Chronicle 35 08 Nov 2008 - Digilog at UOIT and DC - DC-UOIT

Transcription

VOLUME XXXV, Issue 8
November , 
The art of drinking
UFC fighter Brandon Vera visits E.P.’s
Story on page 32
Story on page 40
Battery powered buses
By Michael Terminesi
Chronicle Staff
It’s smooth, it’s clean and oh
baby, it’s green. A partnership of
UOIT and Ontario Power Generation, two buses have found homes
on campus, but let it be known,
these buses fill up at the plug.
“The buses started at the Grand
Canyon from 1997 – 2004 and
were operated by Navajo Indians,” said Dr. Greg Rohrauer, assistant professor of the Faculty of
Engineering and Applied Science.
“Business became so large that
they no longer met the requirements due to being half the size
of regular buses so they were put
into storage until spring. Then
they went into auction. OPG came
through for us and we ended up
taking on these two buses.”
Thanks to the sponsorship from
OPG, Rohrauer was able to purchase the buses and bring them to
campus where Pierre Hinse, a Faculty of Engineering and Applied
Science graduate student, was able
to get the buses fully operational
in 2 ½ months. The purpose is to
showcase electric vehicle technology, including an advanced interface with the electricity grid.
“The buses have been running
for about a month and a half now,”
said Hinse. “It may not be perfect
yet, but it’s the best technology
ever used on an electric bus.”
Currently, the buses take about
two days to fully charge, but with
the original chargers, it should take
about three or four hours.
“The buses are fully operational,
but the upgrades we have are four
times better than what is already
on the bus,” said Rohrauer. “We’re
only going to get better with today’s technology.”
The buses are entirely electric
powered and carry 25 passengers
seated or 37 passengers standing,
plus a driver.
See New page 2
Rally
against
hate
By Melissa Bies
Chronicle Staff
Photos by Michael Terminesi
DRIVING TOWARDS A GREENER ENVIRONMENT: Pierre Hinse proudly drives one of
the new electric buses around campus.
“Peace, love and acceptance for all,” an enthusiastic
crowd chanted outside of Oshawa’s city hall on Nov. 14.
At the rally in support for
peaceful communities, hundreds of supporters gathered
to hear politicians and community leaders speak about
the challenges and rights of
minorities living in Canada.
The rally was inspired by
Durham College student Jane
Currie and her partner Anji
Dimitrou, a lesbian couple
who live in North Oshawa.
On Nov. 3, when picking
up their son from school, the
two women were verbally
and physically assaulted by
another parent.
In a recount of the event
by Currie, a man approached
her and asked, “Which one of
you ‘men’ spoke to my kid?”
After a vulgar exchange of
words, the man spit on Currie and physically attack both
women, giving them both
black eyes and causing Dimitriou to require stitches. The
attack only stopped when
three bystanders intervened.
Mark Scott, 43, of Oshawa,
was arrested and charged
with two counts of assault
causing bodily harm. He will
be tried in court on Dec. 16.
Since the attack, a Facebook group created by Currie and Dimitriou titled “Gay
women get battered at children’s school” has earned the
couple international support.
See Everyone page 2
Students attacked on campus
By Krystin Spittal
Chronicle Staff
Police are searching for two
men after two Durham College
students were assaulted on campus Nov. 17.
The two males were in the South
Village pond area when they were
attacked by two unknown men,
around 10:30 p.m.
One of the students managed
to escape and the two men began
to focus the assault on the other
student. Shortly after, the men fled
the campus.
The students went to the South
Village Residence to seek help and
tell security what had happened.
The campus security, the Campus Emergency Response Team
(C.E.R.T.), Durham Regional Police
and emergency medical services
(EMS) responded to the assault.
One of the students attacked was
hospitalized for his injuries.
“This happened in a dark spot at
a dark time of the night,” said Kim
Carr, manager of Public Safety and
Security on campus. “Students
should not put themselves in a
situation that seems unsafe. We
encourage students to get out of
situations like this and to program
cell phones to campus security. It
costs nothing and it provides direct access to help.”
The two men who committed
the assaults have not been identified, but Durham College and
UOIT are continuing to assist Durham Regional Police in the investigation.
“It really scares me that this
kind of stuff is happening on cam-
pus,” said Melanie Basque, a Durham College student. “I guess this
stuff happens everywhere, but this
school is supposed to have security to prevent that. These men
should not have been able to get
on to the campus property in the
first place.”
Carr sent out an e-mail on Nov.
18 to inform students of the assault as well as information on
how to avoid these situations. Carr
suggests reporting any suspicious
activities witnessed to campus security. She also reminds students
of the red coloured “Code Blue”
stations available on campus to
connect students with campus security at any time.
“Even after reading the tips on
how to avoid assault situations
that were sent with the e-mail on
the assault, I did not feel any safer,”
said Thomas Ward, a UOIT student. “I’m a guy and I’m afraid to
walk in the dark.”
Students should not hesitate
to call campus security if they feel
threatened at (905) 721-2000 ext.
2400.
2 The Chronicle
November 25, 2008
CAMPUS NEWS
Everyone deserves equality
Continued from page 1
The story has been covered by
all local and Toronto media, as
well as news outlets in New York,
Australia and Montreal. It was
also mentioned by celebrity gossip blogger Perez Hilton, in a post
that simply read, “Dear Canada,
this sucks.”
But the couple and the community are not sitting quietly, and
are using the publicity to promote
peace and get the word out that violence against minorities is simply
unacceptable.
“On [that night],” said Currie
in the couple’s opening speech at
the rally, “…our lives were forever
changed. Your lives were forever
changed,” she told her community. “Now is the time for change.
No more fear. No more anger. No
more hate.
“I don’t want our children or
anybody’s children to be scared of
who they are or what they are.”
Rev. Dr. Brent Hawkes, who
performed the first legal samesex marriage in Canada in 2001,
thanked Currie and Dimitrou for
their courage and openness.
“We are here this evening to
claim our right to openness,” he
told the crowd. “…if we value our
relationships, we will fight for acceptance in society.
“It used to be that inter-racial
couples used to have to hide their
relationship. It used to be that Jewish people would change their last
names in order to be accepted,”
Hawkes said, noting that the fight
for societal acceptance has been
won before and will be won again
by the gay, lesbian and transgender community.
“Equality in law must now mean
equality in practice… The consequences of violent acts against us
cannot be to go back into hiding.
We need to treat our relationships
the same way that our heterosexual relatives treat their relationships.
We’ll put the pictures of our partners on our desks at work. We’ll
hold the hands of our partners in
public. And we’ll kiss our partners
goodbye when we say goodbye to
Photo by Josh Dillon
VIOLENCE WON’T BE TOLERATED: Community members gather around Oshawa’s
city hall, listening to guest speakers at the rally against violence and inequality.
Hate crimes stats in Canada
Statistics Canada has been reporting on hate crime stats in Canada
yearly since 2004. It has found that:
•
•
•
•
Visible minorities, which make up 13 per cent of Canada’s population,
are the victims of 57 per cent of hate crimes.
Hate crime incidents differ from crime in general in that they are more
likely to be committed by strangers than by persons known to the victim.
1 in 10 hate crimes in Canada reported are based on sexual orientation.
Half of all hate-motivated crimes reported by police are property-related offences, while one-third were violent offences such as assault.
them.”
The diverse crowd at the rally hoisted signs that read ‘Two
moms + one cat + one dog + 3 kids
Alumni honours
By Matt Bird
Chronicle Staff
Six Durham College graduates have been nominated for
the annual Ontario Premier’s
Awards.
Taking place on Feb. 23, 2009
at Westin Harbour Castle in Toronto, the ceremony will recognize the accomplishments
of over 100 graduates from colleges across Ontario.
According to alumni officer
Lori Connor, Premier’s Awards
nominees are first Alumnus of
Distinction winners.
“The alumni awards are chosen based on those who excel
in their careers and give back
to their communities whenever
they can,” she said. “The alumni
board of directors chooses the
winners.”
Durham’s nominees include
Electronic Technology graduate
Gary Heagle, Business Administration and Accounting graduate Robert Malcolmson, Nursing graduate Patricia O’Connor,
Sports and Entertainment Administration graduate Stephen
Reynolds, Business graduate
Kristi Honey and Graphic Design graduate Janice Tanton.
Started in 1992, the Premier’s
Awards honour college graduates who excelled in their careers and serving the community. Six awards – in Business,
Creative Arts and Design, Community Services, Health Sciences, Technology and Recent
Graduate – are given out each
year, symbolized by a bronze
medal and a $5,000 bursary to
each winner’s college.
Past Durham College winners include board of governors
member Fred Upshaw, Durham College Foundation director Paul Vessey and Sure Energy
Inc. president Jeffrey Boyce.
= 1 family,’ ‘Hate will not be tolerated in our community,’ and ‘My
children should not suffer because
I am gay.’
“I’m impressed with the turnout tonight despite the rain and
the fact that this is Oshawa,” said
Blaine Leal, a gay man who lives
in downtown Oshawa. “We won’t
put up with this crap in Oshawa
any more.”
Oshawa Mayor John Gray told
the community in his speech that,
“The members of Oshawa… will
not sit idly back and allow anyone
to sully the good name of our city,
and our people.”
But more residents than just
Leal, Currie and Dimitrou see the
hate and lack of acceptance of
gays and lesbians in Oshawa.
Udana Muldoon, chair of Durham Queen Parenting, told the
crowd at the rally that although
she knows many people in Oshawa who are open and accepting,
they are outweighed by the people
who are not.
“I moved out of Oshawa today,”
she said. “I was bashed daily for
who I am.”
In addition to rallying for peace
and equality, there was one more
aim of the gathering on that rainy
Friday night.
Currie, Dimitrou and many of
their supporters believe that the
crime committed was motivated
by hate and the accused should be
appropriately charged and punished for his actions.
“A crime motivated by hate carries harsher penalties and stronger
sentences,” said Currie.
Section 319 of the Criminal
Code of Canada defines a hate
crime as “…communicating hatred
in a public place by telephone,
broadcast or through other audio
or visual means.”
It also “encourages judges to
consider in sentencing whether
the crime was motivated by hate
of: the victim’s race, national or
ethnic origin, language, colour,
religion, sex, age, mental or physical disability, sexual orientation or
any other similar factor.”
Sexual orientation was added
to that list in 2004.
Currie and Dimitrou said at
the rally that they do not feel like
victims, and they do not cry tears
of sadness because of what happened to them, but cry tears of joy
from the support that they have
gotten from their community.
New electric buses
introduced to campus
Continued from page 1
The average range of the bus is
155 km, while the maximum range
is 225 km. The vehicle weight is
about 8,000 kg when empty and it
can reach a top speed of about 72
km/h.
“There’s a monitoring system
on board to see how much energy
is being used and how much energy is left,” said Rohrauer. “The best
thing is there is no or very little
greenhouse gas and all the batteries are fully rechargeable.”
The restoration of these buses
is aimed to bring more awareness
about the organizations’ goals for
a greener future. So the electrical
system is made up of 108 batteries that are worth $2,000 each with
the total capacity of the batteries
being 116 kWh. The bus is also
equipped with a built-in wheelchair ramp and has electric heaters and A/C units.
“OPG is committed to partnerships, like this electric bus research
program with UOIT,” said Bill
Robinson, senior vice president,
Nuclear Refurbishment, OPG, in a
press release. “It foster an understanding of emerging technologies
and provide training for the highly-skilled men and women who
will meet Ontario’s future energy
needs. This investment represents
one of many investments we make
here in Durham, and elsewhere in
Ontario, in support of education
and training for our young people.”
Even UOIT president Dr. Ronald Bordessa took a ride on the
electric bus.
“It was my first time on the bus,”
said Bordessa. “I thought it was
excellent and the discussion was
a good indication of the capabilities of the bus. Electric buses have
the potential to be thrown into the
public transit mix for sure.”
The electric buses started on
the south rim of the Grand Canyon near Flagstaff, Arizona where
they transported tourists from
parking lots to viewing areas and
were known as the hikers’ shuttles.
Who would have thought that
these shuttles would make their
way to UOIT and pave the way to
energy solutions for future generations?
The Chronicle
CAMPUS NEWS
November 25, 2008
3
DC in Whitby gets a new look
By Andrew Huska
Chronicle Staff
Big changes are in store for the Durham
College Skills Training Centre in Whitby.
The campus will undergo a $24-million
expansion that will add a 20,000- squarefoot second floor onto the south side of the
building. The floor will include a lecture hall
that will hold approximately 70 to 80 students, two new computer labs and two new
energy labs, according to Marj Rempel, the
dean of the School of Applied Sciences, Apprenticeships, Skilled Trades and Technology.
“We’re hoping the first piece of steel goes
up in December, with the plan being that
the first phase will be done for fall 2009,”
Rempel said. “And we will be able to open
our doors for students in that section of the
campus.”
As well, new courses will be added for
next fall that will be environmentally conscious.
One will be a one-year Energy Audit
Techniques Certificate program, the other
will be a two-year Renewable Energy Technician course.
“I think it’s an exciting time for the college
to add a new cluster of programs to Whitby,
because that’s what it’s all about,” said Durham College President Don Lovisa.
Besides the new programs the campus
will become what Rempel and Lovisa call a
living lab.
The campus will add wind turbines, solar
panels and a geothermal heating and cooling system similar to UOIT. Doing this will
1IPUPCZ"OESFX)VTLB
make the building self-sustainable.
“We want to make the building self-sus- RENO TIME! : The front of the D.C. Skills Training Centre in Whitby. It will undergo an extensive expansion
tainable using renewable energy and actuand environmental retrofit starting next month to make more room and serve students better.
ally supply power to the grid,” said Lovisa.
Lovisa said the school will partner with
$14 million, but students shouldn’t worry
the Durham Strategic Energy Alliance, a
about the cost trickling down to them, acconsortium of local businesses and comcording to Rempel. The school will go out to
panies that deal with energy, to make the
local businesses and companies and try to
school an incubator of environmentally
get them to contribute money to the cause.
friendly inventions.
As well, part of the costs will be covered
“We’ll work with them to help invenby the $9-million grant the provincial govtors produce prototypes and provide an
ernment gave to the college in July.
environment where our students can help
Whitby-Ajax MPP Christine Elliott was
them,” said Lovisa.
t5IFFYQBOTJPOXJMMBEEBTFDPOETUPSFZPOUPUIFTPVUITJEFPGUIFCVJMEJOH
pleased with the province’s grant.
Lovisa said students from the college and
“I think it’s terrific that the province has
UOIT will be involved, and they’ll help work
t5IFTFDPOETUPSFZXJMMIBWFmWFOFXDMBTTSPPNTUXPOFXMFDUVSFIBMMTBOE
recognized how fantastic Durham College
on energy projects.
UXPOFXDPNQVUFSMBCT
is,” she said.
Some features like the wind turbines will
She also said that any amount of monserve a double purpose, according to Remt5XPOFXFOFSHZQSPHSBNTXJMMCFBEEFEGPSGBMMPG
ey is never enough, but it should go a long
pel. They will provide power for the campus
way.
but they’ll also be available for electrical and
t5IFFYQBOTJPOXJMMDPTUNJMMJPONJMMJPOXJMMDPNFGSPNUIFQSPWJODJBM
“It’ll be great for Whitby and Durham,” Elmechanical students to work on so they can
HPWFSONFOUTHSBOUBOEUIFSFTUXJMMDPNFGSPNQSJWBUFJOWFTUNFOU
liott said.
learn how to repair and maintain.
Lovisa said not to look for any energy retAlso by making these changes Remt5IFDPMMFHFIPQFTUPXFMDPNFOFXTUVEFOUTPWFSUIFOFYUmWFZFBST
rofits for the college’s buildings in Oshawa.
pel hopes to get LEED certification for the
“There’s so much red tape to put up a turschool. LEED stands for Leadership in Enerbine,” he said. “We’ve been trying for three
gy and Environmental Design, and there are
or four months to put up a 200-foot test turfour levels a business or home can achieve: rather than Tim Hortons coffee cups,” said Work will continue in March when Whitby
bine.”
certification, silver, gold and platinum. Rem- Rempel. “Just the thought of the amount of students have another break, but the bulk of
He said there are already plenty of envipel said the changes in place will certify the coffee cups that go in the garbage every day, the work will be after school is over.
However, Rempel said there might be ronmentally friendly features at the Oshawa
just out of Whitby.”
school, but she wants more.
campus, like the geothermal well system
times
when
construction
interferes.
Coffee
mugs
aside,
one
of
the
biggest
“We’re confident we’re going to become
“There may be the odd time when a class- and green roofs on the UOIT buildings.
LEED certified, or LEED Silver, which is a re- concerns is how the construction work will
The Whitby campus opened in 1993. It
ally nice certification to have,” Rempel said. interfere with students. According to Rem- room gets closed because they’re working
right above it, but then we’ll just move the was previously a Cadbury factory. AccordIn order to reach Silver the school will pel, students need not worry.
ing
to the college website, it is the only col“We are working on making sure it students to a different room,” said Rempel.
have to collect and manage recyclables, use
Another aspect of the project is the cost. lege to offer an Elevating Devices Mechanic
doesn’t [interfere with students],”she said.
rainwater and even use waterless urinals.
She said workers will open up the roof to In total the project should cost approxi- apprenticeship program that uses on-site
“I think the biggest thing for me would be
escalator and elevator.
to convince everybody to use their own mug add the new storey during the winter break. mately $24 million. The first phase will cost
What students can expect
from the Whitby Skills Training
Centre
UOIT prof competes to be best lecturer
By Melissa Bies
Chronicle Staff
UOIT is looking for a two-year win streak in TVO’s
fourth annual Big Ideas Best Lecturer Competition.
Ilona Kletskin, a math professor with the Faculty of Sci-
ence was nominated as one of 125 professors from 24 Ontario schools to compete.
“I’m so excited to represent UOIT at the competition,”
said Kletskin. “It’s such a wonderful opportunity, and an
honour to be nominated for such a prestigious award. It’s
great for the school.”
Ten of the nominees will be selected to have their lec-
ture professionally videotaped and showed on TVO’s Big
Ideas program starting on Feb. 28.
If Kletskin wins, UOIT will receive a $10,000 TD Insurance Meloche Monnex scholarship.
Christopher diCarlo, an assistant professor with the
Faculty of Health Sciences at UOIT, was the winner of last
year’s competition.
4 The Chronicle
November 25, 2008
EDITORIAL
Durham College-UOIT Chronicle
Publisher: Robin Pereira
Editor-in-Chief: Gerald Rose
Ad Manager: Dawn Salter
TO CONTACT US
Newsroom: Room L-223; Ext. 3068
Advertising: Room L-220; Ext. 3069
E-mail: Chronicle.News@dc-uoit.ca
Dawn.Salter@durhamcollege.ca
No more Merry Christmas ?
Thanksgiving is over and that
can only mean one thing. It’s time
for the Christmas season to begin.
Not that it hasn’t already been invading stores and shopping malls
for weeks, but now it doesn’t seem
quite so ahead of the game .
But wait, can it still be called the
Christmas season? Or is “Merry
Christmas” too politically incorrect to be uttered?
In our efforts to become as PC
as possible, this simple phrase intended to wish people well during
the holidays has often been banished from our vocabulary and
replaced with the more inclusive
“Happy Holidays”.
Stores like WalMart have taken this to the extreme and at one
point completely forbade employees from saying Merry Christmas
at the workplace.
Christmas decorations were
labeled Holiday and advertising
featured holiday sales. Due to boycotts and protests from religious
groups they quickly changed their
tune, and Christmas was allowed
back into the store.
Despite this, there are still workplaces that forbid employees from
uttering the phrase Merry Christmas to their customers.
Why is this? Why have we become so determined not to step
on anyone’s toes and make people
upset that we’ve banned a simple
greeting intended to wish people
well during a happy time of year?
Wishing someone a Merry Christmas does not discount other
religious holidays in the least. It
doesn’t make them any less important or valuable.
What if the shoe were on the
other foot? What if people were
forbidden to say Happy Hanukkah
because someone who’s a Christian was offended by it? Or no longer allowed to sell Kwanza decorations because it made a Jewish
person feel uncomfortable.
We live in a country that is supposed to be a cultural mosaic. We
have all kinds of religions and nationalities here, and we’re always
touted as being inclusive and tolerant.
We should be proud and celebrate our differences, including
our religious and cultural celebrations. It boggles the mind that a
simple phrase causes that many
ruffled feathers. This season is supposed to be about spending time
with your loved ones and celebrating this amazing time of year.
It’s about bringing together all
kinds of different traditions that
make the season so wonderful, not
trying to exclude the word Christmas just because some people get
offended by it.
So Happy Hanukkah, Happy
Kwanza, and, you know what,
Merry Christmas too!
Robyn DePratto
Hey you! Look! Listen to me!
Everybody, listen up. What I have to say is very important. Apples are better than oranges, but orange juice is
better than apple juice. French toast is better without cinnamon rather than with it, sushi freaks me out and my dad
is cooler than your dad!
Just because I said it, doesn’t make it true, but because
you said it doesn’t
make it true either. Everyone
has a different
Michael
opinion with different reasons for
Terminesi
having that opinion. With everyone thinking different things and
feeling different ways, at the end of the day how much is
your two cents really worth? For the most part, it’s worth
disagreeing with what someone else has to say. Your opinion may not be worth much to others, but it’s everything to
you, isn’t it?
Here’s an example. She said, “I really enjoyed that movie,” and I said, “That movie the biggest piece of donkey shit
I’ve ever seen!” Maybe I said it because I really didn’t like
that movie? Or maybe I said it just to piss her off? Actually, I really enjoyed the movie. I just didn’t want her to
know that I liked The Notebook more than she did. That
movie was way too hilarious!
Not all opinions are out to harm though. Some are just
trying to help a bad situation or make people understand
an important issue or problem. Which means some opinions are worth more than others.
Here’s an example. You’re in a bar and a large group of
guys come up to you and say, “Hey pal, I think you should
leave!” You think otherwise, next thing you know there’s
staples in your head and you have stomp marks on your
chest. A good example of when someone else’s opinion
was more important than yours.
Opinions on music are pretty radical these days too. In
a way, genres of music determine the people you hang out
with and the style you express yourself in. I don’t think
you’ll ever see 50 cent and Shania Twain making music
together, but does that mean they can’t be friends? Hell
no it doesn’t!
What I’m trying to say is you can’t let it get you down
when someone doesn’t agree with what you’re saying,
thinking or feeling.
In Buddhism they say that you should look at your enemy as a blessing, because they allow you to practice patience and tolerance. That’s alright and all, but if your enemy is a blessing, then what does that make your friend?
Just because I don’t agree and you don’t agree, doesn’t
mean it’s not true.
In some cases.
E
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The Chronicle
November 25, 2008
O
PINION
We are not alone in the universe
5
Too many of us apes on ego
trips are naive enough to think the
universe was “created” as our playground. But we evolved to live in
our surroundings – and we are not
the only ones. We are not alone in
the universe.
With an estimated 50 thousand million galaxies, like our own
Milky Way, each containing about
50-100 thousand million stars, like
our sun, with even more planets
orbiting many of those stars, what
are the odds of our lonely little
rock being the only planet with intelligent life?
It’s impossible to say; those
numbers are unfathomable to
us. Though planets capable of
supporting life are rare, there are
an estimated 1021 stars in space.
Earth cannot be the only sphere
“blessed” with life.
Even now, many Earth-like
planets are orbiting sun-like stars
in our galaxy, according to University of Arizona astronomer
Michael Meyer, who works with
NASA’s Spitzer space telescope.
UFO sightings in Canada have
risen over the years, with 836 reports in 2007, up 12 per cent from
2006, according to the UFOlogy
Research Institute. Several hundred thousand sightings have
been documented worldwide in
the last 50 years.
Many people, like Apollo 14 astronaut Dr. Edgar Mitchell, an advocate for the UFO movement, re-
alize we are not alone despite the
denials and misinformation regurgitated by governments around
the world.
“I happen to be privileged
enough to be in on the fact that
we’ve been visited on this planet
and the UFO phenomena is real,”
said Mitchell, the sixth man to
walk on the moon. “It’s been well
covered up by all our governments
for the last 60 years or so.”
“I think we’re headed for real
disclosure and some serious organizations are mov-
Cotey
Paterson
ing in that direction,” he added.
In October of this year, the British government declassified 4,500
of the 11,000 files in the national
archive detailing UFO accounts
and alien abductions, many of
which were investigated. Nick
Pope from the British Ministry of
Defence says about five per cent
of the files are genuine unknowns
that cannot be explained.
But why not release all the
files?
“The facts are too disturbing for
the majority of the populace,” said
Timothy Good, UFOlogist.
On July 16, 1999, after conducting a three-year study, a group of
French military officials, former
auditors for IHEDN and experts
from various fields released a 90
page report that was highly publicized in France. They concluded
that ‘’numerous manifestations
observed by reliable witnesses
could be the work of craft of extraterrestrial origin’’ and that the best
explanation is ‘’the extraterrestrial
hypothesis. Strong presumptions
exist in its favour,” they said.
Canadian and American governments still completely deny the
existence of UFOs.
“It is sort of strange, but we send
people to prison – we send people
to their death – because of eyewitness accounts of crimes. Our
legal system is based on that to a
large degree,” said Lt. Col. Charles
Brown, who retired from the US
Air Force. “Yet in my following of
unusual aerial phenomena for the
past 50 years, there seems to be
some reason to discredit very viable and very reputable witnesses
when they say something is unidentified.”
The Disclosure Project is a
non-profit research group working to have facts about UFOs,
aliens and alien technologies, like
energy and propulsion systems,
revealed to the world. The organization is made up of more than
400 American experts from every
facet of government, military and
Do you really need that,
or were you brainwashed?
So you’re a money-starved
student with mountains of
homework piling up and you’re
stressed out to the max running
around like a chicken with its
head cut off. You can’t sleep.
You’re sitting there with your
sheets crumpled and balled up
from tossing and turning and the
only thing on television is infomercials. And soft-core porn of
course, but that gets old when
they air the same clip every
night.
Sitting there in your skivvies,
remote in hand with your eyes
glued to the T.V. you watch as the
person on the screen works their
hypnotic voodoo magic on you.
You need what they have. You
can’t live without out and must
buy it right now! And if you call
within the next few minutes you
will get yet another thing you
don’t need for free.
Your life, and cooking will be
so much easier with a magic bullet that can make anything in an
amazing 10 seconds. Which is
a lie, and it’s just a mini version
of the blender you already have
and don’t use.
And you can get rid of that
flabby stomach of yours that
you put so much time, beer and
money into, and all you have to
do is order Hip Hop Abs. You can
dance your way to a sexy body
ripped with rock hard abs. If you
do it everyday and restrain yourself from eating anything that remotely tastes any good.
Or even better you can have
access to your own person gym
in your home with Total Gym.
Chuck Norris says it is everything you need all in one machine and if you don’t order it he
will roundhouse kick you in the
face. A small taste of what you
Shayna
Brown
are missing out on from not buying the Total Gym.
Of course the sneaky buggers
put them on late at night because
they know the people watching
are either drunk or half asleep
and anything sounds appealing
at three in the morning. You are
like an unsuspecting, baby bass
swimming blissfully in a cool
fresh water spring when the infomercial fishermen come along
in the galoshes carrying a tackle
box full of lies and exaggerations.
They cast out their line and dangle a nice big, fat, juicy worm in
your face tantalizing you and luring you in. Then they hook you –
you take the bait.
They are evil people I tell you
– praying on innocent victims.
And I have proof. A five-disc
work out video set called Turbo
Jam. That’s right Turbo Jam. I
was sitting in my room, unable
to sleep and minding my own
business then the next thing you
know I was on that phone dialing
the one eight hundred number
to take advantage of the great offer of just four easy payments of
$29.99. Three weeks later Turbo
Jam arrived at my house in a tiny
little box, supposedly holding
the key to loosing those unwanted pounds and tone every inch
of my body all with the five-disc
set. It has made a nice home on
my shelf where is has been sitting ever since the day of its arrival, collecting dust.So if you’re
going to be up late watching T.V. I
suggest you hide your credit card
and your phone so you don’t end
up with dust collectors like me.
Warning! Infomercials will
most definitely contain images
of things you don’t need but will
be convinced you need to buy.
Violence, coarse language and
nudity are not present but you
won’t be able to turn your eyes
away as you will be in a hypnotic
trance. The program is suitable
for anyone who is extremely
naïve and half asleep, especially
students who have a credit card.
Viewer discretion is advised.
intelligence who testified, with evidence, to having firsthand experience with extraterrestrials.
“As early as 1993, when I personally briefed CIA Director James
Woolsey on the UFO matter, we
knew of on-going, secret projects
to which President Clinton and Mr.
Woolsey were denied access,” said
Dr. Steven Greer, director of the
project. “The senior council for the
Senate Appropriations Committee, then headed by Senator Byrd,
told me directly that upwards of
$100 billion per year was going
into so-called ‘black’ projects, including UFO programs, but that
with a top-secret clearance and
a subpoena power, he could not
penetrate the veil of secrecy.”
The fact we are not alone in the
universe is probably the biggest
revelation in human history, so
why the cloak and dagger routine?
“The inertia of highly classified
programs, embarrassment over
past illegal actions taken to enforce
secrecy, and the fact that the energy and propulsion systems behind
the mysterious UFO objects have
been studied and fully understood,” explained Greer. “This disclosure would spell the end for oil,
gas, coal and other conventional
forms of power - and with that, the
end of the current oil-based geopolitical order and economy.”
Greer claims to have seen technologies that would change the
entire world overnight, including
an energy source that would solve
resource and pollution problems.
Footage and stories of UFOs
and ETs can be found all over the
Internet, some fake and some
“unexplained,” including authentic NASA and military videos that
show encounters with UFOs dating back to the 1940s.
During a NASA space shuttle
mission on Feb. 25, 1996, a 12
mile long tether was deployed and
broke soon after. Three days later,
when the shuttle was 77 nautical
miles from the tether, shocking
footage of more than 50 UFOs
was caught on tape. “Discs” that
pulsed, moved intelligently and
had notches in them were seen
flying in front of and behind the
tether, which means they were not
specs of dust or illusions.
According to David Sereda, Canadian UFOlogist and ecologist,
the tether can be used as a ruler
and proves that the UFOs were
about three miles wide.
UFOs invoke curiosity in many
people, but it usually ends there.
More focus and investigation on
the subject is needed. World governments need to divulge what information they have on UFOs and
aliens so there can be open examination. It’s time for this issue to be
taken more seriously; credible witnesses shouldn’t be made to look
crazy. The greatest – or most devastating – events in human history
could be right around the corner.
Bad bus manners
As a frequent transit user, I have
come to the realization that many
people my age suffer from a severe
case of bad bus manner-itis.
One evening I was on my way
home after a long day at school
and as usual, the bus is jam-packed
full of students.
I’m sitting there, minding my
own business when the putrid
scent of green eggs and ham begins to fill my nostrils. I find myself shocked and appalled, glancing around suspiciously at those
around me trying to identify the
culprit when I realize the old el-
Edith
Zikmann
ementary school saying, “whoever
smelt it, dealt it.”
In an attempt to deal with the
unsettling situation, I slump down
into my seat and debate whether
to breathe through my nose and
continue to inhale the fumes of
death or risk contamination by
breathing through my mouth.
I chose neither.
I held my breath - and that my
friends, is unacceptable.
No human being should ever
have to be exposed to such an obnoxious scent and have debate on
whether or not to breathe. It’s simply not humane.
Fast forward to one week later.
Once again, I am on the bus when
I observe two young male students across from me masticating
on mouthfuls of chewing tobacco.
And once again, I find myself
shocked and appalled upon glancing down and realizing the bottles
of iced tea the guys were holding
were actually full of bubbly, halfdigested tobacco juice which they
were graciously adding to, one spit
at a time.
They continued to happily
chew on the tobacco throughout
the entire bus ride making loud
slurping noises every time they
stuck their lips to the bottle.
I felt like I was in some sort of
bad hillbilly movie, anticipating
them to smile at me and reveal a
grin similar to that of a pumpkin
on Halloween.
They did no such thing. In fact,
they just sat there, chewing like a
horse at the stables, totally oblivious to the fact I was sitting right
across from them, anticipating
where I should aim in the event I
were to get sick.
I’m sure none of these people
woke up in the morning and decided their goal of the day was to
make every female around them
sick.
I would assume their lack of
manners is simply a case of ignorance or bad bus manner-itis.
Either way, no one wants to
smell you, nor does anyone want
to be horrified when they realize
that bottle of iced tea wasn’t what
they thought it was.
The solution is simple. Be
mindful of others and the impact
your presence has on them.
6 The Chronicle
November 25, 2008
CAMPUS NEWS
When sorry isn’t good enough
By Shawntee Russell
Abusive relationship facts:
Chronicle Staff
“I’m sorry!” Two words uttered
so many times they lose all meaning. Words that are now empty because no action followed.
When Sorry Just Isn’t Enough
was a seminar by Cate L. Gibson,
a professional speaker, author and
executive coach, on Nov.6 in the
Women’s Centre
She discussed how to identify
and how to escape an unhealthy
relationship, the causes of unhealthy relationship, as well as
how to deal with issues associated
with the relationship.
Intimate
partners,
family
friends, and co-workers can all be
the perpetrators when it comes to
unhealthy relationships.
Anyone in a abusive or unhealthy
relationship
should
avoid keeping quiet, and should
find ways to deal with the abuse,
whether physical or emotional.
Gibson spoke about the importance of having relationship deal
breakers and the importance of
knowing what is negotiable and
non-negotiable.
There are reasons why some
people are drawn into negative
relationships. Often they feel unworthy, or like they aren’t good
enough. These feelings allow them
to attract similar relationships as a
result.
Women often attract men
similar to their fathers. Gibson explained that parents should be a
mirror for their children.
“Parents often come with their
own luggage, and bring that into
parenthood,” said Gibson. “Parents
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Source: Saint Joseph’s University Health Information website.
Photo by Shawntee Russell
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often harm their children unintentionally, for example by causing
emotional abuse. There are always
underlying issues and it is important to get to the root of that.”
She spoke about the value of
taking responsibility for your own
actions, and noted that change
comes through willingness of both
individuals in the relationship.
Her advice to anyone in an unhealthy relationship wanting to
escape was to find a deal breaker.
Individuals should know or learn
for themselves what they find acceptable and unacceptable.
“Don’t settle. Don’t lie to yourself. That’s what we often do,” she
said. “If you keep doing the same
old, you’re going to keep getting
the same old.”
Individuals closed their eyes,
as she asked them to recall an incident that they felt triggered an
abusive or unhealthy incident.
Members around the table
spoke, then shared their experiences, thoughts and feelings.
Healthy relationships often
start with individuals loving themselves first, and by trusting and
believing in themselves. Individuals should always find ways to feel
good about themselves, she said.
People should be held respon-
Fashion Week on campus
#Z&EJUI;JLNBOO
Chronicle Staff
Lights, camera, Fashion! It was
a stylish week on campus as Fashion Week kicked off with beauty
seminars, makeovers and free
giveaways from some of the top
makeup brands.
Beauty seminars from Too
Faced Cosmetics, Benefit, Smashbox, Biotherm and Roc were held
at the Student Centre Nov. 17-21.
Supported by Shopper’s Drug
Mart, students had the chance to
try out quality makeup.
Word spread quickly about the
free giveaways and attendance
tripled for the second day seminar
for Benefit Cosmetics, Nov. 19.
“I think they’re very enthralled
with the product and they enjoyed
the information and demonstrations. They got some free goodies,”
said Jill Easton, manager at Shopper’s Drug Mart.
Students were given advice on
how to properly apply makeup
and even got to try on different
types of makeup.
Anna Tong, sales coordinator
for Benefit Cosmetics, had some
advice for amateur makeup artists,
“Practise, practise, practise!”
she said with a smile.
“Keep it simple and use our
sible for their own actions and
safety at all times. “We often try
to ignore our intuition as just our
imagination when our intuition
was correct,” said Gibson.
She mentioned that meditation is a great way to focus on your
intuition, and whole inner being.
“We need to pay attention to our
body signs,” she said.
In everyday life individuals
should try to detach themselves
from people and situations that
don’t feel right, and avoid those
situations.
“We’ve become a very unconscious society. When we become
more consciously aware it gets us
in the now,” said Gibson.
Gibson’s last words of advice
for everyone in the room were
“Teach individuals how to treat
you…communicate.”
Learning
how
to deal
with a
disability
#Z/JDPMF.BSUJOTFO
Chronicle Staff
Photo by Edith Zikmann
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kits!”
Tong is a big fan of Benefit
Cosmetics and wants students to
understand the value of quality
cosmetics, “I love it a lot, that’s why
I’m working for the company!” she
exclaimed.
Students left smiling with gift
boxes filled with trial-sized samples, courtesy of Shopper’s Drug
Mart.
Learning how to overcome
the challenges of a learning
disability just got easier.
The McLaughlin Library
will have Dr. Kwan, the executive director of the Oshawa
Psychological Clinic, speak
about the effects of a learning
disability and the challenges
parents might face.
Dr. Kwan counsels children, couples, adults and
families but he is also an adult
with a learning disability.
He will also give a summary of team approach,
teacher assistance and family
dynamics.
Registration is free at any
branch and the event is on
Nov. 27 at 7 p.m.
The Chronicle
November 25, 2008
7
Traditional festive
dance held by
Hindu students
By Jaspinder Kaur Jassal
Chronicle Staff
The Hindu Student Association will
be holding a festive dance called Dandiya
Dhamaal, on Nov. 25 from 6-8 p.m. in the
Simcoe cafe.
Traditional Indian snacks will be served
through out the night.
Tickets will be sold in the UA west atrium from Nov. 20 until Nov. 25 for $5.
The Sikh Student Association, Indian
Student Association and Traditions are
also sponsoring the event
“Dandiya is celebrated for the Hindu festival Navratri and in honour of our Hindu
goddess Durga,” explains Jewel John, president of HSA.
Speak another
language? Then be
an interpreter
By Beth Lafay
Chronicle Staff
Committed to helping others?
The Immigration and Refugee Board of
Canada (IRB) is looking for contract interpreters. If you speak Arabic, Czech, German, Lithuanian or Thai you may qualify to
work for the IRB. A high school diploma or
even a combination of education, training
or experience qualifies you for one of these
jobs.
Some qualifications will put you ahead
of the race. Canadian Citizenship or Landed Immigrant status is a must.
For more info visit the IRB website.
8
The Chronicle
November 25, 2008
CAMPUS NEWS
Trent identity week a success
By Robyn DePratto
Chronicle Staff
Trent University in Oshawa has
been part of our campus for over
30 years, almost six times as long
as UOIT, and yet many people
aren’t even aware they’re here.
Two years ago Trent student Megan Polley, along with other peer
mentors, created Trent Identity
Week to help change that.
“We were told to get more involved and come up with something creative” said Polley. “I decided it would be a fun thing to do.”
Held this year from Nov. 10 to
Nov. 14, the event was all about increasing the presence of Trent on
campus.
Students were encouraged to
wear their Trent clothing to increase the visibility of Trent students and remind people that
they’re a part of the school.
It didn’t matter if the shirts
were bought from the tuck shop or
Bookstore, or handmade with fabric paint and a blank t-shirt. What
was important was that they were
getting the Trent name out there.
“I’ve had many people at Durham and UOIT that don’t even
know Trent’s here at all”, said Trent
student and peer mentor Lindsay
Timmins.
A big part of the identity week
was the bake sale held on Nov.12,
which Polley says is one of the first
big charitable fundraising events
done by Trent students.
They raised almost $480 for the
Women’s Centre, and Polley said
the peer mentors were extremely
proud of their efforts.
Photo by Robyn DePratto
PROUD TO BE GREEN: SA President Amy England, Trent student Alana Lowe and Trent VP Valerie Naylor sporting
Trent gear as part of Trent identity week.
The week ended with the Trent
University in Oshawa Open House,
on Nov. 14. Peer mentoring volunteers were there giving tours of the
campus and answering questions
from prospective Trent students.
Polley said the week went very
well. “More people have been
wearing Trent stuff” she said “If
not they were wearing green. It’s a
step up from last year when people
didn’t know what to do.”
A big variety of Trent clothing is
now available at the bookstore and
the tuck shop, a far cry from a few
years ago when the bookstore only
sold one kind of Trent sweater.
Next year Polley hopes that
they continue doing the identity
week, especially the charitable aspect of it.
She says it would be nice to
have stations set up for Trent students who don’t have a Trent T-
Trent opens minds at open house
Prospective
students
check out
Trent
Gaming
not just
play any
more
By Asmahan Garrib
Chronicle Staff
By Robyn DePratto
Chronicle Staff
Prospective students came to
learn about Trent University in Oshawa on Nov. 14 as they held their
open house. It was held in the East
Atrium of the UA building, and ran
from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.
Held on a day when secondary
schools were having a PA day, the
event was designed to give high
school students, and any other
interested people, a chance to see
what the school has to offer.
Tables were set up representing
every department from Anthropology to Women’s Studies, with professors ready to answer any questions students might have. There
were also representatives from
other school institutions present,
such as the registrar’s office and
financial aid. The Student Association was present as well, with VP
of Trent Valerie Naylor manning a
Shirt to make their own.
A second identity week is
planned for next semester, aimed
at making Trent students feel even
more included on campus.
“It’s always uplifting to know
you’re part of a community.”
Photo by Robyn DePratto
TALKING IT OUT: Trent VP Valerie Naylor talks to a prospective student at Trent
University in Oshawa open house.
table. Trent University in Oshawa’s
peer mentoring program was a
big part of the event as well, with a
table of their own as well as being
in charge of running tours of the
campus.
Peer mentors like Kailey Miller guided prospective students
around campus and answered
questions about what it’s like to be
a Trent student on campus. Tours
covered everything from the new
Trent office, to the computer commons, to a tour of South Village
residence.
Some people from the main
Trent campus in Peterborough
came down for the event as well,
including director for Distance
and Continuing Education & Col-
lege Partnerships Karen Maki.
“People here have been investing
a fair bit of time when they come,”
she said. “They’re asking meaningful questions.”
Anyone interested in learning
more about Trent University in Oshawa and the programs they have
can see their website at http://
www.trentu.ca/oshawa/.
The Digital Gaming Conference in London, Ont.
plans to connect students
with Canada’s leading gaming companies on Nov. 27.
The two-day conference
will allow university and college students across Canada
to meet Ontario game industry leaders, explore industry
issues and seek business opportunities.
Gaming gurus like Jade
Raymond, senior producer at
Ubisoft, Denis Dyack, founder and president of Silicon
Knights, and James Schmalz,
CEO of Digital Extremes,
along with many others will
speak about recruitment and
their experiences in the gaming industry.
Students will also get a
chance to have some fun in
the Game Zone, playing recently launched games.
The Chronicle
CAMPUS NEWS
November 25, 2008
9
Student wins prominent scholarship
Police
Foundations
student wins
top award
By Matt Bird
Chronicle Staff
Kevin Patterson is a lot of things. He’s a
writer, an adept orator, an aspiring Frenchspeaker, a father, a security guard and a future police officer.
He’s also one of the top students in his
class.
And, on Nov. 13, he was the recipient of
the OPG Employers and Pensioners Award
at Durham College’s scholarship ceremony.
Patterson was the latter of two students given the chance to make a speech.
Dressed in a suit and tie, Patterson spoke
earnestly.
Every word was believable and honest.
He even joked about his daughter Alexandra, age 1, who’d spoken up in unintelligible
but cheerful gurgles throughout the ceremony.
His speech came from the heart, leaving
few dry eyes in the gym.
Patterson, a 23-year-old Scarborough studied from the beginning.
native, is a second-year Police Foundations
He soon realized that his dedication was
student.
earning him excellent marks, and he’s kept
Before formally enrolling in the school, up that pace ever since.
however, he worked with campus security,
Perhaps it helps that Patterson’s passionand still works there part time.
ate about his course of study. His eyes glow
“I was on the main campus security. when he talks about policing at Durham.
We’re in charge of patrolling all the build“I love it. It’s amazing. Our entire faculty
ings, making sure everything’s locked and has workplace experience, and I feel like
responding to all the calls on campus,” he almost every program is relevant to the casaid.
reer. I don’t
Patterson’s story is the sort of inspiever feel like
“I
love
it.
It’s
amazing.
rational rags-to-riches tale that makes
I’m wasting
Our entire faculty has
for a good novel – maybe the kind Patmy time.”
workplace
experience,
terson will eventually write one day.
Patterand
I
feel
like
almost
ev“I pretty much flunked out of high
son’s earned
ery
program
is
relevant
to
school,” he said. “We had my son Wesmore than
the career.
ley when I was 16, so I took on a full
just money
Kevin Patterson
time job. That makes attendance very
with his deddifficult, and when you’re up working
ication.
until 11 at night you have no time for
He is one
homework. It’s too much for a 16-yearof only six
old to take on.”
students to
He dropped out soon after. “That kept qualify for a mentorship program with Durme from coming to college for a long time, ham Region Police Services, which gives stubecause I didn’t want to fail and waste my dents the chance to shadow a police officer
time.”
and train under real-world circumstances.
Such thoughts didn’t last, however, and
“It involves a minimum of five ride alongs,
Patterson changed his mind.
a visit to a shooting range, rappelling down
“I just missed the September intake last walls with the SWAT team and visiting the
year. I went to apply, but they told me my K-9 unit to get attacked by dogs,” he said, the
English mark was too low – one per cent too last activity noted with a bit of hesitation.
low to get into the program. So I took out a
high school correspondence, retook English
and got a 97, and came in January.”
He’s been taking correspondence courses to catch up on his high school ever since.
Afraid that he’d relive the experience of
high school, Patterson over-prepared and
‘
’
Once he’s hired as a full-time police officer Patterson will have to spend several
years on patrol duty, and though he’d be
happy with patrolling his whole career there
are other branches of policing he’d like to explore.
“I’m interested in working in homicides,
sexual assaults, and I’m really interested
in crew division right now, which is plain
clothed but not undercover,” he said.
“I’m also interested in training, and I
wouldn’t mind teaching at OPP and even at
Durham.”
Strong aspirations, and Patterson has the
will to live up to them.
But he’s modest, and offers up responsibility for his success to others.
“I have to give a lot of credit to my family.
My wife Angel takes on a huge role at home.
If I had to get up with the babies there’s no
way I could pull off the academics that I
have.”
Credit also goes to his mentor, who unknowingly gave Patterson a credo to live by:
“Nothing is too small.”
“For me it means that I’m going to put 100
per cent into every little thing, every little assignment. Even if a mark is only worth five
per cent of my grade, nothing is too small.”
And for a future police officer, there’s no
lesson more important than that.
Multimedia student
awarded with top honours
at scholarship ceremony
By Matt Bird
Chronicle Staff
The path to becoming a website guru
is not an easy one – but, if you’re up to the
task, it’s not without rewards.
Sidonie Mead is a second-year Multimedia Design student at Durham College. She’s also one of the top students in
her class, winning her the Durham Region
Chairman’s Award – $1,000 of hard-earned
money.
She was also the victim of a small typo
during the Nov. 13 Durham College scholarship ceremony.
Most everything at the presentation, including a giant projector, had Mead’s name
spelled as ‘Sidonien’.
She took the error in stride. “I’m used to
it because my name has an odd spelling.
But they made up for it: the associate dean
of Media, Art and Design really took the
time to ensure that my name was spelled
and pronounced correctly throughout the
rest of the ceremony.”
Given how much work Mead has on a
daily basis it’s not surprising she has the patience to put up with a typo.
She did seven to eight hours of work a
day during her first year.
“It’s mostly computer and design work.
Before we do any major design work we
have to do sketches, thumbnails, maybe
some rough interpretations if we have a client, different versions of the design and a
presentation package. It’s all of the pre-production work that takes a lot of the hours.”
Yet her second year is proving even
more arduous.
“This year’s worse. Most of our programs
are provided on the laptop; however, we
have three or four courses this semester
where we’re not allowed to have the software on our laptops due to licensing problems. We have to sit in the lab for hours,
sharing it with four or five other programs.”
This, Mead said, often leads to students
staying in the labs until 1 a.m, a situation
she’s faced herself several times.But while
some might buckle under such pressure,
Mead continues to excel in her second
year.
“I just tell myself that I worked really
hard to save the money to come and do
this. This is my second time doing college,
and I want to do well. This is something I
want to learn.”
Not that Mead doesn’t face obstacles on
her path to education. She works at Sobeys
and has a boyfriend to contend with.
Luckily, both have proven adaptable to
her tight schedule – her job allows her to
work on Sundays, and her boyfriend supports her.
“My boyfriend’s been really understanding about the fact that I constantly have a
lot of work. If there’s a day that I want to
spend with him I’ll change the pace of my
work in order to change my deadline so I
can go ‘yes, I’m on time still, I can take a day
off.’”
Mead is modest. She was surprised she
took the scholarship over others in her
class.
And she doesn’t take the money for
granted, saying that she enjoyed simple
recognition for her efforts.
“Just shaking everyone’s hands and having them say ‘congratulations, well done’;
that to me makes it all worth it.”
That said, she believes scholarships are
an important component of a good student’s budget.
“I think the school should continue to
get donors to help students out,” she said.
“Scholarships make a big difference, especially if you’re working at a minimum wage
job.
“I’m not in this situation but there are
people in my program who are trying to
raise three or four kids, put food on the
table, that type of thing. If they’ve done well
enough balancing their family and they’re
still doing well, they deserve to be recognized financially. Just as a little cushion for
them.”
10 The Chronicle
November 25, 2008
CAMPUS NEWS
Scholarship and award winners
Schools of Career Development
& Continuing Education
Jarrod Bergsma
Optimist Club of Whitby – Teachers’
Award
Academic Upgrading – College
Preparation, Achievement: Mathematics
Brent Burry
Award
Preparation
Jenny Dalrymple
Durham Region Chairman’s Scholarship
Office Administration – Year 1
Goldianne Enrique
Award
Preparation, Achievement:
Communications
Amanda French
Award
Preparation
Christine James
Durham Region Chairman’s Award
Office Administration – Year 1
Dawn Medeiros
Award
Academic Upgrading College Preparation,
Achievement: Pre-Health
Christy Siciliano
Award
Preparation, Achievement: Science and
Mathematics
Denise Vanek
Durham College Award
Continuing Education
School of Applied Sciences,
Apprenticeship, Skilled Trades
& Technology
Kevin Adkinson
Durham Land Stewardship Council Award
Environmental Technology – Year 2
Brady Anderson
Mechanical Engineering Technology –
Year 1
Christopher Azavedo
CINDE Award
Mechanical Engineering Technician – NonDestructive Evaluation – Year 1
Crystal Bartholomew
General Motors of Canada Award
Biotechnology Technologist – Year 2
Shane Borst
Ontario Association of Certified
Engineering Technicians and
Technologists – Durham Chapter Award
Mechanical Technician – Mechanical
Maintenance and Control – Year 1
Cyndi Boughen
Matthew Branoff
Industrial Automation and Robotics –
Mechtronics – Year 1
Lindsay Buckley
Jamie Carter
Andrew Foundation Award
Electronics Engineering Technician – Year
1
Shannon Christian
Greenbriar Foundation Award
Water Quality Technician – Year 1
Marc Damiano
Dr. Phillip ‘Rocky’ Simmons Award
Biomedical Engineering Technology –
Year 1
Christopher Doolan
Greenbriar Foundation Award
Chemical Engineering Technology – Year
1
Jeremy Drake
Electrical Technician – Instrumentation
and Control – Year 1
Dustin Dunn
Marigold Ford Lincoln Sales Award
Year 2
Kyle Elliott
Year 1
Tyler Ferguson
1
Mark Ferri
Cameron Frize
Mechanical Technician – Tool and Die/
CNC – Year 1
Shaun Gaddas
Patheon Incorporated Whitby Operations
Award
Pharmaceutical and Food Science
Technology – Year 1
Krystle Gillard
Year 2
Jasmin Grewal
James Grist
Pine Ridge Corvette Club Award
Motive Power Technician – Ser vice and
Management – Year 1
Joshua Henne
Ontario Power Generation Employee’s
and Pensioner’s Award
Year 2
Andrei Hugel
Electrical Technician – Instrumentation
and Control – Year 1
Adrian Kent
Mechanical Engineering Technician – Year
1
Karen Lilwall
Durham College Endowed Bursar y Award
Michael McCrory
Power Engineering Technician – Year 1
Daryl Millar
2
Andrew Milne
Mechanical Engineering Technician – NonDestructive Evaluation – Year 1
Kelly Nesland
Amanda Orr
Durham College Alumni Association
Award
Jeremy Pearson
Andrew Foundation Award
Electronics Engineering Technology –
Year 1
Angela Poland
Suzanne Quinn
Scott Rae
Brian Richardson
Electronics Engineering Technology –
Year 1
Terrence Rigby
2
Andy Sache
Year 1
Christopher Sands
Motive Power Technician – Ser vice and
Ian Stillman
Year 2
Benjamin Stone
Water Quality Technician – Year 1
Timothy Szunejko
Ontario Association of Certified
Engineering Technicians and
Technologists – Durham Chapter Award
Mechanical Engineering Technician – Year
1
Huilin Tan
Jamie Striemer Memorial Award
Power Engineering Technician – Year 1
Amanda Taylor
Ontario Food Protection Association
Award
Richard Todd
Mike Kavanaugh Award
Mechanical Technician – Tool and Die/
CNC – Year 1
Brendon Van Der Weer
Mechanical Technician – Mechanical
Maintenance and Control – Year 1
Adam Van Spronsen
Electronics Engineering Technician – Year
1
David Zor
School of Business, IT & Management
Nicole Bracken
Jeffrey and Julia Boyce Business Award
Business Administration – General Option
UOIT Transfer
Jonathan Bush
Business Administration – Operations
Bradley Camus
Millwork Home Centre Award
Business Administration – Marketing –
Year 2
Scott Coulas
BDO Dunwoody LLP Award
Business Administration – Accounting –
Year 1
Christopher Cowie
Oshawa B’Nai B’Rith Lodge Award
Computer Systems Technician – Year 1
Aaron Fitzpatrick
Human Resources Professionals of
Durham Award
Business Administration – Human
Resources – Year 2
Darcy Fontaine
Business Administration – General Option
UOIT Transfer
Judith Gauvin
Computer Programmer Analyst – Year 2
Anson Gopaul
Computer Systems Technology – Year 2
Tyler Guarrasi
Ian J. Ball Award
Most Improved Student from Year 1 to 2
Business Administration – Marketing
Jie Guo
Darryl Hand
Sport Management – Year 2
David Hartog
Messier-Dowty Incorporated Award
Ryan Hendriks
Professional Golf Management –
Business Administration – Year 1
Blair Hough
Sports Administration – Year 1
Erin Hughson
Brock Kiely
Sport Management – Year 2
Stephen Kubovic
Computer Programmer Analyst – Year 2
Rebecca Kunkel
Year 2
Sara Lack
Rotary Club of Oshawa Award
Josh Lines
Harold ‘Pat’ Dooley Bursar y Award
Core Information Systems – Year 1
Matthew Ludlow
Sports Administration – Year 1
Alex Maynard
Award
Brandon McLeod
Golf Association of Ontario Award
Rachel Meringer
Jonathan Panyan
Computer Systems Technician – Year 1
Jennifer Pitre
Human Resources Professionals of
Durham Award
Ashley Radcliffe
Roberts, Marlowe, Jackson, Jackson &
Associates Award
Year 2
David Reside
Jessica Rothman
Paul Vessey Premier’s Award
Business Administration – Marketing –
Year 2
Stephanie Slade
Business Administration – General – Year
2
Devindra Sukhdeo
Oshawa Community Credit Union Award
Sandra Thompson
Peter West
Core Information Systems – Year 1
Sean Wright
Community Integration through Cooperative Education – Year 1
Taylor McDonald
General Arts and Science – University
Articulation – Year 1
Chandra Paddock
General Arts and Science – University
Articulation – Year 1
School of Communications,
Language & General Studies
Melaney Blundell-Hodgins
Early Childhood Education – Year 1
Jennifer Brodie
Gwen Smith Memorial Award
Clinical Excellence
Practical Nursing – Year 1
Matthew Canning
Rita House Memorial Award
Robert Hill
Nathan Korczynski
School of Media, Art & Design
Reuben Baker
Harold ‘Pat’ Dooley Bursar y Award
Animation – Computer Arts – Year 1
Matthew Bird
Shawn Simpson Memorial Award
Journalism – Print – Year 1
Rebecca Boyce
Web Development and Design – Year 1
Leah Dobson
Business and Professional Women of
Durham Award
Graphic Design – Year 1
Crystal Francke
Multimedia Design – Year 1
Chad Goodmurphy
Advertising – Year 2
Matthew Graham
Award
Janel Haight
Rotary Club of Oshawa Award
Public Relations – Year 1
Hana Halan
Jennifer Kerstens
Frank Cowan Company Award
Eric Laganis
Journalism – Print and Broadcast – Year
2
Benita Lasis
Music Business Administration – Year 1
Jason Lavoie
Game Development – Year 1
Grant McCoshen
Sidonie Mead
Kyle Merkley
Music Business Management – Year 2
Mark Milner
Journalism – Print and Broadcast – Year
2
Christopher Niejadlik
Lewis Beaton Trust Award
Kayla Patey
Krista Paxton
Journalism – Print – Year 1
Laura Scriver
Emiliano Serafin
Colin Shaw
Timothy Stead
Music Business Management – Year 2
Kevin Stephen
Sodexo Award
Ryan Stephens
Ralph Sagar Award
Brittany Tessier
Dann Torena Memorial Award
Excellence in Illustration and Creative Art
Direction
Robert McLaughlin Gallery Award
Travis Twilt
Marlaine Weber Misetich
Anna Zajaczkowski
Adam Zavadovics
Web Development and Design – Year 1
School of Health & Community
Services
Exemplar y Contribution to College, Staff
and Students
Lacey Carter
Fitness and Health Promotion – Year 1
Susanne Castellarin
Human Ser vices Worker – Year 1
Sante Falconi
Paramedic – Year 1
Michael Fluke
Victorian Order of Nurses Award
Outstanding Commitment to Patient Care
Nathan Lee
Child and Youth Worker – Year 1
Elisabeth Mellor
Dwayne Moses Memorial Award
Human Ser vices Worker – Year 1
Danielle Mews
Child and Youth Worker – Year 1
Amy Mitchell
Fitness and Health Promotion – Year 1
Deanna Palmer
Dawn Higgon Memorial Award
Kelly Parker
Lifelong Learning Award
Dental Hygiene – Year 1
Joshua Picknell
Ashley White
Dental Hygiene – Year 1
Irina Zoubarev
Lovell Drugs Limited Award
Judith Zwegers
Early Childhood Education – Year 1
School of Justice &
Emergency Services
Michelle Bandurchin
Midge Day Memorial Award
Legal Administration/ Law Clerk – Year 2
Danielle Birks
Robert Anderson Memorial Award
Excellence in Criminal and Civil Law –
Year 1
Patrick Carde
Robert Anderson Memorial Award
Excellence in Criminal and Civil Law –
Year 1
John Lykos
Steven Shumovich Memorial Award
Kaija Maunula
Summer McMahon
A. Alan H. Strike Award
Ruth Noble
Court and Tribunal Agent/Paralegal –
Year 1
Kevin Patterson
Police Foundations – Year 1
Michael Pelham
Court and Tribunal Agent/Paralegal –
Year 1
Prosecutor’s Association of Ontario
Award
Khoa Phung
Law and Security Administration – Year 1
Gary Rose
Law and Security Administration – Year 1
Matthew Silvestre
Police Foundations – Year 1
Garfield Weston Merit
Scholarship
& Millennium Excellence
In-Course Awards
Garfield Weston Merit Scholarship
Lindsay Buckley
Garfield Weston Merit Scholarship
Millennium Excellence In-Course Awards
Matthew Canning
Millennium Excellence In-Course Award
Andrew Gagnon
Stephanie Holliday
Vanessa Morin
Colin Shaw
Sarah Thow
The Chronicle
November 25, 2008
11
CAMPUS NEWS
Scholarship award ceremony
By Asmahan Garrib
Chronicle Staff
Durham College and UOIT recognized academic excellence on
Nov. 13 by presenting 159 students
with cheques up to $1,000 at the
Scholarship Awards ceremony.
“The awards are a wonderful
opportunity for us to recognize
our students,” said Chris Rocha,
director of Financial Aid Student
Awards. “It’s incentive for students
to perform well academically.”
The awards are based on academic achievement. The top students in each course going in to
the next year of studying received
$1,000 and the second highest
students received $500 to spend
any way they wished. A total of
$117,500 in scholarships was given out to deserving students.
“There are needs-based awards
deducted straight from tuition, but
that wasn’t the focus of this award,”
said Rocha. “This money was for
students to take the cheque and
have for themselves.”
The evening started with a
mix and mingle, where honoured
students could meet the school’s
deans and company memebers
who donated awards.
Fifty-one companies and individuals donated money, making
the ceremony and the scholarships possible. GM Canada cele-
brated its 30th year of sponsorship
by rewarding 16 students.
“Donors have been supporting our institution for years,” said
Rocha. “They’re community-based
companies that hire our grads, so
it’s a good opportunity for recruitment.”
Some donors reward students
for specific criteria that are not
solely academic and are available
through application on mycampus.
“These awards set financial assistance as a goal to achieve for
students,” said Rocha.
The most memorable part of
the ceremony for Rocha was the
student speakers who added a
personal touch to the evening.
“I always enjoy the student
speakers, they’re a representation of the whole population,” said
Rocha. “We get a chance to listen
to students that have been impacted by the award.”
Award winner lives in teepee
By Krista Paxton
Chronicle staff
After picking tomatoes for two years,
Lindsay Buckley’s passion for nature led her
on a more practical course to Durham College, where on Nov. 13 she was awarded a
national scholarship.
The second-year Environmental Technology student received the Garfield
Weston Merit Scholarship for Colleges, an
award that recognizes students who are passionately engaged in their field of study and
committed to bettering their community.
“I’m still kind of pinching myself,” said
Buckley. “I’d never applied for any bursaries
or scholarships before. I got an email from
the Financial Aid and Awards, and I had no
idea the extent of the Garfield Weston award
until I won.”
The scholarship includes free tuition, a
renewable $8,000 award, access to summer
program funding, mentorship, and $4,000 to
cover extra educational costs.
Buckley’s new-found financial freedom
will allow her to focus on environmental
projects, such as making bio-diesel, and
building a water catchment system for her
teepee.
“A rain catchment system to collect rain
water,” said Buckley. “When you’re carrying
water and chopping wood to survive it’d be
nice to just design something.”
Buckley and her fiancée, Abel Renton
who started Get Bent Records, a local and
environmentally friendly record label, lived
together in the teepee last summer. The
experience fulfilled a desire she’d had since
reading Island of the Blue Dolphins, a novel
in which the main character is marooned
Photos submitted by Lindsay Buckley
SUMMER HOME: National award winner Lindsay Buckley (left)
and her fiance spend their summers in a homemade teepee.
for 18 years, and over time makes a life for
herself.
Buckley and Renton will spend this summer designing systems to create more sustainability within the teepee, to move it farther off the grid.
“Off the grid refers to the hydro system,
where we get most of our electricity and
energy,” said Buckley. “First and foremost
it’s conservation, and the first step in creating that system is assessing base loads and
what your needs and capacities really are,
and designing something from there.”
The teepee is small scale, but Buckley
is working to have it solar powered by this
summer, and the following summer will
gather other sustainability tips in Findhorn,
Scotland at the first documented eco-village
where she hopes to intern.
“Since they’ve been around the longest
they’re probably the most progressive,” said
Buckley.
Findhorn is sustainable, not only environmentally, but also economically and socially, as the community has created its own
energy, school system and currency. Buckley’s ultimate goal is to bring those ideals to
Canada, and to begin an eco-village north of
Durham Region.
“Ideally that’s my long-term goal to start
an eco-village,” said Buckley. “The process
involved would be like any kind of business
with a really solid foundation and plan. As
well as finding those individuals who you
can meld with to create a space like that.”
Born and raised in Courtice, Buckley has
always been a local girl and engaged in the
community. She and a friend organized
and ran an art studio to showcase local artists and bands. The studio was transformed
from an old schoolhouse that was geothermal, meaning it gathered energy from heat
stored in the earth. Buckley also grew a
100-square-foot heirloom vegetable garden
near Wilmot Creek.
“Heirloom vegetables are basically species and strains that aren’t as familiar. Heritage plants they’re also called,” said Buckley.
“For example I didn’t have any orange carrots in my garden, but I had yellow ones and
purple ones.”
Buckley also grew 18 tomato varieties,
of which some were white, yellow and even
zebra striped. She added that many of the
plants are near extinction because they’re
not grown commercially.
Most of the heirloom vegetables were
canned, but Buckley also enjoyed giving
them away, as people marveled at their odd
shapes and colours.
Buckley began her post-secondary studies working toward an English degree at
Trent University.
“I did a couple of years of studying in university toward that, but even then a lot of my
writing has always kind of been nature centred,” she said.
While Buckley still enjoys writing poetry
she has since followed her natural passion,
and fills her days studying biology, chemistry and science-based environmental sampling.
Student award: more than money
By Matt Bird
Chronicle Staff
The Shawn Simpson Memorial
Award.
I’d received an e-mail a few
weeks prior to Durham College’s
scholarship ceremony, informing me that I’d won this award. I
knew I’d done well in my first year
of Journalism at Durham College,
but that well?
Not that I was complaining.
What student would turn down
free money? It didn’t even matter
to me who the money came from,
or for what purpose they were giving it. In that moment all I craved
was money, money, money. I
wanted to know when my cheque
would be arriving in the mail and
little else.
Ah, but wait, the e-mail cautioned. First I had to attend a ceremony, business attire and all.
I’d receive my money from Ms.
Jan Robinson, a faceless woman
standing behind what was to me
an unidentified award.
I didn’t think much about
Shawn Simpson until I discovered
I had to write an acceptance letter
to Ms. Robinson. And upon starting I realized that I knew nothing
of this man: not who he had been,
how he had died or even why he
was worth naming a scholarship
after.
So, the journalist inside me
alerted, I asked in my letter that
Ms. Robinson tell me a bit about
Shawn when we met at the ceremony.
I was curious to learn about this
man. My letter sent, I kept up my
work and, before I knew it, Nov. 13
rolled around. The day of the ceremony.
The ceremony was organized
chaos. Refreshments. Name tags
that didn’t stay upright. Gym floors
covered in poorly tacked-down
paper. Suits as far as the eye could
see. At least one misspelled recipient name in the programs. And
line ups everywhere, filled with
students that the vice-president of
student affairs Margaret Greenley
would later call “the future leaders of the province”. Scholarship
students we may have been, but
the kindergarten skill of forming a
stable queue was lost on us.
I didn’t get the chance to meet
Jan Robinson in the crowd. She,
like many other donors that night,
could not attend the ceremony. I
did, however, find a wellspring of
information in Mark Johnson, a
professor with the School of Media, Art and Design. He’d known
Shawn well in life, and had jumped
at the chance to present the scholarship to me.
I’d asked my teachers about
Shawn earlier in the day, not expecting what I got: raw emotion.
Shawn was a former student
in and teacher for the Durham
Journalism program. They all described him, with mournful pride,
as a great man – a great man who
died in 2003.
That information shocked me.
More, though, it made me want to
learn about Shawn. And so I was
eager to talk to Mark and find out
more about a person who, had
things gone differently, might be
teaching me today.
Shawn was a lot of things to a
lot of people. He was a teacher.
A lover of photography. An academic with a keen mind. A family
man with three children. A fierce
Toronto Maple Leafs fan.
More than all that, though, he
was inspiration. Mark has “a miniature shrine” with pictures of Shawn
in his office. They serve to remind
him of the educator Shawn was.
“When I teach,” said Mark, “I always keep Shawn in mind.”
I’d previously been simply
amused by the award proceedings. After that conversation, however, I was filled with a new sense
of purpose. I took more pride in
my accomplishment, relishing
that still disorganized moment
when, watched by hundreds of
parents and teachers, I mounted
the platform, shook hands with
Mark and accepted my cheque. It
was one of ten such cheques honouring the lost, and I hoped that
every memorial award winner felt
as proud as I.
The solemnity sank in. I realized
that I had a lot to live up to. It’s an
honour to be supported by a man
so many faculty members obviously loved, and a regret that I’ll
never get to meet Shawn beyond
fond recollections by friends.
12 The Chronicle
November 25, 2008
CAMPUS NEWS
Disabled
people get
recreation
program
By Paul Bates
Chronicle Staff
Photo by Andrew Huska
WE’RE LISTENING: Durham College president Don Lovisa (right) listens to concerns and answers questions from
Terry St. Louis (left), a first-year Motive Power student, at the Whitby campus during a town hall meeting.
Low turnout to ask the pres
By Andrew Huska
Chronicle Staff
The Durham College Skills Training Centre
in Whitby held a town hall meeting on Nov. 18.
Durham College President Don Lovisa was
on hand to take questions and listen to concerns.
Turnout was low compared to the event
in Oshawa, which drew an estimated 150 students, according to Lovisa.
For this event only a handful showed up and
all but one were from the HVAC and Gas Technician course. Their primary concerns were
about the conduct of one professor.
The students also had more general con-
cerns such as not having enough of a hands-on
component to their furnace repair course. They
said the campus has furnaces there but the students aren’t allowed to touch them.
Besides course-related complaints, the
students said the Whitby campus bookstore
doesn’t have enough trade-related books. Issues over parking passes from Whitby not
working at the Oshawa campus, having to travel to Oshawa to pick up their trade certificates
and problems with the gym closing too early
were raised.
Lovisa listened carefully while a secretary
copied down the complaints so they could be
dealt with later.
However, Reinert wasn’t quite satisfied.
“I wish he could have been a little more specific about the issues with the teachers and the
union,” Reinert said.
Lovisa was also a bit disappointed.
“It would have been nice to have a bit more
students,” Lovisa said.
He also said he didn’t know about the problems with the teacher, but that’s why these
meetings are effective.
“That’s the strength of these sessions, there’s
no preparation you can do for it,” Lovisa said.
“You just listen to students, find out what’s on
their mind, what their issues are and then you
have some conversations just to make sure other people from the college know their concerns
and go from there.”
The presidential search is on
By Krista Paxton
Chronicle staff
The search for the new Durham College
president continues as the presidential search
committee sifts through numerous applications and narrows the list of interested individuals.
“I’m very, very excited about the calibre of
individuals that we’ve been discussing to date,”
said Aileen Fletcher, chair of the board of governors. “They’re all outstanding leaders in their
communities, and hold good positions. Everyone we’ve discussed at this point would do an
outstanding job, so it’s not going to be an easy
decision by any means.”
Long-time president Gary Polonsky retired
in 2005 after 18 years at Durham College, and
his successor Leah Myers resigned earlier this
year after serving two years. Don Lovisa replaced Myers, and is acting as interim president during the recruitment process.
The board launched the search in September, and placed ads in the Globe and Mail as
well as the Association of Canadian Colleges.
Promeus Inc., a recruitment agency, also began
searching for appropriate candidates.
“They actively head hunt for us,” said Fletcher. “They’re aware of who the individuals are
who are in a position to be able to take on that
kind of job, and who are qualified.”
Individuals from within the college community as well as those outside in the private sector, boards of education and universities often
fit the profile. From those applicants a long list
Selecting the new president:
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a short-list of candidates
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Source: Durham College website, presidential search link
is produced, from which successful candidates
are short-listed, and interviewed face to face by
the board.
The board is looking for many qualifications
and qualities, which are listed on the Durham
College website, but it’s important for the chosen candidate to be committed to Durham’s
values.
“It really has to be a combination of qualities
that we’re seeking, and it’s not just the board
that’s seeking a new president, it’s the commu-
nity at large,” said Fletcher. “But definitely it’s
important that they’re seeking the position because it’s Durham College, not just because it’s
a presidency, but because of Durham College
and its reputation.”
The process takes about a year, said Fletcher,
but she added that the board is right on track,
and is hoping to have the position filled as
soon as possible with someone who is studentfocused and able to build on Durham’s reputation.
Grandview Rehabilitation
and Treatment Center in Oshawa runs a drop-in program
aimed at youth ages 13 – 21.
But
until
recently,
20-somethings have not really had a place to go and socialize where things were barrier free. That all changed this
fall when the Abilities Centre,
with a grant from Scotiabank,
created a program focused
on young adults 18 to 30 with
special needs. It is currently
running out of Iroquois Park
in Whitby.
Karen Taylor is the brainchild behind the pilot program but she was not alone,
as she used focus groups
from Grandview, the Ajax
Special Needs Drop in, as
well as Thank God It’s Friday,
a group run through Grandview in South Oshawa.
Taylor’s reason for starting
the program was simply that
she was asked
“My interest was a community recreation program.
There are few programs that
fill the existing gap.”
The program is still in the
early stages - there have only
been about three meetings
and two events - but Taylor
sees a bright future for the
program.
“The program expanding
in numbers would be great.
The program could lead to additional offshoots. There will
be more meetings,” she said.
“I hope to see the program
move to member-focused activities, like the youth advisory council, which would bring
more member involvement
in the planning of events.”
The club’s events cost $5
and so far there has been a
box at a Blue Jays game, a
bowling event, and there are
plans to get a box at an Oshawa Generals game in November as well as to see a play at
the Oshawa Little Theatre.
Even though the group
is small and has not been
around long it seems to be
gaining a following.
“It’s a new program with
lots of room for new members,” Taylor said.
Tanya Fellows, a young
adult with a physical disability, discovered the program.
Fellows has attended the
program since it began,
“It’s a group that provides
adults with disabilities a social setting to feel comfortable in and events that they
can get out and share with
others that have disabilities
as well.”
Fellows really likes the
program. “What I like mostly
is it’s a social setting for adults
with disabilities, and there are
not many of them out there
that are barrier free.”
The Chronicle
CAMPUS NEWS
November 25, 2008
13
Wanted:
student
ambassadors...
This experience can help you
earn credit toward your co-curricular record, leadership and
Chronicle Staff
participation, says Thomson.
“Involvement in the commuStep up and be a leader at nity well rounds somebody. It
Durham College!
gives them another focus, that
Become a student ambas- can link into career choices,”
sador.
says Thomson.
“Being a student ambassador
There are no set start dates.
is a prestigious position, they are They are available year round,
the student voice of the college,” says Thomson.
says Stephanie Thomson, an
In past years, the ambassaadmissions and recruitment ofdor program has
ficer in the Office
had more female
Being
a
student
of the Registrar at
ambassadors but
Durham College. ambassador is a now it is 50/50
Ambassadors
prestigious posi- male and female,
are students in
says Thomson.
all years of study tion, they are the
We
would
who offer tips student voice of like to see more
and tidbits about
diversity in our
what they have the college.
ambassadors
learned along the
because
the
Stephanie
Thomson
way to current
school’s populaand prospective
tion is becoming
Durham College students, and greater and more diverse.
the community.
The college helps you track
They conduct campus tours your volunteering and leaderand help out with various col- ship through quality points.
lege events.
These points are acknowlThis position is voluntary edged upon graduation and are
and you only need to dedicate beneficial in all areas of study.
two hours a week, or more if
According to a flyer distribyou have the time.
uted by the Admissions and ReNot only does this position cruitment office at Durham Collook great on a resume, it can lege, student ambassadors behelp you in future career choic- come an active part of campus
es.
life, make new friends, improve
It’s great to give back to the leadership skills and enhance
community; it can really help their co-curricular records.
you in future career choices beTo fid our more information
cause it can separate you from about how you can become
the rest.
a leader at Durham College,
To be an ambassador, you check out the short application
have to be a Durham College online at www. durhamcollege.
student or graduate, with a GPA ca/ambassador and don’t forget
of 2.5 or higher.
to send in your resume.
By Shenieka
Russell-Metcalf
‘
’
Photo by Sarah Manns
CANCER FUNDRAISER: Jermamie Carriere, Chantelle Lacoursiere, Amanda Bartsch
and Sydney Wilson show off some of the animals for their animals for a cause cancer
fundraiser.
Animals for a cause: to help
raise money to fight cancer
Fashion
club and
class sewing
for cancer
By Sarah Manns
Chronicle Staff
Sewing machines and animals
are all part of the fundraiser that
Eastdale Collegiate and Vocational
Institute in Oshawa will be holding
in December.
The fashion club and fashion
class are sewing animals of all
kinds to raise money for cancer
research.
“We chose cancer since it’s
touched staff and students alike
and we figured that it would be
something we could really get behind and promote,” said fashion
and visual art teacher Chantelle
Lacoursiere.
“We have patterns for bears,
dragons, giraffes, bunnies and
bats,” she said.
Although they have done the
bears before it wasn’t for the same
reason.
“We have done the bears as a
class assignment other years, but
this is the first year that we are doing them for charity,” she said.
They came up with the idea after hearing and seeing the bras for
a cause, a charity to raise money
for cancer.
They are hoping to have 50 to 60
animals, and about 45 students are
working hard to complete them.
“I became involved with this to
help the community and to help
with cancer,” said fashion student
Sarah Dunning.
According to Lacoursiere, each
animal takes students about three
hours to make. “There’s hand sewing involved, it’s not all machine
sewn. Because fashion is open
level at Eastdale we have students
with no sewing ability and people
who have been sewing for years.”
The bears will be going on sale
in the cafeteria during lunch hour
in the month of December, for $3
and $5 depending on the size of
the animal.
Students given opportunity to
show off their writing talent
By Matt Bird
Chronicle Staff
Durham Short Stories, a site
dedicated to showcasing the writing talents of students on campus,
will be opening its doors on Dec. 1.
The site will feature short stories,
poems, essays and articles from
Durham, UOIT and Trent students.
Durham Short Stories was
started by Elise Haskell, a Journalism student.
“It was a class assignment that
got out of hand. We had to make
an online magazine, so I thought:
How about a literary magazine?
Then I figured I must get all the
students involved.”
Haskell accepts any submission as long as it is readable.
“All genres are welcome, and
nothing is too raunchy in my opinion.”
She also asked that students
not be shy about submitting their
work.
“People should never be nervous about sharing their writing,
especially with other students.
We’re all still learning here.
No one will be mean.”
Until the site opens at www.
durhamshortstories.ca, submission guidelines are available on
Facebook or on posters around
campus.
All entries must be sent to
Haskell at elise.haskell@mycampus.durhamcollege.ca.
14 The Chronicle
November 25, 2008
CAMPUS NEWS
Durham supports greatness
By Jonnel Briscoe
By Amanda Press
Chronicle Staff
At the town hall meeting that
was held on Nov. 17 for faculty and
staff members in gym 1, Don Lovisa, president of Durham College,
discussed the new facilities and
budget issues. He also brought in
guest speaker Richard St. John, author of 8 To Be Great, and Stupid,
Ugly and Stinking Rich, to motivate staff members.
“I’m not a motivational speaker,”
said St. John. “I’m an informational
speaker.”
St. John gave a humorous but
informational speech about the
eight traits that leads to success. He
used examples from his own life to
make the presentation more interesting. He mentioned that he ran
marathons in all seven continents
and that he has been in a successful relationship for 35 years.
He then introduced Don Fraser,
a former professor at Durham College who is now running the 8 To
Be Great educational program.
Durham College is the first college in North America to adopt
the program, which is being introduced to 17 colleges across North
America.
Fraser says success is shown
in the grades and the curriculum
here at the college, but the teachers need to show it in themselves.
Staff members participated in
a fun activity. They had to get into
groups of three and each person
chose one trait that was important
to them and they had to explain
why to their group members.
“Success is about process,
not product,” said Fraser as he
wrapped up his speech.
Staying on the topic of success,
Lovisa went on to talk about Durham College’s recent success, like
Chronicle Staff
Photo by Jonnel Briscoe
8 TO BE GREAT: Informational speaker Richard St. John shows off his book with
President of Durham College Don Lovisa, and Don Fraser, who is running the 8 To Be
Great educational program at Durham College.
the new facilities.
“Even though we have budget
issues we continue to invest in
Durham College,” he said.
Lovisa also mentioned that
they need to balance the budget
but he said they did make $4.2
million in cuts without impacting
people’s lives.
He also talked about the new
dental and science lab that was
updated from the 1970s model,
and a brand new computer lab for
business students where 25 people can study at a time.
Lovisa said the rest is challenges to get through.
“We need to modernize what
we have, the future is bright for
Durham College,” he said.
Lovisa reminded the staff members about the mission statement,
Give the gift of food
this holiday season
By Jonnel Briscoe
Chronicle Staff
The kickoff of the annual holiday
food drive was on Monday, Nov.
17. Students and staff can make
donations in food drop boxes and
at Chartwells cash registers.
The food drive is a combined effort of Durham College, UOIT and
Trent in Oshawa, the SA, SHARE
and the Oshawa Kinsmen.
Pat Vale-Dougherty, administrative assistant to the dean and
professor Kevin Dougherty are cochairs of this year’s campus-wide
Holiday Food Drive.
Between now and Dec. 12 they
are trying to raise as much money
as possible, along with food donations, to build holiday hampers for
students who are also parents.
According to Dougherty, last
year they raised over $8,000 and
they packed hampers for 40 students at DC/UOIT and Trent.
The Kinsmen helped out another 30 families through their efforts
and they also made a decent donation to the Campus Food Centre
that lasted well into the spring.
Smokers
beware
“Last year people were very
generous and we packed some
generous hampers,” said Dougherty.
This year Dougherty hopes to
raise enough to help families in
need.
“We have 50 families this year,”
he said. “I hope we raise enough to
help them.”
Food donation boxes will be set
up at the main entrance area of the
Gordon Willey building in front of
the reception desk and at the Student Centre in the SA office, also at
the Health Centre, Women’s Centre, Campus Corners, the Ice Centre and the faculty communications office in downtown Oshawa.
Toonies are also being collected
at the Chartwells cash register in
the cafeteria and at the children’s
party for faculty and staff.
Also students who live on campus and away from home and are
going home for the holidays can
clean out their cupboards.
Students can also help on Hamper Day Dec. 21 in the Campus
Health and Wellness Centre.
“We will be sorting food, pack-
ing hampers and sending them
off for delivery,” said Dougherty.
“That’s a fun day.”
Anyone can volunteer. Volunteers should show up by 9:30 a.m.
Sorting and packing will be done
by 11 a.m. and hampers will be
gone for delivery by noon.
On Dec. 3 students can donate
an extra meal swipe from their
meal plan at Chartwells and all
the funds will go towards the food
drive.
According
to
Dougherty,
Chartwells ends up buying bulk
canned foods to donate. “They really help us.”
On Dec. 4 at the Campus Ice
Centre the Ridgebacks men’s
hockey team will host their home
game. They are doing a puck toss
for $2. Whoever gets the puck closest to the centre win a prize. They
are also collecting toonies at the
gate.
For more information or to volunteer on Dec. 21 Hamper Day
contact Kevin Dougherty at 905
721 2000 ex. 2270 or by email at
kevin.dougherty@durhamcollege.
ca.
success matters mentioning that
student experience comes first at
Durham College.
“People who work here are truly dedicated,” he said.
Every month, Leave the
Pack Behind has a theme
related to smoking, and the
month of November is geared
towards the tobacco industry,
which is aimed to let students
know that the tobacco industry is not normal.
“They have been fighting
to show people that they are
a normal industry but they
are not because they try to
trick people into smoking by
promoting smoking in movies among other things,” said
Lindsay Scott, campus coordinator for LTPB.
Throughout the month,
members will be setting up
booths around campus with
information. As well, at one
of the booths there will be
a Jeopardy smoking trivia
game.
“The tobacco industry is
the only industry that, when
you use their product exactly
as intended by the manufacturer, will kill half of its regular
users,” said Scott.
Since December is a busy
month for all students, LTPB
will not have a theme but
they will be having one in
January, which is healthy lifestyles. This is geared towards
showing support to students
who have made a new year’s
resolution to be healthier by
quitting smoking or to cut
down on their smoking.
The Chronicle
November 25, 2008
15
CAMPUS NEWS
A meeting of medical minds
By Jaspinder k Jassal
Chronicle Staff
Students interested in attending medical school after graduating can now join a pre-med society for tips and advice.
Health science student Aakash
Modi, who is in his third year at
UOIT, wanted to create this club
so that it could be a source of information for those interested in
going into the medical field.
UOIT has a large number of
students and at times it can be
hard for professors and deans to
speak to every one of them. Having clubs on campus allows students to become more aware of
their possibilities after graduating,
while speaking to other students
in the same boat.
The pre-med society isn’t just
for those at UOIT or in the health
science program.
“The club is geared to members
of all programs,” “We currently
have a student that is part of the
business faculty,” said Modi.
Not only is this a club where
students can obtain information
on the medical field but it is also
somewhat of a support group.
Modi mentioned that ever
since his first year, he had felt there
wasn’t enough support or information for students wanting to get
into medical school.
“This influenced me to create
this group, with the help of other
dedicated students,” he said.
With this group Modi and his
Photo by Jaspinder k Jassal
FUTURE DOCTORS: The Pre-Med Society is a club geared toward future doctors.
Executives from left to right: Top row: Mina and Aakash, Middle row: Nicole, Brent
and Ian, Bottom row: Jessica G. and Jessica B.
executives hope to support and
encourage students wanting more
information on the health science
program or better yet, those interested in entering medical school.
Mina Mekhail, an executive
of pre-med and also a third year
health science student, opens up
on why he joined the club.
“We are all friends that share
the same interests and strive to
become doctors,” said Mekhail
“We came together to share our
experiences and also inform first
years and those that are too shy to
approach faculty staff.”
So far the club has 20 members
and Modi is hoping for that to increase within the school year.
Modi understands that students will want more than just educational information and hopes
to hold movie nights in the second
semester.
“Education is a very important
aspect in the path of getting into
medical school, however it is all
right for students to have fun too,”
he said.
Modi is hoping to set up monthly meetings during second semester to discuss tips about medical
school.
The pre-med society also hopes
to set up discussion and conferences in the near future that will
allow first years and those in
health science to approach them
for advice.
Modi said vice-president Jessica Bose, a third-year student, has
contacts with Lakeridge hospital
in Oshawa and they hope to get
doctors to guest speak at these
conferences.
“We also hope to have a former
UOIT graduate, Naheed Dosani,
speak at a mini-conference about
his transition from UOIT to medical school at McMaster University,” he said.
If anyone is interested in learning more about the medical field
or how they could join the premed society, they can email Modi
at Aakash.modi@gmail.com for
further information.
Second chance for second career Three
cheers
for the
cure
By Artem Boykov
Chronicle Staff
Changes have been made to
Second Career, an option that allows laid-off workers to go back to
college to get retrained while being funded by government.
Second career option is part of
a plan by the Ontario government.
With the decline of automotive
and manufacturing industries, a lot
of people found themselves jobless and unable to find something
within the area of their expertise.
Second career helps by providing the financial support needed
for the proper retraining.
Sue Hawkins, second career
adviser, sees the positive in the experience.
“A lot of people had to take a job
because they had responsibilities
and now they have an opportunity
to get funded and get trained to
do something they always wanted
to do,” said Hawkins. “For others
it’s an opportunity to make a contribution to community and do
something new and exciting.”
Some of the recent changes to
the second career operation include allowing those who were
laid off Jan. 1, 2005 to apply for
retraining, and providing less then
six month training to workers who
are not eligible for Employment
Insurance.
It also covers the expense of academic upgrading for those who
don’t qualify for college, as well
By Jayme Quinn
Chronicle Staff
Photo by Artem Boykov
SECOND CHANCES: Second Career adviser at Durham College, Sue Hawkins, provides support to laid-off workers returning to school.
as covering the cost of dependent
care.
While most of the applicants
are between the ages of 30 and
50, they have no problem fitting in
with the rest of the students.
“At first the more mature students might have felt a bit uncomfortable but now the regular
students are quick to help them
out with assistance, especially the
technical stuff,” said Hawkins.
“The relationships are really excellent.
There’s a lot of support. Mature
students have a lot to offer to students who are coming out of high
school and they work as a group.”
Our team is what? Dynamite!
Our team is what? Dynamite!
Our team is.. TICK TICK TICK
TICK!! BOOM DYNAMITE!
Canada’s largest cheerleading
event
provider,
Cheer
Alliance, will be holding
their fourth annual Cheer
for the Cure competition
on Saturday, Dec. 13 at the
General Motors Centre.
Teams of every level will be
competing this year, from
the tiniest spirit squad to the
elite all-star cheerleaders
from high schools all across
Ontario.
Cheer Alliance donates
partial proceeds from the
event to the Canadian Breast
Cancer Foundation.
Tickets are on sale now for
$13.25 for adults and $8.25
for youth and seniors. Tickets
are available through the GM
Centre box office or online.
16 The Chronicle
November 25, 2008
CAMPUS NEWS
Middle-Eastern program started
By Jaspinder K Jassal
Chronicle Staff
Two students at UOIT have
successfully launched a student
association for Middle Eastern
students.
MESA was created so that students can become aware of Middle
Eastern culture and to learn more
about it. Rima Karam, the president, and Zaineb Al-Haddawi,
vice-president, led the club.
“MESA was created to raise
awareness and educate the student body of the Middle Eastern
culture.” “This will be accomplished
through various cultural and fund
raising events,” said Karam.
MESA only got ratified this
year. Right now the club is small,
but they hope to grow in the next
year.
Karam and Al-Haddawi share
their leadership duties and make
sure everything is run smoothly.
“The roles vary from ensuring
rooms are booked for meeting,
ensuring our members list is up to
date and also ensuring that emails
are getting sent with the most
current news with MESA,” said
Karam.
MESA is in the process of deciding what events to hold in the
near future.
“We would like to make sure
this year we have at least one
event, that is strictly to fundraise
for MESA,” said Al-Haddawi.
They recently held a bake sale
in the UA west atrium, serving
cupcakes, brownies and candy as
well as traditional Middle Eastern
treats such as baklava (sweet pastry that is usually dipped in honey
and is topped with chopped nuts).
“Another event we are excited
for is our pub night, which is taking place March 19 where we will
be listening to a variety of Middle
Eastern music songs as well as traditional modern songs.”
MESA also hopes to hold a
smaller event early next year to
raise money for Middle Eastern
children.
“We chose to fundraise for
Middle Eastern children, because
there are many tragedies taking
place in the Middle East currently
and we want to make a difference,”
said Karam
The club is open to all students
not just those of Middle Eastern
descent. “Anyone can definitely
join MESA,” said Al-Haddawi. “In
fact, our executive team is not entirely consisting of Middle Eastern
individuals. We are very welcoming to any individual of any culture. We want to share our culture
with all staff and students.”
If anyone is interested in joining MESA they can contact either Karam or Al-Haddawi at
rimakaram18@hotmail.com or
zhaddawi@gmail.com.
Photo by Jaspinder K Jassal
MESA BAKE-SALE: Sarah Crawford (left), Shaima Abdalla (middle) and Rime Karam
served baked goods at the Middle-Eastern students association’s first bake sale.
Students talk to president
The boss
answers
questions
By Artem Boykov
Chronicle Staff
Students get a chance to talk to
the president of Durham College
Don Lovisa and Student Association president Amy England with
Ask The Presidents, a meet-andgreet that happens twice a year.
The first meeting was on Nov.
17, at the information booth in
Recognition Square, at the main
entrance of the Gordon Willey
building. The presidents were
there from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. to
prepare little booklets with pen
and key-chain giveaways for everyone who had a question.
“Students are asking about the
laptop program, financial aid, fees,
issues that you would expect that
students ask,” said Lovisa. “A lot of
nice comments. It’s an honour, as a
president, to listen to the students
and how happy they are.”
The meet-and-greet is part
of the college strategic plan that
ensures that students have their
voices heard, questions answered
and concerns taken into account.
Among other ways of reaching
out to students, there are student
engagement surveys and reports.
Any information that is gathered is
then taken to the Durham College
leadership team.
“Students should be the main
focus of any school,” said Lovisa.
“There’s a commitment to reach
out, listen and seek advice from
students.”
England too said that it’s a way
for students to see that their Student Association talks to them and
cares about their concerns.
“There’s a nursing shortage
right now and government doesn’t
really offer enough funding,” said
Nicole Atkinson, 1st year Nursing
student. “There are a lot of hidden
costs that we were not aware of so
we ended up spending over $500
in extra costs.”
That and many other concerns
are the kind of issues that presidents hear out, take note of and try
to work out with students in an environment that is more personal
and convenient.
“It might be easier for students
to just come up and ask a question
rather then put their hand up in a
room. They might feel intimidated
by that,” said Lovisa referring to
doing the meet-and-greet rather
then a town hall meeting.
“This way it’s more casual and
less formal.”
He also added that there will be
another meet-and-greet around
April of next year.
The Chronicle
CAMPUS NEWS
November 25, 2008
17
Peabutter can be a golden choice
By Jayme Quinn
Chronicle Staff
With over half a million Canadians, most of them children, having
potentially deadly allergic reactions to peanut butter, many kids
are denied the traditional lunch
time treat of PB&J.
Dr. Jamie Tepper, an allergist in
Oshawa, said the peanut allergy
has been around for a while but
now is getting out of control.
“Allergies are basically a defence mechanism that has gone
haywire,” said Tepper.
To find out if a child has a peanut allergy, Tepper does a standard
skin test, also known as the scratch
or prick test.
“We put a drop of the peanut oil
on the child’s arm and then prick
the skin so it can enter the skin, “
said Tepper. “If it is shown as positive, the area will raise, kind of like
a mosquito bite.”
This test is one of the safest, but
there is still a risk because you are
putting the potentially dangerous
allergen in the child’s system.
Joe St. Denis, an Alberta entrepreneur, created an alternative
back in 2002 called Golden Peabutter.
The peanut butter look-alike is
made from crushed peas, canola
and vegetable oils and sugar. It is
cholesterol-free, low in fat and nutritious. It is also a safe version and
perfect for school lunches, especially at schools where they don’t
allow actual peanut butter. It can
be found at stores including A&P,
Sobeys and Superstores across
Ontario.
To kids who will only eat peanut butter, this alternative may be
Photo by Jayme Quinn
PEANUT ALLERGIES ARE ON THE RISE: Above, three-year-old John Tran is one of
half a million of Canadians who is allergic to peanuts. Golden Peabutter may be a
safe alternative for allergic children.
a godsend, but for some parents,
Peabutter may not really be all that
good of an idea.
Lisa Tran, a mother of three, including a three-year-old son with
a severe peanut allergy, controls
everything her son John comes in
contact with.
“It’s scary sending your kid to
daycare and not knowing if all
the other kids are going to come
with peanut butter smeared all
over them because they had it for
breakfast,” said Tran.
John Tran, three-year-old son of
Lisa and Jordon Tran, had his first
allergic reaction to peanut butter
at his grandma’s house when he
had toast and peanut butter for
breakfast.
“The first time he was exposed
to it he threw up [and] he started
having troubles breathing,” said
Tran.
The school where John attends
daycare, and where he will start
kindergarten next fall is not completely peanut-free. Instead of the
peanut-free classes the school has
now, Tran plans to fight for the
ban.
“I’m hoping I can make that
school go peanut free because the
majority of the schools in the area
are,” said Tran.
John is the only one in the Tran
family that has the allergy, and his
mom says he is very aware of his
allergy.
“He knows what peanut butter
is, he knows what it looks like and
he knows that if he ingests it that
he is going to be very sick,” said
Tran
She thinks the Peabutter product is good, but only for kids in
school who won’t eat anything
else. She wants her son to fear anything that looks, smells or tastes
like the real thing.
Any time someone says the
word peanut butter John usually
says, “What are you trying to do,
kill me!”
She thinks that because he is
still so young, he might think actual peanut butter is the look-alike
and get really sick.
“When he gets older and understands the difference, I might
try something like that, but now he
is just too little.”
Tepper thinks Golden Peabutter is a great idea for a peanut butter alternative, but maybe not the
best idea for younger kids because
of how much they look alike.
“I think it is great, but perhaps
they should change the colour so
it is more recognizable,” said Tepper.
Before having a child with the
allergy she used to think that children needed to be more educated
about the allergy instead of just
banning it all together, but now she
has completely turned around her
opinion and attitude because she
knows how dangerous it can be.
For some parents like Lisa, her
son is just to young to try any peanut butter alternatives, but for others, Golden Peabutter, is just like
its name, golden.
Connecting students with jobs
Helping
graduating
students
find work
in their
field
By Shenieka
Russell-Metcalf
Chronicle Staff
The resource centre joined
forces with local employers from
Oct. 27 to Oct. 31 to bring a large
job fair to the campus for students
and community members in the
Job Connect Resource Centre in
the Simcoe building.
The job fair included more than
30 employers looking to fill many
part-time and full time positions
throughout Durham Region.
Photo by Shenieka Russel-Metcalf
JOB CONNECT HELPS PEOPLE FIND EMPLOYMENT: Durham residents Ashley
Holub and Ron Robinson looking over their resumes at the job fair in the Simcoe Building from Oct. 27 to Oct. 31.
A survey was handed out to all
job seekers who attended the fair
and many won door prizes
“Local employers such as Le
Skratch, Dynamite, Danier Leathers, Mega Wraps and Home Depot
had positions available,” says employment adviser Bonnie McDon-
ald.
While at the job connect resource centre, students and community members had access to
a fax machine, computers and,
of course, free Internet access to
search for jobs, as well as the opportunity to talk to the employment counsellors about finding
jobs that best fit a job seeker’s skills
and attributes.
“More than 100 people showed
up throughout the week looking
for jobs. One hundred seventy two
people attended the job fair,” says
McDonald.
“ The employers were looking
to fill mostly part-time and fulltime positions.”
A lot of students from the Durham College, UOIT campuses
were looking for employment as
well as local high school students
and community members, says
McDonald.
“ We still have jobs available
both full time and part time looking to hire students,” says McDonald. “ There are lots of jobs available.”
The job connect program also
helps graduating students and
community job seekers aged 16 to
24 find jobs in their fields.
“We may hold another mass job
fair for summer jobs in May 2009,”
says McDonald.
Fore more information on Job
Connect, the resource and their
future endeavours, contact them
at 905-721-3093.
18 The Chronicle
Club just
for group
presidents
at Oshawa
campus
By Jaspinder K
Jassal
Chronicle Staff
If you’re interested in starting up a new club on campus
or are a president of one now,
the campus alliance at the
Student Association is your
source for information.
The campus alliance is a
council for club and group
presidents. It will be officially
run under the Student Association.
It will be somewhat of a
round table discussion where
students will have a chance
to discuss upcoming events
as well as being updated on
changes in policies.
Jarrett Khargie, a student
at UOIT, will be the official
chairman of this committee.
“It’s nice to have a channel
of communication, unite student presidents and solidify
our alliance and also to network,” said Khargie.
Not only are students able
to learn about the changes
but they also have the chance
to meet and network with
members of the Student Association.
The CA is holding its first
meeting on Nov. 20 from 1 to
3 p.m. in the Simcoe building, room 1156.
Khargie will be advising
those attending how they can
work together and with the
SA.
Khargie will also discuss
ways of possibly having clubs
on campus partner with newer clubs.
The CA is only a tentative
title and could change. That
too will be discussed during
the upcoming meeting.
“Clubs have no say in the
policy. We will run over key
points and find out what they
(clubs) have to say and get
their inputs,” he said.
The CA is not just open
to clubs. Faculty members,
residency
representatives
and those in fraternities and
sororities are also welcome
to attend.
“If you’re interested in
starting up a new club, stop
by and speak to us,” he said.
Khargie encourages everyone to attend the meetings to
get a better insight into what
the SA has to offer and ways
of improving the way clubs
are run.
If you are a club president
or are interested in learning
more about the policies, feel
free to contact Khargie at
jarrkha@gmail.com or join
the official facebook group,
which can be searched under
the title campus alliance @
uoit/dc/tio.
November 25, 2008
CAMPUS NEWS
Celebrating the season
By Asmahan Garrib
Chronicle Staff
Yuletide jingles on every radio station, reindeer ornaments on front lawns, holiday wreaths hanging on
doors, mistletoe dangling from ceilings. It’s Christmas
time again.
Downsview Park hosts Canada’s largest walkthrough holiday light show from Nov. 28 to Dec. 31.
Every night starting at 5 p.m. thousands of Christmas lights will shine on a two-kilometre walking trail
illuminating displays like Blizzard Alley, Candy Cane
Lane and Soldier Alley. Visitors can walk or take a
horse-drawn wagon ride through the trees of imagi-
nation and vote for what each tree most closely resembles.
For $12 per person, guests can walk a 44-foot path
through the only walk-through Christmas tree in Canada and visit 13 themed arches.
Inside the Trail of Lights Holiday Village visitors
can capture their memories of the evening in a photo
with Santa, enter a contest to name the Trail of Lights
Elf mascot or rent sleighs.
Every night guests can sing along to festive songs
with a different choir from local schools or community groups and churches. In Santa’s workshop visitors
can buy gifts, listen to a holiday story or enjoy some
arts and crafts.
A week of smoke-free air
By Amanda Press
Chronicle Staff
The week of Nov. 24-28 across Ontario is Smoke
Free Ontario Action Week. According to actionwee.
ca, this year young people in Ontario will take action
to break the connection between tobacco industry
products and sport and recreation
“The theme we are promoting is called live, play, be
smoke-free,” said Lindsay Scott, campus co-ordinator
for Leave the Pack Behind.
Members from LTPB will be in the campus recreation centre outside the gym all week handing out
soccer ball stress balls as well as other information on
how to deal with stress.
Craft show
for customers
and collectors
at Kingsway
College
By Sarah Manns
Chronicle Staff
Attention all shoppers:
Kingsway College will be having its seventh annual Christmas Craft show, on Nov. 30.
There will be over 100
booths, including gourmet
foods such as fudge and jellies, country wood items, folk
art, jewelry, personalized
children’s book and CDs.
It will run from 10 a.m. to
5 p.m. at Kingsway College on
Leland Road, in Oshawa.
The Chronicle
CAMPUS NEWS
November 25, 2008
19
A place of champions and history
By Ingrid Saravia
Chronicle Staff
It’s a one-minute drive north
of campus, but entering the stone
gates feels like entering another
country.
Behind the stone gates of Windfields Farm everything is quiet.
Occasional neighs and the wind
rustling between the red and gold
trees lining the long driveway are
the only things that disturb the silence. Dark wooden fences split
the lush green fields into grid patterns where some horses are running and others are nibbling on
long blades of grass.
The peaceful atmosphere
doesn’t boast of the fame and success of Windfields farm. Horses
raised at the farm have won the
Canadian Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing twice, eleven
Queen’s Plate races, as well as the
Kentucky Derby and Preakness
Stakes.
Windfields holds a record of 48
champions and 360 stakes winners.
The 1,500 acre farm was originally owned by Colonel Sam
McLaughlin and called Parkwood
Stables. Edward Pluncket Taylor
better known as E.P. Taylor, purchased the estate in 1937 and renamed it Windfields Farm.
Of all the great horses raised in
the farm, Windfields biggest claim
to fame is Northern Dancer.
Northern Dancer was born and
trained at the farm. He was the
little horse who was disregarded
because of his size—too short and
stocky, the opposite of Thoroughbred elegance.
However in 1964, Northern
Dancer won the Kentucky Derby
and not only did he win, he also
ran the Derby faster than any
horse in history. Today, his descendants dominate in the racing
Photo by Ingrid Saravia
KEEPING IT IN THE FAMILY: Windfields is a family owned business and holds a record
of 48 champions and 360 stake winners. The farm has donated about 500 acres to
the school, which is where the campus ice centre and parking lots in the southeast
corner are located.
world and he is recognized as one
of the greatest horses in modern
history.
“The Kentucky Derby is by no
means the biggest Derby moneywise,” said Simon Cassidy, Manager of Operations at the farm. “But
it is one of North America’s most
prestigious racing trophies.”
Northern Dancer proved that
it takes something especial to be a
winner.
“You could buy the most expensive yearling at an auction today but it might not turn out to be
a race horse,” said Cassidy. “Even
though Northern Dancer was a little guy, he a big heart, a desire and
the will to win.”
During the early stages of the
farm, many people advised Taylor
to move to the United States if he
wanted to raise racehorses.
Horses, being grazing animals,
thrive when free to roam pasturelands. Canada, with its cold icy
winters is no paradise for them.
However, the Torontonian stuck
to his native country and he was
rewarded with success.
Cameras for Kids program proved
to be a memorable experience
Asmahan Garrib
Chronicle Staff
Cameras for Kids visited Hainamosa, Dominican
Republic during the summer to introduce less fortunate kids to the wonders of photography.
Charlotte Hale, associate dean, school of Media
Art and Design at Durham College, worked with a
team of 13 people from Durham College, Eastdale
Collegiate, the Magic Door Art Gallery and a Toronto
group named Sketch to make the initiative a reality.
“We wanted to bring another means of expression
to young people who wouldn’t normally have access,”
said Hale.Dominican Republic was chosen as the location because a member of the team was born and
raised there, so she had a personal connection, said
Hale.
“The kids there embraced it fully and completely,”
said Hale. “It didn’t take long for them to learn. They
immediately started photographing themselves, their
friends and pets.”
Canon donated 15 cameras to the initiative and
members of the project collected 10 additional cameras from members of the college and community,
according to Hale.The team taught more than 50 children the basics of photography during their stay from
Aug. 7 to 17, and left six cameras with the school to
start a photography club.
“These children had never seen a picture of themselves or taken a picture of a friend,” said Hale. “They
kept saying ‘photo me, photo me’.”
Hale expected the initiative to impact the kids, but
didn’t expect it to have such a huge impact on herself.
“It was an enormous experience on many levels,”
said Hale. “I gained new perspective on how fortunate we are to be in Canada.”
Cameras for Kids returned to Canada leaving the
kids in Dominican Republic with memories and a
new set of skills and bringing home a collection of
photos taken by the kids. An exhibition of the pictures
called Through the Lens of a Child will be displayed
outside the computer commons at Durham College
from Nov. 24 to Dec. 12 before moving on to a gallery
show at the Contact Festival in Toronto.
All proceeds from the shows and sale of the prints
go towards a scholarship fund established by Durham College for the children of Hainamosa.
Throughout the 1960s the farm
was the number one breeding operation in North America. In the
1983 Keeneland, Kentucky horse
auction, one of Windfields’ colts
became the first $10 million yearling.
Windfields is full of history—
unfortunately, people won’t have
the chance to visit the farm anymore. As of Nov. 1 Windfields returned to its roots as a family farm
and closed its doors to the public.
The farm no longer caters to other
people for boarding, foaling, break-
ing or training services.
“It was a financial decision,”
said Cassidy.
The farm’s main revenue came
from stud fees—fees paid to mate
a mare to a stallion, and boarding
fees, he said.
The farm will shrink considerably. Only five of the current 55
employees will remain at the farm
and the number of horses will decrease from 280 to 35. The horses
that are not owned by Windfields
will be moved to nearby farms.
Cassidy said the farm will still
operate but it will now be a strictly
private business.
Judith Mapping Taylor, E.P. Taylor’s daughter, is the current president of the farm.
“The farm has always been a
family owned business and it has
never been sold or split in any way,”
said Cassidy. He will continue to
work at Windfields as manager of
operations.
“Delivering the new babies each
year and watching them grow and
later watching them race is very
rewarding,” he said.
According to Cassidy, Windfields delivers an average of 130
new foals each year, but that number will change for 2009.Gary
Quick, who used to work at the
farm now has a job at a beef farm.
Windfields donated about 500
acres to the school where you can
now find the campus ice centre
and parking lots in the south east
corner.
As you exit Windfields, after
passing the gold and red trees and
leaving the stone gates, the atmosphere changes from the quiet and
peace of the farm to the noise of
the neighboring campus.
The era of great racing horses
and the big boom of the sixties
might be fading, but Windfields
is an important part of Oshawa’s
heritage and history and its story
will live on.
Potential ‘research culture’
in the works for
Durham
said Durham president Don LoBy Matt Bird
Chronicle Staff
UOIT might be rubbing off
on Durham College.
According to the latest update of the college’s Success
Matters strategic plan presented at the Nov. 12 board of governors meeting, Durham may
become a research-institution
akin to most universities.The
plan noted a consultant’s recommendation that Durham establish a “research culture”, with
a final report expected for Dec.
2008.
“Some colleges had started
applied research departments,”
visa. “We have an institutional
research department that focuses on internal research and
decision-making.
“Other colleges have taken
more of a university approach
to applied research for commercialization. We have a consultant who’s doing a study for
us, and once that study is complete then we’ll look at that recommendation to form more of a
research college.”
Lovisa added that the college
already does some limited, joint
research with UOIT through its
Nursing program.
Campus turns environmentally friendly
By Matt Bird
Chronicle Staff
The world is going green, and Durham
College is going with it.
Vice-president academic Judy Robinson announced the creation of two new
programs for Durham College during the
Nov. 12 board of governors meeting.
Both programs will focus on energy
conservation in residential and commer-
cial buildings.
The programs – Energy Audit Techniques and Renewable Energy Technician – are linked, with completion of the
former necessary for enrolment in the
latter.
“Students can enrol in the energy audit
techniques and emerge with a credential
or they can move forward and come out
with a two-year Ontario diploma,” said
Robinson.
She added that there will be a co-op
portion to the two-year program.
Though positions are limited and students will have to pass interviews to participate.
Durham is currently the only college
to offer these programs.
“We anticipate there will be competition but in the interim we’re at the head
of the running,” said Robinson.
20 The Chronicle
November 25, 2008
CAMPUS NEWS
Trick or Eat for a good cause
By Shenieka
Russell-Metcalf
Chronicle Staff
The Trick or Eat program’s motto is take a bite out of hunger.
This year students at Durham
College/University of Ontario Institute of Technology spread this
message around the community
and the reception was phenomenal.
“Trick or eat is an international
campaign run by a charity called
meal exchange,” says Barbara Bryan, UOIT Criminology student and
Trick or Eat organizer on campus.
“ I was introduced to the program
by the women’s centre. I went to a
conference about food banks and
learned of the programs they run
specific to post-secondary students.”
Meal Exchange is a national
student-founded, youth driven,
registered charity organized to address local hunger by mobilizing
the talent and passion of students.
Since 1993, their programs
have been run in over 50 communities across Canada and have
generated 675,000 meals.
This is the first year that the
program has been run on campus
and it was run by a club on campus called SASI (Students Against
Social Injustice).
The goals for this event included raising $350,000 worth of food
in just three hours across Canada
for local social agencies, engaging
6,000 youth across the country to
raise awareness among youth and
the community about the issue of
hunger in Canada.
Other universities and colleges,
including University of Guelph,
University of British Columbia,
University of Saskatchewan, Dalhousie University and Niagara College, participated in this program.
Various locations in the United
States and Australia participated
as well.
According to information provided by Meal Exchange, 2.4 million Canadians are suffering from
hunger and a third of all food
bank/centre users are children.
The most needed food items
include pasta products and sauce,
rice, canned meats and fish, peanut butter, breakfast cereal and
canned vegetables.
People often forget to bring the
items to school when there are
food drives, through this program
we can just pick the items up and
drop them in a bag says Trick or
Eat participant Heather Craig, a
second-year Accounting student
at Durham College.
“I’ve been doing canning for the
last couple of years at Laurentian
University,” said Trick or Eat participant Marie Hoogenboom, a
mental health addictions counselling student at Durham College.
Thirty-six students from the
campus joined together on Halloween, decked out in full costumes ranging from Freddie Kruger to cowgirls to soldiers, to collect non-perishable food items for
local food banks.
“ You don’t know who uses the
food bank. We are trying to show
that the students in our commu-
Photo by Shenieka Russell-Metcalf
TRICK OR EAT: Connor Morrison (left) and Michael Watson at the Trick or Eat kickoff event at the Student Centre. Students and community members dressed up to get
canned and non-perishable food items for the less fortunate.
nity, do well for the community,”
says Bryan.
The event at the Durham College/UOIT campuses raised, $795
worth of online donations and collected over 2, 200 food items, is
worth approximately $5,500, says
Bryan.
In total, 5,991 participated at locations across Canada, the United
States and Australia.
The value of the food raised
was $372,780, enough to provide
149,112 meals.
Online donations of $22,537
were made to help the cause. The
trick or eat campaign surpassed
itsgoals by more than $20,000.
The money and food raised
from Trick or Eat at Durham College/UOIT were given to the food
bank in the women’s centre and
the cornerstone community organization in Durham.
Council helps kids who are in need
By Paul Bates
Chronicle Staff
Grandview treatment centre in Oshawa
is a facility many parents of disabled children know well, because of their Occupational Therapy and Speech Pathology program. They also house Campbell Children’s
School.
Since 1994 the Adolecent program at
Grandview has been running a youth dropin program similar to those at other centres
such as Bloorview and Erinoak. These programs have always had staff advisors that
monitored and set up the programs.
In 2003 Grandview created a governing
body of adolescents with disabilities and
called it the Youth Advisory Council (YAC).
The blueprint for the program was being run
out of Bloorview Kids Rehab in Toronto.
The YAC is a 12-member committee
made up of teens and young adults who are
current or former clients of Grandview, aged
of 13 to 29, as well as two staff members.
Steve Kirk, a Family Support worker with
the Adolescent program, thinks the committee is important.
“It provides clients and former clients
with a voice in the organization to advocate
for themselves and gain life skills.”
The purpose of the council is to provide
a sounding board for staff, clients, board
members, donors, and parents in the planning, development and evaluation of programs and services at the children’s centre.
The council is more than just a group of
individuals who get together once a month
and chit-chat. It is a fully structured council
with positions ranging from chairperson, to
treasurer, secretary, voting or non-voting
members.
The committee is responsible for planning some of the major events for the Teen
Group program, like dances and the barbeque at the yearly open house.
Currently the committee is in the midst
of planning the gala for the fifteenth anniversary of the teen group, scheduled for Jan.
29, 2009.
Jeff Bedford, a volunteer with the adolescent group since it began, has seen changes
as well, “It was boring at first then, they started with games.”Jeff has also seen the people
that attend the group change over the years,
“Kids come and kids go.”
Chantel Mac Cuish, a Durham College
student taking Office Administration, has
been attending the Teen Group for 12 years
has seen changes, “There’s more organization, more structure, it’s just gotten bigger.”
Mac Cuish, who is the current secretary
for the YAC 2008 year has seen the committee be responsible for guiding Grandview in
creating more structure in the Adolescent
drop-in program by suggesting events such
as bingo nights, karaoke nights, and promoting the services to members of the community at different social event such as the gala
fundraiser for the Abilities Centre.
Grandview’s resource centre has also
acquired additional books on the recommended by the committee.
Whatever the weather, this calendar’s a hit
By Shayna Brown
Chronicle Staff
Sex sells, but in Canada it seems that
weather is selling more than sex. Move over
Playboy and Sue Johansen, David Phillips is
here with the weather.
For over 21 years David Phillips, often
called Canada’s weather guru, has produced
The Canadian Weather Trivia Calendar.
“It is the most popular calendar in Canada. It even outsells Playboy, which shows
you what are priorities are in Canada,” Phillips said. Each year they sell about 35,000
copies of the calendar, which is three times
what is considered to be a good seller at
10,000 copies. The calendar takes weather
to a whole new level. Each day of the month
holds a story about extreme weather or
some type of fact or anecdote that is weather-related, all of which come from Phillip’s
personal collection. “It’s a labour of love for
me,” he said. “I’m always gathering tidbits of
knowledge.” Phillips said he constantly reads
history books, ship logs, small town history
and newspapers from 40, 50 and sometimes
70 years ago, collecting interesting tales and
anecdotes that he uses in the calendar.
“Weather is entertainment,” said Phillips.
“In order to educate people you have to entertain them.” This, he said, is the method to
his madness: to educate and entertain Canadians with something they are passionate
about. “We wear our weather badge of courage proudly,” said Phillips.
He said Canadians are ‘weather weenies.’
Weather is a big part of our lives. No one is
immune to the weather. It affects everyone.
In Canada the weather reaches all ends of
the scale in terms of extremes and it can
change on a dime. “Canadians talk more
about weather than any other subject aside
from health,” said Phillips, which some people can’t seem to understand.
Phillips recalled a time when he was talking to a man from California. He had asked
the man what they talk about there and if
they talked about the weather. The man
sounded a bit baffled and wondered why in
the world would they talk about weather.
“Maybe we are boring because we talk
about the weather, but it’s important to us,”
Phillips said.
Phillips has been in the weather busi-
ness for 41 years and was supposed to retire
about six years ago, but he is so passionate
about his job that he wanted to stay. Interestingly enough, he was not always into
weather.
“I’d like to say I was four years old with instruments in my back yard and a subscription to a weather magazine, but that would
be a lie,” he said.
Phillips was going to school to become
a university professor when he applied for
a job at Environment Canada to please his
teacher, and he has been there ever since.
Now each year he looks forward to putting out the calendar and digging through
his over 20,000 stories in his personal collection. “I love teasing Canadians and shocking
them with the bizarre,” said Phillips.
The Chronicle
CAMPUS NEWS
November 25, 2008
21
Everybody needs a friend
Intellectually
disabled paired
with students
By Nicole Martinsen
Chronicle Staff
Best Buddies is a national organization in
the U.S., Canada and around the world that
matches students on campus with adults
with intellectual disabilities.
The Best Buddies club at UOIT and Durham College has 15 student members and
15 young adults that they are matched with.
Erin Riley, a fourth-year Health Science
student, is the campus co-ordinator for Best
Buddies and has been running the organization at UOIT and Durham College for
three years.
“It is something I really believe in,” said
Riley. “Everyone deserves to have friendships and do normal everyday things like go
to the movies or have coffee.”
The ages of the young adults vary, but
Riley finds that buddies between 18 and
30 work best because the students can find
more in common.
Unless there is a reason that the members can’t be with their buddies any more,
such as graduation or if it really wasn’t
working out, they stay with the same buddy
throughout their time with the club.
An eight-month commitment, which is
a full academic year, is required from new
members. For the most part the students
Photo by Nicole Martinsen
BEST FRIENDS FOREVER: DC/UOIT students enjoy the Best Buddies
bake sale. Back row from left: Erin Riley and Jennifer Burlington,
Health Science students. Front row from left: Brad O’Rourke, Kevin
Kortner and Courtney Gillard, Police Foundations students.
stick right through until they are done
school.
Riley and her buddy have been friends
for since she joined the program in year one
and she plans to continue that friendship
when she graduates. She said they were
matched because they were both moving out on their own and would be going
through a similar situation.
“Literally, I find joy in the simplest things
when I hang out with my buddy,” said Riley.
When a new member comes along or
if someone needs to be re-matched Riley
works with Community Living Oshawa/
Clarington, which is the host site organization. Community Living and Riley look for
similarities to match buddies together.
Intellectual disabilities are any neurological impairment that affects the brain, such
as down syndrome and autism.
“A lot of people we match people with in
the community don’t really have the opportunity to hang out with someone that’s not
in their kind of group or is not a paid support
worker,” said Riley.
Most of the buddies meet a couple times
a month or more. The club also plans group
activities. At the beginning of the semester
all the members and their buddies went to
Shagwells for dinner.
Riley goes to the movies, for coffee, to
basketball games at the school and even
Christmas shopping with her buddy.
Jennifer Burlington, a Health Science student and member of Best Buddies, said she
baked with her buddy for the bake sale.
The bake sale was on Monday, Nov. 17.
It was one of the fundraisers put on by the
club. They plan on going to a Generals game
in January as a fundraiser.
The money goes directly to the club at
the school for use on activities or posters
and promotions.
“As students and people in the community with intellectual disabilities we’re all low
on funds,” said Riley. “So it’s nice to be able
to say go out to a movie or go bowling and
have that paid for.”
Riley believes it is not about the quantity of members but about the quality of the
friendships.
“It’s nice for them just to go out and have
friends that aren’t being paid to be their
friend,” said Riley.
Don’t let work interfere
with healthy eating
By Ryan Joseph
Chronicle Staff
You are so stressed about passing your final test that you forget to
eat breakfast in the morning. You
need nutritional advice.
Sylvia Emmorey has been a
nutritionist at the health centre for
two years, working with students,
staff and faculty to encourage
healthy choices. She also teaches
nutrition to Fitness and Health
Promotion students.
Making healthy choices can
help students in the classroom by
increasing their energy, concentration, and brain function. It can also
keep students awake and focused
so they can complete their work.
“Drinking a lot of water can
help students avoid dehydration,
headaches and fatigue,” Emmorey
said.
Proper nutrition can help deal
with stress because when students
are hungry they can’t focus well. As
a result students can be nervous
and anxious when they are doing
a test or an assignment. It can also
help with regulating blood sugars
so people can stay on an even keel.
“If you have a lot of sugar, it will
make you crash,” said Emmorey.
A balanced diet consists of protein, carbohydrates, and a small
portion of fat. Eating regularly and
drinking water can also help with a
well balanced diet.
Nutrition issues vary with
the time of year. Students living
away from home could seek advice about eating healthy while at
school. In January they might ask
about weight loss because they
ate a lot during the holidays. Students also visit during exam time
because they don’t eat properly as
a result of stress. Emmorey meets
with clients every two weeks.
“People visit because they want
to improve their life,” she said.
Techniques used to help clients include setting goals, implementing changes slowly such as
recommending a diet, setting out
meal plans and giving guidance
throughout their changes. At the
beginning of a session the client’s
progress is discussed and what
needs to be done in the future is
addressed.
Emmorey’s advice for students
is to eat healthy foods, bring food
instead of buying it, avoid buying
fast foods, and drink a lot of water.
Her office hours are Tuesday
and Thursday’s from 11:30 a.m. to
2 p.m. She books other appointments with clients at different
times. “Students have this option.
They should use it.”
Men in heels for good cause
By Amanda Press
Chronicle Staff
The Women’s Centre, along
with the Tau Kappa Epsilon Fraternity, is hosting an event called
Walk a Mile in her Shoes to fight
violence against women.
“The event is about men being
involved in the work to end violence against women,” said Alison
Hector-Alexander, Women’s Centre co-ordinator.
The Women’s Centre is also
holding a Jeans for Justice campaign, as well as having an internationally renowned guest speaker
come to campus to talk about how
men can help end violence against
women.
“This is something we are doing on campus to raise awareness
and fund’s as well,” said HectorAlexander.
The event is taking place on
Nov. 28. The men will be wearing
heels while walking around campus raising awareness and asking
for funds for the Women’s Centre.
22 The Chronicle
November 25, 2008
CAMPUS NEWS
The band or college or both?
By Sarah Manns
Chronicle Staff
For most college students staying on top of school can be a big
enough challenge. For Durham
College music management student Mike Pion, every day isn’t just
about school it’s about band practices and concerts and about trying to make something of himself.
Pion is in two bands;one is In
the Truth, which he has been with
for about a year; and A flame in
December, which he has been
with since September. He says it
can be challenging to juggle band
obligations and school but he has
a system worked out. “Once you
have your practices you just plan
around things,” said Pion. “For
example if I have a concert on
Wednesday, and a test on Thursday, I will be studying on Tuesday.”
He plays five to seven gigs a
month between both bands, although some concerts can be a
challenge. “With my band In the
Truth, everybody is at school. One
of my band mates lives in Waterloo,
so if the gig won’t pay very much
then we won’t play it, because gas
and stuff costs money,” he said.
However, there are some funny
memories that have been worth
all the work. “I broke a light once.
It was on a Saturday night in Orangeville, and we were starting the
first song and I wasn’t aware of my
Photo by Sarah Manns
WORKING THROUGH THE BELLS AND WHISTLES: Mike Pion, a Music Management
student at Durham College’s Oshawa campus, shows off his band’s website on YouTube.
surroundings. I threw my bass up
like a hooligan and I broke the light
and it fell and hit me in the shoul-
der and it scared me,” said Pion.
“One time I was playing at EP Taylor’s and I fell off the stage,” he said
while laughing.
He and his bands have also had
quite a few memorable experi-
ences. His band, A Flame in December has played with For the
Fallen Dreams, from Rise Records,
as well as The Ghost Inside, a band
from the U.S., at the Cathedral in
Toronto.
“On Nov. 26 at the Reverb in
Toronto we will be playing our first
headlining show, meaning our
band is playing last.”
He describes both of his bands
as having a hardcore sound but
are both unique.
“With A Flame in December,
we know how to put on a show
because we know what people
want to hear and how many songs
we should play. Our music has it
all, from pretty parts, to singing to
screaming,” he said.
“With my band In the Truth we
have a very, very unique sound because we have more singing and
we can play with pretty much any
band and just fit in.”
Pion’s passion for music began
in elementary school. “ In Grade
five or six was when my interest
in music started flaring.” In high
school he played in a guitar ensemble as well as a band named
First and Foremost.
Hard work doesn’t scare him
and he plans on sticking with his
music. “It would be fun, to make it
big with one of my bands, but it’s
not in our hands. But I am having
fun with it and whatever happens
happens. I plan on sticking with
them.”
Students find out what it takes
By Lynn Wayling
Chronicle Staff
What’s better than a day of
school?
How about a day of work?
For DC and UOIT students this
might seem like an improbable
answer, but for a group of Grade
9 students visiting the campus, a
day of work proved far superior to
school.
Nov. 5 was national Take Our
Kids to Work Day, an annual event
organized by The Learning Partnership, a group that advocates for
public education across the country.
Since 1994, over 1.5 million
Grade 9 students have accompanied a parent or relative to the
workplace getting a taste of the
working world while learning
about the skills and education
needed to perform that particular
job.
And for 48 students across Durham Region, going to work with
their parents meant immersing
themselves in the world of postsecondary school.
The day started off noisily with
a cacophony of chatter coming
from all sides as the Grade 9 students gathered in the university.
With students from high
schools in Toronto to Bowmanville, there was much to discuss
amongst themselves.
The chatter died down when
college and university presidents
Don Lovisa and Dr. Ronald Bordessa appeared to welcome the
teens to the campus. Bordessa encouraged the students to explore
the campus and have fun and Lovisa shared his experience of his
son coming to work with him.
“You know when I brought my
son to work one day when he was
your age, he said, ‘You don’t do
anything all day. All you do is talk.’
That is the last time I brought him
to work.”
Luckily for this group of students, they didn’t have to listen to
their parents talk all day.
Susan Dranski and the Human
Resources Department at Durham
College offered the teens a chance
to have fun – with campus tours,
a demonstration at the CSI lab at
UOIT, a pizza lunch at Shagwells,
skating and lots of free swag from
the schools.
The CSI lab proved the most
popular, with lab technician Kimberly Dunham and Interim Senior
Lab Instructor Dr. Helene LeBlanc
demonstrating forensic investigative procedures and giving the
students a chance to fingerprint
themselves.
Meghan Duff from Bowmanville High School found this more
exciting than watching her mom
“working on the computer a lot,
doing PDF’s…whatever they are.”
Kendra Dunlop, a student from
Eastdale, was particularly impressed with the CSI lab and that
she got to learn how investigators,
such as LeBlanc, use insects to tell
when the person died.
Her aunt, Tammy Christie,
who works with the Community
Integration through Co-operative
Photo by Lynn Wayling
FINGERS AND PAINT: Grade 9 Courtice Seconday School Student, Morgan Holdway,
takes part in a fingerprinting demonstration at the CSI lab at UOIT as part of Take
Our Kids To Work Day on Nov. 5. His dad is a professor of aquatic toxicology at UOIT.
Education (CICE) program, was
impressed with the turnout and
the organization of the Take Our
Kids to Work Day program on
campus – a thought echoed by
Karen Piper, mother of Brendan.
“We think it’s a wonderful experience. I think it’s fabulous that our
employers let us join in. They [the
kids] get to do something unique,
not just shadow us.”
Dranski, the organizer, was
happy with the reactions from
the parents and the kids, hearing
“nothing but positive results” from
both parties.
A day of work doesn’t seem so
bad after all, now does it?
The Chronicle
November 25, 2008
23
24 The Chronicle
November 25, 2008
The Chronicle
November 25, 2008
25
26 The Chronicle
November 25, 2008
The Chronicle
CAMPUS NEWS
November 25, 2008
27
Ryan Joseph asks...
Where do you go to for financial advice?
Shasheena Smith
Office Administration
“I go to the bank, or the financial aid office.”
Matthew Halteh
Fitness and Health Promotion
“I go to my parents for financial
advice.”
Robert Sheridan
Fire fighting
“I go to the bank.”
Tracy Reid
Business Marketing
“I go to the bank for advice.”
Tiffany Pettifer
Police Foundations
“I would go to my parents for
help.”
The grass is greener on the other side
By Ryan Joseph
Chronicle Staff
If you are a Student who requires financial advice, help is as
close as across the street.
The new TD Canada Trust bank
on Simcoe across from the college
has, financial service representatives, planners, and advisers ready
to help students with their needs.
Lisa Kristensen, branch manager, said the bank is working closely
with the college and universities.
“We hope to strengthen ties with
schools,” she said.
Debt management is a major issue students face. It includes managing student loans, and establish-
ing credit-managing skills. The
bank is looking to set up seminars
to help with debt management.
Students also need to make a
financial plan, to see what the future holds.
”A lot of students get bogged
down with paying off their student
loans,” said Kristensen.
She added that students don’t
look towards retirement or saving
for a house. There are financial
planners to help students set up
their plan, along with helping students pay off their loans and credit
card payments. The bank is having
a seminar on saving.
“There is room for everything in
someone’s life. You just have to be
able to manage everything,” Kristensen said.
Students have the option of taking out a line of credit. Students receive money based on their needs
for school. OSAP however is different because it is a loan.
A line of credit is revolving. If
a student takes out $5,000, the
money can be used when needed.
“It like a credit card, but for a larger
limit,” said Kristensen.
However, if students use all
their money they can re-apply to
get more. The bank would then
anticipate an annual need. Students need to show the bank they
are continuing their education by
providing a timetable, tuition pay-
ment, or acceptance letter when
they re-apply.
”Students can re-apply every
year,” she said.
The bank also helps students
avoid credit card debt. “It’s not a
matter of getting it, but having the
knowledge to manage it properly,”
Kristensen.
They give students credit cards
so they can establish good credit,
and not for them to spend wildly
and ruin it. Students are responsible for knowing their limit, she
said.
Minimum payments are made
each mouth, which is three per
cent of the balance. If students fail
to make their payments they will
be charged interest. “You need to
know what you can manage,” Kristensen said.
The seminars take place during business hours. But if there’s a
need for help after hours the bank
will provide it, Kristensen said.
Students can find out additional
information by reading books, doing internet research and watching
seminars on television.
Kristensen’s final advice for students is to make a savings plan for
each month, and understand the
meaning of good credit. The bank
is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Wednesday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Thursday and Friday, and Saturday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Canada’s heritage shows It’s not just
By Artem Boykov
Chronicle Staff
The annual two-day Canadian Aboriginal Festival, the largest
North American Aboriginal festival, will be held at Toronto Rogers Centre on Nov. 29 and 30.
The attendants will be treated
to traditional and modern mix of
traditional and hip-hop styles of
Aboriginal performers and craft
demonstrations with drums,
moccasins, wampum belts and
tamarack birds. Also, there will
be a fashion show and more than
1,000 dancers.
For kids the festival has
face-painting and bracelet braiding workshops. On Nov. 28, more
than 6,000 students are expected
to attend the 2008 Education
Day, where students and teachers can learn about traditional
games, crafts and language.
Among other attractions there will be more than 200
arts and crafts boutiques, jewelry, clothing and carvings for sale,
as well as traditional native food
made out of wild rice, corn, ber-
ries and venison.
This is the 15th Aboriginal
Festival. Last year it brought together more than 35,000 people
of different cultures and ages.
“We’re expecting over
45,000 people this time,” said Julie Dossett, the publicist for the
festival. “It’s great that there’s so
many people show interest.”
The tickets, which can
be ordered at Ticketmaster, are
$10 for adults and $5 for children under 12. A family pass is
also available for 2 adults and 2
children for $25.
Study, go to class and shop
By Krystin Spittal
Chronicle Staff
Now is the time to buy Durham
College or UOIT clothing.
The campus bookstore is holding a clothing sale on all school
branded clothing. The sale is currently on, and will end Dec. 23.
“I have wanted a Durham College sweater since I saw them in
the bookstore window on display,”
said Margaret Marcel, a first-year
Durham College student. “Except
I never wanted to spend so much
money on one. But now is my
chance, I guess, since the price is
right.”
The clothing that is already reduced in price will not be included
in the sale. All regular priced clothing is buy one item, get the second
item half price. The 50-per cent
discount will be taken off the lowest ticketed price.
Items include from Durham
College and UOIT branded zippered and hooded sweaters, track
pants, T-shirts, long-sleeved shirts
and shorts.
“The sale is happening at a good
time,” said Lauren Palfrey, a Durham College student. “I’m asking
my parents for a Durham College
hooded sweater and track pants as
a Christmas present since it is all
on sale anyways.”
expensive taste
By Krystin Spittal
Chronicle Staff
Not only do non-meat eaters
and halal meat eaters have a limited selection of food available to
them on campus, but their food
costs more.
A traditional hamburger at the
Marketplace sells for $2.99 plus
tax. But a veggie burger sells for
$3.09 plus tax, and a halal hamburger sells for $3.29 plus tax.
Vegetarians do not consume
any form of meat and therefore,
in terms of burger selections, can
only eat a veggie burger. Halal is
meat that is blessed under Islamic
belief by a halal butcher. According
to Islamic religion, this is the only
type of meat these students may
eat. So why the price difference?
After all, it is not the students fault
for following their beliefs.
The food on campus is catered
to the majority of students on
campus, which is why the majority of the food on campus contains
regular meat products, according
to Chartwells staff.
But some students on campus
are confused about the price variations.
“I don’t see how it is fair to students who can’t eat certain types
of meat, or meat products, to be
charged more for their food. I
know not everyone in this school
is in that category, I’m not even in
that category, but I still don’t think
it’s right,” said Jesse Affries, a Durham College student.
Students who are restricted to a
certain diet, do so because of special factors such as religious beliefs, personal morals and values,
according to a poll conducted by
Statistics Canada.
The food is more expensive
because products with specialized factors to the item require a
lot more processing. So, the food
becomes more expensive for the
school to buy.
Then the price is raised to make
a profit, with additional tax, making that the selling price to students.
“If it costs more to the school,
then it’s going to cost more to the
students,” said Erin McKnight,
marketing manager of Chartwells.
28 The Chronicle
November 25, 2008
CAMPUS NEWS
DC bookstore sells school spirit
DC jackets
and rings
available
By Nicole Martinsen
Chronicle Staff
The bookstore at Durham College and UOIT offers more than
what meets the eye.
Special orders can be placed
on jackets and school rings. The
bookstores have the jacket order
book behind the desks and ring
brochures are given out when
someone asks for one.
“The jackets are not as popular
as the rings,” said Lisa Gamsby,
the manager of the campus bookstores and support services. “But
we have a new jacket vendor
now.”
The new vendor will be setting
up a table in the future to help with
the awareness that jackets can be
ordered and the different styles
available.
The jackets take two to three
weeks to be delivered and they are
sent directly to the student’s house
unless they prefer it to be delivered
to the school.
“The prices of the jackets range
from as low as $90 up to $300,”
Gamsby said.
A windbreaker would be about
$90 and a full leather jackets would
cost $300.
The most popular jacket style
SCHOOL FASHION: Amy Derdall, head cashier at Durham College’s bookstore, shows
off one of the leather letter jackets that can be purchased at the campus shop.
for males is the Melton. It has
leather arms and a felt-like material body. It costs $280.
Females tend to order thinner
style jackets such as a windbreaker.
Prices also range depending on
what students decide to get their
jacket personalized with. Your
name, program and graduate year
can be put on the jacket. There are
also two different logos for Durham College and two different logos for UOIT.
“The jackets can be ordered at
any of the three bookstores,” said
Gamsby. “However, the main
bookstore in Durham College
is the only one that has samples
available.”
While currently the school receives on average about 20 jacket
orders per year, about 100 rings
get ordered per year.
Campus parking gets safe
By Nicole Martinsen
Chronicle Staff
The cost of parking is frequently on the minds of students. But
sometimes things such as quality, safety and quantity get overlooked.
With six gated lots and eight
lots in total, there is a sufficient
amount or parking for students
and staff.
“In the future we hope to have
expanded gated areas for students,” said Deb Kinkaid, the director of campus services. “But right
now the parking area is sufficient
for students.”
Along with gated areas, kiosks
with security guards are also in
place in several lots. This helps to
keep track of who is parking in the
lots.
“Part of the security is knowing
who is actually on campus,” said
Kinkaid.
Security is an important part of
safety on campus. There are security guards walking around the
lots as well as blue call lights that,
when the button is pressed, send a
signal to the security desk, and security cameras turn on to monitor
that area.
Another service offered with
the parking is a shuttle bus. The
bus runs continuously from 7 a.m.
to 7 p.m. and goes from the south
Simcoe lot to the ice centre lot to
The rings are made by Jostens
and a brochure, available at the
bookstore, shows the different
styles and options available.
Jostens sets up a display about
three times a year. Usually the table is set up once a term and again
at graduation.
They came to the school in October and the next expected date is
in January, although it hasn’t been
confirmed yet.
“There is usually an ad on Mycampus when there is going to be
ring days and the Student Association sends out e-mails as well,” said
Gamsby.
Ring styles are changed from
time to time so there is no definite
collection that is more popular.
The rings take about six to eight
weeks to be delivered and go directly to the student’s house.
When ordering jackets and
rings Gamsby recommends that
students keep in mind what style
you prefer and what size you need.
For jackets it is important to know
when you plan on wearing it, in the
winter or the spring for example.
“The jackets provide a sense of
connection and pride to the school
so students tend to order them
while they are attending school,”
said Gamsby. “Whereas the rings
are ordered more when students
are graduating as a connection to
the school they went to once they
are out in the world. It’s more an
alumni thing.”
In the future, Gamsby hopes
that an online ordering system will
be made to order jackets.
The bookstores are actively
working to promote these services
for the students, said Gamsby.
Info fair
on grad
programs
held in
January
By Paul Bates
Chronicle Staff
KEEPING THE LOT SECURE: Durham College security guards, Matt and Gerry, take a
stand in the campus parking lots to keep students, and their cars, safe in the lots.
the bus drop-off area in front of the
Gordon Willey building.
“We are very safe and very fortunate at this school,” said Kinkaid,
describing the security and safety
measures.
Not only does Durham College have security guards, blue call
lights and shuttle buses, it also has
the Campus Walk service.
Campus Walk has trained student teams that, upon request,
escort a student, staff or visitor to their vehicle, residence or
other campus location during
the weeknights. The volunteers
work in pairs and wear vests that
have Campus Walk printed on the
back.
“The Campus Walk service isn’t
just at the Oshawa campus but it is
at the Whitby campus and 11 Simcoe Street (UOIT Faculty of Education),” said Kinkaid. “It is a very
well used service.”
Security and safety are always a
priority at the school, but parking
services pays close attention to the
condition of the lots as well.
Last year Founders 1 was completely refurbished,.
This past summer Founders 2
was repaved in the northeast corner and more security cameras
have been added.
“If you don’t keep up with the
improvements they just seem to
move backwards,” said Kinkaid.
The parking services desk in the
Gordon Willey building is available if students have any questions
about parking.
People looking for information on graduate programs
at Durham College and UOIT
should keep their schedules
clear on Jan. 14.
The admissions and recruitment office will be running a graduate fair from
noon to 2 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m.
Stephanie Thomson, admissions and recruitment
officer for Durham College,
highlighted that all of the
graduate programs at the college and university would be
represented and faculty will
be on hand to answer questions.
The listing of the programs can be found at www.
durhamcollege.ca/grad and
more information will be
posted on campus.
The Chronicle
November 25, 2008
29
CAMPUS NEWS
Sweet music by local musician
By Nicole Martinsen
Chronicle Staff
Excited to go camping, fiveyear-old Michaela Parker and her
family began setting up their tents
and tarps.
The sun beamed through the
trees lighting up the grassy patches on the campsite.
Michaela enjoying the outdoors, listening to the birds, the
bees and a newer strange noise
that was nothing nature-like at all.
Following the sound, she
walked around the trees to the
next campsite. A girl sat on the picnic bench playing beautiful music
on a violin.
And for days Michaela decided
she wanted to play a violin herself
Now, 10 years later Michaela is
playing the viola and doing a successful job of it.
She has already passed Grade
8, level in music required to be
able to teach.However, she doesn’t
have her heart set on teaching.
“I don’t have the patience,” Michaela explains laughing. “But of
course I could teach if I wanted
to.”
Instead, she plans on going to
university for a professional viola
and continue playing in orchestras.
Right now she is in the Durham
Youth Orchestra and was accepted
into the Toronto Symphony Youth
Orchestra in September.
And she hopes to make it into
the Toronto Symphony Orchestra
one day. Another big part of her
life is the Heartstrings Quartet that
she is a member of.
The quartet plays for weddings
and corporate functions. They
have played for UOIT on many occasions.
On Nov. 7 they performed at
the Regent Theatre for the swearing in of the new UOIT chancellor,
Perrin Beatty.
Aside from all the hard work it
seems to be, music is beneficial.
“It teaches discipline, teamwork
and co-ordination, self-motivation,
goal reaching and time management,” said Liz Parker, Michaela’s
mother. “It is also good for math
because it stimulates the brain. All
the kids in the orchestra are well-
BEAUTIFUL MUSIC: Local musicians Luke Parker and Michaela Parker with their beloved instruments the folk
harp, hulusi and the viola.
behaved and have good marks in
school because music helps teach
them.”
Michaela isn’t much for public
speaking but when she plays the
viola she becomes more confident.
“There is a presence when she
plays. She speaks through her instrument,” Liz said.
Some people feel more confident to express themselves
through painting, some people
through poems and for Michaela it
is through music. “It is like another
language for me,” said Michaela. “I
can express myself easier.”
Music has been such a huge
part of her life, ever since she was
a baby.
Her mom Liz has been bringing
music into their Oshawa home for
over 20 years.She teaches piano
in her home and has about 15 to
20 students a year. “I wanted to
teach non-conservatively because
I wanted my students to learn to
love music and have fun,” said Liz.
She started teaching Michaela
the piano when she was two years
old.
Liz says Michaela loved music
right from the beginning. She also
taught her other son and daughter
piano. Ruth is now in UOIT’s education program.
Luke, 24, stopped playing the
piano when he was 10, but that
wasn’t the end of music for him.
He went to the University of
Toronto and studied Music and
Culture.
Luke is very supportive of his
sister and said that she is the best
in the family.He doesn’t even mind
his mom teaching piano or his sister practising her viola.
“It’s just a background. People
think we would get annoyed with
it, but really we don’t even notice
it,” explains Luke. “Sometimes
we’ll even be humming along and
not notice ‘til someone says something.”
Liz believes that having any
creative bond is important in a
family.But music is a big financial
commitment.
Michaela recently got a new
viola and it cost $5,500, including
the bow, which was $1,500.
That viola is just expected to
get Michaela to university where
she will have to upgrade to a handmade viola, at least double the
price.
But the 15-year-old makes good
money being in the quartet.
Luke said when Michaela
switched from the viola to the violin she opened herself up to more
job opportunities because viola
Join the Canadian forces
By Tabitha Olliffe
Chronicle Staff
The Canadian Forces currently
offer over 100 jobs from doctor or
lawyer to cook or clerk.
But, the job most of us are familiar with is soldier.
We hear about them every day
on the 6 o’clock news or on the
front page of the world news section in the newspaper.
There are a few requirements
that must be meet in order to be a
soldier in the Canadian Forces.
A 16 year old can join the Canadian Forces as part of the reserved
forces if they have 15 high school
credits or their Grade 10, and the
consent of a parent.
To sign up for the regular forces
a person must be 17, with 15 high
school credits or Grade 10.
Also, if the applicant is under 18
parental consent is still needed.
Every applicant has to pass
a medical and a physical fitness
exam that involves sit-ups, pushups, shuttle runs, and a hand
strength test.
Standards vary depending on
age and gender.
Each applicant must sign up
for a contract, which must be
completed by the time they are 60
years old.
Some contracts are as short as
three years, so a 56 year old is able
to join the Canadian Forces.
“To sign up you must be a Canadian citizen, you just can’t have
Canada as a permanent residence,”
said Lt. Troy Kelly of the Canadian
Forces in Toronto.
He said there are about 12 recruitment centres in Canada including Oshawa.
Private Brendan McDevitt, a
Durham College mechtronics
graduate, said his recruitment process lasted for months.
After he finished his medical
and physical exams he went to
Toronto where they interviewed
him to make sure he was mentally
stable enough to join the forces.
“We do most processing in
Oshawa, then (the applicant) is
enrolled in Toronto,” said Captain
Christopher Hepburn of the Canadian Forces in Oshawa.
He said the Oshawa recruitment office also does the recruitment for Peterborough on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
Private McDevitt said after he
was enrolled in the forces he had
to sit and wait for the life changing
call that gave him a specific job in
the Canadian Forces.
Once he received the call placing him in the air force he had to
return to Toronto for once last interview and to say his pledge.
“I have never been more happy
in my life or more proud of myself,”
said Private McDevitt.
Starting next year the Oshawa
recruitment centre will be processing each new applicant as well
as enrolling him or her into the Canadian Forces so that applicants
from the Durham Region will not
have to travel to Toronto for enrolment.
About 20,000 people in Canada
signed up last year alone. Of those,
3,000 signed up in Toronto.
For more information and for
an application form visit www.
forces.ca.
players are in demand right now.
And since she is working on her
Grade 10, in music, Michaela has
become quite the musician for her
age.
For now her hands are full with
high school, the Heartstrings Quartet, the Durham Youth Orchestra
and the Toronto Symphony Youth
Orchestra.
And the Parker house will have
itself filled with music for years to
come.
Toronto
clothing
drive
By Artem Boykov
Chronicle Staff
The Toronto Christmas
Clothing Drive kicks off at E.P.
Taylor’s with a show on Dec.
4 featuring The Ocean Buried, Ivory Tree Observatory,
Smokestack Apriori, Nick
Glover, You Bet Your Life and
Sub Conscious on between
the sets.
“It’s going to be a very
mixed genre show. There are
going to be rappers, heavy
metal, pop-rock and acoustic,” said Adam Dishy, the organizer of the event.
Those who attend are
asked to donate clothing,
blankets,
non-perishable
food items and money.
The show runs from 8
p.m. to approximately 1 or 2
a.m. Advance tickets can be
bought for $6 at the Student
Centre and $8 at the door.
30 The Chronicle
November 25, 2008
CAMPUS NEWS
On your marks, get set, SHOP!
Durham
malls prep
for Xmas
By Jamilah McCarthy
Chronicle Staff
Everybody loves opening those
bright red and green boxes with
the pretty gold bows and seeing
clothes from their favourite stores.
But for stores Christmas time always means chaos in the malls.
Retail stores have to find ways
to make the Christmas shopping
experience as convenient as possible for customers. From American Eagle to H&M, clothing stores
everywhere prepare ahead for the
holiday rush.
Some stores are focusing on accessibility for the customers, “One
thing we’re doing is making the
shelves and racks lower so that
customers can reach the items
easier,” says Christina Knights,
manager of Sirens in the Oshawa
Centre.
“We’ve done a massive visual
flip, which means we’ve changed
the appearance of the entire store.
We want customers to see all the
new merchandise, so we’ve put the
newest items on the walls,” says
Knights.
During the holidays clothing
stores need all the help they can
get, Knights says.
“We’re hiring anywhere from 15
to 20 seasonal employees. Christmas is the busiest time of the year
and we want to make sure every
customer is catered to.”
Christmas time means Christmas events, ladies will of course
want to dress to impress, “We have
a lot of sexy, shimmery holiday
dresses that would be great for
Christmas parties,” says Knights.
“We have a lot of great winter
stuff like cute sweaters and boots,
which make for great Christmas
gifts.” And for the Penny-pinchers
she says, “All of last season’s merchandise is 50 per cent off.”
Jordan Bennett, a sales rep-
‘
Christmas is the
busiest time of the
year and we want
to make sure every customer is
catered to.
’
Christina Knights
resentative for Oshawa Centre’s
Aldo says they also planned a sale,
“Right now all men’s shoes are 25
per cent off.” Bennett says, “Aldo is
a shoe store all about quality. We
have quality shoes, and they will
speak for themselves when people
are Christmas shopping.”
Sometimes clothing stores like
to get into the Christmas spirit by
selling Christmas oriented merchandise. “We have these cute
Christmas underwear with silly
sayings like I’ve been naughty
Santa,” says Maryanne McCollin, a
sales representative for American
Eagle in the Pickering Town Centre. “It’s just a cute way to get people in the mood for Christmas.”
Christmas and winter co-exist
and Christmas gifts are a great way
to help your loved ones warm up
when it’s cold.
H&M is such a funky, bright, and
colourful clothing store, that it’s
reminiscent of Christmas even if
it’s July. “We always love Christmas
here at H&M,” says Jennifer Francis, an H&M sales associate. “The
store is always so full, and even
though everyone is so stressed because they’re trying so hard to find
the perfect gifts, they’re still cheery
because it’s the holidays.” H&M
has a variety of items for men and
women, as well as children. “H&M
is a store for people who love the
latest trends, but only have so
much to spend,” says Francis. “The
employees here are always willing
to help, so customers should feel
comfortable asking for advice on
what gifts to buy.”
Get your wallets out. Crack
that piggy bank open. Dig deep
into your sofas for spare change.
Christmas time is here, and that
means it’s time to start spending your money on today’s hottest fashion trends. Stores know
that Christmas is a hectic time for
shoppers and they will help make
the process easier. Whether it’s
having big sales, changing the appearance of the store, having the
best items, or being helpful and
knowledgeable enough to make
customers comfortable, clothing
stores everywhere are working
hard to make holiday shopping
less stressful and merrier for you.
Changing the meaning
Don’t sweat
the stress this of ‘home, sweet home.’
holiday season
By Jonnel Briscoe
Chronicle Staff
Tips for
keeping
your cool
during
Christmas
By Lynn Wayling
Chronicle Staff
The holidays are around the
corner and while some people
may be singing carols and making merry, others are counting
the days till it’s all over. For many,
the holidays are a stressful time
when fatigue, finances and family can be overwhelming.
So how can you alleviate
some of that stress? Well, the
Canadian Mental Health Association has 10 tips to help you
breathe easier over the holidays.
Plan ahead. Don’t leave everything to the last minute. Get
shopping done early and have
a game plan for all parties and
dinners you’re having.
Organize and delegate. Don’t
take on everything yourself. Ask
for help when cooking, cleaning
or shopping.
Do not overindulge. Stay
away from drinking too much
alcohol (a depressant) and eating too many holiday treats,
which can leave you feeling lethargic.
Exercise. A great way to rid
oneself of pent-up stress and
energy, as well as counter-balancing all the sweet treats.
Set a budget. Set a monetary
limit and stay within it. This way
you avoid over-spending and
the debt that comes with it.
Remember what the holiday
season means to you. Take a
break from the commercialization of the holidays and focus
on what is meaningful to you,
whether it is religion, family or
helping others.
Help others learn about a
shared social responsibility.
Learn about other holidays occurring at the same time, volunteer at a food bank or donate
toys and clothes. Encourage
your family and friends to do
the same. Do something to give
back to the community and put
the focus on giving rather than
getting.
Include others. The more, the
merrier. If you know someone
who is spending the holidays
alone, reach out to them. Conversely, if you’re the one who is
alone, reach out to your neighbours.
Put fun, humour, affection
and “break time” into your holidays. Take time to laugh and do
things that you enjoy or have
some quiet time alone.
Get into the light. Decreased
levels of daylight can lead to an
increase in depression. So get
out into the sun whenever you
can and if the problem persists,
talk to your doctor.
Source: Canadian Mental
Health Association
Every year families gather
around the kitchen table or island
to create a gingerbread house together and it’s always messy, but
nonetheless a fun activity. But
nothing is worse than having it
fall apart minutes after spending
hours building it.
I learned these tips from George
Brown College culinary arts graduate Jodian Reid, who made gingerbread houses since she was a
little girl.
“I learned these trick through
trial and error,” said Reid. “It’s been
working for the past seven years.”
The steps aren’t too hard and
anyone can do it even if you’re
building the house on your own.
To start off you will need a platter for a base, a gingerbread house
kit or pieces, royal icing, which is
included in the kits. Candy for decorating, a small box approximately
the size of a gingerbread house,
and a piece of string long enough
to go around the house, about a
meter long. These supplies can be
bought at any local grocery store
or retail stores such as Wal-Mart
or Zellers.
Make sure that all the materials you will need are at hand. “It’s
more fun when you’re not running
around the kitchen looking for
supplies,” said Reid.
Lay the string across the top
‘
People should
have fun when
they are building
gingerbread houses. It shouldn’t be
a hassle.
’
Jodian Reid
of the base. The base can be any
sturdy, flat surface to display the
house on.
Centre the box on top of the
string. Reid says that it’s also a
good idea to secure the box to the
base with icing or tape, but don’t
secure the string.
Then you can start building the
walls. Start by dabbing icing on the
sides of the box and the corners.
“This helps to keep the walls up,”
said Reid. She also says to make
sure that the walls are securely
bound together with the icing at
the corners, and pressed firmly to
the box. “But don’t break the walls,”
she jokes.
Reid says she finds it easier to
glue the roof peeks together before
she places them on the walls.
After the walls have been built,
bring the ends of the string up and
over the roof and tie it securely
holding the house together and let
dry.
The fun can start once the
house is dry. Decorate the house
as desired but if you find that it’s
not strong enough, let it dry a little
longer or leave the string on and
try to decorate around it.
You can use what ever candy
you want. It’s fun to have shredded
coconut on the roof and base to
make it look more like snow.
“People should have fun when
they are building their gingerbread
house,” said Reid. “It shouldn’t be a
hassle and I hate more than anything to have it fall apart every second.”
The best part about this holiday
activity is eating it. So once your
house is done, you and your family
can take in the beauty and then…
dive in.
Oshawa Skating Club
kicks off leisure skate
By Krystin Spittal
Chronicle Staff
Time to get back on the ice, or
learn how to get on the ice.
The Oshawa Skating Club is
having a student leisure skate
program at the Campus Ice Centre. The program will run Monday evenings from 9:15 p.m. to
10:05 p.m.
There will be a professional
skating coach on the ice for firsttimers to learn how to skate, and
stay safe. Students who already
know how to skate can improve
their skills during the program.
“I used to ice skate all the
time, but when I started college,
I didn’t really have the time for it
any more,” said Caitlyn Southern,
a Durham College student. “But
since I have the opportunity to
relearn, I think I’m going to give
it a shot. Good exercise I guess.”
Private lessons are also available with the club coaches for
those students who are interested.
To register, contact Debbie
Ireland by e-mail at debbiejireland@sympatico.ca.
Students can also visit the
program’s website at www.oshawaskating.com view fee info.
The Chronicle
November 25, 2008
31
E
NTERTAINMENT
Thunder strikes Rogers Centre
By Andrew Huska
Chronicle Staff
The Rock ‘N Roll Train chugged
its way into the Rogers Centre Nov.
7 when AC/DC performed in front
of a sold-out crowd.
An estimated 45,000 people
crammed into every nook and
cranny of the stadium to see the
band’s first Toronto show since
2003’s SARS-stock concert.
The band played for approximately an hour and a half, and
their show featured a giant bell, an
enormous inflatable doll, cannons
and lead-guitarist Angus Young’s
patented strip tease during their
song The Jack.
The set-list was 18 songs long
and included five songs from their
latest album Black Ice, released
Oct. 20.
The crowd was giddy with excitement an hour before the show
started. Out of nowhere a cheer
would erupt from one section of
the stadium and snake around to
the other side then envelope the
floor.
The start of the show was delayed for almost an hour because
the opening act, an Irish band
called The Answer, didn’t make it
to Toronto. So roadies were forced
to take down all of that band’s
equipment. Nobody seemed to
mind though as a mighty cheer
went up when it was announced.
The show started after an introduction video featuring an outof-control train, and two buxom
STILL IN BLACK: AC/DC performance on Nov. 7. Through their set list that had hits
like Dirty Deeds, TNT, Whole Lotta Rosie, Hell Ain’t A Bad Place To Be and Shoot To
Thrill, the band showed that they are not slowing down or leaving any time soon.
beauties seducing a cartoon Angus Young played on the giant
video screens behind the stage.
When the band came out the
screen opened inward and amidst
fireworks, the Rock ‘N Roll Train
came crashing onto the stage.
At that cue the band kicked into
the song and didn’t look back until
it was all over.
Despite the fact that cameras
weren’t allowed into the event,
smuggling them in must not have
been very hard as flashes dotted the stands at any given time
throughout the concert. Some fans
even managed to smuggle in their
own alcohol to avoid standing in
What to wear out in the cold
Winter
fashion
and its thin
philosophy
By Lynn Wayling
Chronicle Staff
Last month’s L’Oreal Spring ’09
Fashion Week may have whetted
your appetite for all things spring
– bare legs, sheer fabrics, pretty
pastels – but there is no denying
that the days are getting shorter,
the nights colder and that the December issues of fashion magazines have hit the shelves. With
one month until Christmas, winter
and the holiday season are right
around the corner. And the big
question is, what to wear?
A perusal of the major Canadian fashion magazines – Elle Canada, Flare, Fashion and Loulou –illustrates the major trends for the
coming season.
Think lady-like fabrics and lace
details. The silhouette is feminine
and aims to show off womanly
curves in high-waisted skirts and
belts. Knit sweater dresses and
long cardigans will keep you warm
and looking chic. As for footwear,
high boots – whether heeled or
flat – add style to any outfit. And
for holiday mixing and mingling, a
little sparkle and shine in the form
of a little black dress with sequins
is all you need.
Colour-wise, purple and black
are everywhere, along with holiday
reds and vibrant punchy shades.
1994 is also making a comeback in
the form of the plaid that has been
seen on the runways of Dolce &
Gabbana to Ralph Lauren. However, the style is more au courant
than Nirvana-esque grunge.
But how does what glosses the
magazine pages stack up to what’s
in store? A trip to the Oshawa Centre answers that query.
From Sears to the Bay, storefronts are advertising their winter
best and at Sirens, the store windows are emblazoned with the
words “Live, Love and Party.”
Lisa Clarke, a key holder and
sales associate at Sirens, says the
biggest sellers so far have been
sweater dresses and boots – which
go well together with skinny jeans
or a pair of leggings. As well, long
coats, sweaters, club dresses (think
short, tight and sparkly – the kind
you’d live, love and party in) and
leg warmers – yes you read correctly, leg warmers – are also hot
sellers.
“They’re back in now,” Clarke
laughs. Those who remember the
‘80s will understand the mirth.
Leggings are still popular, with
another ‘80s throwback, the stirrup legging making a comeback.
They easily scoop under your foot
and stay in place when wearing
boots or pumps.
A word of advice, however. Leggings look great with this season’s
long sweaters and tunic tops, but
to invoke the wisdom of the ladies
who run Gofugyourself.com, “leggings are not pants.” They should
not be worn as pants. If you don’t
believe, surf over to http://tightsarenotpants.com/manifesto (best
quote, “Tights are the fashion
equivalent of too much information.”) and it’ll make a believer out
of you.
Down the mall at Guess, manager Son Chau was a fountain of
fashion information. Long, structured peacoat-style jackets are the
outerwear of choice this season,
he declares.
Dressy pieces are all about sequined detailing and pattern details and purple, black and grey
are the key colours, “Purple is a
beautiful colour in our palette this
season,” he says. For bottoms, he
predicts dark, fitted denims will be
the pant of choice and should be
paired with wide belts, big knitted
sweaters or tunics.
At Le Chateau, the colour palette opens up with bright, vibrant
shades of teal, red, green and berry. And like the fashion magazines
say, rich hues of purple and black
are also popular. The store’s large
collection of holiday dresses and
tops are adorned with embellishments and sequins.
Sales associate Katherine
Bombino lists long shirts, empire
waists, bubble dresses and cowboy-style scarves (i.e. the ones you
see everyone wearing) as the most
popular items.
“Leopard print is huge this season,” she adds. Merchandiser Julia
Bates seconds that, saying, “It started in the fall and has gone forward
into holiday.” Bates also says the
Grecian-style draped, one-shoulder dresses and tops are going to
be popular this holiday season.
Flats and big bags – “the bigger the bag, the more they sell” –
are the in demand items at Costa
Blanca, says sales associate Michelle Borque.
Like Sirens, long dressy jackets
are popular as well as high-waisted skirts. Colour-wise, bright green
and bright purple items don’t last
very long in the store. And black,
well black will never go out of
style.
So there you have it – a nondefinitive guide to winter and holiday fashion, but a good start. So
stop dreaming of spring and embrace the cold and all the fashion
choices it has to offer.
20 minute long beer lines.
Booze flowed freely, and it was
hard to find a row of seats where
someone wasn’t drunk. People
came from far and wide to see this
show as it’s one of only two Canadian cities AC/DC’s playing. The
only other Canadian tour date is in
Vancouver on Nov. 28.
There was a couple from Brockville who bought their tickets on
their anniversary, there were fans
who drove up from the Maritimes
and there were some from just
down the road in Whitby, like the
Murphy family. They came with
their 10-year-old son Shawn and
17-year-old son John.
“I though it was amazing,” said
son John. “I loved it.”
His father, Ron, agreed.
“It was a good show,” he said.
“It was the loudest and most light
filled and well-played show.”
He also said that compared to
some other bands, AC/DC stand
tall above the rest, like The Eagles,
among others.
The show was for everyone as
Murphy witnessed.
“Behind us were these young
folks having a great time,” he said.
“He was giving everybody highfives. He tapped me on the shoulder, held out his hand and said
high-five.”
For most it didn’t matter that
lead singer Brian Johnson is
61-years old, and Angus Young is
53. The crowd came to rock and so
did the band.
Now for some it’s just a matter
of time until the next show Jan. 9.
Holidays
and all
that jazz
By Krista Paxton
Chronicle staff
The Oshawa Little Theatre presents a Smooth Jazz
Christmas Dec. 11, featuring
contemporary
saxophone
instrumentalist
Matthew
James.
“Ironically it’s the first time
he’ll be playing here,” said
promoter and former Durham College student, Daniel
Giddings. “He’s travelled all
over, but he was born and
raised in Oshawa, and lives
here now.”
The audience will enjoy
the blues with a contemporary Christmas twist, featuring James on saxophone, and
a six-piece backup band.
Acoustic guitarists Andy
McDonald and Rod MacDonald will warm up the crowd as
the opening act.
Tickets are $25 and can
be purchased from Giddings
at (289) 240-0628 or at www.
oshawalittletheatre.com
32 The Chronicle
November 25, 2008
ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
The complex art of drinking
back of your mouth is alcohol,”
said Smith. It’s for this reason that
a large part of tasting the wine is
actually in smelling it and letting it
swirl around your taste buds.
“Generally, letting the wine
swish around your mouth a bit allows it to touch more sensors on
your tongue, thereby giving you
more enjoyment,” said St. Jean.
She also added not to make a snap
judgment from the first taste, arguing the second and third sips are
always a better indicator of the
wine’s taste.
As for the whole spitting out
your perfectly good wine? The
verdict is out. If you are at a tasting where you will be comparing
many wines, spitting seems to be
a good decision to avoid a hangover.
As Smith said, “The drinking part is redundant. It’s just the
perk.”
By Amanda Allison
Chronicle Staff
It’s a great accompaniment to
curling up on the couch after a
hard days work, sitting on the patio
of your favourite pub on a warm
summer’s night or to fill your glass
alongside your delicious steak dinner.
It’s wine.
For a drink that comes in two
primary colours, it can all get devastatingly complicated faster than
you can mutter “unoaked Chardonnay”.
Somewhere along the line of
growing up, we are magically expected to know about tannins,
Gewurztraminer’s, and decanters.
A good way to dive into the
world of wine is to browse the
shelves at your local LCBO and
explore for yourself. For someone
who wants a little more guidance,
there are several local wineries
that offer tastings where a professional will help you discover a favourite grape. For those who take
their adventure into wine more seriously, Durham College’s continuing education office offers online
and on campus wine introduction
courses.
No matter what your course to
discovery, wine has plenty to offer
even beginners, even if you know
only a few key tips.
The Bottle
Before picking a bottle off the
shelf, stop and consider what
you’ll be doing with your new
wine. Will you be drinking it alone
or with food? Will you be enjoying
it before dinner, during or perhaps
with dessert? Wine is meant to be
enjoyed with food, and on some
labels, the makers will even tell you
what their wine will complement.
Picking the right wine for the occasion is crucial to full enjoyment.
You may not want to drink an ice
wine with your meal, but it will be
divine afterwards.
Next to tackle is the label. Regulations of what is legally required
to be on the bottle vary from country to country, making it a bit of a
guessing game. The key things are
to look for a country or region the
grapes are from and the level of
sweetness (if indicated, for example, this isn’t law in Ontario).
Rose-Anne St. Jean, the wine
Photo by Amanda Allison
CLASSY CAMPUS: Bartender Mike Farrington serves up some delicious wine at E.P.
Taylor’s. It’s not as easy as picking the first bottle you see and drinking up, however.
introduction teacher at Durham,
also says to read over any descriptions of the wine’s style on the label.
“If you are going to pair your
wine with food, it may also suggest
food to pair it with, temperature to
serve it at and may even suggest
that you could keep this wine for a
few more years, in a suitable location, and it will improve.”
The old adage ‘don’t just a book
by its cover’ applies to wine as
well. A pretty label doesn’t always
guarantee a great wine.
In addition, don’t grab an expensive wine, hoping that you’ll
get your money’s worth. St. Jean
recognizes that often price and
quality go hand and hand, but that
a beginning taster will have a difficult time grasping the differences
on the palate.
You don’t have to spend a ton
of cash to get a superior wine, she
believes. “There are a lots of good
wines in the $15 - $20 range and
the step up in quality from a $10
bottle is huge.”
The Process
Firstly, a good quality wine deserves the right glass. Since 1961,
Riedel Glass has been making
specialty glasses that are shaped
to affect the bouquet, taste, balance and finish of each type of
wine. You may not go so far as to
purchase brand new stemware,
but at a minimum serve whites in
a smaller bowled glasses, and reds
in a large bowled glass.
Alissa Smith, from Ocala Winery in Port Perry, explains that
reds need a larger vessel to pick up
their greater bouquet, while smaller glasses keep whites cooler.
There are several things to look
for once your wine is in the glass.
“Colour can tell you quite a bit
about what you’re drinking,” said
Smith. In general, a wine darkens
as it ages.
“Ensuring the colour is clear
and that it smells pleasant are the
first steps to ensure there are no
faults in the wine,” said St. Jean.
After looking at the glass, the
next challenge is tasting.
“The only taste you get at the
Combat never tasted so good
By Shayna Brown
Chronicle Staff
There’s nothing like resorting to using your
bare hands instead of utensils and watching
men with hippie hair ride around on horseback for your entertainment. When Medieval Times promote itself as being a unique
experience you won’t forget, it’s right on the
money.
After providing entertainment for the last
25 years, Medieval Times is still going strong.
Inspired by the medieval tradition of royal
families, it is a festival in which you, the guest,
are invited to stuff your face and watch as the
Knights knock each other off horses with long
wooden poles and hit each other with sharp
metal objects.
It is definitely an experience. Whether it’s
enjoyable all depends on personal preference, but who wouldn’t enjoy pigging out
while watching live entertainment?
You walk in from the streets of Toronto
and into another world – a world of chivalry,
rivalry and revelry. The staff is dressed to the
nine in old-fashioned outfits calling you ‘me
lady’ and doting on you as if you’re royalty.
The Knights and the rest of the medieval
gang really take their roles to heart and get
into character. While the acting didn’t seem
so rehearsed and cheesy as a child, it is still
fun to watch. Pound back a couple beers or a
bottle of wine with your friends and it’s even
better.
I don’t know what was more enjoyable,
getting waited on hand and foot or eating
with my bare hands. But there seems to be
some small pleasure that comes from calling
your waitress or waiter a wench and gobbling
down dinner like a barbarian with grease and
juice dripping down your chin.
The food isn’t anything overly fantastic,
but they do satisfy your hunger with how
much you get. And if you are stupid enough
to sit in the front row you might get a nice, big
dust cloud from the frolicking horse’s hooves
which add a little extra flavour to the half a
chicken they slap on your plate.
If you’re a prissy little prim who wrinkles
her nose to using your hands to eat or someone who doesn’t like to get a bit dirty and use
a little imagination, then Medieval Times
isn’t for you. But for the average, easy-going
person, I say check it out. I give it two greasy,
chicken covered thumbs up.
The Wine
The truth is, there is a lot more
to wine than simply red or white.
There are rosé’s, blends, sparkling,
fruit, dessert and ice wine, just to
begin to complicate things.
For a beginning wine lover, a
good place to start is with a white.
Smith recommends a Pinot
Grigio or Auxerrois, as they are
lighter on the palate.
In the way of reds, both Smith
and St. Jean recommend a Pinot
Noir.
“One grape that I have enormous respect for is the Pinot Noir,
especially from Burgundy,” said
St. Jean. “I don’t think I have been
so blown away from a wine that
looked like such a light coloured
and simple wine that in fact had
this amazing complex nose and
palate with tannins that could
have come from a full bodied Cabernet.”
Smith agrees, saying though it’s
a difficult grape to grow, a Pinot
Noir is a fruitier red that’s good for
beginners.
So, get out there, future wine
lovers! Explore different regions,
countries and grapes until you
find something that blows your
mind away.
Join a class or course, visit a local winery or just wander into an
LCBO. Whatever you do, you’ll be
sure to figure out that wine has a
whole lot to offer.
Coldplay
is back
By Beth Lafay
Chronicle Staff
Get out your scarves and hats
and buy a coffee, because this will
be a long, cold line-up.
Multi-award winning British
alt. rock band Coldplay is releasing a special edition of 2008 album
Viva La Vida and The Prospekt’s
March EP. This will be available in
a two CD sleeve and digitally. The
Prospekt’s March EP will feature
six new songs from the Viva La
Vida recording sessions, including songs with Jay Z and the Osaka
Sun remix of Lovers In Japan.
The Chronicle
ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
November 25, 2008
33
Animals are not Christmas presents
By Liisa Sahamies
Chronicle Staff
Even if you are desperate for a
gift this Christmas, don’t look to
the shelters and pet stores as an
easy solution.
Ruby Richards, shelter manager
of the Humane Society of Durham
Region, says that when it comes
to adopting a pet people should
keep in mind that these animals
aren’t disposable, even if you are
in desperate need of a gift. It’s the
animal that becomes the victim
and ends up suffering if the right
decision isn’t made and research
is not done.
“People are trying to get gifts for
other people, which we don’t approve of,” said Richards. “They can
come in and if they see something
that they want for their own family
they can come in and put a hold
on an animal and come back after
Christmas, so it’s not a spur of the
moment under the Christmas tree
kind of thing.”
But the shelter is familiar with
those who want to adopt pets as
a quick solution to last-minute
gift giving, and for the protection
of the animals, adopting stops a
week prior to Christmas.
“I think the message is getting
out to a lot of people not to adopt
as gifts,” said Richards.
Richards says when people adopt as a last-minute
gift they don’t take all repercussions into consideration.
Even on the other end of the giftgiving side, it’s important to weigh
the benefits and the disadvantages
and make it clear that what you
want for Christmas is not a pet.
“We get a lot of young dogs
in May and June,” said Richards.
“People have given up because
they were given an animal as a gift,
or they didn’t put any thought into
getting a puppy. They just wanted
to get it as a present and didn’t really take into consideration that
this dog isn’t going to look like this
six months down the road.”
She said that people don’t realize there’s a lot of work involved.
“Only when it comes into reali-
Photo by Liisa Sahamies
HUMANE SOCIETY OF DURHAM REGION: Shelter manager Ruby Richards checks up on a cat.
ty do the people realize they made
a mistake. It takes the next couple
of years to rectify the mistakes
they’ve made.”
But if you are serious about
adopting then it’s important to
compare options, from a pet store
to an animal shelter.
Richards explained that going
to a pet store means there is a lot
of impulse buying.
“People just get something because its cute and cuddly, whether
they put any thought into it at all.
Pet stores will sell to pretty much
anyone,” said Richards. “(At) the
Humane Society we are a little bit
pickier as to where our animals go.
We are choosy to make sure people are making the right decision.”
Richards says a lot of the people who come into a shelter as
opposed to a pet store have done
their research on adopting and
taking care of a pet.
People want to rescue an animal that has had a really bad start,
and give them the deserving home
that they need.
“They have already been
through a home where they
weren’t wanted, or were abused or
neglected, and some people really
feel that those dogs kind of really
appreciate being given a second
chance,” said Richards.
The shelter has a wide selection
of animals that can satisfy anyone’s need for a pet. Having the
Humane Society provides a great
advantage to animals that are
waiting for a new loving home.
“If someone doesn’t want it,
then it’s not going to be treated
well,” said Richards. “We accept
animals for any reason. We know
if someone doesn’t want an animal, and they are forced to keep
that animal, a lot of the times that’s
when an animal becomes abused.
If you have to save an animal, you
save an animal. “
When it comes to adopting it
usually depends on the animal,
and depends on the person, and of
course, if they are serious about it.
“We don’t force anything on
anybody,” said Richards. “We try
to make the person and the pet
match up.” Depending on the individual animal and what their
needs are, the shelter is able to find
a suitable lifestyle match through
an interview process.
Richards says an adult cat that
is already fixed can be matched
well with someone who is retired
or working all day. A puppy will
need someone who has lots of
time for training and other issues,
and is financially able to afford vet
bills and other costs.
The Humane Society of Durham Region is affiliated with the
Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
It is the only organization in
Durham Region that can seize
and remove animals, by law, if
required.
When an animal comes to
the shelter it is provided medical
treatment, if needed, and fed and
cared for until a good home can
be found.
The Humane Society of Durham Region is not a service of
the city or region so it does not recieve any funding from provincal
or municipal agencies and operates solely on the generosity of the
public.
Edward Cullen is a name you should know
By Nicki Lamont
Chronicle Staff
Edward Cullen. If you don’t
know that name by now, then
your pop-culture knowledge is
lacking.
That’s the name of the title
character in the best selling book
and new blockbuster hit Twilight,
and object of Durham College
student Leah Dobson’s affection.
The frenzy Twilight has created has taken the movie industry
by storm; drawing a crowd of over
10, 000 fans to a Comic Con press
conference with the cast before
the movie even began to film.
Fans of the book from around
the world have transferred their
infatuation from print to reality,.
Taking their love for Stephenie
Meyer’s characters and shifting it
to the actors that play them in the
movie.
Second year advertising student Leah Dobson is one of those
fans.
On Nov. 12, Dobson traveled
to Chicago to join the 3000 other
Twilight fans in hopes to meet the
actor that plays Edward Cullen,
Robert Pattinson.
“When you’re reading the
book, it’s just so easy to picture
him (Pattinson) as Edward,” says
Dobson.
“So meeting him would really
be like meeting my favourite literature character of all times,” said
Dobson.
“If that means a nine hour
drive, then that’s what I had to
do.”
The meet and greet was held
in Hot Topic were the staff.
Many of Pattinsons own security team, ushered fans in 10 at a
time to meet Pattinson and get an
autograph.
Dobson was one of only 500
people that received a bracelet
for the Pattinson meet and greet,
but that didn’t stop others from
trying.
“Our phone didn’t stop ringing from the time we gave away
wristbands on Tuesday night to
the event on Wednesday,” says
Chicago Hot Topic manager
Chris Parker.
“People were desperate for
wristbands. When I heard someone came all the way from Canada, I couldn’t believe it. The movie
is exploding and it hasn’t even
been released yet.”
Like all the other fans that
showed up for the event, Dobson was left waiting for almost 6
hours in the rain before the mall
opened for the event.
But despite the cold, Dobson’s
welcoming in Chicago was very
warm.
“I had a sweatshirt on that said
‘Durham College, Canada’ on
it, and people couldn’t believe I
came all that way,” says Dobson.
“Reporters from local stations
were constantly asking me questions and sticking microphones
in my face,” said Dobson.
The whole time I just kept
thinking, ‘this is what Robert
must feel like’.”
In addition to the extra attention the Durham student received, she also lucked out with
free Twilight merchandise.
“There were a bunch of promo-
tions asking people really hard
questions and giving away prizes
to the people that got them right,”
says Dobson.
“But as soon as someone told
them I was from Canada, they
gave me a ton of stuff for free,”
said Dobson.
“I couldn’t believe how much
of a big deal it was that I was Canadian!”
Dobson stayed in the windy
city only for the meet and greet,
but she said the trip was well
worth it.
“When the movie comes out,
everyone will be there swooning
over the actor on the screen, but
I’ll be re-living our meeting, said
Dobson.
“I’d say that’s well worth a short
drive to America.”
34 The Chronicle
November 25, 2008
ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
Big Sexy brings the show
By Edith Zikmann
Chronicle Staff
What is being called one of the
biggest tours in Canadian history,
the Never Say Never Tour, kicked
off with a bang at the Big Sexy in
Oshawa Nov. 14.
The club was jam-packed with
hordes of fans there to see some
of their favourite artists, including
D12 and Royce da 5’9.
Obie Trice dropped out of the
tour and was replaced by Classified and Joe Budden, making the
show even bigger and better.
It was the first day of the tour
for local Canadian Hip-Hop Artist
Peter Jackson, who is set to accompany the tour for 10 days as it travels across Canada from Alberta,
Manitoba and B.C.
Opening acts included 9-0
Nickel, Mad Ill, General, GFive and
the Illish Fam, Tha Smugglerz and
High Def.
Jackson marked the day with
the release of his EP The Introduction, which he passed out to
the crowd of screaming fans. Fans
were pleased, gloating about the
free give-aways.
“Peter Jackson was off the hook,
I even got a free CD,” said Nathan
Lee, an attendee at the show.
“I started enjoying the show as
soon as Peter Jackson got on!” said
Conrad Lasecki who also attended
the show.
When Classified got on stage
the crowd went wild as fans
pushed to get as close as possible
By Krista Paxton
Chronicle staff
COOL FACTOR: Kid Vishis and Royce da 5’9 pose while live on stage at the
Big Sexy in Oshawa Nov. 14. Local rapper Peter Jackson promoted his new
EP “The Introduction” which he passed out for free.
to the rapper.
“Oh my God, I LOVE HIM!”
screamed one young fan.
“He is SO HOT!” screamed another.
Royce da 5’9 followed, drawing even more screams from the
crowd as he appeared on stage
with flashy jewelry, sunglasses
and a black graphic tee.
Altogether, fans were pleased
with the show,
“The show was great, a lot of big
acts. I had a lot of fun,” said Conrad
Lasecki.
The tale of the dancing queen
By Jamilah McCarthy
Chronicle Staff
With star quality that shines as
bright as her smile, it’s no wonder
the judges of So You Think You
Can Dance Canada instantly fell
in love with Tamina Pollack-Paris.
The gorgeous Toronto native, skyrocketed her way to the top 20 of
CTV’s newest hit show.
She’s only 19 and she stands at
a petite 5’3’’, but she evokes maturity through her dancing and attitude. Mary Murphy, a renowned
ballroom dancer and So You Think
You Can Dance judge, said Pollack-Paris is a star in her personality and that will get her far.
Her personality got her as far
as the top 16 out of thousands of
contestants who auditioned for a
chance to be on the show.
But Pollack-Paris isn’t just a
pretty face, and slim waist, who’s
fun to be around. She’s been working long and hard to pursue her
dream of dance.
The soft-spoken hip-hop dancer says, “I started taking serious
classes when I was eight. I love
expressing myself through music.”
Her true passion for dance could
be heard in her voice the more she
spoke.
Pollack-Paris who is of Jamaican and Vincentian descent, made
it to Toronto with ease on So You
Think You Can Dance Canada.
“ It was great because I was the
first person to get through. I was
nervous because nobody else was
getting through, she says.
On making it to the top 20 she
says, “ I was excited. It was surreal.
Everyone was so amazing. It was
an honour to represent Canadian
dancers, especially hip-hop dancers.”
She said the entire top 20 of So
You Think You Can Dance Canada
became a family. “Everyone was
positive. It didn’t have a competitive atmosphere.”
Her frame may be tiny but her
body is filled with talent. Besides
dancing, also sings and raps and is
currently working on an album.
She cites Janet Jackson and
the late great Aaliyah as her main
musical influences. “Janet has so
much presence, and Aaliyah, she
didn’t try too hard but she just had
it,” she says.
Though she’s truly dedicated
and devoted to creative arts she
has a plan B. Pollack-Paris is a
business student at Ryerson University and says,“ I know I have to
get a degree.”
Like most young adults, she’s
still finding herself. “Right now is
the moment I’m finding out what
I want to do,” she says.
She sees her experience on So
You Think You Can Dance Canada
as a stepping-stone for her career.
“It gives me credibility, and more
people get to see what I can do,
and you never know who’s watching,” she says.
The main thing she learned
from her experience on the show
is the importance of performing,
she says “As a dancer you have to
set yourself apart.”
Though she was eliminated
from the competition she will be
appearing on the So You Think
You Can Dance Canada finale in
December. She wants to thank all
her fans for the support they have
shown.
She says, “ I’m going to pursue
dancing because I love it.”
Pollack-Paris came a long way.
She worked hard and made it to
the top of a show that many Canadians can only dream to be a part
of.
She says, “In everything you’re
trying to do don’t lose yourself. Always remember who you are.”
Wales Christmas visits Oshawa
By Krista Paxton
Chronicle staff
Celebrate the holidays with an
evening of story and song as the
Toronto Welsh Male Choir performs in Oshawa on Nov. 29.
“Our program for this concert
includes carols, Welsh hymns,
spirituals and show tunes; something for everyone,” said choir
Award
winning
Irish
sound
member, Greg Brown.
This is the fourth time the choir
will perform in Oshawa, and this
year’s concert will feature CBC’s
Christopher Thomas.
“Our theme is A Child’s Christmas in Wales, which is a story written by Wales’ best-known poet Dylan Thomas,” said Brown.
Christopher Thomas will narrate the story, accompanied by the
choir.
The festivities will begin at 7:30
p.m. at Kingsview United Church.
Tickets are $20, and can be purchased from Brown at (905) 4345797 or Peter Williams at (905)
725-5032.
A portion of the proceeds will
be donated to the church, and the
remainder will go to a charity chosen by a former choir member.
A meet and greet with the choir
will follow the concert so audience
members can share their reactions.
“There is no official reception,
but traditionally choir members
greet audience members after the
concert,” said Brown. “We love to
hear how we sounded, and thankfully the responses are always
positive.”
Oshawa is going green for
the holidays as Irish musical
groups the Celtic Tenors and
the Irish Rovers perform at
the Regent Theatre.
The Celtic Tenors redefine
the tenor genre as they explore vocals in classical, folk
and pop music. Touring in
Europe, the Middle East and
North America to promote
their fifth Christmas album,
the award-winning group will
perform in Oshawa on Nov.
28 at 8 p.m.
The Irish Rovers, formed
in Toronto in 1963, have been
performing worldwide for
45 years. On Dec. 3 they will
perform traditional Irish ballads and jigs for audiences
in Oshawa, accompanied by
multi-instrumentalist Sean
O’Driscoll. Doors will open
at 7 p.m., and the show will
begin at 8 p.m.
Tickets for both groups
can be purchased from the
Regent Theatre box office
and online at www.RegentTheatre.ca or www.ticketmaster.ca. Group pricing is
available.
‘Shwa
dogs
hit the
stage
By Paul Bates
Chronicle Staff
The General Motors Centre will be going to the dogs
on Dec. 30 as the IAMS SuperDogs take to the arena
floor.
The SuperDogs are in their
32nd year and are consistently one of North America’s
most popular family events,
entertaining over 1 million
fans a year with upbeat music
and stunning tricks.
Tickets went onsale Thursday, Nov. 6 and are available
at the General Motors box
office, by phone at 1-877436-8811, and even online at
www.generalmotorscentre.
com
The Chronicle
November 25, 2008
35
36 The Chronicle
November 25, 2008
ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
Decimating Durham Region
By Cotey Paterson
Chronicle Staff
With an axe slung on his shoulder and a pick in his hand, Matt
Lamb cranked a knob on the
metal box he hauled from his bedroom. Green and red lights began
to dance across the machine’s face
and a familiar sound rang out from
Lamb’s weapon.
Swaying back and forth on the
hardwood floor of the living room
in his Oshawa home, he belted
out powerful riffs and distorted
sounds from his newly acquired
Dean Razorback V Explosion guitar as it rested against his plump
belly. Flames glistened on the vshaped instrument’s body while
Lamb’s fingers moved quickly and
effortlessly along its neck.
It was plain to see: whether jamming at home or wowing a crowd
from the stage with his band, Lamb
is at his best while shredding away
on a guitar.
“It’s pretty exciting having your
son in a band – watching the kids
in the mosh pit when the band
winds it up and when Matt goes
into a solo and the kids look at
each other saying holy shit,” said
Dave Lamb. “That’s the ultimate.”
And whether raising $6,000
for the family of a local cancer patient at a benefit or keeping a song,
Bringer of Pain, at No. 1 on Hardside radio, an American station,
for six months, his listeners always
go home happy.
“I had got a chance to see
Matt play in a concert and I was
amazed,” said Jason Hart, friend
and co-worker of Lamb’s father.
“It wouldn’t surprise me if he becomes one of the greats. It also
helps that he is a super nice kid.”
Lamb, 19, has taken part in several metal/rock bands in the last
4.5 years, usually as lead guitarist, but sometimes playing drums.
With his humble musical beginnings, Lamb’s family and friends
were shocked at how fast he was
able to pick up on the guitar at 15
years old.
His passion for music started to
become more serious during his
three-year term with Atomicy; a
metal band that recently broke up.
But while they were together, they
scored a number of successes.
“I was searching the net one
time and typed in Atomicy just
to see, and on this metal encyclopedia there was this big fan page
made of us with pictures and all
By Liisa Sahamies
Chronicle Staff
Photo by Cotey Paterson
WEAPON IN HAND: Musician Matt Lamb plays his new guitar in his Oshawa home.
Lamb is the guitarist, song writer and co-creator of local band Decimator.
our info,” he said. “And I looked
and it was a guy from Germany
that did it, and later on it was updated by a guy from Poland.”
Atomicy recorded some demos and a self-titled CD, which the
band funded themselves. They
played “too many shows to count”
and were huge at The Dungeon
and Le Skratch in Oshawa, said
Lamb.
“One guy took a stage dive at
one of the shows I was playing
– he took a dive off the stage to
do crowd surfing and everybody
moved,” he said, laughing. “He just
went face first into the floor and
lied there for a while.”
They also played in Toronto a
few times and opened for Brown
Brigade, Dave Baksh’s band. Baksh
was in the Ajax group, Sum 41, until May 2006.
After Atomicy broke up, Lamb
knew he needed a new project,
which became Decimator.
“There were these two kids, the
bassist Damien and the guitarist
Keedron,” he said. “And they used
to come down to the Atomicy
shows all the time ‘cause they were
big fans of what we were doing.”
About three months ago, the
guys got together for a jam session
and it sparked their creativity; they
realized it could work. They wanted to go for the old thrash metal
style, like Metallica, and avoid the
overused death metal and hardcore sound.
Damien Johnston and Keedron
Wright decided to dissolve the
group they had, Murder of Millions, and along with Lamb and
their drummer, Brandon Cox, created Decimator.
Lamb has written most of the
material for the band, but says everyone contributes, so the songs
are better. The group started with
songs he wrote before joining, and
now he and Cox write most of the
material.
“Brandon’s really good at putting beats to anything. I call him
the beat master – the walking drum
machine,” Lamb said through his
scruffy beard and long black hair.
He describes their sound as
southern blues and rock mixed
with metal. “Grungy hard-rockish
metal with the groove of Pantera
and some heavier shit, like Slayer.”
After a few free shows, they
recorded a demo on Nov. 8 and
9. But an integral part of the band
was and still is missing: a singer
and potential front man, which
they are fervently trying to locate
so they can play more shows and
release a full CD.
Lamb says they want someone
who can motivate the crowd while
singing clearly. He’s looking for a
voice akin to Phil Anselmo of Pantera or James Hetfield of Metallica.
Like all musicians, Lamb hopes
to make it big in the future, perform his music for people around
the world and “see lots of titties.”
Lamb’s goals may be great, but
many believe he can do it.
“Watching him grow and expand his musical interests over the
years has been great. From ‘can I
borrow money for a pick’ to ‘hey
dad, look at the Razorback V I just
bought’,” said Lamb’s father. “To
me, having a son in a band is one
of life’s greatest treasures.”
Indy band cranks out good time
By Paul Bates
Chronicle Staff
In 2006 The Dunes released
their debut album called Socializing with Life, a blend of melodic ballads and hard hitting drum
beats.
Kevin Pullen, rhythm guitarist
for the band as well as the lead
singer formed the band because
he has a love of music.
The band was formed from
word of mouth and friends in and
Oshawa
joins fight
against
AIDS
around Toronto.
The other members of the
band are lead guitarist Alistair
Heath, drummer Paul Barry, and
bassist John Dolinar.
The music flows on catchy
lyrics and good beats and to me
has a slightly similar sound to U2
vocally and maybe even a bit of
David Bowie, from the melodic
‘Sunflower Eyes’ and soft almost
haunting ‘Hurry Up’ to the heavy
thumping drums in the intro
of ‘Do It All The Time’ and ‘Rio
Grande”.
Most of the songs on this album to me have a bit of a angle
of dealing with all the different
things that happen in life, this is
best expressed is in the words
of Kevin Pullen when he spoke
about the meaning of the song
Hurry Up.
”it’s working toward something in your life, and you can see
it, but as the lyrics say it’s kind of
far away in the distance, but every day you are getting closer to it
and you just want it to hurry up.”
The band has promoted the
album across not only Canada
but they have also done a small
European tour as well as having
their music sell on their myspace
page.
The album leaves fans wanting more as the disc only lasts a
mere 45 minutes but if you ever
get the chance to see a Dunes
concert, whether it be in a small
nightclub like El Macambo, or a
larger venue like the Molson Indy
you are in for a good show from a
top notch Canadian Indy Band at
the head of its game.
This year will mark the 20th
anniversary of World AIDS
day. On Dec. 1 individuals and organizations from
around the world are getting
together to address the global
AIDS pandemic. Durham
Region’s AIDS Committee
is welcoming everyone to
join the celebration of World
AIDS Day in Oshawa and
Pickering. This support can
contribute to fight against the
global pandemic.
At 3 p.m. at 22 King St. W,
Suite 202, there will be an
open house where anyone
can tour the offices. There
will also be a silent auction
with jewellery and art pieces
to raise funds for the International Project with the municipal committee for AIDS
prevention in Puerto Vallarta,
Mexico.
At 7 p.m. Peter Richtig, executive director of the AIDS
Committee of Durham Region, will be giving a speech
when the vigil begins at St.
Paul’s on the Hill Anglican
Church, 882 Kingston Rd.,
Pickering.
“There will be fairly important people there, for a fairly
important cause,” said Richtig.
Students,
give blood
By Liisa Sahamies
Chronicle Staff
The Canadian Blood Services
are asking for a simple gift for
someone who needs it. On Thursday, Dec.4 the blood services will
be at St. Gregory’s Auditorium, 194
Simcoe St., Oshawa for those who
want to donate blood.
Carole Legault, a registered
nurse, encourages students to donate because if every student did,
it would bring up their numbers
significantly.
“It’s a good way to get long-time
and lifetime donors,” said Legault.
She also said students are generally healthier and on less medication.
“Every time you donate it helps
save three lives.”
There are many dates and
many locations available for those
who don’t want to travel. Just call
1-888-2-DONATE or 1-888-2366283 to book an appointment and
help someone in need.
Every minute of every day
someone in Canada needs blood.
According to a poll, the Canadian
Blood Services said, 52 per cent
of Canadians say either they or
a family member have needed
blood or blood products for medical treatment or surgery.
The Chronicle
November 25, 2008
37
38 The Chronicle
November 25, 2008
The Chronicle
SPORTS
November 25, 2008
39
Lords lose consolation game
By Ryan Joseph
Chronicle Staff
The Durham Lady Lords basketball team ended the Big 8 tournament on Nov. 14 and 15, with a
66-63 overtime loss to the George
Brown Huskies in the consolation
semi-finals.
After an 11 a.m. tip-off on Saturday, the Lords found themselves
trailing 23-13 with 8:57 left in half
one. However, the Lords stepped
up their play, going on a 19-5 run
to end the half with a 31-26 lead.
“We got back into the game by
executing our game plan,” said
head coach Tim Baulk.
The second half was a see-saw
battle with each team exchanging
the lead. In the last minute of the
second half the Lords held a 55-54
lead with 34.3 seconds left. Timeout Huskies.
The Huskies got the ball at half
court, and off the in-bound they
fired up a quick shot that rimmed
out. A battle for the ball took place
under the basket, and Kamilia Issac of the Huskies came away
with the ball and laid it up for two
points. Huskies led 56-55 with 13
second left.
Erin Emery pushed the ball up
the court, with Baulk yelling timeout. Durham was granted their
time-out with 3.7 seconds left. After the time-out, Emery in-bounded the ball from the left baseline,
firing a pass to Jessica Newton.
She drove aggressively to the basket, where she was fouled with less
than a second left.
The first free throw rolled
around the rim and fell out. Newton drained the second free throw,
tying the game at 56, and sending
it to overtime.
“I am happy for Jessica because
she hit one of two free throws,” said
Baulk.
Overtime was just like the second half with each team trading
the lead. The Lords were trailing
64-6l when Kim Slack drove aggressively to the basket, making a
layup while being fouled, cutting
the deficit to 64-63. She missed the
free throw that would have tied the
game. The Lords didn’t regain the
lead again, and they were defeated
by three points.
Erin Emery and Jill Leistra
led the Lords in scoring with 16
points each. Freshman Samantha
Jansen and Jessica Newton had
strong games, scoring 10 and 11
points respectively. Jessica Boyd
led the Huskies with a game-high
17 points.
After the game Baulk said his
players need to improve their
conditioning. “Poor conditioning
caused them to turn over the ball,”
he said.
Baulk said the team needs to
work on their free throw shooting
as well. The Lords went 12 for 24
from the line.
In the consolation finals the
Jamestown Jayhawks defeated the
Huskies 57-37.
The Sheridan Bruins won the
tournament by defeating the Fan-
shawe Falcons 70-38 in the championship game. Nakia Arthur led
the Bruins with a game-high 16
points. She was named tournament MVP.
Tournament stars were Stephanie Casperzik and Alison Griffiths
from Fanshawe, Jeralyn Espiritu
from Sheridan, Kari Barmore from
Jamestown, and Brenda Carachure from George Brown.
The Lords opened the tournament with a loss by to the Humber
Hawks 85-67. The Lords fell behind 12-3 early in the game. They
eventually tied the game at 22 with
12:54 left.
However, the rest of the half belonged to the Hawks as they went
on a 25-3 run. The Lords trailed
47-25 at half time.
“We just stopped playing,” said
Baulk.
“We needed someone to step
up,” said Lords guard Nytasha Galick.
In the second half the Lords
outscored the Hawks 42-38, but
the damage had been done. “Mentally tough teams will play all 40
minutes,” Baulk said.
Emery, Newton, and Leistra
combined to score 41 of the 67
Lords points. Kaitlyn Paulley led
the Hawks, netting a game-high 24
points.
After the tournament Baulk
was optimistic that his team can
win. “We need everyone to step
up, otherwise we are in trouble,”
he said.
The next game for the Lords
Photo by Ryan Joseph
OVERTIME LOSS: Jill Leistra of Durham drives past her
defender during the Big 8 tournament on Nov. 14-15.
was in Ottawa against the Algonquin Thunder on Nov. 22. Results
for the game weren’t available at
press time.
The Lords’ next home game is
Dec. 2 against the St. Lawrence Vikings. Tip-off is 6 p.m.
Tough times for Ridgeback boys
Team
loses two
straight
By Lauren Thomas
Chronicle Staff
The UOIT Ridgebacks men’s
hockey team hit the road for Windsor to sadly return home with two
hard-fought losses.
Battling the Windsor Lancers
on Friday, Nov. 14 the Ridgebacks
fell a disappointing 5-3 and would
follow the weekend up with a 5-4
loss on Saturday, bringing their
season record to 2-6-1.
The men had a rough two periods in Friday’s game as they went
into the third period trailing 4-0.
Forwards Josh Vatri and Tony Rizzi
would bring some action for the
Ridgebacks and score two goals
in the first five minutes of the third
period. Ridgeback captain Richard
Power assisted both goals.
The Lancers scored their last
goal of the period at 9:47, bringing
their lead to 5-2. Forward Nathan
Spaling narrowed the score to its
final 5-3 with his goal, assisted by
Rizzi and Mike Noyes.
The Ridgebacks came out
strong for Saturday’s game and
ended the first period down 2-1 on
a goal by Rizzi, his second of the
weekend and third of the year.
Going into the third period 4-3,
with goals scored by Vatri and
Chris Lowe, his first of the year,
the Ridgebacks fought hard and
dominated the third period. Spaling scored the Ridgebacks’ last
goal of the weekend, ending the
game 5-4.
“I thought we should have
swept and got four points,” said
Ridgebacks head coach Marlin Muylaert. “Three disallowed
goals… the referee blatantly blew
the calls.”
Muylaert’s reference to the
Ridgebacks’ disallowed goals was
a sore spot of the weekend. The
team had two goals called back on
Friday night and were on the receiving end of a tough call on Saturday when a referee disallowed
what could have been a win-deciding goal. The puck had crossed
into the Lancers’ net when a Lancer player hammered a Ridgeback
player into the goal, knocking the
net off.
“It’s disheartening,” commented
Muylaert. “We’ve been playing so
well… everybody’s performance is
getting better.”
The men have yet to win a game
on the road so far this season but
Muylaert feels it’s all part of the
process for the young team.
Photo by Lauren Thomas
MAKING MOVES: Assistant Captain Brent Varty dekes by a Windsor defenceman at
the Ridgebacks Friday Nov. 14 game, the first of the double-header.
40 The Chronicle
November 25, 2008
SPORTS NEWS
UFC fighter takes on E.P. Taylor’s
By Jonnel Briscoe
Chronicle Staff
Brandon Vera, a renowned Ultimate Fight Club fighter graced the
UOIT/DC campus with his presence on Saturday Nov. 15. Even
though he wasn’t fighting he drew
a decent crowd.
Vera attended the UFC pay per
view event at E.P Taylor’s on Saturday. It was the first sit in at the Pub
and the servers had a busy night.
Even though he didn’t stay to
watch the match up, he started the
night with an autograph signing
and photograph session with his
fans.
He has inspired people as
young as 6 years old to want to be
a UFC Champion when they are
older.
Kolton Moore, 6, has already
started training with his father on
the speed bag and heavy bag. His
parents said that he has been into
the sport for about a year now and
he’s training in hopes of one day
becoming a fighter.
The boy wasted no time hopping on the table and indulging in
a stare down with the fighter.
The 31-year-old UFC lightweight fighter has inspired many
people and he said his inspiration
to be a fighter was a dream.
“It was a dream I had,” said Vera.
“I just had a dream one day to be
a champion, to be rich and to be
famous.”
He has been a fighter in the
UFC since 2002, and he said his
hardest fight was his last fight with
Keith Jardine, another renowned
Photo by Jonnel Briscoe
PUT ‘EM UP: UFC fighter Brandon Vera and 6-year-old Kolton Moore doing a staredown at the pub. Vera was there for an autograph and photo session.
UFC fighter. “I hit him hard a few
times but he wouldn’t go down,”
said Vera. He said he was an amazing fighter and it was hard to beat
him.
Vera said one of his inspirations to become a fighter was from
watching any Rocky videos.
First times can be a scary thing
for many people including fighters. Vera described his first fight
as, “nerve-racking ”. He said he was
pumped and his heart was racing
but he went into the ring and gave
it his all.
He won via KO midway through
the second round against Fabiano
Scherner. “It felt like a dream, like it
wasn’t real,” he said.
People have different ways to
get ready and pumped for a presentation, or public appearance.
Vera said he doesn’t do anything.
“I do pray before all my fights,” he
says. But other than that he has
nothing he does that gets him
pumped and in the zone. Some
fighters listen to their favourite
song and Vera’s favourite song
is Marvin Gaye- Let’s get it on. “I
know it’s way back there,” he jokes.
“But it’s my favourite.”
Another thing he loves is the
milkshakes from Toronto. Vera
is from California and he says he
hates the cold, but he loves Canada. Despite the cold, the milkshakes keep him coming back.
“I don’t know what it is,” he said
with an immense smile. “But the
milkshakes are so good.”
Vera is currently renegotiating
his contract with the UFC so he is
unsure when his next fight will be.
He showed a lot of love for his
fans as he signed and took autographs for two hours straight.
There was a little break in between
when he stepped aside to take a
picture for his promoters.
After the autographs and pictures, Vera headed out to Toronto.
There were no answers on what
he was doing there, but you might
guess he was getting another milkshake.
The night ended with a pay per
view of the main UFC event. It was
veteran fighter, Randy Couture,
verses Brock Lesner, another veteran in the sport.
Before the fight, the crowd in
the slowly started to grow. It was
packed.
Lesner ultimately took the
championship belt. He won via KO
and the crowd went bananas.
For more pictures visit the
MMA Depot group at www.facebook.com.
Who is Brandon Vera? UFC fights for
Ontario rights
By Edith Zikmann
Chronicle Staff
Ultimate Fighter Championship’s light heavyweight fighter
Brandon Vera paid a visit to E.P.
Taylor’s Nov. 15 to sign autographs and mingle with fans.
Wearing a black maple leaf
T-shirt and jeans, Vera took photographs with students, signing
cards distributed by the Student
Association.
The autograph signing was a
prelude to E.P. Taylor’s pay-perview UFC 91 event where Randy
Couture went head-to-head with
UFC sensation Brock Lesnar.
Vera offered some advice
for inspiring mixed-martial arts
fighters,
SIGN AWAY: Durham College student Tim Steadman
“Go find a good school to train gets an autograph from UFC fighter Brandon Vera.
at and go compete in some local
tournaments first before you de- you look like in those jeans, I’ll smile.
cide to go into an event.”
tell you the truth!” he said with a
Vera made his UFC debut
Vera, being the perfectionist mischievous smirk.
at Ultimate Fight Night 2 in Octhat he is, took his time to careVera was impressed with the tober of 2005 against Fabiano
fully write out autographs for turnout and atmosphere of the Scherner. Vera knocked Schernfans, making sure names were school.
er out halfway through the secspelled properly, and when
“This is a cool-ass student ond round.
the autograph didn’t look good centre!” he said as he looked
Afterwards he went on to fight
enough, he’d crumple it up and around.
Justin Eilers at UFC 57, winning
start all over again.
“Y’all sell beer here too?” early in the first round by knockVera is also a flirt, explaining asked Vera.
out. At UFC 60, Vera defeated
why he’s nicknamed The Truth,
“That’s ridiculous! Only in Assuerio Silva with a guillotine
“Because if you ask me what Canada!” he added with a big choke.
UFC
illegal in
Ontario
By Tabitha Olliffe
Chronicle Staff
Mixed Martial Arts, or MMA, is
known all over the world and has
a huge fan base in North America,
including Ontario, however it is
currently illegal in Ontario.
The Ultimate Fighting Champion (UFC) is trying to bring MMA
to Ontario so that fans can enjoy
a live fight in their own province,
said Marc Ratner, a UFC representative.
MMA is legal in the United
States and in Quebec, Alberta
and Nova Scotia. The reason it is
not legal in Ontario is because
every province has its own way
of interpreting laws and Ontario
interprets the law differently than
Quebec.
“The laws are interpreted in dif-
ferent ways in Canada, but it is the
same law in Ontario that’s in Quebec, just interpreted differently,”
said Ratner.
UFC has brought one of their
events to Montreal and made over
$5 million. More than 22,000 fans
went to the event to watch two
fighters battle it out for a chance
to win the title of one of the greatest fighters. The event in Montreal
broke the record for attendance in
North America, encouraging UFC
to bring their fights to Toronto.
“We are working to have MMA
in Ontario legalized and would
love to bring a show to Toronto,”
said Ratner.
Fans like Jesse Bacon and Jason
Adair can’t wait for UFC to come
to Ontario so they can watch their
favourite fighter Forest Griffin live.
“I can’t wait to see Griffin fight.
It is something I have wanted to do
since Griffin started fighting and
since I got into UFC,” said Bacon, a
26-kyear-old from Oshawa.
Bacon and Adair hope that
UFC will not give up the battle of
bringing UFC to Ontario.
“We will keep working and
pushing to come to Toronto,” said
Ratner.
The Chronicle
November 25, 2008
SPORTS NEWS
Oshawa Generals aim to win
By Brady Doyle
Chronicle Staff
The Oshawa Generals continued their strong play at the
General Motors Centre, winning
both of their games during a mini
weekend home stand, Nov. 14-16,
to remain in the hunt in the closely
contested Eastern Conference
standings.
Following a 10-2 loss to Peterborough Nov. 6, the Generals
have tightened up their play defensively and have only allowed
seven goals in their last five games,
winning four of them, and now sit
in sole possession of fifth place in
the Eastern Conference with an
11-11-0-1 season record.
In front of nearly 4,700 jubilant home fans, Oshawa dominated play for most of the game
against the Sarnia Sting Nov. 14,
posting a 4-1 victory. The Generals set the tone early with several
furious body checks and seamless
breakouts, forcing the Sting back
on their heels and into the penalty
box. There was a collective sigh of
relief from the 4,663 people in attendance after Generals captain,
leading scorer and potential NHL
entry draft first overall pick, John
Tavares, returned to the ice for a
power play chance unscathed after drawing a high-sticking doubleminor. The speedy forward made
his offensive prowess known early,
controlling the puck as if he had it
Photo by Brady Doyle
WAIT FOR IT...: Oshawa Generals captain John Tavares
battles with a Sarnia Sting defender in Oshawa’s 4-1
victory on Nov. 14.
on a string and peppering Sting
goaltender Dan Spence with shots
before Generals centreman Brett
Parnham was able to get his stick
on a Tavares wrister from the slot
to tip-in the game’s first goal. The
play stood after a lengthy review
to see if Parnham’s stick was under
the crossbar at the time it made
contact with the puck.
Oshawa kept up the strong play
in the second period, once again
setting the tone for the period with
strong checks in every zone and
several key faceoff wins to gain
control of the play.
Defenceman Michael Del
Zotto tallied the Generals’ second
goal, tapping in a beautiful Tavares
cross-crease pass just as Oshawa’s
power play expired. Shortly after
Generals goalie Neil Conway held
the two-goal advantage with an
incredible save, diving backwards
from post-to-post to rob a Sarnia
offender with his blocker after losing his stick into the corner, Parnham scored his second goal of the
evening. Offsetting penalties led
to four-on-four play and Oshawa
took advantage of the extra time
and space, controlling the play
in the Sarnia end, and Parnham
tapped in a loose puck in alone in
front of the net to increase the lead
to 3-0 heading into the final frame.
Oshawa kept up the physical
play in the third period and didn’t
allow Sarnia any sort of chance to
have extended play in the Oshawa
zone, quickly transitioning any
loose puck into a breakout and offensive chance.
At 16:14 of the third period,
Sarnia broke Conway’s shutout
bid while Oshawa centreman Jeff
Brown served an instigator penalty after a lengthy bout with Sting
winger Matt Martin.
That would be as close as the
Sting would come as Parnham
iced the game with his third goal
of the evening into an empty net in
the final minute of the game. Tava-
41
res drew his third assist on the goal
and Del Zotto tallied the other assist to bring his game total to one
goal, two assists. Conway turned
away 28 shots to earn his third win
of the year.
On Nov. 16 the Generals hosted the Kingston Frontenacs and
earned another hard-fought victory, turning a second straight
strong goaltending performance
from Conway into a 3-1 victory.
After a scoreless first period,
Del Zotto continued his recent
hot streak, scoring his fourth of the
season early in the second. Tavares followed up five minutes later
with his 17th goal of the season and
Oshawa entered the third period
leading 2-0 despite trailing 19-14
in shots and being penalized four
times to Kingston’s zero.
Twenty-nine seconds into the
third, Oshawa got their first power play chance and converted to
stretch the lead to 3-0. Right winger James DeLory notched his first
of the season from Tavares and
Parnham.
Fifty-one seconds away from
his second shutout of the season,
Conway allowed a shorthanded
goal to bring the final score to 3-1
and giving Conway his fourth win.
Generals forward Kory Nagy had
two assists on the night. Tavares’
goal and assist in the game pushed
his season totals to 17 goals and 19
assists and his 36 points rank him
third in the league.
42 The Chronicle
November 25, 2008
SPORTS NEWS
Ridgeback women lose
two straight at home
Lions
and Gaels
victorious
By Paul Bates
Chronicle Staff
Photo by Stephanie Pollard
LORDS VICTORIOUS: Lords players Mandi Doris (right)
and Amanda Falcon get ready for the rally against
Georgian College on Nov. 13.
Lords women defeat
Georgian Grizzlies
By Stephanie Pollard
Chronicle Staff
The Durham Lords women’s
volleyball team played an impressive game when they beat the
Georgian Grizzlies (25-22, 25-21,
25-23) in the campus varsity gym
on Nov. 13. Durham has made
some changes to its game plan,
and it seems to be working.
In the first set the Lords were
in control of the game, communicating with each other, allowing
them to execute plays that maintained their service much longer
and earned more points. Durham
was also organized, falling into position with little or no confusion
in time to respond to Georgian’s
serve. However, their strength did
not last.
The Lords had a slow start in the
second set, but managed to come
back with a three-point lead just
before their loss of service. Some
of the Lords’ old habits started to
creep into the game but the assistant coach quickly called timeouts
to keep the team focused. In spite
of the bad start the Lords were
able to beat the Grizzlies and keep
the momentum into the third set.
They were able to start the set
with a two-point lead. The defence
was solid, the offence was powerful
and the Lords also played a game
where they outsmarted the Grizzlies. Amanda Falzon scored 12
points and Kristen Conner scored
10 points, but Lords veteran and
captain Mandi Doris played an
excellent game, scoring 17 points,
her best performance of the season. One part of the game that she
and the other Lords players have
been working on is defence.
“We actually work on defence
a lot because we’re not a very big
team so we need to work on that
to make it perfect,” she said.
The Lords’ next home game will
be on Nov. 20 when they face the
Loyalist Lancers.
The Ridgebacks women’s hockey squad dropped another pair
of games, on Nov. 14 against the
York Lions and Nov. 15 against the
Queen’s Gaels. Both games were
played at the Campus Ice Centre.
The game against the York Lions was a 4-1 defeat for the Ridgebacks that saw the team fall asleep
midway through the first period,
allowing the Lions to score three
goals in a span of four minutes.
This helped lead to the Ridgebacks decision to pull goalie
Emma Thompson and replace her
with Carleigh Taggart.
The Ridgebacks would come
out strong in the second as they
tried to get back in the game. The
period went scoreless until late,
when York scored a shorthanded
goal to put them up 4-0.
The third saw only one goal during the whole 20 minutes, which
was scored by Rikki Palmateer.
Unfortunately, this was the only
goal the Ridgebacks would get as
they were outshot 39-17.
The Ridgebacks did not fare
much better the next night as they
faced the Queen’s Gaels in what
would be a 3-1 loss.
Both teams in this game skated
competitively through a scoreless
first with the only action being one
penalty each.
The second period saw the
Ridgebacks limp along as the
Gaels scored three goals to set the
score going into the third at 3-0.
Photo by Paul Bates
ONLY GOAL: Rikki Palmateer of the Ridgebacks nets
her second goal the season during the Ridgebacks 4-1
loss to York.
UOIT came out strong in the
third, outshooting the Gaels 12-5,
but could only muster one goal,
which came from captain Megan
Friel on a power play. It was the
only goal they would get in the
game.
The schedule called for UOIT
to face the Brock Badgers on Nov.
22. Since facing UOIT last Brock
has a record of 5-2-1. UOIT was
scheduled to face the University of
Guelph Nov. 23.
The Chronicle
November 25, 2008
43
SPORTS NEWS
A passion for coaching soccer
By Andrew Huska
Chronicle Staff
One thing is clear about the
Lords’ men’s soccer team head
coach Stan Bombino: soccer is his
life.
He just wrapped up his 11th
season as head coach of the Lords
outdoor team. During his tenure
the Lords won an OCAA bronze
medal in 1999. He’s also coached
the men’s indoor team for seven
years.
Away from the school he contributes to the continuing development of the game.
He was the Technical Director
in charge of player and coaching
development for the Durham Region for four years.
“This year I wanted a change
and now I’m up in Peterborough
in the same capacity,” Bombino
said.
His work with provincial and
national soccer also allowed him
to meet international coaches and
players.
“Back in 1994 I was with the
German National Soccer team
during their preparation for the
World Cup in the States,” he said.
“And I was able to meet a lot of the
superstars and coaches.”
Bombino also became good
friends with the former Scottish national coach Craig Brown.
That friendship opened doors for
Bombino and he would go to international soccer symposiums
and run coaching clinics.
His work made him a very wellknow figure in soccer circles.
“It doesn’t matter where we go,
there’s always someone that has
a soccer question and recognizes
me” he said.
The native of Grimaldi, Italy
came to Canada when he was four,
and he grew up in a soccer household.
“My Dad came [to Canada] in
IN HIS ZONE: Lords men’s soccer head coach Stan Bombino has been into soccer
for a long time. He just wrapped up his 11th season as the outdoor coach.
1952,” Bombino said. “In 1956 he
helped start the Motor City Soccer League, soccer’s always been
in our lives. My uncle played semiprofessionally in Italy.”
While soccer has been in his
life for a long time, he wasn’t born
playing it.
“I started playing soccer late,”
said Bombino. “I didn’t start playing soccer until I was 11 years old.
I had been playing baseball prior
to that and playing hockey. And
then I went with a cousin to soccer
and I said sure I’ll try it.
The coach liked what he saw
and I’ve been playing ever since.”
When Bombino first came to
Durham College in the 1970s as
a business administration student
his prowess on the pitch was well
known.
“My reputation preceded me,”
he said. “Vaso [Vujanovic] knew I
was coming and he didn’t waste
any time asking me to play.”
He had quite the career with
the Lords. In 1977-78 he led the
OCAA in scoring in men’s soccer.
However the caliber of play wasn’t
the same as it is today.
“On the whole team of 16 players we had about five guys who actually played the game so the strategy was, give me the ball and I’ll do
the rest,” remembered Bombino.
He said that he acted as a player/coach throughout his playing
days.
Bombino said that playing here
at Durham was great because of
the atmosphere, he was also well
known throughout the OCAA especially during that 1977-78 year
when the Lords went to the provincials.
“I remember the first year we
went to the provincials,” he said. “A
couple of players approached me
from the other colleges, the bigger colleges and said, so you’re the
top goal scorer, you don’t look like
much.
So I said well looks don’t mean
anything, so the next day I put
three goals past them.”
Winning the scoring title was
his best soccer memory; his worst
came later on when as head coach
of the Lords.
In 2000 the Lords were on their
way to a national championship,
but fate intervened and stopped
them from taking the top prize.
A player with Centennial College had gone around and said
he played for Bombino as a professional in the Canadian Professional Soccer League, while at the
same time playing in OCAA. This
sparked an investigation.
“I had some players who played
for me in the [Canadian] Professional Soccer League who were
deemed ‘professional by name,”
said Bombino.
“We had the best team in
Canada then and they took all our
points away, and that’s when we
couldn’t advance.”
However the incident set a
precedent for the college soccer.
Now players who played professionally can play in the OCAA but
they must sign as an amateur.
Away from the field Bombino
enjoys spending time with his family. His two sons Ryan and Evan
both played competitive soccer.
His favourite professional team
is Juventes F.C. the most successful
team in the history of Italian soccer. His favourite players are Paolo
Rossi and Brazillian legend Pele.
Back on campus he would like
some changes for the future.
“I want like to turn this college
into the development area for Durham soccer,” Bombino said.
He said schools like Algonquin
in Ottawa have great feeder teams
in the area and it allows them to
constantly bring in top players.
But even though Durham might
not have developmental systems
and massive player bases like other schools there is still success.
“For us to be doing what we’ve
been doing all these years, we do
pretty good,” said Bombino.
Parents taking fun out of sports
By Cotey Paterson
Chronicle Staff
The puck drops and a child
joins the mob of tiny players
waddling across the ice to fetch
it while using his stick to stay upright. Over the years, the boy gets
stronger, faster and more attuned
to the game, but his goal remains
the same: to have fun.
Eventually the child is the star
play of his team and his parents’
expectations rise. The boy’s father
yells and screams when he misses
a shot or mucks up a play, so he
decides to give up on hockey altogether.
Organized sports are a great
way for children to get exercise,
make friends and have fun. But
some parents can take their kid’s
sport too far, which only hurts the
child and takes the fun out of the
game.
With hockey being a huge sport
in Canada, many people look to it
as a main source of parental aggression in games. Some parents
expect too much, push their children too hard and take out their
anger on coaching staff and referees.
Dr. Anthony Fiore, a psychologist, marital therapist and anger
management trainer in California, encourages parents to control
their emotions before, during and
after an event.
“Being an overly involved parent, one that allows his or her
emotions to play through the child
or child’s activity, can be unhealthy
for both the parent and the child,”
he said.
One mother, Laura Fraser,
whose daughter plays girls hockey
in Oshawa, feels the same way
about overly aggressive parents.
“From the sidelines, they act as
though it were them playing and
not their child,” she said. “They
also take out their frustrations on
the coaches and the refs.”
Tammy Broad, who was part
of the Oshawa Girls Hockey executive board, thinks parents can
get too vocal at games and try to
coach from the sidelines.
“I was at my daughter’s hockey
game and one of the parents kept
yelling at the ref because he felt the
ref was making bad calls,” she said.
“The ref had to stop the game and
ask the parent to leave. He would
not continue the game until the
parent left.”
This new ability given to referees is part of the Ontario Minor
Hockey Association’s Speakout
policy, which was created June
27, 1998 and revised in December
2005.
The policy was created to promote positive behaviour in hockey
and stop abuse, harassment and
bullying in the game by parents,
coaching staff and players. The
Ontario Women’s Hockey Association follows a similar policy of
the same name.
It is mandatory for all coaching
staff, but not parents or players, to
take the Speakout course before
being involved in minor hockey.
While the policy has raised
awareness of the issue, it hasn’t
eliminated the over-the-top parents.
“Some people are too hardcore
on their own child, yelling at them
‘cause they’re not good enough
even when they are,” said 19-yearold Alyssa Cooper, who is going to
hairdressing school in January.
Cooper, who has played hockey in Oshawa most of her life and
seen out of control parents for herself, feels parents may be taking
out their own frustration at their
child’s game.
Others, like Annette Henry, former president of the Oshawa Girls
Hockey Association, who has a
son and daughter in hockey, feel
parents are not involved in their
kid’s sport enough. But she does
recognize the issue.
“At a hockey game in a Bradford
tournament in 1995 – the boys
were seven years old – they were
playing the home team and my
son received a body contact penalty. He actually fell into the opposing player and they both went
down,” she explained.
“The fathers from the home
team went over to the penalty box
and were yelling at him (my son),
so my husband, and the other fathers from our team, went over
and had to stand there and guard
him from the fathers of the other
team.”
Where is all this anger coming from? Why can’t the parents
enjoy the game as much as their
children do?
“Some people think that their
children, who are a reflection on
themselves, can do no wrong, and
when they (the children) get penalized or hurt, the parents take it
personally,” said Fraser.
Henry believes the intensity of
the game brings out the worst in
some parents.
“Sometimes it is the opposing
fans and other times it’s a play that
they think their child should have
made, but didn’t,” she said.
All parties agree: the most important aspect of the game is for
children to have fun and get exercise.
Henry feels parents should always have something good to say
about how their child played regardless of the game’s outcome.
Fraser believes it is important
for parents to stress to their children that it is only a game.
“More parents need to volunteer instead of criticizing from
the sidelines,” said Broad. “They
always seem to find fault in how
organizations are run, but never
point out the positive stuff.”
44 The Chronicle
November 25, 2008
The Chronicle
SPORTS NEWS
November 25, 2008
45
Lords volleyball Hockey captain Power
powers Ridgebacks
stings Seneca
By Stephanie Pollard
Chronicle Staff
The women’s Lords volleyball
team returned from North York
with their second consecutive
OCAA conference win when
they beat the Seneca Sting on
Nov. 18 by scores of 20-25, 2512, 25-17, 25-18.
The Lords lost the first set to
Seneca 20-25, but they came
back fighting and took the next
three sets.
Hitter Kristen Conner had a
good game, making 14 kills.
Along with the game she also
had a good start to the season,
as she is in the top 10 in the East
Region with 70 points this year.
Team captain Mandi Doris
also had a good game, scoring
seven kills and three blocks.
She is currently second in
the East Region with 21 blocks
this year.
Amanda Falzon led the Lords
defensively with 17 digs.
Wrestling superstars
rumble into Oshawa
By Asmahan Garrib
Chronicle Staff
Let’s get ready to Ruuumble.
Wrestling lovers can experience a piece of the ring on Nov. 30
as Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake
and the original wrestling diva
“Sunny” visit the Royal Canadian
Legion Hall in Oshawa.
Great Canadian Wrestling
promises a wrestling supershow
with two shows, a matinee at 2 p.m.
and an evening event at 6 p.m.
“Sunny” Tammy Sytch will strut
her stuff and show why she was a
staple in the most popular wrestling franchises like World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).
WWE icon turned trainer on
Hulk Hogan’s Celebrity Championship Wrestling, Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake will prove he’s still
got it, in the ring with more than
30 GCW superstars.
Tickets for the event cost $25
for both shows and can be purchased at Wyldstar Collectibles in
Oshawa.
By Lauren Thomas
Chronicle Staff
Playing for St. Thomas University in Fredericton, New Brunswick,
Toronto native Richard Power
skated through warm-up while all
of his teammates laughed at him.
A fun-loving guy, Power wanted in
on the joke.
Naturally, the joke was on him.
But what was not so natural were
the 12 pieces of chewed gum his
teammates had so lovingly placed
on his helmet.
Maybe some people would be
annoyed by a wad of gum adorning their helmet but Power’s easy
going nature is what proved to
his teammates that their practical
joke wouldn’t fluster their fellow
teammate.
Practical jokes are something
that Power has brought with him
to UOIT as captain of the Ridgebacks men’s hockey team and it’s
those jokes and personality that
made Power the first ever captain
of the Ridgeback’s team.
“I was chosen captain by them
last year, it was a choice by players.
I think that is a sign of respect and
that they think you are able to lead
them. So that was a big honour,”
said Power on his elected captain
position.
Ridgeback head coach Marlin
Muylaert said it was a key vote and
that Power winning the Dr. Gary
Polonsky Leadership Award at
last year’s UOIT Athletic Awards
shows the type of individual he is,
a leader.
“He’s extremely dedicated to
the team… he manages to tighten
up the players when things seem
to be getting a little loose,” said
Muylaert.
Born on January 18, 1984, a
younger brother to twin sisters,
Power grew up playing road hockey. During his peewee hockey
years, his team won the Ontario’s
Photo by Lauren Thomas
UOIT Ridgebacks hockey team captain Richard Power.
and three of his prior teammates
now play in the NHL.
Being drafted into the Ontario
Hockey League is a momentous
occasion for any young up-andcoming hockey star, but for Power
it meant so much more.
It meant being drafted before
NHL star Rick Nash and paving the road for his future ahead.
Power played for the Owen Sound
Attack for two years and then the
Plymouth Whalers.
At age 20 he began to realize
that working as a policeman would
be more up his alley and four years
later he still aspires to that dream
and wants to help rehabilitate juvenile delinquents.
A third-year criminology student at UOIT, Power handles a
busy schoolwork load, his hockey,
his job (he works at the Campus
Health Centre) and a social life.
He does see that balancing his priorities is harder now than it was in
the OHL but enjoys that it keeps
him busy and out of trouble. He
also sees that a key component of
being a captain is walking that fine
line between being your teammates friend, and being a respected authority figure.
First year forward Tony Rizzi
appreciates the way Power helps
the men out. “As a rookie on the
team and being a younger guy on
the team he is very approachable
to talk to and I think that’s important as a rookie to be able to talk
to the leader on your team,” said
Rizzi.
“I think the biggest thing that
makes him a good captain is that
he wants to win and he never
takes a shift off. He always works
his hardest and when the rest of us
see him playing as hard as he can
its contagious and it motivates us
to play well also.”
Leading the team isn’t something Power takes all the credit for.
“With Brent (Varty) and (Derek)
Bagshaw… we spread it along the
three of us. We’re all just captains.
If they got something to say, they
say it. That way it’s not always just
coming from the same person… it
helps out for the team,” Power said
about his assistant captains.
Power’s ability to lead, on and
off the ice has proven him a valuable captain for the UOIT Ridgebacks and he will always be remembered as their inaugural captain, friend and teammate.
46 The Chronicle
November 25, 2008
SPORTS NEWS
Stat Pack
OCAA Men’s Basketball standings
(East)
School
Algonquin
Fleming
George Brown
Cambrian
W
6
5
5
3
L
0
2
2
3
T
0
0
0
0
OCAA Men’s Basketball standings (East)
continued
PTS.
12
10
10
6
School
Seneca
Durham
St Lawrence
La Cite
Team Leaders
School
Fleming
Algonquin
George B.
Durham
Player
Jovain Wilson
Charly Spurr
Collin Whitely
Anthony Batch.
GP
7
6
7
4
PTS
133
146
126
66
GP
15
12
11
9
W
7
6
5
2
L
7
3
5
6
School
Seneca
St. Lawrence
Cambrian
La Cite
PPG
19.00
24.33
18.00
16.50
Team
Laurier
Toronto
Guelph
Brock
Queen’s
GP
11
11
11
11
11
W
11
8
7
6
6
L
0
3
2
3
4
T
0
0
0
0
PTS.
6
6
6
2
November
Nov. 29 - @ Centennial
December
Dec. 2 - St. Lawrence
January
Jan. 6 - George Brown
Jan. 9 - @ Georgian
Jan. 13 - @ Seneca
Jan. 16 - Cambrian
Jan. 17 - Algonquin
Player
Vadim Halimov
Ajhmo Clarke
Brady Boland
Emerick Ravier
GP
6
3
6
5
PTS
97
67
179
127
PPG
16.17
22.33
29.83
25.40
UOIT Men’s Hockey
Upcoming Schedule
Team Leaders
T
0
0
0
0
OTL PTS
1
15
3
15
1
11
1
5
OUA Women’s Hockey Standings
Rank
1
2
3
4
5
L
3
2
0
6
Team Leaders
OUA Men’s Hockey (Mid West)
School
Guelph
Brock
York
UOIT
W
3
3
3
1
Lords Men’s Basketball
Upcoming Schedule
Player
David Volpe
Isaac Smeltzer
Scott Restoule
Mike Noyes
GP
14
12
11
9
G
6
2
6
3
A
6
8
5
9
Nov. 27 - @ Western
Nov. 28 - @ Waterloo
Nov. 29 - @ Laurier
Dec. 4 - Western
Jan. 3 - Carleton
Jan. 9 - @ Concordia
PTS
12
10
11
12
UOIT Women’s Hockey
Upcoming Schedule
OUA Women’s Hockey Standing
T
0
0
0
0
0
OTL
0
0
2
2
1
PTS
22
16
16
14
13
Rank
6
7
8
9
10
Team
Waterloo
York
Western
Windsor
UOIT
GP
11
12
12
12
12
W
5
5
3
4
2
L
5
7
5
8
10
T
0
0
0
0
0
OTL
1
0
4
0
0
PTS
11
10
10
8
4
Nov. 29 - Windsor
Nov. 30 - Western
Jan. 2 - Peterborough
Jan. 10 - @ Queen’s
Jan. 17 - Toronto
Jan. 18 - Laurier
The Chronicle
November 25, 2008
47
48 The Chronicle
November 25, 2008

Chronicle 35 08 Nov 2008 - Digilog at UOIT and DC - DC-UOIT

Transcription

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