By Annamaija Irvine, Columnist

When you are a student, money can be pretty tight. Budgeting your money is a smart way to ensure that financial school requirements are under control, as well as any chance at having a life.

At first, budgeting can feel overwhelming but can be easily broken down into simple steps, like in the best-selling financial book, Debt Free Forever, by Gail Vaz-Oxlade. Her advice is broken down as follows: when starting out, everyone should figure out how much money you are already spending. You can do this by keeping all your receipts for a month, actually opening your bank statements, and remembering to write your purchases.

Once you have a general idea of your spending habits and are conscious of where your money is going, calculate how much you owe (for a student loan or credit card for example, including interest), and then from that information, build a budget that works for your individual spending habits.

There are various free online websites that have guidelines and charts for people who are trying to stick to their first budgets, for anyone who does not want to create a spreadsheet for themselves — with papers to write, who has time for extra non-credit work?

The problem that most students face when it comes to managing money is that “money talk” can seem like a foreign language. Start with the basics, and work your way up to what you feel comfortable with, the main idea is to start budgeting all together.

Once you have a steady rhythm, set goals for yourself, and the next thing you know you’ll be planning trips and partying with your friends without having to worry about financial woes. You really can be a student and afford your latte too.

Subhead: Two students reveal their hopes, anticipation, and aspirations for their 10-week internship in India

By James Lim – Student

On September 15, AIESEC Exchange participants Cliff Lin and Shawn Johnstone left for India on a developmental internship. This internship is a partnership between SFU’s International Co-op Program and AIESEC SFU. Cliff and Shawn will be working for the MaFoi Foundation, a non-government organization dedicated to fighting poverty, as well as other humanitarian work. This interview was conducted prior to their departure and captures their feelings, hopes, and thoughts about their upcoming 10-week internship.

Explain your involvement in AIESEC?

Shawn: I wasn’t in AIESEC prior to acquiring this job. I was aware of the brand name but I did not realize the organization was so extensive. When I signed up, I was told there were at least 40 different internships all over the world that I could choose from. I do plan to stay on in AIESEC when I come back, maybe even go on some management internships.

What will you be doing on your internship?

Cliff : I will be working in India, mostly conducting humanitarian work — empowering minorities, spreading awareness of the importance of sanitation; mostly a lot of teaching and training. I will be working closely with local humanitarian organizations such as the MaFoi Foundation, which is quite big in India with their volunteer and humanitarian work.

How do you think this position will benefit your future career?

Shawn: I hope to have a career in International Business, and I believe India is a popular destination for businesses seeking a global presence due to its status as an emerging economic power. That is why I believe this experience is useful, because I can get to know the Indian people and their culture. I might end up working in India again someday and this travel experience would definitely help prepare myself in anticipation of a future career. The details of this job don’t really matter very much, but the cultural experience is valuable. This job might even inspire me to work for NGOs in the future.

Would you encourage others to go on an exchange?

Cliff: I would say it depends on the individual. Some people are in it for the money and jobs such as this do not pay very well. I would say exchange internships are not for them because the monetary compensation is too low. However, the experience itself is worth a lot more. As a university student, I believe that jobs such as this are worth the expense.

Shawn: I would definitely encourage anyone and everyone to go on an exchange. Travelling is something that everyone should do either through internships or AIESEC exchanges. The experience of a foreign culture is always a life-changing experience. I am definitely expecting some culture shocks when I arrive in Chennai and that is what I want to experience. I believe the best way to experience another culture is to actually live there for a while.

AIESEC is an international student organization whose main function is to offer unmatched opportunities to ambitious students ready for a challenge in an exciting and dynamic environment. This is done through AIESEC’s Global Internship Program; which sends current AIESEC members abroad on international internships.

Picture by Gerald Brimacombe

The past few semesters, I began taking courses at the Surrey campus and realized that although Surrey students are aware of BASS through email, the kind of presence that BASS has at the Burnaby campus is lacking in the Surrey campus. Since I spend so much time at the Surrey campus, and BASS was looking to expand to Surrey, I took the opportunity to take up the position of Surrey marketing committee coordinator

The role of the Surrey MC will be to promote and sell tickets for upcoming BASS events, such as Snowball, the Banquet, and the Charity Golf Tournament at the Surrey campus. We will also look to hold popular on-campus events such as Midterm Relief at the Surrey campus.

This past September, BASS ran a table alongside BAM and the other Business clubs at the Surrey Clubs Days. Through this, BASS was able to gain a lot of exposure, recruit students for various positions, introduce BASS to the first-year students, and spread the word about the exciting events and activities we have in store for this year.

The success at Clubs Days is an exciting indicator of the role of BASS at the Surrey campus in the future. The Surrey MC looks forward to getting started on bringing BASS to Surrey, and we hope that with our hard work and enthusiasm, we will continue to gain exposure for BASS at the Surrey campus.

If you’re at Surrey, look for us and come hang out at the BASS table in the Mezzanine.

On July 3rd, SFU Business held Peak Performance Case Competition. In its 3rd year, Peak Performance Case Competition is designed for 1st and 2nd year business students to compete in an entry-level environment with peers.

All SFU students were encouraged to come and watch the finals for Peak Performance competitions. Those interested in competing in the future, this wass your chance to learn what a case competition is all about. Learn how to apply the materials from class in real-life situations!

“A case competition is one of the most unbelievable opportunities for students at SFU. While classes are important, it is the experiences outside the classroom that really develop your marketable skills. Case competitions give students an opportunity to apply the knowledge gained in the classroom and apply it to a real world case. It is an unbelievable chance to be creative, push your comfort zones and think at a high level.” – Brock Balfore (Peak Performance 2009 competitor)

“As a former case competitor, I found the value of having case competition experience to expand my own horizons. Last year, I wanted to share my experiences and knowledge with the next generation of SFU’s best. I participated in the 2009 Peak Case Competition as a Coach and learned that students are becoming more eager to learn and are more eager to go beyond the classroom to do so. Being a coach showed me that, no matter if your team wins or looses, there is great satisfaction seeing your team working hard and putting out their best. “ Fred Bantados (Peak Performance 2009 Coach)

By Holden Lu

Marketing Team: Joaquim Sanvictores, Sonam Swarup, Nick Sigouin

The year end is quickly approaching and it is time to celebrate the conclusion of a fabulous year as an SFU Business Kid! To do so, BMP, in collaboration with the First-year Business Representatives presented GLOW – a movie night filled with free food and fun. Attendees were treated to oodles of free pizza, cupcakes, pop, and popcorn as well as a movie screening of the highly hilarious blockbuster movie “The Hangover” on Friday, March 12, 2010 in the Images Theatre.

As members of the Marketing team, our responsibility was to make sure this activity was made known through posters and social media such as our Facebook event. Planning began before the Olympic break, but little did we know that the Olympic break would not leave sufficient time for us to create our advertising and promotional materials. As we were neophytes in the world of Adobe, draft after draft, we simply could not seem to cook up the perfect poster for the event. Thankfully for us, our VP Communications and VP Student Issues; Jasmine Liu and Amanda Lee rescued us from our dilemmas. More importantly, our poster for the event was finalized in the nick of time. Our team was also in charge of managing the Facebook group. This proved to be an easier task.

The last job we were in charge of was event decorations. With a modest budget, we decided to use colorful streamers and balloons to decorate the entrance way of the Images Theatre. We chose our decorations based on not only attractiveness and aesthetic appeal, but also on how easy it would be to clean up afterwards. All in all, everyone in attendance enjoyed themselves, as well stuffed themselves to the max! We are very proud not only of our fellow First-Year Reps but to all First-Year SFU Business students for a job well done!

From the perspective of the Administration Team

Administration Team: Diane Liu, Kelsey Williams, Aamir Sheriff

Our first experience in organizing an event was quite an adventure and most definitely a success. As the Administration team, we were in charge of all the bookings and behind-the-scenes work. Prior to the event we worked with numerous on-campus groups such as The SFSS to book the Images Theatre and the portable sink, Facilities to ensure tables would be set up, The Student Development Center to book the popcorn machine, and The LIDC to ensure that someone would be there to help us in case of any technical difficulties.

On the day of the event, we joined the rest of the First Year Reps in ensuring the smooth running of the entire operation. Watching “The Hangover” with our fellow first years and biz students was quite a treat. Through our activities, we gained valuable experience in organizing on-campus events. We want to thank BASS and BMP for giving us this opportunity and providing us with all the support needed to make this event a memorable one.

Glow Recap Article for the BUZZ Sponsorship Team: Leo Ng and Ruben Ugarte

For any first year business students, BMP leaders, and BMP lovers who didn’t come to Glow last Friday night, you guys have really missed out on a spectacular social event! From free food and drinks, (pizza, cupcakes, and pop!), to watching “The Hangover” in the cozy Images Theatre, to the awesome time we had reconnecting with old friends and making new ones, it was a much-needed night off for everyone after writing two or more midterms last week! Memorable and amazing as the entire event was, the custom made cupcakes from Luscious Creations were most definitely a highlight for many—and it showed as they were quickly appreciated by everyone in attendance. From our trial-and-error ways in getting local businesses to sponsor us, we have definitely gained some unique (and surprising!) learning experiences from around the Tri-Cities area. Congratulations, BMP 2009/2010, on another amazing year!

Cheers,

Leo Ng and Ruben Ugarte

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