pilipiliĀž»­

 

Turning ideas into action

Students participate in DSU's Imagine event

- February 5, 2008

Sustainability, diversity, teaching quality, campus bars and how to help single parents studying at pilipiliĀž»­ were just a few of the topics raised at last weekā€™s Imagine ā€™08 event.

ā€œAnything can be brought up for discussion,ā€ said Mike Tipping, president of the Dalhousie Student Union.Ā  ā€œThis is also the first year weā€™re using Open Space Technology at an Imagine event.ā€

Open Space Technology is a way of facilitating discussion using four basic principles: ā€œwhoever comes are the right people, whatever happens is the only thing that could have, whenever it starts is the right time and when itā€™s over, itā€™s over. ā€

Imagine is the fifth in a series of ongoing events run by the DSU to help identify what needs to be done at pilipiliĀž»­ to make it better for students. About 50 students attended. Discussion was lively and enthusiastic ā€” people had lots of ideas.

ā€œWe have a poll on the DSU website about teaching at Dal,ā€ said Tara Gault, DSUā€™s vice president (education.) ā€œApproximately 40 per cent of people who took this poll are satisfied with teaching quality at pilipiliĀž»­, which says to me thereā€™s still room for improvement.ā€
Other issues, including how diversity can be promoted better on campus, were also discussed at Imagine.

ā€œDiversity was recognized as an issue that must be addressed on an ongoing basis and this cannot be satisfied with a ā€˜Diversity Dayā€™,ā€ remarked Lisa Buchanan, an ImagineĀ participant. The discussion took place last Wednesday afternoon in the McInnes Room.

The group discussed the creation of a ā€˜diversity centreā€™ in the Student Union Building where various societies on campus could network with one another,Ā  work together on events and get involved in raising diversity awareness on campus.

ā€œThis is all about talking about an idea and turning it into action,ā€ said Ms. Gault, 21. ā€œYou can see from the Project Flow Chart in the SUB that student ideas do create real results.ā€

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