Welcome to summer. The Fanshawe Student Union's office doors will be open, so come check us out and see what we have to offer. When most people talk about the FSU, the first thing that comes out to mind is “events.” This is true, but it's only a small percentage of what we actually do. That being said, check out the summer event calendar for all of our summer events like a free BBQ for all summer students.

But I want to explain more about what we do, because you don't see that at the events. Our office is on the second floor of the Student Centre, and we're available to help you with a variety of things. We also provide your health and dental benefit plan, as well as your bus pass.

We're the owners/operators of the Out Back Shack and Oasis. The Shack is open for most of the summer so come by for lunch or a drink on our patio.

We have an entire publications department with writers, photographers, designers and videographers. They put out the Interrobang twice in the summer, and every Friday starting in September. We encourage students to write and take photos for the paper so feel free to inquire about opportunities.

We have a gamesroom, run through the Biz Booth, for students to enjoy some pool and foosball. You can also get tickets there for almost everything — FSU events and field trips, John Labatt Centre events, Knights tickets, and Greyhound tickets.

The FSU is also a proud part of the College Student Alliance, which is the biggest and most effective voice for college students provincially. When Ontario wants to know about the issues of college students, they ask the CSA. The Fanshawe Student Union has been on the front lines of the debates regarding accessibility, affordability, and transferability to university, and the latest provincial budget release reflected changes in all those areas. We're also networked with 25 other student associations in the province, and we love to share and compare between our respective campuses (and for the record, when we bring our CSA friends to Fanshawe they get pretty jealous of our facilities). I had the distinct pleasure of serving on CSA's board of directors last year representing all of the Southwest colleges, and the position is staying in FSU hands again this year as Veronica Barahona was recently elected by our peers in the region.

Elected student leaders govern the Fanshawe Student Union, and that could be you one day if you so choose. I'm proud to be representing students such as yourself as this year's FSU president, and I have five VPs who are equally as proud. We're working together to ensure the best possible experience for students at Fanshawe College and I welcome you to come see us and send us your concerns.

I encourage all of you to get involved with student life as much as you can while in college. The worst possible student experience would be looking back on your college life and only remembering the classrooms, the lectures, and the projects. Make it a memorable and constructive experience. Thanks for coming to Fanshawe and I look forward to sharing the halls with each and every one of you.

See you at the events,
Joe Scalia