News Nikalas Kryzanowski, News Editor and Lisa Bellano, Associate News Editor news@theotherpress.ca associate@theotherpress.ca Local Website Sets Sights on Chronic Procrastination Nikalas Kryzanowski news editor A new Vancouver-based website launched by local career student Christie Goode is taking aim at procrastination. While it may sound ironic in that many websites like Facebook tend to enable procrastination, Goode believes her approach can have a lasting effect on students’ work habits, grades and ultimately the quality of their lives. Called Homework Tree, it provides users with homework planning tools to enable students to better plan their school assignments. Students enter their school assignments into their Homework Tree interface and the program allows you to break down homework into smaller more manageable tasks, itemizing and prioritizing them on a week-to-week basis. “The website grew out of my experience at grad school. The first week of my program, I actually cried every day after class because I was so overwhelmed and intimidated by all the work I had to do. I eventually developed a full-semester homework plan where I laid out exactly when I was going to do such as depression or ADHD. They also found that procrastinators tended to have lower self-esteem and all my assignments and papers,” said Goode. The website has three tiers of membership: Visitor, Registered Member and Paid Member. The first two are free while a paid membership is $20 per semester. Registered members are allowed to enter up to five assignments while paid members can list an unlimited number of assignments. While Homework Tree may help students with time management, be assured of what it won’t do, and that is your homework for you. Procrastination has been a long standing problem among students who are often forced to juggle full course loads with part time jobs. Research has shown that it can lead to higher stress levels, but according to a new report it may also lead to a host of other problems as well. Macquarie University researchers in Australia have found that persistent procrastination may actually be a symptom of larger problems appeared more likely to cheat and plagiarize. _ Better Grades. Less Stress. .com Welcome back! STUDENT SOCIETY BUILDING By Lisa Bellano “Welcome Week.” “The atmosphere was full of a lot of energy and fun,” said Student Ambassador Allen Yeng. ae New Westminster Campus main concourse was buzzing with students during the first week of classes, nam “The orientations at Douglas have tremendously improved,” Yeng further noted of the week’s events. This wild enthusiasm seemed to fill the air, as students and faculty contently partook in the College’s events. The College’s mascot “Rory the Lion” was spotted throughout the campus, giving out free chap-stick and, of co roaring at the students. The Office of New Students was busy handing out free popcorn to students, though this was hardly their mai attraction. The ONS’ section of the concourse also featured a “Rock Band” station, where students could satisfy their daily video game quota with the popular interactive game. In comparison to last year’s Welcome Week, the DSU staff remained conspicuously absent, leaving a poster with details of the Union and its September 4" barbecue in place of staff. Perhaps this was in an effort to draw students to the Students’ Union building, as the student planners were given out at the Union building itself, not th concourse. i Also present at the Welcome Week was the DSU Pride Collective, Scouts Canada, New Westminster Environmental Partners, and the Canadian Cancer Society, all of which advocated their specific goals with aim to gain support, volunteers, and in the case of Scouts Canada, potential recruits. Additionally, The Other Press and the Centre for Sport, Recreation, & Wellness featured their own tables, offering free goodies and information. f Free goodies were commonplace at this year’s Welcome Week, with new items such as Telus’ boxes of macaroni and cheese, courtesy of the Telus Mobility table. Additionally, free bottled water was circulating throughout the concourse, though perhaps to the dismay of Metro Vancouver, whose table was host to a “Tap Wa Pledge” demonstration, discouraging one-time use bottled water. The Welcome Week began on the first day of classes, September 2™, and ran until the 5".