UBC Reports | Vol. 47 | No. 05 | Mar. 8, 2001

Students serve up sweet recognition

Awards recognize individuals' contributions to student growth and success, says Alma Mater Society president

Some of UBC's unsung heroes have received Just Desserts Awards in recognition of their willingness to go above and beyond the call of duty.

"It's a two-way street," says Erfan Kazemi, president of the Alma Mater Society (AMS).

"These individuals do a lot to contribute to student growth and success. This is an opportunity to let them know how much we value their efforts."

In a student tradition begun in 1985, student societies across campus nominate faculty, staff and student award winners. This year there are 21 recipients.

Marnie Craft takes great pride in "making people happy every second Friday" in her role as payroll administrator for the AMS. It is a position she has held for the past 25 years.

"I love the challenge of continuously keeping up with new government rules and regulations, the constantly evolving AMS, and the opportunity of learning the new software for payroll computer systems," says Craft.

Watching the student executives and service coordinators grow to become much more confident with their leadership skills is her favourite part of the job.

Andrew Tinka was recognized for his contribution to student life as the president of the Engineering Physics Club and editor of the Engineering Undergraduate Society newspaper, which he helped to rejuvenate this past year.

"I'm honoured to be recognized for my efforts, but it really wasn't such hard work -- I just tried to have as much fun as I could this year," says the fifth-year Engineering student.

Tinka credits the hard work of a team of students who help to produce NEUSpaper each month. In his role as editor, he looks forward to reading the articles written by his colleagues, as it's an opportunity to learn from different perspectives.

Among the other faculty, staff and students to win Just Desserts Awards are: Mechanical Engineering Assoc. Prof. A. Bruce Dunwoody; English instructor Peter Dickinson; Germanic Studies Prof. Emerita Marketa Goetz-Stankiewicz, Geography Prof. Cole Harris; Political Science lecturer Don MacInnis, English Prof. William New; History Asst. Prof. Stephen Straker; Psychology Prof. Peter Suedfeld; Tara Stewart, Graduate Students' Society; School of Human Kinetics systems analyst Cliff Storlund; Faculty of Law career development officer Danielle Raymond; Pharmaceutical Sciences lecturer Colleen Brady; former registrar Richard Spencer; Science Assoc. Dean Paul Harrison; Microbiology lecturer Tracy Kion; Math Prof. Philip Loewen; Microbiology lecturer Diane Oorebeek; Physics and Astronomy Assoc. Prof. Kristin Schleich; and Microbiology lecturer Karen Smith.