Archive for the 'General' Category

Lethbridge College is looking for students who are returning in the fall to represent LC, during the summer, in their hometown high schools. If you love Lethbridge College and are passionate about the program you are in, being a part of the Street Team is the perfect opportunity to tell people about it, and even get paid for it! The College will equip you with everything you need to do your presentations; all you need to do is set it up. I encourage anyone who is even remotely interested to come check it out on Saturday.

If this sounds like something you, the student, would enjoy doing, sign up in the recruitment office to set up your audition. All you need to do is prepare a 3-5 minute speech as to why you chose and love Lethbridge College.

Quick Details:
Auditions are on Saturday March 24, 2012 @ 1 p.m. in the Sunflower Room TE1202.

Credit to Google Images.

I chose Lethbridge College initially because it was close to home. I came to college right after graduating from high school. I had family who previously attended Lethbridge College and highly recommended the business program. Lethbridge was a great stepping stone. Firstly because I would be able to go home if I chose to, but far enough away that I could still live on my own. Lethbridge College is affordable, yet provides high quality learning. I have the opportunity to continue with my degree if I choose so at various post secondary institutions. The two plus two is an amazing opportunity provided to students here at Lethbridge College.

Royal Roads University is one of the transfer options that Lethbridge College provides to its business students. I am thrilled to say that I have been accepted into the Royal Roads University Bachelor of Commerce Program starting September 2012. This experience will not be like any other, I am very excited for September!

When I first began my journey at Lethbridge College I thought for sure that I would be completing my transfer to complete my degree at the University of Lethbridge. As time progressed, I realized that I may be up for more of a change than just changing to a school on the west side instead of the south side. I looked at my options on the college’s program information on their website. Athabasca, no. Griffith, no. U of L, no. Then I clicked on the link for Royal Roads and fell in love. If you haven’t checked out the campus website, do so. The beauty of the campus speaks for itself.

I am so glad that LC has the opportunity for the 2+2 program. It has provided me with this amazing opportunity. I encourage all business students to check it out. Information is posted on the colleges website underneath the programs tab.

Those of you whom follow my blog know by now that I generally write about topics fairly serious in nature.

This entry is one of those.

But instead of talking about racism, remembering our veterans or other topics, I’m going to write about a huge problem Lethbridge has.  A problem which is only getting worse and threatens to utterly consume this city.

The problem is a certain ability that many around here seem to lack:

HOW TO PARK A %&@#$&^ CAR!!!

There I’ve said it.  The park jobs I see in this city drive me crazy.  I mean its one thing to see one or two bad park jobs every now or then but around here I see 3-5 every day. And thats just driving to and from the college, along with the occasional grocery run. (I wont even get into the amount of times I’ve almost been T-boned or sideswiped by careless drivers, thats for another entry)

Don’t believe me?  Take a drive down Mayor Magrath and stop at 2 places.  I guarantee you will find at least 5 examples, whether its at a busy time of the day or not.

Something like this:

Or this:

This one is by far my favorite:

So it appears we have a slight problem here in our beloved city.  Well here is some parking advice from a citizen whom is tired of having to maneuver through a zig zagged maze of vehicles just to pick up some milk.

First:

- Park inside the yellow lines. This seems like a no brainer but as emphasized by all three of my photos, it is apparently a difficult concept for many to grasp.  For those who may have trouble understanding this, let me break it down even further:  The two long yellow lines should be on the right and left side of your vehicle at equal distance.  The short one should be perpendicular to the front of your vehicle.  You should not be touching any of the lines with your vehicle.  This allows another person, using the same formula, to then park their vehicle next to yours without any trouble.  Then all occupants may exit their vehicles without scraping a neighbor vehicle.  As a bonus, traffic is not impeded by your vehicle.  Isn’t progress wonderful?

Second:

-If you do not have a disability, DO NOT (That means don’t.  Also, nada or nothing doing or just plain NO!) park in the handicapped spots.  Those are reserved for people whom actually need them.  And no I don’t care that you will be “just a minute”.  You can park in an open empty spot and walk the hundred yards to the door. Believe it or not, it won’t kill you.  And if you do see a vehicle park there without a handicap sticker, do society a favor and report it to the authority’s.  Because in all seriousness, someone whom actually has a disability is being deprived of a close spot to the door.

Three:

- Practice your skills!  If parking is a legitimate problem for you and not the result of laziness or just plain incompetence, then take the time to learn how.  Have a friend or somebody teach you. Many people find parallel parking difficult at first, but with practice it becomes easy.  Practice in empty lots if you have to. Trust me you look like a much bigger idiot getting out of a vehicle straddling two parking stalls than you do when parking and re-parking.

Four:

-Everyone makes mistakes.  If you get out of your vehicle and realize you have parked incorrectly, get back in your vehicle and correct it.  It takes 30 seconds.  And while we are on the subject of mistakes let me state that I know everyone does a bad parking job at some point.  I have too.  This article is meant for repeat offenders and those who just can’t be bothered to correct their mistakes.  It takes 5 seconds to do a quick check of your vehicle to ensure your parking job correct.  If a 14 year old with a fresh Class 7 license can do it, then you can too!

I hope you all enjoyed this blog.  Go out and reclaim the parking lots!

Cheers!

It is hard to believe that it has been one year since I picked up my nomination forms for the position of LCSA President. I remember running the campaign, talking to students and having the great opportunity to do so with my good friend Veronica Weir, who is now the college’s Board of Governors Student Representative and Business Club President. It was a nerve wracking experience, and waiting for the ballots to be counted was probably the most anxious I have ever been during my time at Lethbridge College. I remember getting the phone call telling me that I had won the election, and it is so funny to think about because at that moment I could not even comprehend how much work would have to be done in the upcoming year.

The President has a job that is hard to describe. My role relates highly to advocating for students to various committees and staff among the college, representing the Students’ Association at external community or college events, and in generic terms I am the spokesperson for the organization. My job in simple terms is making sure that the LCSA is running smoothly and things are getting done. Trust me, it sounds simple but it was not always that easy. I can truly say that I have learned so much from this job that no other experience could give me.  I have learned the beautiful and not-so-beautiful side to being in a management position, how to work with different personalities, how to balance my work and school life effectively, that preparation is key, how to say no, and most importantly I have learned that even though it may not always seem like it, your opinion counts. It is important to voice your opinion and speak up- especially in this role. People are constantly asking what do you think of this, or if we did that instead? I have learned that even though your voice may seem small, it has a huge impact when you do say something, and when that something holds passion and meaning behind it.

I have had various opportunities to network with students who are the the same positions as me which is incredible because no one can truly understand a job of this nature until they have done it themselves.

Here I am with Alison Redford at the Community Leaders Dinner on January 23rd

I know it is sometimes hard for students to see all the work that is being done with the students’ association besides just events, but every day our team is working towards better representation of students on campus and fulfilling what students need and want while here at Lethbridge College. Whether we attend Academic Council meetings where we voice our opinions on new curriculum changes to various programs or talk about the upcoming academic schedule and how this will impact students, or when we meet with the college’s Senior Leadership Team and discuss what students want on campus and how we can develop solutions to meeting those needs- we are involved in so many processes here on campus. What I love about my job is that we are well respected on campus by staff in higher levels that are always interested in hearing about what we are doing, or how they can help us.

The LCSA with Lethbridge College's Senior Leadership Team

The LCSA offers so many programs to students, some of which you may not even realize. Firstly, we have our health and dental plan, which is a great bonus to have while you are in school. We offer bus passes, ski trips, fitness classes, student discount cards, faxing, stamps- you name it. What helps the organization run the way it does is the amazing full-time staff. I honestly cannot thank Angela, JP, Aaron or Jorden enough!

Our executive in August

This term vice-presidents, staff, student representatives and myself have worked through some really great things. We have developed committees to meet on issues such as Advocacy, Awareness, Environmental, Events and Communications.

We are currently looking at how we can make our council more diverse and have better representation with various positions.

Every day is an adventure, and even though my adventure is almost over, I can truly say that I have had a great nine months in office.

Racism has taken a beating in the last 50 years.  Back then it wasn’t uncommon to hear of people being assaulted or even murdered due to the colour of their skin.  Now our society is considered to be one of the most friendly to different races on the planet.

This is a very good thing.

The idea that someone is inferior because of the colour of their skin is one the most outrageous and false ideas out there.  I would even call it a barbaric notion.  I would hope all the readers of this article would agree.  If not well perhaps you need a dose of reality.

Canada has thrived as people from all races have contributed to the growth of this nation, making it a better place for all.  If you must judge a person, judge them by what they can do, not what colour they are.

Unfortunately racism is not dead.  Especially in other parts of the globe. Recently there has been an uproar in South Africa over the contents of this poster.

Despite the progress South Africa has made since the end of Apartheid 18 years ago, there is still large traces of the old racial hatred.  One person online described interracial relationships an an “Abomination”.  To be fair, much of the reaction was supportive which is an encouraging sign.  But it is interesting and worrisome that this photo is causing so much controversy based on the colour of participants skin.  Some groups are also protesting the photo because, according to them, it is “promoting sexual immorality”.   But the majority of the controversy is based on racial lines.  The full article can be found here, courtesy of The Globe and Mail. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/sexy-interracial-poster-sparks-furor-in-south-africa/article2315134/

My cousin is fully Caucasian and he is married to a black woman.  She is a wonderful lady and is the source of much happiness for my cousin, who lost his first wife to cancer.  I’m astonished (and offended) when someone asks me if I have a problem with the marriage.  Of course I don’t!  She loves him and he loves her.  I am proud to have her in the family.

So how far does racism exist in  Canada?  Do you think this would cause controversy, based on racial lines, if this was distributed on the Lethbridge College campus?  If so how does that make you feel?

The charter of rights and freedoms states everyone is equal under the law regardless of race, creed, gender or sexual orientation.  Why don’t we make this a way of life and not just a legal document?