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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

TRU Orientation 2009

For more info go to http://www.tru.ca/staffairs/orientation.html

Orientation is open to all new TRU students!

Date: September 8, 2009
Registration Deadline: September 4, 2009

Register now

Event Schedule

New PLIRC website created – TRUopen.ca/plirc

About PLIRC (Prior Learning International Research Centre)

Thompson Rivers University (TRU) through its Open Learning (OL) Division has launched an initiative to develop a new Prior Learning International Research Centre (PLIRC). The vision for the Centre, helmed by Dr. Christine Wihak, Director of PLAR (Prior Learning Assessment & Recognition), TRU-OL, is to stimulate innovative and provocative research concerning prior learning and the theory, policy and practice of its assessment and/or recognition and/or validation. PLIRC will provide an international forum for the networking amongst scholars in this field and actively promote dissemination of research findings to practitioners and policy makers alike.

“Prior learning assessment and recognition is an important component of Open Learning at TRU,” Murray said. “We believe in and support the creation and advancement of knowledge in this field, along with the development of best practices and international standards.”

TRU-OL held an inaugural Steering Committee meeting in July 2009. Academic researchers from Australia, Scotland, South Africa, England, Canada, the US and the European Union were invited to present on PLAR research activity in their respective countries and their personal research. Attendees discussed current research activities, developed a basic governance structure for PLIRC and decided on initial collaborative activities required to move the PLIRC agenda forward.

With a view to scoping an international research agenda, the scholars attending PLIRC’s inaugural meeting made presentations on the state of prior learning research in their own countries/regions and/or their own personal research in the area. As its first research initiative, the PLIRC board members agreed to assemble these presentations in the form of a monograph, with Mignonne Breier and Judy Harris acting as editors. The intention is to publish the monograph in 2010. In the meantime, the scholars have agreed to our posting their Powerpoint presentations on the web site.

Small but growing forest fire about three miles north of Lillooet BC in summer of 2007, we have the same this summer -  from http://www.flickr.com/photos/canadagood/3445101597

Thompson Rivers University is assisting in housing the people of Lillooet who have been evacuated from their homes, due to the fire in the area.

As of this morning, we now have 140 people in our residences and we are ready to house them in the gym if needed. TRU is also providing food services, in coordination with Emergency Social Services.

Forestry officials, TNRD, RCMP, City of Kamloops Mayor, Lillooet Mayor and the MLA for the area held an information session in the Clock Tower Theatre last night. They said that the people could be out of their homes until the weekend….they stressed the serious nature of the fires.

Our thanks to the quick response of On-Campus Housing, Mark Woloski and his team and TRU Residence and Conference Center, Michael Ching’anada and his team and Gerard Hayes and the Food Service staff.

Any inquiries can be directed to the main entrance to the gym, where an Emergency Social Services desk has been set up. If you are concerned about the whereabouts of a particular evacuee – you can call 1-877-865-3606.

The Graduate Certificate in Online Teaching and Learning (EDDL) is designed and developed in collaboration with the TRU School of Education.

This graduate level certificate is designed to provide educators (K-12 teachers, post-secondary instructors and trainers) in British Columbia and beyond, with a solid foundation in the technical and pedagogical expertise required to effectively use education technology in the classroom, in distributed learning environments and in the world of online education.

Admission Requirements

Candidates must either have:

• A Bachelor of Education, or
• A Bachelor’s degree in another discipline with teaching qualifications or experience, or
• Permission of Academic Director or designate.

Note: The program is applicable to practicing teachers, post-secondary instructors and faculty, as well as online tutors.

The BC Centre for Open Learning is a 40,000 square foot, four storey structural steel/concrete structure located on the grounds of the Thompson Rivers University. BCCOL is primarily an office building housing open learning staff relocating from Burnaby, BC. The main campus computer server facility will be located on the main floor, along with a video conferencing studio, IT staging/service and staff rooms. The remaining floors consist of much needed campus meeting rooms and open office landscape.

The new centre incorporates environmental sustainability features. More information – http://www.pomeroy.ca

http://www.wikieducator.org/Thompson_Rivers_University_(TRU)_Open_Learning_(TRU-OL)

TRU OPen Learning are here on its list at http://www.wikieducator.org/Handbook_of_Open_Universities

Thosmpson Rivers University (TRU) on Wikipedia is here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thompson_Rivers_University

and TRU Open Learning is here – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thompson_Rivers_University,_Open_Learning_(TRU-OL)

The Open Learning Division of Thompson Rivers University has embarked on a new development model for courses this year. Several factors have lead to this change, but the major drivers are: speed to market and the introduction of online delivery.

With this change, there is a requirement to have students involved in the development process. The Open Learning Executive has accepted the recommendation to have students earn credit for taking the course while
participating in the development process. As such, the student will follow a normal registration process, but will be informed that the course is part of a development process at the time of registration.

If the student does not wish to participate in the development process, s/he will have the opportunity to cancel her/his registration with a full refund. S/he is to be informed when the course has completed development and is available to take on a regular basis.

If the student agrees to participate in the development process, s/he will be given a $100 reduction in the tuition. The reduction in tuition is being given as an acknowledgment of the additional feedback required from each student as part of the development process.

Come and join the Student Recruitment and Liaison Team for a walking tour of the TRU campus in Kamloops, BC.

Thompson Rivers University offers daily summer tours from July 2nd to September 4th at 10:00am. Please meet on the second floor of the Clock Tower. All other tours meet at House 9 (Student Recruitment and Liason).

More information here – http://www.tru.ca/about_tru/kamloops/visits.html

This unique program enables “Dual Credit” courses to be offered to BC secondary students through distance delivery by Thompson Rivers University, Open Learning (TRU-OL).

Students successfully completing one or two Dual Credit Course(s) will receive one or two elective courses towards their Dogwood credential, as well as one or two university credit course(s) with Thompson Rivers University (TRU).

This offering enables students to:

• Experience areas of post-secondary studies, while remaining within the safety of the secondary school support system.
• Experience post-secondary training, tuition free (if a school district chooses to pay for the student’s tuition costs).
• Earn dual credit for each course (3 TRU credits and 4 Ministry of Education credits for each TRU Start BC course).
• Enjoy the benefits of TRU tutor-supported instruction.
• Enhance your resume by demonstrating commitment to education, time management skills and direction.
• Experience the world of e-learning and begin to build the foundations for life long learning.

More information on TRU Open Learning website at http://www.tru.ca/distance/programs/TRUstart.html