ith the 2004— 2005 school ear getting on its way, it's mportant for new and return- ng students alike to have an lea of what is going on in the ampus community. One thing hat will make this So easier is ne brand new Student Union eb site, which is slated to be -line_very soon. ae _The new web site has en in development all sum- her, according to Student Inion President Clare enderson, who says "the stu- ent union wanted t me and consideration to do is right— the internet has hanged the way we operate d most students are internet aAvvy, thus we wanted to make site to accommodate their eeds throughout the school car The changes to the stu- ent union web site come after uch thought of how the orig- hal web site was serving the ampus: "It's a reflection of e times," ‘laments enderson. "With the previous eb site we were unable to date the site as well as we ould have liked, and if infor- ation isn't changing on the eb site to meet the students' eeds_ it's not a resource, so it as time to make a pee I'm very excited. I rea y © believe the web site will ave a great impact on the uni- ersity community. I recom- nend that all students use it as ir personal home page." ., . Several new features vill be included on the web ite; one Henderson believes tudents will get much use of S the Used Book Exchange, a earch for used text books on- to take the. ite for students to post and FOR YOUR WiEWING PLEASURE line. "It will be a welcome change to walking around campus searching the bill- boards for cheap books. I think the book exchange will save a few trees and a lot of walking," says the Student Union President. Another feature, the Tonight at The Wave menu, will list the daily events occurring at the Wave. "No student should be heard saying on a Friday night / didn't know what was going on at the Wave," says Henderson. Also every councillor will have a block/form on the site, so stu- dents can contact them with their queries throughout the school year. The year is just beginning so make sure you keep a lookout for the new and improved Student Union web site. , As the 2004-2005 year begins, so does another session of the co-operative education pro- gram at UPEI. The co-op pro- gram provides UPEI Business, Computer Science, and Physics students a chance to work during their school year or summer while earning course credit (students may enter the program in their sec- ond year of _ studies). However, this year there are several new changes to the program that those familiar with it may want to pay atten- tion to. The co-op program, which began in 1996, started as an opportunity for students to become acquainted with their desired field, as well as put their in-class knowledge to work in real world situations. "The program provides stu- dents with experience, allows them to explore different sec- tors, as well as earn money, CITY OF CHARLOTTETOWN Mayor Clifford Lee & Charlottetown City Council BEST OF LUCK TO ALL UNIVERSITY STUDENTS DURING THE 2004-2005 SCHOOL _ YEARI We wish you every success UPEI Cadre September 14, 2004 page 3 ma. ntacts, and gair confidence" explains co-op coordinator Ernie Doiron. Returning students may notice some differences from previous years in the co- op program. Of course there is the fee increase of 5-6%, similar to the increase in tuition. Doiron contends that this money has been placed back into the program, having hired a new co-ordinator, whose sole function is the pro- motion of the program, and finding new businesses will- ing to host participants, with a focus on international oppor- tunities. One 4th year co-op student, who asked to remain anonymous said, "There's really a lot of benefit in co-op, it's too bad they had to raise the price. Hopefully it doesn't keep new students away." Another change 1s a dif- ficulty in receiving student loans. As loans are given first to those in need, co-op stu- dents are sometimes over looked as they have a "decent job" as compared to other stu- dents who may not be work- ing. However, the process may not factor in costs such as rent, car payments and other bills, leaving deserving stu- dents with empty pockets. Recognizing this, Mr. Doiron is planning an information session with some people from student loans, allowing students a chance to voice their concerns. For those interested there will be two information sessions on the co-op program September 17th and 24th, at a time and place to be named. The deadline for applications to the program is October 15th.