W E DN E S DA Y, A U G U S T 6, 2008 TH E VA N COUVER CO URIER W19
seniors
Sharp
Minds
Y ou don’t stop learning when you grow
old; you grow old when you stop
learning. This has been the motto for
the Seniors Program at Simon Fraser
University for decades.
Learning is widely recognized as an impor-
tant factor in keeping a person’s mind
active and agile. Brain experts believe
that active learning helps maintain brain
health by preventing loss of brain func-
tion and cognitive skills such as memory,
reasoning and judgment. e topic for the first session, Sept. 13,
is: “The Islamic Sharia: Is it a threat to
Increasing numbers of older adults are Canada?”
enrolling in various forms of continu-
ing education in Canada. At SFU alone, For more information on the Seniors
enrolment among mature students (age 55 Program at SFU (www.sfu.ca/seniors) you
plus) increased dramatically from 297 in can contact Julian Benedict at 778-782-
2000 to more than 2,500 in 2007. 5212 or email seniors@sfu.ca.
“These seniors are getting a chance to
explore topics that they may have not had
an opportunity to learn about when they
were younger,” explains Julian Benedict,
coordinator of the SFU Seniors Program.
While seniors are welcome to enroll in the
regular academic program at the univer-
sity, there are also 20 non-credit academic
courses available at the Harbour Centre
campus that are tailored towards a more
mature audience.
“We chose this campus (Harbour Centre)
because it’s easily accessible by transit,”
says Benedict. “People also tend to make a
day of it. ey might go shopping down-
town after the class is over.”
The courses, which begin as early as Sept.
8, cover a wide range of topics including:
“How Culture determines Great Art,”
“Symphonic Music of the Romantic Era”
and “Ideology and Politics,” and range in
price from $70 to $125.
Also starting in the fall is a series of free
Saturday forums in the Fletcher Challenge
Canada ea tre (Room 1900) at Harbour
Centre. These once a month lectures/dis-
cussions on topics of broad general interest
are open to everyone. Each talk is about
45 to 50 minutes long, with time for
questions and discussion afterwards. No
reservation is required and seating is on a
first-come first-served basis. Each forum
begins promptly at 2p.m.
Photo courtesy: SFU