The Projector

Red River College’s Student Newspaper November 7, 2011 Visit us at theprojector.ca

RRC TEAMS UP WITH MUSEUM FOR NEW APP

GRAPHIC DESIGN INSTRUCTORS DEVELOPING SMARTPHONE APP FOR CMHR DANIELLA PONTICELLI, NEWS BEAT REPORTER Red River College instructors always have something up their sleeves – and this time they’re going mobile.

RRC Graphic Design instructors Ilse Dyck and Tom Lepp are developing an iPhone app for the Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR) – an app designed to enhance visitors’ experience.

Though the design of this app is already underway, the instructors say that there might be a chance for students to get involved in the project.

The CMHR project currently doesn’t have a student signed-on, but Dyck sees potential opportunities.

“There is a possibility of having students involved, like a Creative Communications or Graphic Design student to help expand content,” said Dyck.

Dyck is working closely with Corey Timpson, the director of design and new media for the CMHR, to develop the app for the museum. She explained that the app, which is scheduled to be finished in April 2012, will feature augmented reality – a function that allows smartphones to overlay digital and display information over real world images.

New app for the Canadian Museum for Human Rights

The technology, supported by the Layar Reality Browser, enables a user to scan a certain area, such as a museum display, with a smartphone. Once scanned, the visitor will see information displayed on continued on page 8

Photograph by Alyssa Love Pangan

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RRC GRADS SUCCESS

TAMARA, SPORTS BEAT REPORTER

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MO-HOOD

RYAN KESSLER, CONTRIBUTOR

KEEP IT OUTSIDE

JOEY TRAA, CONTRIBUTOR

pg. 8 | NOVEMBER 7, 2011 | THE PROJECTOR cover article continued from page 1 the phone’s screen layered over the real image.

While she has received funding from outside sources, RRC is supporting Dyck’s project through the Research Innovation Fund (RIF). The fund provides monetary support to instructors undertaking innovative applied research projects.

RIF runs an annual submission-based competition in order to distribute over seven awards with a maximum prize of

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$7,500. RRC faculty and staff with a shortterm research project ideas in which RRC faculty or students are engaged, are eligible for funding.

Rob Spewak, a research manager in the office of Applied Research and Commercialization, said that RIF submissions have increased – and diversified – in the past three years. This year’s ten recipients come from six different RRC schools, and are all taking different areas of study.

“It’s pretty spread out across departments,” explained Spewak. “It gets

people doing projects – and keeps the instructors current.”

Even though the fund helps instructors financially, students benefit both directly and indirectly.

“A lot of the money used is to pay for a student to assist the project,” Spewak said.

“We’re getting more education and that benefits teachers, students, and the industry,” echoed Dyck.

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THE FAST-FOOD AND THE FURIOUS FAST-FOOD EMPLOYEES DESERVE COURTESY BRIDGET DUQUETTE — CONTRIBUTOR I begin every day in tears. “Six-inch or foot-long?” I ask, my eyes red and watery, my face flushed. Nobody seems to care or even really notice. I suppose tears seem perfectly appropriate on the face of a fastfood employee. Why shouldn’t I be miserable? It’s fitting – much more so than my grungy, ill-made uniform. This outfit turns even the most attractive fast-food worker into a mound of shapeless flesh. God forbid any customer notice that there is a person buried under my uniform or think of me as a real human being with thoughts and feelings.

So what if my tears are only caused by the bag of onions I have to chop each morning? My customers don’t know this. For all they know, I could have two weeks left to live. I could be on the run from the mob.

Maybe my hamster just died.

You know what goes through my mind when I see a fellow human being in tears?

“Is this person suicidal? Should I offer some kind words of support, or maybe leave a quarter in their tip jar?” I like to believe I have some kind of basic human compassion. Maybe my customers do too, but they do an amazing job of hiding it. As

far as I can tell, the only thing that interests them in the least are their iPhones.

“Hey, check out my new app! It enables me to completely block out the outside world, thereby making lowly fast-food workers feel like the scum of the earth.

What fun!”

Maybe I don’t deserve their sympathy. I know I’m not the most charismatic person.

I scowl when someone asks me to change my gloves before making their food, and perhaps my eyes do roll back in my head when a customer demands more olives (“No, more than that. More. More. More.

Even more!”).

You see, we fast-food workers are apparently being paid $10.25 an hour to put on a performance. It is supposedly my job to act like I am not a real human being ― that I don’t have emotions, that I don’t get offended when people loudly gab on the phone instead of asking me how my day is going and that I don’t get angry when someone walks away without saying “thank you” after I serve them.

“You are welcome,” I’ll yell after them – a big mistake on my part.

I should approach every shift the same way Meryl Streep readies herself for a role.

Get into character. Pull my baggy uniform on over my head. Tighten my apron. Straighten my visor. Stand up straight. And finally – the pièce de resistance – force a smile onto my face. Voila: I’m ready for my close-up.

I’m sorry, but no. I refuse. If I were getting paid twice as much as I am, I would be the perkiest sandwich artist on the planet. I’d tap dance for the customers, shine their shoes, and open-mouth kiss everyone who upped their order to a combo. No problem.

But I am not getting paid $20 an hour, and I refuse to smile for anybody unless they deserve it. I will prepare your food for you. I will give you your food in exchange for currency. And that’s about all you’re going to get.

Yes, I am bitter. A lot of us fast-food workers are. Just try to remember that we’re not mad at you as a person; we’re mad at you as a customer. We’re mad when you ignore us when we say “hello,” yet still demand special treatment. We’re mad that we’re being paid minimum wage, that our boss is a psycho and that this is our 20th day of work in a row.

The next time you come in to get your six-inch chicken teriyaki, try to pry your eyes away from your phone. I know it’s trendy, shiny and fabulous, but just try to make eye contact with the person behind the counter (that’s right ― person) and note the tired look in their eyes.

Try to be nice, or even just polite. Don’t yell. Don’t scream. Don’t bark at us. Just treat us like human beings. In exchange, you can expect a genuine smile, a little light conversation and maybe even extra olives. Deal?

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THE PROJECTOR | NOVEMBER 7, 2011 | pg. 9

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NEWS BRIEFS

DANIELLA PONTICELLI, NEWS BEAT REPORTER

NOTRE DAME EXPANSION A GO It came straight from the throne – The Honourable Philip Lee announced that the NDP was going to officially pursue the expansion of Red River College’s Notre Dame Campus from the throne speech which opened the 40th session of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.

Manitoba’s Lieutenant-Governor said that “a new skilled trades and technology centre will be built at Red River College for high demand trades like carpentry, electrical and plumbing.”

The announcement in the throne speech was meant to showcase one way the provincial government plans to “modernize educational facilities.” The expansion is the latest in a string of additions at both the Notre Dame and Exchange District Campuses.

NDP LIMIT K-3 CLASS SIZES Participants of Mo Bros Photograph by Alyssa Love Pangan

MO-HOOD IT’S MOVEMBER SEASON ONCE AGAIN RYAN KESSLER, CONTRIBUTOR It’s Movember season once again. Also known as Mo Bros, guys grow moustaches during the month of November to raise money and awarenest for prostate cancer and men’s health.

“I have brown hair, but my upper lip thinks I’m a ginger... I have a very week moustache right now,” said Matt Matheson.

After his father died from stomach cancer, Matheson joined the staff at Movember and because their PR and Communication organization six months ago.

“I was working for a company that was doing some work for [Movember] at the time in Iredland,” said Matheson. “I was very inspired by the work they were doing and wanted to get involved.”

It wasn’t just the idea of looking like Tom Selleck that inspired Matheson. Movember has raised $75 million since it began in 2003. Last year 3,300 men and women from Winnipeg signed up on Movember.com, raising over $450,000.

Andrew Koropatnick has a family history of cancer. He lost his mother, two aunts, and his grandmother from the disease.

“I’ve had more [experiences with cancer]

than a normal person. It kind of sucks and sometimes I don’t want to get more involved, but I know I should,” said Koropatnick. “Other people might not have been as affected as I am, but there’s always other ways they can help.”

As a registered Mo Bro, Koropatnick will be accepting donations on his “Mo Space” home page. A Mo Space is a social network set up for fuzzy-lipped participants and their supporters. Every Mo Bro and Mo Sista has their own Mo Space and if they join a team of fundraisers, Movember’s sponsors donate $50 upfront.

All of the fundraising goes to curing prostate cancer, a disease that affects one in seven men. However, prostate cancer is 90 percent curable if detected early enough. So keep the moustaches growing and also consider not to making Matheson’s mistake.

“Never take your ‘mo’ to a barber,” said Matheson, “I made the rookie mistake of getting a hot towel shave my first day. That thing is so closely cut so it’s hard to come back from that one once you’ve started.”

Children heading to school will quickly learn to count to 20 – The provincial government announced that it plans implement its promised kindergarten to grade three class limit to 20 students.

A committee will be formed to manage the new cap. The move to create more classroom space is projected to cost the province $85 million. Another $20 million will be needed to hire new teachers.

No word yet on what will happen in situations where 21 students are already enrolled in a class.

RESIDENTIAL NIGHTMARE Residential schools affected the lives of over 150,000 Aboriginals, who were taken away from their families, communities and culture in an attempt to force assimilation.

While not directly involved, University of Manitoba president David Barnard apologized on the university’s behalf for educating those who would eventually went off to teach at, and run the residential schools. The apology took place at a Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearing in Halifax, Nova Scotia on October 27.

The University of Manitoba is the first school to apologize for injustices that took place at residential schools.

MOVEMBER MILKCHUGGING CONTEST AT RRC JOHN SIMBA, CONTRIBUTOR read on page 11