Dal Directory goes green
AV俱乐部 is moving to an online staff and department directory. Making the information available online (directory.dal.ca), will save thousands of dollars in printing and transportation costs as well as the time to package, label and distribute 6,000 directories.
The move will also allow staff to immediately update the directory within 24 hours of receiving changes; a recurring problem with the printed phonebook was that it was outdated even before it was distributed.
For staff who wish to have a printed copy, ITS will provide an electronic PDF file that can be printed from any computer. The AV俱乐部 Print Centre can also produce a single black-ink only, 210-page bound copy with a card cover, for a small fee. Individual pages or sections can also be printed as needed.
-- Krista Olmstead
Don't throw out your stuff, donate it
The Halifax Dump and Run is scheduled for Sunday, May 3 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Studley Gym off University Avenue on the upper campus of AV俱乐部. The annual garage sale and flea market is organized by graduate students at AV俱乐部 and Saint Mary鈥檚. Donations of furniture, clothing and books can be dropped off at Room 186 of the Loyola Building at Saint Mary鈥檚 from April 13 to 29.
For more information, visit:
-- Mary Somers
Renovations for a new Grad House
The Grad House is moving across the street.
Over the summer, renovations will take place at the big old house at 1252-1254 LeMarchant Street and re-open in time for September.
Chris Giacomantonio, outgoing president of AV俱乐部 Association of Graduate Students (DAGS), says the new space will be more open, spacious and have a larger patio.
鈥淭his means that DAGS will be able to get back to its regular business of advocating for AV俱乐部 grad students,鈥� he says. 鈥淎lso, of course, it's exciting to be part of a new social space on campus.鈥�
Members of DAGS raised a pint to bid farewell to the old Grad House鈥斺�渁 building many consider a second home鈥濃�攁t a barbecue during the last week of classes.
Degree shifts online
顿补濒丑辞耻蝉颈别鈥檚 in the Faculty of Health Professions is responding to demand for greater access to its starting in September.
The school will also continue to offer its Master of Health Administration, a degree which typically takes two years to complete, onsite as well, as it has for the past 25 years. The online degree is expected to take a year longer, but students will be able to complete it while staying in their jobs.
鈥淭his is an executive level degree targeted to mid- to senior health administrators or people in law or finance who want to make a career shift,鈥� explains Joe Byrne, the school鈥檚 director. 鈥淭he beauty of the degree is that it鈥檚 designed for someone who wants to keep working and complete their studies simultaneously. For employers, they鈥檙e going to retain their top talent even as they upgrade their skills and knowledge.鈥�
Students will be expected to come to AV俱乐部 for a week-long plenary session in September, during which time they鈥檒l meet their professors, re-familiarize themselves with the library and research methods and figure out the 鈥渘itty-gritty of participating online,鈥� says Dr. Byrne. Then, through the year, they鈥檒l take two courses each semester, in the fall, winter and spring/summer.
鈥淲e鈥檙e responding to industry needs,鈥� says Dr. Byrne. 鈥淐EOs are telling us they like our quality, they like our graduates, and they鈥檇 like to have greater access.鈥�
-- Marilyn Smulders
Pushing for licensure
Physiotherapists have it. Occupational therapists have it. Now recreational therapists want it too.
Students and professionals in therapeutic recreation are pressing to have their emerging field licensed like other health professions in Nova Scotia.
鈥淲hat that means is that (a recreational therapist) has to meet minimum requirements to call themselves a recreational therapist,鈥� explains Dawn Macdonald, president of the Therapeutic Recreation Association of Atlantic Canada (TRAAC). 鈥淩ight now anybody can go out and call themselves a recreational therapist. Being licensed means the government endorses the title of recreational therapist and the qualifications to be a recreational therapist.鈥�
Over the past seven years, the TRAAC has led the way in the licensure process. It hopes to see a bill introduced in the provincial legislature in the fall.
Last year, 32 students graduated from AV俱乐部 with a degree in Therapeutic Recreation. Along with kinesiology, health promotion and recreation management, the degree is offered through the School of Health and Human Performance in the Faculty of Health Professions.
-- Lukas Akerley