‘It’s one of the best parties I’ve been to’
By Colten Kamlade, Staff Reporter
The monthly pub nights hosted by the DSU are off to a good start for the year.
Over 120 students had filed into Pint 405 by 9 p.m.—only half an hour into the event—and more trickled in throughout the night, with the number of students reaching up to 200. It’s not hard to see why students are lining up outside for these events. Pint 405 is like a cross between your neighbourhood pub and a nightclub. The music throbs and the dance floor is packed, but a plethora of craft beers are also served on tap.
Telka Pesklevits, the women’s representative for the DSU, said that the beginning of each semester is often the time when students participate most in pub nights.
“It always seems to be busier near the start of the term,” she said.
There is still plenty of student engagement throughout the term, however, and the DSU hosts plenty of other events, including movie marathons and free food events.
A student at the event, Aldrin Johny, seemed grateful for the work that the DSU does, and expressed his enthusiasm for the pub night.
“It’s one of the best parties I’ve been to,” he said.
The DSU’s events weren’t always so well attended, but now that they have a base, the DSU is planning on making a difference. Aran Armutlu, the director of finance for the DSU, said that they were focussing on one issue in particular over the next few terms.
“One campaign we’re going to be pushing quite hard is our open education resources campaign. Open education resources are anything, any sort of course material that is developed to be in the open, public domain,” he said. “So, what it does is it makes it free of charge for students … it’s something that students can really relate to. Sometimes when you talk about tuition, interest on student loans, it’s these grand issues that can sometimes be hard to grasp.”
Armutlu went into detail about open education resources and what it means for students and professors. Open education resources are more than just free textbooks, but a way for students and their instructors to engage each other, often by creating and sharing their work.
“Open education resources are fascinating because it opens up a whole world of collaboration between students and instructors,” he said. “I’ve even heard of classes where students have created study guides and given it out for other students to use.”
To learn more about the DSU’s open education resources campaign visit: http://www.thedsu.ca/advocacy/campaigns/open-textbooks-now/
