Student Services pushes I

By Sharon Leighton

Jim Griffith, Director of Student Services, and Pro— fessor Robert Campbell are cpending four days at the University of South Carolina this week.

They are attending an international conference which meets for the purpose of examining USC’s inno- vative course, University 101.

University 101 is a credit course which teaches students the skills they need for success at university. It includes a reading lab, public speaking exercises, training in study skills and job search techniques.

Griffith wants to see a course like that at UPEI. He says the main objection to implementing such a course comes from Senate, which thinks the course content is not academic.

Griffith intends to develop the idea. He hopes that in a few years he will be able to submit a proposal for such a course that will receive serious consideration.

He thinks that training of this nature is important to the

for University 101

student’s academic success. “Why should we assume students know how to do these things just because they’re eighteen?” he asks. “H0w can they know if no one teaches them?”

At present, Student Ser- vices does what it can to teach students these skills on a non- credit basis.

A course in public speaking, called Speak-Easy, is given several times each year. The courses runs for six weeks. its purpose is to help students gain confidence in asking questions in class, giving pre- sentations, talking with other students.

“A lot of students walk around campus thinking that if they say, ‘Hi’ to someone, they’ll be told to get lost. They won’t. Most people are pleased to have someone say ‘Hi’ to them. Students have to learn that it’s not dangerous to talk to people," Griffith explains.

All four Speak-Easy classes this year are filled. Griffith would like to run more classes, but he does not have the staffto doit.

The Reading Lab and the classes in Resume Writing and Job Search techniques are in much the same position.

A credit course to wrap everything up together and teach everyone who needs it is his goal.

Another course Griffith is trying to create in a short summer courses for professors.

“It’s part of their job to provide academic coun- selling,” he says “but many of them are not even familiar with the calendar, outside their own disciplines. ”

Griffith feels professors should be taught how to counsel students. “People

assume that professors know how to do these things,” he says. “How can they know if no one has ever taught them?”

He feels that too many people make too many as—

sumptions about the skills peoplehave.

Relationship skills, for instance. are expected of everybody. Yet where are theytaught?

Student services once

offered a course for couples

who were seriously involved with each other — engaged, going, steady, or thinking about commitments of any kind. Many of the couples broke up during the course, but they were glad they had taken it. They learned to understand their relation- ships, their goals in life, why they were involved with each other and where their relationships were heading.

Griffith wishes he could offer this course again, but once more, lack of staff prevents him from doing so.

Counselling is available for people who ask for it. Some- times group counselling is done, when some interaétion takes place.

One program now offered that Griffith would like to see used more often is Choices. This is a vocational guidance program offered jointly.by Student Services and the Canada Employment Centre on Campus.

The student can make an appointment to use the Choices computer at Student Services at any convenient time. Through the computer,

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which‘ is remarkably easy to use, he can obtain a great deal of accurate information about careers that interests him. A counsellor can then offer further guidance in the

light of the information gained. Another successful pro-

gram now available can be used by anyone in residence. If there’s something you want to know (about, from birth- control to legal rights, you can speak to your House Committee. The House Committee can arrange, through Student Services, a discussion group for the

of. View . Apathy and student politics

By Mike J. Trainor -

it has been said that student politics can be an enjoy

and positive experience. As an individual who has I

involved in student politics for the past three years, I \\ tend to agree with such a statement.

Student politics is only as enjoyable as you students it. One major ingredient needed to make it successfu UPEI is the participation of the student body.

Let’s face it — if you' don’t get actively involved in process, then you have no grounds for complaining abOut decisions made by the Student Union Council. Get you involved and make your view and ideas part of the system.

Student apathy —— the lack of involvement of stu — has become a major problem at UPEI. Students see show no interest whatsoever in the democratic process, u is sad in any democratic environment. _ The greater the student apathy, the more difficult it govern students’,’ibeeause Student % Counc'ilygdoesn ’th kn?“

you want.

Students have to get their act together and get imol You should start showing up at Student Council meet get yourself in your class or academic sub-organization. could get yourself on a Student Union committee

University committee.

There are numerous ways of playing an important r the evolution of a viable student government. it is up I

to get involved.

With Student Union elections being held on March 7. have some student involvement. Put your name in candidate for an elected position, or better still, make you vote on election day. The failure to vote is tle yourself an acquired right that has been fought for and

Student politics can be a whole lot of fun if you really

it to be.

I recommend that students become involved in the p that will be making decisions for them. If the Student t doesn’t know what you as students want, how can you a

them to govern you?

So get off the fence and become involved, and '-

much fun you can have.

It can and will prove to be an educational, enjoyabl positive experience. It’s all up to you to get involved.

just talk about it — do itll

“And that’s my point of view. ” ,

people on' your floor. Th nurse, a chaplain, or student services counsel] will provide all the inform tion you want.

Griffith feels that studen often don’t get their money» worth out of Student Servi -.

“We’re busy all the time, he says. Yet many stude who could befiéfit from p]- grams now in place do v use them.

And many programs i could be of great ben cannot be implemented, I to lack of staff or of admi strative co-operation.

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Canad'a' —— iaie 10 — I The Nettett Gem