Students with benefits

The valuable people and places you might be missing on campus

SARAH SCHMIDT // CONTRIBUTOR

Have you ever stopped to think about where your student fees go? What about the insurance you pay for every semester and have never used? Have you ever felt like you aren’t involved enough at Capilano University outside of class? Adulting isn’t hard, but it can make you feel really stupid.

After talking to my peers on campus, I found that not only are there countless benefits available to us, but many of them go unused. Many students are uncertain about what’s even available, others avoid the hassle of figuring out what our benefits are altogether. Most often, I found that students just don’t know how to use what is offered to us. So, to help you out a little bit, and maybe even lessen the anxiety and stress of figuring all of this out, I ventured around campus to test things out for myself.

 

Writing Centre

If you go up the four flights of the Fir staircase, you will find the writing center in room 402. This is where you should go if you’re looking for some extra help on assignments. Once you sign in, a member of the Writing Centre staff will come meet with you and help to work out any issues you’re having. Working one on one with students, the Writing Centre’s goal is to help you understand your mistakes, and guide you towards building better writing skills. The Centre has handouts and guides to proper spelling, grammar, sentence structure, formatting and much more to help you become a better writer. If you’re in need of any help, or if the library is full and you’re in need of a quiet space to study, students are encouraged to use the Writing Centre as a beneficial and productive place to get work done.

Language Centre

The Language Centre, tucked away in Arbutus 117, is meant to help both ESL students and those that are taking a second language course at CapU. Here, students work one on one with professors in a quiet learning environment. Not often used to its full potential and critically underutilized by students, the Language Centre provides students with necessary language-learning skills. Those in the Language Centre encourage students to come and use this space even with non-second language work to take advantage of the study space the school has provided.

 

School Counselors and Health Services Centre

If you’re feeling overwhelmed with the stresses of school life, or just life in general, counselors at CapU are here to help. Located in Birch 267 or by phone at 604-984-1744, CapU’s counsellors are there to help you get through any problem you may have, no matter the magnitude. Also available is the CapU health clinic, which is free to students and available every Tuesday and Thursday each Fall and Spring semester. Located in Birch 249, the clinic offers general health services, making it more convenient for those who find it hard to meet with their GP’s outside of class time. Making an appointment is easy, just call 604-984- 4964 to speak with one of the clinic’s lovely staff members.

 

Insurance

Ok, this one is a little bit more complex. First off, your policy number is 43997 (that just saved you 20 minutes, you’re welcome). Students who don’t opt out of their insurance plan are covered under health, dental and vision, with a system that is fairly easy to navigate. Visiting Studentcare.ca will show you all businesses covered by your insurance, and neatly organizes them by concern. If you’re finding the website difficult to understand, or have problems finding exactly what you’re looking for, you can contact the Capilano Students’ Union Member Services Centre at 1-866-416- 8701 and they’ll walk you through it. Once you’ve narrowed down the services and businesses you’d like to use and have booked an appointment, you’ll understand just how necessary and useful this really is for students. Just remember to write down your policy number and to bring your student ID – the rest is a breeze. If you’re already covered under a different plan, say, your parents extended medical or through your employer, then this might be the time to opt out and stop wasting your money

Dental Office

Also located in Birch 249 is CapU’s dental clinic. Unless you’ve opted out, your student health plan allows you to get your teeth cleaned once a semester at no charge (throwback to your childhood days, you get a prize after your visit too!). The fact that the dental office is on campus also gives you no excuse to not get those pearly whites cleaned, so you might as well just go and do it. To make an appointment at your convenience, call 604-345-7103. You can also find health centre representatives at their info table in the Birch cafeteria from time to time, so feel free to catch them there to book your appointment.

On-Campus Life

If you’ve ever felt disconnected to campus and would like to get more involved at CapU, a trip to the Student Affairs Center in Lib116 is a good place to start. Here, staff will guide you through the different ways you can actively participate in campus life. The Student Affairs Centre can also help you with personal goals, such as your education and future career goals. All students are encouraged to explore what CapU has to offer, but sometimes it helps to have a little guidance.

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