College`s BRTF program

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Page 7
Index
Editorials:
Columns:
Health
Sports:
Pg.
Pg.
Pg.
Pg.
Taste of Greek
Page 20
Pita House
8
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19
20
Think Healthy
Now Open @ Seaway Mall Food Court
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NIAGARA NEWS
Niagara News
WWW.NIAGARA-NEWS.COM
Volume 33, Issue 7
Jan. 17, 2003
FREE
Landmark achievement for Niagara
By KATHRYN HANLEY
Staff Writer
For most students, January
marks the beginning of a new
semester, not the beginning of a
new program. This year, about 500
students have chosen to begin their
Niagara College experience in
January. About 350 of these students are at the Welland campus.
Niagara College President Dan
Patterson says the college is “very
pleased” about the large number of
students. “It’s our largest January
intake,” Patterson said.
“I think that a lot of students
today are very conscious of the
double cohort and worried that (in)
September 2003 there may not be
spaces,” he noted. Patterson says
these students have thought out a
“career path” and it has successfully worked for the students and
the college.
“We do have the space to
accommodate them. Niagara
College is very fortunate in that
our expansion at Glendale has
allowed us to have more spaces
and opportunities for students,”
he said.
The double cohort was a factor
for some. Double cohort is the
overlap that will occur this year
when students in the final year of
Grade 13 (known as OAC) and
students graduating with Grade 12
all apply to college and university.
Jolene Holmes, 18, of Ottawa,
says the double cohort affected her
decision to apply for January.
Holmes, who has just begun the
Journalism-Print program, says
the number of people applying for
September 2003 had her worried
she wouldn’t get in.
Other students have chosen to
start studying in January to prepare for different September
2003 programs. Deanne Stanov,
36, of Thorold, says she is taking
classes in the General Arts and
Science program this semester
because she couldn’t get into her
program of choice. Stanov is
taking classes that will assist her
once she is accepted into another program.
Students stand in line to receive their Ontario Student Assistance Program funding for January 2003.
Photo by Ashleigh Vink
College volleyball teams making history
By JORDIE FRY
Staff Writer
Serving up two nationally
ranked teams, Niagara College
can now be considered one of
the country’s powerhouses in
volleyball.
The Niagara Knights men’s
team ranks as the seventh best
team in the country. For the first
time in its history, the women’s
team cracked the top 15 in the
week of Dec. 30 to Jan. 4.
Unfortunately, last week, it was
knocked off the list.
Both teams are hoping to
improve on their rankings with the
final stretch of the season coming
up. With the men’s and women’s
teams sporting 7-0 and 8-1 regular
season records respectively to
date, they both have high hopes for
the remainder of the season.
“The main thing is to stay
healthy, but our biggest goal is
to medal at the nationals. But we
have to win provincials and
make it through the playoffs
first,” says men’s coach Kerby
Bentley.
During the holidays both teams
participated in tournaments on
Jan. 4, with the men winning their
tournament at Sir Sandford
Fleming College in Peterborough
by beating North York’s Seneca
College in straight sets in the
final.
Niagara players Justin Ross, Ed
Uka and Graeme Gaunt were named
as tournament All-Stars with Gaunt
picking up the tournament Most
Valuable Player (MVP).
The women fought hard in the
Kabuum tournament held at
Cambrian College, in Sudbury,
only to lose in the finals to the host
school.
Last Saturday the Ontario
College Athletics Association held
All Star Day at Sir Sandford
Fleming College and Trent
University, both in Peterborough.
Niagara had male and female representatives participating in the
tournament.
From the women’s team, Vicky
Smith represented the Knights.
From the men’s team, Ed Uka and
Justin Ross stood in for Niagara
and coach Bentley was chosen to
coach the West All Stars. He did a
good job leading the West to a 2-1
victory over the East.
Continued on Page 20
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Page 2, Niagara News, Jan. 17, 2003
Primulas ready for pick up at greenhouse
By AMANDA KLASSEN
Staff Writer
The new year is a fresh start for
the barren greenhouse at the
Glendale campus, as the horticultural students are quickly potting
new plants for the March sale.
One of particular interest is
the primula plant, on sale at the
greenhouse for $1.79. It is available in groupings of three. This
sturdy plant grows continuously
and flowers indoors all winter.
The plant should be kept in a
cool room to extend the period
of its flowering. When the
plants reach full bloom they
require regular fertilizing with a
water-soluble 20-20-20 all-purpose fertilizer, as suggested in a
prepared advice sheet by a
Niagara College graduate, Sue
Merritt, class of 1999.
In the spring the plants can be
planted in a perennial garden in a
shady spot.
“They do best in the shade,”
says Jim Thomson, manager, campus development, Environment,
Horticulture and Agribusiness
division at the Glendale campus in
Niagara-on-the-Lake.
The plants are fairly disease resistant. They are not susceptible to any
predator or bug that is going to feed
on them, and they are pretty well a
foolproof plant, says Thomson.
“They are a good house plant.”
The greenhouse is preparing for
its March open house plant sale on
March 22 and March 23.
Plants that will be available are
chrysanthemums,
Martha
Washington geraniums, pansies,
amaryllises, daffodils, tulips and just
about any plant you would be able to
find at any local garden centre.
The December poinsettia sale did
“very” well as the greenhouse was
sold out of the plants by the week
before Christmas.
“We are already looking at how
do we grow more, how do we utilize
space better,” says Thomson. “It was
a huge success.” Thomson says the
crop was one of the best grown.
The greenhouse is open daily
from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. for anyone
wanting to purchase hanging
baskets, mixed baskets or whatever plant is in flower. For more
information call 905-641-2252,
extension 4082.
Primulas are just one of the many plants on sale at the Glendale greenhouse. These plants are available for just $1.79. Arrangements
are available in single and triple colours. The School of Horticulture and Agribusiness will hold its 36th annual Horticultural Open House
and Plant Sale on March 22 and 23.
Photo by Amanda Klassen
Dan Vetere, a first-year
Horticulture Technician program student, carefully buds
the plants.
First-year Horticulture Technician program students Ryan Morrison, James Walton, Dan Vetere and Marie-Josee Riopel display the
primula plants that are on sale at the greenhouse.
Niagara News, Jan. 17, 2003, Page 3
SAC welcomes students with open arms
By KATHRYN HANLEY
Staff Writer
Niagara College’s Student
Administrative Council (SAC)
gave a warm welcome Jan. 7 to
some of the students who chose a
cold January start for their post-secondary education. SAC and committee chair Randy Conlon, liaison
co-ordinator for Niagara College,
produced first-year Orientation.
First-year students had classes
cancelled last Tuesday after 12:30
p.m. so they could attend. Those
who did were treated to free pizza
from Pizza Plus, SAC bags and Tshirts, a chance to hear from the
leaders of Niagara College, a
magic show, and prizes.
DAN PATTERSON
The event was held in After
Hours, where students were given a
ballot at the door for random draws
throughout the afternoon.
Conlon said that between
$1,200 and $1,300 was spent on
the prizes, which included DVD
players, televisions, a CD player, a
home stereo system, and a George
Foreman Grill.
Winner of the first prize, a DVD
player, was Jen Hubert, 20, of
Beamsville, Ont., Hubert said she
was “happy” with her prize, and
couldn’t remember winning anything before. Hubert is first-year
Dental Office Administration program student.
A gag gift-mystery prize was
awarded to Melissa Johnston, 19,
of Hamilton, Ont., a first-year
General Arts and Science program
student. Johnston’s prize included
mint-flavoured condoms and a
flashy thong, size XXXL.
“It’s great,” laughed Johnston,
looking at her prize.
Giving a welcome speech was
Niagara College President Dan
Patterson. He welcomed the new
faces, thanking them for choosing
Niagara College and inviting them
to take advantage of all the college
has to offer. “We’ve got great faculty. They work really hard.”
“We’ve got great resources; our
student portal, our student information system really is second to none,”
Patterson said, also pointing out the
counselling services available for
students having any difficulty. “At
the end of the day it’s really up to you
to make the best of it,” he said. “I can
tell you, I can rest assured, we will
do our best to make it a very special
year for you.”
“We’re very pleased that
we’ve got so many students
signing up for a January-Start,”
said Patterson.
Patterson encouraged the students to “make new relation-
About 500 January-Start students gather at the After Hours pub at Niagara College’s Welland campus on Jan. 7 to hear college President Dan Patterson speak.
ships and keep open minds.”
Also making speeches were
Andrew Hanes, president, SAC
Welland, and Ray Sarkis,
Niagara College athletics coordinator.
Hanes told students what SAC
does for them, announced
upcoming SAC events and out-
lined services available through
SAC. He encouraged students to
become involved with Niagara
College and SAC.
“We need people to join up. We
need as much help as we can get,”
said Hanes adding that events get
better when more people are
involved.
Sarkis outlined the Niagara
College athletics department,
along with recreation and fitness
opportunities.
Conlon, Orientation committee
chair and emcee for the day, said
he was pleased with the outcome
for the event. “The place is full,
can’t argue with that,” he said.
Niagara ready for September’s influx of students
By DONNA DURIC
Staff Writer
The spectre of the double cohort
is looming closer as September
approaches.
Colleges throughout Ontario
are preparing for the influx of
two groups of graduating students with the discontinuation of
Ontario Academic Courses
(OACs) this June.
“It’s raised the whole profile of
post-secondary education,” says
Al Vaughan, registrar at Niagara
College, who made a presentation
with college President Dan
Patterson to a group of parents and
students at A.N. Myer Secondary
School in Niagara Falls regarding
the college’s readiness for the
crunch.
The increased intake of students
will be spread over three years.
Students who applied last year
wanted to avoid the double cohort
this year, and next year’s students
are deciding to wait a year before
applying.
“We knew it wasn’t going to
take place in just one year,” says
Vaughan, adding the college has
been planning for the increased
intake for some time.
The building of the Glendale
campus in Niagara-on-the-Lake
was part of the college’s long-term
plan for expansion and serves to
increase its capacity for the intro-
duction of new programs and new
students.
The two new degree programs
the college won approval by the
Ministry of Colleges, Training and
Universities to offer - the Bachelor
of Applied Technology - Photonics,
and the Bachelor of Applied
Business-Hospitality - were part of
this long-term strategy.
“We have slowly been adding
new programs and new seats in
programs,” says Martha Casson,
vice-president of student services
at the college. She is also the acting vice-president academic.
“We’re very pleased that as a
college we had a planning process
that has provided the vacancies for
the double cohort at exactly the
right time.”
Vaughan says Niagara has added
room for 500 extra students this
fall, an 18 per cent increase over
last year. However, he says, the
college can’t expand every program because of possible gaps in
the job market.
“It might not be the responsible
thing to do if the jobs aren’t out
there.”
At this time, fall applications to
the college are 21 per cent higher
than last year, and the number of
students enrolled in January-Start
programs this year is 10 per cent
higher than last year.
Tabitha Booth, 23, of Niagara
Falls, is a January-Start student in
the Dental Office Administration
program. She says she took the
program so she could have an edge
in competing with double-cohort
applicants to the Dental Assistant
program in September.
“I think if you have your foot in
the door, you have better chances
of getting in.”
Sixty-five per cent of students
who attend Niagara College are
from the Niagara region, and college officials want prospective
students to know the college is
prepared.
“We’re not panicked,” says
Casson. “We are in a perfect
position.”
SAC throwing charity ball aiding student food bank
By LINDSEY LEAMEN
Staff Writer
Gangsters, glitz and glamour will come to life for students
who purchase tickets prior to Jan. 24.
The second annual Niagara College Student
Administrative Council Charity Ball will be held on
Saturday, Feb. 1, at 7 p.m. to benefit the student food bank.
This exciting event will feature period actors in full
1920s costume, a Racketeering Raffle, a Jail ‘n’ Bail
activity, a magician doing tricks at every table, period
music during dinner and a DJ for the rest of the evening.
Instant photos with a 1920s car or a formal background
will be available at an additional cost.
Tickets include dinner, dancing and entertainment. You
may also sign up for seating in tables of eight people, meal
choices, and transportation.
Transportation is available to and from the event at a cost of $5.
The buses will leave the Welland and Glendale resi-
This is an all-ages event; however, a cash bar will be
available for those with proper identification.
Dress is formal, but doesn’t have to be 1920s dress.
For those wishing to keep the party going, hotel
rooms are available at $109. For reservations call 905356-8444.
The Ameri-Cana Hotel is located at 8444 Lundy’s
Lane in Niagara Falls. For map and directions visit
http://www.americananiagara.com
Tickets can be purchased for $40 at all SAC offices or at
booths set up at each campus.
dences for the Ameri-Cana Hotel in Niagara Falls at 5:30
p.m. They depart the Ameri-Cana at 1 a.m. sharp to
return to the residences.
At left stands Niagara College President Dan
Patterson and Mike Macneil, vice-president of public
relations of Student Administrative Council, Glendale
campus in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
Submitted photo
First-year student dedicated to helping children
By SHARI HADGRAFT
Staff Writer
A first-year student in the Child
and Youth Worker program said
she feels “obligated” to help children because of her own childhood
experiences.
Jenna McCormack, 18, of
Burlington, has always been
blessed with a strong family.
“I’ve had a really good childhood. I didn’t have any issues or
anything so I think that I’m kind of
obligated to help kids who haven’t.”
As
for
the
program,
McCormack said, “I feel that I’m
not getting the gist of it. It feels
like I’m missing something, like I
don’t know exactly what we’re
going to do. We (McCormack and
her classmates) sit through all
these lectures and all these classes,
but I don’t know what a child and
youth worker is yet and I think I
should by now, being three months
into it.”
McCormack said she is “not
impressed” with a couple of professors in her program. “I feel a
few of the teachers have come to
the end of their careers and they
really should be gone by now. I’ve
noticed a few things that I did not
approve of, for example, centring
people out and making them cry.”
Currently, McCormack said she
feels the professors are focusing
more on issues that they won’t use
out in the workplace.
“I really think we need to have a
jam session if you will, with (the
students) being able to ask questions like ‘what is a child and
youth worker?’
“It seems like a lot of the classes overlap so I can’t differentiate
between them.”
Professors have also put the
pressure on about finding a job out
of the program. McCormack said
that it has been suggested to her
class that males have a better
chance at seeking employment out
of her program.
Her program is more female
dominated considering there are
only five or six males in the class,
which is “kind of a twist,” because
all but one of her teachers is male,
she said.
If given the chance to try a new
program at the college, she said
she would have picked the
Journalism-Print program. “I consider myself a pretty decent writer.
I don’t have all the skills but I need
(a program) with humour and
something that you can kind of
play with. I think the program I’m
in now is a little heavy.”
When free time comes up, she
jokingly said, “I have a part-time
job which I kind of consider a
hobby because I’m never there.”
McCormack is a sales associate
for one of the Zeller’s stores in
Burlington for the last three years.
“I started off as a cashier and
then because of my personality in
customer service skills, I was
transferred to the service desk so I
could listen to people b****h for
two hours.
“I’m a receptacle for all the customers’ complaints and unhappiness. I’ve kind of got desensitized
to any kind of criticism.”
Last summer she had another
part-time job as well being a camp
counsellor. “I loved it. It was a different group of kids and they were
from a welfare government-sponsored housing complex. They were
pretty rough kids. There were a
couple of white kids but mostly
Spanish, African American, East
Indian and Muslim. It was interesting.”
She said the one thing she
regrets in life is her relationship
JENNA MCCORMACK
history. “I regret relationships that
could have happened, letting
things fall apart and letting friendships float away. Even though I
consider friends so important, I’ve
let so many friendships fall apart.
“I definitely have to learn to
take things a little more seriously
because laughing is my response
to anything, even if I’m upset or
happy or even nervous.”
She said her family is one of the
most important aspects in her life.
“I’ve had some of my best times
with them. We’re all alike. I’m a
daddy’s girl, totally.”
McCormack said when her
three-year program is finished, she
hopes to get a job that is “definitely more hands-on than just sitting
in an office.”
“I’m really looking forward to
the placement we’re going to have
to do. I think that will really be the
deciding factor of whether it’s
right for me or not,” she said,
referring to her placement that her
class is participating in during the
third term at the college.
International student praises Canada’s reputation
By DONNA DURIC
Staff Writer
Marcos Schmidt, 20, of
Chippawa, Ont., is a former
Rotary exchange student who says
Canada is a “beautiful” country.
“I love it here. I think it’s a great
country. People in Canada are very
honest, good to deal with, work
and (have) fun with.”
Schmidt is a second-year student in the Hotel and Restaurant
Management program at the Maid
of the Mist Centre (MMC) campus
in Niagara Falls.
He grew up in Florianopolis,
Brazil, and decided to come to
Canada in August 1999 through
the Rotary Club International student exchange program. He says
he wanted to learn English and
chose Canada instead of other
English-speaking
countries
because of its reputation in Brazil.
“It’s really famous out there for
quality of life and safety.”
During his one-year stay, he
boarded with a family in Welland
MARCOS SCHMIDT
and attended Centennial High
School. The family treated him as
one of their own, making his meals
and giving him spending money
when he needed it. While Schmidt
was living in Canada, his family
took on a foreign student in his
hometown in Brazil.
His parents paid for his initial
plane ticket and the Rotary Club
paid for his living expenses, as well
as organized events for him and
other foreign students to participate
in while they stayed in Canada.
Schmidt has been back home
once, for three weeks this past summer. He toured five cities while he
was there, including Rio de Janeiro,
giving lectures to high school, college and university crowds.
Schmidt is active in student life.
He is the acclaimed vice-president
of internal affairs on the MMC
Student Administrative Council
(SAC), as well as the elected student representative for the Board
of Governors. He says the main
reason he decided to run for SAC
was “to get more student involvement,” and to represent the international student population at the
college, since he does “a lot” of
work with the college’s international department.
Schmidt says he enjoys working
with SAC.
“It’s been great. I think we have an
excellent team. We’ve made a lot of
progress (and) done a lot of good
things that didn’t happen last year.”
Some of Schmidt’s hobbies
include playing the piano, writing
his own music, singing, listening to
alternative or psychedelic rock,
writing poems, short stories and
screenplays, and playing tennis and
soccer, although he doesn’t play as
much soccer here as he did in
Brazil.
“In Brazil, people usually do
more outdoor activities. Here, people are much more competitive (in
the workplace).”
When Schmidt graduates from
his program in April, he says he is
unsure if he wants to take a postgraduate program next year.
Eventually, he wants to run a hotel.
Schmidt says he is pleased with
Niagara College and its work with
international students.
“Niagara College is a very
dynamic and progressive college
and I really like how much
emphasis they’re putting on
international development.
Students find funding their education a stressful challenge
By DONNA DURIC
Staff Writer
Some students are lucky enough
to have their parents pay for their
education and other school-related
living expenses. For others, the
stress of funding their education
themselves is a challenge.
Dean Werner, 24, of Welland,
a second-year student in the
Police Foundations program,
works 20 hours a week as a sales
associate at Payless Shoes. He
says he must work to help pay
tuition and bills, buy food and
pay his $660 monthly rent. He
shares an apartment with his
girlfriend, who also contributes
to the household expenses.
Werner received about $7,000
from the Ontario Student
Assistance
Program
in
September, but says that “it’s kind
of wearing down now.”
He says that working while
attending school has cut into his
study time, from eight hours per
exam last year, to three or four this
year, and into his social life.
“I get the odd chance to go out,
‘I lose track
of time, what day it
is, what I’m supposed
to be doing. I get to
the point where my
mind turns to mush.’
— Neil Kostecki
but it doesn’t happen too often.”
Werner says he’s up until midnight or 1 a.m. every night.
“I’m dozing off in class sometimes.”
He has advice for handling the
pressures of working while attending college: “You have to be really
organized. That’s one of my
biggest assets.”
Another student, Neil Kostecki,
20, of Grimsby, a second-year student in the Broadcasting — Radio,
Television and Film (BRTF) program, says he’s not organized.
“I lose track of time, what day it
is, what I’m supposed to be doing.
I get to the point where my mind
turns to mush.”
Kostecki works at Home
Depot, between 20 and 40 hours
a week, as a lumber and building
materials associate, consulting
with customers on building projects. It is a physical job, involving driving forklifts, carrying
drywall and lifting bags of concrete weighing between 50 and
100 pounds each.
He says he must work to
finance his car and cover gas and
insurance and to pay for food and
other bills.
He lives at home with his parents and says he likes to help out.
A student line of credit paid for his
tuition.
Kostecki says he’s “learned
responsibility” and that “you gotta
do what you gotta do.”
Ryan Coxworthy, 21, of St.
Catharines, a third-year student in
the BRTF program, had to work
two jobs to put himself through
school without any help from
loans or other funding sources.
“My parents, unfortunately,
haven’t had the luxury of helping
me out,” he says.
Coxworthy made $1,500 a
month working as a camera operator at the Fort Erie Race Track
for the TV show, The Score, on
Headline Sports, and as a food
cart server at Delta Bingo in St.
Catharines.
Coxworthy recently finished
working at the Fort Erie Race Track.
While at both jobs, Coxworthy
worked 35 to 40 hours a week, in
addition to his 40 hours of classes
plus assignments, often sleeping
only three hours a night.
“I had no time to myself,” he
says. “It’s draining, but I don’t get
too emotional because everything
will get done.
“It’s all about the time management.”
Pick up the Niagara News on Jan. 24 to learn more about Fort Erie’s
Adventures in Archeology and Civilization Interactive Museum plans.
By RACHEL WILKINSON
Staff Writer
Seeing blood and major physical trauma and knowing
you’re the one responsible for people’s lives are just part of
being a paramedic.
Curtis Garlick, 20, of Brampton, Ont., is in his secondyear of the Paramedic program at Niagara College.
“I’ve seen some bad car accidents and did medical and
trauma calls. I remember having to hold the head of a
patient while blood was pouring out of it.”
During his second year, Garlick must complete 400 hours
of field placement.
He says he chose to do his field placement in Peel
Region where he hopes to work once his field placement is
completed.
“I heard Peel has a good service. It’s also the area I grew
up in and I know. It’s highly populated so I will get to do a
lot of calls.”
Garlick says one of the things he hopes to do during
his placement is get “challenging calls to help prepare
me for when I am a paramedic and have to know what to
do on my own.”
Garlick says he remembers a time when he was stumped
with what to do in a certain situation. “That’s why we do
field placement. So we are under supervision and can learn
from the medics without compromising the patient.”
Since working with paramedics, Garlick says, he’s
gained more respect for them. “I have a better grasp about
what the profession is about.”
During the summer, Garlick worked for Ambuserve, a
patient transfer service based out of Richmond Hill, Ont.,
where he says he was able to assist in the care of many
patients.
“Since working there, my knowledge, skills, confidence
and assertiveness have come along.”
He says he’s had to deal with many different people.
“There are people that think the ambulance is a taxi cab.
You just have to deal with them professionally.”
Garlick says one of the lessons he has learned so far is in
dealing with people. “Don’t assume things about people.
Don’t make judgments without getting the facts. You’ll
make better assessments if you don’t.”
Photo by Rachel Wilkinson
Student experiences paramedic lifestyle
CURTIS GARLICK
Continuing Education programs offer opportunities
By JASON GROSSE
Staff Writer
Feng Shui, beating the winter blahs,
understanding your cat and dealing with
difficult people.
If you’ve ever wanted to know
more about any of these
topics look toward
Niagara College’s
Continuing
Education
programs.
Offered nightly
and on weekends
these
programs
can help you do everything from enriching your life to hosting a Super Bowl buffet.
Continuing Education and Distance
Learning Development Officer Sue
Tallon says one of the more popular programs is the Motorcycle Instructor’s
Training program. Held at the Welland
campus
Saturday
morning
and
Wednesday nights, the program teaches
would-be motorcycle instructors riding, testing as well as instruction methods.
She says one of the reasons
the motorcycle program,
which has graduated 3,500 students, is gaining popularity is
because “more middle-aged
people are getting into the
sport of motorcycling.”
Tallon says, “They have more free time
(and) more dollars to put into the sport.”
Tallon says some of the other popular
programs are photography, which starts at
an introductory level and continues to
advanced techniques. She says the
Language Interpreter —
Skills Development
program, which works
on memory and listening skills is
popular as is the
Palliative
Care
program.
A quick glance
at the Continuing
Education course calendar reveals a wide
variety of programs. Courses range from
the practical, such as e-business, to the
odd, such as A Cat’s Eye View — Feline
Behaviour Up Close.
Tallon says what people get out of the
programs is “it meets both the needs of
their career goals as well as their special
interests.”
She says the age
range in these programs
is wide. “We have people from age 16 to 60.”
Asked if the students have a different
range of abilities,
Tallon
replies,
“Absolutely.”
“When you’re looking
at the motorcycle program, you’re looking
at novices, you’re looking at people who
have never been on a motorcycle.”
Continuing Education programs begin
Jan. 20. Tallon says registrations will be
taken until the second week of classes.
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e
B
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Want some help??
Come visit us in the
Health Centre
OR
Visit us online at
www.LeaveThePackBehind.com
•
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“First Impression”
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First time in competition, entries win medals
By DONNA DURIC
You can’t ask for anything better than
Jon Ogryzlo, director of the enviStaff Writer
that.”
ronment, horticulture and agribusiness
The students and staff at the Niagara
The NCT Winery offers a full-time division at the Glendale campus, says
College Teaching (NCT) Winery at the program that teaches students skills in the wine was described at the awards
Glendale campus in Niagara-on-the-Lake winemaking, viticulture and sales and as having a “huge complexity, long
have nothing to whine about.
marketing.
finish, (and) the nose (taste), a mixture
After only three years since the winery’s
Criveller Company, in Niagara Falls, of smoky, charry tobacco, black
inception, it has received numerous awards donated the $100,000 wine processing liquorice, honey and vanilla.”
for red and white
Ogryzlo says everywines.
one was “absolutely
Recently, the NCT
ecstatic” about winning
Winery received two
the awards for the
awards
at
the
Chardonnay.
Canadian
Wine
“It really is a reflecAwards
held
in
tion of the quality of the
Victoria, B.C., for its
program. We’re very
NCT
Chardonnay
excited that we have
2001,
Barrel-Aged
such an excellent proand Barrel-Fermented.
fessor and it’s being
It received awards for
shown by the awards
Best White Wine and
we’ve been winning in
Best Chardonnay.
Canada.”
The winery also
The winery has a
won two awards at the
retail store at the
All Canadian Wine
Glendale campus where
Championships
in
they restricted sales of
June. Its Riesling
the Chardonnay to one
(white) received a
bottle a customer.
bronze medal, and its
“It went very, very
Zweigelt
(red) Niagara College’s Teaching (NCT) Winery is at the Glendale campus. fast,” says Ogryzlo.
Steve Gill, co-ordinator for the Winery and
received a silver The NCT Winery is open to the public from noon to 5 p.m weekdays and Steve Gill, co-ordinaViticulture Technician Diploma program,
closed weekends.
medal.
tor for the Winery and
shows one of the bottles of wine.
The Chardonnay was
Photo by Donna Duric Viticulture Technician
Photo by Donna Duruc
made under the direcDiploma program, says
tion of part-time professor Jim Warren, tanks and the winery has a partnership with the award is a “testament” to the
“We don’t have a lot of wines. That’s our
who has been in the wine industry since Rideau Barrel Company, which gave them program.
disadvantage (but) anybody can make a
1985 and is the former president of Stoney display barrels.
“We have quality teaching, quality stu- tremendous wine if they’re passionate
Ridge Wines in Vineland, Ont.
The grapes used to make the Chardonnay dents, a quality program and quality wine.” enough about it.”
“This one (award) was special,” says were harvested in Beamsville, Ont., with a
Warren says he will enter more wine at
The NCT winery is open to the public
Warren. “It was the first wine entered in a 24.4 level of brix (sugar) and were aged for the Cuvee Wine Awards in Niagara-on-the- from noon to 5 p.m. weekdays and closed
contest. Everything about it was a first. 10 months in Rideau Oak barrels.
Lake in early March.
weekends unless otherwise advertised.
Students learn basics
of art, design
techniques, theory
By MEAGHAN HUTTON
Staff Writer
The Black Walnut building
isn’t just an empty building that
sits between the Mackenzie
building and the After Hours
pub at Niagara College’s
Welland campus.
The building is home for the
Art and Design FundamentalsGraphic Design Production
program.
The program trains the students in the basics of art and
design techniques and theory.
It also gives them grounding
in digital graphic design production.
All areas of the program
stress practical, hands-on
application of principles
taught in course work and,
through this process, develop
the students’ ability to work
efficiently in a variety of
areas, says Greg Smith, Art
and Design Fundamentals –
Graphic Design Production
program co-ordinator.
“Students learn two- and
three-dimensional
design,
illustrations, life drawing,
typography, graphic design
and computer applications.
The curriculum is very wide
ranging and offers students
exposure to many areas of art,
design and computer,” says
Smith.
The program was established to help students embark
on a career in the visual art,
design and communications
industry or continue their education in those areas at other
educational institutions. There
are about 180 students in the
program.
Smith says the best thing
about working with the program is seeing the work the students produce on an ongoing
basis.
“Recently the second-year
students worked on a logo for a
Green Map for the Niagara
Region. As well, the secondyear students have a graduation
exhibition at the end of the
term, which they work very
hard for.”
“Those students seeking
employment after graduation
are able to demonstrate entrylevel competencies in computer
applications for graphic design
and pre-press processes, screen
print preparation and production, and air brush techniques
for illustration and signage,”
Smith explains.
“Once students graduate
from the Art and Design program, they usually spin off into
two directions, they use their
training from Niagara College
and go on to other educational
institutions or students find
entry-level positions in the
graphic design and printing
industry,” says Smith.
O N TA R I O P U B L I C S E R V I C E
2003 O N TA R I O
Internship Program
www.internship.gov.on.ca
Move towards a rewarding career
OR CALL
and make a difference! The Ontario
1 888 jobgrow
Internship Program is a paid, two-year
employment opportunity that offers you
career development in key professional
fields. The Program also offers an open
road to a vast diversity of business
APPLICATION DEADLINE
January 31, 2003
ASSIGNMENTS BEGIN
May 2003
experiences across a wide-range of
ministries. Apply now! Be a part of a
new generation of public service
professionals, and make a difference
by joining the Ontario Public Service!
See the Niagara News on Jan. 24, Jan. 31,
Feb. 7, and Feb. 14, all before Reading Week,
which begins Feb. 24.
Ontario Public Service: an Equal Opportunity Employer
EDITORIALS
The Niagara News is a practical lab for the Journalism-Print program, covering the college community and other areas of interest.
Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the management of the Niagara News or the administration of
Niagara College, Room V10, 300 Woodlawn Rd., Welland, Ont. L3C 7L3
Phone (905) 735-2211 / 641-2252 / 374-7454 / FAX (905) 736-6003
Editor: Adam Campbell; Associate Editor: Dana Blacklock; Assistant Editor: Carissa Pertschy;
Publisher: Leo Tiberi, director, Communications and Information Technology;
Editor-in-chief: Neil McGregor, manager, Communications and Information Technology divison;
Managing Editor: Phyllis Barnatt, co-ordinator, Journalism-Print program;
Associate Managing Editor: Gary Erb, professor, Journalism-Print program;
Editorial Consultant: Nancy Geddie, professor, Journalism-Print program;
Advertising Manager: Linda Camus;
Technology Support: Kevin Romyn;
Photography Consultant: Andrew Klapatiuk, photography instructor;
Photography Editor: Shari Hadgraft;
Film Processing: Shari Hadgraft; Elyse DeBruyn; Jason Grosse;
Scanning Crew: Shari Hadgraft; Elyse DeBruyn; Jason Grosse.
www.niagara-news.com
Are you really a punk or just a punk fan?
Punk rock, punker, skater are terms lumped together and thrown around too much
these days.
It seems to me if you buy a T-shirt at Arlies or West 49, or if you purchase the latest Tony Hawk video game, you are a skateboarder. Picking up the latest
music from Blink 182 or Sum 41 does not mean you’re down with the punk
rock scene. You are just a fan.
For me, 2003 will be the biggest year of this continuing fad. I remember a few years back the big fad was sporting a sweater vest and a pair
of khakis, frosting the tips of your hair and listening to Creed.
My problem isn’t dressing punk or being prep, but the way people
go about doing it.
It seems if you aren’t growing your hair shaggy or sporting a new pair of
Etnies, you’re out of the loop as far as coolness is concerned.
True punk rockers or skateboarders do not care about the so-called “label.”
They are who they are and they are quite content with that.
I don’t remember the last time Arto Saari, Willy Santos or Pierre-Luc
Gagnon held out for an extra million on a sponsor. By the way, the names I just listed are current pro skateboarders.
Another prime example of untapping what’s always been around is the Jackass
phenomena.
Yes, all of us and our mothers get a great laugh out of Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O and
the gang. Did you know that most of the people affiliated with the Jackass family were
somehow involved in the skateboarding community?
Knoxville was once a writer for Big Brother skateboarding magazine who filmed
similar stunts and pranks like the ones seen on Jackass. Bam Margera, pro skateboarder and brains behind the Jackass crew, filmed and edited some now very
popular videos entitled CKY, CKY2K and CKY 3.
These tapes have always been around, yet no one touched them until
they were given mainstream acceptance via Jackass The Movie. Future Shop now
lists the boxed set as out of stock. Now if that isn’t mainstream recognition, I
don’t know what is.
If you want to culture yourself in the punk music scene, VH1 has just released
the VH1: All Access: 25 Years of Punk DVD, and Transworld (skateboarding magazine) published its 20th anniversary edition last month. If you
aren’t much of a reader, pick up Dogtown and Z-Boys, a documentary spanning the evolution of the sport.
People following this new fad of wannabe pop punk should realize if you are trying to be punk and calling yourself punk, you are not punk.
ADAM CAMPBELL
Questioning suicide not a bad step to take
Unfortunately, teen suicide has become a big issue within the last few
months in the Niagara region, mostly between the ages of 17 and 22.
Whether the reasons be problems at home, low self-esteem or suffering from
a broken heart, it is never easy to fully understand why people would end
their own existence voluntarily.
It’s very common for affected family members and friends to not only feel
guilty but be left in shock and confusion as well.
“He seemed happy” or “His life didn’t seem that bad” are very common
comments in reaction. Being sad, or having a rough life, shouldn’t automatically drive anyone to commit suicide anyway. There is help, whether provided by friends, family or professionals.
Many of the warning signals of someone who may be contemplating suicide are similar to signs of depression. These include withdrawal from
friends, family, and regular activities; violent actions, rebellious behaviour,
or running away; drug and alcohol abuse; marked personality change; frequent complaints about physical symptoms, often related to emotions, such
as stomach aches, headaches, fatigue; loss of interest in pleasurable activities; and not tolerating praise or rewards.
If someone is potentially suicidal, it’s important to stress that the person
should not trust personal judgment since it is more than likely distorted by
depression. A lot of people who are massively depressed feel as if the pain
will never go away and view suicide as an escape and an easy way to end the
emotional suffering. The pain can be treated successfully. Suicide doesn’t
end the pain, but actually increases it by spreading it to others, explaining
why many people view suicide as a selfish act.
No one should be afraid to question if a person is feeling suicidal. Getting
the idea into the open is a good idea. Communication is helpful. It increases
the chances of the person getting help. It will also show that you are concerned.
Some people just need to be reminded that life isn’t always “down” and
that things do get better one day.
DANA BLACKLOCK
Your voice or opinion is welcome in our Letters to the Editor section. Our policy regarding letter submissions is this: All letters must be received on the Friday one week prior to publication. Each letter must include the writer’s name, college identification number and program of study.
All letters must be signed and include a day and evening telephone number for verification use only.
All letters can be mailed or brought to the Niagara News newsroom, Room V10, Voyageur Wing, Welland Campus.
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occupied by the portion of the advertisement in which the error occurred. This applies whether such error is due to the negligence of its servants or otherwise.
There shall be no liability for non-insertions of any advertisement beyond the amount paid for such advertisement.
All advertisers are asked to check their advertisements after first insertion. We accept responsibility for only one incorrect insertion unless notified immediately after publication. Errors,
which do not lessen the value of the advertisement, are not eligible for corrections by a make-good advertisement. There shall be no liability for non-insertion of any advertisement beyond
the amount paid for such advertisement. We reserve the right to edit, revise, classify or reject any advertisement.
Our next Niagara News is Friday, Jan. 24
COLUMNS
Should Canada turn its back on U.S. as neighbour?
It is becoming more apparent that the United States (U.S.)
will be invading Iraq.
At first, U.S. President George W. Bush said the U.S.
would only attack if it were found that Iraq possessed
weapons of mass destruction.
When Iraq finally opened the door to the United Nations (UN)
weapons inspectors, it seemed as though the U.S. had lost the
cause to invade, because Iraq was co-operating to some extent.
How much would the U.S. co-operate with a country that was
demanding access to their weapons and their most secure locations?
I’m guessing the U.S. would not take kindly to the situation if the tables were turned.
I think Iraq has been as co-operative as possible considering
the circumstances. It was one of the three countries Bush singled
out as the “axis of evil” and has since been targeted as an enemy,
yet has done nothing in recent years to warrant such a label.
The U.S. has left little room for opposition by forcing other
countries to choose to become a friend or enemy of the most powerful nation based solely on their willingness to participate in a war.
Now the U.S. is sending troops to Iraq to prepare for an
invasion. There is virtually no support for an invasion
because there has been no evidence that Iraq has been hiding
By LORI LANGLEY
Staff Writer
Column
any weapons of mass destruction. Does this mean that the
U.S. will turn against its allies for not supporting the war?
History shows that countries and empires fall because
of conflicts on too many fronts. Will that be the mistake
Bush makes? The war on terrorism has yet to show any
definite victory for either side, and North Korea is not
pleased with its label of being a rogue, enemy nation of
the world, and it may have support from other countries
that are not happy with the willingness of the U.S. to
point fingers. The U.S. Army may find itself spread too
thin, even considering its vast size.
Bush had said Iraq would only be attacked if just cause
were found, but he now says the UN doesn’t need to find a
smoking gun in order to invade.
Canada has a very serious decision to make. Do we help
our closest friend fight a war that may just be one man trying to settle a grudge with another man? Do we turn our
backs on our neighbour and risk having it do the same to us
if we ever need its help in the future?
Canada’s military is already limited, and some feel that
we have already contributed more than enough by sending
troops to Afghanistan.
Should we send Canadians to another country to fight
a war without a clear cause? It is a decision that the
Canadian government will have to ponder long and hard
before reaching a decision. It seems we are in a lose-lose
situation. If we side with the U.S., we will be a definite
enemy of Iraq, and other nations that might support it
because of a common hatred for the U.S. If we choose
not to join the invasion, we will gain an entirely new
enemy, our best friend, the U.S.
For now, Canada will wait for a UN resolution, and the
weapons inspectors in Iraq will continue to be under the watchful eye of most governments and media outlets in the world.
Rest, relaxation replaced by rush to deadline, graduation
Welcome back, everyone. I hope your Christmas vacation
was as wonderful as mine because I had lots of fun.
My first week home was just down time for me because I
was so exhausted; I slept, rested and watched a little T.V.
I also enjoyed wonderful, pretend tea parties with Hannah Belle,
who makes the most aromatic, pretend tea of anyone I know.
My second and third weeks were very busy with turkey
dinners, parties, friends, families and, yuck, more turkey.
Turkey is great, but not as much in the space of two weeks.
New Year’s Eve was a quiet evening and we watched the
ball descend into the New Year together. I wiped a small tear
from the corner of my eye and as the old year faded and said
a silent Happy New Year to my dear Tom.
The next day, we met at my youngest daughter’s house for our
traditional New Year’s Day dinner of Chinese food. The lighter
cuisine after the heavy fare of the holidays was a nice change.
By E. J. GOODER
Staff Writer
Column
Sadly though, time was drawing nearer to leave my family, but I was ready to return to my life as a student. I adore
my babies, but those 7 a.m. wake up calls were making me
yearn (not literally) for graduation and my own place.
Over the holidays, Thomas, Hannah, Fletcher, Zippy and
little cousin Savannah would burst into my room and ever
so quietly in unison yell, “Grandma, it’s light out, so can we
get up?” It was heaven.
My stress level is quickly rising because the semester is
now in full swing and I must submit two newspaper articles
every week.
To lessen the stress, I breathe a sigh of relief, pause and
remember my little one’s adorable faces, their sticky kisses
and their hugs. This helps me and I continue on with my work.
This term is going to be a hectic one with everything seemingly due at the same time. In order to keep up with all of my
assignments I’m going to have to do a great deal of juggling,
such as coming in on the weekends and working on three different projects at once, yikes! I hope I won’t crash and burn.
Will I make it? You better believe I will.
Good luck to everyone this semester.
Journalists, including those in the Journalism-Print program at Niagara College, are taught that their reporting must be balanced, fair and as objective as
possible. That rule must also exist for columns written by reporters. In columns, the feelings and opinions of reporters are welcome, but balance, fairness
and objectivity must never be disregarded or treated lightly. Our columns, which are clearly identified as such, do not reflect the opinions or feelings of the
Niagara College administration or the management of Niagara News. Columns reflect the opinion of only one person: the writer.
Hennepin Hall has been dismantled, new YMCA being built
Photo by Leslie Branconnier
Photos by Journalism-Print program first-year student Krystina Grandmond
It’s gone. After 36 years and thousands of students, the Hennepin Hall building on Woodlawn Road is going to be replaced by the new Welland-Pelham
YMCA. Construction is expected to begin in October and be completed by June 2004.
New casino first of three to be built
By E. J. GOODER
and Richard Barta, of Grand Island, N.Y., wooden structures over the gaming tables.
Staff Writer
was that it’s a “beautiful casino and is comPagel says this effect gives the feeling of
Many people hope the Seneca Niagara parable to Las Vegas,” and they say they are entering an enclosure from the outside, but
Casino is the remedy needed to change the happy they came.
the main purpose of the “wood is to house
fortunes of economically strapped Niagara
The 85-foot high ceiling is painted a the surveillance cameras.”
Falls, N.Y.
blurred-gray, giving the viewer an
Audrey Grounds, 53, of Hamburg, N.Y.,
The casino, officially opened on Dec. 31, impression of an evening sky.
says the wooden structure “resembles a
2002, came to fruition after many
longhouse.” In the Six Nations
years of anticipation. About $2.4
culture, the longhouse is the tradimillion is the cumulative amount
tional, matrilineal family home,
spent by the Seneca Nation of
where a family
Indians in its bid for a casino
consists of the
since 1998.
mother, her daughConstructed and completed in
ters, their husbands
just 100 days, the casino is the forand children, plus
mer Niagara Falls Convention and
any unmarried sons
Civic Center at 310 Front St.
living
together
Preview nights, by invitation
under one roof.
only, were Seneca Day on Dec. 27
To the right and
and Media Day on Dec. 28.
left of the wooden
At the main entrance, smiling
structures are metal
valets, wearing yellow and black
beams
painted
winter jackets, helped guests out
white. Canvases
of their cars. Then the friendly
resembling sails
valets quickly whisked the cars
are
attached
away to unknown parking spaces
between the beams,
throughout the area.
and coloured lights
Over the entrance of the casino
reflect from them,
is the emblem Seneca Niagara in
recreating a sunrise
bold, vibrant colours. Surrounding
and sunset.
the structure are statues of the difThe
changing
ferent clans of the Seneca Nation,
seasons are represented in the carsuch as the turtle, bear and wolf.
peting throughout the different
The
glass-doored
main
sections of the casino. Winter is
entrance leads into a foyer of
represented in the light blue and
highly polished beige marble. In
white carpeting in and around the
the centre of the foyer, standing
slot machines.
guard at the entrance of the casiGuests were served hot and
no sits a magnificent, enormous
cold appetizers as well as alcobeige-marble waterfall. Upon
holic and nonalcoholic beverages,
entering the casino, visitors will
by uniformed staff, as they wannotice the vastness and height of
dered throughout the brightly lit
the space, and then the boldly
gaming areas.
coloured images of trees in the
Live entertainment was providwindows at both ends of the casied by local native musicians The
no. Subtle lighting has been Waterfall in the foyer of the Seneca Niagara Casino.
Fierce Men, Iron Eyes Blues Band
added to the overall ambiance of
Photo by E. J. Gooder and Pocket Change, who perthe casino with just focal points
formed from atop a platform
of bright lighting over each gaming table.
Todd Pagel, of Jeter Cook and Jepson above the circular bar Club 101.
Reaction from opening night patrons, Architects, of Hartford, Conn., says the
Guests were able to purchase $1,000 of
such as the smiling, engaging couple Pat vastness of the ceiling is brought down by play money/chips for $10. Funds were
donated to the
Seneca Nation of
Indians Child and
Family Services.
A n i t a
By E. J. GOODER
Seriammi, credit
Staff Writer
manager for the
The Aboriginal Education Access Office (AEAO) is
high roller cliensponsoring a contest search for a new, locally inspired
tele, says cuslogo. The deadline for entries is Jan. 31.
tomer
service
Shirley Joshua, counsellor for the AEAO at Niagara
“comes
first.”
College’s Welland campus, says the present logo has
Seriammi,
of
been in use for many years.
Niagara
Falls,
Joshua says the logo has “more of a West Coast
says she wants to
design,” but the office would like a design symbolizhelp people feel
ing the native communities of the students attending
comfortable
the college.
when visiting the
Joshua, of Thorold, Ont., says proposed designs should
casino.
“represent the values (that) the students grew up with.”
The casino, she
The new logo will win new popularity, as it will repsays, has trained
resent the office, its values and its principles. The new
employees to be
logo will be displayed on all office supplies, from pens
“conscious of peoto letterhead.
ple’s limits and to
All aboriginal students attending Niagara’s three camcut them off when
puses are encouraged to make a submission.
drinking or gamThe winning designer will receive a certificate of
bling too heavily.”
recognition from the AEAO, a gift certificate and a Debra-Leigh Williams, 30, administrative assisSeriammi says
tant in the Aboriginal Education Access Office.
prize of $50.
she “believes in
Photo by E.J. Gooder
Students, win prizes for logo design
Niagara Falls” and sees a resurgence in the
making.
The preview nights were practice sessions for the newly graduated dealers, who
demonstrated their skill and knowledge of
the various games.
There are 93 Blackjack, Roulette, Craps
and Mini-Baccarat tables and 2,625 slot
machines, plus a Keno lounge. Only a few
of the 93 tables were open for gaming and
none of the slot machines were operating,
for technicians were still working on some
of the machines.
John Pasqualoni, vice-president of slot
operations, had said all the “slots will be
ready” for the Dec. 31 opening and they were.
There are two restaurants, Thunder Falls
and Morrie’s Place, plus various food carts
and a buffet in the gaming room aiming to
offer selections to suit everyone’s taste. The
gift shop displays native jewelry, art and
articles of clothing with the casino’s understated logo.
Security staff, prevalent everywhere,
were visible in their bright red jackets and
black pants.
Bernard Bailey, 29, of the Tonawanda
Indian Reserve, is a security officer and was
stationed at the main entrance.
Bailey, a Seneca, says the “crowds have
been well mannered.”
Gloria Way, 60, of Angola, N.Y., says
she was disappointed because the casino
wasn’t like Las Vegas. “Where was
glitz?” The smiling raven-haired Way
says she did enjoy herself as “everyone
was very nice” to her.
John Latimore, 37, of Angola, N.Y.,
says he was “very impressed” with the
casino’s paramedic unit. The casino’s
qualified staff, Latimore says, were “very
impressive” in their ability to use emergency equipment such as defibrillator and
intravenous set-ups, allowing the paramedics to quickly respond to any medical
emergency.
Patrons must be 21 years of age to enter
or to be served alcohol in the casino, but
minors may be admitted to the restaurants
and other non-gaming areas of the casinos.
The Seneca Nation had a long struggle,
not only with its members, but also with
obtaining the needed U.S. state and federal governmental approval to operate a
full-service casino. The Niagara Falls
casino is one of three sites at which the
Seneca Nation plans on opening gaming
facilities.
College to upgrade computer technology
By DONNA DURIC
Staff Writer
“Niagara College has a good
report card on technology,” says
Beth Weldon, chief information
officer for the college, at the
Board of Governors’ meeting on
Nov. 14. “We’re sitting really
well (compared with other colleges).”
However, she says the college’s
computers and networks “need
development” and “refreshing.”
Computers and cabling usually
run a three-year cycle before being
tossed out in favour of new technology. Niagara College has been
running a five-year cycle with
computers, yet the 270 kilometres
of copper cabling at the college
must be replaced every three
years.
Weldon says she and her 17member staff want to “refresh” the
labs and staff computers, as well
as thousands of software programs.
“It’s a continuous cycle,” she
says. “As you upgrade software,
you must upgrade hardware.”
The college has 575 staff computers, 1,400 student computers,
and 270 leased or purchased laptops, used by students in the technology programs.
Weldon says she wants to
upgrade PeopleSoft so that students may be able to pay for
their tuition, register for programs, and drop and add courses, all on the Web, by December.
PeopleSoft is a $2.3-million software program that deals with financial records, academic records and
administrative functions.
“It will be cost saving for the
college. There’s no question,” says
Weldon, adding that “it’s clear that
students are using the Web.”
This past Christmas, the college
didn’t mail grades and timetables to
students, who were able to check
their timetables on the college’s Web
site by Dec. 6, students were encour-
aged to check back often.
“As a techie, I like to take away
the (use of) paper whenever I can,”
says Weldon.
The college Web site, which has
41,417 pages on it, is viewed by people in 60 countries, with Japan being
the second-highest requester after
Canada.
In 2001, 1,595 students were
taking an on-line course, and this
year, there are 1,719. Weldon says
the college administration hopes
that by 2003, there will be 2,250
students taking on-line courses.
Weldon also wants to upgrade
the administrative software programs, since there are 1.4 mil-
lion grades stored on staff computers.
“We have some honkin’
servers,” says Weldon.
The college has a $2-million
yearly operating budget for technology, with $600,000 of that contributed
by
the
Student
Technology
Enhancement
Committee (STEC) fee. The STEC
fee comes out of students’ tuition
and helps pay for the Student
Open Access Lab’s $100,000 a
year Internet cost.
“We’ve purchased wisely and
we manage it (the budget) well,”
says Weldon. “We want to be able
to maintain that role.”
Native polytechnic institute to open after Christmas
By E. J. GOODER
Staff Writer
Six Nations Polytechnic Inc. in
Oshweken is taking a giant step
into the future for its students and
the aboriginal community with the
construction of a new post-secondary facility on the Six Nations
of the Grand River near Brantford
Ont..
The Jan. 24, 2003, grand opening celebration of the polytechnic
institute will include a ribbon-cutting ceremony from 1 p.m. to 4
p.m. and building tours from 9
a.m. to 5 p.m.
Students and staff are attending
classes in the new building as they
return after the Christmas break.
Arnie Bomberry, 30, polytechnic registrar, says that a “generous
grant and loan” from the Six
Nations Council and Casino Rama
funds assisted in the building of
the new facility.
Bomberry, a Mohawk of the Six
Nations of the Grand River
reserve, says an agreement with
Imperial Oil was finalized, and a
pre-technology program was
added to the curriculum. The firm
will eventually employ graduates
from the native community.
He says the polytechnic has
been “doing all right” with just
students from the reserve attending the programs, but the aboriginal population is starting to apply
from everywhere, including applications from the United States.
He wants to see a stronger relationship, Bomberry says, with the
colleges and universities they have
partnerships with, such as Wilfrid
Laurier University in KitchenerWaterloo and Niagara College,
and more in-house programs. He
would also “like” to see a dual
institute of naturopathic medicine
in conjunction with McMaster
Classes at Six Nations Polytechnic Inc. are held in these
portables.
Construction is in its final stages of the new Six Nations Polytechnic Inc. on the Six Nations reserve
near Brantford.
University in Hamilton.
Gayle Lafleur, manager of the
Niagara College Aboriginal
Education Access Office, Welland
campus, says Six Nations
Polytechnic and Niagara College
are in a joint partnership. Six
Nations Polytechnic delivers the
programs and the college gives the
credits earned by the students in
each program.
The polytechnic provides such
programs as Early Childhood
Education, Education Assistant —
Special Needs and Paramedic.
Linda Statts, chief executive
officer since the conception of Six
Nations Polytechnic 10 years ago,
says a partnership to create a university access program was
formed with Niagara College in
1993. It has graduated more than
200 students. The program consists of the first year of university
or college, so the native student
will feel secure and ready to blend
easily into the mainstream of academia.
The bottom line, Statts says, is
to provide the means for the aboriginal student to gain “confidence, self-esteem and skills to be
successful.”
Student Valerie White, 27, of
Hamilton, is in her first year of the
Native University program and
she eventually wants to be a medical doctor. White, a Mohawk,
says she has been out of the educational system and this is a “great
way of getting back into educational process. Honestly, I love it.”
The smiling, dark-haired
woman says she is setting a
“good example” for her children
not only about the importance of
a post-secondary education, but
also finding out about her heritage.
She says she makes the more
than 30-kilometre drive from
Hamilton every day and when she
has accomplished her dream of
being a medical doctor she will
apply those skills in her “native
community.”
For more information call 519445-0023, e-mail learn@snpolytechnic.com
or
go
to
http://www.snpolytechnic.com.
Local grade school children participated in patrol training with NRP
By SHARI HADGRAFT
Staff Writer
About 305 students were “handpicked” to take part in the sixth
annual School Patroller Training
Day held at the Exhibition
Grounds in Welland on Sept. 26.
Seventeen elementary schools
took part in this training program
to teach students in Grades 5 and 6
what emergency situations might
occur on a school bus and how to
resolve them.
Constable Tim Whittle, 47, of
the Niagara Regional Police
Service (NRP), was the co-ordinator of the annual School Patroller
Training Day event with the
Canadian Automobile Association
(CAA) of Niagara.
“We’ve been partners with CAA
since 1975; however, this event is
our sixth annual Patroller Training
Day. Instead of going around to all
the schools, we bring all the
schools to us or as many of the
schools that sign up,” Whittle said.
The students go through five
stations throughout the training
day. The stations include bus protocol behaviour, bus practical
evacuation, St. John Ambulance
first aid, Welland Fire Department
and CAA school patrol.
“They’re teaching kids how to
emergency evacuate a bus,”
Whittle explains. “They’re teaching the kids proper bus protocol,
basically behaviour on the bus,
What to do and what not to do.
The fire department is teaching
them how to put out different
types of fires and the big thing,
how you properly use a fire extinguisher, and the children get the
chance to actually use a fire extinguisher.”
Whittle said CAA funds this
event by paying for the lunch and
a trip to Marineland in Niagara
Falls. “Once they do this, they go
back to the schools and if they ful-
fil their duties as a school patroller
or a bus patroller, then the school
has the option of sending them to
Marineland for a day in the
spring.”
John Sherwin, 42, marketing
and public relations manager of
CAA Niagara, said he’s been
putting on this training day in the
Niagara region for seven years.
CAA provides the orange fluorescent vests the children wear and
distributes safety handbooks to
every participating student. The
$500 cost for lunch and fire extinguishers was funded by the organization.
Students who show a leadership
role at school are handpicked by
the teachers to take part in this
training day, Sherwin said.
“The bus patrollers work with
the bus driver to make sure the
children get on and off safely, that
the children are quiet on the bus,
they’re not sticking their arms and
legs out the windows. They help in
any emergency situation that
might arise like emergency evacuation, that kind of thing,” he said.
Sherwin said the NRP have
always been “very supportive” of
this training event. “We work very
closely together and make sure we
are teaching the same lessons.”
Sherwin said he thinks CAA has
an important role in this event. “I
think it’s real important to learn
safety rules.
And, unfortunately, automobile
collisions continue to be the leading cause of death and injury
among children six to 14 years
old, so as the largest automobile
association in Canada, we feel that
responsibility to take part.”
Dan Evkovich, 53, a fire prevention officer with the Welland
Fire Department, has been
involved in the annual School
Patroller Training Day for about
five or six years.
Evkovich said a fire extinguisher is mandatory equipment
on a school bus so the fire
department had to provide some
training. “They have to learn
how to use it in case they have to
use it.”
Evkovich said they have a limited number of fire extinguishers to
use during the event but try to
maximize the number of children
taught.
David Katch, 50, an instructor
with St. John Ambulance at the
Welland branch, was at the training event teaching basic first
aid.
Katch has been participating
in the event for four years teaching children safety procedures.
“If something should happen
on the bus, where the bus is
involved in an accident, what
can they (the students) do to
help out with the various emergencies that could arise.”
Super Bowl Xtravaganza a must for fans
By LINDSEY LEAMEN
Staff Writer
Calling all football fans: Get set
to see the Super Bowl as you’ve
never seen it before.
On Sunday, Jan. 26, Niagara
College students and the public will
have the opportunity to watch the
Super Bowl at the Imax Theatre in
Niagara Falls.
Fun activities, in addition to the
main event, include six XBOX stations that are available at 5 p.m. and
again at halftime.
The University of Guelph cheerleaders will be doing a show. Other
things to look forward to include
prizes and giveaways from the
Hamilton Tiger Cats, Budweiser,
Hamilton Bulldogs, restaurants,
hotels, and other Niagara attractions.
“We want to fill the place,” said
Ross Cunningham, of Fenwick, a
student in the Special Events
Management (Post-graduate) program and Super Bowl Xtravaganza
committee chair.
“It’s going to be a fun, fun day.
You’ll never see the football game
on a screen like this unless you go
to the Imax. The football will be the
size of your TV at home. This is a
big thing.”
The National Football League
gave the rights to show the game,
and every dollar raised goes to support the Many Hands Project.
“Our goal is to sell 350 tickets.
The Imax seats 620, but we want to
keep at a comfortable level for
everyone,” said Cunningham.
The Super Bowl Xtravaganza
committee includes nine Special
Events Management program stu-
dents and two Public Relations
(Post-graduate) program students.
Students from the Law and
Security Administration program
and the Paramedic program will be
on hand during the event.
Please note that this is a 19 years
of age and over event and tickets
cost $25, which includes big screen
viewing, a light meal, beverage of
your choice, prizes and games.
Buy your tickets by contacting
the Imax Theatre, or call 905641-2252 ext. 6404, or by email
at superbowlxtravaganza@hotmail.com.
For more information on the
Many Hands Project please visit:
http://www.niagarac.on.ca/people/manyhand/manyhand.htm
Sponsors for the event are the
Imax Theatre, Cogeco, and duocom.
One aspect of college
life just got a bit better
By CARISSA PERTSCHY
Staff Writer
Cafeteria food isn’t always bad.
Niagara College and Aramark,
Niagara College’s food provider,
have been awarded an Eat Smart
award of excellence.
As an award winner, Niagara
College is recognized as meeting healthful food and kitchen
criteria approved provincially by
medical officers of health, says
Christine Philbrick, college
nurse. “Other institutions (colleges) may be meeting it as well,
but to our knowledge they have
not received this award.”
“This is an award of excellence, and we are proud to offer
our students and staff Eat Smart
options,” says Philbrick.
On Jan. 29, all three of the college’s cafeterias in Welland,
Niagara Falls and Niagara-onthe-Lake can expect to see Eat
Smart promotions, menu specials, giveaways, draws, and
representatives with information First-year Computer Electronic Technology program student
from the Heart and Stroke Jason Baines, 18, of St. Catharines, chooses to eat healthy food
Foundation and the Niagara at Niagara’s Welland campus cafeteria.
Photo by Carissa Pertschy
Regional
Public
Health
Department.
“By avoiding things like highPublic Health Department, the
“A restaurant or cafeteria with
er fat foods and food and bever- Niagara Culinary Institute, Heart the Eat Smart designation will
ages with high sugar content we Niagara, Canadian Cancer offer a variety of healthy food
can lower our risk for certain Society, Heart and Stroke choices on the menu, high stanhealth problems,” says Philbrick. Foundation and Niagara Heart dards in food safety and handling
The Eat Smart program part-
Super Bowl Xtravaganza organizers Ross Cunningham, Ember
Johnstone, 23, of Milton, and Genevieve Novak, 20, of Hull, Que.
Photo by Lindsey Leamen
Survey says cigarette
butts, garbage top
campus pride dislikes
By LINDSEY LEAMEN
Staff Writer
A huge thanks goes out to everyone who participated in the Campus
Pride surveys conducted last
semester.
The surveys, conducted by students in the Public Relations (Postgraduate) program, polled Niagara
College students on their thoughts
regarding cleanliness, atmosphere,
convenience, and general likes and
dislikes around the college.
The research was collated. The
public relations students found
that a major concern among students is the cigarette butt clean up,
or lack thereof, outside every
entrance of the college. Garbage
in the college and around campus
was also a main issue, as was the
need for paper towels in the washrooms for sanitary reasons, and
the high cost of cafeteria food.
The public relations students
worked with the Campus Pride
Committee, which is responsible
for the planning and co-ordinating
of activities, communication and
research to improve campus facilities and the respect for them. The
committee consists of 20 people
from three campuses including
faculty, staff, students and residence staff.
“We’re creating a sense of ownership,” said Laura Lennie, 25, of
Stoney Creek, a student in the Public
Relations (Post-graduate) program.
“We’re students helping students
to effect change,” Lennie said
adding that the surveys were conducted as a practical assignment.
Surveys were conducted online, in
focus groups and in interviews.
Chris Newman, 23, of Sudbury, a
program student, stressed that he
was “happy the college trusted us. It
shows they have faith in their students, and they care about their students.”
The students interpreted the information and made recommendations
on Dec. 4 to an audience that included the college’s Manager of
Corporate Communications Darrell
Neufeld.
“The presentations were first
rate,” said Neufeld, adding,
“Excellent information was provided in a comprehensive view of both
students and faculty.”
Neufeld said he looked forward to
going through the information and
then deciding how to best address
and “prioritize” the issues that were
of concern to students. Some, such
as the cigarette butt mess, would be
more a case of “changing attitudes
and modifying behaviours.”
Lennie and Newman acknowledged that although not all change
is possible, the idea is to find what
areas need improvement to create
a place that “all students are proud
to be in.”
‘... we are providing our body with the
building blocks to maintain health.’
ners in the
Niagara
r e g i o n
include the
Niagara
R e g i o n
Health.
Eat Smart, Ontario’s
healthy restaurant program,
is an exclusive program that
awards Ontario restaurants
for meeting high standards in
food safety, nutrition and nonsmoking seating.
The goal of the program is to
contribute to the reduction of
chronic diseases including heart
disease and cancer, as well as
food-borne illness in Ontario.
and more non-smoking seating
than is required by law,” says
Philbrick.
“Healthy eating is an
extremely important factor in
wellness,” she says. “By choosing foods that are high in vitamin and mineral content and
enjoying a variety of things
from each food group every
day, we are providing our body
with the building blocks to
maintain health.”
Chris Newman and Laura Lennie, students in the Public
Relations (Post-graduate) program share their findings.
Photo by Lindsey Leamen
College’s BRTF program ‘number 1’
By ADAM CAMPBELL
Staff Writer
This Niagara student recognizes that hours upon hours of dedication are
the key to a successful future.
Erik Lauridsen, 21, of Beamsville, Ont., who is in his final year of the
Broadcasting — Radio, Television and Film (BRTF) program, will be
heading to CTV Newsnet this spring when his tenure at the college comes
to an end.
Lauridsen has been involved in some of the biggest projects the BRTF
department has undertaken.
The first was A Legend in the Making, a 22-minute corporate video,
which followed the making of the Legends on the Niagara golf course in
Chippawa, Ont., for the Niagara Parks Commission.
“With so much riding on a project like this, it would either make me or
break me. I just didn’t want to screw up,” says Lauridsen.
With more than 100 tapes and 50 hours of footage taken, Lauridsen and
his fellow co-worker on the project, Joe Findlay, were given their own
editing suite to be used solely for the large project.
Throughout Lauridsen’s last two years at the college he has worked on
a number of other projects.
Lauridsen was director of the television mobile for the 2001 Sports
Celebrity Banquet in St. Catharines, which featured a large number of
sports legends from the National Hockey League and Canadian Football
League.
Lauridsen was also the videographer for the 2001 Niagara Falls Santa
Claus parade, which gave him a “head start” using special editing equipment and learning different editing techniques.
As a second-year student, Lauridsen jumped at the opportunity to be one
of the hand-held camera people, helping the third-year class with the Erik Lauridsen, 21, who is in his final year of the Broadcasting — Radio, Television and Film
program, prepares for a future in the television industry.
Fighting Spirit Pro Wrestling mobile.
Photo by Adam Campbell
Lauridsen, who welcomes the pressure college has to offer, says he is
looking forward to the live-to-air pressures of CTV.
“I wanted to one day work in the television industry and from the research I conducted,
“Everyone likes to be challenged, and I felt that the television industry would provide me
the
Niagara College BRTF program was No. 1.
with the constant technical challenge I need.”
“One of the greatest selling points for the program here at Niagara was the unique partAt last year’s Graphics, Radio, Film and Television Image (GRAFITI) college award ceremony, Lauridsen captured three awards: best second-year ENG Producer for Fire Hall nership they had with CTV,” says Lauridsen.
Another plus of coming to Niagara was the instant hands-on experience you can get on
Theatre, best second-year Mobile Production for Fort Erie Race Track and best second-year
placement
at CTV, he says.
Television Feature for Wheelchair Tennis.
“It’s pretty obvious that Canada’s No. 1 private broadcaster thinks Niagara College is
Lauridsen also received a non-GRAFITI award when he was given the Cogeco Cable
doing something right. I think that speaks volumes for the BRTF program here.”
Community 10 scholarship for demonstrating proficiency in television production.
Humbled by his success in the BRTF program, Lauridsen says two of the most notable
Choosing Niagara College was no easy task, says Lauridsen, who gave it an in-depth look
when sending out college applications. Ultimately, Lauridsen chose Niagara because of its influences at the college have been second- and third-year television teachers, Tom Pagonis
rich history in the broadcasting industry.
and Bill Boehlen.
“They both provided me with a great understanding of not just how something worked, but
why it worked. It’s that type of technical understanding that you’ll hold on to forever.”
While in his final year of the BRTF program,
Lauridsen says he finds himself with more
responsibility because unlike the two previous
years, it was more of a team-oriented atmosphere.
‘Everyone likes to be
challenged, and I felt that the
television industry would provide
me with the constant technical
challenge I need.’
— Erik Lauridsen
“When a technical problem comes up we’re
encouraged to troubleshoot it ourselves instead
of grabbing the engineer right away.”
“The teachers are there more to guide you
rather than provide you with the hoops to jump
through.”
If everything goes Lauridsen’s way, he sees
himself being involved in the productions at
CTV.
Lauridsen says he has always been a fan of
CTV Newsnet’s style of production and has
always been impressed with the work put into
that production.
“I’ve been fascinated with that channel since it
began. They use some very unconventional production techniques to produce 24 hours of live
news. I’d just love to be involved with that.”
Lauridsen is in the pre-production stages of his
Telefest project titled Sing and will only reveal
the overall theme.
“I don’t want to give too much away at this
point but let’s just say it involves karaoke
singing,” says Lauridsen.
Cancer Society
The road to being a dental hygienist
By BRENDAN CAMPBELL
Staff Writer
If you hate going to the dentist
for a check-up, try spending a day
on a floor full of people who will
one day work with them.
While the atmosphere in the
Dental Hygiene program on the
third floor of the Simcoe wing at
Niagara College’s Welland campus is a rather upbeat one, the
overall feel is a stressed-outhyped-up-on-coffee one.
With 13 classes followed by 13
exams in the first-year, and nine
classes with exams, plus a more
thorough clinic in second year,
there’s no doubt as to why the
stress level is high and the coffee
flows like water.
“We’ll have, like, (classes for)
four hours straight or so, then an
hour (break), and then more classes in the afternoon,” says secondyear Dental Hygiene program student Angie Keczan, 23, of
Burford, Ont.
Keczan says that the workload
varies depending on the day.
Tuesdays and Thursdays are days
when they’re in clinic so the teachers give them a lighter class load
those days, although even the
lighter load can conflict with some
courses on the most stressful days.
Mondays and Wednesdays the
students spend the entire day in
class with minimal breaks in order
to fit in everything they need to
learn.
Friday is the lightest day of the
week as they’re only to come in
for a three-hour clinic. Sometimes
their clinics are doubled up those
days, leaving even the lightest day
with a fairly heavy schedule.
With the stress and pressure,
why would someone want to
invest all their time in it?
“I don’t know exactly why I
wanted to,” Keczan says. “I liked
going to the dentist so I (took the
dental assistant course) and then
worked for three years (in the
field) and enjoyed it, realized,
yeah, I liked it, so now I’m gonna
go on and go into hygiene.”
And what exactly is it that a
dental hygienist does?
“It’s when you work on your
own clients,” she says. “The
hygienist is more the person cleaning your teeth and helping (see
that) you’re brushing properly,
Second-year Dental Hygienist student Kristi Kennedy, 23, of
Leamington, works on her patient Mary Hagendenetriou, of
Welland.
Photo by Brendan Campbell
Second-year Dental Hygienist students Betsy Philip, 27, of London, and Dori Jones, 22, of Waterloo,
say, “Open wide.”
Photo by Brendan Campbell
you’re flossing, and just keeping
your mouth generally healthy.
They also teach the client how to
keep their mouth as healthy as
they can also.”
In clinic, students have a semester to complete the evaluation and
needs of 13 patients. This sounds
easier than it is, as there is limited
scheduling for clinic space.
“If a client cancels, you’ll have
an empty clinic, and you can’t find
another clinic to make up for (the
missed appointment).”
When the clients appear, what is
the treatment they receive?
“There’s a main word for it, it’s
APIE, which is Assessment,
Planning,
Implementation,
Evaluation,” Keczan says. “So
you’re assessing your client first,
and then you’re planning what is
specific for that client, what needs
to be done. Then you’re implementing it by actually doing it.
And then you’re evaluating it, sort
of seeing how everything went.”
On certain clinic days, four of
the students aren’t required to have
a patient. They are scheduled in
different areas of the clinic to help
things run smoothly.
There’s one student in dispensaries. This is where students
obtain brushes, floss or whatever
is needed for the client or supply
drawers.
In radiography, students clean the
X-ray room, prepare it for use and
develop the exposures once they’re
taken.
Some students are designated as
floaters whose job is to make sure
everything runs smoothly. If someone needs an extra hand, they’re
available to lend it.
Outside of clinic, not only do the
students spend most of their time in
classes or studying for them, but
they also pay one of the highest
tuitions in the college.
“It’s like $6,000, and then you get
your books and supplies, which are
again, another couple of thousand
dollars,” Keczan says. “(It comes
out to) about $8,000, $9,000.”
After all the classes and studying,
is there any time left for a social life?
“It kinda depends on our tests,
because once our tests start, it seems
like they just keep going and going
and going.”
Is having a part-time job out of
the question?
“I wanted to try and find a job
during the week, but to get to have
someone work around my hours to
give me a job … ,” she laughs, indicating it’d be almost impossible.
Having little to no extra income
available it can add another stress to
the already accumulating levels.
“That might be one of my more
stressful parts,” Keczan admits, “the
whole money situation.”
Given this ongoing stressful
process day after day, is it still
something the students enjoy?
“I enjoy it,” Keczan says. “At
first, (it is stressful) especially last
year, that was really stressful,
because you get in there and
you’re, like, ‘I don’t know if this
is really what I want to be doing.’
But now I really enjoy it. I like
interacting with the clients, spending time with them.”
Dental professor’s presentation in Germany a success
By BRENDAN CAMPBELL
Staff Writer
A Niagara College dental hygiene professor has given 250 people in Germany something to sink their teeth into.
Ursula Pelissero, 52, arrived in Germany
on Dec. 4 to present a seminar address at the
Bavarian Dental Convention.
This was the second time Pelissero had
been to Germany to make a presentation.
This time her subject involved infection
control.
“(It was) absolutely amazing. It was
extremely successful,” she says.
It wasn’t without its challenges, however.
Pelissero says that as soon as she arrived she
went to the convention centre to make sure
her laptop computer would be compatible
with the overhead LCD projector and that
everything worked perfectly. Despite her
preparation, things didn’t go smoothly.
“We went early in the morning because
I’m always organized and like to get there
early. (We) went to hook (the computer) up
and it wouldn’t accept (the presentation) and
it was the same LCD projector we had tested (before). We went through four LCD projectors on the day of, so obviously it was my
computer.”
‘(It was) absolutely
amazing. It was
extremely successful.’
— Ursula Pelissero
All was not lost as a saviour was found
in the person making a presentation
before hers.
“I was the second speaker, so luckily
the first speaker had a zip drive and we
were able to download it (her presentation) and put it onto his computer and
save my bacon.”
In the end, she says, the presentation did
go “really well” although she had some difficulty with her German, but that wasn’t
necessarily a bad thing.
“I did have some difficulty with my
German, no doubt about it. But the accompanying PowerPoint presentation, which
was rescued, allowed them to follow along.
They appreciated my little mistakes with
pronunciation and that helped me out.”
With all the stress she put herself through
to get to that point, and the glitches and mispronunciations aside, did she enjoy herself?
“Oh yes, my forté is going out in front of
an audience. The afternoon presentation
went really well. There was a good interaction and good questions and I was able to
respond. And I have had some wonderful
thank-you letters from people indicating
how much they appreciated it, to the point
where co-ordinators of two educational
institutions wanted copies of my presentation for infection control because they want
to introduce it into theirs.”
It wasn’t all work and no play as there
was a little time to wine and dine while
taking in the sights.
“They had a champagne and caviar
party for us afterwards, and we were
reunited with some of the individuals who
had gone to Russia with us before. They
(also) had a dinner on our behalf. We did
get to walk Munich and get to see the old
architecture and the Christmas market
which they have, and it was nice to see the
local culture at Christmas the way it was
celebrated there.”
From the experience Pelissero says she
came back with a “good feeling inside”
about what she’d done, and what she felt
was her favourite part of the trip.
“Just the fact that since I’m at the position at my life within my career that I’ve
had sufficient experience that I’m fortunate enough to be in the educational field
and that they would want my opinion and
that they are looking for examples from
Canada within the hygiene profession.
That’s so neat to be considered an authority on a subject. That’s something that you
look at other individuals and then I
thought to myself, oh my goodness, they
really value what I have to say and what
our profession is doing. So that’s my
favourite part ... and the food.”
Curiosity outweighs love in sex survey
By CARISSA PERTSCHY
Staff Writer
What’s love got to do with it?
A recent survey revealed curiosity outweighs love when it comes to
one’s first sexual experience. One
third, or 37 per cent, of the people
surveyed in Durex’s 2002 Canadian
Sex Survey On Youth say they had
their first sexual relationship
because they were curious.
Only one in four people, or 29
per cent, surveyed say they were in
love the first time they were in a
sexual relationship.
“The results of the survey give a
snapshot of a particular group for
specific issues,” says Kim Martyn,
sexual health educator and
Canadian spokesperson for Durex.
“The findings suggest that
Canadian youth often act on their
curiosity when it comes to sex,
reinforcing the need to continue to
educate them about the importance
of protecting themselves against
sexually transmitted diseases and
unintended pregnancies with the
use of a condom,” says Martyn.
“Don’t fool yourself thinking you
know you’re safe. Use condoms
whenever you’re with someone.”
The survey results show
Canadian youth are losing their
virginity earlier than in previous
generations. One third, or 38 per
cent, of the youth surveyed say
they experienced their first sexual
relationship when they were
between the ages of 15 and 17.
Close to half the females surveyed,
42 per cent, had their first sexual
relationship between the ages of
15 and 17, which is significantly
lower than males. Only one in four
males, or 25 per cent, had their
first sexual relationship between
the ages of 15 and 17.
“So much has to do with good
education and honest discussion at
home,” says Martyn, adding,
“Many parents are uncomfortable
talking about sex and either lecture
or are silent; neither help.”
“Usually other things are missing in a youth’s life,” if they are
having sex at a young age. “We
shouldn’t be freaked about them
having sex; we should be looking
at what they don’t have. It’s not
just
the
parents’
fault.
Governments and institutions need
to give help and encouragement to
youth, and it needs to start when
kids are young,” she says.
Seventy-six per cent of the
youth surveyed believe it’s not
acceptable to engage in sex with a
new partner without using a condom. “While the message about
the importance of using a condom
is getting out to youth, it does not
always translate into safer sex
actually being practiced.”
“There is a false sense of security,” she says. “Having condoms
available widely, cheaply and free
will help.
“The results of the survey are
consistent with other research that
finds youth continue to understand
the importance of condoms and
condom use. When it comes to
using condoms, the practice isn’t
entirely in sync with what they
intend, so that’s worrisome,” says
Martyn.
‘Having condoms
available widely,
cheaply and free will
help.’
— Kim Martyn
In Ontario, 37 per cent, onethird, of the youth surveyed reported they had sex once a week, while
35 per cent of Ontario youth had
sex two to three times a month.
Two per cent of Ontario’s youth
reported that within the first week
of meeting someone it is long
enough to wait before having sex
with a new partner. For the youth
that wait longer than a week, 15
per cent say they would have sex
with a new partner within the first
month of their first meeting.
“From the work I do, I know the
attitude comes from people who
fool themselves. They think they
know who they are sleeping with
and are free from sexually transmitted infections,” says Martyn.
Durex is the world’s leading
condom brand and suppliers of
Durex, Shiek and Ramses condoms. The Durex Web site,
http://www.durex.com, has a list
of available types of condoms,
which come in many different
shapes, sizes, colours and styles,
“encouraging people to try different kinds,” says Martyn.
The data collected from 2,000
people by Decima Research in an
online panel are accurate within
+/- 6.4 percentage points 95 times
out of 100, at the 95 per cent confidence interval.
Drive, just drive, don’t eat, phone, groom or read
By AMY CONTOIS
Staff Writer
With the growing importance of
time management, people often try
to do too many things at once.
Driving while eating, talking on
a phone, applying makeup or reading, are some of the most dangerous activities people do.
Young Drivers of Canada
emphasized the importance of safe
driving by declaring Dec. 1 to
Dec. 7 Safe Driving Week.
“Anything that we can do to
raise awareness of keeping the
roads safe in our community is a
good idea,” says Tim Danter, new
general manager of Young Drivers
in the Niagara Region.
For the first time Young
Drivers offered free driving evaluations to the public as part of the
initiative. It offered opportunities
for drivers to see if any of their
habits could lead to an accident.
Peter Christianson, president of
Young Drivers, stated, in a press
release, that on a daily basis, “driving is the most dangerous activity
we are involved in.”
“In order to keep out of collisions, you need to know what is
going on 360 degrees around your
vehicle at all times. You need to
control traffic around you and to
maintain an escape route at all
times.”
During Safe Driving Week,
licensed citizens who wished to
take the driving evaluation were
encouraged to call Young Drivers
to schedule an appointment. In the
case of conflicting schedules,
Young Drivers were willing to
schedule an appointment for the
week following Dec. 7.
An instructor would meet the
driver at his or her home, or at
another designated area, to begin
the evaluation. The evaluation is
not for points, meaning a person’s license won’t be suspended. It’s an opportunity to
improve or refresh your driving
skills.
The evaluation will measure
three aspects of the person’s driving capabilities: defensive ability, rules of driving and vehicle
handling.
All licensed drivers are eligible.
Anyone interested in participating
in the driver evaluation, could call
905-680-6220 to schedule an
appointment.
A study done at the University
of North Carolina states that driver distraction is the cause of 20
to 30 per cent of all collisions.
A ranking of distractions
revealed that adjusting the radio
accounted for 11.4 per cent of
accidents, engaging in conversation with other passengers
accounted for 10.9 per cent, eating or drinking caused 1.7 per
cent of all collisions and talking
on a cell phone caused 1.5
per cent of distraction-related
accidents.
Student declared winner in college writing contest
By LESLIE BRANCONNIER
Staff Writer
We have a winner!
A Niagara College student is the winner
of the Call Magazine College Writing
Contest, and runner-up nationwide for the
first annual Nelson Writing Prize.
Dave Kendell, 21, of Port Colborne, is
in the Computer Programmer Analyst
program.
Kendell’s essay, Language for a New
Age, will be featured in a Pearson Education
textbook sometime next year.
He wrote a “clever, interesting, very topical” essay, said Dr. Douglas B. Rogers, an
English professor at Niagara College, who
Dave Kendell
Winner
nominated the essay. The piece was originally part of a class assignment.
Kendell exemplifies a lot of traits, including being friendly, kindly, intelligent and
well liked, he added.
The essay is about how the Internet is
breaking down the English language, said
Kendell.
“It’s been a concern of mine for a little
while,” said Kendell, “in chat rooms, and email, seeing the use of slang terms.”
Rogers said, “It talks about created
license English written on the Internet, that
people don’t follow the same rules as in normal writing.”
Kendell said he was surprised that the
essay made it as far as it did.
“I’m definitely pleased with the outcome,” said Kendell.
It has been getting a lot of publicity and
will be featured in a textbook next year. One
teacher has already used it in class, said
Kendell.
Kendell’s essay was about 950 words in
length. The essays were to be from 500 to
1,000 words.
Colleen Baxter, of North Island College,
was the Nelson Writing Prize winner with
her essay, Pete. The nominating instructor
was Steve Roe.
As the winner, Baxter will receive $500
and a collection of Nelson titles.
Kendell, as a runner-up, will receive a
collection of Nelson titles.
There were 42 entries from across the
country.
“I have a few other ideas. The Internet
isn’t as good as people think. This is the
first in, hopefully, a series, on the
Internet,” said Kendell.
The essay is posted on the Call
Magazine Web site http://www.callmagazine.com.
Niagara students don’t know fine line between drunkenness, alcohol poisoning
By KATHRYN HANLEY
Staff Writer
Niagara College students have scored
low when it comes to their knowledge of
alcohol.
A survey done by Niagara College
Student Administrative Council (SAC)
shows some surprising results, says
Andrew Hanes, SAC president at the
Welland campus.
“We took a survey on Alcohol Awareness
Day. We gave it out to 217 students. A lot of
them came into the pub; a lot of them were
from the main building as well,” says
Hanes.
Alcohol Awareness Day was held on Oct.
22. The survey included 10 true or false
‘... students didn’t know the
difference from being drunk
and having
alcohol poisoning.’
— Andrew Hanes
questions, with students scoring an average
of 67 per cent.
“One of the biggest things that I found,
and it kind of scared me, was students didn’t know the difference between being
drunk and having alcohol poisoning. They
thought there was one question describing
alcohol poisoning. It actually ended up
describing the sensations of being drunk. I
think this is kind of disturbing.”
Hanes is referring to question five, which
reads like this: “Symptoms of acute alcohol
poisoning include impaired attention,
reduced muscle control, slowed reflexes,
staggering gait, slurred speech and double
vision.” Only 10 per cent of the students
surveyed got the answer correct.
Question one, which asked if alcohol is a
stimulant drug, received a low 54 per cent
correct score. It appears that almost half of
the student population is misled and thinks
that alcohol may be uplifting.
“I think that students need to know more,”
says Hanes.
On the up side, 98 per cent of students
realized that alcohol could be lethal under
extreme intoxication.
Employers
in
Hall
Tax preparation, tips
showcase opportunities
By JESSICA ARCARO
because like any other deduction, they
Staff Writer
are more beneficial that way.
So you’ve worked all year long and
“I strongly believe that it is extremely
brought in a nice sum of cash, which you important to understand income taxes
are already making plans to spend. Then since it is usually one of your largest
all of a sudden you get this official, gov- expenses,” says Fox.
ernment envelope, something about
While businesses such as H & R Block
taxes, a return?
provide income tax return preparation
If you are over 18 years old, you are services, it is not mandatory for taxpayrequired to file an income tax report ers to use these services. Guides and
each April, which means you may have forms are provided at post offices so you
to give some of that hard-earned can do it yourself. As well, that are softmoney back.
ware packages available, such as
“In theory, the progressive tax system Quicktax and Taxwiz, that allow more
is designed to
than six returns
‘equalize’ the
to be prepared,
‘I strongly believe that it is
cost of governso the software
extremely important to under- can be shared,
ment,”
says
Linda
Fox,
Fox.
stand income taxes since it is says
Canadian finanThe college
usually one of your largest
cial planner for
provides
the
Odyssey Capital
Income
Tax
expenses.’ – Linda Fox
Corp.,
in
Clinic, a volunBurlington, Ont.
teer service, to
To ensure equality, taxpayers are assist students in filing their income
required to file a certain percentage of taxes. The clinic will be at the Glendale
their income indicated by which tax campus in Niagara-on-the-Lake on
bracket they reach. Tax brackets are Tuesday, March 25, and at the Welland
determined by the amount of taxable campus on Thursday, March 27, both
income of the taxpayer. The same per- days from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
centage of income that is taxed is used
Income tax returns must be filed by
with deductions; therefore, the higher April 30. There are penalties for not filthe tax bracket the more your deductions ing your report and not paying if you
are worth.
owe the government. The late charge for
Deductions are costs or expenses that non-filed reports is five per cent of all
can be subtracted from your income outstanding payments. For late paybefore your taxes are calculated.
ments, you are charged one per cent a
Fox says taxpayers can prepare for their month of the outstanding fees, up to 12
returns year-round by keeping a file of months.
any receipts that can be claimed, such as
While filing your taxes, you may call
medical expenses, tuition, rent and mov- Canada Customs and Revenue at 1-800ing costs to stay at a dorm or change jobs. 959-8281 or go to http://www.ccraAnother way to reduce your tax brack- adrc.gc.ca for any extra directions.
et is to make contributions to a
Fox recommends starting to track
Registered Retirement Savings Plan, your income and expenses, so you have
says Fox, as funds in them are tax-free a realistic idea of what you do with
until withdrawn.
your money.
In her experience, Fox recommends
“As you go through the stages of your
that you wait to claim these contributions life, your goals will change but it will be
until you are in a high tax bracket, easier to achieve if you have a plan.”
RRSPs for high returns, low risk
By JESSICA ARCARO
Staff Writer
While tuition, book costs and rent are major financial concerns for a college student,
there is more to plan for: the future.
The next step after your education may be establishing a career but now is the time
to starting thinking about retirement as well.
Registered Retirement Savings Plans (RRSP) are common saving strategies for
retirement that are full of “high returns and safety,” says Chuck Campbell, Canadian
financial planner for McAvoy, Belan and Campbell, in Port Colborne, Ont.
“RRSPs are important to college students because time is a major factor to the accumulation of funds,” he says, compared to contributions through the popular concept of
compound interest.
“This concept emphasizes a pile-on effect of interest on the original balance plus the
additional interest of each year past that the plan is in effect. Because of this principle,
you can stop making contributions to an RRSP and continue to raise funds by allowing it to grow with time.”
Contributions and accumulative balances are tax-free until withdrawal, which is
why you’re encouraged to leave the funds until retirement, when the tax bracket is
often lower for retirees.
Upon withdrawal, taxation begins at 10 per cent for funds up to $5,000, 20 per cent
from $5,000 to $15,000 and 30 per cent for funds that value more than $15,000.
The deadline for opening a RRSP is Feb. 28. It can then be claimed on 2002 income
tax reports.
Financial planners at banking and private institutions are qualified to provide clients
with the proper options and opportunities to invest at the right time and with the right
plans. When meeting with a financial planner, research his or her experience, services
and charges. Most important, make sure you have everything in writing and file it for
future reference.
The Canadian Bankers Association (CBA) has presented more than 1,800 “There’s
Something About Money” seminars to high school students across Canada since 1999.
The 75-minute seminars cover basic money management including credit card sense,
budgeting and short- and long-term saving.
According to a September 2002 news release, 94 per cent of participating students
said they felt better equipped to prepare for their financial futures as a result of the presentation.
In addition to the information in its seminars, the CBA provides a Web site,
www.yourmoney.cba.ca, with additional money matters information.
By LESLIE BRANCONNIER
Staff Writer
This is a job that you don’t just get paid for, but you help others.
On Jan. 7, as part of Niagara College’s Job Centre program, Employers in the Hall were
at the Welland campus.
The Grimsby, Lincoln and District Association for Community Living is looking for volunteers and accepting applications for paid part-time support workers. The starting rate for
part-time support workers is about $13.85 an hour.
Although there are no employment openings now, the organization has a high staff
turnover rate and could need extra help at a moment’s notice, said Debbie Bray, co-ordinator of administrative services. Bray is in her 12th year with the company.
People interested in paid positions should contact Bray at 905-563-4115. Those interested in volunteering should ask for ext. 18.
The Grimsby, Lincoln and District Association for Community Living is a non-profit
agency with the mandate of providing services and support to individuals from the community who have a developmental disability through a 24-hour seven-days-a-week service. The
association was incorporated in 1965, said Bray.
There are 13 group homes with about five individuals in each, said Bray.
The association also provides respite, which is relief for families with a child or adult who
has a developmental disability and live within the catchment area.
The association will be having its 36th walk/bikeathon on May 3 to help raise funds.
Kormos on hydro, wages, more
By LORI LANGLEY
One issue Kormos strongly supports is
Staff Writer
raising the minimum wage, which is $6.85
Ontario voters may be heading to the an hour.
polls this spring.
“The rate has remained stagnant for
Welland-Thorold MPP Peter Kormos eight years, and residents have been sufsays he is anticipating the provincial fering the consequences.”
P r o g r e s s i v e
The Tories boast of
Conservatives will call
job
creation
but,
‘The Tories have dis- Kormos says, most of
an election soon and is
“looking forward to it.”
appointed pretty much the new jobs created
“The Tories have dishave been minimum
everyone.’
appointed pretty much
wage or less. Employers
everyone,” says Kormos,
are able to offer jobs
– Peter Kormos
of the New Democratic
with pay rates below
Party (NDP).
minimum wage because
He says the Liberals have gained ground of ruses allowing that.
with voters, and the NDP is “doing well,”
He says the cost of living continues to
while the Tories are losing support.
rise while the rate of pay remains the same,
Kormos says the most important issues making it hard for minimum wage earners
for this election will be education, health to get ahead financially.
care and stabilizing the hydro industry in
The Tories were elected in 1995 under
Ontario.
former premier Mike Harris and re-elected
“Maintaining public ownership of in 1998.
Ontario Hydro is critical.”
Ernie Eves became premier last April.
He says the Tories have made drastic cuts
Of the 103 MPPs at Queen’s Park, the
to education and health care, and he would Tories have 57 seats, the Liberals have 36
like to see money put back into public ser- seats and the NDP have nine seats. There is
vices for the province.
one independent.
SUPERBOWL
Special
Superbowl Ad. filler
Advertise in the
Super Bowl Edition
of the Niagara News
FRIDAY, JANUARY 24
Deadline is Monday, Jan. 20
s!
l
a
i
c
e
p
S
t
a
e
r
G
Look for
Call the Niagara News Advertising
Department
Linda Camus ext. 7748
lcamus@niagarac.on.ca
Niagara News, Jan.17, 2003, Page 19
Goals key in shedding those pesky pounds
By JASON GROSSE
Staff Writer
If you feel like you’ve gained a few pounds after
Christmas, you’re not alone.
Many of us will make the New Year’s resolution to get
fit but finding the true path to a healthful lifestyle can be
difficult.
Judy Halaiko, co-ordinator of the Fitness Assessment and
Health promotion program as well as the Recreation and
leisure services program at Niagara College’s Welland campus, says the best recipe for getting in shape is “proper diet
and exercise.”
“I don’t believe in fad diets,” she says. According to
Halaiko a formula for success is to “work out at least four
times a week,” adding that the average workout should burn
“200 to 250 calories.”
To control the urge to overeat during the holidays
Halaiko says the best thinwg to do is to make a plan.
“You can really curb your eating if you take note of
everything you put in (your mouth).”
Failing that, she says a way to achieve success in
your new-year diet is to “make a commitment, but
don’t overdo it.” She offers tips like challenging a
friend or a roommate to lose a few pounds.
“Most people that start the fitness and diet regime
in January, probably 95 per cent of them are off it by
February.”
Brian Bratt, Welland YMCA operations manager,
offers a similar assessment. He says most of the people who come in during the new year rush “know they
want to lose the weight but aren’t sure how.”
The key, Bratt says, is to “have some goals” and
some things you want to accomplish.
He says getting in shape is “not about dieting but
about a healthy lifestyle.”
Bratt’s first tip to novices is “don’t overdo it.”
Morris Granados, 21, a first-year General Arts and Science
“If it takes five to six months to put on weight,
program student, demonstrates how to get in shape.
don’t expect to take it off in six weeks.”
For those who can’t spare the time Bratt says that
Photo by Jason Grosse
working out two to
three times a week for a
long period of time can
make a difference.
Liana Collins, manager of Herc’s Nutrition
in Welland, has a different approach when it
comes to beating the
post-holiday bulge. She
says supplementation is
important because the
average person doesn’t
get in enough food per
day. Collins says supplements are a “quick
and easy way” to get
that nutrition.
Collins says her equa- Richard Welcome, 21, a firsttion for getting into
shape is “50 per cent year College Vocational stuwhat you do and 50 per dent, lifts weights.
Photo by Jason Grosse
cent what you eat.”
She recommends people choose a low-carbohydrate diet over a low-fat diet and that
people watch their intake of breads, cereals, rice and potatoes.
She says four things you should have in your cupboard
are some sort of protein, meal replacement bars, a fatty acid
such as tuna and a multivitamin.
Bring in this article and receive $10 off
any weight-loss package
at Herc’s Nutrition, 284 East Main St., Welland.
Stress an avoidable consequence of daily life
By CARISSA PERTSCHY
Staff Writer
It’s an avoidable consequence of
life.
Stress is the wear and tear our
bodies experience as we adjust to
our continually changing environment; it has physical and emotional effects on us, which can create
positive or negative feelings
depending on the situation.
There are many sources of
stress. Stress can be caused by
external sources including the following: work, death, finances, lack
of sleep, or in-laws. Stress may
also be a result of internal sources
such as suffering from low selfesteem or having a negative attitude on life.
“Recognizing stress is important
because we can’t deal with it if we
don’t know when it’s happening,”
says Dr. David Posen, of Oakville.
“Other people are often aware of
our stress before we are. We might
be brusque or abrupt without realizing it. Often, other people can
read stress on our face that we ourselves don’t notice.”
“Think about stress as being like
the gas in your car. A very highoctane racing fuel which, if used
unwisely, for too long, in a badly,
out-of-shape vehicle can cause
major damage to your body, emotions or relationships,” says Richard
Earle, managing director of
Canadian Institute of Stress/Hans
Selye Foundation, of Toronto.
“How you perceive an event
and how you react to it determines its impact upon your
health,” says the Peel Regional
Health department Web site.
“Some stress can be good for you
because it inspires you to better
meet life’s challenges. But too
much stress can harm your physical and mental well-being, and
contribute to poor performance at
work or at home. That’s why you
need to recognize the signs of
stress and learn how to cope.”
“Always get a good amount of
sleep,” says Tannis McLaren,
naturopathic doctor, of Toronto.
Steven Youssef, 18, and John “Without good sleep your coping
Formica, 20, shoot some hoops. mechanisms decrease.”
“Minimize the caffeine in your
Photo by Carissa Pertschy
Former graduate becomes editor
By ELYSE DEBRUYN
Staff Writer
A small town girl originally from Hensall, Ont., is
working as an editor of a small-town newspaper.
Amy Zoethout, 29, of Goderich, Ont., is a photojournalist for the Lucknow Sentinel.
She says she likes working at a small-town
newspaper.
“I would rather work at a small newspaper than a
larger daily because I like working in smaller teams
of people. There is less pressure, and you don’t get
lost in a big newsroom where there are many
reporters running around trying to get the story.”
Zoethout is the editor for the Lucknow Sentinel
and says she loves it.
“It is a nice office to work in with a relaxed atmosphere. We have three people who work there and I
am the only journalist, so I design the pages the way
I like and I don’t have to assign people to stories. I
get to do it all.”
She graduated from the Journalism-Print program
at Niagara College in 1994, but didn’t always want
to do journalism.
“It was just something I fell into. I like writing
and photography, so journalism seemed to be the
way to go.”
Zoethout said she chose Niagara because at the
time it was the only college offering photography in
the Journalism-Print program.
She says things have changed a lot since she left
college.
“Technology-wise, it has definitely changed. My
first job, we developed our own film and cut and
pasted our layouts. Now everything is digital.”
Her first job after college was a photo-journalist
for the Clinton News Record and she says she was
scared, but had a “cool editor.”
“I was really nervous at first and when I left the
editor told me that he almost fired me when I started
because I was so shy with people.”
Zoethout says the job, like most, has its ups and
downs.
“The best part is getting to meet so many different
people every day, taking pictures and the layout and
design. Sometimes I think, I get paid to do this?”
She was married to her husband George in 1998
and they have a one-and-a-half year-old son, Nathan.
“My advice to the graduating journalists is to
make contacts with other newspapers to help get
jobs and write a lot so you can get as much experience as you need.”
Ontario students receive the least of government funding
per student than any other province. See the Jan. 24
edition of the Niagara News for more details.
diet. Coffee, black tea and chocolate can make a person anxious
and can also deplete the immune
system,” says McLaren. “Exercise
is a must.”
“When your body is not nourished, neither is your brain. It is
important to eat more wholesome
foods such as vegetables, whole
grains, unprocessed meats, beans
and fruits because they provide the
body with important vitamins and
minerals.
“Take time out to do something
away from school with friends or
family. Have fun. Also, make sure
you drink water all the time. Your
cells need water,” says McLaren.
Snow volleyball
tournament Feb. 9
at Club Roma benefits
Bethlehem Place
Need a way to bump away the winter blues?
Volleyball enthusiasts who are 19 or older are invited to participate in the first ever Winter Blues Snow Volleyball Tournament held
by Niagara College’s Special Event Management (Post-graduate)
program.
Proceeds from the tournament will go towards The Many Hands
Project, which is an annual event organized by Niagara College students each year in support of a local charitable organization.
“With the winter doldrums fast approaching, this tournament
comes at a perfect time to get some exercise, enjoy a day with
friends and support a worthy cause,” says Chantelle Foreman, event
co-chair.
Teams can enter for $110, and must consist of six to eight
players with a minimum of two females on each team.
It will be held Sunday, Feb. 9, at Club Roma in St. Catharines.
The Many Hands Project seeks to develop community co-operation through volunteer-driven projects aimed at assisting non-profit
organizations in the region. This year’s recipient is Bethlehem Place,
an apartment building that provides affordable, transitional and supportive housing to people in crisis, who wish to make changes in
their lives.
Contact Foreman at (905) 641-2252, ext. 6421 by Jan. 22 to
enter, or visit snow_volleyball@yahoo.ca.
SPORTS
V-ball teams open second half with wins
Continued from Page 1
“It was a fun event and mainly I
had to figure out who plays well
with each other. We won the first
set before losing the second and
then we were losing the third until
I made some key subs and were
able to pull off the win,” he said,
jokingly.
Last Friday, both teams kicked
off the second part of their regular
season play when they hosted St.
Clair College, of Windsor, in a
volleyball doubleheader.
The women’s team, playing
first, disposed of the St. Clair
Saints rather easily in a straight
sets win holding the Saints to 13
total offensive points, while the
Knights rolled up 48. The
women were led by Tracy Smith
and Ginni Llord, who each had
13 points. Smith collected nine
kills and four stuffed blocks
while Llord smashed home eight
kills while serving up a storm
with five service aces.
The men took the court trying
to repeat what the women
accomplished and started out on
the right track taking the first
two sets 25-17 and 25-23. At the
beginning of the third set, the
Knights lacked focus and concentration as the Saints reeled off
six straight points and took an 82 lead early in the set.
This is a time when someone
needs to step up and calm everybody down. Bentley says Mike
King and Nick Touchette are the
leaders on the team.
“Our team chemistry is getting
better and we get along well with
each other as when we go out
sometimes we go out as a
team,“says first-year player
Touchette. “We need to improve
on our focus because there are
one or two guys that don’t see
eye to eye and that really hurts us
sometimes. If we eliminate that,
we should be a lot better.”
Coach Bentley says the team’s
mental skills need the most
work.
“In volleyball, the team that
makes the fewest errors wins the
game and that all leads back to
being mentally prepared from
the start of the game to the finish.”
The Knights showed some
resiliency fighting back in the set
but it all went for naught as the
Saints held on to win the third set
30-28. From then on, the Saints’
luck ran out and the Knights
showed why they’re seventh in
the country, finishing off the visitors 25-18 while keeping their
undefeated season intact.
The Knights were led by
Gaunt who cranked out 18 kills,
three stuffed blocks and two service aces for a total of 23 points.
Both teams resume league play
Jan. 24 when they travel to North
Bay to play a doubleheader
against Canadore College.
Niagara Knights player Graeme Gaunt goes up to crash the ball
in their win over St. Clair College, of Windsor.
Photo by Jordie Fry
Men’s basketball team loses exhibition game
By JORDIE FRY
Staff Writer
The Niagara College men’s basketball team had
high expectations for the season’s second half but got
off on the wrong foot.
In an exhibition game against Genesee College, of
Batavia, N.Y., the Knights were in over their heads,
still feeling the effects of a long Christmas break that
included too much turkey dinner.
Guard Edson Jones says it was a bad game mentally and physically. “We were out of shape because of
the break. Some guys were off of basketball the entire
break and that is the main reason for things being a
little sloppy.”
The Knights came out slowly and played a sloppy
game against a quality team who would have been
hard to beat even if the Knights had been on their
game. A poorly played game, paired with some questionable calls meant the Knights were in for a long
night that Jones says they need to put behind them.
“We’ve lost, I think, four of our last five games,
although they were all exhibition games and don’t
affect us that much, but it’s tough to just forget about.
It’s extremely frustrating to lose as bad as we did
‘cause we played them earlier this year and they beat
us, but we played them a lot closer.”
With the final score of 81-63, there was a time midway through the second half when the Knights were
within eight points but that was short lived and, Jones
says, part of that was because of some crucial calls or
some “crucial non-calls” made by the referees.
When the team goes to practice next, Jones says,
there is one thing in particular they should be
working on.
“Our team ‘D’ (defense) is the reason we lost a lot
of games and is what is killing us.”
The Knights return to the court tonight when they
host a doubleheader against St. Clair College, of
Windsor, as the women take the court at 6 p.m. with
the men’s tip-off at 8 p.m.
This will be the first league game the women play
this year.
Niagara forward Kevin Ellington, #20, lays the ball in during the
81-63 loss to Genesee College.
Photo by Jordie Fry
Guard Edson Jones slashes to the hoop during the exhibition
game against Genesee College on Jan. 11. Unfortunately,
Niagara lost 81-63.
Photo by Jordie Fry
Elisan Kikos takes a shot in the
exhibition game on Jan. 11
against Genesee College.
Photo by Jordie Fry
See the standings in
next week’s issue of
Niagara News
StreetTalk
StreetTalk
“What
“What is
is your
your
New
New Year’s
Year’s
resolution?”
resolution?”
Patrick DeBernardi, 18,
Electronics Engineering Technology program,
first-year, St. Catharines
“More studying, less video games.”
Jennifer Sanchez, 19,
General Arts and Science program, first-year,
St. Catharines
“Save my money instead of spending it on toys.”
Murray Egger, 18,
Electronics Engineering Technology program, first-year,
Dunnville, Ont.
“Make everyone accept the way I am and not change.”
Kathleen Overmeyer, 20,
Fort Erie
“Keep my marks up.”
Correction
In the Dec. 6, 2002,
Niagara
News,
Volume 33, Issue 6,
there was an error.
On
page
24,
Christmas in Canada
Away From Home,
there was an error in
the profile of two
students. The pictures
of Michiyo Iwamori
and Mariam Miah
were
mistakenly
placed.
Niagara News apologizes for the error.
By ELYSE DEBRUYN
and ROBYNE
ROBYNE SIMPSON
SIMPSON
and
Staff Writers
Rebecca D’Amelio, 20,
Fort Erie
“To quit smoking.”
Christmas
in Canada
Christmas
in Canada
Mariam Miah, 19, is a
first-year
student
enrolled in the Computer
Programmer program.
Miah said she was born
in Canada but her parents
are
from
Pakistan.
Instead of celebrating
Christmas they celebrate
MARIAM MIAH
a different holiday called Eid, a festival of
prayer, fasting and celebration.
Michiyo Iwamori, of
Kyoto, Japan, has been
an English as a Second
Language student at the
college for the past three
months. The 29-year-old
said his family does celebrate Christmas by eating
Christmas cake on Dec. MICHIYO IWAMORI
24. Iwamori said he’s looking forward to celebrating Christmas in Canada this year.
Students question college’s snow removal
By ROBYNE SIMPSON
Staff Writer
With students walking from building to building at the Welland campus, some have been questioning the
snow removal on the sidewalks and
parking lots at the college.
Barb Weir, 22, a second-year
student in the Dental Hygiene program, from Wiarton, Ont., says the
walkways are too slippery.
“One of the dental clinic’s
clients fell and broke her wrist last
semester.”
The client from the college’s
dental clinic fell because there was
poor lighting and the walkway was
slippery, says Weir.
Janice Blake, 23, a second-year
student in the General Arts and
Science program, from Fisherville,
Ont., says it is hard to find where the
parking lot and parking spaces are.
“I actually don’t think they are
doing anything. It doesn’t look
that way.”
Dave Martin, 20, a second-year
student in the Electronics
Engineering Technology program,
from Welland, says the sidewalks
are “horrible” and the parking lots
are bad too.
“The snow gets packed down
and becomes icy.”
Dori Jones, 22, a second-year
student in the Dental Hygiene program, from Waterloo, says the sidewalks and pathways are somewhat
cleared but are “very” slippery.
“People can’t see where the
parking spots are and take up two
spots, making it hard to find a
Tony
Scime,
Facilities
Management Services manager,
says the plowing is done on a
demand basis.
Scime says if the snow is more
than two inches deep the college
will plow all lots and sidewalks,
and they sand and salt at the campuses in Welland, Niagara Falls
and Niagara-on-the-Lake.
To be careful during the winter
season, Scime’s advice for students is to wear appropriate clothing and footwear.
spot.”
Jones says she has to park in
parking lot B because parking lot
D was full, but B hasn’t been
plowed.
“I had to trek through a foot of
snow before I got to the pathway.”
Mat Taylor, 20, a second-year
student in the Journalism-Print
program, from Norwich, Ont.,
says he wishes the college would
plow a path across the field for students who live in the subdivisions
off Rice Road.
By MARIAN ORLEANS
Staff Writer
A Niagara College student is
using her co-op placement to reach
her goal.
Carrie Latke, 23, of Welland, is
a second-year student of the Social
Service Worker program at the
college’s Welland campus.
“The program has always been
the way that I was heading. I didn’t quite know exactly what area I
wanted to do,” she said. She studied
psychology
at
Brock
University, in St. Catharines, for a
year before finding out about the
program in the college’s course
calendar.
“I love it here. There is a lot of
one-on-one contact with students
and teachers as compared to Brock
University, where students have to
make appointments to see a
teacher. It’s the best decision I’ve
ever made and I’m very happy. I
knew I wanted to get into some
kind of social work field.”
Niagara was her first choice.
Latke completed three months of
co-op last year at Centennial
Secondary School, in Welland,
where she worked in the bridge
program, which transfers students
building relationships into developing greater education. She
worked with young people 12 to
16 years of age who weren’t doing
well in their regular schools.
“Working with youth can be
stressful in terms of wanting so
much for them. Last year I wanted
so much for the children and I still
Photo by Marian Orleans
Co-op placement helping student reach goal
CARRIE LATKE
think about them. That’s one of the
biggest challenges. Since I love it,
I was just so much eager to be
there,” said Latke.
“Right now I’m at a women’s
shelter in Welland, doing my
placement. It’s wonderful and I’m
enjoying it there. I’m interested in
a lot of areas too. I started working
there in September of last year and
will be there right through to the
ending of April,” she said.
Asked about the challenges in
college, Latke said, “A lot of the
things we do in the classroom
involve role plays” and every day
is “really challenging with the
things we are learning.”
“In my placement, I’m just
being a student in a learning environment, which is wonderful but it
can also be very intimidating
knowing that you’re a student and
each day will be challenging. I
think you really gain the tool to
deal with people. The tools are
developed mostly from role play
activities in the program.”
After graduation in April, Latke
said, she plans to continue with the
Social Service Worker program at
the University of Western Ontario
in London, Ont., to receive her
bachelor’s degree. She said she’d
“love” to still work at the women’s
shelter after graduation.
“I’m also open to anything. I’ve
had interviews for working with
people who have endured brain
injuries and mental health, but
hopefully I’ll get into the
University of Western Ontario.”
COLLEEN MULLER
After getting a taste of what
lies ahead, she said, she has
changed her mind.
“It’s not that I don’t want to work
with children. It’s just that I don’t
think I’d have the patience or the
strength to work with an abusive
parent or a rambunctious child.
“If my job was to empathize
and help a parent, for example,
that had beaten the hell out of
their child, there is no way I’d be
able to do that. I’d be too judgmental.”
When Muller was asked if she
would regret her decision to
leave the Child and Youth
Worker program, she said,
“Everything that I have ever
regretted has taught me a lesson
which now keeps me from making the same mistake twice. I
believe everything happens for a
reason.”
By MARIAN ORLEANS
Staff Writer
A Niagara College student is
working hard towards graduating and establishing her own
business.
Carol James, 19, originally
from Sierra Leone, West Africa,
who lives in Niagara Falls, is a
first-year student in the
Culinary Management (Co-op)
program at the college’s Maid of
the Mist campus in Niagara
Falls.
“I chose the program because
I want to start my own business
in the field. I plan working in
Canada for a while after I graduate and then go back home to
start my own hotel, restaurant
and club business.”
“Coming to the college was a
personal decision,” said James.
“I wanted to have peace of mind
and here was the best place to
be. I want to be happy, and living here makes me happy.”
Photo by Marian Orleans
By SHARI HADGRAFT
Staff Writer
After almost finishing her first
year in the Child and Youth
Worker program, this student
said she might not come back to
Niagara College next year.
Colleen Muller, 19, of
Kitchener, said she is learning
counselling techniques, case
management and communication
skills. These are just some of the
aspects being touched upon in
her program.
“I like learning about how to
counsel and help people with
their problems, but it’s something I no longer want to pursue
because I’d rather lean towards
my alternative choice.”
Muller said that is interior
design. “I’m trying to decide a
different route to take in design,
so I’m thinking after this term I’m
going to apply at other colleges
for a design-related course with a
hope that I’ll get accepted.”
One of the many reasons
Muller said she wants to leave
her program is it wasn’t what she
had expected.
“I don’t like some of the class
discussions or some topics presented by the teachers because to me it
is irrelevant to this point of time,
for example, immigrants from the
early 1900s. To me it is irrelevant
to how we are going to counsel
children in the 21st century.”
Muller thought she would be
“right for this type of profession”
because, she said, she loves being
around children and would want
to help them if they are in need.
Photo by Shari Hadgraft
Expectations not Culinary student taking new
met in program skills back home to Africa
CAROL JAMES,
of SIERRA LEONE,
WEST AFRICA
James said the teachers are
“all right” and they don’t “differentiate black students from
Thank you!
We'd like to thank all of the Peer Tutors who worked
during the Fall 2002 term. Many of the Learners have
been successful in their courses because of the dedication of the Peer Tutors who helped them.
From all of us here at Niagara College, thanks for your
time and commitment to your fellow students.
Peer Services Staff
More than 14,000 booked already!
white students.”
James will be doing her co-op
at Casino Niagara, in Niagara
Falls, where she will be working
as a second cook, assisting chefs
in preparing food for customers.
She starts in May and finishes in
August.
“I hope to work there for some
time before I go to Sierra Leone
to pursue my goal.”
While James is working her
way through her two-year program, she said she would like to
enrol in the Hotel and
Restaurant Management (Coop) program at the college after
she graduates.
“The college has great academic standards, and I felt good
about myself for coming here.”

College`s BRTF program

Transcription

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