SU President's Message On behalf of the UPEI Student Union, I would like to wel- come all new and returning stu- dents to another year at UPEI. It seems summer passes too quickly for all of us, but now its time to hit the books...well, not quite - maybe after September. We have been working hard over the summer to set up an exciting fall schedule of events which is sure to pull you away from the desk and cause you to miss those dreaded 8:30am classes. Shelley and the operations staff have some major bands and exciting nights planned every week for all of September, just check out the Events This summer has also been pretty busy for myself and Jared, the VP Finance, as we researched new school and business ideas which will keep our organization strong while providing services we all want. I have dedicated myself and our Senators to a professor evaluation initiative which, when implemented, would see student evaluations of every professor made available to all students. We are prepared for a September Provincial election, where we will be ensuring that debt and tuition will be a public issue and that the candidates give us some real answers. Our own elections will soon be done on-line, providing everyone the ability to make their vote count. We have hired some new positions, including Interim Executive Vice President (Aimee Arsenault), we welcome all the new additions as they have helped to better position ourselves for the upcoming year. To add to the excitement .:page [12] September 29, 2003:. that September generally brings around here, we will be having our By-Elections on October Ist and 2nd. A number of councillor posi- tions remain vacant including busi- ness, science and senate seats, but we now have the unique situation of electing an Executive Vice President - a position left vacant over the summer. I encourage any- one interested to speak with one of our staff and fill out nomination papers - it could be a valuable experience. We worked hard on the student handbooks all summer and we are proud to offer all full-time students a copy for free. With it. this year comes a student saver card good for discounts at locations all over Charlottetown. We encour- age you to drop by and pick up a copy of the handbook from our front desk on the second floor of the Murphy Student Centre. While there, you may also wish to fill out your opt-out form for your medical insurance, an option available to - any student who is already covered under a different medical plan. Finally, I wish to invite all students to become involved during their time spent here at UPEI. Whether it is simply spending time/ in your campus bar - The Wave, ~ supporting your Panthers sports _ teams, enjoying a concert in the Murphy Student Centre, serving on Council or volunteering for one of the many University committees, we must all remember that this is our campus, our experience, and we will always remember our years spent here. Welcome back and enjoy the experience! - Brandon MacKenzie Student Union President (902) 566-0398 suprez@upei.ca VP Activities Message I would like to welcome both returning and new students to UPEI this fall. I hope that everyone has had a chance to take advantage of our fun filled line up for September. We are continuing to work hard at providing an exciting jam packed year of events! Just in the last three weeks we have had some great things happen. We opened the semester with the "Theory of a Deadman" show. This was a great way to get back into the swing of the fall semester. This was followed by great performances from The Rude Mechanicals, Nathan Wiley, Gord Downie & the Country of Miracles, Signal Hill, Popjoy, and the first Foam Party ever held on PEI. The Wave our campus pub has been is central hangout for stu- dents this year and is a great place to meet with friends and make some new ones. The weekly line up is as follows: Tuesday - Trailer Park Boys Wednesday - Student Night Trivia Thursday - Wing Night Friday - Dance Club Saturday - Bands Sunday - Varsity Night There will be exciting events and theme parties through- out the year so make sure to keep an eye on. what is happening at The Wave on a weekly basis. Every year the enthusiasm of students is growing by leaps and bounds. We have various Clubs & Societies, as well as exceptional athletics. I strongly encourage all students to take part in all of the wonderful things that the university has to offer. I look forward to my year ahead of me on the Executive of the UPEI Student Union, if you have any comments questions or just want to talk I encourage you to stop by our offices. Lets work together to may the year of 2003/04 a year like no other! _ Shelley MacNeill suvpa@upei.ca 566-0670 Executive VP's Message Hi all, welcome back to another fun-filled year at UPEI. I know everyone's busy getting back into the groove, but I encourage all of you to tear yourselves away from the books long enough to take advantage of all the excitement the Student Union has to offer. For those of you who may want to get involved, there are still positions to be filled on several standing com- mittees, as well as lots of volunteer opportunities coming up through charity fundraisers. _I stepped into this position during the last week of August, and already things are busy in the office. I've been in contact with the folks from AIDS PEI about the AIDS Walk, and also about the possibility of holding another Cut- a-Thon here on campus (a chance to get your hair cut for a reason- able price and support a great