Five minutes well worth the time

trevor.kenney — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 20:28:10 +0000

Taking the time to apply for undergraduate scholarships pays off for Paul Klein.

As the end of another academic year draws near, Paul Klein has a lot on his mind. It is a time teeming with tests and term papers, but there is one deadline the third-year Anthropology major always meets – the May 1 Undergraduate Awards application deadline.

"I try not to forget the deadline because the application process is simplified to the point that it's basically a series of clicks that takes around five minutes to complete," says the Lethbridge native. "You have to invest such an insignificant portion of your time and the potential payoff is huge."

Undergraduate student Paul Klein has taken advantage of the many scholarship opportunities offered by the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ.

Taking the time to fill out the online Undergraduate Awards Application certainly has paid off for Klein as he has received $3,000 over the last two years form the U of L Awards program. He seeks to become a lawyer, and through answering a question about future aspirations, received a scholarship sponsored by the Lethbridge Bar Association in 2011.

While he appreciates the recognition, he points out that scholarships and awards also have a real impact on his bottom line.

"I find they provide a nice supplement to my student loans and it helps to limit my overall debt as I can factor them in to my yearly budget," he says.

Klein also finds time to get involved with the campus community and holds down a part-time job as a student marker with the Anthropology Department. Balancing time between his job and being a faculty representative for the Students' Union, while achieving academic success, exerts considerable demands on Klein's time - which can induce stress. Here too, he finds the monies he has earned from scholarships helpful.

"Scholarships have provided me with some extra disposable income that I can spend on my social life when I'm looking to unwind. So I don't have to worry as much about fiscal stress – I can just concentrate on my academic stress," he says with a chuckle.

In 2011, 1,087 continuing U of L students shared over $1.1 million in undergraduate awards. The 2012 Undergraduate Awards application is currently open on The Bridge and will close on May 1. The U of L guarantees a scholarship to students who achieve a GPA of 3.5 or higher in eight semester courses (24.0 credit hours) over the preceding Fall and Spring semesters. Awards and bursaries are also available. In 2011, one third of all awards recipients had a GPA lower than 3.5.

ULSU charitable efforts laudable

trevor.kenney — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 22:17:01 +0000

Life isn't always a breeze, and every once in a while we are all in need of a helping hand. Students are no different.

Thankfully, there are numerous services offered by the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Students' Union (ULSU) to help students whenever life's pinch gets a little too tight, but this is only one side of the charitable coin at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge.

The flip side to the long list of services offered to students are the charitable actions and efforts of students who want to make life just a little easier for those who need it. The beneficiaries range from those within the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ community to the local and provincial communities and as far reaching as beyond international borders.

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Students' Union works diligently to provide an avenue for motivated students to host charitable events on campus. Most recently, Paul Klein and Maxine Saretsky, members of the ULSU General Assembly (GA), organized a shoe drive benefitting Soles 4 Souls. The Nashville-based organization has been collecting and distributing shoes to disadvantaged persons since 2005 and they currently reach people in need in 127 countries.

Over the course of a frigid week in January, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ community donated 194 pairs of shoes to the organization's cause. After this year's successful showing, Maxine and Paul hope to have the event return next year.

Another annual charitable event by students profiting students is the ULSU and Education Undergraduate Society (EUS) Fashion Drive. Now in its third year, and spearheaded by GA Education Rep Eva Gorny, the EUS Fashion Drive benefits scholarships for Faculty of Education students. The proceeds raised help to assist future teachers during their third practical semester and their first year in the profession.

The goal of this event is to raise enough money to keep this scholarship going for at least two additional years. Funding will be distributed in $500 increments to education students who qualify.

The collection period for this year's event takes place from Feb. 6-17 and there will be collection boxes located across campus. The fashion sale will take place on Feb. 28-29 in the Students' Union Ballroom B (SU200B).

The focus of the sale may be to help education students through their studies but the entire ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ community benefits from the great prices and items available at the sale. Students will have the opportunity to refresh their wardrobe with minimal impact on their pocketbooks, all the while helping their fellow students – a win-win situation.

The well-being of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge's student community remains at the heart of the ULSU's charitable efforts and they continue to seek out new and innovative efforts to improve the lives of their students and the community.

UNews - Paul Klein

Five minutes well worth the time

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ULSU charitable efforts laudable

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