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In response to continued requests for TRU OL crested clothing, the TRU Bookstore has kindly coordinated a special limited time offer.

Open Learning items have been made available for purchase and can be viewed at the following website: http://www.thebookstore.tru.ca/ Click on TRU Clothing & Merchandise, under General Merchandise click on Open Learning Clothing.

(The direct link is HERE)

Please note that this is a limited time offer and orders need to be placed online with a credit card by Sunday, November 15, 2009. The clothing will be available for pick up at the Bookstore during the 2nd week of December. Free shipping is available for employees working off campus by entering “Open Learning” in the promotion code during the ordering process.

If you don’t know what size to get in a particular garment, comparable items are available in the Bookstore.

It is unknown if this offer will be repeated, so be sure to take advantage of this opportunity if you are interested in telling the world (OK, those that actually see you in the clothing) that you are part of the Open Learning team!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/thompsonriversuniversity

The BC Council on Admissions & Transfer (BCCAT), in partnership with the Industry Training Authority (ITA), is pleased to announce the inclusion of apprenticeship program information in Education Planner at www.educationplanner.ca. In addition to being able to view information on post-secondary programs available in BC, users can now view all apprenticeship programs offered at BC public institutions.  Training schedules are provided by the BC Trades Training Consortium allowing users to easily see when apprentice training is available.

Thompson Rivers University – Open Learning, building’s photos

Here we are on Vancouver Skytrain, WestCoast and buses…

On Monday, August 31, from 8:30 am to 4 pm, employees and students of Thompson Rivers University will be donating their time, expertise and enthusiasm for a Day of Caring at the Boys and Girls Club facilities on McArthur Island.

The motivated crew of 30 volunteers from TRU will include President and Vice-Chancellor Kathleen Scherf, who has been a passionate supporter of the United Way since her arrival to Kamloops
a year ago.

“The TRU community didn’t hesitate to come forward and use a day’s vacation so they could pitch in and help the Boys and Girls Club with painting and improving the playground,” Scherf said. “I am exited to be able to spend the day volunteering along side members from CUPE, our Faculty Association, the TRU Student Union, trade students and so many others from the university that support the United Way.”

Besides painting several rooms inside the building – recreation areas as well as storage space, tables and cabinets, TRU volunteers will be picking up larger projects outside the facility. They will build a pergola as TRU Trades students erect a storage shed that has been donated by the TRU School of Trades and Technology.

Day of Caring is a community initiative designed to foster a sense of caring through volunteerism. It is not a fund-raising event, but an opportunity for businesses and their employees to undertake worthwhile projects for non-profit organizations. Not only do the non-profit organizations benefit from valuable assistance in completing a much
needed project that would not have been done otherwise, but the employee groups are given the opportunity to see first hand what valuable services are being provided by annual contributions to the United Way.

In 2008 President Scherf led TRU’s United Way employee campaign, raising over $63,000. TRU also earned the 2008 Community Spirit Large Organization award, which recognized TRU’s encouragement of staff to learn about and contribute to their community through
United Way involvement.

from http://www.tru.ca/marketing/mediareleases/2009/united_way_day_of_caring.html

PREMIER GORDON CAMPBELL OPENS $12.3-MILLION OPEN LEARNING CENTRE

Premier Gordon Campbell officially opened the $12.3-million B.C. Centre for Open Learning, a state-of-the-art building at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops that is a base to deliver programs for students to complete a post-secondary education throughout the province.

Premier Gordon Campbell at the grand opening of the $12.3-million B.C. Centre for Open Learning in Kamloops, which will support students throughout B.C. taking open learning courses and programs either online or by traditional print-based distance methods.

Premier Gordon Campbell was joined by Advanced Education Minister Murray Coell, Kamloops MLAs Kevin Krueger and Claude Richmond, and staff and faculty of Thompson Rivers University to open the $12.3-million B.C. Centre for Open Learning.

from BC Government News – November 2, 2007

The summer is moving on and we’re starting to think about the fall term and students returning to campus. An area that always has our attention is “Scent Reduction”. This year in particular we have a student who is coming to TRU that has extreme multiple chemical sensitivities. While we do not want to single out any one person, we feel it is important to do our ‘due diligence’ and continue to make the campus aware of this issue. We will be continuing to promote a “scent reduction” environment through other communiques but would appreciate if you could share the attached with your staff and underline the significance of this issue.
Thanks for your attention to this. See you soon.

Why:

We generally think that it is a personal choice to use fragrances; however, fragrance chemicals are by their very nature shared. The chemicals vaporize into the air and are easily inhaled by those around us. Today’s scented products are made up of a complex mixture of chemicals, many of which are synthetic compounds derived from petroleum products. These fragrance chemicals, classified as volatile organic compounds, can contribute to indoor air quality problems and cause health problems.

Susceptible individuals can experience a variety of symptoms, including headache, sore throat, runny nose, sinus congestion, wheezing, shortness of breath, dizziness, anxiety, anger, nausea, fatigue, mental confusion and an inability to concentrate. Some of these fragrance chemicals are known to be skin sensitizers. Some are also respiratory tract irritants, and can trigger asthma and breathing difficulties. Asthmatics commonly cite fragrances as initiating or exacerbating their asthma. Fragrances are also implicated in vascular changes that can trigger migraines in susceptible individuals. Individuals with chemical sensitivities can experience symptoms at very low levels in the air, far below those known to cause harmful effects in the general population.

Scent-Free Spaces

A growing number of people experience symptoms when exposed to perfume, after-shave and other scented personal care products. Commonly reported symptoms include:

• Headaches
• Dizziness
• Fatigue
• Watery eyes
• Stuffy nose or sinusitis
• Coughing, tightness in the chest
• Wheezing, shortness of breath

It’s Not the Smell, It’s the Chemicals

There can be up to 500 chemicals in one perfume. In most modern fragrances, up to 95 percent of these chemicals are petroleum-based.

Many of the chemicals used in fragrances are known respiratory and skin irritants. Some of the chemicals used in fragrances have been linked with long-term health problems, such as cancer, birth defects and nervous system disorders, when used in larger amounts.

From http://www.womenshealthmatters.ca/Centres/environmental/Healthy-Environments/Scent-Free.html