October 14, 2005
Transcription
October 14, 2005
Check out out Check the results results of of the the touchtouchthe football football tournament tournament See page page 21 21 See What’s inside Celebrate National Pasta Month. See page 19 Come out and join the party, German-style Spotlight on: Gun registration Page 14 Sports: Niagara’s volleyball veteran takes over as head coach Page 20 Body & Health: quick, easy and nutritious pasta recipes Page 19 Music: taking a closer look at the Satellite State Page 18 Onkel Hans makes his way down King Street at the 37th annual Oktoberfest–Thanksgiving Day Parade in the Kitchener-Waterloo area on Monday, Oct. 10. See additional coverage on pages 12 and 13. Photo by Amanda Reynolds 2006–07, get ready for increase By ROBIN HEALEY Staff Writer “McGuinty is looking for more room to reach into students’ pockets,” said Jesse Greener, Ontario chairperson for the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS). On Sept. 30, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty said the provincial government would lift the current tuition freeze at colleges and universities. He expects fees to increase when the freeze ends in the fall of 2006. For some students, that could be bad news. Greener, from Toronto, said by phone, “[The] tuition increase is not a done deal.” He said high fees have damaging effects and that many Ontarians have shown their support for keeping fees frozen. Prince Goka, 21, a first-year student in Police Foundations, from Brampton, is concerned about how he will raise extra money for tuition. He said he will “probably find a part-time job during the school year,” if fees increase. He thinks he will likely need to “find two jobs” for the summer. “I’ll need to get a job that pays well,” added Goka, who does not receive OSAP funding. “People are saying [a tuition increase will] unhinge the world around us, and the sky is going to fall,” said Blake Turner, Student Administrative Council president, Welland campus. He said these people “need to get a little bit more informed.” Turner, 22, from St. Catharines, in his second year of studies as a Social Services worker, said McGuinty is following the deadline of a two-year freeze set in the fall of 2004. “McGuinty wants to put tuition back into a natural state, where it increases along the same lines as before,” said Turner. He added this is “not a hugely bad thing.” He notes that the government will give postsecondary education $6.2 billion over the next five years. Bryan Hicks, Brock University Student’s Union president, said by phone, “I hope that tuition will not rise beyond inflation.” Hicks, 22, from Belle River, Ont., doesn’t expect fees to increase significantly next year, but he is unsure of what will happen in the following years. Although Hicks said he believes it is reasonable to see tuition rise with inflation, he said it would be “politically unwise to lift the freeze and increase tuition in the same year.” Continued on page 2 Niagara wins bronze medal By JEFF FORAN Staff Writer Niagara College won the bronze medal at the Ping Ontario Colleges Athletic Association Open golf championships at Lakeridge Links Golf Club Oct. 3 to Oct. 5 in Brooklin, Ont. Humber College, of Toronto, received the silver medal, while Durham College, of Oshawa, Ont., came away with the gold playing on their home course. The best four players’ totals gave Niagara College’s team its final 604 score. Humber College had 599, while first-place winners Durham College tallied 591. Ray Sarkis, co-ordinator of athletics and recreation at Niagara College, says it was “very evident” that Durham’s team members were used to the golf course’s fast greens. “They had a distinct advantage over everyone else.” Three of Durham’s golfers also came away as individual winners at the open. Three-year veteran of the Niagara golf team Andrew Walpole, from Fort Erie, shot 163 over the two-day event, while Andrew Egerter, of Thorold, had the best overall score for Niagara with 148. Continued on page 20 Welland College Connection Page 2, news@niagara, Oct. 14, 2005 Community service options for students Students talk about the end of tuition freeze Niagara’s president goes to South Africa to help economy Volunteer Opportunity Fair offers opportunity to help By STEVE FRANCIS Staff Writer Niagara College wants to help you finish up that volunteer component of your program. The college hosted its nowannual Volunteer Opportunity Fair on Sept. 29. More than 30 organizations set up tables and handed out information at lunchtime in the cafeteria foyer and the hallway by the Job Centre at the Welland campus. Organizations varied from the Beamsville Strawberry Festival to the Canadian National Institute for the Blind to the Head Injury Association of Niagara, among other service agencies and festivals. The 2005 edition of the fair was the second. Janet Forfar, consultant – graduate services at the Job Centre, says she is “very pleased” with the fair. Forfar added, “Evaluations from exhibitors showed their pleasure,” indicating the fair was a success. The fair did face a modicum of controversy when a group of five students protested the presence of the St. Catharines Right to Life organization. The peaceful protest was staged quietly in front of the Right to Life table. Mike Roy, Janine Klepey, Amy Giofu, Tammy Milutinovich and Angel Smith led the demonstration. “That’s not knowledge. That’s a belief,” says Klepey, 19, a first-year student in the Broadcasting – Radio, Television and Film program. For their part, Marlene Tersigni and Phyllis Bonomi, the representatives from Right to Life, were good natured about the protest. They said some students apologized for the presence of the protesters. Tersigini said Right to Life was at the college “looking for volunteers like every other agency that relies on volunteers.” “We did not come here for confrontation.” Still, Forfar would not let the protest spoil her three-month project. “I tend to see the rights of both sides,” she said. In the end, Forfar says the purpose of the fair was to offer a “broad opportunity” of volunteer options to students. Sustainable Skills Development project going strong By PATRICIA RODRIGUEZ Staff Writer On Sept. 24 Niagara College President Dan Patterson travelled to South Africa to support the third year of the college’s Sustainable Skills Development (SSD) project, designed to help reduce poverty in the Eastern Cape Province of the nation. By building strategic partnership networks in education, government, industry and the community, the project intends to increase access for better income and employment. Patterson said the target is to work in an area with high unemployment and social issues. “Our job is to encourage and provide knowledge and information, so they can improve their community.” This project, in partnership with the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), the Association of Canadian Community Colleges (ACCC) and South Africa’s Department of Labour, is not only working on sustainable development with local partners in South Africa but also providing opportunities for professional development of recent Canadian graduates. “The job is to improve employment and to expose students to opportunities,” said Patterson. Darrell Neufeld, manager, corporate communications, said Patterson’s two-week visit to South Africa has been designed to encourage strong work relations between industry and education to try to help the local economy. Niagara College and Eastern Cape Technikon (ECT), including the merged institution of Walter Sisulu University (WSU) of Technology and Science, are working together to emphasize sustainable tourism and entrepreneurship. “The economy has been struggling in the area. We’re trying to give them [ECT’s graduates] skills to take to start small enterprises,” said Patterson. The ECT will develop industrybased training strategies to connect education and work, to enhance individuals’ skills and to facilitate their access to incomes through jobs. Vice-President Niagara International Martha Casson said for several years the ECT has worked with the college, and throughout the years they have become “friends.” “There is a real affinity between Canada and South Africa.” Patterson said the college is providing the project with resources in the form of “expertise” of co-op students and knowledgeable faculty and staff members. “I’m going to try to share my experiences with the educational institutions, not to say that our way is the best way, but to share best practices, to learn from one another,” said Patterson. Jim Ryan, chair of the college’s Board of Governors, is also in South Africa and involved with the project. “He is representing the voice of industry,” as he will be sharing his experiences about the value of industry and educational partnerships, said Patterson. “This is not a one-way experience, where we know all the answers, but it’s a learning experience for both,” said Patterson. “Our goal is to continue to foster strong relationships.” Casson said she thinks Patterson and Ryan will be able to present a “unique set of experiences” to the people of the ECT as they will demonstrate the “richness of strong relationships between education and industry.” “I can’t think of better people than President Dan Patterson and Chairman Jim Ryan for the project.” Niagara College hosted its annual Volunteer Opportunity Fair Sept. 29. More than 30 organizations from the Niagara Region were looking for volunteers. Photo by Steve Francis Tuition freeze ending by 2006 Continued from page 1 Greener said the freeze originally was to be in effect for “at least” two years, until the student funding system was fixed. However, he believes the system is flawed. In a media release, Greener urged McGuinty to use the $1.5 billion the federal government will distribute to provinces over the next two years for education to keep tuition frozen. Turner worries that the quality of education will deteriorate if tuition is frozen indefinitely: “You pay for what you get.” He is hopeful that government grants, scholarships and bursaries will counteract a tuition hike while allowing the colleges to maintain quality with the extra revenue from higher fees. He suggests that if the provincial government were to forward more money in grants to Niagara College for every student who attends, effectively supplementing tuition, students may actually pay the same as before or less, while tuition itself may have increased. Turner said the tuition thaw “only will be positive if the government steps in and helps,” but he has “no qualms about the government aiding students if tuition is unfrozen.” “It doesn’t make sense to give grants and claw [the money] back with tuition fees,” said Greener. “The first steps towards improvement will be undone if fees increase.” Greener is unconvinced that the government is taking the right path to amend student funding. Many of the changes to student funding come from Bob Rae’s report to the government, published in February as Ontario: A Leader In Learning. Greener said the report is “either pure rhetoric or a complete misunderstanding of the situation.” According to Greener, the report mistakenly divides students into two groups: low-income students who receive grants and loans and highincome students who can afford to pay. Greener worries that the changes to student funding are servicing a narrow faction of students and said that fees should be lowered to avoid the headache of the student loan system. He believes middle-income students, who, he said, “comprise 80 per cent of students,” are getting shut out of the system. Tiffany Nenadovich, 23, from Ridgeville, Ont., a first-year student in Law and Security Administration, said the prospect of higher fees and large loans “de-motivates some people from coming to school.” Grimsby native Lea Bucci, 19, in her second year of Early Childhood Education, said, “Some of us can’t afford college, especially 18-year-olds who don’t have thousands of dollars.” Nenadovich said higher tuition is “OK for people who have someone backing them up but not for people who don’t.” She said people who wish to attend college or university but do not have parental or other sources of support are being denied access. Greener said there is a “greater need for post-secondary education,” adding, “75 per cent of jobs need it.” Greener notes that post-secondary education is nearly a universal necessity and that people should look at it like high school or health care, not as a commodity. He added that there is a “growing sentiment in Canada that there should be no tuition fees at all.” However, Greener said the CFS is “not calling for free tuition at this point.” He said the next step should be to reduce fees. Hicks said it is “wrong only to talk of the tuition freeze.” He notes there has been talk that the government will do away with the Ancillary Fees Protocol (AFP), which requires students to vote during a referendum to add ancillary fees. Hicks is concerned that colleges and universities will add deferred maintenance costs or wages to ancillary fees if the government removed the AFP. He said it is unreasonable “to put these costs on the backs of students.” He said Brock University has its own ancillary fees agreement that will remain effective even if the government discards the AFP. Nevertheless, he worries that a large increase in ancillary fees would drive students away from higher education throughout the province. Rather than asking how much an increase in tuition would affect enrolment, Greener said, “The real question is how many more people could we get through the doors if funding were not a barrier?” Glendale College Connection news@niagara, Oct. 14, 2005, Page 3 Apprenticeship training for skilled trades Continuing education offers improved certificate program Tourism industry will continue to grow by 40 per cent Funding upgrades Interpreter program By KAESHA FORAND Staff Writer Continuing education will provide an improved Language Interpreter certificate program as the result of the province recently providing additional funding. Ontario Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Mike Colle was at the college’s Glendale campus on Sept. 26 to announce a $210,000 grant to improve the current program. “This is going to co-ordinate the curriculum so they are all essentially teaching the standardized curriculum of a professional level, so that the interpreters are of a high quality and all have the skills needed, whether it be in the hospital setting, medical setting, legal set- ting or the private sector,” said Colle. Niagara College, St. Clair College in Windsor and Mohawk College in Hamilton all offer a basic 90-hour Language Interpreter certificate program. Information Niagara and the Colleges of Ontario Network for Education and Training will work together to establish a new standard, high-level, 180hour, six-course curriculum. Niagara College and Information Niagara will be the benchmark for the program, which will be available as early as 2006. “Through consultations with stakeholders, the need for more comprehensive training and consistent standards of language interpreters was revealed,” said Rosanna Thoms, executive director of Information Niagara, a community-based information referral service. Colle said the government wants to con- Niagara MPP Kim Craitor (left), Rosanna Thoms, Mike Colle and tinue to encourage the Alan Davis were all in attendance for a $210,00 grant announceintegration of newcom- ment benefiting the Language Interpreter program at Niagara ers into Ontario College’s Glendale campus. Photo by Kaesha Forand because “every year we welcome 125,000 newofficer in the continuing college tries to respond to the comers from 169 countries, education and distance- needs of its community,” said speaking 300 languages.” He learning department here. Alan Davis, Niagara College’s emphasized, “Their success is She adds that the new pro- vice-president academic. Ontario’s success.” gram will be the standard for Niagara College was the “The new program is more the profession. first to introduce the procomprehensive and it gives Information Niagara offers gram in 2002. To date, 125 people an opportunity to interpreter services in 21 people have graduated from upgrade their skills,” said languages. Niagara College’s program Sue Tallon, the development “It’s an example of how the as certified interpreters. Tourism will skyrocket by 2007 Many Hands project will assist Women’s Resource Centre with renovations, accessible entrance By JAYLENE POIRIER Staff Writer Think how fulfilling your life could be if your education led you to cruise around the world and continually experience different cultures. David Veres, chair of the Hospitality and Tourism division at Niagara College’s Glendale campus in Niagara-on-the-Lake, says the tourism industry is “one of the fastest growing and in-demand businesses” and “will continue to grow by more than 40 per cent by 2007.” “You could learn the trades to gain stronger strategic planning and to gain knowledge through a diverse interactive co-op opportunity,” says Veres. During the first year, the Tourism Marketing Systems program offers students an event planning class that will prepare them for the Cruise Course, as it has been nicknamed by students and faculty. It is offered in second year and taught by Christine Blaine. The purpose is to prepare them for different cultures and make them more knowledgeable about other heritages, local attractions and different food they may come across on their stops on the trip. This term, the second-year students are looking forward to a Caribbean cruise in January. “The students will learn about what the impacts are going to a Caribbean island as well as learning how to be a tour operator, and how tours are actually conducted,” says Veres. “It’s also a good way for students to learn about the many international ways, just like the international students are excited to learn about our area (Niagara),” says Veres. Apprenticeship works at Glendale By ELISABETH BAILEY Staff Writer Some people get their education by spending much less time in the classroom than others. Apprenticeship training for skilled trades is done 10 per cent in the classroom and 90 per cent on-the-job. The Job Centre at Niagara College’s Glendale campus assists youth interested in apprenticeships who are between 16 to 24, who are unemployed and out of school. Florence Macdonald, who works at the Job Centre at Niagara College’s Glendale campus, says, “We work with the client and the employer to try and find a match.” MacDonald says the first, and hardest, step in apprenticeship training is to find an employer who is willing to hire and train an apprentice. MacDonald says that the government promoting skilled trades as a career choice is good because it shows there is another option open to people. She says that her “only caution” to those interested in doing apprenticeship training is that one shouldn’t go into it just because a job could be potentially high paying. “It has to be that the person has a genuine interest and aptitude for a job.” By MELISSA TOPP Staff Writer The Women’s Resource Centre in Beamsville is the new recipient for the Many Hands Project. The Women’s Resource Centre offers programs and services to women and children in West Niagara. It gives access to professional counselling, legal assistance, workshops, support groups, respite for women with children, community kitchens and early literacy programming. Serving about 2,500 women and 240 children annually, it is open weekdays from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. Event Supervisor Julie Densham, 39, of Grimsby, says the Women’s Resource Centre was chosen because “we felt [it] best contained the criteria from the application.” Canadian Tire Financial Services accepted the role of lead sponsor for the Many Hands Project once again. The project is a joint undertaking by the students in the Event Management (Graduate Certificate) program and the Construction Engineering Technology Achitecture program. Students and volunteers from the community take one day and improve the facilities of a non-profit organization. This year’s project includes renovation of two bathrooms, making a wheelchair-accessible entrance and news@niagara is back Oct. 28 painting and doing interior renovations, as well as other changes. The criteria are strict. The applicant must be a not-for-profit group located in the Niagara region. The organization must be able to provide a level of resources, and the necessary material expenses for the project must be between $8,000 and $10,000. The organization must demonstrate it went to other sources to look for funding but was unable to obtain it. It must own the property or have a long-term lease for the property with a public or government body. The organization must also demonstrate that this project is of benefit to the community and project completion must be achievable in one day by a maximum of 100 volunteers. The host agency must provide written documentation outlining specific goals and objectives for the project as well as detailed project specifications. The project must also endorse an agreement for media coverage and the production of a promotional video. The project must be special-event oriented and include such items as environment enhancement, site improvements, organization awareness and client-group-based activities. To become involved as a sponsor or a volunteer, call 905-641-2252 ext. 6404 or e-mail manyhands@niagarac.on.ca. Your link to the community Community Connection Page 4, news@niagara, Oct. 14, 2005 Pasta fundraiser for Katrina relief Page 4 Missing ornaments Page 4 Business done in 2.5 minutes Page 4 Transit system bus pass Page 5 Business meetings Resident ‘hurt’ by lawn theft reaching a new level of efficency By PATRICIA RODRIGUEZ Staff Writer Crystal Parson, the owner of Lasting Impressions Consulting Co., held Niagara’s first Business Speed Networking with a focus on local business interaction and promotion on Sept. 22. Each business had 2 1/2 minutes “face to face” with participants and got a chance to meet and exchange information. The cost was $25. It was held at Laurie’s Orchard Café in Vineland, Ont. The entry limit for this first event was 40 businesses. They were encouraged to bring as much material as possible to share as they were asked to provide each person with information. Parson said the capacity for the first year had been set at 40 businesses to avoid overcrowding the location and the event itself. The concept is patterned after speed dating, in which people have 2 1/2 minutes to learn about each other and themselves before a bell rings and they move on to the next lucky person in the controlled meeting place. Parson said the meeting was designed for people to move around every 2 1/2 minutes. “It’s a very fast-paced environment,” and people “don’t have to spend time” with someone they “don’t want,” said Parson. She said the event will probably become a semiannual event. She said the business promotion is designed so “you can stay local” since “it’s directly in front of your face.” A huge variety of businesses were present to reinforce business promotion. These included the representatives of Know It All, one of the sponsors for the event. All businesses, however, had to be local and from the Niagara region and had to bring promotional materials for distribution. Local Italian community holds charity dinnner, raises $2,000 for Red Cross By JOSHUA BOYLE Staff Writer Welland’s Italian community gathered on Sept. 30 for a Hurricane Katrina benefit that raised approximately $2,000 for the Red Cross relief effort. The dinner and dance affair drew approximately 90 guests to the Casa Dante Lodge on Lincoln Street after volunteers had spent the last two weeks preparing for the event. While local students served the meal, Luciano DiMario, president of the lodge, joked about those who spent the past few days rolling gnocchi for the lodge dinner. “The average age in the kitchen is around 70,which makes the whole thing just mean a lot more.” Initially founded as a “mutual benefit society” in 1937, the Casa Dante Lodge has held similar fundraising occasions over the decades, furnishing a room at the Welland County General Hospital, sponsoring an atom baseball team and most recently holding a benefit dinner nine months ago to aid the victims of the tsunami that devastated countries like Indonesia and Sri Lanka. They will likely hold more benefits to support relief efforts in the future, according to event organizer Bambi Ventresca. “We are all people,” Ventresca explains, “but when it is [the United States], our neighbours, it is even more important to help them.” The Casa Dante dance was one of the many Katrina benefits in Welland that continued more than a month after the hurricane killed over 1,000 people in the southern United States. Local churches, cultural centres and schools all held their own events to support the Red Cross efforts, as the agency announced on Sept. 30 that total donations had exceeded a billion dollars. By ELIZABETH HAWKSWORTH rent rooms in the houses in it. Tinney says and AMANDA REYNOLDS that most people enjoy the students being Staff Writers part of the community, but that they need to The small college-side community of Nia- show more respect to the residents here. gara-on-the-Green has been missing some “We don’t mind them here, we would just lawn ornaments lately. prefer them to not make trouble.” Angelina Tinney, of Niagara-on-the-Lake, “These kids live here, renting from somesaid that she recently discovered that her body. This is their neighbourhood too, and beloved ceramic puppy was missing from they should show some respect. If they want beside her front door. The puppy is made to us to respect them while they’re walking hold her newspaper, and she was saddened by around and being a little loud, then they the discovery that it was gone. She replaced should return the favour.” the puppy with a black jug, and that was Tinney says that she has never had problems taken as well. Her friend from the neighbour- with students in the neighbourhood before. hood also experienced a loss: a small garden “I have never had to report anything like fairy was taken from her lawn. The homes are this in my life,” she says. “The persons who located adjacent to Niagara College’s Glen- have been robbed tried to come up with a credale campus. ative way to get the students’ attention. Tinney said that her friend told her that That’s why we contacted [news@niagara].” whoever had taken the fairy had gone so far Tinney and the community of Niagara-onas to replace it with a small bundle of wood, the-Green say that they do not wish to single to hide the hole. Tinney mentioned that anoth- out the people that took their items. They just er neighbour had a metal shopping bag taken wish to have their items returned. from the yard. “It is my hope that the people that have Tinney says that she is “hurt” by this prank. taken items from the homes would be moved “I am certain that those who have been to return them as inconspicuously as they doing this think that it is great fun; however, took them.” for the older persons of this community, these items are cherished. They hold memories of family and of friends of their life that may not be in their life anymore,” she says. “Such pranks come too close for comfort, as Plus Size Fashions on Consignment they make people feel very vulneraCome in and shop our wonderful selection of ble and indeed quite frightened that beautiful fall fashions, updated regularly. one could come so close to their front door with the intention to do misSporty, casual, dressy…brand name clothes. chief.” PH: 905-704-1369 Niagara-on-the-Green is a beauti- Bring in this ad 276 Ontario St., St. Catharines (TD bank Plaza across from GM) for $5 off ful community and many students MONDAY - FRIDAY 10-5:00 • SATURDAY 10 - 4 your purchase. news@niagara, Oct. 14, 2005, Page 5 International students enjoy homestay living By KAESHA FORAND Staff Writer Tony and Toni Mule have opened their home to the world. The Mules have been homestay parents throughout the last four years for international student studying at Niagara College. A homestay family provides three meals per day, a furnished bedroom and full access to the house. They also provide guidance and assistance and help students learn about Canadian culture. International students are matched with a Canadian family and live as part of the family at a cost of $550 per month. About120 homestay families are in the Welland area and about 40 in the Niagara-on-the-Lake area to serve both Niagara College campuses. Tony Mule underwent spinal cord surgery because he was paralyzed from the waist down and was unable to walk. The surgery was successful and after his recovery he was able to resume full duties. The Mules chose to take in international students to help financially. Mule has now healed from the surgery and can walk without assistance. The Mules continue to house international students because "it's a very rewarding experience of the different cultures and a different way of thinking," he said. They have five men living in their six-bedroom, fourbathroom house: Kazeem Odunsi, 19, from Nigeria, Yusuke Tamura, 29, from Japan, Pako Jiminez, 17, from Mexico, Chang-hoo Ahn, 25, from South Korea, and Yuheng Xu, 20, from China. Odunsi is in the Computer Engineering Technology coop program, and the rest are in the English as a Second Language program. Mule said he doesn't see the men on the weekend because they are "very independent and not afraid." Having supper together at 6 p.m. is important to the Mules. He said they spend between one and two hours talking together. Ahn said he likes suppertime because they have a lot of conversation and it has helped him learn about Canadian culture. Every student who lives in homestay is provided with a booklet filled with information about living in Canada. Issues such as customs, greeting people, eating habits and other small Canadian differences are identified. The Mules try to offer a varied menu. Their cupboard is filled with cookbooks and a book of favourite recipes. Mule said they eat a lot of rice, vegetables and hot sauce. Rules are established for the students. They ask that everybody help with the dishes after supper, that they clean their rooms and shared space once per week, that there be no parties and that it's quiet after 10 p.m., among other basic house rules. When students arrive in Canada, the Mules give them a tour of the area and take them to the college, the mall, the bank and the grocery store. They also provide a small welcome gift of personal hygiene products. The Mules provide each student with a coat for the winter, if needed, and a bicycle, lock and chain. He adds that he teaches each student about how to recycle Students of all ages and origin are all smiles on the front porch of the Mules residence. Photo by Kaesha Forand and how to use the shower and toilet. If a student celebrates a birthday in Canada, the Mules will cook them the students's favourite meal and make a birthday cake. They also try to incorporate international holidays throughout the year. Not every student chooses to live in homestay. Odunsi, who has now lived with the Mules for nine months, originally wanted to live in residence, but there wasn't enough room. "It's been fun. I've enjoyed myself immensely," he said of his homestay family experience. On the other hand, Tamura said he lived in residence for four days and asked the international housing co-ordinator if he could live with a homestay family. The Mules keep in touch with most of the students who have lived in their house. "Our lives have really become enriched just from knowing people in our lives...It gives you a deeper appreciation of the world and everybody is the same," he said. They were veterans too By JENNIFER GIBBONS Staff Writer October is all about the ladies. On March 9, 1992, October officially became Women's History Month in Canada. Past themes have included Yes, Women are Persons!, in 2004, and What Do You Mean, Women Couldn't Vote?, in 2003. The theme for 2005 is Women and War – Contributions and Consequences. Although veterans are usually thought to be male soldiers in the war, women did serve and contribute to the causes. Their positions were mainly as nurses, stenographers, camp cooks, mechanics and airplane pilots until they were allowed to serve in combat situations in the 1980s. Women's History Month is dedicated to the women who sought equality and the opportunities they opened to future generations. It affords people the chance to learn about past and present contributions that made for women by women. The highlight of Women's History Month is Persons Day, the day when five women fought for the right to have women serve in the Canadian Senate. Emily Murphy, Nellie McClung, Irene Parlby, Louise McKinney and Henrietta Muir Edwards petitioned the Supreme Court of Canada and became known as the Famous Five. On Oct. 18, 1929, Canadian women were declared qualified as persons to be appointed to the Senate. This was known as the Persons Case. Six recipients are awarded the Governor General's Awards in Commemoration of the Person Case on this day. These women helped advance equality for women in their communities. Status of Women Canada gives the Governor General's Awards in Commemoration of the Persons Case. This award will be given on Oct. 18. Women have been doing their part in the majority of past wars. More than 2,800 women served in the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps in the First World War. In the Second World War, more than 45,000 women were enrolled in military services other than nursing. The first time Canadian women took part in combat was during the Gulf War. These are just a few of the wars in which women played a role and helped fight for the causes of their country. More information is available from the Status of Women Canada website at http://www.cfc-swc.gc.ca/. Women have fought for their equality and, because of those pioneers, women today have the choice to vote, to be a stay-at-home mother, to work or to do just about anything else a women can dream of doing. As Susan B. Anthony once said, "Men, their rights, and nothing more; women, their rights, and nothing less." Canadian author Margaret Atwood asks, "Does feminist mean large unpleasant person who'll shout at you or someone who believes women are human beings? To me it's the latter, so I sign up." College students angered by spiking public transit fares, irregular service By ROBIN HEALEY Staff Writer Many Niagara College students who rely on the public transit connection between St. Catharines, Niagara Falls and Welland are unhappy with the cost of bus passes and the gaps in bus service. Khamphiene Phommisai, 20, in his second year of Broadcasting – Television and Film Production here, is from Hamilton but lives in St. Catharines during the school year and commutes to the Welland campus. He paid $530 for bus passes, one for St. Catharines and one for Welland, and that only covers him for the fall semester. Stephen Fekete, 20, a second-year student in Computer Engineering Technology from St. Catharines, is frustrated with the Welland/St. Catharines connection, which he said is "impractical for student schedules." From 9 a.m. to 12:55 p.m. no buses arrive at the Welland campus from the Brock University transit hub in St. Catharines, which connects the St. Catharines, Niagara Falls and Welland transit systems. That is nearly a four-hour gap in service. In the afternoon, buses don't leave Welland for St. Catharines from 1:30 p.m. to 4:40 p.m., a gap of over three hours. Phommisai said that buses should run at least every two hours to eliminate the long gaps in service. He plans to get a car for the winter semester, despite the cost, to avoid the inconvenience of the bus schedule. Fekete depended upon the transit system last year, but now he carpools to and from Niagara College three to four times a week and only takes the bus when he has no other options. Students who travel between cities by bus may be eligible for the City to City Bus Bursary of up to $250 per term. Those who wish to apply for the bursary must visit the Financial Aid office at either campus to show proof that they have purchased two bus passes, for St. Catharines, Welland or Niagara Falls and to complete a financial information statement to determine if they qualify for the bursary. Both Phommisai and Fekete like the idea of the U-Pass, an integrated bus pass that allows Brock University students to use the transit systems of Niagara Falls, Welland and St. Catharines. Brock University charges students $126 in ancillary fees to pay for the U-Pass. Students cannot opt out of the fee, and every student must pay it even if they don't ride the bus. Phommisai said Niagara should provide a bus pass that covers the transit systems, adding that the $126 cost added to every Brock University student's ancillary fees is better than making individual students pay $530 per semester. Fekete said, "Those who don't need [a U-Pass] will fight it." Nevertheless, he thinks the introduction of a U-Pass at Niagara College would be "excellent." Amber Morrison, 22, a first-year student in General Arts and Science University Path, is from St. Catharines. Although she commutes to the Welland campus by bus and thinks better service is needed, she is hesitant as to whether Niagara College should introduce an integrated bus pass. Blake Turner, Student Administrative Council (SAC) president, Welland campus, 22, in his second year of studies Students wait for a ride from Brock University. Photo by Robin Healey as a Social Services worker, said a U-Pass "would never happen this year." However, he would consider a referendum on a U-Pass during the SAC elections at the school year's end, if the bus companies asked. Turner said that there are logistical difficulties in getting an integrated bus pass. "Which municipality do we get it from? Do we get them all? Last year's president [of SAC, Welland campus] was talking about getting one." Turner added that if enough students were to advocate on behalf of better bus service, they might be able to bring about a change. Page 6, news@niagara, Oct. 14, 2005 Editorials Publisher: Leo Tiberi Managing Editor: Phyllis Barnatt Associate Managing Editor: Gary Erb Photography Consultant: Andrew Klapatiuk Editorial Consultant: Nancy Geddie Technology Support: Kevin Romyn Composing Consultant: Paul Dayboll news@niagara V10, 300 Woodlawn Rd., Welland, Ont., L3C 7L3 Telephone: (905) 735-2211 Fax: (905) 736-6003 Editorial E-mail: pbarnatt@niagarac.on.ca Advertising E-mail: ltait@wellandtribune.ca Publisher’s E-mail: ltiberi@niagarac.on.ca Printed by CanWeb Printing Inc. in Grimsby, Ont. Patricia Rodriguez Baillie Adcock Editor Associate Editor Steve Francis Assistant Editor Jennifer Gibbons Photo Crew Chief Advertising rules: The advertiser agrees that the publisher shall not be liable for damages arising out of errors in advertisements beyond the amount paid for the space actually occupied by the portion of the advertisement in which the error occured. This applies whether such error is due to the negligence of its servants or otherwise. There shall be no liability for non-insertions of any advertisement beyond the amount paid for such advertisement. All advertisers are asked to check their advertisements after first insertion. We accept responsibility for only one incorrect insertion unless notified immediately after publication. Errors, which do not lessen the value of the advertisement, are not eligible for corrections by a make-good advertisement. There shall be no liability for non-insertion of any advertisement beyond the amount paid for such advertisement. We reserve the right to edit, revise, classify or reject any advertisement. Your opinion is welcome E-mail: news@niagara.on.ca Mail: V10, 300 Woodlawn Rd., Welland,Ont. L3C 7L3 In Person: Room V10, Welland campus. Policy: All letters must be signed and include a day and evening phone contact number for verification purposes. news@niagara is a practical lab for Journalism-Print students studying at Niagara College. Opinions expressed in editorials and columns are not those of news@niagara management or the college administration. Columns, identified as such, reflect only the writer’s opinion. Readers are welcome to respond to columnists by e-mail at news@niagara.on.ca Tuition costs no longer frozen Home life skills need support too Higher education may soon be a thing of the past. For as long as many of us can remember, we have been taught the importance of education and its relevance to achieving success. Parents, teachers and government have strongly promoted education. They say it plays a crucial role in defining a nation. However, it seems as if government has forgotten how difficult and stressful it has become for many students to afford college. For those of you who don’t know yet, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty just announced the lifting of the highly popular two-year tuition freeze. The announcement, made on Sept. 30, made a high number of students infuriated. Most alarming of all is the government’s uncertainty about the actual amount that tuition will increase. Having tuition costs swell might become so unbearable for students, and the parents who assist them, that it could easily result in a decrease in enrolments and an increase in financial headaches. This outrageous situation could easily force students to put their dreams of attending college aside. This will affect their future careers while the demand for quality education will never cease. This is just the beginning. Interesting events are still to come as students’ awareness of this dilemma rises. PATRICIA RODRIGUEZ What’s your opinion on the potential rise in tuition costs? For many students, living arrangements usually consist of rooming with several people or sharing a room with one or two people. This can prove to be difficult, posing a number of problems. When your roommate starts leaving dirty dishes all over the counter or parties until 4 a.m. leaving beer bottles throughout the house, you might find yourself in a tense situation. Frequent questions we ask ourselves are “Should I say anything?” or “What can I do to stop this?” Niagara College is number 1 in student satisfaction in last year’s provincial survey. For this to be entirely true, we think that the college needs to be reaching out to students in areas beyond school life. Problems at home can distract students from their schoolwork and leave them feeling anxious with nowhere to turn. Though the college provides one-on-one counselling for students who have personal problems, we think workshops would address the issue more effectively. These workshops could tackle topics such as assertiveness versus aggressiveness, interpersonal life skills, and one’s legal rights as a tenant. Some students are illequipped with the skills needed for living with people besides their parents. Others find it hard living in student housing because they may be used to living in more comfortable conditions. For starters, the college might think about compiling a pamphlet for students to refer to. The information for the pamphlet may provide students with alternatives and solutions to the most common housing problems. Has a survey ever been done on student satisfaction with accommodations while at college? A quick and easy survey might allow the school to see what’s really going on with students. Students might also find surveys as a way for them to express feelings they might find hard to communicate. Bring in speakers from all aspects of student living. A legal aid clinic can help students who are in a financial bind and lack any knowledge of tenant rights. An expert on interpersonal communication could provide insight for students who have trouble communicating their grievances in a positive and effective way. A student has a test at 8:30 a.m. on a Friday and his/her drunken roommates come home at 3 a.m. with energy to burn. Are there any temporary accommodations available to that student for the night? A helpline might also assist in situations like this when the student feels as though there is nowhere to turn. A number of links could be provided on the college website that provide solutions for frequently asked questions. Maybe all of these support systems exist but, if they do, why don’t I know about them? Do you? BAILLIE ADCOCK Clarification Letter to the editor Daniel George, 20, Broadcasting – Radio, Television and Film, Year 2 "The government's screwing college kids once again ... once again.” Kham Phommisai, 20, Broadcasting – Radio, Television and Film, Year 2 "What are they doing with it?" Patricia Gillett, 29, Office Administration, Year 1 "It's gonna make it more expensive for the government in the long run because students will borrow more money." Sarah Degelman, 18, and Kate McGarrigle, 18, Recreation and Leisure Services, Year 1 "It should be a lot cheaper ... it doesn't allow people to come here so they can get a better job in the future." Dear Editor and Staff of news@niagara: I picked up your recent edition (Friday, Sept. 30, 2005) and enjoyed most of it. I really enjoyed page 25, the art story and photos on the artist. (“Niagara teacher exhibits his work, Summer Supplement, on James Gielfeldt.) I think the paper should include more art, art photos and stories on local and afar artists. Art is part of everyday life and I’m glad to see your paper gave it recognition. It was a well-written article and I enjoyed the read and the photos. Please let the author (Melissa Mangelsen) know that it was a great story and to keep stories like that coming. Good Job. Jon Brody Via e-mail In the news@niagara edition of Friday, Sept. 30 (Vol. 36, No. 1), incorrect attribution occurred on page 7 in a report headlined “Bands from Niagara Region featured in free double album.” A quote attributed to Sandor Ligetfalvy states he likes to see “the big picture and be creative in a variety of mediums, kind of like cameraman versus director. I want to be the director.” The reference is to Ligetfalvy’s personal long-term goals, not his goals for news@niagara. He also did not say that he was “a brainchild” but was referring to the noise@niagara compilation CD project that he initiated. In a separate report on page 5, about Carolyn Gould, the college nurse, incorrect information appeared in the headline. Gould is not retired from the college. As a nurse here for 14 years, she remains employed by the college, but is on an authorized leave from her job. It is the policy of news@niagara to correct errors of fact. Blackboard should be mandatory for every class. Columnist The system is designed so that students can access their assignments, grades and course information at any time from any computer. This, by itself, is more than enough reason for teachers to set up their courses on Blackboard. It saves the teachers’ time because all the information that you would normally have to obtain in class or in the teachers’ offices is readily available from any computer anywhere. When it comes time for tests, reviews can be posted online to save class time. The test results By AndyBurt being posted online provide hassle free retrieval. Students with the highest workload appreciate Blackboard the most. Balancing school, work and caring for children is a common problem for many Niagara College students. Having the ability to log on any time of the day to see what’s happening in your program is a great asset. Discussion boards are helpful if you missed a class or just want to clarify or discuss a topic covered in class. Students helping students saves teachers’ time; it saves everyone’s time, in fact. Some of the other Blackboard features make planning and keeping track of your school life very easy. There’s a calendar you can use for daily plan- ning or reminders. The “my tasks” tab lets you track and categorize projects by user-set priority and date. Doing these things electronically is not only faster but also easier than using a book planner or your binder to keep organized. You can edit everything with ease, and it’s all stored safely on the site so you don’t have to sweat losing it. An all-in-one college resource for teachers and students like Blackboard should be used for every course. It’s functional and accessible, and it makes a hectic college life easier to handle. It’s the perfect crutch for the always-hobbling student. Make it mandatory in 2006. Wordstock seminars beneficial for Journalism-Print student What’s in a word? I recently had the opportunity to experience journalism at its best. I accompanied The Tribune’s editors to Wordstock, a one-day journalism seminar at Ryerson University in Toronto. Having spent some time in Welland at The Tribune throughout the summer, George Duma, the managing editor, presented me with an offer I couldn’t refuse. Wordstock had three separate seminars offering a choice of 18 different topics. I chose how to take accurate notes, getting the most from your inter- views and big stories from a small town. Speakers from around Canada with magazine, newspaper and freelancing backgrounds led the seminars. They were all informative and, I believe, were the right choice for a novice reporter. I learned how to break the mould and be different By Kaesha Forand Columnist in my interviews. The speaker made me think about how the for making Reality TV ‘cheesy, senseless garbage’ By Patrick Hall “Stupid TV, be more funny.” — Homer Columnist Simpson To this day, I cannot for the life of me figure out how millions of North Americans can tune in to the same, mind-numbing “reality” television programs week after week, season after season. On any given weekday evening, you can choose from a buffet of the cheesy, senseless garbage that has flooded the airwaves in recent years. These would include small screen gems such as Who Wants to Marry a Midget, The Real Gilligan’s Island and the groundbreaking Biggest Loser. Is this really what people want to see after a hard day’s work? Contestants competing to lose weight to, in the end, win the crown of biggest loser? Apparently, yes. I can understand how someone would first be intrigued by the concept of shows like Survivor and The Bachelor. I cannot, however, comprehend why viewers still tune in to the same plot twists and “shocking” character revelations a thousand times over, by a hundred different spin-offs. Oh right, because it’s real. I honestly get Available on newsstands and at http://www.newsatniagara.com Friday, Oct. 28 Friday, Nov. 11 Friday, Nov. 25 Friday, Dec. 9 Friday, Jan. 20, 2006 Friday, Jan. 27 Friday, Feb. 3 Friday, Feb. 10 Friday, Feb. 17 Friday, March 17 Friday, March 24 Friday, April 7 Friday, April 21 more reality watching an episode of South Park or reruns of The X-Files. “I think reality TV has totally overdone itself,” says Jennifer Krok, 20, of Selkirk, Ont. “At first, it was something new and interesting to follow, but it’s so predictable now. I don’t consider lame acting reality.” It’s hard to remember the last time a truly original series came around that lasted longer than a season or two. It seems creative television storywriting has taken a backseat to cheap, tired stereotypes. Marc Ricci, a third-year philosophy student at Brock University in St. Catharines, says he feels these shows are a “plague” and “an insult” to basic intelligence. “I find it disturbing that it’s referred to as reality. It’s a perfect ploy for ratings because producers know TV junkies will watch it.” “There’s nothing real or genuine about it,” says 20-year-old Justin Kellawan of the Broadcasting — Radio, Television and Film program at Niagara College. “That crap is just an easy cash-grab.” Overall, it seems television has left me in the cold, as far as quality entertainment is concerned, but, hey, at least I have football and hockey to keep me warm this winter. interviewee feels and how to adequately prepare myself. Wordstock, a yearly event, is a refresher for editors and writers. The event also allows them to mingle with their colleagues from local newspapers in the Osprey Media Group. I would like to thank the staff at The Tribune me feel welcome and for giving me the opportunity to learn with them. The event was provided by Osprey Media Group and cost $75 per person. The day included a hearty lunch, snacks throughout the day and a book on tips for becoming a better journalist, three seminars and a guest speaker. There was also a book table offering many useful books to buy. I felt like a sponge, trying to soak up as much information as I could. It was the best way to begin my second year of the Journalism-Print program here. Sleep the Season plays at the Merchant Ale House What we think Blackboard fast, easy way to save time for students Columns . news@niagara, Oct. 14, 2005, Page 7 The reality of reality TV Page 7 Journalism at its best Page 7 Making Blackboard mandatory Page 7 What would you do for a kidney? Page 8 d a e R Balancing school and workloads Page 8 Want to advertise in news@niagara? please contact Laura Tait, advertising director for the Welland Tribune at 905-732-2411 ext. 281 or e-mail ltait@wellandtribune.ca Greg Goertzen of Sleep the Season plays cello at the Merchant Ale House in St. Catharines on Oct. 9. Photo by Ariel Elliott Students in the Journalism-Print program at Niagara College are taught their reporting and column must be balanced, fair and objective. The feelings and opinions of column writers are welcome, but balance, fairness and objectivity must never be disregarded. Our columns, which are clearly identified as such, do not reflect the opinions of Niagara College administration or news@niagara management. They reflect only the writer’s opinion. Living with roommates Page 8 Page 8, news@niagara, Oct 14, 2005 Government pulls plug on man’s second chance at life Some people feel the gift of life is priceless. These days the Internet is putting a price tag on everything from brides to babies. I recently read in The National Post that a Montreal man was refused a kidney transplant because doctors had a suspicion that the kidney wasn’t given to him, but sold to him. Shree Dhar is a cotton exporter from India who offered dying 61year-old Baruch Tegene a kidney as an altruistic gesture. Unfortunately, Montreal doctors pulled the plug on the idea before Dhar could fly to Canada. The practice of selling organs in Canada is illegal. According to the Canadian Institute for Health Information, 55 patients died while waiting for a kidney transplant last year. It also says that the average waiting period for a kidney from a deceased person in the province of Quebec is 2 1/2 years. You be the judge. Should the rich be allowed to purchase organs, or should they be forced to wait in line like everyone else? Personally, I think that the rich should have the right to buy organs. The more organs sold to rich people means there are more donated organs for people who can’t afford to buy them. This may By John Misiti Columnist even shorten the waiting time for receiving an organ. If you ask me, this is yet another flaw in our justice system. Our government should pay more attention to the state our health care is in and not worry about people buying organs. Who cares if someone used their financial power to their advantage? We should just be happy that another life was saved. I say be happy a man with money has the initiative to help himself rather than rely on the government. I compare this to receiving welfare when you are more than capable of finding employment yourself. Paid for or not, this is one less kidney taken off a waiting list from a poor person that needs it more. Tegene ended up getting a kid- ney from the waiting list for donors. Let’s say you were next in line after him, and you died before another kidney was found. I bet your family would be upset that the rich man before you wasn’t allowed to buy a kidney, thus taking the last donated kidney you could have used. It’s time for our government to wake up and start letting people live their lives. Our health care is in complete shambles, tuition costs are on the rise and we are all taxed to death. If this is all that our government is capable of, I am not impressed with the results. Renting a house with friends might be more than you bargained for No one said living in a house with five people would be easy, but living with five best friends is harder. Recently, my five best friends from first-year college and I rented a house together. I moved in a week earlier than the rest and I tried as hard as I could to turn the cesspool into a biohazard-free area. My landlord had been slacking on the renovations that we had agreed he’d complete before move-in day. It didn’t help that the previous tenants loved to throw parties and couldn’t have cared less if the place looked less than presentable. Living on my own in this house was a big challenge. When my first roommate, also my best friend, moved in, it was a welcome change. I loved spending time with her because we hadn’t seen each other since last April. It wasn’t until the long weekend of September that I began to get nervous about my other roommates. Those three roommates (one happens to be my boyfriend) moved in right before classes started. Things were going well as we had all decided on certain “house rules,” simple things such as rinsing dishes and no loud music on By: Jennifer Gibbons Columnist school nights. By the end of the first month I learned some new and disturbing things about myself. The most prominent was I am a very anal person and become slightly irri- tated when things are not to my liking. This is a very selfish thing, I know, and I am working on getting some help. Other things crept in, like not being able to do my homework because I felt I was missing out on what was happening in the living room or not wanting to party when everyone else did. These things are controllable but still stressful. My best friend told me to “relax and by the end of the second month we will either kill each other or be one big happy family.” On a good day I agree with her and see how well we work together. On the rare occasion when I am feeling a little tired, however, my roommates now know to back away slowly and not to make any sudden movements. We are still on the landlord’s case to make our hellhole a little more livable, but that issue has been placed on the back burner because of our busy everyday lives. I don’t know if living with friends has taught me to be more accepting of other people’s habits or just confirmed that I would rather live alone. What I know for sure is that my favourite time of the day is when we all gather around our little TV and laugh, make fun and be silent together — just like a family. Bringing home the bacon harder at college as a full-time student College tuition: $3,030. Books: $270. Rent: $390. A healthy bank balance as well as a healthy body: priceless. With tuition prices rising from year to year, often students in postsecondary education have to take a part-time job to meet expenses. I was one of those students. For the first four years of my post-secondary career, I couldn’t get Ontario Student Assistance Program or any student loans because of my parents’ income. When I first took a job babysitting two children for $8 an hour, I agreed to work about 20 hours a week, give or take. This worked out to approximately three or four evenings a week — enough, I thought, to pay rent and keep me in food while giving me enough time to study and get my work done. The boss seemed nice enough, the kids were definitely cute and I felt that I was a pretty lucky girl for landing such a sweet deal. Well, things didn’t really turn out as I had originally thought. Instead of 20 hours a week, I found myself working close to 35 hours — and this was on top of school and my sporadic leisure activities. I would go to work for 4:30, often skipping a class to make it, and then baby-sit close to seven hours a night, not getting home until 12:30 a.m. or 1 a.m. My boss kept pushing me to work more and made ridiculous demands, and the kids were constantly sick with colds and flu that made my already-taxed immune By: Elizabeth Hawksworth Columnist system weaken horribly. I got about five hours of sleep a night. Instead of being happy and healthy, I was extremely stressed and worried about being fired because my boss made me feel as if I couldn’t do anything right. I also worried about money, since rent and bills worked out to more than I’d bargained for. I became an insomniac, started hallucinating from lack of sleep and lost a lot of weight because I was too worried and sick to eat. Eventually, I ended up going to the doctor at the college, who told me that students should only work 18 hours a week, at the most, and diagnosed me with exhaustion. Eventually, I lost the job because, on doctor’s orders, I had to ask for a week off. My boss didn’t appreciate that idea at all and so she fired me. I feel it was all for the best. Now I work 15 to 18 hours a week at my new job and feel a lot better. Balancing is everything with school, which is like a full-time job. If you find yourself suffering from exhaustion, then talk to your boss. If he or she is not understanding of your needs, then look for a new job, preferably at the college or with a corporation that hires a lot of students. Your health and your progress at school are a lot more important than any job, even if you have financial issues. There are always the food banks and financial aid services at school to help you if you find yourself in trouble. Counselling is also an option if you find you are depressed and feeling desperate. School can be the best experience of your life if you only remember to balance everything and take care of yourself. Agreement ratified by support staff in colleges across Ontario By PATRICIA RODRIGUEZ Staff Writer Support staff members across Ontario’s 24 community colleges ratified a collective contract on Sept. 22. The three-year deal was supported by 72 per cent of the voters who turned out, preventing a strike of more than 6,000 members of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU). Seventy-three per cent of the eligible voters cast ballots. “Our message to management in this round of bargaining was that support staff contribute as much to the success of the colleges as faculty do,” said Rod Bemister, chair of the OPSEU bargaining team. OPSEU represents about 15,000 academic and support staff workers for Ontario’s community colleges of Applied Arts and Technology. Bemister said they started negotiations in February. However, it was not until Sept. 2 that talks got serious. The highlights of the deal, which will expire on Aug. 31, 2008, include a three per cent staged wage increase in each of the three years, amounting to a 9.4 per cent total increase; a recognition allowance of $400 per year for support staff with 10 years of service or more (or the average support worker it will be an one per cent increase); a drug benefits card; the withdrawal of the wages and benefits comparison letter; and improved time-off provisions for union business. Niagara College has about 200 full-time support staff members, who provide many of the services to the college, said Darrell Neufeld, manager, corporate communications. “It was a good and fair deal.” He said the college is pleased the parties at the bargaining table were able to reach an agreement. “The support staff plays a vital role in the college system.” The wide range of services provided by the support staff includes information technology, maintenance, technical, early childhood education, clerical support for student loans, library, registrar’s office, and accounting. Bob Holder, chief steward for the Local 243 support staff of Niagara College, says the negotiations have been a “fairly lengthy process.” However, he said the agreement touched the key points the bargaining team was expecting to achieve. He said the bargaining team successfully addressed many of the recommendations and demands of the 24 colleges in Ontario. Page 9, news@niagara, Oct. 14, 2005 Mission to Sri Lanka Photo by Sheri Webber By SHERI WEBBER 40 degrees Celsius most days. Staff Writer “Sometimes it got so hot that I would Tsunami devastation humbled Niagara just lay in bed, the mattress sheet Without Borders and Caitlin McLachlan. soaked with sweat, loathing the bug net Niagara College Journalism-Print that kept the breeze of the ceiling fan graduate McLachlan, 19, of Smithville, as well as the mosquitoes away from recalls her days in Sri Lanka this past my skin.” summer. For a journalist, the Internet is a She and five other program graduates — communication tool and “an inteBrandon Prouse, of Construction Engineer- gral part of your job that isn’t ing Technology; Eric Berard, of abundant in Kalutara.” Environmental Management Writing was difficult. and Assessment; Katherine “I sat in tears before the Mead, of Ecosystem Restorarest of the group because tion; Pamela Graham, of I could not find the words Tourism Marketing and Operathat could describe what tions; and Patrick Vandersluys, had happened,” says of Construction Techniques — McLachlan. headed to Sri Lanka on May 12. “Brandon Prouse, 21, of They all left the same day Tillsonburg said, ‘Write CAITLIN and arrived back in Canada what you want to. Tell the MCLACHLAN mid-July to early August. truth. I’ve got your back. I “I’m standing in the Indian Ocean,” may not be there beside you when she says. “It is surreal to be standing in you’re taking risks, but I’ll be on the the waters from which thousands of sidelines watching out for you.’ Everypeople ran.” one else agreed they believed in me Seeing the state of the buildings and and that was such a powerful thing.” landscape four months after the tsunaRunning the day camp and the safemi “humbled” her, says McLachlan. ty of the children were the central wor“I had arrived ready to rebuild, but I ries at Kamp Katukurunda. did not fully grasp the randomness of “Our main concern was keeping the the devastation until I stood next to it.” children away from the ocean due to the Luxuries were gone, replaced by a current monsoon season and the dangers bed, a lamp, a wardrobe and a fan, and of violent undertows,” says McLachlan. sharing a public washroom by day and “Because we operated on the beach, using an empty bottle as a washroom we also provided water to avoid dehyby night with temperatures up around dration during sport. Aftermath in Ampara District of Kalmunai in Sri Lanka. “We encouraged parental observation to promote a sense of community. Our main objective was to provide a psychosocial rehabilitation program that focused on play. This way children were free to express themselves and, if they felt the need to, could share their concerns regarding the tsunami.” If given the opportunity to go back, would she? “In a heartbeat,” says McLachlan. “There is still so much to be done. The program that we initiated has the potential to grow beyond the basics and become a strong aspect in community life. Now that the reconstruction phase has gathered speed and progress is being made, a focus needs to be directed towards psychologically rehabilitating the victims, and education needs to be made a priority.” Leaving was difficult when she watched the faces of those left behind. “After having said our final goodbyes and passing out the last piece of paper with our addresses on it, I stood to leave and the children huddled closer. “They crowded around me and begged me to sing for them. ‘One song! Please, just one song!” “How could I say no? I managed to choke out You Are My Sunshine.” “I remember walking away and hearing them shout goodbye as they waved wildly at our backs.” Katherine Mead draws on the camp sign with Dilum (left) and Judeth. Photos submitted by CAITLIN MCLACHLAN Eric Berard demonstrates construction of a nametag Group picture including Pamela Graham (sitting), Katherine Mead, Patrick Vandersluys, Eric Berard and Brandon Prouse. Patrick Vandersluys sings The Weight by The Band while in Sri Lanka with Niagara Without Borders. Your connection to the world Niagara International Page 10, news@niagara, Oct. 14, 2005 Making friends from different cultures Page 10 Reducing poverty and boosting tourism Page 10 Destination: Alberta Page 11 Not all students can work Page 11 College reaching abroad through interns By AMANDA STREET Staff Writer Niagara College’s reach is worldwide as its students and staff are involved in education projects as interns and specialists. The International Projects department receives funding by writing successful project proposals to the Association of Canadian Community Colleges, the Canadian International Development Agency and various multilateral development banks. The college has been active in projects in more than 30 countries. The International Education Development Division (IEDD) is in its third year of a five-year project in South Africa to reduce poverty and boost tourism. Naomi Anatol, an international project specialist, has been working in the IEDD for the past nine months after returning from South Africa. Anatol was working on sustainable skills development focused on entrepreneurship training and tourism development. The department sets up international internships through the Canadian government. Since 1999 the department has placed 75 interns in 12 countries. Every year the department hires new interns. To become an intern you must be between the ages of 19 and 30, be a Canadian citizen and a college or university graduate. Although you do not have to be a graduate of Niagara College, students of the college are encouraged to participate. The internships are often tourism related, but the South Africa project also provides AIDS and HIV education to the population there. “The International Education Development Division is very active in international development projects which exemplify the college’s commitment to providing global opportunities for students and communities worldwide,” Anatol says. Lexa Djoleto, 26, of Mississauga, Ont., and a graduate of the International Development program at Dalhousie University in Halifax, NS, left for Brazil on Oct. 9. She also took Spanish at Dalhousie, and completed a Public Relations program at Humber College, in Etobicoke, Ont. She is taking part in the IEDD’s Brazil project, and she will be staying in Natel, to help implement a Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) program and educate trainers. The program looks at skill sets that someone might have to match them with the right training. She has been in the working field for the past two years doing marketing at a travel agency. “What better time than when I don’t have children or a family to do this?” says Djoleto on the experience she is about to begin. Brazil has two economic classes: either the “rich, rich, rich” or the “poor, poor, poor,” says Djoleto, and the project is designed to give the less fortunate access to schooling. Brazil has cefets, which are similar to high schools here but which also have a technical side. Each province has cefets. Most impoverished people in Brazil do not have access to the cefets. The project is trying to educate more people in Brazil. The Brazil project is in its second year, and the focus right now is on women. The main concern is to create relationships with the women of Natel “so that we can empower them,” says Djoleto. They plan to tackle this at soccer games for children from poor areas held every Saturday at the cefets and by talking to the mothers to interest them in the program. “It’s hard to believe that a college in the Niagara area is making such an impact on the international community. I’m incredibly excited to have this opportunity to spend six months in Brazil.” When she arrives in Brazil, Djoleto will plan logistics for a conference on Oct. 21. Jos Nolle, the director of the IEDD, and Marti Jurmain will attend the conference. Jurmain is the college’s director of research and innovation. The conference is on “Train the Trainer.” They will be training people from the cefets on the PLA methodology. There are also a number of winery and viticulture program graduates participating in these internships working in wineries in various countries. For more information on the internships, visit the IEDD office at S100 at the Welland campus or visit the IEDD website http://www.international. niagarac.on.ca. Lexa Djoleto stands with Naomi Anatol at the International Education Department. Photo by Amanda Street news@niagara, Oct. 14, 2005, Page 11 International students ineligible to work By MIKE LIKONGE claim at the end of the year.” Staff Writer Kangwa, 18, of St. Catharines, is Every international student has a a student from Zambia. She said different perspective of the Cana- she would like to work so she can dian education system. support herself, but said the govSome critics, such as Mary ernment does not allow foreign Kangwa, a secondstudents to year student in the work unless Hotel and Restauthey’ve been rant Management granted co-op (Co-op) program, work permits, say it’s ridiculous which allow that international them to work students should only during pay more than certain specithree times the fied dates. — Mary Kangwa tuition that Cana“I don’t dian students pay. know why they “I don’t think it’s fair for us to can’t give us work permits,” Kangpay that much,” she said. “I pay wa said. “By working, not only are $10,500 per year for my tuition we supporting ourselves, but we and that does not include books or are also helping enhance the Canatransportation. I can’t even go to dian economy. hospital if am sick because am not She said if the government covered by OHIP. On top of that, won’t allow them to work even we pay taxes to the Canadian gov- part time, there’s no need for them ernment which we can’t even to pay taxes because that’s not ‘I don’t know why they can’t give us work permits.’ helping them at all. In May, Kangwa said she was given a four-month work permit for her co-op and was not allowed to work before the specified date. She got a job in April as a night auditor at Embassy Suites Hotels in Niagara Falls but had to wait a month since her permit was from May to September. “I had six weeks left on my work permit when I was told I could no longer work because my permit expired,” she said. Today, Kangwa said she braids people’s hair to enable her to pay her bills. She said she would like to work part time if she could, but because she does not have a work permit, she doesn’t want to risk being deported by working illegally. Kangwa said she hopes one day the government will realize how important it will be for the country’s economy if every foreign student is permitted to work. Great place to have fun! The Banff Gondola provides a wonderful view of the entire city of Banff. Photo from www.dragonslairproductions.com Social activities help international students integrate Opportunities continue to grow throughout the college for students to socialize By TAKAHIDE EGUCHI Staff Writer She says she hopes these activities help students understand more about Canada and its culture. Susan McLachlin, social activities co-ordinator and English as a Second Language (ESL) instructor in the International Education and Development at Niagara College, says the International department offers various social activities to the international students. Movie Time, International Gym, Activity Hour and Conversation Club are the main ones that take place every week or second week. As the weather starts getting colder, she says, she will be arranging more indoor activities. McLachlin says she is presenting the first Movie Time since last February this month. For Movie Time, on Oct. 21, she will let the students choose the films, all of which have Halloween themes, by posting selection sheets on the activity board outside S100 at the Welland campus. She says she “always has to make sure the films have copyright.” She says she tries to get the most recent films. International Gym is a specific time that is booked just for international students. The gym has to be shared by all of the international students, she says, adding, “The biggest challenge for us it the fact that we only have that one hour.” If anyone wants to play organized sports, she says, “come and see me” and she will try to arrange his or her request. Activity Hour is the opportunity during which the students can “relax while practicing their English.” The students can play English games or teach a game from their country, she says. Conversation Club is held twice a month. Although the club is only for ESL students, she says Canadian students sometimes join. “It’s also a great time. Both of these are great times for students to meet people from other levels and classes.” She says she outlines to the students all the activities that are happening in every term. “I really do want to know how they feel about activities,” McLachlin says, mentioning that she gets “very little feedback.” “I want our students to have a good time, and I want our students to get involved in Canadian culture and Canadian customs.” She says activities give the students a break from their studies and let them practice their English “in a more relaxing environment.” McLachlin says she uses Nia- From above, Min Yi Wong, Ai Date and Abdullar gara this Week and two webAreef pose in the main foyer at the Welland campus. sites – http://www.insideniPhoto by Takahide Eguchi agara.com and http://www.tourismniagara.com – as came to the college this May and particireferences for what activities she pated in activities. She’d like to go camping because it’s “very special and fresh,” should select. For additional information, or to adding she doesn’t have this kind of convey any concern or request, e-mail activity in her country. Pointing out the time constraint and the her at smclachlin@niagarac.on.ca or go to see her in the international office. quality of the hotel, she says she didn’t On Oct. 15, the students will go like the three-day trip to Ottawa, Montrehiking at Ball’s Falls and visit Jor- al and Quebec. Twenty-one-year-old Abdullah Areef, dan Village, where they can buy of Saudi Arabia, says he’d like to go on a Inuit artifacts as souvenirs. “My interest is making the students trip with Canadian students and wants to have an organized soccer team. happy,” says McLachlin. “It’ll be great if we have our international Prompted by the co-ordinator’s interest, five ESL students tell their team and play against Canadian students in a experiences about activities they tournament.” Ernesto Maragall, 18, of Venezuela, says, attended. Chia-Hui Chu, 27, of Taiwan, says “They should keep doing it (activities)” after she went to Niagara Falls on Sept. 3 as joining in the Wine Festival Parade last month. Maragall says social activities give the her first activity. She says she’d like to go to places students a chance to get out of school and engage in a “new experience.” she’s never been. Ai Date, 28, of Japan, says she took part in “If I stay at home on weekends, I an activity every weekend last year. will feel bored.” “I prefer both Canadian and internaChia-Hui says it would be enjoyable if the office could hold a con- tional students to join in the activity. It cert of popular music bands at the gives me a good opportunity to learn about Canada and to make new friends.” college. As a suggestion to the office, she says She says there are enough interesting activities, and if she has when the office calls off an event for any time, she wants to “try everything.” reason, the office should rearrange it at Min Yi Wong, 27, of Taiwan, another time. Page 12, news@niagara, Oct. 14, 2005 news@niagara, Oct. 14, 2005, Page 13 It’s that time again, so grab your beer steins and celebrate Oktoberfest in Kitchener/Waterloo. Pictured are two celebrants in the Grand Ceremony on Oct. 7 at city hall. Traditional Germanic dress, food, beer and music mark the 10-day festival. Oktoberfest originated in 1810 in celebration of Princess Therese, who married the Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig. The celebration also gave thanks for the past year’s crops. Photo by Amanda Reynolds Photo Photo crew crew AMANDA AMANDA REYNOLDS REYNOLDS and KAYLA RICHARDS and KAYLA RICHARDS Page 14, news@niagara, Oct. 14, 2005 Gun Registry, Bogus By JOSHUA BOYLE Staff Writer On Aug. 31 the Canada Firearms Centre announced that three more sections of the Firearms Act due this month would not be implemented on schedule, instead pushing back their implementation until at least November 2006. Citing a lack of support that critics have claimed typifies the problems associated with the act and federal gun registry, the centre reported that the sections associated with marking regulations, public agencies and gun shows would have to be deferred. The history of the Firearms Act goes back to the 1994 shooting of 24-year-old Georgina Leimonis in Toronto’s Just Desserts café. A physically attractive young female, Leimonis became a cause célèbre in the media, just as Natalee Holloway and Pvt. Jessica Lynch would become a decade later. Now under pressure from the public and media to prevent similar murders in the future, then-Minister of Justice Allan Rock quickly introduced Bill C68, more commonly known as the Firearms Act, with intentions to gradually implement it. Eleven years later many feel that it is no closer to a practical application than it was when first proposed. Since it was publicly announced in 2002 that the registry was greatly over budget, many politicians and citizens have come forward and questioned whether the billion dollars spent on the registry had been wasted and couldn’t have been better invested in saving lives through another avenue. Since its introduction more than 10 years ago, the Act has raised a storm of controversy, as the majority of Canadian firearms remain unregistered and unaccounted for. Some groups, such as the 25,000 members of the Edmonton-based Law-abiding Unregistered Firearms Association, make it a matter of pride to refuse to register their weapons, while there is simply no reason to believe that present and would-be criminals of the country would ever be foolish enough to volunteer their names to a federal registry. For those legitimate gun-enthusiasts who would obey the law in registering their firearms unnecessary wait-times and hassle, coupled with the possibility of being jailed or fined for an improper registration, has limited their willingness to step forward and account for their firearms or to report stolen firearms to the police. Local gun-enthusiasts claim that the federal government isn’t their only source of grief, however. The media and general public also contribute to the per- D E R E T S I G E R UN secution and unfair stereotyping commits a heinous crime with a unfairly categorized if the public, or government, assumed that, since firearm. that surround their sport. The most unfair treatment, how- they owned a computer, they should St. Catharines resident Gerry Gamble, who led the 900 mem- ever, Gamble says, comes from all be stereotyped as pedophiles bers of The Sporting Clubs of university and college students. downloading child pornography. Guns enthusiasts do not largely Niagara (SCoN) until two weeks While he considers them a fairly intellectual lot by nature, post-sec- fit the common stereotype as unedago, agrees. “It’s all bogus,” he says, speak- ondary students frustrate him most ucated rural hillbillies. The SCoN ing of the negative light under by their apparent refusal to ratio- comprises men and women from which the media have largely por- nally examine arguments and all ages and walks of life, from logic, skills they hone every day in contractors to police officers. trayed legitimate gun-owners. Gamble, a retired geography On a local level, Gamble points the classroom, in the gun-control to the recent media coverage sur- debate. While ignorance of demo- teacher at regional high schools, rounding the shooting death of graphics, legislation or statistics has two sons that were raised to be aware and respectful of eight-year-old Jordan Smith, firearms from a young age. who was struck by a stray bulThe trouble with raising let while sleeping in his bedchildren in a gun-free environroom. The event made headment, he says, is that it gives a lines for days, as fear mongercertain mystique to guns, that ing based itself around a sinas young children they will gle tragedy. Children who find more dangerously drown in swimming pools, or intriguing, and later in life are hit in traffic, or otherwise learn to attach to a certain meet an early end typically rebellious image that can be find few headlines. highly sought. In another example, GamWhen Toronto Mayor ble argues, there is a level of David Miller spoke on the hypocrisy between public recent spike of gang-based perceptions of gun violence shootings in the city, he was and drunk driving. When the quick to shift the blame outmedia report an innocent side the Canadian borders, victim of a drunk driver, the thereby implicating the Unitblame is solidly on the ed States for firearms smugshoulders of the person at gled across the international fault. The driver is villanized border. As Gamble points as being a drunk driver, rather than having continu- St. Catharines resident Gerry Gamble, out, arms smuggling is nothing statistics attributed to 57, wishes that the government and pub- ing new and there’s no evisocio-economic classes, the lic would realize the only Canadian gun dence that any more firearms ready availability of alcohol owners likely to register their firearms are are being illegally imported into the country than in the or the inanimate car. the ones who should never have to. past. The root of gang shoot“Nobody ever calls for a Photo by Joshua Boyle ings, he says, doesn’t lie in ban on cars or alcohol, in these cases.” Gamble explains that there is a double standard; the public will not condemn everybody who drives as reckless, or everybody who drinks as an alcoholic, since millions of people share the common recreation faultlessly. This is not the case for gun-owners, who are under increased scrutiny and legislation every time a criminal surrounding gun-enthusiasts in Canada is always bound to exist, it’s a slap in the face when the villanization and stereotypes are being propagated by students who claim to be liberal, tolerant and accepting of cultures other than their own. As though to demonstrate his point, Gamble asks critics of his hobby whether they would feel inanimate guns, but in the Toronto people who seek them for violent capabilities. While the public, law and media all focus on the actual guns used to murder approximately 150 Canadians annually, Gamble says they miss the larger picture of why there are killers behind the guns in society in the first place. Whether the victims are shot, stabbed, beaten to death with a tire iron or battered by something as common as a napkin dispenser, there have to be underlying reasons why the crime was committed and why Canada has not suffered the same debilitating firearm murder rates. While many like to portray Canada as lacking a “gun culture,” there are millions of guns registered across the country, suggesting that guns play a role in a significant number of Canadians’ lives. However, Canadian gunenthusiasts are typically collectors, hunters or target-shooters, not purchasing their firearms for purposes of self-defense. According to Gamble, the difference lies in higher levels of social inequity across the border, that gun violence is often directed against upper/middle-class persons as the lower class’s method of bridging the gap between their social statuses. “If a person is poor enough, they will do anything,” he explains. With the violent class of criminals preying on the upper/middle-class, they push the general population to arm themselves as a means of defense, ultimately opening a rift between two armed classes that despise what they believe the other class is doing to them, resulting in an astonishingly higher firearm murder rate than Canada’s. Despite the government’s continued insistence that gun registration is a tool towards public safety, mistrust still runs high among many gun-enthusiasts who fear the federal gun registry is not meant as an effective crime-fighting tool, but as a means of further restricting the citizen’s rights to autonomy. Turning Martin Niemoller’s quote around, Gamble quotes a SCoN axiom: “First they came for the automatic rifles, but I didn’t speak up because I didn’t have an automatic rifle. Then they came for the semi-automatics, but I didn’t speak up because I didn’t have a semi-automatic. Then they came for the handguns, but I didn’t speak up because I didn’t have a handgun. Then they came for the hunting rifles.” With vague government mentions of banning certain types of knives, or the already-banned chemical defense sprays, Gamble fears this may represent a slippery-slope of how far Canadians are willing to let the government tell them what they may or may not possess. The paranoia is only fuelled by the federal shift from simply licensing owners, to registering individual weapons. “There’s only one reason they need to know that,” says Gamble. “So they can make sure they’ve got them all, when they come to try to confiscate them. news@niagara, Oct. 14, 2005, Page 15 Changes in student funding Blake Turner says that balancing school and his responsibilties on SAC is one of his goals for this year. Photo by Elisabeth Bailey President also a student By ELISABETH BAILEY Staff Writer There’s some new blood in the Student Administrative Council’s (SAC) top spot at the Welland campus. Blake Turner, 22, of St. Catharines, is the new SAC president. Turner, in his second year of the Social Service Worker program, has been a member of SAC since 2003. “I wanted to have a say. I wanted to have a voice. I wanted others to have a voice.” Turner has served in every role on the council except vice-president. “I’ve sort of moved up through the ranks.” Turner says that balancing school and his responsibilities to SAC is one of his goals for this year. “It’s a tough experience,” He says he’ll have to balance the two the same way other students have to balance school with having children or a part-time job. As for his goals after graduation, Turner says he is deciding between starting his career or continuing with more education. Turner’s goals this year as a SAC president include transferring his knowledge to the other members of SAC. “They’re professionals in training.” Turner says the professional development that he has in his role as SAC president is “outstanding.” Turner’s advice for first-year students also relates to balance in that they too must have some balance between work and fun. Turner says that students are at college to learn. “A lot of first-year students get overwhelmed by their freedom.” Turner also says that first-year students should be themselves. “The difference between college and high school, depending on where you’re from, is about 2,000 students. You have the freedom to be yourself.” Turner has some advice for people interested in joining SAC: “Go ahead and do it. We don’t bite. We’re students too.” Planned for this year, says Turner, are events, entertainment and “the same great service we’ve always had.” When asked what he wants students to know about him, Turner says, “I still have to walk to Mackenzie. I know there are long lines at the bookstore. I have to wait in OSAP lines. “I’m a student too.” October’s events at After Hours (Welland campus) Monday, October 17 Horror Movie Trivia @ Noon Wednesdays, October Comedy Night @ 8:00 p.m. AllAges Thursday, October 20 Octoberfest Pub @ 9:00 p.m. Monday, October 24 - 28 Nintendo Gamecube Tournament Sign-up in SAC Office Thursday, October 27 Halloween Party @ 9:00 p.m. $300 in Cash Prizes for Best Costumes Thanksgiving’s rich history By CHERIE BORHO Staff Writer On Oct. 10, families gathered to celebrate Thanksgiving together over dinner, just as they did the year before. The first Thanksgiving occurred in Newfoundland in 1578 when Martin Frobisher, an English navigator, gave thanks for surviving the long ocean journey. Years later, explorer Samuel de Champlain, along with other French settlers, had a huge feast of thanks after crossing the ocean to Canada. They shared their food with natives and formed the Order of Good Cheer. The next Thanksgiving occurred in 1763 when citizens of Halifax held a special day celebrating the end of the Seven Year’s War. Thanksgiving didn’t become a true tradition until after the American Revolution when the Americans who remained faithful to the government in England moved to Canada to share their traditions. After the First World War, both Armistice Day (now known as Remembrance Day) and Thanksgiving Day here were held on the Monday of the week in which Nov. 11 occurred. In 1931, the two events became separate holidays, and Armistice Day was renamed Remembrance day. Dan Delledonne, 20, of St. Catharines, is in his second year of the Police Foundations program. He says his grand- parents “came over and they eat things such as turkey, stuffing, and ham.” “I like turkey,” says Delledonne. “I’m a big eater.” Matt McIntosh, 19, of St. Catharines, in his second year of the Computer Engineering Technology program. McIntosh says every year his relatives take turns hosting the dinner, and the family comes over and spends the evening eating and talking. Courtney Baylis, 24, of St. Catharines, is in her first year of the Office Administrative – Executive program and says she “loves Thanksgiving.” Baylis says she likes to spend time with her family, eat good food and get a day off school. By ROBIN HEALEY Staff Writer The provincial government has introduced some changes to the student financial aid system, including increases in student funding. The changes follow the February release of Ontario: A Leader In Learning, a report with recommendations on post-secondary education by former Ontario premier Bob Rae. In the report, Rae advised the provincial government to provide more students with greater funding by introducing grants and increasing the money available through student loans. Eric Silvestri, manager, Financial Aid and Scholarships at Niagara College, agrees that the provincial government should “increase funding for Ontario students.” He said, “The government is starting to work in that direction,” noting that students are eligible for $75 more a week in OSAP loans than last year. In August, the Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities announced that the Millennium-Ontario Access Grant for lowincome students would pay up to half the cost of tuition to a maximum of $3,000. When combined with the federal government’s Canada Access Grant, another lowincome grant, eligible students can receive the full cost of their tuition to a maximum of $6,000. Silvestri, 43, from Welland, believes the new grants used to offset loans are a “good step” towards better student funding. Unlike loans, the grants do not have to be repaid. Despite the changes, Stephen Fekete, 20, from St. Catharines, in his second year of studies in Computer Engineering Technology, decided not to apply for student assistance. “I am too young to take on a large debt,” said Fekete. Instead, he has opted to work during the school year to pay for his education. Silvestri said that OSAP allows students to earn up to $1,700 during their study period. If a student earns more than that amount, the ministry will reassess that OSAP application and may reduce funding to the student. He said, “The amount of change, if any, depends on the amount of income over the $1,700 and student information on the application.” Students’ expected contributions from summer earnings have dropped as well, according to Silvestri. Once students were expected to contribute a dollar amount equivalent to what they would earn if they worked 35 hours a week at minimum wage over the summer. OSAP lowered that expectation to 31.5 hours per week this year. Silvestri said that expected parental contributions are lower too and that OSAP has added a $500 allowance for a computer. With all the changes to financial aid Silvestri believes, “Students should look into every source or opportunity for funding they are eligible for.” Students launch website for buying, selling used textbooks By CHERIE BORHO Staff Writer A group of students has launched a free website called booskforschool.ca. Students can sign up and sell their used textbooks to other students who need them at a fair price. Mike Lavine, 22, of Toronto, is the president and cofounder of booksforschool.ca. Lavine, in his fourth year of the Information Technology program at Ryerson University in Toronto, says the website started when he tried to sell a textbook back to the campus store but was offered only 20 per cent of the price he paid. Lavine says he wasn’t happy with that price, so he approached Paul Lavine (unrelated) and Lawson Hennick about an idea for a free website on which students can sell and buy used textbooks at decent prices. The website has over 1,000 users and over 5,000 books listed for sale. A student’s average savings on textbook purchase is 30 per cent. Booksforschool.ca is also affiliated with Amazon, so students have an option of buying new books from the website, as well as used ones. There is a points system you have to pay for, which allows you to do things such as add pictures or boldfaced text to the listing. Cayla Cherry, 22, of Orangeville, is in her third year of a bachelor’s degree with honours in Sociology at York University, in Scarborough. “I think it’s a great idea, and it helps us poor university can save money, and it’s also students out a lot.” helpful in finding students in Cherry says she has been the same program as you are.” using booksforschool.ca for a Agnes Hodgson, the bookmonth, bought four books store manager at Niagara Colusing the website and is sav- lege’s Campus Store, advises ing her money. students to be careful when “It’s free to sign up. It’s an buying used books online excellent way to meet people from your own school and they [booksforschool staff] email you to let you know that you have a message from someone.” Prexa Patel, 23, of Toronto, is in her third year of the Information Technology Management Telecomm and Networks Option program at Ryerson University and has been using booksforschool.ca since Niagara College student John Thom shows how much of a burden college September 2005. “Buying books textbooks can be. The burden to his from books- wallet might have been lighter if he had forschool.ca is sav- known about booksforschool.ca. ing me money. I can Photo by Baillie Adcock buy the used books, which are in good condition, (like) new, at (a) because they don’t always lower price, rather paying come with the complete packmore for new ones.” age or you could get the Patel bought two books wrong edition. from booksforschool.ca withThe Niagara College Camin two hours of registering for pus Store will buy back books the website. for half of what students paid “Everything is good about for them, providing the book booksforschool.ca,” says was bought at the store. Patel. “Thanks to Ryerson stu“Students like to see used dents who made such a great books,” says Hodgson. “A lot effort for this website helping of students will use the store students all over Canada. You as a convenience.” Movies, music and more Entertainment Page 16, news@niagara, Oct. 14, 2005 Bringing a magical life into Niagara Art Gallery Rocky Horror has classic horror/ science fiction, sensuality and outrageous fantasy mix The Niagara Art Gallery and the Folk Arts Council hold art Show All nationalities featured By MELISSA MANGELSEN Staff Writer International or Canadian, they all have one thing in common: they’re artists. The Niagara Art Gallery in Fonthill is holding an Arts Show until Oct. 15 in partnership with the Folk Arts Council Multicultural Centre (FACMC) of St. Catharines. The Folk Arts Festival was started in 1969 to provide an opportunity for cultural expression and to share cultures with citizens of the region. It has become one of Canada’s oldest heritage festivals. The organizer of the Arts Show, Malika Mounir, from Morocco, has been living in St. Catharines for the past 10 years. She is part of the Immigrant Woman’s Network of Niagara. The Arts Show is a partnership with Crossroads Initiative, a project funded by the United Way of St. Catharines and District. Mounir says the program ran for six months when they found they had five artists involved and wanted to link them with the community and other artists. “It’s a program that increases visibility in the community for immigrant women as artists and as businesswomen,” she says. The program helps find mentors for of immigrant women and helps to integrate them into the community. Crossroads Initiative also works with volunteers. Mounir says this is their first time doing the Arts Show, but they plan to hold it annually. “We expect more artists to join and develop a core of artists.” The FACMC offers a variety of programs, including a job search, workshops and English classes. “The festival is just part of the whole council,” says Mounir. Matthias Bork, from Bingen, Germany, lives in St. Catharines. He says the Arts Show is “very interesting” and he would like his own gallery but does not have the space for it. Bork is formerly the owner of Spicy Thai restaurant in St. Catharines but retired two years ago and is now a fulltime artist. He says art has been in the family since 1927. His family owns and operates the family business Malergeschaeft Bork in Germany. Bork has professional education as a pastry chef, patissier and food artist. He has worked in first-class hotels in Germany, Sweden, Thailand and Canada. An allergy to starch forced him to change professions from food art to German artist Matthais Bork stands with his wife Marbella Bork at the Arts Show, which runs until Oct. 15 at the Niagara Art Gallery. Photo by Melissa Mangelsen acrylic and oil paintings. Kotarski says she was happy with He says he is influenced by Hagem, the college’s program but now as she of Vietnam, Pablo Picasso, Salvador searches for work it is difficult to find. Dali and others. Kotarski wants to see more available His art includes furniture, abstract, jobs for artists. She would also like to sculptures, paintings, wall installations see events such as the Arts Show and and canvas. exhibitions held more frequently. Bork’s wife, Marbella Bork, from She says she has respect for anyone Mexico, is also an artist whose passion who is creative and loves all artwork is crafts. She focuses on belts, jewelry and wants to see more of it. and wedding favours. Kotarski says her paintings come Niagara College graduate Gische Anna from her feelings and soul. She loves Kotarski is from Poland and now lives in to create the human body and express it St. Catharines. She says she has been in her own vision. painting since she was a child. “Each piece is special to me because She attended Niagara College’s each piece is different,” she says. Graphic Design Production – Arts and She designs all her pieces in her head Design Fundamentals program. and brings them to life on canvas. Rocky Horror on stage for AIDS charity Tedesco brings life to Niagara Art Gallery By BAILLIE ADCOCK Staff Writer It’s just a jump to the left and then a step to the right. With your hands on your hips, you bring your knees in tight. Nevertheless, it’s the pelvic thrust that really drives you insane. Let’s do the Time Warp again with Oh Canada Eh?! Productions. Stumble into the castle of Dr. FrankN-Furter, a transvestite holding the annual convention of visitors from the plant Transsexual. It’s at 8585 Lundy’s Lane, Niagara Falls from Oct. 27 to Oct. 30 at 8 p.m. with a Saturday midnight bonus feature. For the past three years, Oh Canada Eh?! Productions used the mix of classic horror/science fiction sensuality and outrageous fantasy to bring in a growing audience. Oh Canada Eh?! Productions had been looking to attract different audiences of various demographics to their performances. They chose Lou Adler and Michael White’s 1975 musical production of The Rocky Horror Picture Show to take a jump from their normal audience. “Our other shows were more squeaky clean and fun for the family,” says Eric Hitchcock, general manager. Hitchcock’s job is to manage the promotion, budgeting, sales and marketing for the firm. “Because it’s our third year with this production, there is less preparation work, allowing us greater success with the advertising.” The first year of the production, they brought in $4,000 with another $5,000 last year for AIDS Niagara. This year they are hoping to bring in $10,000. AIDS Niagara is selling interactive packages with water guns, rice, noisemakers, party hats and more for $7 to enhance audience involvement. It gets the profits from these packages and $5 for every ticket sold. Oh Canada Eh?! plans to fill 250 seats per show for a total of over 1,000 seats. They have already sold 300 tickets. Kevin Jacobi, director of the production, says they’re mostly “fine tuning” this year. He is also performing as Riff Raff, the castle butler. They’ve added two new people to the cast, so they’re also “reworking some blocking and musical numbers.” Brandon Fletcher, of Wainfleet, used to work for Oh Canada Eh?! Productions and has returned this year to play Dr. Frank-N-Furter. He’s also a Tim Curry fan. Curry played the Doctor in the original film. Jacobi says they’ve chosen The Rocky Horror Picture Show because it’s a bit of a “guilty pleasure for the actors and singers.” “We weren’t old enough to experience the show when it first came out. It’s all about dancing to your own drummer.” They are encouraging everyone to come dressed in “Rocky” attire or a costume of any sort to get involved with the show. There are prizes for participation. “People in their 60s came dressed up last year and had a great time. It’s a great atmosphere,” says Jacobi. “Don’t sit back and be a prude. Get ready to dance in the aisles.” Hitchcock says he’s seen generations of family come together. “Last year a 70-year-old woman came to see the show for the first time ever and she loved it. Come on out, have a great time. It’s all about raising money for a good cause.” Individuals under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult as it is a licensed event. There are also nachos and wings available. For tickets call 905-374-1995 or toll free 1-800-467-2071. Tickets must be purchased with a VISA or MasterCard and can be picked up anytime between purchase and the show date. Visit the Rocky Horror website at http://www.rockyhorror.com for Rocky etiquette and costume ideas. By MELISSA MANGELSEN Staff Writer The dedication, devotion and desire of the free-spirited Dean Tedesco has brought a magical life into the Niagara Art Gallery. Tedesco, curator of the Niagara Art Gallery, 1948 Hwy. 20, Fonthill, Ont., says this is the gallery’s third season of operation. Several senior homes bring in small groups of visitors, since the gallery is fully wheelchair accessible, to experience a culturalistic change. The Niagara Art Gallery’s admission is free and anyone is welcome to stop by. Tedesco says as curator he is a decipherer and an interpreter of an artist and works with the artist directly to help discover what he or she is trying to get across with art, including visual art, musical art and any other medium. He helps the artists with the “three p’s,” of art, which are presentation, promotion and performance. He is the facilitator. Tedesco says he has a “passion for art” and therefore a passion for the gallery and bringing art to the general public. That also includes involvement in art and its formula. Tedesco says he encourages all artists who “have a passion” to come to the gallery and set up a show with him. He became involved with the gallery because of his involvement with art. Tedesco has been an artist all of his life. He attended Sheridan College in Oakville, Ont., Brock University in St. Catharines and Niagara College’s Welland campus, where he studied art. “If it wasn’t where I was meant to be at this time in my life, if what I was doing here wasn’t magical, I’d go back to my band or something,” he says. He also displays his art at the gallery. He is a performing artist who enjoys exhibiting his work. “Music is art.” He will often play one of his latest songs for visitors. “Art on a wall is final, but with songs you can always change them once they are complete,” he says. The lawn of the Niagara Art Gallery has been transformed into the Sculpture Park, exhibiting a range of various artists’ work. The park will undergo additions to allow for performing artists, photographers and artists from all mediums to display their work. Tedesco says the new Sculpture Park is going to be a culture centre for the Niagara region. He says with the development of this within the next two years, it will become Niagara’s first culture centre. Tedesco says he does not live a linear life, “like get a job fresh out of high school, work till you are 55 and then start living.” He lives his life every day and hopes that even after his death the Niagara Art Gallery will live on. Tedesco says between 70 and 90 artists deal with the gallery. There is a new show displayed every two weeks on the main floor. The site is actively involved with second-year students from Niagara College enrolled in the Graphic Design Production – Art and Design Fundamentals program. Two annual shows are held, showcasing a variety of mediums for Niagara College’s art students. The students hold a Christmas show and another show in the middle of April. Over the summer an exhibition of Gielfeldt’s artwork was held. He is the professor of life drawing, art and design fundamentals here. Tedesco says it “takes the students beyond the educational institution and allows them to present their work and put on shows.” “It gives them a chance to put it on the wall and say, ‘Look. Here’s me. I’m the artist.’” The gallery also offers art rentals, commissions and consulting, art lessons, meeting room facilities, video productions, photography, life drawing, live performance space and website design. The on-site Niagara Gallery Café offers afternoon tea and dessert or an evening buffet. news@niagara, Oct. 14, 2005, Page 17 By: Natalie Ventresca Columnist Dear Ms. Johansson, I read your comment and I’m not pleased. Sitting silently in a dark room surrounded by strangers who are all watching the same images onscreen, everyone is experiencing something different. While some laugh, others cry. What some find amusing, others find disturbing. Either way, for the length of the movie, viewers are pulled out of their world and brought into another. Movies have a way of altering your perceptions and teaching you lessons. They have a way of generating debates and dialogue between family, friends and strangers. Movies are important. Movies matter. That conviction is the reason I was angered when I read a quote from actress Scarlett Johansson in Movie Entertainment magazine, where she said, “I don’t believe that movies should deliver messages. I never pick films based on whatever messages they’re delivering. When I come out of a film that I’ve just paid $10 to see and spent $15 on popcorn, I just want to have been entertained. I don’t think that films necessarily have to deliver the big picture. That can be so preachy and boring.” Because she herself is involved in the movie industry, I was surprised by her naïve comment. Being a former film student, I’ve learned that every film has some type of message or meaning, regardless of how overt or subtle it is. You can find a message in a movie if you are looking for Family Guy hits video stores By NATALIE VENTRESCA Staff Writer Movie Review Christmas has come early this year for all Family Guy fans. The greatest gift any fan could ask for has just arrived at video stores: Stewie Griffin – The Untold Story. This straight-to-video release shows how Family Guy was really intended to be: uncut, uncensored and commercial free. Freed from television’s restricting censors, Stewie Griffin – The Untold Story takes full advantage of its new medium. The characters swear, the sexual humour is much more crude and Peter takes his love for farting to a new level. In addition, nothing is safe from being made fun of. Anything from Indiana Jones, Roseanne and Blue Man Group, to Ray Charles and Jesus are victims of Family Guy. You really must be a popular culture buff, however, to identify all the pop culture references in this movie. In Stewie Griffin – The Untold Story, fans of Family Guy, particularly fans of baby-genius Stewie, will be more than satisfied. The hilarity unfolds after Stewie has a neardeath experience when one of his schemes goes wrong. Frightened that he was sent to hell instead of heaven, he decides it’s time to change his ways, sort of. Finding it too hard to be a nice person, he has to fake it. When he finds faking is too hard, he turns to drinking martinis to put him in a good mood. When his drinking runs out of control and he crashes a car through the town watering hole, The Drunken Clam, he believes that his only chance to get to heaven is to find someone just like him who can show him the right way. If you didn’t think a drunken baby was crazy enough, what comes next is crazier. Thankfully, it is only a cartoon. Not only does Stewie find someone who looks identical to himself, he discovers that it’s he, himself, who’s visiting from the future. Curious about his future self, baby Stewie goes into the future to see what has become of his family. In the future, Chris is a cop and Meg has had a sex change operation. What Stewie is most shocked about, though, is himself in the future: a lonely, 35-year-old virgin who works at a Circuit Shack. To change his future and prevent himself from going to hell, Stewie has to stop his near-death experience from happening. Does Stewie return from the future in time to do that? Will he ever stop his plans to kill Lois and take over the world? Rent Stewie Griffin – The Untold Story to find out. one. It is simply up to you. You can be an active moviegoer who looks for meaning beyond what you are seeing, or you can be a passive moviegoer who just wants to be entertained. The latter is obviously Johansson, but what she fails to realize is that every movie – from any Disney movie to The Godfather, to Garden State – delivers a message. Even her own movie, Lost in Translation, is jam-packed with meaning. Does she think it’s preachy or boring? Scarlett, wake up and smell the popcorn. While you’re out being entertained for $25, I was analyzing your movie in my film class. Guess what? There was a message, and I was entertained. Kimberly Delaney, 19, a Pre-Health Sciences student here, says she believes that movies do matter and don’t necessarily exist to entertain. “They give good messages. You can learn from them, grieve from them. They make you look outside yourself.” She provides the example of biographies like the movie Ray. “How could that not affect you in some way?” she asks, yet she says she believes that anyone can interpret the message in a film depending on that person’s personal perception. What’s exceptional about movies is that over the years the meaning in them changes and some just grow more relevant. Think about To Kill a Mockingbird. Movies matter because they are the most popular form of entertainment of our time, a form of entertainment that has the ability to reach millions of people and to change lives. To Ms. Johansson, I recommend she educate herself about the industry she works in and stop considering movies as only a form of entertainment. They are much more. Move over, Jackie Chan. Tony Jaa is here By ANDY BURT Staff Writer Movie review Tony Jaa is the new alpha action star. Let’s get the technicalities out of the way first. Any semblance of plot in this movie is an excuse to set up the biggest, most ridiculous obstacles for Jaa to overcome. He jumps over, slides under, swings around, flips off and dives into everything and everyone. To do so with such grace (read: effortlessly) is unheard of. The story is that a Buddha head is stolen off a statue in Ting’s (Jaa) village and he must get it back. This is hardly important as it’s just used to link the action scenes in an almost logical way. Jaa and his ability are the reasons to watch Ong Bak. His strikes are of Bruce Lee calibre, quick without any wasted movement. The difference is that he connects. Jaa rains blows on his stunt team, and the director made sure you could hear and feel them. Prachya Pinkaew, the director of Ong Bak, was even so kind as to show most big moves three or four times, often in slow motion, via mid-movie replay. You’ll thank him on consecutive viewings with friends. Some of the most memorable stunts involve Jaa and his environment. Panes of glass, spools of barbed wire and baskets of knives balanced on a stick are all being innocently carried through the streets of Thailand as a gang chases Jaa. The foot chase scenes have been done before a la Jackie Chan, but Jaa does something innovative in every scene. One more thing the movie promises and delivers is the lack of computer animation, wirework and stunt doubles. Jaa does every stunt himself without the aid of wires, which a lot of other martial artists rely heavily upon (Jet Li most prominently) for their stunts. When you see him jump over a car or run on the heads of gang members, realize that it’s really happening. Jaa is the evolution of the action star, and Ong Bak is his playground. Jaa has said he grew up in Thailand watching Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan movies. Well, he’s blown past both of them with his skill, but you can clearly see their influence in his work. If you can look past the shallow storyline this movie is a lot of fun, even if it is just a resumé for Jaa. Check out our Halloween edition for The Reel Deal’s Top 10 Halloween movies. Who will make the list? Who will be No. 1? Pick up a copy on Oct. 28. Bad acting, bad dialogue, bad movie By NATALIE VENTRESCA Staff Writer Movie Review Warning: watching this movie may cause drowsiness. Don’t let this movie’s genre fool you. It might be found in the comedy section of video stores, but there’s nothing funny about it. It’s difficult to tell what’s worse in Monster-in-Law: the dialogue or the acting. With such cheesy lines as “Can I get you anything?” “Yes, one of him on a platter,” your eyes begin to hurt from rolling them so much in sheer disgust. In addition, Jennifer Lopez’s comedic performance is as much fun to watch as watching paint dry. This movie evokes no emotion. It’s supposed to be funny and sentimental. Unfortunately, it fails. The tagline for Monster-inLaw reads, “She met the perfect man. Then she met his mother.” With the title and the tagline, the plot of this movie seems pretty obvious and funny, yet it’s not. In Monster-in-Law, you’re not rooting for one character to outwit the other. Instead, you find yourself rooting for the movie to get better, but it never does. It starts off on a dull note and ends on the same note. There are actually a few funny scenes sprinkled here and there, but not enough to sustain the movie. The funny moments are too far and too few between. When the words “The End” finally appear onscreen, it’s the best part of the movie. If you see this movie in video stores, do not even make eye contact with it. Keep on walking, and for your own good, never look back. New Releases The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants Four friends of various shapes and sizes find an unusual pair of jeans that fit each and every one of them. They pledge to look after the jeans one week each hoping they will bring good luck. Starring Amber Tamblyn and Alexis Biedel. House of D David Duchovny (The X–Files) stars and directs this film about a grown man who looks back at his youth. Also starring Robin Williams. High Tension Just in time for Halloween, this slasher movie, directed and written by French filmmaker Alexandre Aja, deals with a homicidal delivery man who goes on rampage. Entertainment - The Reel Deal.For all movie lovers Wake up and smell the popcorn Review: Monster in - law Review: Family Guy Presents Stewie Griffin – The Untold Story Review: Ong Bak Do movies matter? Listen to this Entertainment - Music . Page 18, news@niagara, Oct. 14, 2005 Paul Weller takes the stage at the Kool Haus David Gray’s North American Tour begins Taking a closer look to the Satellite State and This b s on r appea IAGARA The Satellite State excited for future By LESLEY KERR Staff Writer "No punk, we're definitely not punk," says Jordan Thomson, bassist of The Satellite State. "More like aggressive rock," says Jordan Menear, the vocalist of Satellite State, known also as "No Fear," a humorous name to avoid confusion with the other Jordan in the band. The five-member band includes Patrick MacLean on vocals and guitar, Justin Jennings on guitar, Jordan Thomson on bass, Shane Turner on drums and Jordan Menear on vocals. The Satellite State has evolved through a number of band members. Menear, the new vocalist, is the latest edition. Their first album is called Division and Concurrence, for which MacLean was lead singer. MacLean says, "I still sing, but the old stuff was more chill, and it is hard to concentrate on guitar and sing." In a previous interview, MacLean said the "earlier stuff" had more emphasis on the music. "We didn't put much time into vocals. There was, like, one or two minutes of intro for some of the earlier songs. It was good at the time but still a bit much." The members of Satellite State are young, at 17 to 18 years old, but focused, for they have managed to come up with a modern way of writing music. Thomson says, "We make up the name of the song first. Then we figure out what the name means and what it should sound like." In a previous interview, Turner said it's guitar first and lyrics last but they try for a pretty full sound. "It's got substance to it; it's not airy. There is a lot of sound comin' at ya." "We start with a small riff, and then Shane comes in with the structure of the song and then come in the lyrics," MacLean says. Menear says he writes a lot of the lyrics. "I watch movies and elaborate on them." Menear has been to one band practice so far. Justin says Mars Volta and Sleeper Set Sail influence them. In an earlier interview, MacLean says, "We want to create something different, something that's fresh and not like everything else out there. When we write, we write riffs, and someone will be, like, that sounds like Sleeper, so we change it." The band shows dedication to its music by dealing with the obstacle of having a long-distance member. The five members are all from St. Catharines except Thomson, who has left for university but still manages to fully participate in the band. Thomson is going to McMaster University in Hamilton for engineering, but says he comes to St. Catharines every other week for band practice. Although he is not around, he says he still takes part in the songwriting by e-mail. The band sends him NOIS E@N ite State The Satell ht Calmly ig “As the L Flickers” 9 , Track Disc 1 om A.c NiAGAR NOISEat you by Brought to ar ag a news@ni The Satellite State poses following their news@niagara interview. Sitting, left top, are Pat MacLean, Jordon Thomson, Shane Turner, Jordon Menear and Justin Jennings. Photo by Lesley Kerr what they come up with, and then he but it's for the sake of the music." sends his feedback. Thomson says, "It's really hard to All the members have been in a band step outside of yourself and think, 'If I or playing their instruments for six to didn't write this music, would I still eight years. like it?'" Thomson says, "We've all had our Turner says they write the music and bad experience in another band." then critique it. Menear says he once played in a Everyone agreed they get into Weezer cover band as well as a the music once they start playing. Vines cover band. They continue to build from one "Oh yeah, we fight," says the another's sound. band. Turner says laughing, "Justin gets MacLean says he thinks they're really into it. You can't touch him." getting to know "where to tick The band plans to continue playeach other off and where not to ing in shows for the next year and tick each other off." sell merchandise. Otherwise they "The first start-off practice is usually can't yet afford to record another crappy, but the second half is good." album. Thompson said in a previous interThey've play ed at the Red view, "It's constructive arguing Square and some school gigs because we all want it to sound as good before. as possible." Turner says, "St. Catharines has a "We all let each other know how lot of good musicians, but there we feel." aren't too many great promoters, Turner says, "There are arguments except for Bedlam." Gray still knows how to kick it with fans By JEFF FORAN Staff Writer The Air Canada Centre Best Buy Theatre was the venue for the kick-off of David Gray's North American Tour on Oct. 2. Gracing the stage in a stylish black suit with a fivepiece backing band, Gray strapped on an electric guitar and started his set with his current hit single, One Love. The 6,500 sell-out crowd swayed and sang along. "Just because we're here (Air Canada Centre) doesn't mean we condone ice hockey," Gray said jokingly. "We think it's vicious." Switching from guitar, piano and even the harmonica throughout the 95-minute concert, Gray was never at a standstill. His set included many songs from his White Ladder album, such as Please Forgive Me, This Year's Love, Sail Away and Silver Lining, which were all given massive applause from the audience. It was newer songs such as Hospital Food, Lately and the set closing Disappearing World from Gray's latest album Life In Slow Motion that made up the rest of the concert. Gray returned to stage for a five-song encore. The song everyone was waiting for was finally played, Babylon, his biggest hit. For the first time during the entire night, the whole crowd was out of their seats, many dancing in the aisles and embracing their loved ones. "This is the biggest venue we've played in a while," said Gray. "Probably all the basketball players," he joked again. Ending the night with the song Freedom, Gray thanked the crowd and quickly jogged off the stage to end a beautiful night of music. SAC interested in sponsoring noise@niagara By SANDOR LIGETFALVY Promotions Staff Noise@niagara, the compilation album of 31 Niagara-region bands brought to you by news@niagara, may be about to get bigger and better — if student council, who meets this week, decides to sponsor the album. If the bid is successful, 500 copies of the two-disc compilation album will be professionally manufactured and available for early November. The vote took place Thursday, Oct. 13, at the Niagara College Student Administrative Council Inc. (SAC) board of governors meeting. This edition of news@niagara was producd by the second-year Journalism–Print class on Wednesday. At the time of production, it was not known what the results of the vote were. The arrangement may mean the bands on noise@niagara will be invited to perform at concert events at student pubs The Armoury (at the Glendale campus) and After Hours (at the Welland campus). The entire compilation album, featuring almost two hours of music by local talent spanning the genres of acoustic, rock, hardcore and hip-hop, has been available for free on the web since Sept. 30. Read the Oct. 28 edition of news@niagara or visit the noise@niagara website for news on this exciting sponsorship possibility. local and vocal music from niagara region Acoustic, Rock, Punk, Hardcore, & Rap news@niagara presents a double cd & online album On Disc One FEATURING Shade, The Morning Announcements, The Strange, Groovy Food, Brett Friesen & The Great Lakes, Flatlined, The Mute, Outlier, The Satellite State, Mark Vida, Sleep The Season, Cue The Crowd, Anthony Sweet, Cold Trail. On Disc Two Ceremonial Snips, Murder Thy Maker, Senate, Rad Affair, A Prime Time Tragedy, Defence Mechanism, Slang, For Your Information, Contrastincredible!, Instruments of Lusty and Fury, The Marantz Project, Jonny Dark Eyed Ft. Mark Moffre, Ambience, Cigar Face, Slick, Anubis 5, & Swamp Siccness Ft. Deep Lash. Entire Album Online http://www.NOISEatNIAGARA.com news@niagara, Oct. 14, 2005, Page 19 By: Kate Jefferies Columnist Inexpensive, convenient to store and easy to make — pasta is an ideal addition to any student’s cupboard. This National Pasta Month, otherwise known as October, is the perfect time to talk about this favourite food. Pasta has come up against some hard times lately with the sudden influx of low-carb dieting practices. Contrary to popular belief, pasta is not a carb-monster, just itching to attach itself to your thighs. It’s actually one of the complex-carbohydrates, a “good” carb, the source of most of the body’s glucose and fuel for the brain, red blood cells, muscles and organs. Pasta is an excellent way to include healthy foods in your diet. Plate partners can be vegetables, fish, olive oil, cheese, tomato sauce, beans, poultry and meat. By pairing any kind of pasta with these ingredients, you can easily create a complete, nutritious and satisfying meal on a tight budget. For the budget-conscious, uncooked, dry pasta is the perfect way to keep dinner costs low. Simply adding frozen veggies and some of your favourite Italian Vegetable Pasta Bake salad dressing to cooked pasta is a cheap, easy weeknight meal. Uncooked, dry pasta should be kept in a cool dry place for up to one year, whereas its fresher counterparts should be used up in a few days. Also, pasta almost never requires a meat ingredient to be great tasting, which is great news when the rent is due. Remember vegetables bought in season are always at their best and cheapest, but frozen veggies are a great alternative to make sure you get your greens during the winter. Stirring up something creative is as easy as emptying your fridge of leftovers and throwing it into the pot. The possibilities are endless, so go ahead and experiment. With surprisingly few ingredients, you can put together some delicious results. • The Chinese are on record as having eaten pasta as early as 5000 BC. • There are more than 600 pasta shapes worldwide. • To cook one billion pounds of pasta, you would need enough water to fill nearly 75,000 Olympic-size swimming pools. • One cup of cooked spaghetti provides about 200 calories, 40 grams of complex-carbs, less than one gram of total fat and no cholesterol. • Cooked al dente (al-DEN-tay) literally means “to the tooth,” which is how to test pasta to see if it is properly cooked. The pasta should be a bit firm, offering some resistance to the tooth, but tender. — Source: The National Pasta Association Penne Parmesan Pasta A quick meal for a busy school day A delicious break from regular tomato sauce Prep Time: 5 minutes • Ready in 20 minutes • Serves 4 Prep Time: 10 minutes • Ready in 25 minutes • Serves 4 Directions Stir together vegetables, pasta sauce and pasta in large baking dish. Top with cheese. Bake at 350°F for about 15 minutes. Ingredients 1/4 cup Italian dressing 1 cup sliced mushrooms 1 medium zucchini 1 large tomato, chopped 1/3 cup chopped green onions 1/2 cup parmesan cheese 2-1/2 cups penne pasta 1/2 tsp black pepper (optional) Directions Heat dressing in fry pan on mediumhigh heat. Add mushrooms and zucchini. Cook 2 minutes until soft. Add tomato and green onions. Cook 1 minute more. Toss vegetables with cheese and pasta. Sprinkle with pepper. Serve immediately. Healthful eating plus fitness crucial for busy college students By NATALIE VENTRESCA Staff Writer As busy college students, we tend to think only of our classes, homework, part-time jobs and, of course, our social life. What that all leaves us with is fatigue, stress and a hangover. Taking a backseat is our health. Our eating habits change for the worse and our participation in physical activities becomes nonexistent. As college students, specifically women, it is important to make the right choices. Welland’s Ultimate Woman’s Fitness Studio Ltd.’s manager, Debbie Iannizzi, 54, of Wainfleet, who has been working in the fitness industry for over 30 years, says she doesn’t think some students make the right choices, especially when it comes to eating. Because students are so busy during the school year, priorities begin to shift, but, Iannizzi stresses, the issue of health and fitness “has to be a priority.” Being away from home, away from parental supervision and buying your own groceries are significant factors in making the right choices when it comes to your health. Iannizzi is displeased at the fact that “junk” is cheaper to buy than more healthful foods, when it should “really be the other way around.” As a result, students tend to purchase cheaper items to save money. Iannizzi stresses that too many young people miss breakfast, which still is “the most important meal of the day.” If going to the gym simply won’t fit into your daily routine, but you still want to stay fit, Iannizzi says she would recommend students “walk as much as you can.” She emphasizes that you have to stay active. To do this, ladies, you have to occasionally pass on a car ride or bus ride every now and then and walk. That is not to say that all college women don’t care about their health and fitness. There are women who keep active. If you are one of those students, there’s a place in Welland exclusively for women that helps bring the focus back to health and fitness. Ultimate Woman’s Fitness Studio Ltd., which has been in business for five years, is a fully equipped, full-service women’s gym that offers an alternate environment for women to work out in. Iannizzi, who has been working at Ultimate Woman’s Fitness for five years, says this all-woman environment is beneficial for women because it makes them feel more comfortable and not as intimidated. “They feel they can come as they please and they don’t have to worry about appearances or other people judging and looking at them. It’s a whole different atmosphere.” Iannizzi describes this different atmosphere as softer, quieter, friendlier and more comforting. “You can come in and really feel good.” You can find women of all ages working out, Iannizzi says, adding Feel the burn! Members of Welland’s Ultimate Fitness Studio Ltd. warm up during a tone class, one of the many aerobics class offered there during the week. Photo by Natalie Ventresca members are anywhere from 20 to 55 interest in physical fitness. She says, years old. “It’s sad that we are living in the 21st Certified instructors, in addition to century and the number 1 killer will be circuit weight training and cardio obesity because it’s an issue that we equipment, offer members a variety of can do something about. We can classes such as step, tone, and cardio- stop obesity.” kick boxing. On a positive note, Iannizzi says she While keeping fit is applauded, Ian- feels that the image of women has nizzi cautions women who do work out changed over the years and for the betthat they must not forget about strength ter, and the mass media are the first to training using weights. She says that explore this. She uses the Dove soap women put too much emphasis on aer- commercial as an example. In it, obics and not enough on strength train- women of various shapes and sizes are ing, which is also “very important.” filmed in their underwear to show how To many, fitness is an issue that can women are now happier with their be brushed aside by excuses. You’re bodies, regardless of their size. too busy or too tired. Health and fitness As college students, we might seem are important issues that should be overwhelmed with schoolwork, but we explored at an early age. Today, obesi- must remember to put our health ty in children is a problem in schools, before anything else. We have one but the educational system can only body, so we need to take care of it. teach the basics. Ultimate Women’s Fitness Ltd. is at Iannizzi says that she believes health 222 East Main St., Welland. Informaand fitness are issues that should also tion is available by phone at 905-714be taught in the home. She says she 7801 or by e-mail at http://www.ultionly hopes to see women take more matewomensfitness.com. Taking care of Mind, Body and Soul Ingredients 2 cups frozen mixed vegetables 1 jar (750 mL) pasta sauce 3 cups of any small pasta (rotini, bow-tie, penne) 1/2 cup grated cheese 1/2 cup parmesan cheese (optional) Body & Health Pasta, tasty start to any meal Pasta’s Press Room Pasta, pasta, pasta: celebrating National Pasta Month Exercise and the college life: staying active while in school Golf team brings home bronze medal Continued from page 1 The rest of the team consisted of John Holmes, of Erin, Ont., who shot 150, Mike Mottola, of Niagara Falls, with 153, Stephen Grano, of Port Colborne, who shot 155 and Sean Scott, of Niagara Falls, with a score of 156. Katie Van Vliet, of London, was unable to play in the tournament as she was scheduled for an MRI on her knee. All of the members on the team are in the Business Administration – Professional Golf Management (Co-op) program, with the exception of Stephen Grano, who is in a business administration program. Sarkis says that the golf team is for What’s going on in the World of Sports Sports . Page 20, news@niagara, Oct. 14, 2005 Volleyball veteran takes over women’s volleyball team Page 20 Niagara’s golf team wins bronze Page 20 Sports fans tune in to FAN590 Page 20 Coverage of Raptors’ training visit to Brock University Page 21 Stephen Grano, a member of Niagara College’s golf team, hits from the fairway at the Ping Ontario Colleges Athletic Association Open golf Championship on Oct. 3 to Oct. 5 in Brooklin, Ont. Submitted photo men and women students and “wishes” women would try out for the team. He encourages any woman with golf experience to come out. Niagara College will compete next at the Canadian College Athletic Association National Championship on Oct. 19 to Oct. 22, in Windsor, Ont. Sarkis says he’s “very pleased.” “[Niagara College] kicked off the season with a medal, primarily made out of rookies. Four-fifths [of them] will be back next year.” He adds Niagara College is considered to be “one of the top three golf programs in the country.” “I’m proud of that.” The Niagara College Varsity golf team took home the bronze medal at the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association Provincial Championships. From left are coach Frank Campanelli, and golfers Andrew Walpole, Mike Motolla, Andrew Egerter, John Holmes, Stephen Grano and Sean Scott. Submitted photo Injury forces veteran basketball Fresh start for varsity volleyball player to sit on sidelines By LIAM MCPHERSON Staff Writer Because of an ACL injury, Lindsey Norris, former starter of the women’s college basketball team, will be sidelined until possibly December if all heals well. Norris, 19, who is in her second year of Early Childhood Education, was a starter on the women’s basketball team last year and is the team’s new voice on the bench. She’s the manager in the meantime. Norris says she “really loves” the game of basketball and “will do anything to get back in the game.” She said, “I love the game of basketball too much to sit out a whole season and watch from the sidelines.” She will have a strong voice to back her teammates and inspire them to do their best. Norris said, “I hope I can use my experience to help my new and fellow teammates while I have to watch.” The Knights have five veterans on the team: Abby Cass, Jaylene Poirier, Lindsay Cloughley, Christina Hitenberger and Paula Shaver. The rest are new, promising faces. Norris said, “I think the team is really starting to come together and play as a unit. There is no “I” in the word team.” The women’s first exhibition game begins against Toronto’s Humber College at 6 p.m. on Oct. 18. By PATRICK HALL Staff Writer With the new season on the horizon and a fresh set of players, change is in the air for this Niagara volleyball veteran. Kerby Bentley, 28, of Caledon East, Ont., has taken over as head coach of Niagara’s women’s volleyball team for the first time in his varsity coaching career. “I found out officially during the first week of August about the change,” says the college’s athletic recreation assistant. “I’m definitely excited for the new challenges in the months ahead.” Bentley, who also teaches physical education in the Police Foundations program, is no stranger to the varsity volleyball program. He played for the Niagara Knights from 1995 to 2000 and has coached the men’s team since the 2000/2001 season. During his tenure as head coach, the Niagara College resident led his teams to the Ontario Colleges Athletics Association championships four different times, taking home two provincial titles. Past accomplishments and successes aside, Bentley says his focus is on hard work and constant dedication in order to compete in the 21-team league. Thirty hopefuls are vying for a position on the 12-woman roster. There are only four returning players. “I see lots of potential for this year’s crew, but it will be tough. We face a lot of good teams early on, which will set the tone for the season.” The Niagara Knights open their season today, facing the Canadore Panthers in North Bay and square off tomorrow afternoon against Nipissing University. Overall, the Knights’ coach says he expects healthy competition from every team this season, especially against rival schools Humber College of Etobicoke and Redeemer University of Ancaster. “This team should medal at the provincials, but the colour of that medal will be up to them. You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink.” FAN590 and OCAA to produce college radio show for Ontario varsity athletic season By MICHAEL MCCLYMONT Staff Writer The FAN590 sports-radio show has combined with the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) to produce the College Radio Show for the 2005-2006 varsity athletic season. The half-hour segment debuted Sept. 18 and will air every Sunday at 9 a.m. David Grossman is the host of the segment that will feature college athletes, coaches and athletic directors. Ray Sarkis is Niagara College’s co-ordinator of athletics and recreation, and he is also OCAA president. Sarkis says the partnership with the FAN590 is “fantastic.” “For the longest time, the OCAA has been fighting for media coverage. We’ve been trying to get the national media to recognize our players and teams. The only one that has been supportive has been the Toronto Sun and its weekend columns, but it’s not consistent. Local coverage has always given great support.” The OCAA and the FAN590 have worked out a one-year contract. For the show to have a long-term future, it needs the support of all the colleges and, most of all, their students. Sarkis says the OCAA was “a little hesitant as to the time of the show,” and that getting college students to tune in may be the show’s biggest challenge. “The people that are going to listen are the athletes and their friends and their families. Hopefully, more interest will spread through word of mouth.” The 9 a.m. time slot used to be occupied by the Ontario University Association. The College Radio Show will precede the High School Show on the FAN. A future OCAA segment on television is not an impossibility, but, Sarkis says, they’re focusing on one thing at a time. “We’ve tried with TSN and Sportsnet to even get just a college banner across the bottom of the screen.” Sarkis says most Ontario sports networks are “pulling away from all college coverage. Now they only cover the U.S. schools.” Sarkis says he’s hoping the connection with Grossman will lead to other media partnerships. “David Grossman is an outstanding gentleman that knows the business. What I’m hoping is that because he works for the Toronto Star, this may influence them to take a chance too.” Tune in to the FAN590 Sunday at 9 a.m. for the latest on Ontario colleges’ varsity teams and players. news@niagara, Oct. 14, 2005, Page 21 Knights in search of third consecutive championship title By MICHAEL MCCLYMONT Staff Writer The Niagara College Knights began their touch football title defense with a strong showing in an exhibition tournament at Durham College Oct. 1 in Oshawa. This was led in part by an end-to-end kickoff return touchdown and an impressive showing by the Knights’ defense. With a team loaded with first-year players, the Knights went 2-1 and grew more confident as the tournament went on. However, their first contest started quickly as the Knights fell behind 18-0 in the first half versus rival Mohawk College of Hamilton. “That game was 18-0 before we knew what touch football was,” said Head Coach Randy Conlon in defense of his club. “We have 15 guys that have never played (touch football), and the rest of them have limited experience.” The Knights would recover though. After falling behind Mohawk early, Niagara’s defense buckled down and forced five turnovers. First-year players Josh Cassolato and Brandon “Cheech” Meglacic each had two interceptions, and team veteran Jonathan Marshall added the other. First-year Knights Quarterback Travis Chase hooked up with two-sport star Anderson St. Valle for the team’s lone touchdown as the Knights were defeated in their first exhibition game of the season, 26-6. Chase, 19, a first-year student in the Construction Engineering program, says he grew more comfortable in his second game. He was the starting quarterback for his high school tackle football team but touch foot- ball is a completely different sport. “It was faster than I expected, going from tackle to touch. After the first game, I got a better grasp of it.” The Knights went on to rout St. Lawrence College Cornwall 30-7 behind Chase’s four touchdown passes. Mike McClymont, 21, a second-year Journalism-Print student, received two of Chase’s touchdown throws and added a onepoint convert. Marshall and touch football veteran Matt Thompson were the recipients of the other two touchdown passes. The Niagara defense was strong again as Geoff MacLean, 19, a first-year Electrical Engineering student, intercepted two Cornwall passes and Jeff Fazekas, 23, added another interception. The Knights capped off the tournament with a 33-0 shutout of the host team, Durham College. The defense again intercepted five passes, but the play of the game took place before the first snap. On the opening kickoff, Cassolato, 19, in Hotel and Restaurant Management, retrieved the football in his own end zone and ran untouched to the opposite end of the field for the opening score. Considering the fact that it takes a touch from one hand of any player on the opposing team to end a play, Cassalato’s kickoff return is even more impressive. Thompson, 21, in Graphic Design Production – Art and Design Fundamentals, exploded with three touchdown catches and a convert, and “Cheech” Meglacic returned an interception for a touchdown to end the Raptors’ rookies impressive By NENAD SRDJENOVIC Staff Writer After the Brock University portion of Toronto Raptors’ basketball training camp wrapped up with the annual intra-squad scrimmage Saturday, the Raptors are ready to start the pre-season on a high note. The annual intra-squad scrimmage was the first chance for the public to see the new Raptors’ squad in action. The scrimmage was watched by a full house at Brock University’s Bob Davis Gymnasium in St. Catharines. The newcomers stole the show as Rookies Charlie Villanueva, Joey Graham, Jose Calderon and new point guard Mike James all looked impressive. Head coach Sam Mitchell says he wants a chance to see all the club’s training camp invitees in game action before he starts making personnel decisions. “They all deserve a chance to get some minutes, so I’m going to try to give them some minutes,” Mitchell says. “I like these guys. I wish I could keep all 19, I really do. These guys work hard, they work well together, they pull for each other. “It will all unfold once we start to play some games,” Mitchell says, about the roster. “Why make that decision when I don’t have to?” Concerning the leadership responsibility of the team, Mitchell says, “Veterans Jalen Rose, Chris Bosh and Morris Peterson – they all have to share it.” Fifth-year pro, 28-year-old Morris Peterson says he seems to have more responsibility this year than ever before in his career. “I’ve worked all off-season to keep the form I had the last six weeks of the season. I think I played the best basketball of the whole year.” Peterson says being ranked last in the National Basketball Association by ESPN makes the whole team work harder, himself included. He hopes to prove all the critics wrong by trying to make the playoffs. “We have a good chance of making it if everyone plays well for us,” says Peterson. Joey Graham, 23, says, “I can come in and play offense or defense. It depends on what coach expects from me.” Graham says he’s prepared to play in front of large audiences “because I love playing for the fans.” With training camp complete, the Raptors are looking forward to their pre-season schedule and the regular season. Although there are a great number of doubters, the Raps are keen on proving many of them wrong. The Niagara Knights Men’s and Women’s basketball teams begin their 2005 home schedules with exhibition games against Humber College Tuesday, Oct. 18. The women’s game is at 6 p.m. and the men’s game follows at 8 p.m. Come cheer on the home team! tournament positively for Niagara. “We progressively got better. At this stage of the game, that’s what you want,” said Conlon. Chase echoed his coach’s sentiments. “The first game, I wasn’t too happy with the way I played, but the Niagara Knight defender Jeff Fazekas gets ready to make second half and the the touch against a Mohawk College receiver at an exhibinext two games, we tion tournament at Durham College in Oshawa Oct. 1. stepped it up and Photo by Michael McClymont played like a championship team.” The Knights’ next tournament is the The Knights are in battle this Ontario Colleges Athletic Association weekend in the OCAA (OCAA) Provincial Championships Oct. 14 Provincial Championships to 16 at Durham College. The Knights will at Durham College. be looking for their third consecutive chamBring home pionship. They swept the provincials last the gold, Knights! year and earned a trip to New Orleans to play in a flag football tournament. Conlon expects the Knights to contend once again. “You never coach not to Any Service win, so I’m coaching to win. Because we won last year, we 26-200 Fitch Street when you present have a favourable schedule, Welland, ON L3C 4V9 your Niagara College so we have more time to grow and learn as a team.” or Brock University Tel: 905-788-9993 Fax: 905-788-1947 With one tournament now student card. Email: mbe286@mbe.ca under their belt, Conlon says Expires April 30, 2006 he “couldn’t be happier” with his team’s progress. 10 % OFF Page 22, news@niagara, Oct. 14, 2005 Student’s art helps bring positivity into her life By MELISSA MANGELSEN Staff Writer Inspired by various artists, Janet Ullon Riano reflects through her paintings how beautiful and positive life is. Originally from Colombia, Riano now lives in St. Catharines. Her artwork was displayed at the Arts Show at the Niagara Art Gallery, in Fonthill, as part of the Folk Arts Council Multicultural Centre of St. Catharines. “My English isn’t so good,” she says while her 10-year-old son, Camilo Riano, assists her with translations. She is taking English classes as well as creating art. Riano previously studied in Colombia at La Sabana University in Bogota, the country’s capital. Her art focuses on abstract and impressionism. “Many things inspire me to paint,” she says. “I look at how beautiful life is and I always try to see life in a positive way.” Riano says she is conscious of life and aware that sometimes it’s difficult. “People need support to take life easier.” Inspired by mythology, she experiments with colour and different forms. She says she paints as a path for her country. She also paints symbols and the heritage of Colombia. “Paintings painted in Canada have a different look to them,” she says. Riano has painted in California and other states as well as in Canada and Colombia. When she came to Canada she realized many things were very similar traditionally. Her most personally significant painting was done in 2002. “It looks for human pain, reflects sacrifice in life. It reflects more of this moment.” Riano has spent her life painting although she previously worked in advertising. “My art is on display all the time. People come to view my art all the time.” She has many influences, such as Pablo Picasso and Kim Pollard. She says she likes any artist and doesn’t have one that she likes more than another. With her son Camilo, 10, at her side, Janet Ullon Riano displays her Riano travels to show her art art at the Niagara Art Gallery during the Arts Show. and to view others’ artwork. Photo by Melissa Mangelsen Many international students making Canada their home By PAUL FROSINA Staff Writer Many international students who come to Canada for school often decide to return home after they graduate to begin a career. However, one student has decided that he wants to make Canada his home. Alexandre Larkine, 26, from Moscow, Russia, moved to Canada in 1996 when his mother finished computer training in London. “My mom was working and learning how to use computers in London and was going to go back to Russia to work for an American company but decided to stay in England because she likes the lifestyle and the people there,” said Larkine. A few years passed and Mrs. Larkine was offered jobs in Canada and Australia. “It was a tough decision to make, but we chose Canada because the climate here is a lot like Russia,” said Larkine. The Larkines got a house in Toronto and lived there for three years until Alexandre got his Canadian citizenship. By doing so, Larkine was able to move to Utica, N.Y., and open up his own small, independent graphic designer business for three years. His jobs included maintaining computers, buying software, doing graphic layout and maintaining websites. “I enjoyed my time in America. I made and had a lot of good friends down there. Working on my own was great, too. I was my own boss,” said Larkine. Although many people have heard of Russian immigrants having difficulties fitting in with the American society, Larkine says that the American people treated him with respect and kindness. “The Americans never disrespected me ... a lot of people I met thought it was cool to meet a Russian.” Larkine moved back to Canada at the end of the summer and settled in Oakville, Ont., where his mother had recently bought a house. He was accepted into the Graphic Design Production – Art and Design Fundamentals program at Niagara College and is now living in the Residence on Campus in Welland. When asked why he chose Niagara College, Larkine laughed and explained, “They were the only ones to accept me.” Four other colleges including George Brown, in Barrie, Ont., and Seneca in North York, didn’t accept him, although Larkine thinks he knows why. “I don’t really have that much knowledge. I never took graphic design courses in high school so I had no records. Everything I know Nurse positive on outcome By CHERIE BORHO Staff Writer Carolyn Gould, of Fonthill, is on sick leave researching non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a type of cancer. She has not retired from her post as nurse at Niagara College. “I’m positive the outcome is going to be positive,” says Gould. “I’m looking forward to getting on with my life. This is just an interruption.” “Since I’ve been sick, Niagara College staff and faculty and administration have been absolutely wonderful,” says Gould, adding they’ve given her “overwhelming support in a very positive way.” Gould has worked at the college for 14 years. “I love working in a learning environment,” says Gould. “[It’s a] great place to work. Everybody is pulling together to make a great college environment for our students.” Gould says she loves gardening, reading and curling during the winter. “One of my goals is to get back on that curling rink.” Gould has one daughter, who lives in northern British Columbia. Gould is a grandmother-to-be this coming January or February. Christine Philbrick, of Jordan, says that she and Gould have been “friends and co-workers for 12 years.” “She is an excellent nurse, and she is a wonderful person,” says Philbrick. Sharon Moukperian, 51, of St. Catharines, met Gould at a welcome back breakfast for the staff. It was Moukperian’s first staff breakfast, after being off campus for five years, and Gould told Moukperian to sit with her and they would be the first to get to the food. “We bonded over food,” says Moukperian. “Some people you just know are going to be your best friend, and I just knew she was going to be a good friend.” Moukperian says Gould “has a huge heart, so much compassion and caring for everyone.” about computers I have learned on my own.” When asked why he chose graphic design from the programs dealing with computers, Larkine said that he believes he has a special talent and he can contribute something to his field. “I think that this is my talent. I am a very visual person. If I were to see an advertisement, I look to see how I could make the graphics and the idea look more appealing.” When asked if there is anything about his course that he doesn’t particularly like, Larkine says that all work should be done on the computers. “I wish it could be done just on the com- puter. I’m not that great of a drawer so for me it would be a lot easier.” When Larkine isn’t working sharpening his design skills, he enjoys going to the gym, having a night out at the bar and relaxing with friends. “I went to The Moose and Goose last week and I really enjoyed it.” Larkine hopes that in the next few years he will be able to start a business of his own and build an empire that people will trust and rely on. “When people see my work, I want them to smile and laugh and be happy with the product I produce.” didKnoW…? You IT’S O 5 MI NLY TO A NUTES ND THE SEAW FROM AY M #8 W ON THE ALL OOD LAW BUS N RD. ! TRAN ARE V SFERS A 60 M LID FOR I SO A NUTES! QU TO TH ICK TRIP EM IS ON ALL ONE LY FARE ! NSIT WELLAND TRA OPERATES R EVERY 1/2 HOU THROUGHOUT THE DAY AND EVENING! WITH TRANSIT ECONOPASSES AND MONTHLY PASSES !! YOU SAVE BIG T U CHECK THEM O TODAY! WELLAND TRANSIT 905-732-6844 Try Transit…it just makes cents. news@niagara, Oct. 14, 2005, Page 23 Canadian chefs defeat U.S. team in cooking competition By SHERI WEBBER Staff Writer “Canada defeats San Francisco in celebrity cooking competition” the headline read on May 2. Mark Hand, corporate chef of the Niagara Culinary Institute at Niagara College, travelled to San Francisco with team members Roary MacPherson, of Newfoundland, and Chef Tobias MacDonald, of British Columbia. “I was honoured to be asked to be on the Canadian team. It’s always great to travel, meet new colleagues and show off the fact that there is a vibrant culinary scene in Canada,” says Hand, “a scene that many people are not aware of, especially certain people from California.” The Second International Conference on Culinary was presented in partnership with the Canadian Tourism Commission. “The idea that the chef from the Niagara Culinary Institute was asked to play a part in representing Canada abroad speaks more to the successes of our college and that reputation that we are building.” “Having said that, I would like to think that I have helped us establish that reputation along the way. Winning against a Californian team in their home state in a very pro-American setting was fun and, although well deserved, did come as a bit of a shock.” BRTF reunites at After Hours By JOHN MISITI Staff Writer The memories were emotional and the beer was flowing. It was as if they never left. Niagara College’s Broadcasting – Radio, Television and Film (BRTF) alumni got a chance to look back on fond memories at their reunion at the After Hours Pub at the Welland campus on Sept. 24. The event, at which about 50 were expected, ended up hosting over 60 graduates and several past faculty members. The evening included a slide show, a live band and a tour of the new broadcast facilities in the Voyageur Wing of the Welland campus. Julie Densham, the alumni and events officer for the college, says the evening “went well,” adding she has received several e-mails from those who attended expressing “how much fun they had and how wonderful it was to see each other and catch up.” In her post for two months, she says it was a challenge locating the alumni, referring to them as “lost sheep.” Before the event, Densham explained her role in organizing this event: “I put press releases in the paper, build a slide show of old photos for them and generally facilitate their planning needs. I will then be there to welcome the folks and say a few words.” Sofa King Kool, a local band, played at the event, performing early 1990’s songs from bands such as Our Lady Peace, Creed and some later songs from Aerosmith. Kent Chambers, 40, of Oakville, is an alumnus who attended the college in 1985, graduating in 1988. He is working with 97.3 EZ Rock in Toronto. Chambers was the program director in 1988 and says he “loved it.” He has many fond memories of the college. “Just being in the course itself, I tried to involve myself as much as possible in all aspects of radio, TV and film. By selling advertisements, we were able to buy some new speakers for the college, but I think the camaraderie stands out mostly in my mind.” Chambers commented on the changes the college has gone through over the years. “The college has changed dramatically. The pub that we’re standing in wasn’t here. The residence wasn’t here, and the BRTF facilities that are here now weren’t here. We were still cueing up records back when I was here back in 1988, so, yes, there has been big changes.” Chambers also reminisced about such topics as tuition at the school, which cost “$600 and change back in 1985 for one year of BRTF.” Chambers commented that he chose Niagara over other colleges because he “liked the idea that you could get radio, television and film all together in three years, which wasn’t offered by colleges such as Mohawk or Conestoga at the time.” That was also the selling point for Vic Kerr, an alumnus who works with the CBC. Kerr attended the college in 1988 to 1990. “To this day I think that is a huge selling point for the college. It gives you the ability to decide what you want to be, because when you’re getting out of high school there is a lot of pressure to pick a field of study in college. By being able to try all three aspects of broadcasting, you get to pick the one that best suits you.” Densham says that she encourages all programs’ graduates to constantly update their addresses with the college Alumni Office so they will be contacted when an event of this scale is occurring for them. This Date in History Oct. 14, 1773 - Revolutionary War: Britain’s East India Company tea ships’ cargo are burned at Annapolis, Maryland. Oct. 14, 1947 - Chuck Yeager flies a Bell X-1 faster than the speed of sound, the first man to do so in level flight. Oct. 14, 1812 - A digest of Pennsylvania laws could not bring itself to print the word “buggery,” instead printing it as “B_GG__Y.” Oct. 14, 1939 - Birthday of Ralph Lauren, American fashion designer. Mark Hand is back at the Niagara Culinary Institute after having travelled to San Francisco for the celebrity cooking competition. Photo by Sheri Webber Skills Centre improves its reputation By EDMOND YEBOAH Staff Writer The Skills Centre is gearing up at Niagara College. The man in charge and leading the crew is Harry Lewis, the program coordinator. Lewis, 50, from Fort Erie, says he has always loved cars and everything about them. He worked at Niagara College from 1983 to 1991 on a parttime basis teaching the evening apprentice course. “That’s what got Niagara involved,” says Lewis. He says the evening apprenticeship course “really got things booming” for Niagara College. In 1999, Lewis started on a full-time basis at Niagara as the program co-ordinator. He says he chose Niagara so he could “give something back to the community.” Lewis has taught high school auto classes and has given lectures at various institutions including the University of Buffalo, Niagara University in Lewiston, N.Y., as well as the Society of Auto Engineering. Lewis says the two-year coop diploma program here gives students a chance to prove themselves. “There has been an increase in enrolment since last year,” says Lewis. Students will be able to enrol in January for the first time when a January Start launches for the first time. They are always trying new things in the automotive department. Lewis says there will be new and improved things coming out of the Skills Centre this year. It’s Trivial Pursuit done the college way It’s trivial pursuit time again. Teams of six to eight players are invited to a night of tough questions on a wide range of topics. The second annual Trivial Pursuit Party at Niagara College will be held at the Glendale campus in Niagara-on-the-Lake on Saturday, Nov. 12. Cost is $25 a person or $20 for a Niagara College student. All proceeds go to the Niagara College Foundation, the money-raising arm of the college in support of student financial assistance. Oct. 17, 1888 - Thomas Edison files a patent for the Optical Phonograph (the first movie). Oct. 17, 1937 - Huey, Dewey and Louie, Donald Duck’s three almost-identical nephews, first appear in a newspaper comic strip. Oct. 19, 1873 - Yale, Princeton, Columbia and Rutgers universities draft the first code of American football rules. Oct. 19, 1985 - The first Blockbuster Video store opens in Dallas, Texas. Oct. 19, 2003 - Mother Teresa is beatified by Pope John Paul II. Oct. 21, 1879 - Using a filament of carbonized thread, Thomas Edison tests the first practical electric light bulb. It lasted 13 1/2 hours before burning out. Larry Fedoruk, of radio station 610 CKTB, and Lori Love, of radio station 105.7 EZ Rock, will serve as the event’s hosts. Questions begin at 6 p.m. A light buffet will be provided by the Niagara Culinary Institute. There will be a cash bar. More details are available at http:// www.niagarac.on.ca/trivia. You must download the registration form. More information can be obtained by telephoning Julie Densham at 905-735-2211 ext. 4102. Oct. 21, 1997 - The government of Singapore announces in a widely publicized “toilet alert” that the drive for toilet cleanliness is a great success; five toilets were selected by citizens as toilet role models. Oct. 24, 1945 - Founding of the United Nations. Oct. 24, 1947 - Walt Disney testifies to the House UnAmerican Activities Committee, naming Disney employees he believes to be communists. Oct. 24, 1992 - The Toronto Blue Jays become the first non-US team to win the World Series. This is also known as the first real “World” Series. Oct. 24, 2002 - Police arrest spree killers John Allen Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo, ending the Beltway sniper attacks in the area around Washington, DC. Page 24, news@niagara, Oct. 14, 2005 Kiss me you fool – it could set a world record Lock Lips @ Lock 7 hoping for record length of kiss By JEREMY LAFORTY Staff Writer Pucker up for a chance to be in the Guinness Book of World Records. On Saturday, Oct. 22, at noon, contestants have the opportunity to Lock Lips @ Lock 7, in Thorold, to beat the world’s longest kissing record. This event is being hosted by Thorold’s Department of Tourism at the Lock 7 Viewing Complex in Thorold. Last year’s winners, Alan Weatherhead and Cindy Schapoks, of St. Catharines, took the competition, locking lips for a total of nine hours, three minutes and 58 seconds. This year the hope is that contestants beat the world record of 30 hours, 29 minutes and 27 seconds by Rich Lagley and Louisa Almedovar, who competed for the record live on the Ricky Lake show. Terry Dow, director of tourism services for the city of Thorold, says that there will be lots of prizes for the winners. Last year’s competition involved only three couples. “This year we’re really hoping for 20. Get out here and get in the Guinness Book of Records,” says Dow. Dow says last year’s event went “worldwide” receiving international coverage, appearing on the front page of various Canadian newspapers. The rules of competition are set in place by Guinness and Sweet treats for United Way The United Way College Campaign’s dessert auction raised $860.15. This is the second year for this event, which was held in the lobby of Niagara College on Oct. 7. The funds support the South Niagara community. From left are Zoé Siskos, from the Public Relations (Graduate Certificate) program, Carolyn Ambrose, English as a Second Language professor, and Chelsey Spinosa, also from the Public Relations program. Photo by Jennifer Gibbons must be followed. These include making sure couples’ lips are continuously touching at all times, couples must be awake at all times, standing is mandatory and no propping devices including pillows or cushions are allowed. No rest breaks are allowed and couples must not leave the venue during their attempt. Dow said if she could give contestants a tip it would be to “grow beards now to ensure a long soft kiss.” Contestants must be pre-registered for the event. Log on to http://www.thoroldkissingrock.ca for location information or clarification of contest rules. Registration forms are available at the Lock 7 Viewing Complex. “Come out and get famous.” Welcome students to London Arms No Cover For Ladies Come early! Avoid the lineups!! Come early! Avoid the lineups!! Sure, poker’s popular, but know when to fold ‘em By JOHN MISITI Staff Writer Poker is raising the stakes as far as card games are concerned. Over the last few years, Texas Hold’em has gained popularity so quickly that casinos have been finding themselves renovating old poker rooms. Poker is now a widely televised sport. The young and old alike have been basking in the experience of the game, honing their skills to try to earn the respect of their opponents and maybe a little pocket change on the side, just to keep things interesting. The stereotypes of who’s sitting at the table are all there. There’s the selfproclaimed expert, usually a beerguzzling, cigar-smoking guy. Then there’s the nervous guy who never knows when to hold or when to fold. And there’s always someone who seems to be clueless about the game – most likely a woman – who outsmarts Even if you have pocket aces, you’ve got to know when to draw the line when gambling. Photo by John Misiti the entire table. Brendan Gordon, 21, of Brantford, Ont., is a student in the Outdoor Adventure Studies program at Algonquin College in Pembroke, Ont. He says that he got into poker because of the National Hockey League (NHL) lockout in 2004. “I started getting into poker because it was on television in place of hockey. If there had been hockey, I probably wouldn’t have watched poker and never taken it up. I think poker’s recent surge in popularity in Canada at least is almost directly the responsibility of the NHL lockout.” Gordon says he finds himself playing poker more frequently at college. Poker and college have been teaming up a lot lately. Some websites have even started rewarding college students with tournaments to pay their tuition. Gordon isn’t alone in his addiction to the game at college. Emily Szabo, 20, of Dundas, Ont., is a Broadcasting – Radio and Television Presentation student at Niagara College. She makes it a point to play at least one poker game a week. “I love playing poker while I’m at school because it gives me a break from schoolwork and it’s an excuse to get all my friends together.” No matter what your skill level is, or how much you’re willing to wager, poker should be fun, and you should know how to gamble responsibly, and know when to draw the line. After all, it’s just a game. Or is it? Band & DJ BEST FISH & CHIPS!!! Band & DJ KARAOKE & ALL MENU ITEMS ARE SUBJECT TO APPLICABLE TAXES (LONDON ARMS) PEN CENTRE, ST. CATHARINES 905-688-0228 news@niagara does Halloween in our next edition Oct. 28.