Durham Chronicle Sept, 23 2013

Volume XLI, Issue 1

September 24, 2013

Executive director terminated from SA Lump sum severance package offered

Giorgio Berbatiotis

The Chronicle

he Student Association’s executive director was dismissed from the SA on Sept. 9. A Student Association press release indicated the executive director was “no longer with the organization.”

The initial press release did not mention the circumstances of now former executive director Kelly Morrison’s departure, however it has since been confirmed that Morrison was “terminated without cause”, and internal SA documents show she was offered a severance package that included a lump sump payment of just over $58,000. In order to receive the lump sum payment Morrison was required to return a signed release and indemnity

T

contract with the SA that would negate any dispute or litigation arising over her dismissal.

The day after Morrison’s dismissal, the SA’s vice-presidents, Sean Kell and Stephanie Wallace, hosted a meeting of society leaders where the dismissal was more openly discussed. Members of the board of directors, as well as the president, were present and the various SA representatives argued over a number of issues surrounding the president, the SA in general, and the dismissal of Morrison.

“There’s been a significant change and, for lack of a better word, loss [to] our organization” said interim VP of college affairs Stephanie Wallace.

When asked about the process that led to Morrison’s dismissal, she laid the firing at the feet of the board, saying: “I believe that was a board of directors decision.”

This was swiftly challenged by board of directors member Abdullah Khan. “It wasn’t entirely a board of directors decision. That is wrong. There was a lot of things that fed into it.” When pressed for details Khan would only say that there had been an ongoing dis-

cussion about “certain things which different staff members are involved in” but would not specify due to concerns about confidentiality. “Students have an idea of what was going on, they might just not know what staff member relates to or, you know, who is involved in that,” he continued. “I don’t entirely know what I can say and what I can not... it’s not that I don’t want to tell students why it was done or why it wasn’t done... I would love to tell the students, but you know, there were other people involved in the decision.”

President Peter Chinweuba, whose name is on the internal documents outlining the details of Morrison’s severance package, was able to reveal little to students present at the meeting, although he implied Morrison’s dismissal was part of an ongoing process. “I just want everyone to know that this has been going on for three years, even before we came in, so the situation has been there for three years... if you want proof you can come to my office. I have it,” said the president.

See SA on page 2

Hit ‘em hard

Nemish hits 400

Al Fournier

RECORD NUMBER OF WINS: Durham Lords women’s fastball coach Jim Nemish is the winningest coach in OCAA history.

See Jim on page 20

DC student shot Courtney Williams The Chronicle

F

Ryan Verrydt

OFF THE TOP: Nicole Campbell of the Centennial Colts hits the ball off her head while Lords’ Vanessa Gudgin and Colts’ Mailee Teo battle for possession.

See Ladies on page 20

or most new students, the first week of college is full of excitement, new experiences, and blossoming friendships, but for first-year Music Business Management student Taylor Hewitt, this was far from the case. Hewitt didn’t spend his first Friday night living on his own at a party, out with friends, or meeting new people in his residence building – he spent it in the hospital.

Hewitt was walking to his new room at South Village residence from visiting a friend on Dalhousie Crescent on Sept. 6 when he was randomly shot in the face by a man with a pellet gun.

“I had no idea what happened at the time,” Hewitt said.

“I remember pain, and then I started running towards South Village for help.”

Hewitt recalled security officers working the front desk at South Village were surprised to see him run into the building covered in blood and immediately called the Campus Emergency Response Team (CERT).

Hewitt was assessed and sent to the hospital in an ambulance shortly afterwards, where he spent the night receiving stitches and giving the Durham Regional Police (DRPS) his statement of what happened.

A few days later, Hewitt returned to the hospital to undergo plastic surgery to remove the pellet, which was embedded close to his right eye.

Sporting a large bandage and a smile, Hewitt said he hopes the police are able to track down the person who did this so no one else gets hurt in the future.

He also said he isn’t sure exactly where the shot came from, but was able to narrow it down to a specific area on the mostly student-inhabited crescent and report it to police.

Durham Regional Police Sergeant Nancy van Rooy said the incident is currently under investigation.

Director of Campus Safety Tom Lynch said that the event was an unfortunate case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time for Hewitt.

See Security on page 2

2

The Chronicle

September 24, 2013

Campus

Building new opportunities at DC Sinead Fegan The Chronicle

Rob Grieve

DC SERVING UP: Durham College students Megan Higdon and Jeremy Wong prepare desserts at one of three new culinary labs in the new Centre for Food at the Whitby campus.

The third and final stage of the Whitby campus, Centre For Food building is finally coming to an end.

The 36,000-square-foot building brought in about 350 new students for the start of the 2013-2014 school year. According to Darrin Caron, principal of the Whitby campus, once the building is finished they expect about 900 new students.

A big part of the expansion is the new Horticulture - Food and Farming program.

Just outside the building, construction workers are working to clear the land to make way for crops. This is where students will receive hands-on experience, learning about different foods and then actually growing them.

However, the crops will not just be available to the Horticulture and Agriculture programs. In conjunction with the new culinary courses, students will use all the food grown in these fields, whether it’s in class or at the restaurant. Before the building was open the culinary students were working out of Father Leo J. Austin and Maxwell Heights high schools. Now students have three cooking labs with top-of-the-line equipment.

Another new program is special event planning, in which students learn how to manage and organize events. According to Caron, starting this year the program was very successful with 60 new students.

Inside the Centre For Food building there is a full-service 70-seat restaurant, open to the public. This restaurant is run by the students and green-certified under the Green Restaurant Association. This means the college has to follow stringent rules on how they work, the chemicals they use, where they get their food from. According to Rob Grieve, a program co-ordinator at the college, the school is involved because they believe this will be the future of business.

On the second floor of the building there will be a small retail store. Since the culinary

classes will be producing a lot of food each day, like the restaurant, the store will sell this food so that nothing will go to waste.

The Centre for Food building will also have a 24-person food and beverage-pairing lab. Here students will learn all about different types of wine and how they will taste with different foods.

A sample hotel room is available for the hospitality students. The room looks exactly like a generic hotel room where students can learn about proper house- keeping procedures to get hands-on experience.

“The building really adds a richness to the campus,” said Caron. “It’s a nice mix with all different kinds of students and programs. It really enhances the student experience.”

Students are the main focus for the building, however, according to Grieve, it was also designed to be a great venue to bring the community into the building for special events. On the second floor three classrooms have walls that pull back, creating a big open space that accommodates about 150 people. The main atrium is another good place for this with over 6,000 square feet of space.

When most schools start a new project the government will discuss their budget and give them money as a contribution.

However, the college did not receive any money from the government. But since the school was still committed to making the building happen, they worked with a campaign called “Growing For Our Future.” The campaign reached out to the community for donations from businesses, staff, students and community members.

“It’s still very new in terms of how we feel about it,” explained Grieve. “I’m looking forward to getting back to normal, it’s been a crazy summer and first few weeks, but now that the students are back, it will be nice once the focus is off the new building and back where it belongs, which is the students.”

The official opening for the Centre for Food building will be held in the main atrium on Oct. 17.

SA former VP disputes Security urges all students to stay safe Morrison’s dismissal Continued from page 1

Continued from page 1 At one point the president

The claim was vehemently denied by former VP and board of directors member Josh Bickle, who exclaimed: “As the VP two years ago and a board of director [member] last year, I can factually dispute that.”

The president later countered, “there are some president’s files that not everyone is allowed to see.”

Board of directors member Khan backed up the president, saying: “There is some privileged information only the president and the board of directors have access to, not all the VPs.” The conversation grew more heated as the meeting moved to complaints some students had regarding the president’s performance and his actions on social media.

blasted his critics, saying they failed to do their research. At this point Bickle, clearly unhappy with the president’s comment, stood up to leave, exclaiming: “That was the only comment I needed, thank you. By the way, the executive director was fired because she cost too much money to the organization... that’s in their in camera minutes.” He then left the room after saying to the crowd, “It is going to be a real short, short, short term.”

In a later conversation Bickle stood his ground. He did not explain how he had information on what was discussed in camera but stated, “the president is on record stating that his reasoning for presenting Kelly Morrison’s removal to the board of directors was due to her cost to the organization, as in her sal-

ary was too much money. He presented this to the board, which makes it an in-camera item and thus would be in their minutes.” Arguing that there is no legitimate reason for Morrison’s dismissal, Bickle continued: “I have been with the organization during all this time, including serving a previous term as vice-president and on the board of directors. No issue of competence or poor employee performance has ever come up during that time.”

Bickle defended Morrison again, saying: “I can further tell you that Anthony Boland and his exec, Amy LaRue and her exec, Rachel Calvelii and her exec nor either general manager [Morrison] has reported to has tried to fire her... There is no valid reason for the firing of Kelly Morrison.”

“The victim was doing nothing wrong and was simply walking home to his residence in a public/residential setting,” Lynch said.

“He unfortunately fell into the sights of an individual who demonstrated a complete disregard for the health and well-being of a fellow member of the community.”

Lynch asks students with information to contact the DRPS. “I hope that Durham Regional Police are able to identify the suspect in this matter in order to prevent further incidents,” he said, “but more importantly, I hope that anyone that may know this individual who needlessly placed one of our students at risk will step up and assist in the investigation by calling DRPS or Crimestoppers.”

He also urges students to follow their instincts, and not to hesitate to contact the police or campus security should they have any concerns about their safety or the safety of those around them.

“There are numerous security services available to our students, staff and faculty and we highly encourage everyone to engage them,” Lynch said. “If you are walking along a street or through a parking lot and you just get a feeling that something isn’t right, stop and listen to your instincts. If your spidey senses tell you something is wrong, then take note and respond accordingly. Bottom line – personal safety is always a priority and as such, we should never, ever second guess our instincts.”

At Durham College’s north campus, there is a 24/7 security presence every day of the year. Any students who feel uncomfortable walking from one place to another on campus are urged to use the Campuswalk program by calling security at extension 2400 on campus, or (905) 721-3211.

Campus

The Chronicle

September 24, 2013

The SA’s man on the run

3

Brad Andrews The Chronicle

At our first interview he was a no show.

Then at our second meeting more Student Association business kept me waiting. Peter Chinweuba has just enough time to walk and talk on campus before catching his bus for his next class on the downtown campus.

If you think he sounds busy, you’re right. And that is why we he missed our first meeting.

The 22-year old UOIT student is not only starting his final year in the Legal Studies program but he is also running his own business. He is also the SA’s first black president as well as the first international student to gain the position.

The job demands a lot of work and Chinweuba admits he often has to stay later than his stated office hours and that rest is mainly for the weekend. “Sometimes a lot of my friends get angry,” Chinweuba said, laughing. His work doesn’t leave a lot of time for his interests in basketball, reading or cross-country driving.

Chinweuba came to Canada in 2009 from his home in Abuja, the capital city of Nigeria. “Since I was a kid I’ve always wanted to make a difference,” he said about his decision to study law. Chinweuba sees himself as a human rights activist and hopes to change people’s lives for the better. Yet he didn’t feel he could be outstanding where he was and thought the difference he wanted to make could come from studying abroad, something he says Nigerians respect.

Chinweuba laughs as he talks about how he chose Canada. He had joked to the instructor helping to arrange to travel abroad that he wanted Canada. The next thing he knew that’s where he was heading but has no regrets with that outcome.

“I am happy in a beautiful country.”

Chinweuba became involved in student politics by helping his friend Tobi Obikili campaign for a seat on the SA board of directors. He had never taken part in a society or club before but said friends and SA staff encouraged him to do so. Just days before this year’s SA elections, Chinweuba submitted his name to give it a shot.

Peter says people thought his victory was a big deal and wants to live up to being the first international student president. Yet he doesn’t aim to please any specific student groups in his position.

“There’s nothing much I would do for international

Brad Andrews

QUICK GETAWAY: Peter Chinweuba, Student Association president, finds a moment to pose for a photo before catching the bus to his downtown class. students that wouldn’t affect domestic students.”

The words transparency, engagement and interaction come up often as we talk about the SA. They’re the personal goals he has set for himself and the organization in general.

He says he wants to work with students and invites visits to the SA offices. “People come in with different concerns and you don’t know which one will hit you the most.”

The pressure to perform well in his duties is always there. “You have people watching you, you have to always do the right thing,” he says he wasn’t fully trained when he came into office and that the SA itself has had many problems.

“Any little mistake you make, people criticize it.”

Part of those problems deal with confidentiality, something that came up when he first asked me to wait while he ran to do something. I couldn’t wait within his office because of sensitive documents kept there.

Chinweuba says he tries to “get information out to the students” about the SA whether it’s good or bad and “as much as we try to protect one another first we should also find a way to inform the public.”

As part of his public face Chinweuba has both an official Facebook page for SA president as well as an account under a different name. The other account is associated with his business, which Chinweuba says he does his best to keep separate from his official role.

Some of his actions and proposals at the SA appear to be geared toward fixing the “disengagement” Chinweuba feels students feel with his position. He declined a housing accommodation that used student money to pay for the president’s housing. Chinweuba has allocated some of his own presidential budget towards scholarships for students as well as a President’s Day where students come spend time with him and could win a shopping gift card. The cost of the card comes from his budget as well.

“I’m a student activist,” he says when asked what kind of president he wants to be, “I think students should get back what they are giving.”

Our talk ends abruptly as his bus to the downtown campus pulls up in front of us. We manage a picture just as he steps on to start the student part of his life for the day.

Campusfest’s lucky Friday the 13th Courtney Williams The Chronicle

The ominous thoughts naturally on our minds every Friday the 13th were impossible to recall as the lights, music and screams pierced the air around concert goers at DC/UOIT’s final frosh week event – the 2013 Campusfest concert. Headed by American house music producer/DJ Wolfgang Gartner and Australian DJ Tommy Trash, this year’s concert impressed staff and students alike.

With their cheeks flushed from excitement and voices raised in an attempt to be heard over the fast-paced DJs spinning in the background, DC students Danah Collins, Ashley Johnston and Jenn Bond all agreed that this year’s concert was a success.

Collins, a first-year Digital Photography student, said she is definitely coming back

next year after experiencing her first frosh week at Durham College.

“This is so welcoming and fun,” she said. “It gives you an amazing educational and fun experience, and the amazing time I’m having tonight makes me definitely want to attend next year.”

“The concert is a really great way to de-stress at the beginning of the school year, “ Johnston added, “and it’s the perfect chance to have fun and make new friends.”

Bond agreed with her new friends and gestured around her at the nearly 3,000 students who showed up to blow off some steam at one of the biggest annual events of the school year, saying, “Look at this. I’m so glad we came. We all like to party and wanted to meet new people – now we can say Campusfest was the best and we definitely didn’t miss out on frosh week.”

The annual Campusfest concert is the biggest event organized for the two-week Campusfest festival, a combination of events put on every September to boost school spirit, motivation and student involvement on campus.

Campusfest is organized every year by the Student Association (SA) and includes nightly events at E.P Taylor’s such as Shirley’s Dirty Bingo, Comedy Night, and Graffiti Night.

Chrystal Moe, a member of the Student Association’s promotions crew, says the effort the Student Association puts into all of the frosh week events is unmatched anywhere.

“People working with the SA put a huge amount of effort and dedication into promoting campus events,” she said.

“A lot of people didn’t even know about this concert until we told them. People here remembered me from when I

sold them tickets, and they’re having such a great time it makes me feel like I did well.”

Security working the concert stayed vigilant but enjoyed themselves, nodding to the music and smiling at students who danced by. With no security breaches or mentionable incidents, the security guards on duty that night say students represented DC/ UOIT well.

Two Campus Emergency Response Team (CERT) volunteers were always present on the sidelines, keeping a watchful eye on the students for common concert ailments such as dehydration, exhaustion, or minor injuries (from activities such as crowd surfing and shoulder riding.) The volunteers said there were a few minor cases of these maladies over the course of the night, but the concert yielded no serious injuries to the mostly first-year student population.

The concert started in the early afternoon with artists such as 20 Amp Soundchild and Monster Truck warming up the crowd. It ended shortly after 10 p.m.

As the light faded from the sky and the stage lights took over, the illuminated faces of the crowd all exposed similar emotions of excitement and happiness as they jumped with the beat and threw their glowstick covered arms in the air.

“Everyone looks so exhausted but so happy,” said Danielle McGillen, a second-year small business entrepreneurship student at DC. “I would definitely say this year’s concert was a success. It’s awesome to see everyone having such a good time. I can’t wait to see who they line up for next year!”

The 2013 Campusfest festival officially ended with the concert on Friday, but will return next year.

4

The Chronicle

September 24, 2013

Publisher: Greg Murphy Editor-in-Chief: Gerald Rose Ad Manager: Dawn Salter

TO CONTACT US

Editorial Page

Newsroom: Room L-223; Ext. 3068 E-mail: Chronicle.News@dc-uoit.ca Advertising: Room L-223; Ext. 3069 E-mail: dawn.salter@durhamcollege.ca

If you don’t care, don’t complain

Not only the SA is at fault, students are as well

It’s a new school year but old problems continue at the Student Association. Problems that could cost the students who rely on the organization and, honestly, costs they deserve to bear.

These words aren’t meant for the students who have shown they care. The 10 per cent of students who cast votes in the last election. The ones who attended SA meetings and saw rows of empty chairs meant for the public. Seats meant for students. Opportunities lost.

The 2013-2014 year should be a proud milestone for both the college and university.

UOIT reached double-digits with a celebration of a ten-year birthday, and Durham College welcomed record numbers of new students, adding more than twenty new programs and expanding the Whitby campus.

Yet the SA remains as divided as it was last year.

At the last annual general meeting for the SA, students did something they hadn’t done before. They voted to oust their president Rachel Calvelli. Well, at least those who attended did.

Her removal seems to have done little to stop the SA’s problems from crossing over into the new year.

Over the summer some very important things happened.

Possibly the most significant was Josh Bickle, vice-president for college affairs, resigned claiming publicly it was the re-

Richard East

sult of a hostile and stressful atmosphere. Then in early August it looked as if Sean Kell, VP for university affairs, and the SA president Peter Chinweuba would attempt to oust each other during a board meeting.

While it didn’t happen the conflicts were evident. The SA also moved to leave the College Student Alliance (CSA), which the CSA does not seem to have accepted and could seek legal action over. Add to that the recent firing of the longtime SA executive director, Kelly Morrison, and you’d be hard pressed to see a stable organization.

And while fault can be laid at the feet of the returning students who did not take an interest, the responsibility to find a solution rests with the entire student body.

Many could feel comfortable sitting back and criticizing the organization. It would be

very easy to pretend the people working within it are unprofessional or too immature to handle their responsibilities.

We have to remember that much of the SA is run by students. They either ran for their positions and were elected by the students, or applied for their positions to serve the students’ best interests. Most have little experience and receive training to run the organization only after winning elections. In such a system it is fair to assume mistakes will happen and when they do students should hold their representatives accountable.

But rather than waiting for missteps to happen, students should be active, trying to make sure few do.

That is easier said than done as a dismal number of students take any role in the SA. If we exclude the hundreds of proxy

votes brought to the AGMs, it is quite depressing. Only 181 students actually attended the first AGM meeting last November.

The second meeting, the one where the president was ousted, drew only 51 students.

Considering how much money students feed into the organization and the SA’s $5 million budget, can people really afford to not take an interest?

With the rising cost of postsecondary education it seems wrong for students to care so little about how their money is spent.

When the average student makes a mistake it could cost them a decent grade. When a student representative makes a mistake it could cost the organization in legal fees.

Money the students have paid into the organization.

Last year a group of students mounted a movement called

E

A

ditors:

Christopher Burrows, Samantha Daniels, Ryan Verrydt, Matthew Jordan, Kelsey Braithwaite, Andrew Fliegel, Brad Andrews, Sarah Pugsley, Shane Macdonald, Sam Baker, Sean O’Leary, Luke Callebert, Catherine Legault, Rebecca Watson, Kate Hussey, Sarah Chan, Reshanthy Vijayarajah, Catherine Meunier, Richard East, Steph Morrison, Kathryn Boyle, Aleksandra Sharova, Jesmarnin Lafuente, Giorgio Berbatiotis, Amy Lai, Matt Mazer, Riyad Alli, Dan Cearns, John Gooding, Francis Viloria, Colin Lack, Tim Morrell, Sinead Fegan, Katrina Owens, Courtney Williams, Teanna Dorsey, Venessa Whitelock, Jennifer Lavery, Keshyla Reddick, Jesse Harrison-Kish, Joe LeBouthillier, Will McGuirk, Chelsea McCormick, Sadia Badhon.

Publisher: Greg Murphy

Retake the SA to push for the removal of the president but largely vanished from campus by the time she was actually ousted. But where was the movement pushing students to take an interest in the SA at all?

How about ‘Visit the SA’ or ‘Give a Damn about the SA’?

Students don’t need to be negative or deride the SA to turn it into a better organization. A first step would be to make the next board meeting standing room only. It’s an investment of time to see your money well spent and to get what you deserve from your representatives.

As paying members, students can either put up the effort needed to see that change or accept the consequences of their neglectful indifference.

Brad Andrews

dvertising sales:

Chelsea Bastien, Alexandra Beaubien, Chantelle Hitchings, Mark Bugay, Shannon Castel, Gavin Clark, Taylor Craik, Chris Dupuis, Sadie Harper, Andrew Kritotis, Olivia Kulbaka, Kurtis McAleer, Carley Mclaughlin, Brianne Mitchell, Raechel Mohns, Alisha Nurse, Alyssa O’hara, Tai Soo Chan, Richard Topfer, Lenay Van Boxtel, Tori Vieira.

T

he Chronicle is published by the Durham College School of Me-

dia, Art and Design, 2000 Simcoe Street North, Oshawa, Ontario L1H 7L7, 721-2000 Ext. 3068, as a training vehicle for students enrolled in Journalism and Advertising courses and as a campus news medium. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the college administration or the board of governors. The Chronicle is a member of the Ontario Community Newspapers Association.

Editor-In-Chief: Gerald Rose

Advertising Production Manager: Kevan F. Drinkwalter

A

Jenna Abraham, Sandi Bates, Kathryn Bean, Robert Biggar, Meghan Bullock, Mike Burton, Meggan Camacho, Michelle Cameron, Ed Castiblanco, Jillian Clarke, Sarah Cochrane, Kayla Crawford, Catherine Demmer, Samantha Forster, Courtney Holmes, Jason Ly, Kirstyn Matika, Lauren Mizgala, Michelle Philpott, Vinh Phoxay, Hayley Reynolds, Shawnie Schroetter, Sharon Tan, Madison Verscheun.

Feature Editors: Ginny Colling, Danielle Harder

Photography Editor: Walter Passarella

dvertising design:

Ad Manager: Dawn Salter

Technical Production: Darren Fisher

Opinion

The Chronicle

Life is too short, seize the day Christopher Burrows Just outside the Justice Wing there used to be a large wheelchair ramp. Part of that ramp held a small garden and some benches. Between classes I used to sit there with friends, having a smoke and relax. I vividly remember sitting on a bench there, where I met a man who was knighted by the Queen for his work with the blind.

But time has a funny way of stripping away all but your memories and now that ramp is gone, given way for the Polonsky Gardens and the UOIT science building.

To add context to this story I should explain that I was a student at Durham College from 2000 to 2002 and I was enrolled in the journalism program, but I didn’t finish. Why didn’t I finish?

That’s the million-dollar question that I can’t even answer and a story for another day. The important thing is that I’m back, rectifying a mistake I never should have made.

Durham College has changed dramatically from the college I knew 11 years ago, some of the changes better than others, and I suppose that’s just the way life is: ever changing, ever evolving.

If you have the time stop and take a long look at your college, explore the halls, walk around outside and take in your surroundings like you’ve never done before. What you see now will not always be there and all you’ll have is your memories. And believe me, you have no idea how important your college years will be on your life.

This summer I took a look through all my old copies of the Chronicle. That year was so defining not only for me, but also the college. And despite being right there in the epicentre of college history, I still missed it. I didn’t take the time to see what was going on around me.

In that year there was a lot of construction going on. Behind that ramp that holds so much memory for me, a building was being erected. At the time I didn’t care to know what the building was. It was loud, trucks and construction workers were everywhere and the dirt got into everything. It was just another nuisance ruining my social time with friends. That building was, in fact, the Centre for Integrated Justice Studies and is now part of the Justice Wing.

The Commencement lot was gravel and parking was horrendous. Those of you complaining about the current parking situation go outside, take a look at that lot, picture all the pavement gone, the street lights nothing more than their bases, cemented deep into the ground and wired, awaiting their poles and light fixtures. Oh, and the security gates?

Nope, they were non-existent. We used tags hanging on our mirrors, which meant anyone could park anywhere, and they did. Parking on the grass was an actual problem.

On October 4, 2001 it was officially announced that Durham College would also be home to the Ontario Institute of Technology or OIT. That’s not a typo either. That’s what the university was called when it was first announced and adding to the occasion was the unveiling of the Circle of Knowledge, the large round statue at the front of the college that looks like a Stargate (we can be friends if you get this reference). But despite numerous articles being writ-

ten on the subject by my classmates and friends, I had no idea it was happening.

I was oblivious to this important part of the college’s history. And I was right there, in the Chronicle room, L223, talking with the very people recording that history in the college paper. I was a journalism student - training to be a reporter - who missed these stories.

However, it’s not just the internal workings of the college that can have an effect on you. You need to be open to the bigger picture. For instance do you remember where you were September 11, 2001? I do.

When the Twin Towers fell I was just about to walk out the door of my house to come to class. Little did I, or anyone else for that matter, know the true impact that day would have on the college.

One of my classmates had an aunt who worked in one of the towers and several employees knew people who worked in that area. But that act of terrorism helped reform the safety and evacuation policies of the college. That same day, while staff and students crowded around any television set they could find to watch the horrific events unfold, the fire bells rang and the college was evacuated because of someone calling in a bomb threat. As a result, evacuation procedures, traffic control in and around the campus and communication systems were addressed to make it safer for you to attend this school.

When all is said and done I wish I had done what I’m imploring you to do. I wish I had absorbed my surroundings back then. I wish I had ventured into other areas of the college. I wish I had paid attention to the history I was part of. I was neither a participant nor a spectator to the academic world that was around me and that makes me sad.

Monsters roam the earth once again Jesmarnin Lafuente As the howling roar of the creature echoed throughout the city, thousands of people rushed under ground to find refuge from the oncoming destruction.

Its booming footsteps shook through concrete and its grunts and shrieks shattered glass as devastation incarnate trampled through man’s world. Chaos.

Fear. Feebleness. Man’s weaknesses were personified into one and alas the beast was hungry. The monster movie genre was back, rising from the oceans of ridicule and ravaging into the streets of realism.

With Guillermo del Toro’s summer blockbuster Pacific Rim smashing into theatres, it reminded viewers of how entertaining big budget movies could be with big budgeted monsters. Del Toro, with a whopping $190 million at his disposal, not only broke the top ten list of 2013’s most profitable movies so far but also provided an excellent movie experience. By pitting giant robots called ‘jaegers’ against kaiju (Japanese for monster), he paid homage to older monster movies with extensive fight scenes, realistic human experiences and enough plasma cannons to keep a monster movie fanatic entertained for a decade.

Though these films are making a return, why now? What was the bomb that brought back the claws of this genre, which is now tearing through the concrete buildings of the film industry? It’s simple really. When aspiring directors were growing up, they watched these

‘

We need our own monsters... King Kong’s adorable. I wanted something that was just insane and intense.

J.J. Abrams

’

movies and, in time, wanted to do creature features of their own. “We need our own monsters, and not King Kong; King Kong’s adorable,” said J.J. Abrams during a movie panel at Comic-Con in San Diego about his monster movie Cloverfield. “I wanted something that was just insane and intense.”

Abrams is the producer of notable sci-fi movies such as Star Trek Into Darkness and Super 8. What was and is so appealing about these movies is the monster designs themselves, often based

on real animals with a splash of radioactive ingenuity. It was when directors like Ishiro Honda decided to make two or more monsters fight onscreen in the 1960s and 1970s that the genre boomed with excitement.

But whatever happened to the excitement behind a monster movie coming out? When did the charm of a gigantic three-headed golden dragon attacking a Japanese city and battling an atomic powered lizard die off?

Movie magic and special effects might be the reason. As the world of cinema grew with new filming techniques and editing, monster movies took a back seat.

Putting an actor in a rubber dinosaur suit and smashing Styrofoam buildings on a set was a lot more affordable for the production company than building a gigantic monster which could tower over real buildings. So was having a visual effects team whip up a CGI version of the monster.

So what is next for this genre? Monster movies have risen from the seas of time once again to deliver us ferocious entertainment but when will it hit the city core? When will monster movies make their mark in history again? With newcomer director Gareth Edwards rebooting the Godzilla franchise next spring, his take on the King of the Monsters will decide if this genre will finally make its home in the city again or be driven back to the ocean another time.

September 24, 2013

5

The ‘Shwa has beauty Katrina Owens If you’re from Oshawa, you sure see your fair share of characters, some memorable and some questionable. You also hear your fair share of jokes because of where you’re from. Why shouldn’t you? After all, Oshawa is known as the “armpit of Ontario.” We’re known province-wide as the people of Walmart, the druggies, the drunks and most infamously people of the ‘Shwa.

But little do some people know Oshawa is much more than that.

When entering Oshawa signs say, “Prepared to be Amazed” and it’s true. People venturing into our ever-growing city should be amazed. Be amazed that our shopping centre is going through major renovations -$230 million dollars worth to be exact- or the fact that over the past few years our “infamous” downtown has become a booming area for business.

Oshawa’s entertainment scene can get you on your feet in no time. From busting moves on Shag’s dance floor to seeing big name artists such as Akon, Kiss and The Tragically Hip at the GM Centre. There’s always something to do.

Getting in shape is a breeze as well and no, this doesn’t mean running from the police. Unbeknownst to the outside world, people in Oshawa exert energy in alternative manners. With 136 parks, botanical gardens, two conservational areas and a beautiful lakefront, Oshawa is one of the region’s greenest cities.

Despite being thought as a bluecollared, white, middle-class city, Oshawa is actually quite multicultural. Fiesta Week is an annual event in Oshawa. During this week the city dedicates itself to celebrating all of its cultures.

It takes a certain type of person to live in Oshawa, especially if you’re young. Many of us are thought to be descendants of autoworkers or the outcome of teen pregnancies. Contrary to popular belief, young people in Oshawa do a lot more than sit around.

The shared campus of UOIT and Durham College holds approximately 20,000 students, who are up on their feet most of the time.

Outside of the campus, Oshawa has an official youth council and a variety of student run organizations.

Every city is known for its quirks, bad areas and, of course, bizarre inhabitants. Oshawa is no exception to that rule but from Simcoe Street South to Simcoe Street North there’s always something to do, see and experience.

Beneath all the rumours, Oshawa is a pretty cool place to live in.

6

The Chronicle

September 24, 2013

Campus

Sit-in halts Outreach move Relocation delayed but not stopped

Giorgio Berbatiotis The Chronicle

Concerned students gathered in the Outreach Services offices on Sept. 5, resisting efforts by the administration to relocate Outreach Services’ offices by night’s end.

By hosting a “sit-in” students were able to force the administration to have a last-minute meeting and ultimately delay the relocation until a more suitable office than the one offered had been found. Outreach Services had been given little notice of the planned move, and students had issues with having Outreach Services re-located across from campus security.

Advocates of the sit-in argued that this would lead to situations where an assailant could be held right next to where their victim is expected to go for support.

Barbara Bryan, Manager of Outreach Services, noted

Giorgio Berbatiotis

OCCUPY OUTREACH: Students applaud the success of their actions after the Outreach Services manager announces they would not be moved that weekend. that the “sit-in” was only part of a campaign against the relocation, there was community and agency support in the form of letters sent to the administration, as well as a petition against the move. She did note, however, that the sit-in led to concrete results.

“I don’t believe things would have progressed the same way if it weren’t for the sit-in,” said Bryan. “In a meeting with DC administration right before the sit-in, it was confirmed that Outreach Services was being relocated that weekend.”

At an unrelated meeting

the next week Bryan spoke to a group of students about how those students defending Outreach Services had made that critical difference. “[The administration] sat down, they listened to our concerns and we weren’t moved, and that just took students,” she continued.

“I got to go back to that room filled with students who were actively participating on their campus for something they believed in, and I got to announce to them : ‘because of you and what you’ve done and the support you’ve shown…we are not moving this weekend and we actually get to negotiate for the space that we will be moving to in the future’ and that goes to show what you can accomplish with smaller numbers. We probably only had a max of 50 people in the space.”

Speaking on the effectiveness of the sit-in tactic, Bryan said, “I do think that a sit-in or other similar political action is a viable way for students to have their voices heard. I don’t think it is always the best way, but I think it is an option, and it makes a statement loud and clear, and sometimes that is the extent you need to go to.”

Outreach Services houses the Women’s Centre, the Pride & LBGTQ Centre, the Sexual Health Resource Centre and the Campus Food Centre, which is an on-campus food bank that helps struggling students who may be in a situation where they are forced to choose between rent and food or food and textbooks.

LGBTQ centre ready to help Matthew Jordan The Chronicle

Durham College and UOIT’s Outreach services are once again ready to operate the LGBTQ centre and Pride committee in support of gay, lesbian, and transgender students on campus.

The LGBTQ centre, located at Outreach services, offers a variety of resources to students seeking counselling, support or looking to meet up with their peers.

The centre also works to further equality on campus through a number of campaigns, such as Day of Pink, Day of Silence, and Trans Day of Remembrance.

“These are all things to create awareness about LGBTQ issues and the fact that as much as we have marriage, [LGBTQ] people still aren’t equal to other people,” said Barbara Bryan, manager of Outreach services.

“We’re trying to get the support from the campus community so that people can be more empowered.”

According to Egale Canada, an advocacy group for LGBTQ rights, as many as 49 per cent of transgender students, 40 per cent of gay male students, and 33 per cent of lesbian students experience harassment during their school term.

“As an LGBTQ student it might be the first time you’re coming out when you come to college or university, and so you’re exploring your own sexuality, you’re thinking about how do I tell my friends, how do I tell my parents. Often people aren’t accepting and that creates more barriers for LGBTQ students,” said Bryan. “If you’re worried about coming out to your parents and where you’re going to live, you’re probably not going to do as well on that assignment as somebody who’s not worried about these things.”

Through its Pride committee, a student-run board that oversees LGBTQ events on campus, the LGBTQ centre runs a variety of social mixers, including movie nights, game nights, and Sex and Chocolate, an event hosted by the Sexual Health Resource Centre.

These are meant to provide students with a forum to discuss their own feelings about sexuality and gender identity with a group of peers who have experienced the same issues.

“There [are] lots of people who are LGBTQ but you can’t tell because they don’t fit into the stereotypes of being LGBTQ,” said Bryan. “Those individuals need to negotiate whether they are going to talk about their identity to other people, and that can be a scary

Matthew Jordan

LGBTQ ISSUES: Barbara Bryan, manager of Outreach Services, where the LGBTQ centre is located. negotiation if you don’t know how your classmates or other peers will respond to you.”

Students can also book an appointment with an Outreach councillor who has past experience in women’s shelters and has taken a number of training courses in LGBTQ, issues as well as working extensively

with students.

The centre also provides referrals to LGBTQ resources within Durham Region and the Toronto area. It will also advocate for students in the process of challenging harassment or discrimination.

Students can find the “positive space” stickers on class-

rooms and offices around the school as an indicator of staff and faculty who are supportive of LGBTQ issues and willing to lend an ear.

The LGBTQ centre is located at Outreach services in the Simcoe building and is open to walk-ins during the school week.

Campus

The Chronicle

September 24, 2013

7

UOIT quietly turned 10 years old on Sept. 4 Christopher Burrows

Richard East

ON THE GO: The 93 GO bus stops at Durham College. It’s one of the buses that is no longer covered by the U-Pass.

U-Pass passes on select bus routes this year Richard East The Chronicle

Students may have to start preparing themselves in the mornings even earlier now and pay more for transit because of the recent changes to the U-Pass over the summer.

Those who took the 420 GO bus from the Oshawa station to school will now have to take a bus from the station to the Oshawa Centre, to transfer to the new 910 bus, which no longer stops at the Oshawa GO station.

The 420 buses were removed because of a difficulty adhering to the bus schedule,

thanks to traffic along the 401 highway, according to Susan Dickison from the communications department of Durham Region Transit.

Other buses, such as the 52, 92 and 93, will no longer be covered by the U-Pass, as students are expected to use the new 900, which travels from the University of Toronto along Kingston Road.

Not only will some students have more difficulty getting to school but also the annual price for the U-Pass has gone up another $8.50 from last year, an average increase of almost $8 a year for the past seven years.

The Chronicle

Sorry we’re late, but happy 10th anniversary UOIT. In what UOIT president Tim McTiernan called a classy, lowkey celebration, the University of Ontario Institute of Technology celebrated its 10th anniversary on Sept. 4, with a reception for the community.

Celebrations began a year earlier with a 10th anniversary celebration kick-off.

Various events were held throughout the year leading up to the anniversary, including a UOIT flag-raising ceremony and formally recognizing the Polonsky Commons with a celebratory plaque. On April 18, a new sculpture named the Gate of the Future was dedicated at the north Oshawa campus.

McTiernan said over the decade UOIT has surpassed many expectations with how quickly it has grown.

“The university has established a reputation with other universities across the province for the quality of its programs,” he said.

“The feedback we get from businesses and industry who have our students for co-ops or internships is really great. And our students get jobs, which is perhaps a test of our success at achieving our mission, which is to provide career-relevant degree opportunities.”

Since opening, McTiernan said, UOIT has grown from 947 students to more than 10,000, with more than 8,000 alumni, a

Christopher Burrows

CELEBRATE: UOIT students Brenndan Nobrega (L) and Rebecca Sheriff study outside, between the science building and the business and IT building. noticeable number of those having PhDs and hundreds more with their masters; from a small cluster of programs to roughly 70, and it doesn’t have plans of slowing down.

“We have the potential to grow,” said McTiernan. “We will grow...We’re still building. We’re not a start-up any more. We’re an on-going, sustainable organization, but we’re still growing.”

Weighing in on PQ religious charter Students voice their opinions as our neighbours in Quebec consider a controversial bill Matthew Jordan The Chronicle

Walking along the Durham promenade during the beginning weeks of school yields a wonder of sights and sounds.

Crowds of students throng information booths for the schools’ various clubs and services. Their excited conversations throw a blanket of white noise across Polonsky commons.

Amidst the scattered English emerge Chinese and Arabic, Spanish and Hindi, and religious symbolism is everywhere. Turbans and hijab, crucifixes and

kippa appear on a variety of people, from the volunteers at the booths, to the student population. Even a number of professors wear symbolic clothing.

It raises the question of secularism, in light of Quebec’s recent proposal to amend its charter to prevent public sector workers from wearing religious clothing, and whether or not a person’s attire is at all essential in maintaining pluralism in our society.

The ideas of Thomas Paine and James Madison come to mind when considering the credulity of a divide between church and state; the idea that an institution can operate on the principles of secularism, respecting all by favouring none.

Operating on this principle is the Quebec government’s “Quebec values” charter, targeting religious symbolism in staterun institutions. The provincial bill contradicts Canada’s own

Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and has been met with criticism across the country by opponents who believe it encroaches on personal freedoms.

“I think it’s a very radical move,” said Anas Abdelrihem, executive member of UOIT’s Muslim Student Association (MSA), “Inherently we all have rights of expression. You can’t have a council of people come to a conclusion for the rest [on freedoms].”

Since these changes would affect public institutions, it would prevent college and university employees from displaying their beliefs.

This raises a question as to whether or not religious symbolism on professors would have an impact on a student with different beliefs.

“I wouldn’t think so at all. It’s just clothes,” said Kurt Daye, a computer programmer analyst student at Durham. “They’re

teaching you to further your education, not for you to look at them in different perspectives.”

While the ban would allow for smaller crosses and crescent moons, head covers such as turbans and hijabs as well as larger, ornate crucifixes would be off limits.

“I wouldn’t mind to be honest [if implemented],” said Daniel Messiha, himself wearing a cross. “It’s personal, I don’t have to show people.”

A number of stipulations in the charter have caused outrage in the province.

One, the crucifix in Quebec’s legislature is exempt, and will remain in place. Another is that geographical locations, such as street names, will remain unchanged.

This has led critics to argue that the amendment was meant to favour the long entrenched Catholics, while ostracizing other religions. Municipalities

and cities quickly shunned the amendment, which was initially favoured by many Quebecers.

MSA executive Abdelrihem believes Quebec has made the decision based on statistics rather than considering the publics right to expression.

While handing out information on Islam he said, “In this case they are enforcing personal belief systems, and that really goes against the multicultural aspects of Canada.”

Quebec’s universities haven’t taken an official position on the ban yet, and the amendments provide for a five-year renewable opt-out.

“I think some students could feel uncomfortable, if a professor is religious and they’re not,” said Emily Goranson. “It’s still the professors choice, and students should be able to deal with the fact that everyone comes from different places and different religions.”

8

The Chronicle

September 24, 2013

Campus

More money, more problems

Shane MacDonald The Chronicle

The return of school means the return of financial issues.

The Financial Aid Centre at Durham College helps students finance their education through different programs such as OSAP, scholarships, awards, work programs, and bursaries.

Chris Rocha, director of the Financial Aid Centre, says students have a variety of financial opportunities.

“About 47 per cent of our students get financial aid,” says Rocha, “and across the system in the province, it is around 50 per cent of students at college level that get some form of financial aid.”

The Financial Aid Centre visits high schools in the area and gives general finance presentations. They attend the first-year open houses in both March and November where Rocha gives presentations personally.

Once the school year starts, Financial Aid runs workshops on a number of topics to help students better understand their finances. The OSAP 101 workshop runs throughout September to educate those who are considering OSAP, while Staying On Top, starting in October, talks “about budgeting and managing your money,” says Rocha. “The workshops we offer are for anybody. You don’t have to be on OSAP to come to a workshop.

We are dealing with a wide variety of students, so we try and touch on everything.”

The topic of the Show Me The Money workshop is the student financial aid profile, which

Shane MacDonald

AIDING WITH FINANCES: Representative Autumn Cassar helping a student at the Financial Aid Centre. helps the centre better understand each student’s needs. The profile is a way for students to apply for every service and program that may be available to them in one place.

“Rather than having a lot of different applications throughout the year like a lot of schools, we decided a few years ago that your finances and your needs are the same throughout the year, regardless of what you’re looking at. So let’s build one

place where we capture that at the beginning of the school year,” said Rocha.

The student financial aid profile can determine if students qualify for services other than OSAP, like the work-study program. The work-study provides jobs on campus that are supported through the Financial Aid department. “We solicit jobs on campus and the employer puts in a job request, and the students salary is paid

through our financial aid program,” says Rocha.

The school’s ancillary services all hire students from the work/study program.

Rocha says the Financial Aid program gives out “over a million dollars in institutional bursaries each year” and over $30 million in financial aid government loans and grants.

“Believe it or not, but we have awards that we don’t give out,” says Rocha. Despite

Jobs are on offer for students

Rebecca Watson The Chronicle

Looking for a job just got easier.

This year’s part-time job fair offered an assortment of 10 onand-off campus employers for the picking. On Sept. 6, in front of the computer commons, DC/UOIT students gathered around the tables of employers from around Durham Region. Each employer specifically caters to flexible hours, a fun learning environment, and innovative ways to get work experience. All positions showcased are geared to working with students to find a suitable part-time job and maybe even something long term.

“Students are able to focus on school and come work with us on their holidays, or they can stay on the program for the duration of their studies and can apply for permanent positions once they graduate,” said Mary Cicciarella, HR manager at Costco.

Rebecca Watson

LOOKING FOR WORK: Sahir Parmar, Mechanical Engineering student at UOIT, takes notes at the job fair.

As one of the newest additions to Oshawa, Costco aims to hire students through their college student retention pro-

gram. The program helps students work around their timetable to provide a flexible work schedule.

Other off-campus employment opportunities showcased were the Boys and Girls Club, Danier Leather, 360 Incentives and Mark’s Work Wearhouse.

All of the employers offer flexible hours and full-time opportunities.

“We hire seasonal but have definitely hired full-time people out of the student hires,” said Zamin Lawrence, store operator for Mark’s Work Wearhouse.

On-campus employers also had job openings in the food and student service areas. With Aramark opening three new Tim Hortons since coming to DC three years ago, Michael Woods, retail manager for Aramark on campus, says they will be hiring students this year to fill the positions. Even the campus recreation centre is looking for more people this year, along with the Student Association, UOIT/DC Works and the Tutor Doctor. On-campus employers give students a chance to work for the greater good of the student population.

sending targeted emails to students who are eligible for these awards, they aren’t taken advantage of. Rocha says the donor awards are one opportunity that students ignore because students are really modest about community involvement or other things possible donors look at. Even if students can’t take advantage of these programs, the Financial Aid Centre will still offer guidance to students.

Bookstore offering competitive new pricing Andrew Fliegel The Chronicle

The Campus Bookstore will now match listed book prices with the Canadian Chapters-Indigo website and the Canadian Amazon website. It’s as simple as walking in with your smart phone and providing the edition, ISBN, price and title. Electronic books, Durham College and UOIT textbooks and Durham College continuing education textbooks are the only things governed by this policy. Anything else, such as stationery, clothing or study guides, is not included. The policy is subject to change at any time without notice.

Campus

The Chronicle

September 24, 2013

Supporting local farmers Matthew Mazer The Chronicle

There was a fresh scent in the air as farmers lined up their booths to sell their products.

Meat pies and perogies were being cooked, as well, which wafted through the area on the bright, sunny Friday morning.

Farmers come from areas such as Pontypool and Newcastle but some, such as Sylvia Eady and family, came up from Niagara-on-the-Lake.

Eady said that farmer’s markets are important to her and her family because as a fourth-generation farmer, she has known the importance they play in the community.

Farmers markets are also important to customers because they offer a wide range of foods, mostly vegetables that are organically grown and sometimes a little more expensive than in the grocery store.

Aron Ross-Patterson, a farmer from Newcastle, says that while farmer’s markets prices may be a little more expensive than grocery stores, the quality of the food is well worth

Matthew Mazer

OSHAWA CENTRE FARMERS MARKET: Patrons are seen buying organic foods the extra buck.

“We do not use any pesticides, herbicides or any of the such and they feed their chickens food that is generally more organic,” he said.

Farmers markets produce revenue for farmers they might not otherwise get from the grocery stores.

“A grocery store, such as No Frills, would sell a basket of

peaches at cost with minimal profits going to the farmers.”

Eady said.

There are 166 farmers markets across Ontario each week.

Some of them, such as the one

9

at the Oshawa Centre, are open on Fridays, whereas the Bancroft Farmers Market is open every day of the week.

Ross-Patterson added that much of the food that goes into stores is held in cold storage for about a couple months. He says the longer stores wait to put their product on the shelves, the less the farmers make in return.

Farmers and grocery stores make slim profits, if any, from the food that they grow that gets shipped to the stores.

Speaking of lost profits to farmers, there was also a fire recently at St. Jacob’s Market out near Waterloo that destroyed everything, inside and out. The market is currently under reconstruction, as of Sept. 18.

Eady, like many others around southern Ontario, enjoys going to St. Jacob’s because of the open-air feel.

The Eady family doesn’t travel that way very often but they know others who do. “I was heartbroken when I heard the news. I hope they can get the market back up and running soon,” said Eady.

No excuses for sexist frosh Riot Radio week chant: DC professor wants you Matthew Jordan The Chronicle

Violence against women remains all too prevalent in society and there should be no excuses for its promotion, says a Durham College professor, after a frosh week chant endorsing non-consensual sex surfaced in two Canadian universities.

Students of the University of British Columbia’s (UBC) Commerce Undergraduate Society can be seen in a YouTube video chanting, “Y-OU-N-G. At UBC, we like ‘em young, Y is for your sister, O is for oh so tight, U is for underage, N is for no consent, G is for go to jail.”

The incident has instigated a full investigation at UBC and St. Mary’s University in Halifax, where students also participated in the same chant.

Backlash from the video prompted the resignation of four student leaders from the society and an apologetic condemnation speech from the schools president. The chant is validation of the ongoing fight for gender equality and the prevalence of victimization in our society.

“Violence against women is the issue here and it is a very real part of our culture,” said Durham professor of women’s studies, Lori Lockey.

“Look at any music video today and you’re likely to see objectification and hyper-sexualization of women, and girls as well. The unfortunate part is that many of these images are so mainstream that we don’t

even recognize them, but they have a powerful effect on how males and females behave in our society. Research has proven that such objectification leads to violence against women because it is much easier to harm something that is an ‘object’.”

Though UBC has stated it will take specific action against those involved, it draws into question whether the school itself holds any responsibility, and how it could enable students to organize their own frosh events without the supervision of faculty. The potential impact on students who witnessed the event is the main concern, as sexual violence remains a frequent crime.

“Some might say the UBC chant was harmless because it was only ‘words’ not ‘actions’, but words are very powerful and indicative of beliefs and values. When such activity is condoned as just frosh fun, it impacts considerably on student bodies everywhere, not just the university where it happened,” said Lockey.

Regarding UOIT’s own policies towards student conduct, associate provost academic, Bill Muirhead, said in an email to the Chronicle: “UOIT has a code of conduct for its students, that all students are made aware of this policy through its orientation, and that UOIT expects all students to abide by the university’s code of conduct.”

The code of conduct states that: “UOIT is a community that values and promotes respect, integrity, diversity and accountability among all

members of the university. These values can only be achieved in an environment that supports and protects the safety and security of its members. The UOIT policy on student conduct defines and guides standards of student behaviour at the university to uphold these values and ensure that behaviour contrary to these standards is dealt with in a manner that is fair, open and effective.”

According to Stats Canada, 25 per cent of all women have experienced some form of violence before the age of 18 and a quarter of female students have been physically or sexually assaulted by a male date. Despite the progress made in Canada by women’s movements, the UBC incident forces society to think about what failings in the way institutions socialize our youth lead to these situations.

“Today the media often replaces the family as a socializer, especially when a person enters his or her teen years and sometimes earlier,” said Lockey. “That means that those pervasive images become even more impactful because young adults are seeing them more frequently. When a person sees such objectified and highly sexualized images so often, the images become real and the norm.”

Durham College and UOIT students experiencing harassment can find counselling services at the Women’s Centre located in Outreach services.

to volunteer Reshanthy Vijayarajah The Chronicle

Do you want to run your own radio show?

Are you tech savvy?

Then Riot Radio is the place to be.

Auditions are still open until Sept. 27. Riot Radio is a visual radio station associated with the Student Association at Durham College and UOIT, with an estimate of 50 different shows preparing to stream online 24 hours a day, seven days a week during the 2013 and 2014 academic year.

Positions are still available, including onair host, assistant technician, mobile crew and live events team “It’s pretty hard not to be approved,” said station manager Laura Ferr. “ If you know what type of show you want and how much time you are willing to put in you are well on your way.”

This year each show will air for 45 minutes, with a newscast highlight airing every hour from the third-year Broadcast Journalism class at Durham College.

The station is filled with new staff members geared to help the volunteers in providing great shows. The station will also provide revised program guides to help volunteers understand the concept of every position, along with station procedures and guidelines in script writing.

With 75 new applicants, Riot Radio is still looking for new shows and volunteers. For those interested in volunteering check out their office in B105 at Gordon Willey Building or visit their new and updated website at

10

The Chronicle

September 24, 2013

Campus

A remarkable experience

added.

Shafique did many other things to get involved, such as working as a student mentor

in the international office and joining conversational circles that helped him learn and help others. “Meeting new people and talking to them is one of the biggest things that helped me a lot,” he said. “I made new friends from all cultures and learned something from each and every person.”

Shafique wanted to continue helping people, which is why he got involved in student government. Being a student mentor, he was helping people on a daily basis and he wanted to take that to a new step. “I saw online that they were looking for a student governor and thought I should be that voice.”

He knew the experience would be remarkable.

Shafique got more votes than the six other candidates who ran for student governor.

“It’s a very big responsibility representing the whole student body. I am hoping to learn a lot.”

After graduation, Shafique wants to take a break, work and then bridge into university. He wants to continue to working on the radio on the side. “Be as open-minded as you can, don’t limit yourself,” he said.

gram she’s taking at the school, “They give us good support.

You can have a tutor, someone special to help you.”

Saudi Arabian student Khalid al-Judaibi, 18, whose cousin is a CultureWorks graduate and now a UOIT student said, “Teachers are more serious.

They are here to teach, and not to have fun in class or joke…

They give us lots of homework, different assignments: academic speaking, writing, pronunciation.”

Besides English training, students at CultureWorks also have a course in Canadian studies. The question about homework in this course led to some confusion.

“We don’t have homework in Canadian studies,” said alJudaibi.

“No, no, no. We have,” said Khalid Abualamah, also a student from Saudi Arabia.

“You don’t have it,” Gabriel laughed. “Yet.” Success matters, and not only for Durham College, but for their ESL partner school as well.

“Small successes happen daily,” said Devlin. “Giving as much as we can to make sure those students are successful, creating little pathways to success. Sometimes a little success is helping a student find a grocery store or helping a student find a doctor, a clinic or a dentist. We support our students

in all aspects, and that’s really why culture works, and not just English works.”

The number of students graduating from CultureWorks is growing year by year. According to Fiona Richards, director of International Education, this September Durham College has seen the most significant intake of students graduating from CultureWorks.

Now, the two are looking at the opportunities for marketing in other countries, such as Brazil, Russia, Ukraine and China.

“One of the projects, that I think is going to be exciting, is the Science Without Borders project, which is Brazilian students who are being sponsored by the Brazilian government to study in Canada,” said Richards. “And CultureWorks and Durham College are partnering up… to give them a package offer, which is six months of English and then 12 months of study at Durham College.”

Devlin and Richards both spoke about the changes people coming to Canada face, and the importance of support that schools like CultureWorks can offer.

“It’s an incredible journey for students from their home country to the end result of graduating one of our partner schools, and we are in the middle of that chain,” said Devlin after a long pause.

Sadia Badhon The Chronicle

Zain Shafique, an international student from Pakistan and the new student representative on the Durham College board of governors, says being involved, stepping out of his comfort zone and having an open mind have helped him make a smooth transition into the Canadian way of life.

Shafique is currently doing his second year as a Computer Programmer student. “Durham College offers one of the best courses in IT and it’s more competitive than other colleges,” he said.

One of his favourite things in Canada is the education system. “Everything is well-organized, resources are available whenever you need them.” He also admires the friendliness of the teachers.

Shafique has a knack for helping people and he did just that through hosting his own show on Riot Radio. “I used to work on a radio show back home so I was looking for something similar,” he said.

His show focused on activities

Sadia Badhon

NEW STUDENT GOVERNOR: Zain Shafique talks about things that helped him adjust to Canadian life. international students could do on or off campus and ways for them to be more involved, as well as share personal experi-

ences on air related to Canada.

“Being on the radio and presenting, that’s my thing. I love to do it. It’s my passion,” he

Small successes happening daily Aleksandra Sharova The Chronicle

New. Simple adjective, only three letters, but students from other countries, who came to Canada one month, one week, or even day before yesterday will probably use this exact adjective to describe what’s around them – new country, new people, new culture, new school. Everything new.

And every year people from CultureWorks, an ESL school on campus, are ready to help make the transition from “new” to “familiar” as smooth as possible.

Tina Bax, the founder of CultureWorks, started her career as an English teacher. Upon returning home from Korea, she decided to carry on with international teaching in Canada.

So, in 1998, Bax started CultureWorks.

“At that time it was Canada’s first public-private relationship between a public university and a private school like CultureWorks,” said Matthew Devlin, the principal of Oshawa-based branch of the school. “And that just grew from 1998 and over time CultureWorks grew, the number of students grew, the number of cities and campuses, colleges and universities grew.

And here we are, 15 years later.”

Devlin is sitting behind a desk with piles of new students’

Aleksandra Sharova

CULTUREWORKS: Matthew Devlin, the principal of CultureWorks, ESL school on campus, stresses the importance of creating little pathways to make sure students are successful. works on it. The terrestrial globe adorns his cabinet.

“Canada stresses the importance of student involvement in the classroom. So, we in our school expect our students to have an active role in their learning as well,” he said about the differences an international student might encounter when

he or she joins CultureWorks.

Devlin’s students were on a lunch break. Arabic and Brazilian chatter could be heard.

They started speaking all at once. Brazilian student Gabriela Gomes de Lima, 21, who has been staying in Canada for one month now, speaks fondly of her teachers and the pro-

Campus

The Chronicle

September 24, 2013

11

Students make connections Giorgio Berbatiotis The Chronicle

The Polonsky Commons played host to UOIT’s Connect Fair on Sept. 10. The event is designed to showcase campus clubs and services to new and returning students. All along the perimeter of the commons, tables from a wide variety of clubs were competing for the attention of passing students.

This once-a-year event gave the students at those tables a rare opportunity to solicit student involvement in their organizations in a public and festive way.

With the heat of the sun’s rays beating down on them in the open, frolicking students huddled in the shaded walkways where the clubs’ tables eagerly showcased their respective organizations.

“We do charity in Africa, we also do a recycling program in Oshawa,” said Timothy Sarvendran, a recycling manager, while advocating for his or-

Giorgio Berbatiotis

ALL AROUND THE WORLD: Students from the African Association table. Left to right: Ronke Adebiyi, Joseph Balogun, Obium Arak, Tope Omde. ganization, UOIT’s chapter of Engineers Without Borders.

Sarvendran was manning a table along with four other EWB members. Mitchell Hines, one of the other EWB members

present, eagerly explained the history of the club. “Basically we are a national organization. We are the UOIT branch.

Every university has one. We are called Engineers Without

Fan Expo brings out everyday super heroes $220 raised for TOMA

By Richard East The Chronicle

Superheroes are walking amongst us in our own community and we aren’t even aware of it. While Fan Expo attendees reveled in celebrity autographs, thousands of comics and plenty of cosplay at last month’s convention they may have missed the real superheroes, like Mat Russell and the X-Men of Toronto.

They’re a costumed group representing characters, also known as cosplay, dedicated to promoting charity, community involvement and being suitable role models for children.

The ensemble of heroes was created in the summer of 2012 at the last Fan Expo and hopes to become an official nonprofit organization by 2014. The team of eight spends its’ time at conventions dressing up as famous comic book characters and gaining support for many charitable events.

Recently they raised $220 for the TOMA Foundation for Burned Children by selling raffle tickets to win a Dr. Doom mask. Though he w¬as disap-

Borders and we are set up as an engineering non-profit organization, but throughout the years we’ve discovered that we can do better by having a wide range of backgrounds in our organization. So we keep the name but we really are just a non-profit organization, nothing engineering specific.”

EWB works with local governments and small businesses to fund local programs and get

Bridging the student gap Teanna Dorsey The Chronicle

Richard East

LET’S GO BUB: Mat Russell, aka Wolverine, member of the X-Men of Toronto in his casual cosplay. pointed with how much they made, Russell says it’s not just about selling the tickets for charity that makes a difference.

“There’s a lot of very family friendly geek and nerd and super hero events that you can go to and just by going there you’ll be able to put a smile on a kids face by taking a cool photo with them. That right there is giving back. That kid didn’t have as big of a smile until they got a picture with their favourite superhero,” says Russell.

Russell and Jason Loorox, another member of the group, will be participating in the Scotiabank Charity Challenge run

to raise money for the Daily Bread Food Bank and have currently raised $295 with a month remaining until the event.

For those who are trying to find ways to keep themselves content until the next comic book convention, it might be worth discovering the more charitable side to cosplay and become a real life superhero.

“Get out there and do your part,” says Russell. “Just because you only read about superheroes in comic books or saw them on TV doesn’t mean you can’t be a hero yourself.

You don’t need superpowers to do it.”

students to advocate for and get involved with those programs. “We did do it last year,” says Hines, of the Connect Fair, “but I don’t think it was this big last year… It’s a great way to get out there, meet some new students and get our name out there… it’s good to see UOIT taking those small steps to get out there.”

Hines, Sarvendran and the rest of the EWB crew were not the only ones happy to see the growth of the Connect Fair.

Tope Omde, a member of the African Students Association, described the event as “pretty cool” noting that although it is smaller than other orientation week events, they had participated in the fair the year before and their organization will likely continue to have a table each year to help them reach out to students. The ASA has members from Russia, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Guyana and many others. Most of their membership are, in fact, international students, according to Omde, and join the club as part of an effort to experience the multitude of diverse cultures, although the ASA wishes to emphasize that the club is in no way only for African or International students and all are welcome to participate.

The trophy was left unclaimed for the Aboriginal Students Centre Wii bowling competition on the morning of the first Monday back to school.

The competition was the second event held by the Aboriginal Students Centre this school year. The first event was the Prayer and Smudge held on Sept. 4.

“Attendance has been low because people are not aware,” said Julie Pigeon, an adviser with the Aboriginal Student Centre.

The centre is in the Simcoe building room 1264 and is open Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Events are held regularly and a full schedule can be found on the website www. durhamcollege.ca/info-for/ aboriginal-students.

Events can include physical activity, visiting elders,

crafts, a sharing circle and movies. A Full Moon ceremony took place Sep. 18.

To be included, students must contact advisers Julie Pigeon or Peggy Forbes.

The centre has embraced the teaching of many groups, including all the First Nations, the Metis and the Inuit. Elders from all backgrounds will assist students.

“There is a discrepancy between aboriginal students and mainstream students, and we help bridge the gap by providing appropriate services,” said Pigeon. Aboriginal students are less likely to graduate if they are unprepared and the centre is there to help acclimate students.

“We support aboriginal students to stay in school and complete school,” said Pigeon. Although the centre is mainly for Aboriginal students, anyone can attend if they want to participate and learn.

12

The Chronicle

September 24, 2013

Campus

Does hard work really pay off?

From Starbucks employee to talent manager Rebecca Watson The Chronicle

It wasn’t too long ago that Travis Dutka was pouring coffee at Starbucks – and that was after he had graduated from UOIT with a Bachelor in Commerce.

For some of us, pouring coffee at a menial part-time job can make minutes feel like hours. Asking, “Would you like fries with that?” would probably seem downright demeaning after working so hard to educate yourself and graduate from a post-secondary institution. But everyone has to start somewhere, and that’s what Dutka discovered.

With his qualifications highly above those who managed him, it might have only been natural for Dutka to feel underappreciated. When a wellearned, costly education isn’t being put to good use, it may be

Rebecca Watson

NO STANDING STILL IN LIFE: Travis Dutka, talent manager at 360 Incentives, UOIT graduate with a Bachelor in Commerce. easy to get discouraged. We get out of school and have all this knowledge, but sometimes we give up on our dreams when they don’t happen right away.

Staying at Starbucks after graduation, Dutka remained compelled to showcase his ambition during the most routine of tasks. He managed to master coffee pouring, cake slicing and even Frappuccino making.

Offering his time for taste testing and extra shifts, he quickly

gained the respect of his coworkers.

“I was actively investing within my time at Starbucks,” says Dutka.

Instead of feeling over educated and discouraged, Dutka devoted his time to refine his customer service experience and, in turn, received a great recommendation.

With self-motivation in his back pocket, Dutka also had another secret weapon: Todd

Skinner, a friend, a confidante, a mentor. As a highly respected businessman, Skinner gave Dutka the push he needed.

He gave him someone to talk to about work frustrations.

Someone Dutka could reach out to and ask about books and things. Someone to ensure he stayed up to date with the skills he gained in university. More than just a fellow businessman and friend, Todd Skinner was Dutka’s go to man.

A new place to call home Residence living experience

Waste disposal decrease Kate Hussey The Chronicle

Kathryn Boyle The Chronicle

It’s a safe house and also a party zone. It has long hallways, a creepy basement, and a laundry room with machines that are always full.

Residence.

Moving away from home can be nerve-wracking. Living with a complete stranger in an unfamiliar place while also standing strong as the pressures of postsecondary education weigh heavily on your shoulders. For some students, it’s all right.

Another step taken towards a successful future. But for others, living in a new place is a big step that needs a breath before taking.

“I thought it was going to be stressful,” explains first year Graphic Design student Alana Forsyth. “I started getting really, really nervous. I was afraid my roommate wouldn’t accept me.”

As the days passed, Forsyth

Playing an important role in Dutka’s life, Skinner helped push him to learn from every situation he was in.

“A mentor can push you beyond what you can push yourself and keep you focused on your dreams,” says Dutka.

“There will always be more people against you than for you.”

Having an influential role model like Skinner, Dutka was able to concentrate on moving forward.

His mentor helped craft and perfect the skills he now uses every day. Even during his Starbucks job, Skinner was there for Dutka to ask questions about how he could make a bigger impact. And that’s exactly what he did.

Today, Dutka works as the talent manager at 360 Incentives, a marketing company where Skinner was vice-president before his death earlier this month.

In charge of recruiting, training and growing a successful and happy team, Dutka says, “There is no standing still in life. Don’t have gaps on your resume. If you cant find something right away volunteer. I almost don’t care what your degree is. I just want to see you’ve worked hard and kicked butt at everything you’ve done.”

Kathryn Boyle

MIDDLE OF EVERYTHING: South Village Residence houses 4,500 students every year - most of them in their first year. gained confidence living on her own. “I really enjoy it. I’m glad I decided to live here. Everything feels safe, under control and clean.”

Callum Bowles, a first year Life Science student at UOIT, found no reason to be nervous.

“I expected parties,” he smiles. “All day, every day.”

Instead, Bowles sees friends and does homework. He pulls open a drawer and shows off a

hefty amount of textbooks. “I’m busy,” he explains.

Although the workload is heavy, Bowles says he likes it here.

“I like living so close to friends, close to school, close to food,” he grins. “Basically in the middle of everything.”

Ryan Reed, a South Village resident last year, describes his life in Simcoe Village now.

“I like having the freedom to

eat whatever I want, whenever I want,” he laughs. “I like having a big fridge, too.”

Reed explains the key to the ultimate residence experience.

“Don’t psych yourself out. Get yourself involved in everything that’s going on,” he adds. “It’s a lot more fun to get involved and meet a lot of the people you’re living with.

“Be a social butterfly. Don’t be all cocooned.”

It doesn’t take long for waste to accumulate, but once it piles up it needs to go somewhere. 12.9 million tonnes of waste was produced by Canadian households in 2008, though residential waste disposal went down 4.0 per cent from 2006 to 2008, according to Statistics Canada. Many waste programs were introduced, which could be part of the decrease.

In Oshawa, 72 per cent of households participated in composting kitchen waste and 86 per cent composted yard waste, according to a 2011 survey.

According to the survey, the common reasons for choosing not to compost were because people did not have a compost bin, or there was no compost program in their area.

Campus

The Chronicle

September 24, 2013

13

Balancing money and school Catherine Legault The Chronicle

Managing money is a skill that does not come naturally to everyone.

Fortunately, there are steps students, new and old, can take to help them save money during their first month of school and develop financial habits to carry forward into the rest of the school year and beyond.

First, Chris Rocha, director of Durham College’s Financial Aid and Awards Office, recommends learning how to make a budget, making sure all living expenses such as rent and tuition are paid off and allotting specific amounts for entertainment and shopping.

“It’s really about making wise choices, and that’s difficult for all people,” says Rocha.

“We always caution students to think about the reason why they’re buying something. You get emotional buyers, people who feel bad and want to buy something because it makes me feel better. You’ve got to know if that’s a trigger for you to take 24 hours and think about it.”

To help students learn financial skills Durham College Financial Aid and Awards offers workshops. For September the DC Show Me the Money financial workshop is OSAP 101. Future workshops include learning about bursaries and how to apply for them and learning how to budget. Students can apply for a workshop by going to MyCampus/ DCstudent tab/ financial aid/online booking.

The OSAP 101 workshop

Opting out Teanna Dorsey The Chronicle

The deadline to opt out of the student health plan is Sept. 30. It is mandatory to be covered by health and dental coverage at Durham College.

A parents’ health plan may stop covering students over the age of 21 and require proof of fulltime enrolment in a program.

Proof of coverage is mandatory and a letter from an insurance company needs to be attached to the opt-out form.

The health plan offered by the Student Association is worth over $900 and only costs student’s $193, which is included in the student fees.

Go to www.ihaveaplan. ca to opt out and receive back a portion of tuition.

Catherine Legault

SHOW ME THE MONEY: Director of Financial Aid & Awards, Chris Rocha explains the benefits of knowing when to splurge and knowing when to save. may be particularly helpful to students who are not familiar with OSAP. Similarly Rocha recommends students investigate the exact terms of their OSAP as soon as possible.

“If you get in excess of $7,300 a year in loans as a single student in two semesters the balance may be forgiven, but you need to make sure you meet the exceptions,” says Rocha.

According to the Ontario Ed-

ucation and Training website some of these exceptions could be if a student withdraws from post-secondary education or OSAP could not verify the student’s income tax information or the income tax information of anyone else who reported income on the OSAP application.

Rocha also recommends finding ways to save money through discounts. One particular way to save money during the first month of school is

waiting until classes start before buying textbooks. Rocha recommends doing this and finding out if they’re mandatory before considering purchasing them.

“This year our bookstore is offering a price-matching guarantee. So this is the first year they’re doing that. Did you see your book online cheaper somewhere else?” said Rocha.

Rocha also recommends looking into buying used text-

books to save money.

Similarly simply by attending Durham College students have access to free entertainment. The first month of school has many free activities students can participate in and save money. For example, Sept. 27 the Aboriginal Student Learning Centre offers a crafting afternoon. Rocha recommends attending these and saving money for later in the year when the free activities dwindle. In addition, some local businesses provide discounts to Durham College students.

“A lot of students don’t realize that if they use their students cards at local restaurants, at local stores, you can get discounts,” said Rocha. “It’s worthwhile asking: ‘Do you have a discount for Durham College students?’”

Part of spending money comes from eating out, and many students come to the financial aid office saying they cannot cook, said Rocha. For this reason she recommends taking cooking classes at the Superstore, in particular the “What’s for Dinner” class.

The What’s For Dinner class is a demonstration of how to prepare meals using ingredients found at the Superstore.

The class costs $10 but attendees receive a $10 gift card for the Superstore in exchange.

“The thing students learn is if they start out right at the beginning of the school year, you’ll probably manage right the rest of the year right,” said Rocha. “It’s starting off on a good solid foundation.”

Getting fit with FITT

Sinead Fegan The Chronicle

Durham College’s FITT Facility starts the new 2013-2014 school year with brand new cardio equipment.

On average the FITT facility sees about 1,000 students per day.

Every three years the college gets the opportunity to rotate the cardio equipment with new top-of-the-line pieces. Since this summer was the third year, the gym was closed for a week to make way for the new pieces.

National Fitness Products is the provider for the FITT Facility. This years machines include treadmills, cross trainers, spin bikes, rowers and upright bikes.

“We’ve heard a lot of good feedback,” explained Angela Wood, fitness co-ordinator at the facility. “The students and staff love the fact that we get the chance to change it up with the new equipment. It’s so rare to be able to do that.”

Starting last year the school was fortunate to work with a

Sinead Fegan

TESTING IT OUT: Francis Viloria on one of the new pieces of cardio equipment. program evergreen that helped the college get different types of equipment. According to Wood this is an advantage to the college because other schools have to lease their equipment and rarely get to work with new

equipment.

“I have to go to the gym for one my classes,” explained Matt Wong, a Police Foundations student. “Since the new equipment came in I like the fact that there’s so many ma-

chines to choose from.”

The FITT facility is open Monday to Thursday 6 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., Friday 6 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., Saturday 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Sunday 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

14

The Chronicle

September 24, 2013

Campus

Stand out from the crowd with DECA Project Samuel Baker

The Chronicle

The DECA UOIT business association offers opportunities to students in any program and helps build the skills needed to stand out from the crowd in an increasingly competitive workforce.

DECA U Ontario is celebrating its 10th year as a university organization that teaches students through experiential learning. DECA UOIT, one of 18 chapters under DECA U, is in its third year on campus and has been growing consistently.

The current president, Maha Sadat, is excited about the turnout. “Last year, we had 50 members, and we got so much done, and this year we’re tripling that.”

Sadat said 130 students have either signed up or shown an

Volunteer work at Rogers

Behind the scenes of TV production

Reshanthy Vijayarajah The Chronicle

Looking for volunteer work?

Rogers is looking for you.

With new renovations and equipment upgrades, Rogers TV Durham Region, is gearing up once again to help students understand what happens during a shot, behind the scenes and the work that is put into it.

“We recently made our control room larger and did the full conversion to HD equipment,” said Erika Goreski, co-ordinator of volunteer resources.

“All previous equipment was removed to make way for the new gear. This includes a new audio board, new switcher, monitors, graphics system, etc.

Additionally, all studio cameras were also upgraded to HD cameras that have the capability of shooting in 16:9.”

Whether you are looking to work on mobiles, studio productions, becoming a host or are out in the field, everyone involved has an impact on what goes to air and what viewers are ultimately viewing.

So if you are someone who can demonstrate initiative, is willing to learn and will be able to maintaining your commitments, go to http://www. rogerstv.com to find out more information.

The experiential learning interest. “It’s like a wild fire in comes into play through the a forest.” events that are organized each For some, the term “business year, the largest of which is association” can be misleading.

Perhaps it seems as though it’s provincials, where students from each chapexclusive to those ter compete in a in business faculties, but this is If someone’s inter- case competition.

While the what sets DECA ested in building their case competiUOIT apart from the others. It can leadership skills this is tion is the largest event, it’s not the be beneficial to the place to be. only one. “DECA students in any UOIT is trying program. to be really well “It’s a really Maha Sadat rounded, we want diverse cast,” to have events all Sadat said. “We even have a few throughout the executive posiyear.” tions that are Some things to open, and they’re really open to look forward to include workeveryone. I think that’s what’s shops, from resume writing to awesome about it. If someone’s social networking, and events interested in building their like Halloween movie night leadership skills this is the and a business attire fashion show. These are all great way to place to be.”

‘

’

learn outside of the box of the classroom and to get out there and meet new people.

“That’s what DECA does, it helps you prepare to network, to build your leadership skills, to build your speaking and communication skills,” Sadat said, “and that’s going to follow you everywhere in life.”

Besides some participation and an open mind, there isn’t much that is expected of students, so it’s definitely worth a try.

“Whoever wants to join, do it. It’s not like it’s a hefty commitment, you’re not at a meeting every week,” Sadat said.

“You get to pick and chose what you want to attend.”

To learn more about the DECA UOIT community or get involved, go to decau.ca.

X event Samuel Baker The Chronicle

For the first time ever, DECA U Ontario is organizing a rendition of Dragons Den called Project X, offering students a chance to better their business skills and gain insight into the world of entrepreneurship.

The event takes place on Sept. 28 at Toronto City Hall, and offers a grand prize to the winner of the pitch competition.

There is also a networking workshop in which professionals will work with students to make their networking skills more effective.

Campus

The Chronicle

Durham Ideas Den rewards creative thinkers Reshanthy Vijayarajah The Chronicle

Only a few months ago, Sandra Young, Dana Murray and Jennifer Russell would have never they imagined they were steps away from becoming actual entrepreneurs.

But today, as winners of the first Durham Ideas Den last semester, they are well coached with a lot of support from sponsors.

They also have a business plan in place to launch their Durham Involves Youth project this fall.

It’s a web-portal to build a customized profile for Grade 9 students that would take them to graduation.

The application would list community organizations and potential employers, as well as mentors that are offering services to students.

For placing first, they were issued a $2,500 cheque midway through the summer.

The remaining $2,500 will be given to them upon submission of the next phase of their business plan.

The idea for the project stemmed from Young, a mother with kids who experienced the same issue while they were graduating from high school.

She found out that high school students needed more options to complete their mandatory community service hours so they could graduate.

“Too many high school students were on their way to graduating and still had not completed their mandatory 40 hours of community service. We aimed to provide a mechanism for integrating

students with the volunteer organizations in their community,” said Young.

During the summer, the women and the Community Innovation Lab, an organization set to help post secondary students strengthen their talents, skills and increase opportunities for employment, went through a social media boot camp with mentors from the Canadian Youth Internship assisting them.

They also participated in a training program in May at the MARS Toronto Business Innovation Centre.

All of the Durham Ideas Den finalists received $ 4,000 worth of training.

This opportunity allowed the women to have group collaboration with other likeminded students with similar visions.

The winners were also offered training from professionals from community subject experts, business coaching, and a six-month assignment of mentors to each team This year a $25,000 national challenge will be launched for the Durham Ideas Den. This major sponsorship will provide students with more opportunity within the community.

In addition, the event will also have matching seed funding of $12,500, which will be offered for Durham College/ UOIT students.

Students will also be provided a series of workshops on campus to help with ideas development via storyboarding.

The Durham Ideas Den will be taking place in late spring 2014.

September 24, 2013

15

Lecture series offers advice to entrepreneurs Joe LeBouthillier The Chronicle

If you’re looking for a way to commercialize your fantastic idea, you need to formulate a business plan, come up with an estimation of the funding you need and to be prepared for any questions a funder would ask you about your product or service, according to Morden Shapiro, a lecturer in the facul-

ty of Business and Information Technology at UOIT. The Office of Technology Transfer and Commercialization held a lecture last week on how to do that.

This discussion was perfect for someone who knows nothing about entrepreneurship, or commercialization .

“First you need to identify the burning need,” said Jose Costa, a Business Development Manager with Ontario Centres

of Excellence.

“Once you find it you need to find out how your idea can satisfy that need. It could be a product, service, or even an app. You may fail a few times before being successful but just make sure you keep trying.”

This was the first in a series of five lectures to be hosted by the Office of Technology Transfer and Commercialization.

None of them have been scheduled thus far.

A new education for students Katrina Owens The Chronicle

Time to say goodbye to the carefree feeling of summer – the school year has started.

For many of us it’s our first time away from home, which means living in an unfamiliar environment, where we happen to make our own rules.

New and returning students should be aware of the harmful effects that come with indulging in risky behaviours like unsafe sex.

The campus Sexual Health Resource Centre is educating Durham and UOIT students about sex and everything that accompanies it.

Erica Simpson, centre coordinator, wants to cut away at the stigma that surrounds STI testing.

“We need to make STI testing a normal part of healthcare routines,” she says.

Many STI (sexually transmitted infections) show no symptoms but create major interior damage. Most bacterial, parasitic and fungal infections can be treated with medications.

Others, like viral infections, are more problematic and most likely will need ongoing treatment.

Getting regularly tested is the only way you can find out.

The centre is noticing that many students, especially first-

years, look intimidated when discussing anything STI-related. To learn more people need to ask questions. “People think they know everything,” said Simpson.

“Most people don’t even know you’re not supposed to keep condoms in wallets.”

The condom can deteriorate because of the constant bending your wallet goes through every time you open it and the heat that’s caused when you sit on your wallet.

The centre’s priority this year is to have more frequent events, to provide frontline services to all students and most importantly to “talk about what this sexual world is.”

16

The Chronicle

September 24, 2013

Campus

A new greener school year Green Team is helping to improve our environment Kate Hussey The Chronicle

The Green Team met on Thursday, Sept. 12 to go over various steps Durham College has taken after the decision to become more environmentally aware. While the group is still in its first couple years, it is making progress.

Students with early classes may notice how warm the rooms feel in the fall and spring. This is because the temperature is lowered at night to save power, according to James Webb, sustainability co-ordinator at Durham College.

“It takes about 30 minutes to start up again,” said Webb.

When no one is in the class-

Men extorted online Samantha Daniels The Chronicle

Durham Regional Police Service are cautioning against risky online behavior that may compromise personal or financial well-being, after two young men received online threats from a man intending to post graphic videos of them online.

On Aug. 30, a 21-yearold man from Whitby was convinced to take his clothes off and touch himself in a sexual manner for a young woman he had just met in an online chat room, according to the report.

He received a recording of his actions from the woman, who turned out to be a man. The man threatened to post the video online, as well as send it to his family and friends via social media, if he did not send 500 Euros. Police said this also happened to an 18-year-old Clarington man in the same chat room site two days later.

Both men eventually contacted Durham police after initially hoping they could pay the extortion fee to make the problem go away quietly. The first man paid the asked amount, but more money was demand-

room, some of the lights go out automatically. This is because of special motion sensors that can detect if a room is empty or not, according to Webb. “These are the things that go on that you may not even see or notice, but it costs a lot of money.”

Energy-efficient vending machines are another step Durham College has taken. “I don’t like vending machines, but these are the best of the evil,” said Webb. For marketing purposes big companies such as Coca-Cola tend to use bright colours and bright signs. “You have to win some and you have to lose some, and that’s a losing battle for now,” he said.

Although it’s a challenge to try and change the world, it is possible to make smaller transformations within municipalities.

One change that Durham College made is the South Village residence composting station. “Some people may ask, ‘why don’t we do it everywhere?’ The problem is contamination.” People may throw the wrong thing into the compost station and it will end up in the garbage.

Passing the Whitby campus

Kate Hussey

GOING GREEN: Durham College student Annalisa Badu recycles responsibly. there are six wind turbines on the roof of the building. They are good advertisement according to Webb, but sometimes they stop spinning. “We actually get phone calls asking why they aren’t spinning,” he said. The turbines begin to vi-

brate the building because they aren’t spread far enough apart yet, according to Webb. They are stopped on purpose.

The Green Team plans to meet for the first three months of every semester so it doesn’t interfere with studies and exam

time. On Sept. 24 at 6 p.m. a movie called Dirt will be playing in room C113 about the living organic matter we come from and will someday return to. The team is hoping to raise awareness about environmental issues on campus.

New projects give students more options for housing

Sarah Pugsley The Chronicle

As Durham College and UOIT’s enrolment numbers continue to rise, so does the need for housing options.

With several new studentonly apartment buildings opening just across from the main campus on Simcoe Street, both prospective and current students now have more options for renting their own home on Durham College and UOIT’s doorstep.

Eastwood Heights opened its doors to students starting in September, and have so far been successful in marketing a brand of living that is appealing and affordable to the Durham College/UOIT population.

Featuring three separate study rooms, on-floor laundry facilities, unlimited wireless Internet, Juliet-style balconies and a wide range of lease op-

The regular rooms are priced tions, Eastwood is the ideal location for students looking to at $525/month, larger rooms are priced at $535/month and room with friends.

Even if you’re a single stu- shared rooms are $375/month dent looking for accommoda- per student.

Parking is an additional tion, you can be matched with other students based on an $30, but for students who are extensive personality profile. only commuting back and forth from campus, It’s a process there really is no that is especially need to bring a beneficial for invehicle. ternational stuIt’s a fantastic place This price indents who may not know anyone to live...It’s a place cludes all utiliInternet when they arrive that I feel proud to call ties, and laundry. but wish to have First-year stuthe full college home. experience. dent Erin Hart is Another feaalready enjoying ture that Easther time spent at Erin Hart wood has to offer Eastwood. is a 24-hour secu“It’s a fantasrity with officers tic place to live, on guard seven days a week. we have so many options that I Development on the exterior didn’t think I’d be able to have and landscaping continues as for the price and living with the new term begins. friends is so easy when there’s a There are several styles of lot much space,” she said. “It’s suites to choose from which all a place that I feel proud to call offer a kitchenette, living space home.”

Just next door to Eastwood, and bathroom.

‘

’

another student residence is currently in development by Varsity Properties, which is owned and operated in Kingston. They have developed several houses and apartment complexes for students at the University of Windsor.

This new complex promises to bring a 259-bed development and several amenities such as unlimited internet, en-suite laundry and common rooms to the gates of Durham College by September 2014, with leasing opportunities opening to the public in late October 2013.

The growth of student housing options around Durham College offers great possibilities for not only the school but for the expansion of surrounding businesses and the community.

Eastwood Heights still has four- and five-bedroom leasing opportunities for the 20132014 term, and can be contacted at 519-242-8642 or by e-mail at bway@kingsleydev. com.

The Chronicle

Sports

September 24, 2013

17

DC Lords third at Fleming

Team has shaky showing in Martin’s debut as coach Luke Callebert The Chronicle

Durham College’s golf program under Tyler Martin got off to a shaky start at the Fleming College Invitational on Monday, Sept. 16. The team finished third overall, posting a total team score of 326. A strong Georgian College team won the tournament with a team score of 313 while Fanshawe College finished second with a 316 team score.

“It was a rocky start to the year,” said Martin. “We know where we need to improve, though, and what we need to work on going forward.”

The invitational took place at the Wolf Run Golf Club just east of Port Perry, and the weather was a factor. It was blustery and cold day for September as winds were strong and the greens ran fast. Many golfers misjudged shots and putts during the first few holes, which seemed to contribute to higher scores.

It wasn’t all gloomy, though, as the Lords had two golfers tied for fifth overall. Craig Conroy and Jacob Durack, both of Oshawa, posted scores of 79.

The scores showed promise

Luke Callebert

DON’T MISS: DC Lords golfer Ryan Russell lines up his putt on the 8th hole at Wolf Run Golf and Country Club during the Fleming Invitational golf tournament. that the team could improve as the season goes on. Martin said the team did not golf as well as it could have but that the pair of 79s was a positive.

There are three more tournaments before the OCAA

Championships and the team will be working with Martin to lower scores before then.

The turn-around time for the team for the Lords was quick. The next scheduled tournament was at the Forest City

National on Saturday, Sept.

21 then the team travelled to the Niagara region for a tournament on Monday, Sept. 23 hosted by Niagara College at Hunter’s Point Golf Club. Results were not available at press

time.

OCAA Championships begin Sept. 29 and run until Oct. 3. at the Paris Grand Country Club.

CCAA PING National Championships will be at the Royal Quebec Golf Club in October.

DC Lords golf results

Future promising for UOIT golf program Sean O’Leary Chronicle Staff

With UOIT’s golf season upon us, head coach Peter Butler is optimistic for the year ahead. A new-look team and depth throughout the roster is bringing excitement among the coaching staff and players.

Twelve players tried out for the team this year, the highest in the club’s three-year history.

Of the eight players kept for the final roster, there are only two returnees, James Krantz and Riley Prentice, who Butler regards as his number one and two golfers.

The team lost five players to graduation, and other commitments. Butler is confident the new members will have outstanding chemistry with the rest of the team because many have prior relationships from being members at Oshawa Golf and Curling Club, where Butler is the head professional.

Last season, Butler was “very happy” with the Ridgebacks results. The team never finished last in a tournament, and had several strong individual performances from Krantz and

Sean O’Leary

TEEING OFF: Josh Harrop aiming for the green at the Oshawa Golf Club during a practice for the Ridgeback team.

Prentice.

“Were definitely a better team than we were last year at this time,” said Butler. He attributes that to the depth of this year’s team, the experience his returning golfers have gained and positive vibes the players share with one another.

Butler’s method this year includes putting more emphasis on practice to ensure the team plays to, or exceeds their potential on a consistent basis to help the team compete each tournament.

Optimism is not just within the coaching staff. The players

are excited too. “I’m very excited to be a part of the team this year after having a solid tryout.

We have a great group of guys who know how to play in tough situations, so if we all perform to our capabilities we have potential to do great things this year,” said Josh Harrop, a firstyear UOIT student and rookie on the team.

Butler admits it was hard starting up a progrm as a small school but the feeling of being the “bad news bears” is long gone.

This year UOIT will host its first tournament at Oshawa Golf Club. Butler is looking forward to putting on the event but is more excited knowing his team will have “home course advantage”. Both Krantz and Prentice are men’s club champions at OGC and will have a “distinct advantage”, according to the coach.

Butler and his coaching staff, who are also his assistant professionals at the golf course, are working relentlessly to recruit more players, strengthen OGC’s training facilities and develop the junior golf program so UOIT will have recruits for many years to come.

Luke Callebert The Chronicle

Fleming College Invitational Leaderboard Final

1.

Colton Kalkanis 70 Georgian College

2.

Spencer Dunseith 74 Fanshawe College

3.

Adam Kroon 77 St. Lawrence College

4.

Alex Wilson 78 Georgian College

T5. Craig Conroy 79 Durham College

T5. Jacob Durack 79 Durham College

18

The Chronicle

September 24, 2013

Sports

Lords bounce back after loss Joe LeBouthillier The Chronicle

Throughout the 2013 season thus far the Durham Lords men’s baseball team has been up against competitive OCAA teams along with a weekend full of double-headers in New York.

The Lords’ first two games of the season against St. Clair were both rained out, making the Humber Hawks the first opposing team to step onto Kinsmen Stadium’s field.

Humber gave Durham their first loss of the season by scoring five unanswered runs in the top of the seventh to win 6-3.

First-baseman Dale Valade took the mound for that final inning, giving him an earned run average of 22.50.

“We’ve got to relax and play a little smarter. We made a couple of base running mistakes early in the game,” said head coach Sam Dempster.

Outfielder Spencer Green said the team needed to be patient for the next game.

“It was our first game as a team,” Green said.

“We were all anxious, even myself. I just got to know my job and take my time.”

The Lords shook off their first loss to play the George

Joe LeBouthillier

FIRST SEASON LOSS: Ace pitcher Ryan Norris is 0-1 and Durham lost to Humber 6-3.

Brown Huskies for game two.

The only way to explain how the game went is “thriller”.

Prior to the start of game two, second-baseman Kyle Conquer told his parents to

“stick around and I’ll give you something good to watch.”

With two hits, two runs scored and four runs batted in, he kept his word.

The Lords were down 11-5

after the top of the sixth when outfielder Aaron McQuillen scored on a base-hit single from catcher Jack Lang to bring in the first run of a ninerun comeback for Durham.

The other catcher, David Fischer, was on the mound to get the win for Durham. He pitched three innings giving up five base hits and two earned runs.

With the 14-11 win over George Brown, Durham got themselves ready for four exhibition games in the United States.

In Syracuse, New York, Durham played two games against the Onondaga Community College Lazers of the National Junior College Athletic Association. The Lords lost 6-5 and 9-3.

The next day, in Canandaigua, New York, the Lords played two games against the Finger Lakes Community College Lakers. The Lords won both games 5-2 and 5-1. But the bigger story coming out of Canandaigua is freshman pitcher AJ Clark’s no-hitter.

Clark pitched a great game for the Lords. Over seven innings Clark didn’t allow a single hit while striking out six.

The only run for the Lakers came off an error committed

by Durham in the bottom of the fifth inning.

For Clark’s second start of his OCAA career a no-hitter is definitely something to remember.

Ridgebacks Rival schools clash in unhappy at tie annual Campus Cup The team is still improving

Jesse Harrison-Kish The Chronicle

The women’s UOIT Ridgebacks soccer team played an intense game Friday, Sept.

13 against a tough Waterloo team, ending with a 1-1 tie. The Ridgebacks, coming off of a 5-0 win in Windsor, were hoping to come into the game strong and have a repeat performance, but were faced with tough opposition and a skilled net-minder.

“Our expectation was to win this game today, there is no doubt about that,” coach Peyvand Mossavat said after the game. “We needed to win this game. We are dropping unnecessary points.”

The Ridgebacks’ lone goal came 21 minutes into the first half from a player who was visibly putting everything she

had into the game. Kayla DeSouza, an undeclared student at UOIT, was not used to being a goal scorer. “It was my first goal of the season, so that is pretty exciting,” she said with a laugh, “and I’m not usually a goal scorer. I’m usually assisting if anything. I am more defensive, so it was exciting for me, to say the least.”

For a team in only their second year, and coming off a successful first season, the Ridgebacks have their sights set high.

“We are still a young team,” said Coach Mossavat. “We are still in our second year. We are competing in every game, and we are hoping to, in the very least, be in the same position we were last year.”

Their season so far has not been easy, having two wins, two losses, and three ties.

“There are a little bit of growing pains, but at the end of the day, we want to compete, to be a real competitor.”

Nevertheless, this Ridgebacks team is obviously going out every game with their sights set on a win, and not taking their losses without putting up a fight.

Matthew Mazer The Chronicle

The UOIT Ridgebacks women’s team and Durham College’s men’s team came out victorious at the annual Campus Cup exhibition match between Durham College and UOIT on Sept. 5 at Vaso’s Field.

The 2013 event was the second annual Campus Cup for the women’s teams and fifth annual for the men’s teams. Approximately 150 to 200 fans from both schools came out to the event.

“There was excitement in the air. The women’s teams played at 6 p.m. and the men’s teams played an hour later.

In the women’s game, UOIT came out on top 2-0.

Durham College won the inaugural game in 2012. ”Campus Cup is an event that does a lot to bring the schools closer together,” UOIT women’s soccer coach Peyvand Mossavat said.

“It’s good to win, come back from last year, but it was a fun game, mostly,” Ridge-

backs rookie goalkeeper Laura Whelan said.

Fellow rookie and midfielder Hannah Zorgel agreed.

“It feels really good. We’ve got a lot of heat from the coaches around campus and the men’s team last year was great for this.”

“If we had some more subs, we’d have fresh legs and make it a bit more of a competitive game, but we did the best we could with what we had,” fifth-year Lords veteran and goalkeeper Alicia Del Fuoco said.

“Every injury is kind of serious, but they’ll be back soon.”

“There are always injuries in a soccer game but none of them are considered to be really serious,” Lords defenceman Chelsey Rogatinsky said.

She had to go get some stitches.

The men’s game was a whole different story because both goals came about halfway through the game and the teams were evenly matched until the end of the game, which was then decided by

penalty kicks.

After the full 50 minutes of play, it was tied 1-1 and went into a shootout. In shootout play, teams take turns taking penalty kicks on one goal and whoever scores more out of five penalty kicks wins the game. It was back and forth until the shot from the fourth kicker for UOIT was blocked, giving Durham the win.

UOIT midfielder Ryan Goldsmith was frustrated after he saw the save by the goalkeeper, as shown when he kicked the garbage can down after he missed.

“Last year was the only time that UOIT has beaten us since we started this. It’s nice to get back on track and hopefully it’s a sign of good things to come for the college,” Lords coach Stan Bombino said.

“Since we did lose last year, it did sting a bit and taking it back, it feels pretty good,” two-year Lords veteran Ryan Kane said.

Bombino says Campus Cup is a great way to bring the schools closer together and boost school spirit.

Sports

The Chronicle

September 24, 2013

19

Ridgebacks feeling a bit rusty Matthew Jordan The Chronicle

Jaclyn Gibson scored three minutes into overtime to lead the women’s Ridgeback’s hockey team to a 1-0 exhibition win over the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) Ooks.

The Ridgebacks largely dominated the game, and from the drop of the puck it was clear the team had regained its form from the previous season.

The Ridgebacks skated hard at both ends of the ice, creating offensive chances with agility that kept NAIT on their heels, and easily controlled the puck in their own zone. The team maintained possession of the puck and complemented it with crisp outlet and in-zone passes, which led to a number of fantastic scoring chances throughout the game.

The team struggled to score on nine power play opportunities, including an extended five-on-three in the second period after NAIT were penalized with a four-minute major for checking to the head.

This was due in large part to the goaltending of NAIT’s Jill Diachuk The Ridgebacks penalty killers were tight in their own end, negating all four chances, and keeping the puck away from rookie goaltender Tori Campbell.

The Ridgebacks found themselves in a tough position late

Matthew Jordan

BATTLING FOR THE PUCK: Zoe Battie battles for the puck in the corner during a difficult exhibition game against the Whitby Junior Wolves. in the third period after defenceman Jenna Carter was penalized while forward Sarah Worthington was already off on a tripping call. Faced with nearly a minute of five-on-three hockey, Ridgebacks goaltender Campbell stonewalled the Ooks on a number of chances to send the game into overtime and preserve the shutout.

The ice opened up

in overtime, as the Ridgebacks started the period on a four-on-three power play.

Continuing their rush towards the Ooks net, the Ridgebacks finally solved goaltender Diachuk shortly after the teams returned to four-on-four.

Gibson skated the puck over the blue line, carrying the NAIT defenceman with her. Skating off the defenceman, Gibson

cut in towards the centre hash marks from the right circle and unleashed a wicked wrist shot that beat Diachuk high over the blocker, catching the top corner of the net.

The Ridgebacks came off a disappointing 5-0 loss in their first exhibition game of the year versus the Whitby Jr. Wolves. The team was largely out-skated by the Wolves, and

struggled to maintain puck possession as they played the majority of the game in their own end.

“I think just in all aspects of our game there is some rust,” said Ridgebacks head coach Karen Nystrom, after the loss to the Wolves.

“That’s what preseason is all about is to get rid of that rust and get that skill back, get your timing back, get your hockey I.Q. back, adjusting to game speed versus practice…that’s why we have the amount of games we do, to get prepared for the season.”

The 2013/2014 Ridgebacks are a veteran group, with the majority of players returning from last season.

A notable addition to the squad is freshman Makaeli Cavell, a talented centre who should help with point production for a team that had difficulty generating goals last year.

The team continues their exhibition games with a trip out east to compete in a tournament with teams from the Atlantic University league, opening their first game versus the university of P.E.I., and will begin the regular season Sept.

25 against Brock.

Speaking about the preseason games, coach Nystrom said: “Are they important? Absolutely, but do you measure the success of the upcoming season by it? No, it’s one game at a time, and they’re to get us ready for the season.”

Making a first impression Sinead Fegan Chronicle Staff

The new varsity women’s basketball coach never played on a college team, yet has had tremendous success as a coach.

Heather LaFontaine will lead the Durham Lords 20132014 season as a first-time college coach.

It wasn’t until she started teaching at Monsignor Paul Dwyer High School in Oshawa as a physical education teacher, that she coached her first team.

At around the same time, she joined a women’s team.

LaFontaine explained how at that point in her life she knew she was falling in love with the game.

“I started going to camps, clinics, and it was like anything else. The more you put the time in and invest in it, the more you begin to love it,” LaFontaine explained.

While contining coaching high school basketball, LaFontaine led her team to 14 Lake Ontario

Secondary School Athletic Association (LOSSA) championships and another 14 trips to the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Association (OFSAA) Provincial championships.

Throughout her career she also coached at a rep level for the Whitby Wildcats Basketball Club.

LaFontaine has also been very fortunate to be recognized for many personal awards.

Some of these included the Colin Hood Award for contributions to high school athletics in Ontario, the Pete Bleach Award for outstanding contribution to High School Athletics in Durham Region, the OFSAA Leadership award and a Basketball Ontario Volunteer Recognition Award.

“I’m a real believer of the team. We all win and lose together when people are recognized we recognize everyone,” said LaFontaine, explaining how she couldn’t have received these personal awards without her teams.

With the up coming season, LaFontaine is excited to get started with the team.

Photo Submitted

BIG SMILES: Women’s varsity basketball coach Heather LaFontaine is all smiles while posing for a picture after her announcement as the new coach.

As a strong believer in team dynamics on and off the court, she has many plans this season to get the girls out into the community.

One idea is a clinic day in November. This would see younger players coming to

the college to work with the girls then getting a chance to actually stay and watch the game.

Off of the court, LaFontaine is a guidance counselor at Father Leo J. Austin High School in Whitby.

The basketball tryouts are being held from September 16 to 19, 5 to 7 p.m. at the Campus Wellness Centre, gym number one.

“We’re very hopeful that we’re going to have a very successful year,” she said.

20

The Chronicle

September 24, 2013

Sports

Lady Lords come up short Missing players but high spirits Ryan Verrydt The Chronicle

The Lords women’s soccer team has had a strong start to the season, going 3-1 over their first four games despite missing several veteran players due to injuries.

Missing keeper Alicia Del Fuoco, defender Chelsey Rogatinsky and forward Megan Arsenault to injury, the Lords were defeated 6-0 in their home opener at Vaso’s Field.

Returning to the lineup for the Lords second game at Loyalist on Sept. 10, Rogatinsky scored two goals off free kicks in the second half to lead the team to victory.

Del Fuoco also returned to the net and backstopped the

Ryan Verrydt

WOMEN’S SOCCER: Chelsey Rogatinsky and a player from Centennial battle for possession of the soccer ball. team for her first win of the season.

The team didn’t have much time to rest as they took on the

Centennial Colts squad at Vaso’s Field on Sept. 12.

“The returning players are starting to come back from in-

jury, which is helping out a lot,” said assistant coach Kwame Wiafe-Annoh following the Lords convincing 4-1 win over the Colts.

Coach Staley was missing due to family reasons.

The Lords squad came out quick and Brittney Sero scored one of her two goals on a chip shot over the keeper in the 14th minute of action.

Jayme Gauthier added a goal and the Lords led 2-0 at the half.

The Lords continued to dominate in the second half with bursts of offence from Centennial.

The third Lords goal came on a long throw-in from the corner by Holina Millington.

The ball made it all the way into the box and rattled around before it was tapped in by Jade Kurham.

Centennial’s star player Nicole Campbell scored the lone Colts goal on a free kick into the top left corner in the 83rd minute.

Not to be outdone, Sero capped off the Lords’ win by

bending a corner kick directly into the top right corner of the net.

“It’s a short season, so for the quick games that are coming by, we’re adapting well,” said Wiafe-Annoh.

“We’ve only had our first full team this week, so in two games they’ve come a long way.”

The Lords extended their winning streak with a convincing 3-0 win over Fleming on Sept. 17.

Sero gave the Lords an early 1-0 lead when she scored her third of the season just 10 minutes in. The team took that lead into the half.

The Lords blew it open in the second half. Rogatinsky scored her third of the year and tied Sero for the team lead.

Rookie Vanessa Gudgin added a goal of her own to cap off the win.

The win puts the Lords in a tie for first place in the east division with St. Lawrence and Cambrian, although the Lords have played one more game than St. Lawrence. Durham played Cambrian Sept. 21.

Interim coach named for DC men’s volleyball Coach looking forward

Sean O’Leary The Chronicle

George Matsusaki has been named the interim head coach for the Durham College varsity men’s volleyball team.

With head coach Andrew Hinchey taking time off to train for the 2016 Olympics in Rio, the experienced Matsusaki was asked to take over the team.

Hinchey serve as an assistant coach but is focused on his training to compete for team Canada.

Matsusaki’s coaching résumé is quite impressive. He brings 10 years of experience

and knows what it takes to win.

He coached Region Four in the Ontario games for five years, winning three championships and a bronze medal. He has also coached Clarke High School to several OFSAA medal-winning performances.

The Lords had a successful year last year, but are looking to improve for the year ahead.

“I fully expect to contend for provincial championships this year,” said Matsusaki.

He is confident in the talent the team possesses, especially Riley McAllister and Bradley VanHartingsveldt, both Ontario College Athletic Association (OCAA) all-stars last year.

They were also recognized for their achievements nationally.

McAllister and VanHartingsveldt won the Canadian College Athletic Association (CCAA) Academic Award for having the highest GPA in their program as well as being all-star’s in

Sean O’Leary

NEW COACH: George Matsusaki is the new interim coach for the DC men’s volleyball team. their conference.

The Lords also added three players this off-season. Taylor Hunt, Nick Coleman and Matt McGirr approached the

team with aspirations of playing. Matsusaski says all three players have plenty of experience and will benefit the team greatly.

Although the roster has tremendous talent from top to bottom, the squad lost a key member when Craig Lush, a first team OCAA all-star, graduated this spring.

Matsusaki knows it will be tough to replace him on the court but is confident that with the players the team has added and with strong development of rookies, Lush’s void will be filled.

Provincial championships are a realistic goal this year and Matsusaki wants to ensure his players “stay focused, keep up with schooling and work hard on the court,” in order to be able to take the next step – win a championship. It will take mental discipline as well, according to Matsusaki.

He wants to win it all but knows the season cannot be looked at as a disappointment if they do not become champions.

Jim Nemish: Winningest coach in OCAA history Dan Cearns The Chronicle

Durham Lords women’s fastball head coach Jim Nemish added to his already impressive resume on Sept. 12, by earning his 400th win in a 5-3 victory over the Conestoga Condors.

His record of 401-103-2 makes him the winningest coach in OCAA history. Nemish, in his 25 years as Lords head coach, has also led the Lords

to 16 straight provincial medals and a conference record of 237-21.

Those may seem like personal achievements, but Nemish dedicates them to the women that he has coached.

“That’s the great thing, seeing the young ladies celebrate at the end of the year with a championship,” said Nemish.

“That’s what it is all about is for them to succeed.”

Nemish’s last milestone vic-

tory came in the OCAA gold medal game where he reached his 300th coaching win in a 2-0 victory over the Mohawk Mountaineers.

Coaching the Lords for 25 years, Nemish has seen plenty of talented players go through the system.

One of those players is the Lords most decorated player, Erin Smith, who was the player of the year during the 2004-05 season and also made it into

Sports Illustrated. Some of the other players he mentioned include the Dewey twins (Erica and Erin), who also made it into Sports Illustrated, and Jill Drinkwater who won backto-back gold medals with the team.

Despite there being a plethora of players to choose from, Nemish felt uneasy pointing out any one individual.

“To single out each and every one would be unfair be-

cause they all contributed in their own way to the success of this program,” he said.

Out of the many memories that Nemish has had coaching the Lords, one he singles out, is the time that the team had a four-year streak of 54 wins from the 2003-04 to 2005-06 season.

“We had a team there that was four years together. We were on an amazing run to set the 56-game win streak.”

Sports

The Chronicle

September 24, 2013

21

Softball team takes over Israel Dan Cearns The Chronicle

Success Matters. That is Durham College’s slogan, and no two women better exemplify that credo than Rosemary Theriault and Lydia Kalbfleisch.

This summer, the pair travelled to Israel to represent their country in softball at the 19th Maccabiah Games.

The women came home with a silver medal after beating out host country Israel, then losing the gold medal game to the United States 4-0.

Kalbfleisch’s defining moment came that day when she was forced to come in cold when the starting pitcher was injured.

Despite it being a monumental responsibility, in her mind she was calm and determined.

“It was just another game that I had to pitch,” she said.

Despite falling short in the final to the U.S, the two women have no regrets about the experience.

“Would we have loved a gold? Absolutely, but I could never have been more proud in my 38 years of coaching of a groups of players or a group of athletes than when I was with these ladies,” said Lord’s assistant coach Theriault.

Kalbfleisch remembers that game vividly.

“We played a lot sharper [in the gold medal game]. I sup-

About the Games The Maccabiah Games are an Olympic-like tournament that happens every four years and is open to all athletes with Jewish or Israeli background.

• The games are separated into Junior events, Masters and Open events • 1932 •

The first Maccabiah Games opened in Israel in Over 8,000 athletes participate in the games

• The games feature sports such as softball, baseball, basketball, archery, golf, and tennis • The last Maccabiah Games featured 600 athletes and coaches from Canada, the most the country has ever sent to compete in Israel pose there were a few calls that didn’t go our way, but that’s part of the game,” said Kalbfleisch.

According to Theriault, everyone there representing Canada was a good role model for their country.

“We were proud to be representing our country. We were proud to be representing our sport,” said Theriault.

Despite it being a short, eight game tournament, the team bonded quickly according to the two.

“I still keep in contact with some of them,” said Kalbfleish, who pitched and played second

base for Canada.

“I felt like we really meshed well together for such a short time.”

Theriault called the experience awesome.

“It was almost like they had played together for years,” she said.

The place that they stayed at in Televiv was a nice retreat.

“You’re on the Mediterranean. You walk out our hotel, the beach is there.

There were volleyball courts.

On the roof of the hotel, there was a pool.

You could go up there and watch the sun set over the Med-

Dan Cearns

CANADA REPRESENTED: Rosemary Theriault (left) and Lydia Kalbfleisch represented Canada at the 19th Maccabiah Games. iterranean,” describes Theriault.

Kalbfleisch admitted she spent the majority of her time off the field at the pool.

Theriault and Kalbfleisch have proved themselves on the world stage, and now have a new goal in mind: going for the Lords 17th title.

A strong start for the Lords

Ryan Verrydt The Chronicle

The school year has just started but already sports seasons are in full swing.

The Lords men’s soccer team started the season with a convincing 4-0 home opener win over St. Lawrence on Sept.

6 at Vaso’s Field.

Marco Trotta, an OCAA all-star last year, continued his success, scoring two of the Lords four second-half goals.

Kashiff DeJonge and Matthew Sutton also scored their first goals of the year.

The team then had a six-day break before taking on the Centennial Colts at Vaso’s Field on Sept. 12.

The pace after the opening kickoff was torrid. The Colts scored on a cross into the box that was headed past keeper Zaid Halabi by Shaquille Agard in the first minute of play.

The Colts added their second goal when Stefan Korica pounded the ball between the keeper and the near post from 10 feet away.

The second half saw the

Ryan Verrydt

UP AND OVER: Centennial Colts player jumping over a Durham Lords player.

The Colts were up, but the Lords came back in the second half, but failed to complete the comeback.

Lords really push forward.

They finally managed to break through the Centennial defence when Trotta notched his third of the season with about 20 minutes to play, hammering

home the ball after a deflection.

The Lords couldn’t complete the comeback, though, as they missed multiple scoring chances off free kicks.

“The difference tonight, I

thought, was they were able to capitalize on their two chances and we had at least eight chances that we did not capitalize on, and you need to finish,” said head coach Stan Bombino.

The game also featured some hard tackles and questionable officiating.

Centennial was handed three yellow cards to go along with the four yellows and a red card they received in their previous game against George Brown.

“You have to keep yourself in check because you’ve got 18-20 guys on the bench, so you have to stay positive as much as possible,” said Bombino The Lords rebounded after the tough loss with a 1-0 win against the Fleming Knights on Sept. 17.

While the Lords couldn’t capitalize on chances in their game against Centennial, they took advantage of one around the 70 minute mark.

Karter Donnelly sent a ball into the box off a free kick and rookie Richie Khasow put it into the net to earn his first goal of the season and his career.

The Lords were scheduled to take on Cambrian Sept. 21 before a six-day break.

Their next home game is scheduled for Sept. 27 at Vaso’s Field when they take on Algonquin.

22

The Chronicle

September 24, 2013

Sports

Sputtering start for Lords women’s fastball team

Durham gets the season going with an uneven 2-3 record; Nemish wins 400th game as coach Dan Cearns The Chronicle

Dan Cearns

SWEET CHIN MUSIC: Lords player Brittany Bender ducks out of the way of a pitch at the women’s fastball home opener at Durham Field.

The Durham Lords women’s fastball team’s rocky season continued on Sept. 18 as they split a doubleheader with the Conestoga Condors at Conestoga’s Rozemburg Park. They lost the first game 6-0, but won the second by a 15-2 blowout.

The Lords lost their first doubleheader of the season 7-0 and 12-2 against St. Clair College on Sept. 14 at Durham Fields.

The team picked up its first win of the season on Sept. 12 in a 5-3 victory over the Condors at Durham Fields.

But that wasn’t the only accomplishment that night. Lords head coach Jim Nemish picked up his 400th career win, which is the most in OCAA history.

“It feels good, you know,” said Nemish. “It’s a combination of a lot of years here, and a lot of good players coming through the program, and it’s all their efforts and the coaching staff’s efforts, and the girls for their efforts to play the

game.”

Nemish has now compiled an overall record of 401-103-2 and a conference record of 23721.

The Lords came out to a 3-0 lead in the third, thanks to a bases-clearing double by Brittany Bender that brought in Lydia Kalbfleisch, Ashley Black, and Kayla Worotniak.

Bender padded that lead in the fourth, coming home on a single by Danielle Crosby, making it 4-0.

Conestoga started to chip away at the lead in the fifth, as Condors outfielder Mackenzie Ainlay scored on a well-hit ball to far left field.

Lords pitcher Lydia Kalbfleisch was pulled in the sixth after allowing a triple to centre field by Condors shortstop Tori Taylor. Danielle Crosby was brought in to replace her on the mound.

Kalbfleisch finished the night, allowing two runs over five innings on four hits and striking out four batters.

After that, the lead seemed to almost disappear, as Lauren

Ruf of Conestoga singled, scoring Tori Taylor and making it 4-2. Then Alexandra Dunbar crushed a nice pitch to the outfield, scoring Ruf and making it 4-3.

After that lead the lead disappeared.

Despite the comeback effort, Nemish was still confident in his decision to put in Crosby.

“I think Danielle came in and gave us some quality pitching,” said Nemish.

“They just took advantage of some good balls.”

The Lords regained their two-run lead in the bottom half of the sixth, as Bethany Shepperdson doubled and later scored, making it 5-3.

Condors catcher Hilary Heighton gave the Lords a scare in the seventh with a triple with two outs. But Crosby made up for it, retiring the next batter and sealing the win.

Crosby earned the save, allowing just one earned run on three hits over two innings.

The Lords are now 2-3 this season and are tied with Seneca for fourth in the standings.

The process of becoming varsity Francis Viloria

Chronicle Staff

Men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s hockey, tennis, rowing - just a few of the wide variety of sports that UOIT and Durham College have to offer. These sports may be different, but they all have to start from square one: tryouts.

Tryouts are not as easy as you think; there is a whole process before an athlete can play at the varsity level.

According to 2013-2014 eligibility guidelines, in order to participate in any game involving OCAA or CCAA schools in sports, all players must be fulltime students and meet the OCAA eligibility requirements.

Athletic co-ordinator Karen Richards said that if a student’s schedule is busy throughout two years of a three-year program, the student can try out for a sport in the third year.

There is also no age limit.

A student who transfers from another school can also try out, but it’s more complicated. Richards said the student still needs to register online but has to sign a release form to play on the team and needs to make the academic require-

ments.

For a student who transfers twice or more, the student is required to sit out one year from their last league/playoff game to play in the next season.

Registration is one thing, but the athlete has to be physically able to play. “They have to get a physical done by their family physician or a physician at the Health Centre, as well as a waiver, a consent-to-treatment waiver so we are able to cover liability wise that we’ve made our due diligence that these athletes are healthy and are physically capable of playing sports at a physical level,” said Athletic Therapist Alison Chasczewski The athletes have to go through a mandatory physical.

Chasczewski said they have to meet the physical requirements of the sport. If someone has a pre-existing injury, it doesn’t matter if it’s a practice or a tryout. Their health is at risk, so that is when a physical is crucial.

An injured athlete can still try out, but has to be cleared to play by a family physician because he or she knows the history of the patient, said Chasczewski.

Matthew Mazer

WATCH THE BALL: The men’s Ridgeback soccer season started with a win against the Waterloo Warriors on their home field.

UOIT soccer team starts with a win play got sloppy and this allowed Matthew Mazer Waterloo to score.

The Chronicle The players agreed that the star of the game was goalkeeper The UOIT Ridgebacks men’s Travis Martin. “The game was soccer team played their first a good stepping stone for the home game of the season, on guys,” Martin said. “We’ve been Sept. 13, winning 2-1 over the in a slump for a bit and getting Waterloo Warriors after 93 the win. It was a hard fought minutes of play. win. I think it helped us a lot.”

Midfielder Declan Weir “We could be more orgascored an early goal for the nized, we’re a young group of Ridgebacks in the fourth min- guys and we’re still learning ute. The second goal for the about each other but I feel that Ridgebacks came from John we have a lot of potential going McMichael in the 29th minute. into the future.”

The Ridgebacks played a great “We played pretty good the first half. Near the middle-end first half, kept the pressure on of the second half is when their them,” John McMichael, the

second goal scorer said. “Second half, we laid off for a bit and conceded a late penalty and rallied towards the end.”

“I would improve our play in the second half. We kind of got sloppy. We weren’t playing our game which is ball on the ground and move it.”

“We played first half good and second half bad,” men’s coach Vaso Vujanovic said. As for what he would like to see improvements on for the next game, he said. “We just need to get the ball on the ground.”

UOIT played against Laurier on Sept. 21 for Homecoming weekend.

The Chronicle

Entertainment

September 24, 2013

23

Creativity dazzles at E.P. Taylor’s Tim Morrell The Chronicle

Creativity was apparent at first glance. People went out of their way to use the most obscure items, from straws and duct tape to tinfoil, to conjure up a costume for no trophy or petty award, but for the invisible crown of envy. The crowd may have been sparse, but they were filled with sheer excitement to enter E.P. Taylor’s for Campus Fest’s wackiest event, Anything But Clothes.

However, since this event was not as well-received as the other Campus Fest events this year, campus security started to let anyone in regardless of attire. This didn’t go over well for a select few.

“One thing that bothered me and my girls is, they let people in wearing normal clothes. To me, that ruined it because it went against the purpose of the ABC party,” said Sharla Riddell, in Digital Photography at Durham College.

Whether it was the advertised message that wasn’t clear or some didn’t find wearing something so ridiculous in public a viable option, those individuals

Tim Morrell

DANCING: Four girls dressed in anything but clothes, Sharla Riddell, Jessica Mason, Kristie Robbie and November Chernick. definitely looked out of place.

Regardless of those not participating at the event, a few at-

tendees thought the event was decent at best.

“I thought the event was

okay, but not as exciting as it could have been. That may have been because of the slow

start. Although, I did find some of the costumes hilarious,” said Riddell.

One student felt she could improve the lacklustre nature of the event with a few ideas the Student Association may not have considered in the first place.

“I would have changed the date of the event,” said November Chernick, in Communications at UOIT. “I found events during the first week had a lot more attendees. I would also make it all-ages. Even though being barricaded to a certain area to drink can be annoying, having the event all-ages would have filled the bar with more bodies,” she chuckled.

This party has been a part of Campus Fest for four years, and Peter Chinweuba, president of the Student Association, said he’s open to the idea to add a best-dressed award to encourage a greater following in the future.

“We are always trying to promote events to the best of our ability to ensure that are events are well attended and people are having fun. However, we have yet to consider the possibility for awards for that event but it is a great suggestion.”

How to turn from loser to lover Stories, advice, laughter and attraction floated around E.P. Taylor’s Aleksandra Sharova The Chronicle

There she was, beautiful and graceful, walking down the stairs in slow motion.

Bum-bum-bum.

His heart was going to jump out of his chest. That moment, he decided he no longer would be the shy and nervous person he used to be throughout his high school years.

“Why am I afraid? I’m going to ask her out,” thoughts were spinning in his head.

The last sound in ‘hello’ turned into ‘oh’ as he tripped on the top step and fell from a giant flight of stairs.

But that wasn’t the worst part.

Since he has been diagnosed with diabetes when he was eight years old, his mother usually packed pink ‘Juicy Juice’ boxes for school. That unfortunate day one was in his pocket, and it exploded in his pants as he hit the wall.

Everybody burst out laughing, probably thinking he had fallen and wet his pants.

This ill-fated boy’s name is Ryan Clauson, and now he is a professional dating coach and a stand-up comedian who gave attraction tips to students Monday Sept. 9.

Clauson’s mantra “Attraction is a skill,” mixed with humour and satire, proved to be a perfect combination for success. In 2010 he was awarded Fastest Rising Star by Campus Activities Magazine. Clauson performs more than 100 shows per year in both the United States and Canada. He also teaches men and women the secrets of finding love based on his book The Nine Rules of Attraction.

“Have you ever been in a situation when you saw someone, and you were like ‘Wow, who is that person?’ and you wanted to go approach, but either because you got nervous or you didn’t know what to do – you missed an opportunity. That’s why I do

what I do. I want people to stop missing opportunities,” he said.

‘Mr. Attraction’ opened his show with ice-breaking highfive-as-many-people-as-youcan-in-20-seconds exercise. He then focused on talking about certain rules of attraction, such as mimicking and connecting, mental attraction and body language, spicing it up with ludicrous examples of his awkward dates.

Clauson finished the show with homage to his grandmother, who tripped his grandfather to get his attention. “In a very small way I’m here because my grandmother took action,” Clauson said.

Daniel Fulda, who was waiting to pose his question to Clauson after the event, said, “It was really intelligent comedy, I would say. Fun, but also informative at the same time.

There is a lot you can learn from him. He kept it light and funny.” Fulda learned about the show by word of mouth.

And the word was attraction.

Aleksandra Sharova

COMEDY: Ryan Clauson, a dating coach and stand-up comedian, at E.P. Taylor’s Sept. 9 during his Mr. Attraction show

24

The Chronicle

Entertainment

September 24, 2013

A hypnotic performance Katrina Owens

Jesmarnin Lafuente

The Chronicle

Tony Lee, an annual performer at E.P.’s, had students in stitches by the end of his unconventional hypnotist act.

“I’ve never left this place sober,” said Lee right before he slammed down five tequila shots in a row. By this time the students who had fallen victim to Lee’s soothing, hypnotic voice were sitting on stage.

After wetting his mouth Lee returned to the stage, and the games began.

Despite E.P.’s being at full capacity, sweat beads turned into icicles. Students on stage experienced both ends of the temperature spectrum, leaving them hugging one another for warmth. Lee had them thinking they were in sub-zero weather.

Once students got over weather shock they ventured back to a time when things were less stressful – elementary school. Lee, not being as sweet as the usual grade 3 teacher, received a series of sour facial expressions from the “third graders.”

Lee brought students back to the present and things started to get risqué on stage. He left nothing to the imagination when the hypnotized students “thought” they were seeing him in his birthday suit. The lads looked away while the women on staged had a look of disbelief on their faces.

After hearing a range of comments about his attire (or lack

Riot at E.P.’s The Chronicle

Katrina Owens

TONY LEE, X-RATED HYPNOTIST: Lee had students under the control of his hypnosis as he performed his annual act at E.P. Taylor’s on Sept. 11. of) Lee took the show to an new level. Unbeknownst to them, the hypnotized men strutted their stuff on stage under the illusion they were female models posing for a magazine photo

shoot. At this point in the evening the crowd was in hysterics, waiting to see what comfort zone Lee would push the students out of next.

Students on stage were even-

tually let go from Lee’s hypnotic hold and walked shamefully back to their tables. By 10 p.m.

E.P’s was engulfed in laughter and disbelief about what happened.

James Wan’s ‘The Conjuring’ brings originality back to horror Sarah Samuel The Chronicle

The bloody, merciless graphics of today’s horror movies pull you right in, but every now and then a movie comes out that is clean in its run yet beckons the audience to watch it because it is based on real life events.

The Conjuring, directed and written by James Wan, producer of Saw and Insidious, introduces us to yet another spinechilling story. Not as meat grinding as Saw, The Conjuring packs a punch with its seemingly fewer to no digital effects, which give the movie its closer to reality look.

The story is based on the real life events of Ed and Lorraine Warren, two real-life paranormal investigators played by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga. In the film the dynamic duo investigates a haunting at Roger and Carolyn Perron’s home, played

by Ron Livingston and Lili Taylor.

The Warrens are the same couple that are also the real life inspiration behind the storyline of the movies, The Haunting in Connecticut and The Amityville Horror.

The Conjuring is set in 1971 and starts to

unfold as the chilled out, family of religious skeptics move into a rather grim looking farmhouse in Rhode Island with their five daughters and their pet dog who refuses to enter the house as it senses the Perrons are not welcome.

All goes well in the daytime but things go bumping in the night more than they should at the Perrons; wall clocks strangely stop at the witching hour (3:07a.m.), inexplicable knocking echoes down stairs, one of the Perrons daughter starts sleepwalking again. One morning, Carolyn wakes up to bruises and finds out that Sadie, their dog, has died mysteriously. Things worsen as the Perrons try to make this house their home.

Carolyn eventually contacts demonologists Ed Warren and his clairvoyant wife, begging them to investigate. The Warrens arrive and shortly realize that a demonic female spirit possesses the house. She preys on the living, yearning to possess a vulnerable young female’s body. They also find out the female spirit haunting the Perron’s house was a witch who was burned in the Salem Witch Hunt in 1692-1693 for sacrificing her children to Satan and she is back now to do it again.

James Wan has given The Conjuring the face of an old-school horror movie where shadows and noises scared people more than a boogey man with a weapon. Abandoning blood and guts and instead filling the screen with mood and tension of a real life exorcism works out very well in Wan’s favour.

The interesting thing about The Conjuring is that it doesn’t matter whether the viewers believe in ghosts or not, the things that happen at the Perrons’ are scary because Wan has beautifully built up so much tension with the script and the film’s score that it can scare anyone.

The frights and chills come in the second half of the film, but the first half wisely builds up the characters and by the time the audience sees the struggling family, they have established an onscreen relationship with the characters that makes the audience get on Perrons’ side and root for them to come alive out from this life threatening struggle.

Thus, with the credits rolling, the viewers are left wanting more and realizing that, the haunted house tales are back in action. (That’s what I thought while sinking into my theater seat.)

Durham College students were treated to laughter and raunchiness during Comedy Night at E.P. Taylor’s, one of many events that took place throughout the college’s orientation week.

Hosted by the Student Association of Durham College and UOIT, Comedy Night brings students together for a night of humour, laugh-out-loud debauchery and even an intimate, absurd glimpse into the comics’ lives. This year, Nick Reynoldson, Barry Taylor and K. Trevor Wilson of the Comedy Records Collective graced the stage with their antics and wit.

After packing into a full house at the pub, the event began with Taylor breaking the ice with some quirks about his home city of Hamilton. The founder of Comedy Records, Taylor has gathered some of the finest comedians in the Toronto region to perform stand-up. Following jokes regarding an ex-girlfriend with an unexpected male appendage, he passed the microphone to Reynoldson.

“Guys… I know I look like Santa left behind or some shit,” opened Reynoldson. “This is what happens when you mix a white guy with a brown girl.”

Despite his small stature, Reynoldson’s act showed he had more bite to him with an eccentric act and over-the-top delivery. Although he didn’t finish the Comedy: Writing and Performance program at Humber, he continued with his passion and is growing in popularity within the Canadian comedy scene. Reynoldson left the crowd at E.P.’s roaring with laughter and handed the stage over to the night’s headliner, Wilson.

Known as the Man Mountain of Comedy, Wilson has been in the entertainment business for over 15 years and has won awards for his performances. Winner of the Just For Laughs Homegrown Comic Competition, Wilson kept students rolling in their seats laughing and taking shots at himself about his lumberjackesque appearance. Wilson’s simple and monotone delivery made an unforgettable performance.

Entertainment

The Chronicle

September 24, 2013

25

Sobering up from the post-con hangover Andrew Fliegel The Chronicle

What’s better than 100,000 sweaty nerds geeking out on over 750,000 square feet?

“Nothing at all,” says James Armstrong, the event and programming co-ordinator for Fan Expo Canada.

August 25 marked the last day of Canada’s largest annual comic book convention leaving a void for fans to fill.

Fan Expo Canada takes place in the heart of downtown at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

The convention brings all kinds of people from all over the country into a single space where they can gush over six different genres. There are comics, sci-fi, video games, horror, anime and sports.

It’s nearly one month since the end of the event and we are dealing with the post-con hangover, as Fan Expo celebrity, Nathan Fillion, likes to call it.

How exactly do we get out of the blues and quench our thirst for next expo?

“Our shop, Comic Book Addiction, and other comic book shops are always having small events going on,” says sales associate, Victoria Miguel, who attended this year’s Fan Expo.

Comic Book Addiction, located in Whitby, has events like

Andrew Fliegel

PEW PEW: Two Fan Expo Canada 2013 attendees cosplaying as Deadpool (Left) and My Little Pony-Pool. free comic book day. The shop invites anyone to stop by, pick up a couple of free comic books and mingle with fellow fans.

Pokémon League Monday gives Pokémon fans a chance to

nerd out with fellow trainers. It may not be anything like meeting Pokémon star Veronica Taylor at Fan Expo, but it is a great opportunity to meet new people and chat up ideas for

Insidious Chapter 2 review

An intriguing sequel with a cheesy tone not afraid to explore its mythology Tim Morrell The Chronicle

James Wan has achieved a triumph so monumental you might think this guy woke up one day plotting to take over Hollywood. Coming off the smash hit The Conjuring earlier in the summer, Wan was poised to produce another horror hit in the same year with Insidious Chapter 2. And boy, did he ever deliver the goods.

The movie doesn’t waste any time bringing viewers back to where the first film left off. Josh Lambert ventured through ‘the Further’ a hidden realm to retrieve his son, Dalton, and brought some malevolent spirit back from his past and now he doesn’t seem himself anymore. Despite moving yet again, the hauntings still occur. So the problem leads you to believe it’s not where they live, but the occupant that lives there.

Where the first film was fixated on the Lambert family’s struggle as a whole, the sequel

branches out and follows two core groups throughout to keep viewers engaged in the mystery element. This movie delves into the past where Josh first encountered the evil that lingers within him, which lends more to the mythology aspect. Now the evil spirit is fighting for something he may take for granted, life.

Patrick Wilson as Josh Lambert, absolutely conveys a believable father figure just wanting the best for his family while losing a grip on reality and falling further into seclusion. He is easily the star in this feature. While Rose Byrne is also superb, her role as Renai Lambert is greatly decreased.

However, Barbara Hershey as Lorraine Lambert plays a more significant role in this film. After noticing a few abnormal traits in her son Josh, and experiencing a few night terrors herself, Lorraine seeks help like any rational person would and brings paranormal investigator Carl into the mix along with the returning ghost hunters, Tucker and Specs to unravel the secrets

to Josh’s past and reconnect with a fallen ally. Their antics are better received because of the sequel has a more loony tone than its predecessor.

As a result, Insidious Chapter 2 isn’t overwhelmingly scary but is more intriguing.

The film doesn’t bother building tension or creating atmosphere like the first, but relies more on jump scares and bloodcurdling dialogue. Following the spectral paper trail also makes for a more compelling tale than what most audiences will anticipate. The spirits’ personalities this time around are greatly exaggerated, more lifelike if you will, whereas before they seemed more on rails and stuck to a two framed bone-chilling reaction.

In a genre that has been on life support for decades, Insidious Chapter 2 will quench moviegoers thirst for a well-done scary flick but just falls short of horror film of the year to James Wan’s first outing, The Conjuring.

Insidious Chapter 2 gets an 8 out of 10.

next year.

Even if comic books or video games aren’t a personal preference, there are Magic the Gathering card game tournaments happening at comic shops all over Whitby and Oshawa. “This gives you the opportunity to meet and compete against people who share the same passion as you, sort of like Fan Expo,” says Miguel.

“It would also be a great idea to get your nerd knowledge up to code before the next big event.”

Since Fan Expo plays host to hundreds of different fandoms, there is a lot to brush up on.

Something as small as an indie TV show that airs only on YouTube could become huge within the next couple of years. Now is the perfect time to become a pro on it.

“Some shows stay around for one season and others go on for a couple, so it’s hard to measure how big they will become,” says Fan Expo’s Armstrong. “One cast we’ve had for three years now is Lost Girl.

When we first had them, the show hadn’t really aired yet, so no one really cared. Then they had the first season, which had a couple of episodes. Now this year, with three seasons in, we

are filling up a theatre of 1,400 seats. It’s crazy.”

Armstrong says during the year it would be a good idea to broaden horizons in different genres. “You could very well be a expert by the time Fan Expo hits,” he says.

Instead of being a sci-fi know-it-all only, maybe explore something like anime.

It can lead to friendships with people you wouldn’t normally approach, like the popular Japanese fashion cult, Lolita.

“Now you have to be careful with the Lolita people, Lolita is not cosplay. It’s a fashion movement from Japan. They wear this stuff everyday in public. It’s their style,” shares Armstrong. “Knowing something as small as this can get you in with the crowd.”

Although attendees are still in the dark about what’s planned for next year’s Fan Expo, they can start preparing now.

“We are well aware of next year’s 20th anniversary and we’re looking into big activities and stuff, but everything is in the planning stage right now,” says Armstrong.

Don’t worry nerds. There are only 338 days left until Fan Expo Canada 2014.

Despicable Me 2’s villains get some love Kate Hussey

The Chronicle

He has come a long way since his days of plotting to steal the moon from the sky, but sometimes going after the love of a woman is just as thrilling. After a three-year wait, Despicable Me finally returned to theatres with its comical animated sequel. The likable villain Gru, voice of Steve Carell, takes a break from his full-time job as a father and begins an anti-villain career.

His quest is to find out who stole a powerful mutagen product from a lab. Gru becomes side-tracked by a beautiful woman named Lucy, who happens to have the same rare occupation as him and is hired to help him solve the crime.

While he finds himself falling for Lucy, he cringes at the idea of his young daughter crushing on the stereotypical bad boy who has been hanging around.

Lucy’s character, voiced by Kristen Wiig, is annoying. She tries too hard to be tough at her job and she talks too much, but this is crucial to her character to make her seem unique. The voice cast–Carell, Wiig, and Russell Brand as Dr. Nefario– bring life and humour to the characters and make them believable. They all have strong personalities and the voices are well matched to the characters,

which allows the audience to forget the actor behind the cartoon.

Gru spends time reflecting on the days when he faced rejection by women, which led to some of his bitterness and insecurity. He doubts himself throughout most of the movie, but his insecurity makes his character more likeable to the viewer. It’s important that he is portrayed as the good guy in this movie because he left his villain role behind in the last one.

This sequel is much stronger in plot than the first movie, and keeps the viewer on their toes throughout most of it.

The music suited to the movie, dramatic when it needed to be, and silly when it could be.

At the end, the yellow minions who hang around Gru sang the song ‘I Swear,’ originally sung

by John Michael Montgomery.

The goofy song outbreak followed the typical cookie cutter pattern used in many animated movies. It lacked originality but made up for it with humour.

Despicable Me 2 is a movie the whole family can enjoy, with obvious jokes for children and hidden adult references which are slightly inappropriate. It was first released to theatre in Australia at the end of June, and now in September it’s still going strong because it is a crowd favourite.

26

The Chronicle

Entertainment

September 24, 2013

Bowmanville artist releases DJ adds vinyl country blues album album to his resume Get Bent Joshua Santos

Records gets Matt James

The Chronicle

Will McGuirk The Chronicle

While former Durham College student and employee Matthew James works in new media, he plays in the old.

The Bowmanville resident has just released his debut recording of traditional country blues on vinyl. Titled Worried Blue, the 11-track album is available on local label Get Bent Records.

“I was a student in the Multimedia Design program,” says James. “It was a three year advanced diploma that focuses on graphic design, film, audio and a few business classes.”

“I decided to put much focus on the web development aspect of the program, which ultimately got me a job under the research department in January 2013, my final semester of the program. I worked three different contracts for Durham College until August 2013.”

But when he is not up to his eyes in bits and bytes he is up to ears in chords and notes.

James cites early gospel and folk blues pioneer Son House as an influence, and the album features four covers of traditional blues songs: I

Will McGuirk

JAMES IS WORRIED BLUE: Bowmanville musician Matt James, pictured here with his debut vinyl record filled with country blues. The 11 tracks on the album are with local label Get Bent Records.

Wish I Was In Heaven, Delia, God Moves On The Water and The Prodigal Son. “It’s the stories that those songs are telling that stand out for me, that made me want to sing them,” he says.

“Sound, for me, evokes emotion and it is the emotion that is evoked from the slide guitar that does it for me,” says James.

To round out that sound, James enlists helps from Chris Jackson (guesting on percussion) and Sean Simpson (who performs regularly

with James) on washboard and harmonica.

The record was produced by the Bent Brothers (aka Durham College instructor Abel Renton). He chose to record the album in a traditional manner.

“All the tracks were live off the floor, with just five mikes, really raw, best way to do it,” says James.

No fancy auto tuning for James or digital trickery. He wants the real deal, the way his music heroes played it and released it – live and on wax.

Shirley’s Dirty Bingo is just as dirty as her foul language Steph Morrison The Chronicle

Shirley’s Dirty Bingo is for MATURE audiences only. Adult language and sexual references will be made. Some individuals attending SDB may feel uncomfortable. If you are one of these individuals please don’t call your mommy to come and get you.

GO TO THE NEAREST EXIT NOW! That was the unadulterated warning written on a flyer scattered across the tables at E.P. Taylor’s. Once all the contestants had their cards and crayons Shirley repeated her warning on the flyer. “Exits are there, there and there. GET THE F--- OUT! Welcome to Dirty Bingo!”

After a round of wild applause, the game began. The first objective was to get one outside line, and the room silenced so they can hear Shirley call out the numbers like “G-54, your mother’s a -----”

Students also interacted with the number callings, particularly whenever Shirley called a number with “I.” In one instance she called I-12, and a player immediately jumped in laughing, “I’m always 12!”

As the game went on, the hysteria increased as Shirley gave a player a Shirley’s home pregnancy test.

“There’s a 69 per cent chance your child will be born without a whipper!” Shirley announced. She then asked the crowd who needed an I and threw “I” balls at the hundreds of hands that stretched and waved in the air. Immediately after Shirley called out I-20 then I-30.

“Who needs an I now? Half the f-ing room!” A few minutes passed and three people all called out “Bingo” at once. Shirley waited for a moment and said she’s not psychic and they need to bring up their cards. A tiebreaker was held and the winner walked away with a costume whip.

Other prizes included: love cuffs (which was a couple’s prize), con-

doms and novelty sex toys.

By the third round Shirley called out her favourite number O-69 (three guesses why) and the room erupted in loud cheers and applause.

The contestants were filled with long pauses as Shirley took her dear old time announcing the numbers and someone called out Bingo! The player walked up, showed Shirley her card and figured out she had a false Bingo.

“Bridget f-ed up! Take the walk of shame back to your seat!” Shirley shouted while fellow players began chanting “YOU F-ED UP! YOU F-ED!” as Bridget walked back to her chair.

As the first half of the night concluded Shirley invited the players to check out the back table, where pamphlets and free condoms were given out, and told them to raise a glass, or a crayon if they weren’t drinking, for a toast: “Here’s to you, here’s to me, here’s to those who disagree. F--YOU! This one’s for me!”

Known for his magical melodies that take your mind on a timeless journey through a field of emotions, the current #32 DJ on the 2012 DJ Mag Top 100 Poll recently released his sophomore album, following a successful debut with Armada Music in 2011.

While his first album, In My Opinion featured a beautiful blend of classic trance sounds with progressive house beats, Orjan Nilsen finally released a great selection of various styles, while still remaining true to his traditional musical roots. No Saint Out of Me is the follow up to his first album.

For his second record, the Norwegian studio wizard made quite a few significant yet notable changes. The feel of the album is unlike his first, as it embraces a progressive house vibe.

It is still great, especially to newcomers to the scene who indulge in club bangers and dance floor hits, however for those long-time trance fans and lovers of 138 b.p.m., this album may be appear to be generic or mediocre at best. Tracks that may seem unappealing to enthusiasts include This Traktor and Knobtwister, however Nilsen returns to what made him today, striking you with an exhilarating lightning bolt-like energy with electro trance hits such as Violetta and XIING. Along with a list of instrumentals, the album features a wide variety of collaborators such as Jonathan Mendelsohn, Christina Novelli and Adam Young of Owl City. Mendelsohn, the emotive vocalist who worked with fellow record-label-mate Dash Berlin, provides a powerful articulated surge in his collaboration on Apart.

What stands out from Apart, along from being a vocal anthem, is the nostalgic guitar synth throughout the track, which makes the avid listener reminisce about the days of hits such as La Guitarra and Le Tour De Trance on his debut album.

While songs such as Knobtwister and Smile Honey aren’t his best work, Nilsen shows that he can take a track that may seem cheesy and tacky to another producer and in a sense reinvent it, creating an enjoyable headturner. Fusing trance, house, techno and even pop, this album, while arguably mainstream, shows his growth in becoming extremely versatile.

In this album, Nilsen demonstrates that he can experiment outside of his own style, exploring new techniques while showcasing his strong knowledge of dance music.He shows in his progression that he can produce creativity while at the same time bringing in a cascade of liveliness and funky tempos. Long time trance fans may not like something new, however for those open-minded individuals, Nilsen shows elements of his debut, while at the same time advancing beyond to what he’s known for.

With the approval of the #1 DJ in the world, Armin Van Buuren, and support of worldwide fans, Nilsen’s meteoric success is nowhere near a halt as he continues to become a favourite among the electronic dance music scene.

His ear blasting productions, infectious bass drops, energetic live sets, along with expanding his musical range, solidify him as one of the most diverse and unique DJs in the industry.

Entertainment

The Chronicle

September 24, 2013

27

Edgar Wright’s The World’s End Determination, alcohol and humour: A movie all students can relate to Christopher Willis The Chronicle

The Golden Mile: 12 pints in 12 pubs in one night, a pubcrawl for the ages.

This is what five reunited childhood friends try to tackle again as adults in the sci-fi comedy The World’s End, directed

by Edgar Wright and written by Wright and Simon Pegg.

The movie is set in Newton Haven, a fictional city in England, where the task at hand awaits and also where the characters grew up.

However one of them, Gary King, played by Pegg, doesn’t exactly move on from his teenage state. King and his four friends attempted the Golden Mile in their youth and couldn’t make it to the last pub on the map, The World’s End. It’s something that King is determined to do again, even though the others aren’t really interested, nor do they have any real respect left for him.

With some manipulation and lying, King gets what he wants - the boys back together for a night of boozing. But things start to get strange.

Their home town is now full of what appear to be humans but are actually robots.

The robots have taken the DNA of the entire population of Newton Haven, and attempt to do the same to the five men.

Once they learn about the robots, the group continues with their wild night of drinking to try to appear normal and unsuspecting so they don’t draw attention.

Throughout the film, brawls break out between the men and robots in various pubs around town, all while King still tries to drink every pint in every pub.

The storyline becomes quite complex as to why robots are taking over but still remains entertaining and has an intelligent premise.

The movie, although a comedy, carries many social under-

SCREENSHOT OF THE WORLD’S END: The main characters enjoying a drink at one of the 12 pubs. tones throughout.

There is conformity, which is what the robots are trying to accomplish by being like everybody else, living a life where nothing changes, and doing what everyone does.

It gives an interesting perspective on how we are with technology and how it has grown but made us a society of conformists as well.

In the film we see what’s important to the characters, and to King it’s The Golden Mile.

The reason he wanted to do the 12 pubs was because he was reliving the moment of his past that to him was the best in his life. He thought his life would get better, but it didn’t.

King blames that on not finishing The Golden Mile and is convinced things won’t

improve until he does. An alcoholic who constantly lives in the past, he wants what his friends have, but they aren’t really happy either, although it appears that way. With clever writing, funny moments and action-packed scenes, The Golden Mile makes one think and reflect. It also gives its own perspective on the end of the world if it were to happen.

Madchild raps across Canada

Riyad Alli

Chronicle Staff

Swollen Members rapper Madchild has made an impressive comeback in the Hip Hop world over the past four years.

After battling a drug addiction that cost him his career and almost his life, the Vancouverbased artist is back with his second solo album Lawn Mower Man, which dropped on Aug. 6.

Madchild, along with his roster of openers including Slaine of La Coka Nostra, Adlib, Brothers Grimm and Wildcard, are touring the country together and stopped in Ajax for a soldout show on Sept. 9, inside Sgt. Peppers Bar and Grill.

The venue was filled with artists, tour staff, waitresses, and most importantly his eager fans, who were anticipating the energetic live performance Madchild is known for.

After releasing his solo album in 2012 which debuted at number seven on the Canadian Billboard Top 200 charts, the Vancouver native continues releasing new material and has been touring non-stop.

The event was sponsored by local Durham group Sentral Soldiers Entertainment and was promoted by Danny Boy, who manages the Sgt. Peppers. He is a major contributing factor in the local music scene when it comes to bringing multi-platinum artists to the Durham area and creating performance opportunities for aspiring local artists.

“Opening for multi-platinum artists can benefit a local artist in many ways,” Danny Boy explains. “For example, other promoters see that you are on those kind of shows.

They then feel there must be a reason other promoters are putting them on, that can lead to more shows. Also, You never know who is in the building watching! For some all it takes is one big name person to grab hold of you then ‘Pow’ all of a sudden you’re on tour with a big name artist, or in the studio with a huge producer.”

The tour is set to finish in the United States, where Madchild of Swollen Members and his arsenal of opening acts will be playing across the country.

28

The Chronicle

Price cut to give Nintendo’s Wii U a fighting chance

Price point to fend off opposition Tim Morrell The Chronicle

It’s no secret Nintendo is struggling to move units for its latest console, Wii U. With Sony and Microsoft launching their next-gen consoles, is the Wii UI dead on the eve of their arrival? Or is the impending price cut enough to change Nintendo’s fortune?

Nintendo is dropping the price of its Deluxe Wii U bundle from $349.99 to $299.99. The basic set, which was priced previously at $299.99, has been difficult to find on retail shelves since June.Even though Nintendo didn’t want to admit this claim to the public, customers were dissatisfied with the bundle because of low flash storage and no free game inclusion.

Whether the problem was the marketing strategy failing to explain what makes Wii U so

Entertainment

September 24, 2013

unique or distinguishing that it isn’t just peripheral to its predecessor Wii, Nintendo only sold 160,000 units between April and June worldwide and failed to hit its initial prediction of 5.5 million by end of March according to VG Chartz.

Despite a steady decline in sales since Black Friday last fall, the Wii U may be granted new life on September 20 when the price drop skeptics have been clamoring for happens.

The new bundle will include arguably the most critically acclaimed video game series of all-time the Legend of Zelda in a rendition of Wind Waker in glorious high-definition.

The bundle will include the digital version of the game out two weeks prior to its physical counterpart on October 4.

Many naysayers believe what was included in the original bundles wasn’t enough

to entice anyone besides core Nintendo fans. A recent software drought also played a role in keeping other gamers at bay, but with new software debuting this fall from recognizable brands such as Super Mario and Donkey Kong, Nintendo has a fighting chance to be competitive in the new war for consumer time.

Starting this November, the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One both launch to give Nintendo a run for its money. For comparison sake, Wii U will be $100 cheaper than PlayStation 4 and $200 cheaper than Xbox One. With a more stellar line up on the Wii U’s front this holiday season, and a two-month head start with a more valuable bundle, Nintendo can finally reinvigorate a console that was on the verge of death and make its days of struggle a thing of the past.

Elysium review Teanna Dorsey The Chronicle

In the year 2154 the world is overpopulated and overrun with disease and corruption.

Space shuttles, robots, and violence, -Neill Blomkamp’s new dystopian sci-fi film has it all. Starring Matt Damon and Jodie Foster, Elysium is a chilling tale of the future.

In the next century, Earth has major class distinctions between the rich and poor.

The wealthiest people have fled the planet to live in a paradise world where they can achieve immortality, leaving the poor and middle class to survive on Earth.

Max Da Costa (Matt Damon) is a working class citizen of Earth who is obsessed with his boyhood dream of starting a life in Elysium.

The separation of social class is distinct, making it nearly impossible for Earth citizens to leave their horrible conditions. Da Costa encounters a lethal dose of radiation, which furthers his obsession to reach Elysium before his inevitable death.

Jessica Delacourt, (Jodie Foster) the Secretary of Defense, is corrupt and hatching a plan to gain control

over the planet. Delacourt devices a computer virus to change the software of Elysium permanently so she can gain power. Da Costa steals the software and uses its power to gain access to Elysium and its resources.

Elysium comes from the ancient Greek concept of the afterlife. In Greek mythology it was a place at the end of the Earth where the gods conveyed heroes after death.

Compared to Blomkamp’s District 9; an alien sci-fi movie released in August 2009, Elysium is a bit of a let down.

The film is visually stunning and Blomkamp’s take on the 22nd century is satirical in the opening. However after the 10-minute mark the action turns into a shoot-emup spectacular with futuristic weapons and gun-wielding robots. Elysium itself was a wheel in the sky that promised a mysterious elitist land.

The movie offered little information on the land and way of life in Elysium besides indicating it is a paradise world. The movie focused more on the fighting and violence that was necessary to overthrow the people in power on Elysium than the mystery of the land.