Hidden Gem: Semester in Dialogue

The Undergraduate Semester in Dialogue is truly one of the jewels amongst SFU's undergrad course offerings. Unfortunately, I believe it's also one of SFU's best kept secrets.

"The Undergraduate Semester in Dialogue addresses what we believe is the principal challenge for contemporary education: to inspire students with a sense of civic responsibility, encourage their passion to improve Canadian society, and develop innovative intellectual tools for effective problem solving. Each semester we develop an original and intensive learning experience that uses dialogue to focus student education on public issues." [excerpt from the Semester in Dialogue website]

I participated in the Semester in Dialogue one year ago in Spring 2007 and it was one of the highlights of my undergraduate experience. The Semester in Dialogue is exactly that - an experience. In a nutshell, the Semester in Dialogue brings together about twenty students from multiple faculties and departments, puts them in a room with community leaders, and unleashes them to explore broad public issues together.

The experience is not unlike a reality TV series. Take twenty strangers thrown together in one room for six hours a day, five days a week over thirteen weeks. Mix in a few unconventional individual and team challenges (assignments), some emotional personal reflections, and a few tears (I'm not kidding) and you've got the Semester in Dialogue. It is certainly an intense experience.

Each semester there is a central topic that is studied for the entire semester (the Semester in Dialogue is 10-15 credits, so students don't take any other courses while in the program). The semester I took it, the topic was the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Accordingly, we took field trips to various 2010 venues and host communities, including Whistler, Cypress Mountain, Richmond, and False Creek. Our assignments were grounded in real world applications, from organizing and facilitating a community dialogue to writing op-eds for newspapers.

The Semester in Dialogue is amazing and is something that is better lived than explained in words. I felt that by connecting my schoolwork to the community, the program reconnected me to my reason for learning. The program succeeds because it gives students the freedom to be creative and inquisitive. It engages them as citizens rather than as students. It challenges them to exceed expectations.

The application deadline for the next two Semesters in Dialogue are coming up:

Summer 2008: "Being About Action: Housing"
Summer Institute in Dialogue, 10 credits (DIAL 390W, 391W)
Application deadline: 15 February, 2008

Fall 2008: "Health, Issues and Ethics"
Full-time, 15 Credits (DIAL 390W, 391W, 392W)
Application deadline: 29 February 2008

For more information, visit the Undergraduate Semester in Dialogue website. I highly recommend it!


Patrick

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Is the new GSS part of the CFS?

As you probably know, the graduate students have opted to leave the Simon Fraser Student Society (SFSS) to form their own Graduate Student Society (GSS). The new GSS will be fully operational this May.

On a possible related note, the Spring's SFSS elections will (hopefully) determine whether or not the SFSS is granted a divorce from the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS). I'll discuss the CFS in detail some point in the near future, but for now the latest required reading on the matter may be found here.

There's one big question I have for the GSS: what legal baggage do you carry over from the SFSS? In particular, is the GSS legally a member of the CFS?

There doesn't seem to be anyone speaking about it (at least, my Google searches have not dug up anything) which is strange given the importance of the matter. I've e-mailed for the GSS and the CFS to see if I can get some comment on the matter, and will report back as soon as I get answers. Look ma, mild investigative journalism!

p.s. I'm the other guy running this blog, John LaRusic. I'm a graduate student at SFU Surrey working towards an MSc in Mathematics. My favourite thing to do is watch results during an election night, and my biggest pet peeve is people who crack their knuckles. Hi!

p.p.s. As Patrick likes to remind you, vote for us!

Consultations on Student Space Renovations

Does the dirty, old carpet in the Rotunda make you cringe?

Do you lament the lack of electrical outlets for laptops around campus?

Have you ever walked through the Atrium Cafeteria and thought, "This place could use a little touch of fabulous?"


Well now you can have your say at three open consultations organized by the Simon Fraser Student Society (SFSS). The SFSS plans to renovate Forum Chambers (downstairs from Higher Grounds in MBC), the Atrium Cafeteria (in MBC), and the Rotunda (the seating/locker area between Out On Campus and the Women's Centre). Students are invited to attend the consultations to share what they want the renovated spaces to look like. Students may drop-in anytime during the three-hour meetings.

Consultations:

Forum Chambers (off of Convo Mall, under Higher Grounds, next to The Peak.)
between 12-3pm, Thursday January 24th
with Free Food for participants.

Atrium Cafeteria (2nd floor of the MBC, past The Ladle and Mr Sub)
between 12-3pm, Thursday January 31st
with Free Food for participants.

The Rotunda (in the middle of P!RG, Out On Campus, the Women's Centre,
and above CJSF)
between 12-3pm, Thursday February 7th
with free Food for participants.


Patrick

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If you're from SFU and found the info on Instant Blog helpful, please take a minute to vote for us. We're competing with other blogs in the Voter-Funded Media Contest. The contest aims to better inform the SFU community, particularly about issues being decided by vote.

Business Admin Student Society Elections

The nomination process for the Business Administration Student Society (BASS) elections has now started up. Candidate applications are due at 11:55 pm on Monday, February 4, 2008. The elections will be held during the week of February 11 to 15, 2008.

The following positions are open:
1. President
2. VP Internal
3. VP External
4. VP Finance
5. VP Events
6. VP Communications
7. VP Administration
8. VP Student Issues

Unfortunately, I can't upload the candidate application form here. However, if you're interested in running for a position or simply learning more about the BASS elections, you may email Jennifer Jiang at yjj3 [at] sfu.ca.

Patrick

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If you're from SFU and found the info on Instant Blog helpful, please take a minute to vote for us. We're competing with other blogs in the Voter-Funded Media Contest. The contest aims to better inform the SFU community, particularly about issues being decided by vote.

2008 SFSS Elections Announced

Yes, it's that time of year again. Simon Fraser Student Society (SFSS) elections are less than two months away. SFU undergrads (or more realistically, about 5% of them) will be heading to the polls on March 18, 19, and 20.

Students will be electing six executive officers (President, External Relations Officer, Internal Relations Officer, Treasurer, University Relations Officer, and Member Services Officer) and eight representatives to the Board of Directors (six faculty reps and two members-at-large).

The campaign period runs from February 27 to March 17.

If you're interested in running in the election, nomination forms will be available starting February 11 and must be submitted by February 25. For details on how to run, see the Election FAQ put out by the SFSS Independent Electoral Commission.

Now that SFU's graduate students have separated from the SFSS and have formed their own Graduate Student Society (GSS), they hold their own elections. Elections for GSS President, Treasurer, and Secretary are expected to be held in March, although no details have been released on the GSS website yet.

Patrick

Voter-Funded Media (VFM) Contest

We have officially entered the Voter-Funded Media (VFM) Contest at SFU for this month!

What does that mean? That means we are competing with three other blogs to provide information to the SFU community.

How does it work? Anyone with an SFU computing ID and password can rate each of the contestants on a scale of 0 (worst) to 10 (best). Raters may score the blogs according to any judging criteria they choose. The votes are tallied at the end of the month and prizes are awarded to the top 5 competitors.

So if you like Instant Blog, please take a moment to register as a voter and rate us!

For more information on the contest, click here.

Thanks for your support!

Patrick

An Instant Blog for an Instant University

Welcome to our blog of SFU-related writings!

Hopefully you'll find what we have to say to be helpful, informative, and possibly entertaining. We're attempting to enter this blog into the Voter-Funded Media Contest at SFU. I'll give more details about the contest if we're accepted.

In the meantime, I'll briefly introduce myself. My name is Patrick Lee. I recently graduated from SFU with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree and a Certificate in Liberal Arts. My interests include sustainability and entrepreneurship, particularly where the two intersect. I enjoy karaoke, holding hands, and listening to Rufus Wainwright songs, though not necessarily simultaneously.

Patrick