What is time? What is space?
It felt like I was being transported back to first year Astronomy in college, as I lowered my head and avoided eye contact with teacher and president of Quest University David J. Helfand.
Helfand was one of four teachers leading sample classes during the Quest Open House on Friday (March 18) and he put our class to work. About 25 other students and myself were taken on a journey of space and time, leaving several of our minds essentially blown.
Ow, remarked one student after Helfand posed a puzzling question about time and space to the class. My brain is running slow.
He wasn't the only one.
In the end, we learned that space and time are intimately related and Helfand both informed and entertained the class during a 45-minute interactive session.
Close to 150 people attended the open house and Helfand said it's all part of a plan by the school to build a stronger bond with the town of Squamish.
We've been striving in many ways to become more involved in the community, he said. There are a lot of misconceptions about our school around town, such as it's just for foreign students or it's only for rich students and that's just simply not the case.
Helfand pointed out that over half of the students attending Quest are from Canada, with a quarter coming from B.C., including nine from the Sea to Sky Corridor. He also noted that 92 per cent of the students attending Quest are on some form of financial aid.
Our students are naturally outgoing and very active and really want to be involved in the community, he said. Part of the reason why we did the open house is to clear up some of the confusion about what we do up here.
The event began at 6 p.m., with attendees given the option of attending one of four classes (Astronomy, Neuroscience, Theatre or Chemistry) or going on an extended tour of the campus.
Following the classes and tours, an open house expo on the top floor of the Library building was held. Several local groups had small display tables with information and Quest students and staff were free to ask any questions about the school. Music was provided by Quest student musicians and those in attendance were also able to sample appetizers provided by the school.
Helfand then addressed the crowd and welcomed Squamish residents to the school.
We welcome you all here, he said. We'd like to see you here much more often and hope you've enjoyed the visit tonight. Our goal moving forward from tonight is to build a much tighter link between the university and the town of Squamish.
Helfand pointed out that several students have volunteered with various organizations in town and others have worked with local business during their experiential learning portion of their classes. He also mentioned that he would like to see more locals attending the free events at Quest, joking that it's a success when they have two people show up.
Helfand also invited Squamish residents to attend the schools first ever graduation ceremony, which takes place on April 30. Locals are also free to attend a class, just contact the school and the details will be worked out from there.
Melanie Koenderman, the Dean of Student Affairs said that the event exceeded her expectations.
I'm just thrilled, she said. It's a great start and I'm so appreciative of the 24 local groups who took part in our expo.
Koenderman added that the open house will become an annual event.
I'm really ecstatic with the turnout today, she said. It's funny, you're not sure what you will get when you try something for the first time but it really makes me optimistic about the opportunities we have to become more connected with the community.
Koenderman said that anyone looking to get more information about Quest events or would like to sit in on a class can do so by sending a message to [email protected].
For more information about the school visit www.questu.ca.
