Episodes
Dr. Sunday Akin Olukoju shares with Athabasca University students some insight into the participation of Black Canadians in politics, and how to inspire and mobilize more Black leaders. Dr. Olukoju has been tutoring at AU since 2011. He first received his Ph.D. in Public Policy and Administration before earning a second in Theology. The audio for this podcast was taken from a virtual live event held on February 9, 2023, as part of Black History Month at AUSU. Starring: Dr. Sunday Akin Olukoju
Published 02/24/23
EpisoOriginal research is not just for faculty and graduate students - most undergraduate students can get involved too! Dr. Kharah Ross and Katherine Lowe share their experiences as a professor and as a student at Athabasca University in performing undergraduate research. The two offer advice on where to start and how to keep pace and finish. Starring: Psychology Professor Dr. Kharah Ross, past student Katherine Lowe, and AUSU President Karen Fletcher
Published 02/08/23
AUSU President Karen Fletcher sits down with AU President Dr. Peter Scott to talk about the big plans for Athabasca University as Canada's premiere distance education institution as well as the vital question of whether oatmeal is in fact soup. Starring: AUSU President Karen Fletcher and AU President Dr. Peter Scott
Published 12/06/22
Interested in a career in Psychology or want to be a Clinical Psychologist? Dr. Laura Armstrong discusses the different pathways a psychology degree can be used to open up career opportunities. Dr. Armstrong is a practicing clinical psychologist and faculty member at St. Paul’s University in Ottawa. The audio for this podcast was taken from the AUSU Psych Night virtual live event held on November 10, 2022. Starring: Dr. Laura Armstrong, Clinical Psychologist
Published 11/17/22
AUSU President Karen Fletcher and Governance and Advocacy Coordinator Duncan Wojtaszek share the reasons behind tuition increases at Athabasca University and how AUSU is advocating to make university education more affordable. Tuition at Athabasca University may increase by up to 5.5% in 2023. Starring: AUSU President Karen Fletcher, Governance and Advocacy Coordinator Duncan Wojtaszek, and Executive Director Jodi Campbell
Published 11/02/22
Athabasca University student Katie Sabberton interviews Métis Student Community and Engagement Specialist Breane Mahlitz from the Rupertsland Institute on the barriers faced by Métis students. The Rupertsland Institute provides post-secondary financial aid to Métis students and seeks to increase the number of Métis students who successfully complete post-secondary studies. Starring: AU student Katie Sabberton, Rupertsland Métis Student Community and Engagement Specialist Breane Mahlitz, and...
Published 09/28/22
Tanisi! Welcome! Cree Elder and Storyteller Cheryle Chagnon-Greyeyes shares Medicine Wheel Teachings, traditional knowledge that can guide any journey using the fundamental concepts of wholeness, inter-relationship, inter-connectedness, balance and respect. The audio for this podcast was taken from a virtual live event held on September 20, 2022, as part of Indigenous Week at AUSU. Starring: Cheryle Chagnon-Greyeyes
Published 09/22/22
Having just joined AUSU's Student Council in April, Rebecca and Blake share how it has impacted their education and what they want to get out of their time serving AU students. AUSU also delves into what brought them to AU in the first place. Starring: AUSU Councillors Rebecca Weubbolt and Blake Collett, along with Executive Director Jodi Campbell
Published 09/13/22
Carrie Anton and Lisa Boone from Athabasca University's Accessibility Services share how to get support from AU and what types of accommodation can be made available. Every AU student is able to use Accessibility Services if they need, so be sure to listen in and learn how AU is making this process more straightforward for all students. Starring: AU Accessibility Services Coordinator Carrie Anton, AU Accommodation & Assessment Specialist Lisa Boone, and AUSU President Karen Fletcher
Published 08/19/22
AUSU staff Jodi Campbell, Ashley Janes, and Duncan Wojtaszek sit down to reflect on AUSU's first 30 years. 1992 was a time before the Internet but AUSU was still providing services and advocacy for students. AUSU has grown along with Athabasca University and to celebrate we're hosting a party. Starring: AUSU Executive Director Jodi Campbell, Communications and Member Services Coordinator Ashley Janes, and Governance and Advocacy Coordinator Duncan Wojtaszek
Published 07/13/22
We sit down with recent Athabasca University graduate Leah Campbell and Tara Friesen, Manager, Alumni and Community Engagement at Athabasca University to talk about what it means to be an AU Alumni, what happens after you graduate, what services Athabasca University offers alumni, and what AU convocation is all about. Congratulations to all the recent 2022 graduates at Athabasca University! Starring: Athabasca University Manager of Alumni and Community Engagement Tara Friesen, recent AU...
Published 06/14/22
AUSU is celebrating Pride Week, and capping it off with a special AUSUnights student social featuring performances by Party Queens! We sit down and talk about what Pride means to AUSU as a team and reflect on the work we have done and what events are coming up. Starring: AUSU VP Community and Wellness Natalia Iwanek, Executive Director Jodi Campbell, Communications and Member Services Coordinator Ashley Janes, and Governance and Advocacy Coordinator Duncan Wojtaszek
Published 06/07/22
Get to know your newly elected Executive Committee as the four student leaders chat about their roles, plans for the year, and unique circumstances that make studying at AU a special experience. Starring: AUSU President Karen Fletcher, VP External Trishtina Godoy-Contois, VP Finance and Administration Naju Syed, VP Community and Wellness Natalia Iwanek, and Executive Director Jodi Campbell
Published 05/30/22
Starting next fall, Athabasca University will introduce a new Integrated Learning Environment (ILE) that promises to revolutionize the learner experience at AU. Richard MacLeod is one of the ILE leads responsible for implementing this ambitious new technology and sits down with AUSU to chat about the coming changes and advantages for AU students with the new ILE platform. Starring: Athabasca University Director of ILE Student Administration Richard MacLeod and AUSU Executive Director Jodi...
Published 04/13/22
Our Vice President Finance and Administration Leah Campbell talks to IT professional Josh Dedul about navigating the online world safely and protecting yourself against various scams. These tips will be especially useful for Athabasca University students given the nature of distance education and how much we are all connected via the Internet. Starring: AUSU Vice President Finance and Administration Leah Campbell and Josh Dedul
Published 03/17/22
AUSU Executive Councillors Stacey Hutchings, Karen Fletcher, Leah Campbell, and Natalia Iwanek reflect on what happened over the past year, their favourite moments, what their families think they do as Executive Councillors, and what's next both for the organization and themselves. It's been another year focusing on improving the lives of Athabasca University students in the midst of a pandemic that came along with a lot of changes for AUSU. Starring: AUSU President Stacey Hutchings, VP...
Published 02/14/22
Join Dr. Vive Kumar and David Boulanger as they talk about their computer science research, highlighting especially David's work as an undergraduate researcher and the value that research has had in his program. Want to learn more about undergraduate research? AUSU is hosting Research Week from January 24-28 - learn more by visiting ausu.org. Starring: AUSU VP External Karen Fletcher, Dr. Vive Kumar, and David Boulanger
Published 01/20/22
Leah Campbell joins our executive team as our new Vice-President Finance and Administration and shares about her experience thus far as she studies from Brandon, Manitoba. Like so many students, Leah is taking a full course load, taking care of children, working at a full-time job, and decided there might be enough hours in the day to serve AU students at AUSU. She also weighs in on some of her favourite holiday films, food, and traditions. You'll also enjoy Duncan's cat, Matthew, as he joins...
Published 12/16/21
AUSU sits down with two AU students who are also parents to talk about the challenges and rewards of simultaneously raising children and taking classes. Many AU students are also caregivers, and Karen and Katy share how to find the best balance and the most success with these two important roles. Starring: AUSU VP External Karen Fletcher, Councillor Katy Lowe, and Executive Director Jodi Campbell
Published 11/02/21
AUSU is getting set for it's second Pride Week, with a host of great events including guest speakers Joshua Whitehead and Dr. Tobias Wiggins. Executive Director Jodi Campbell catches up with VP Community and Wellness Natalia Iwanek and Communications and Member Services Coordinator Ashley Janes to talk about the great events coming up and the importance of Pride at AUSU. Starring: AUSU VP Community and Wellness Natalia Iwanek, Communications and Member Services Coordinator Ashley Janes, and...
Published 10/19/21
Jared Maltais and Christian Fotang from the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA) join AUSU to talk about the federal election on September 20, what it means for Athabasca University students, and how to make sure your vote counts. AUSU is running a Get Out The Vote campaign to encourage all students to cast their ballot this election and CASA is our key partner in making that campaign work. Starring: CASA Government and Stakeholder Relations Officer Jared Maltais, CASA Director...
Published 09/16/21
AUSU looks at the work done this summer, such as pushing for compassionate grading and developing executive workplans, as well as looking ahead to autumn. President Stacey Hutchings and VP Community and Wellness Natalia Iwanek share their stories from the summer. Starring: AUSU President Stacey Hutchings, VP Community and Wellness Natalia Iwanek, Governance and Advocacy Coordinator Duncan Wojtaszek, and Executive Director Jodi Campbell
Published 09/01/21
AUSU sits down with the chair of the Council of Alberta University Students (CAUS) Rachel Timmermans as well as our own VP External Karen Fletcher to talk about the impact of provincial cuts to Athabasca University and how CAUS is fighting to keep AU education affordable and of the highest quality. Starring: CAUS Chair Rachel Timmermans, AUSU VP External Karen Fletcher, and AUSU Governance and Advocacy Coordinator Duncan Wojtaszek
Published 08/19/21
Guest host VP Community and Wellness Natalia Iwanek interviews students Mel Mirosol and Vevangapi Katjamana about the 2SLGBTQIA+ community at Athabasca University and the importance of providing a safe space to learn to every student in our virtual campus. Starring: AU students Mel Mirosol and Vevangapi Katjamana, along with AUSU VP Community and Wellness Natalia Iwanek
Published 06/24/21
AUSU chats with our new Vice President External Karen Fletcher and Vice President Community and Wellness Natalia Iwanek on the perspectives of Ontario students at Athabasca University, the need for expanding efforts on equity, diversity, and inclusion - and a look at the best hidden gems in Ontario for vacation, food, and studying. Starring: AUSU VP External Karen Fletcher, VP Community and Wellness Natalia Iwanek, and Executive Director Jodi Campbell
Published 06/17/21