MAPUS represents all full- time mature (older than 24 years) and all part-time (1 or 2 courses) students who, as the Academic Year 1987-88, made up. 41% of the total University of Prince Ed- ward Island student population. This older-than-average student population reflects a growing so- cial trend toward continuing ed- ucation across Canada. MAPUS is affiliated with the Canadian Organization for Part-time Uni- .versity Students (COPUS) which seeks to achieve equality of op- portunity, at the local, provincial, and national levels, for all univer- sity students.

MAPUS has been recognized as the official representative of the older-than—average and part- time students. It has:

—an executive committee elected by its membership.

—a representative on the UPEI Senate Extension Committee:

-obtained associate member- ship of the UPEISU in October 83.

one voting and one non- voting seat on the UPEI Student Council.

—acquired a voting seat on the UPEI Senate in June 86...

-MAPUS was formed to en-

sure that mature and part-time students are an integral and ac- knowledged part of the UPEI community.

MAPUS recognizes that many of the concerns of its members re- flect a life-style which differs with regard to responsibilities and ex- perience to that of traditional students.

~a life-style to which many of the traditional communication networks (official or otherwise) do not reach .

-or a life-style which may re- quire the older—-that—average stu- dent to attend evening classes when many of the University Sup- port Services are not yet avail- able.

~or a life-style which reflects a need for activities and social events that differ in content and timing.

—to those which are generally structured to meet the needs of the younger student.

MAPUS goals are to

—extend the framework for communication between its mem- bers and with the University communications networks.

e

—increase participation in decision—making processes and overall involvement in the University community.

-expand course offerings and support services in the evenings and. Saturdays and generally fa- cilitate the process of obtaining a degree.

-explore sources of financial aid. MAPUS has secured two bursaries fro part-time students.

—-to support an environment which is conductive to the per- sonal growth ad development of mature and part-time students and mutually satisfying to the larger University Community.

MAPUS has acquired a Lounge in Berna- dine Hall for the use of its mem- bers and is currently attempting to secure centrally located office space (Robertson Library).

MAPUS surveyed its part- time student population last year on the issue of part-time student fees and received overwhelming support. To this point MAPUS is without funding. Steps are be- gin taken to initiate a $5.00 per course semester fee payable upon Registration. Planned expendi-

_ MAPUS WELCOMES STUDENTS

tures are bursaries, staff person, telephone, newsletters, station-

ary, mailouts, social events, at- tendance at conferences, etc.

MAPUS elected representatives for the 1988-89 Academic Year:

PRESIDENT VICE-PRESIDENT SECRETARY/TREASURER

SENATE REPRESENTATIVE

SU REPRESENTATIVE

Paula Gauthier 892-6779 Bernadette MacDonald 687-2752 Shelley Robbins 894-5595 Paula Gauthier 892-6779

Scott MacDonald 569-4072

Please do not hesitate to call us for further information, for as-

sistance, or to share!

Planning Meeting Thursday 7:00 Sept 15 MAPUS Lounge,

Bernadine Hall ; ;

BF

Hs ai ae Pak Se ee

HH

Te One SAE PouTicALCARTooN

AN ELECTRONIC SIGN has been purchased by the Student Union and Student Services for The Pit. This comes despite the fact that a similar project using electronic messages was tried pre- viously in the 1985/86 academic year and failed. ;

The sign is the red LED- type common found in bars and other similar establishments and will be used to broadcast cross-

campus information and possibly -

rent space in the future to com- panies. It will be placed on the wall above the Student Union ‘In- formation Centre’ in The Pit.

' Purchasing the sign was pro- posed by members of last year’s

Ie Tif enos! : £2

Council buys sign for Pit

Student Council, who felt that messages about upcoming events

at the Barn and Student Union job openings were not getting through to students. However, how effective a small electronic sign will be remains unclear.

The $1249.00 cost of the sign is being shared by the Student Union and UPEI department of Student Services. In addition, plans are to hire a student to program messages into the sign, which must be done manually by attaching a computer keyboard. Plans are that the student will update the signs every second or third day, for which payment will be $450.00 per semester. To ex-

pand the duties of the position, Council has decided to also bur- den the person with the responsi- bility of clearing campus bulletin boards.

A scheme remarkably similar to the electronic sign was tried by the Student Union during the 1985/86 school year. A computer ‘telidon’ display was installed in the Pit by the UPEI Computer Centre on which could be shown colour pictures and messages of Student Union news. The display was administered by a student who was responsible for getting the information to the Computer Centre who would then type it in.

However, by the beginning of

the second term, the display was virtually inactive. Apparently students ignored the display, even though it faced the most popu- lar sitting location in The Pit. Eventually, the student in charge stopped giving information to the Computer Centre to display and the project ground to a halt.

Student Union VP Commu- nications Paul Griffith is op- tomistic that a red electronic sign mounted behind the Mini Cen- tre will be more successful. He said the telidon display “wasn’t as catchy”. as this new type of sign.

Make work project?

Apparently Student Council

did not look into the fact that electronic signs of this type may be connected to an existing com- puter from which messages can be ‘downloaded’. The manufac- turer makes a sign which, in- stead of paying a person to plug a keyboard into the sign every other day, could be connected to UPEI’s computer system. A per- son already hired, such as the SU full-time secretary, would then only have to type messages into the Union’s new computer sys- tem. From there it could be au- tomatically displayed on the elec- tronic sign in the pit.

The “catchy” new sign has been ordered and will be installed when it arrives.

== Thursday, September 15th, 1988

lose: —_——s. =