{"id":21957,"date":"2022-01-10T09:00:32","date_gmt":"2022-01-10T17:00:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/?p=21957"},"modified":"2022-01-11T12:57:38","modified_gmt":"2022-01-11T20:57:38","slug":"what-we-want-to-see-at-camosun-in-2022-nexus-staff-and-contributing-writers-on-what-needs-to-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/2022\/01\/10\/what-we-want-to-see-at-camosun-in-2022-nexus-staff-and-contributing-writers-on-what-needs-to-change\/","title":{"rendered":"What we want to see at Camosun in 2022: Nexus staff and contributing writers on what needs to change"},"content":{"rendered":"

What needs to happen at Lansdowne by Caitlin Kinsgmill, student editor<\/strong><\/p>\n

With the start of a new semester, and with a new Camosun president leading the way, it feels like an appropriate time to be brainstorming changes one might like to see on campus. I\u2019m pretty satisfied with my overall student experience here, but after contemplating for a few days, here\u2019s what I came up with.<\/p>\n

The first thing that comes to mind is that, at Lansdowne, the By the Books coffee shop and the main cafeteria both close fairly early. Other than vending machines, they are the only places to get food at the school and it would be nice if they had slightly longer hours for those who have later classes, or who spend most afternoons working in the library, like myself. I try to remember to bring food to school, but that often ends up being overlooked during my rush to get out the door every morning. Because my school schedule doesn\u2019t always allow me to be at the cafeteria around noon\u2014at which time it\u2019s also usually completely packed full of students\u2014I end up not really eating many days of the week. That may be on account of my own poor planning skills, but I would imagine that other students can relate.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

On the subject of the cafeteria, it\u2019s often hard to find a seat during the lunch rush. It feels pretty counter-intuitive, given all the COVID measures in place, to have a small enclosed room so full of people without masks on. Looking at adding more tables and seating nearby would be a good idea to consider.<\/p>\n

I also feel that there is a fatal absence of coffee in the afternoons. I assume that many students rely on coffee to make it through the day, and not having access to it after the caf closes at 4 pm is hard. Extending the hours of the caf or By the Books, or adding a little coffee station somewhere on campus, could be a nice touch for the afternoon and evening students and staff.<\/p>\n

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This story originally appeared in our January 10, 2022 issue.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On the topic of things being closed early, I find that, especially during exam season, the library closes a bit early. If extending the hours isn\u2019t an option, hosting a campus study night would be a fun idea, and a good way to meet people. The hospitality program hosts a pub night at Dunlop House a few times throughout the semester, and having more events like that would also be a good way to socialize with other students. As the effects of the pandemic continue to impede on our social abilities, having the opportunity to consume alcohol with fellow students could help.<\/p>\n

Overall, when I compare my experience here with that of other post-secondary institutions, the big thing that stands out at Camosun is the lack of a sense of community. There are probably a lot of factors that influence that, like faster student turnover, a smaller student body, and no living-on-campus experience. However, I think hosting more communal events could help.<\/p>\n

Three ways to help students relax, by Nicolas Ihmels, staff writer<\/strong><\/p>\n

The fall 2021 semester was mostly great. The cafeteria serves great food, the teachers and staff were extra helpful, and the vending machines finally have good snacks in them. Still, there are a couple of changes I would make so that Camosun can be a better place to study at. Here are my top three things that Camosun can do to make life better for students and staff alike.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

3: Relaxing exercises before class<\/b><\/p>\n

The main thing I took notice of last semester is that everyone I was in classes with was so tense, and that includes instructors. Some of them are better at hiding it than others, but overall you feel like you\u2019re learning beside walking volcanoes. For example, one time in my Philosophy class, a fellow student brought up an unrelated philosophical question about the ending of Children of Men<\/i>, and the teacher just barked at him about backing up his evidence. It was pretty unprofessional, but due to the stress everyone is under, it\u2019s understandable. To combat this behaviour, a really good suggestion would be that Camosun makes it mandatory for every class to begin with something along the lines of a breathing exercise that will help us put away our stress from our daily lives and start the class on a more relaxed note.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

2: Coffee breaks\u00a0<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

Now, I have been here at Camosun for a long time, and one of the things I\u2019ve noticed is that Camosun students rely pretty heavily on caffeine. Lots of students depend on it to help focus on their studies. I\u2019m recommending that the college put in one 10-minute coffee break into all of our classes, because in these trying times we all need a little help from a good old cup of joe to get through our day.<\/p>\n

1: Make teachers stop giving COVID updates during class\u00a0<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

You can make the argument that it\u2019s important to know what\u2019s going on around the college in regard to COVID, but going forward, teachers also need to keep in mind that we pay for a lecture on the topic we have signed up for, not to get lectured on how to perform the same public-health measures we\u2019ve practiced over and over again for almost two years. We already are exposed to constant anxiety-inducing articles and videos and put up with endless COVID updates from Bonnie Henry, hoping that she doesn\u2019t shut everything down again. So please, do not come to teach a class at Camosun and spend the first 45 minutes talking about the latest COVID numbers. It\u2019s incredibly frustrating at a time where people\u2019s anxiety levels are already very high and we\u2019re trying everything in our power to keep them down so that our mental health doesn\u2019t completely disintegrate.<\/p>\n

The international perspective, by Jacqueline Sperber, staff writer<\/strong><\/p>\n

What I really would like to see at Camosun this year is more teachers for the Marketing program, and more Marketing courses offered. Pursuing a PDD means to me that I want to strive in my education. I want to learn more, especially from industry specialists, and I feel like I\u2019m missing out on that a little bit for the winter semester. Also, I took courses that I didn\u2019t really want to take because there was just not the selection that I had hoped for.<\/p>\n

I also want the international advisors to be more involved with the students and come back to in-person advising since the email system doesn\u2019t really work that well. It\u2019s either a very long wait on an answer or no answer at all. Because of this, for some questions I even contacted other schools on the island to get an answer; they actually got back within one day even though I wasn\u2019t their student. So, Camosun can really do better here.<\/p>\n

The study pods in the Alex & Jo Campbell Centre for Health and Wellness are great and I would actually like to see more of them throughout the campus. The pods in the building should also be positioned the other way around, so you can actually look out the window and be sheltered from people walking by. Noise-cancelling sound pods would be even better and great to use between classes when you need a break between all the buzz.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I would also love to see some pilates classes for Interurban, as Lansdowne gets yoga classes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

French classes for international students, free of charge, would also be of interest to me. Embracing the bilingualism of Canada by having such a program would just be amazing and also a selling point for me if I was still picking a college.<\/p>\n

I\u2019d also like to see more teachers working with open textbooks. Textbooks are a significant expense to students, and seeing that international students spend so much more on tuition than domestic students do, it all adds up. Some international students are crashing on friends\u2019 couches because they can\u2019t afford their own place. Education should be accessible to everyone and just because someone comes from a different country shouldn\u2019t mean that they should go without basic needs in exchange for education.<\/p>\n

And, last but not least, the coffee situation after 2 pm at Interurban. A lot of students (and teachers) have night classes but there\u2019s no way to access coffee after 2 pm. Some of us would really love a coffee at 5 pm. Especially at Interurban, where you can\u2019t really run off campus to grab something, a coffee machine would be nice.<\/p>\n

As well, there should be some additional food sources at Interurban\u2014I see a lot of students wandering around that campus at 6 pm looking for food, and the only option is the pizza machine, if it\u2019s not sold out. That situation actually got better since we last wrote about it, and usually pizza is now available for night classes, which is great. But maybe a small sandwich stand from 5 to 7 pm on days when there are evening classes could help starving students to get through their last classes. And the college doesn\u2019t have to look far: I\u2019m sure ETP students would love to help with that.<\/p>\n

Four things I want to see changed by Celina Lessard, contributing writer<\/strong><\/p>\n

1. Run the 200 level Spanish courses<\/b><\/p>\n

It has recently come to my attention that, although secondary level Spanish courses (such as SPAN 205 and 240) are offered by Camosun, those 200 level courses aren\u2019t currently in operation. I\u2019ve heard \u201clack of interest\u201d floating around as a possible reason for why, but that just doesn\u2019t sit right with me. As it is, these courses aren\u2019t even available on CamLink. How can students be interested in a course that they can\u2019t take? If a course wasn\u2019t popular and had to be cancelled because of insufficient registrations, that\u2019s one thing, but just\u2026 not offering it? Even though you say you do? I realize there are many reasons why courses may not be offered, but the college needs to at least explain why they aren\u2019t being offered and when they will be offered again to keep students in the loop.<\/p>\n

2. Release Adobe Creative Cloud to all Camosun students<\/b><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve said this before, but it still hasn\u2019t been changed so it\u2019s up for scrutiny again. Camosun used to provide access to Adobe Creative Cloud for all Camosun students. They don\u2019t do that anymore and now only certain programs have access to Adobe CC. And on top of that, nobody seems to know what programs these are! I understand that certain programs may use this software more than others, but learning how to use industry-level software is never a waste of time or money. Especially in the wake of COVID, allowing students to learn how to navigate this software and create professional quality media should be a top priority of the college.<\/p>\n

3. Group fitness classes should be free<\/b><\/p>\n

Camosun College has a gym on each campus that is 100-percent free for Camosun students to use. It\u2019s fantastic for students that want to do a light workout before class, or totally tear it up before heading home for the day. But the group fitness classes? Not so free. The current recreation budget does not stretch to cover the cost of outsourced instructors. Why are we limiting the physical activity of our financially challenged students? Or any other students, for that matter? Being a student is expensive no matter where you study. It\u2019s fantastic that Camosun has a free gym for students on each campus, but the fact of the matter is that the group fitness classes need to be included for every student, regardless of financial situation.<\/p>\n

4. Campus buildings need to be heated better<\/b><\/p>\n

At first I thought it was just the Interurban campus, but then I moved to Lansdowne and encountered the same, chilling problem: Camosun buildings are cold. Lots of my classmates complain about this, but all we can really do is wear our jackets inside the buildings on campus. This one is a pretty easy fix, so I don\u2019t see a reason as to why it should even be a problem in the first place. Camosun needs to make sure its buildings are heated and\/or insulated properly.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What needs to happen at Lansdowne by Caitlin Kinsgmill, student editor With the start of a new semester, and with a new Camosun president leading the way, it feels like an appropriate time to be brainstorming changes one might like to see on campus. I\u2019m pretty satisfied with my overall student experience here, but after […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":21967,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,261],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21957","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features","category-january-10-2022"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21957","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21957"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21957\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21969,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21957\/revisions\/21969"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21967"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21957"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21957"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21957"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}