation of our new logo to ensure it was concise, bold, uncluttered and well-defined both up close and at a distance."

Although the ULSU had many prospective designs to choose from (six graphic design companies responded to the ULSU's request for proposals), the decision to use Curtis's simple, yet bold, logo came as an easy one.

"We (the ULSU) are an organization that directly represents the needs of students at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge. We feel that the logo epitomizes our purpose," says Vossepoel, adding that there is significance behind all of the logo's elements.

The sun motif reflects the ULSU's relation to the U of L community, while still highlighting that it is a distinct entity from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ.

The circle represents the ULSU's dedication to developing programs and services that complete the student experience while pursuing studies at the U of L.

Finally, the organization's acronym, ULSU, is displayed prominently to remind all those who look upon it that ultimately the reason it exists is to serve the students at the U of L.

"We're very excited to officially unveil our logo. Look for it around campus, it embodies every aspect of the work that we do," says Vossepoel.
Brianne Rohovie is the ULSU Communications Coordinator

UNews - BRIANNE ROHOVIE

Students' Union has busy summer

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