Chronicle 14 15 issue 14 by City Media

Diversity

in Durham

To see the changing face of Durham Region, see pages 6-8, 10-11

Volume XXLII, Issue 14

March 24, 2015

Women fill up the sky

Emma Nicholls The Chronicle

Amelia Earhart once said that you’ve never seen a tree until you’ve seen its shadow from the sky. For more than 200 women, that statement came true during Women of Aviation Week, celebrated March 2-8. Oshawa Airport hosted ‘Girls Take Flight’, an event encouraging more women to explore a career in aviation, on March 7 - 8. Eager participants could sign up for a chance to explore the skies with volunteer pilots for a 5 – 10 minute flight. Pilots flew three women at a time in the small four-person aircrafts on a route heading south to the General Motors plant, then circling back north

before landing at the airport for the next trip. Jackie Book, an experienced pilot for 17 years, participated in the event and loves all aspects of flying. “The people that you get to fly with, the places that you get to go and obviously the aircraft you get to fly – phenomenal,” she said. “I’m so happy to be able to influence young ladies coming into the flying career.” Due to the wind and the low ceiling (cloud height above the ground) Saturday afternoon, not all participants were able to take the trip high in the sky, but organizers of the event got as many as they could up in the air. Several flights continued on Sunday afternoon, when the weather was clearer but quite windy.

Emma Nicholls

FLYIN’ HIGH: Jackie (left) and Sarah flew for the very first time at the Oshawa Airport during the ‘Girls Take Flight’ event to celebrate Women of Aviation Week. “Here we’re obviously promoting ladies in aviation, young girls – trying to get more ladies into flying,” said Book. “It’s a great career and unfortunately we don’t have that many

ladies compared to men in the program… I love the turnout, it’s great.” Minacs was one of the sponsors for the event, and participants could enter a draw to win

a $2,000 scholarship towards a career in flight from Minacs. Women of Aviation week coincides each year with International Women’s Day, and is celebrated across North America.

Whitby to host Parapan Am Games Abilities Centre welcomes judo and boccia events Sarah Chan The Chronicle

Have you ever wanted to be a part of a mega-sized international games audience, but never had the time or the money to travel to where the games were being held? Well your time has come.

The Abilities Centre in Whitby will be hosting two events from the Parapan Am Games this summer, which will run from Aug. 7-15., just on the tail end of the Pan Am Games. This will be the fifth time the games have taken place. The Centre Field House courts, which are located in the middle of the facility’s running

track, will host the judo and boccia events. Boccia is a sport similar to bocce ball, but is designed for people with severe physical disabilities. All athletes competing in judo are visually impaired, while athletes competing in boccia have varying degrees of cerebral palsy, a disorder which affects muscle control and coordination. Gabriel Shiu, manager of sport programs and development for the centre, says the design of the building is perfect for hosting events for the Parapan Am Games. “It’s a great facility because

of all the accessible features that are going to be here, especially [for] the group of athletes that you’re going to see coming through,” said Shiu. Shiu said the building is especially accommodating for the athletes who are wheelchair bound. “We have all the power doors [and] the extra wide doors, which make getting in and out of this facility, especially with the big power wheelchairs a lot of them use, ideal.” From an aesthetics point of view, he says the bright and calming design of the building creates a perfect atmosphere

for the games. Seating for about 700 people has been planned, but exact numbers of how many audience members will show are unknown. Shiu estimates they will see 400 to 500 fans each day. In terms of cost, the centre will not profit nor lose any money because of the games. The facility will also be crediting members for two weeks since access will be inhibited during the day due to the events.

See Disabilities page 3

The Chronicle

UOIT students take wing to Turkey as part of new program

Kyle Brown The Chronicle

The University of Ontario Institute of Technology is offering students an opportunity to study in Turkey thanks to a new exchange program. UOIT has signed The International Academic Student Exchange Agreement with Istanbul’s Bahçeşehir University. The agreement was signed in February and will allow students to experience both academic and scientific education from a different cultural viewpoint. Two students from each university will be eligible for the exchange program, and participants will pay tuition at their home university. Job placement opportunities may be afforded to students as well. “This agreement advances the University of Ontario Institute of Technology’s growing number of global connections and recognizes the importance our university places on providing international student opportunities,” said Michael Owen, PhD, Vice-President, Research, Innovation and International in a press release. “We look forward to working with Bahçeşehir University as we build this program and explore new areas of collaboration.” The deadline for nominees to hand in their applications to UOIT’s International office for the exchange program was March 15. Like UOIT, Bahçeşehir is a newer university, with classes starting on the Istanbul campus in 1999. There are currently more than 14,000 students enrolled at the university. The University of Ontario Institute of Technology currently has 37 international academic agreements with universities in 23 different countries, including ones in Brazil, Sweden, Hong Kong, and Japan, among others.

March 24, 2015

Campus

The countdown to grad is on Students prepare to become alumni Miranda Green The Chronicle

For students graduating this year, a whole range of emotions may come into play. Some may be scared, excited or unsure of what the future will bring. Thankfully, Durham College is offering a range of support and celebration activities to make the transition from student to graduate a bit easier.

This past week, the college hosted two separate Countdown to Grad events at the Whitby and Oshawa campuses. The event featured giveaways of USBs and phone accessories, as well as a free pizza lunch. Most importantly, staff and alumni were on hand to assist graduating students with registration, convocation, benefits of becoming an alumni, and employment services. Sally Hillis, Durham College’s Annual Development and Alumni Operations Administrator explains that hosting these events, which were sponsored by the alumni association, are important because they allow staff to connect with students, as well as get the support and help they need all in one place. “Graduating is a scary time,” she says. “But it is also a fun

time. We’re here to help students with the transition and the planning that goes into it. We also get to celebrate all the hard work that the students have done over the years.” Students were seen flooding in and out of the student lounge at the Whitby campus on Thursday, March 12th to receive their pizza and register online. Vimal Padel, a graduating Power Engineering student, explains that he thinks that this event has been helpful. “There’s been a lot of people here, it’s very helpful to register online which I didn’t know about before,” he says. Alongside alumni services and registration, career services offered a full table set up of resources and advice to students looking for help with interviews, resumes and cover letters.

Jana Forsyth, an employment advisor at Durham College says that a lot of students go through school without knowing they have this service at their hands. “It’s already paid for by every student,” she explains. “We’re here even after students graduate, which many don’t realize.” Forsyth advises students not to wait until they find the ‘perfect’ job, but rather to continue to seek guidance throughout their job hunt. Coinciding with the Countdown to Grad events, Durham College is also hosting a School Cup Challenge, which features graduating students from all three campuses competing with each other for the chance to win bursaries, bragging rights, and the School Cup Trophy. “It’s a neat challenge because it’s all about students helping students,” says Hillis.

Campus

The Chronicle

March 24, 2015

Thanks for reading!

Sean O’Leary

THE CHRONICLE: Durham College second-year journalism students and program faculty have been putting the newspaper together and producing the website for the 2014/2015 school year. This is the final issue of the paper produced by the group.

Disabilities ‘become invisible’ at Whitby’s Abilities Centre

It’s a place where all people can thrive Continued from page 1 Executive director of the Abilities Centre, Leo Plue, says the games are going to put the facility on the world’s stage. Just what does he want the world to see? “The design of the building and how great the design is in terms of accessibility. The other thing is the culture of inclusion and everything we’ve done around inclusion to ensure that anybody who comes into this building feels invited, welcomed. That they are part of this,” said Plue. The former high school principal says the centre is a great opportunity for young people from high school, colleges and universities to learn how to coexist comfort-

ably with people who have some kind of identified disability, and to see their abilities rather than their disabilities. “Disabilities become invisible here,” he said. According to Plue, about one-third of the Abilities Centre’s members have some kind of known disability. The centre has been open for three years and it is the product of a vision held by the late Jim Flaherty, former finance minister of Canada and MP of Whitby-Oshawa. Flaherty wanted to create a space where people of all abilities, both physical and cognitive, could thrive. The former politician was an advocate for the disabled, having been the father of a son with learning and other health challenges.

Establishing businesses at Local Biz Expo, Trade Show

Karen Edwards The Chronicle

It was a busy turnout for the Local Biz Expo and Trade Show. Around 300 people attended the show at the Ajax Convention Centre hosted by the Ontario Self Employment Benefit program (OSEB) on March 10. The program helps entrepreneurs establish their business through a 42-week training period. At the end of the week, clients are given the opportunity to attend a trade show, which is provided for them. The show is also to help vendors meet clients and other businesses. This year was the 11th trade show by the OSEB program. There were 71 vendors with businesses ranging from gel nail salons, cleaning services, window installations and much more. Tina Wieringa, program coordinator for OSEB, says entrepreneurship is becoming more popular in today’s workforce. “Entrepreneurship is something where it’s really your only option in order to guarantee employment for yourself,” says Wieringa. “Traditional employment no longer guarantees any income for you, you can be laid off any day without any notice, whereas an entrepreneur, you have the option to make your

own money and continue on your business on a daily basis.” According to a 2012 economics report by CIBC, more than 500,000 Canadians were in the process of starting up their own business. According to Statistics Canada, there are more people over the age of 50 starting up their own business than any other age group. At the Local Biz Expo and Trade Show, students of the OSEB program are expected to participate in the trade show as part of their entrepreneurship training. Rachelle Foster, an OSEB participant was one of the vendors at the tradeshow promoting her new business. “I’m a certified hypnotist, I also do past life regression and I do Reiki therapy, so it’s holistic healing is what I offer,” she says. Foster spent t30 years working in administrative work in health care before she decided to become an entrepreneur. “I was out of work with no prospects for the foreseeable future, and I wanted to do something different with my life,” says Foster. “I wanted a different life for myself, one in which I would have some measure of satisfaction and fulfillment.” Foster says she first saw an ad for OSEB when she was out

of work. “I was on employment insurance and saw an ad for the OSEB program. I didn’t apply right away because it looked like it was more trouble than it was worth,” she says. “I was told it was hard to get into the program and I could be hitting my head against the wall for nothing, but I eventually decided I had nothing to lose by trying.” The first time Foster applied she wasn’t accepted but decided to apply again. “I decided to try a second time, and was successful. That alone gave me a sense of accomplishment and hope for the future,” she says. “Something that is really important for someone who felt they were at a dead end.” Foster says if she could give any new entrepreneur one piece of advice, it would be to establish a solid business plan before approaching programs such as OSEB. She also says networking and building relationships is another key element. “There are some really amazing people in Durham that I would never have met without attending networking events,” says Foster. Most booths offered samples of their work, slideshow presentations and pricing of their products.

The Chronicle

March 24, 2015

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One step forward, two steps back Canada’s missteps in tolerating diversity

Durham Region is becoming a more recognizable location for immigrants. Just east of the GTA, Durham Region’s population is expected to skyrocket to one million people in the next 15 years. The current population is around 645,000. Oshawa, Whitby and Ajax and Pickering are just a few cities within the region that are seeing an increase in diversity in their population. According to National Household Survey recorded in 2011, 20 per cent of Durham’s population is made up of immigrants. That’s one in five residents. Durham Region is adapting to Canada’s ways of multiculturalism, the result of an act introduced more than forty years ago “to preserve and enhance multiculturalism in Canada.” Years ago, Whitby had a Caucasian-heavy population, and had a nickname of “Whiteby,” but recently, the community has become more vibrant. The town formed an Ethnocultural and Diversity Advisory Committee, which is made up of community members and a town councilor, to eliminate any barriers people of different backgrounds face in the community. Although Canada opening up to other ethnicities may seem like old news, when regions the size of Durham, instead of just big cities such as Toronto, Montreal or Vancouver, are noticing more people of different backgrounds, it’s important to

Cartoon by Amy Bridges

note these changes, so other parts of Canada, where there is less diversity, can follow these trends. Durham’s diversity is now evident in school systems, our workforce and even in our supermarkets where aisles are dedicated to international foods. But with the praise Canada receives for having a diverse population, it’s important to remember we are not always perfect. Even though Canada became the first country in the Western world to adapt a multiculturalism policy, sometimes people still make comments about diversity that make us feel like

we are moving two steps back when welcoming newcomers into Canada. For example, John Williamson, MP for New Brunswick Southwest, made headlines recently about a comment he made referring to Canada’s temporary foreign workers program. Williamson said at a conference on March 7, that it makes no sense to pay “whities” to stay home while we bring in “brown people” as temporary foreign workers. With Canada’s population becoming more diverse then ever, Williamson’s comments certainly did not go unnoticed and Prime Minister Stephen Harper was urged by Liberal

MP John McCallum to remove Williamson from the Conservative caucus. Last Monday, another Conservative MP, Larry Miller, was forced to apologize after making comments about women who wear niqabs, should, “stay the hell where you came from,” when referrimg to wearing them in citizenship ceremonies. Unfortunately, these comments do not just stop at MPs. Harper was recently under fire by Twitter users about his comment about niqabs coming from an “anti-women culture” and how people of this background should reveal their faces in Canadian citizenship

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ceremonies. It didn’t take long for people on Twitter to start mocking the prime minister’s comments by using #dresscodePM. Twitter users sent in photos of themselves wearing niqabs, asking the PM’s twitter account if what they were wearing met his approval. So although, Durham Region only makes up 2,500 kilometers of southern Ontario, other parts of Canada where immigrants do not traditionally end up should follow Durham’s lead in providing newcomers to Canada with openness and excitement to ensure we are still preserving multiculturalism.

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The Chronicle

Opinion

March 24, 2015

A Canadian painter’s influential career

There are not many rooms in Oshawa with totem poles, fish swimming through space, and rolling Canadian hills up on its walls. But there is right now. Evolving Form at the Robert McLaughlin Gallery (RMG) is the first major retrospective of Jock Macdonald’s work in more than 30 years. The exhibit gives a fresh look into his influential career as a Canadian abstract artist. “This exhibit traces the artistic transition [Macdonald] underwent,” says Linda Jansma, curator of the exhibit. “His career as an artist journeys in a perpetual state of evolution.” Jansma was in the process of writing a grant to receive funding from the Department of Heritage for the exhibit when she received an email from Jock’s nephew, Alistair Macdonald, more than three years ago. During their correspondence, he notified Jansma of 40 letters written by his uncle stored in the Edinburgh Gal-

Raechel Bonomo lery’s archives. This was the missing piece to Jansma’s puzzle, she said. In the fall of 2012, she took a five-day trip to Scotland to view the letters, the content of which led her to uncover the lost work of Macdonald. She explored the various styles and periods of Macdonald and brought back with her paintings, drawings and methods never before viewed by Canadian audiences currently up at the RMG. Macdonald was born in 1897 in Thurso, Scotland. After his time in the army, he studied design at the Edinburgh College of Art. Macdonald came to Canada in 1926 to take up a teaching job as head of design at the Vancouver School of Decorative and Applied Arts. One of his greatest contributions is as

a founding member of Torontobased abstract group, Painters 11 formed in 1953. At the beginning of Macdonald’s successful career as a painter, Canadian Group of Seven member Lawren Harris’s work inspired Macdonald to paint abstract landscapes. This influence is visible in his work In the White Forest, 1932. You can see in Drying Herring Roe, 1938 Macdonald was also inspired by Canadian Aboriginal culture. The painting features large traditional totem poles and reserves. The enormous exhibit spans the gallery and occupies all but one room on the main floor housing more than 90 originals works. “Intuitively artists create within the structural forms of nature,” is a quote from on of the 40 letters Macdonald wrote during his career. This quote, posted above his landscape works in the exhibit, pays homage to the continual stimulus of the environment he possessed as an artist. This is a notable

feature as the main influencer in the majority of Macdonald’s work. “Jock always painted the fourth dimension of nature,” says Jansma. “It is how we’re suppose to feel about it, not how we see it.” In his mid-career, Macdonald diverted away from the traditional ideals of art and began to explore modern concepts such as futurism and surrealism. During the 1940s, Macdonald met surrealist artists Dr. Grace W. Pailthorpe and Ruben Mednikoff. They taught Macdonald “automatics”, a technique that involves painting in quick-paced series, and dating work down to the very time it was created. In this part of his career, Macdonald was diverting away from his traditional landscape work and started producing surrealiststyle paintings. Vivid, colourful painting such as Fish Family, 1943 display Macdonald’s subconscious expressed on a canvas. This

piece and other works from this period are included in the RMG exhibit to showcase the versatility and dimensions Macdonald was capable of as an artist. The exhibit does a superb job at collecting and representing various elements and the periods of Macdonald’s career. Many art historians claim 1957 – 1960 as Macdonald’s preeminent years as a painter. He began exploring oil-based mediums, such as Duco and Lucite industrial paints, to produce abstract work such as Bearer of Gifts, 1952. The RMG dedicated an entire gallery space to showcase the work from his final years as a painter. From 1957, he painted an average of 50 paintings per year until he died suddenly from a heart attack on Dec. 3, 1960. The work of Macdonald has and continues to influence Canadian and international artists. The RMG’s exhibit Evolving Form adequately demonstrates the aptitude and depth of Macdonald’s career.

T.O.’s got fashion Taking jokes extremely Shannon Liverpool The Chronicle

Strut, pose, and smirk. Toronto brought an all men’s runway show to Fashion Week for its second annual year. But surprisingly the fire alarms weren’t set off last week in downtown Toronto. Well dressed and some underdressed men strutted the runway to show off the clothing, put together by talented Canadian designers. Everyday fashion publications like Elle, Flare, and LOULOU magazine are prime examples of how little we pay attention to the men’s fashion industry. How often do you see fashionable men featured on the front of those magazines? Not as much as you see beautiful women being advertised. “I love fashion but it’s not exactly a hobby that straight men are welcomed into,” says Durham College student and Toronto Men’s Fashion Week (TOM*FW) attendee, Shajee Costales- Khan. “Men’s fashion needs more recognition.” “I came to see and appreciate good fashion. But seeing gorgeous men wearing the fashion, it doesn’t get better than that,” says runway show attendee Deille Larocque. Toronto Men’s Fashion Week, better known as TOM*FW, had yet another successful year, showcasing 16 designers over the course of three days of runway shows.

Opinion

TOM*FW wasn’t limited to glamorous runway shows. The beginning of the week featured discussion events called TOM Talks, where speakers talked about celebrity influences and male-focused fashion trends, tips and personal growth. Other events included, the Mensfashion4hope fundraiser, which donated all proceeds to Sick Kids Hospital to improve the lives of children with congenital diseases. TOM*FW public relations officer, Rhys Dowbiggin, says the sweat, tears, and overdose on caffeine didn’t result in anything but success. “Toronto Men’s Fashion Week was a once in a lifetime experience. There are only eight men’s fashion weeks in the world. Toronto is the newest. Going about each day, knowing that we have joined the likes of Milan, Paris, and London, was a humbling experience. More than that, it made each moment one to relish.” Among the many Toronto based designers was Kollar Clothing. The brand brought a northern edge to the runway, making Toronto’s chill look as flawless as an untouched skating rink. They now have 30 locations selling Kollar Clothing around the world. Toronto has gained even more fashionable culture after this year TOM*FW. Fingers crossed that year three will live up to its success.

On the morning of Jan. 7, 2015, 12 people were killed in a terror attack carried out by Islamic extremists at the offices of Charlie Hebdo in Paris, a French satirical magazine that had published controversial cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad. The attack was trigged by these sketches, which many Muslims see as prohibited by their religion. In the aftermath of the attack, the western world came out in support of the magazine and the victims massacred in the attack. Mobs of people marched in the streets declaring “Je Suis Charlie.” Many newspapers and broadcasters were not so willing to provide their support. Some refused to publish images of the cartoons, and critics denounced the newspaper as fundamentally provocative, racist, Islamophobic, and “homophobic” publication who brought much of its trouble on itself. Accusers charged that Charlie Hebdo was looking to offend people only for the sake of offending them despite the obvious danger it posed. Another example of this was Sony Picture’s decision to not screen the movie “The Interview” in theatres, after receiving threats from hackers that they would launch attacks on the New York pre-

Kyle Brown miere and any other cinema showing its theatrical release. While Charlie Hebdo and “The Interview’s” brand of humour may not be for everyone, both follow the essential tradition of political satire which upholds the belief that we need to have the ability to laugh at everything, whether they at times are vulgar, offensive or even about the darkest of subjects As is the case with most violent attacks on satire, “The Interview” and Charlie Hebdo were targeted because satire uses irony to get its audience to think critically about whatever subject it’s discussing. But not all targets of satire get the joke, and instead they feel mocked and are outraged by it, and, though it’s understandable at times that people feel offended, that never justifies the use of violence. Another critical component of satire is that it portrays the powerful as weak. It insinuates that beneath a seemingly impenetrable shell lies insecurity, ineptitude or fear. It creates skepticism that allows for the chance for

insurrection. It destroysadmiration or anxiety as we realize that those we thought once untouchable suddenly become vulnerable This is why satire has always been an important part of freedom of speech. For centuries, political cartoons have directed dissension, ridiculed politicians and religious institutions, all the while educating readers. Even today, many people’s most trusted sources on news issues and morality come from shows like The Daily Show and South Park rather than traditional news outlets. This is because satire has the ability to tackle difficult issues with humour, change firmly- held beliefs, and make us more amenable to alternatives views by making us laugh and think. A free society must support views that appear right to us, and tolerate views that appear wrong. For when you open the door to any kind of suppression of speech, it allows for the possibility for any kind of speech to be banned just because someone has an issue with it. We don’t have to agree with or like speech we don’t agree with, but it is of the utmost importance that we defend an individual’s right to espouse a views in a nonviolent manner.

The Chronicle

March 24, 2015

Diversity

in Durham

Campus

Durham Region is one of the fastest-growing regions in the country. The population, around 650,000, is expected to reach one million by 2031. Most of those new residents will come from elsewhere – from other countries, cultures, and communities. The Chronicle is exploring the changing face of this region in a special series, Diversity in Durham.

Learning to live life large Despite challenges, Szwed still has big dreams Derek Dolstra The Chronicle

He came to school to take the recreation and leisure program but once he graduates Derek Szwed’s plans are much different. Szwed, a student at Durham College has always had his eye on the TV, and hopes one day he’ll be the one on the screen. “It’s always been a dream of mine to be an actor ever since I was seven. I would always watch movies and TV and said maybe one of these days I’d become an actor,” says Szwed. “I know it’s pretty hard but I just don’t want to give up.” He’s part of a different kind of diversity at DC: diversity related to abilities. He uses the Community Integration through Cooperative Education (CICE) office, a place that provides opportunity to people with significant learning challenges and intellectual disabilities. CICE modifies curriculum, if necessary, and provides learning facilitators to attend class with students. In the past, attending college may not have been an option for many with learning challenges but the CICE has changed that. They have helped Szwed through his first year. “They (learning facilitators) actually sit down with you and they go through it. They walk you through these tutorials and stuff to help you with the homework and stuff. It’s really nice that we have this here so it’s really good,” he says. He’s not too concerned with his learning disability he hasn’t even bothered to remember what it’s called. But he can explain what it’s like when he’s in class. “I need help with things like sometimes they’ll come read it

Derek Dolstra

TAKING ON THE CHALLENGE: Derek Szwed is all smiles and loving college life. out to me with tests and stuff brother Adam and his friends. people like every month, evlike that,” he says. “When I didn’t get invited ery day,” he says. “College is a Szwed hasn’t always been so to parties he’d always take me great experience for anybody casual about his learning dis- along with him and he’d always because it helps you get out of ability though. He had to get cheer me up in the end,” he your comfort zone. It helped help in high school and some- says. “My brother’s friend Rob, me get out of my shell.” times it made things difficult he’d always be cheering me up Szwed recalled orientation for him. every day I got sad or angry I day when he met another stu“All the kids look dent whose faat you thinking, oh ther was a fireEven though that you’re disabled, or have spethis guy’s differfighter just like ent,” says Szwed. his, and it helped cial needs, or if you’re in a wheelchair, you can do “There were a little him feel more it. bit of hard times. I comfortable at didn’t really have school. Derek Szwed that many friends. I “It’s kind of had a few friends.” funny when you He joked about how he didn’t get invited somewhere.” meet another firefighter’s son wasn’t the popular jock type Now that Szwed is in college that you kind of have so much but he wasn’t the bottom of the he is enjoying himself much in common together. It’s really food chain either. more. It’s still hard to deal with nice,” he says. “I got along with everybody college, but he finds it a better Each day is a new challenge if they talked to me,” he says. experience. but Szwed faces it head on. Growing up Szwed said “I was so nervous to meet “I’ve got a bit of anxiety so he may not have had a lot of new people but then it kind sometimes it can really take friends but he always had his of helped me meet so many its toll on you. One day I’ll feel

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really down, and the next moment I’ll feel kind of great,” he says. “I had to learn to deal with it over time and you know I’m really holding onto it right now. It’s really hard to go off the rails when you’re in school and stuff. It can be a little scary, but I guess sometimes that’s just life.” Even though he loves the chance to go to college he still wants to be on TV when he graduates. Szwed likes the idea of celebrities using their status to help others and he wants to do the same. “I can really help out charities and support other disabled kids and tell them you should always follow your dream and never give up on it,” he says. “Even though that you’re disabled, or have special needs, or if you’re in a wheelchair, you can do it.”

Campus

Diversity

The Chronicle

March 24, 2015

in Durham

Helping educate through experience

the PSW program and has already been working for the betThe Chronicle ter part of a decade. Brown is just 20-years old Not too far back in human and already has two jobs rehistory, someone diagnosed lated to his career path. He has with a disability would often been working at Oddfellows be perceived as incompetent or Hall in Brooklin for the last unable to work. Even in today’s seven years. There he helps out society negative connotations with serving food and drinks, are often associated with peo- tending to seniors, helping ple with disabilities. the director and cleaning up. Actually there is a good Brown also has another job at chance you come across a per- Legends Centre in Oshawa, a son with a disability in our so- branch of the Oshawa Senior ciety on a daily basis and are Citizens, where he does similar not even aware. People with work. He wants to find work in disabilities hold government his field as a PSW where he will jobs, positions in the service get to enjoy a career taking care industries and just about any of others. other job available out there. “Maybe a retirement home The word “disabled” does not or a long-term care facilmean “unable”. ity, wherever they need male Aaron Brown, a fourth- PSWs,” he said. year Personal Support Worker Brown is currently doing (PSW) student at Durham Col- his field-placement position lege is an example of someone at ThorntonView, a long-term with a learning disability who care facility in Oshawa that has has never let it impede him. further sparked his interest in Durham Region is one of the fastest-growing regions in the country. The population, around 650,000, is expected “I have a physical disability. pursuing long-term care work to reach one million Basically I learn slower than ev- by as a2031. career.Most of those new residents will come from elsewhere – from other countries, cultures, erybody else,” said Brown. Af“Long-term facilities the changing face of this region in a special series, Diversity in Durham. and communities. The Chronicle iscare exploring ter meeting and speaking with are for people who have cogniBrown there is little to indicate tive impairment, like dementia, he is living with a disability, un- who don’t really remember, or less he were to mention he is a need help with their basic ADLs part of Durham College’s CICE (activities of daily living),” said program. Brown. He enjoys being able to Sean Sutcliffe Community Integration help others who are unable to through Cooperative Educa- help themselves. tion is a program available at Brown remembers having HOME AWAY FROM HOME: Aaron Brown, a fourth year Personal Support WorkDurham College, which aims to support growing up and can’t er student stands proudly in front of Durham College. Brown hopes to find work at give individuals with intellec- remember many negative in- a retirement home or care facility in the future. tual disabilities the opportunity stances, but he does remember to receive a college diploma in an educational assistant he has fields with viable career poten- fond memories of named Ms. tial. Programs such as Early Simpson. He also remembers Childhood Education and Fit- some of his earlier curriculum ness and Health Promotion are being way too easy for him available through CICE. though. CICE students take the same “Teachers would teach us “That’s one of the things For example, instead of letclasses as others in their re- weird stuff like how to make a Sean Sutcliffe we can be pretty proud of ting an employer know you The Chronicle spective programs but are pro- sandwich in grade 7,” he said. in our country is that we do have a great individual lookvided support from learning “I was making my own lunch the basics, but unfortunately ing for work, show the emfacilitators. since grade 1.” Durham Region has come that’s all we do.” ployer how hiring this person “The role of the learning faBrown is an example of what a long way in the availability Wafer says getting into the will benefit them. cilitator is to support the stu- someone with a disability can and prevalence of services for workforce can be extremely Hiring people with disabildent by doing things like note accomplish when provided people with disabilities, but difficult for them. ities comes with its own vataking, modification of curricu- with the appropriate support there is still a long way to go, “We don’t have facilities in riety of employer benefits, if lum and tutoring the material and the growing acceptance according to Mark Wafer. place that allow a person with employers are made aware of in the courses they are taking,” of those dealing with mental Wafer is a local business a disability to live a full life. these benefits prior to an insaid Shauna Moore, learning health. A century ago, mental owner who owns seven Tim Where that becomes most terview, there’s a much higher facilitator in Durham College’s health was misunderstood and Hortons locations. apparent is employment,” he chance of them hiring the inCICE program. most dealing with it faced lower He has a staff of 250, 46 of said. dividual, says Wafer. Although students are pro- qualities of life. whom have a disability. Over Wafer believes that the apAlthough the region still vided with support they still Today, society helps those the past 19 years, Wafer has proach to providing individu- has a lot of work to do, Wafer must independently complete people and with that there are employed more than 100 peo- als with a disability employ- commends the Abilities Cenhomework and assignments, many happy, helpful people in ple living with a disability. ment needs to be reworked. tre in Whitby for its work. meet deadlines and study for fields such as support work, “If you look at the basic “We’ve got to take the con“The Abilities Centre is a tests and exams. that are always in need of new services that a person needs versation away from the indi- gem. They’ve got the right “They must also be able to workers. People living with diswhich is food and shelter, vidual who has the disability people and they’ve got the complete field-placements on abilities are a positive piece of that’s pretty much taken care and talk about business suc- right thinking and will certheir own,” added Moore. the ever-expanding diversity of,” said Wafer. cess,” he added. tainly make a big difference.” Brown is in his final year of here in Durham Region.

Sean Sutcliffe

Diversity in Durham

Diversity

in Durham

Working towards change

The Chronicle

March 24, 2015

Wounded Warriors

Campus

Brittany Bonaparte

Police Foundations students (left to right) Natasha Kahler, Tyler Frank, Kyle Tuck and Derek Pyke stand with veteran and Wounded Warriors’ provincial coordinator David Macdonald. Macdonald was wounded near Kandahar City in 2009.

No need to be a ‘starving student’

How to find inexpensive, healthy food Brittany Bonaparte The Chronicle

There are varying opinions on whether buying healthy food is less affordable than quick and processed alternatives but studies suggest that choosing nutritious options benefits productivity for the striving student. The reality is that some students aren’t striving, rather starving. Food Banks Canada said close to a million Canadians

use a food bank every month. Deborah Lay, a nutritionist for the Durham Region Health Department said over the past few years in the Durham Region the cost of food has increased by 11 per cent, which can greatly affect an individual or family. As a result, Durham Region’s food banks are getting busier with their largest growing group of users being postsecondary students. “That’s really a very jarring thing to find out simply because just like students in elementary and high school university students need good nutrition to maximize their ability to learn,” Lay said. In the beginning of the semester, the Region of Durham introduced an initiative which educates students in food budgeting to help bring the number

Mother Language Festival

of students needing to turn to food banks to a minimal. “The whole purpose of the Discover Your Inner Chef (DYIC) food budgeting program is to support individuals and families in eating well on a limited income, budget or limited financial resources,” Lay said. “Everything we’ve prepared in this program has that in center view.” The Region of Durham website has links to the DYIC online learning program. The program is a video series with five sessions that cover topics such as Canada’s Food Guide and eating affordably using it, menu planning, shopping smart and navigating the grocery store with budgeting in mind as well as basic cooking techniques. “It’s a very supportive environment for learning what to

Karen Edwards

Nader Singer, second-year UOIT Mechanical Engineering student represents his home country, Saudi Arabia at DC’s Mother Language Festival.

do with food on a limited budget,” she said. Durham College nutritionist, Sylvia Emmorey, stressed the importance of eating well for a learning brain. “Lack of energy. That’s probably the biggest one. If you’re not feeding your brain properly you’re not going to be able to think clearly or concentrate,” Emmorey said. “They’ve proven that lack of food leads to decreased concentration. For learning it’s really important to fuel your body optimally.” To maintain optimal energy levels, Emmorey said that students eat every 2 to 3 hours. Although it doesn’t have to be a large meal, it should be something packed with nutrients. Depending on a refined carbohydrate or sugary product to fill your hunger will cause blood sugars to go up and then fall back down again which can result in feeling lethargic and affect cognitive skills, Emmorey explained. Canada’s Food Guide suggests that adult women should consume seven to eight servings of fruit and vegetables, six to seven grain products, two each of milk and alternatives and meat and two to three tablespoons of unsaturated oils and fat. For men, this number is increased by about one to two servings. Health Canada recommends that of those fruit and vegetable servings, one should be dark green and one should be orange. Fruit and vegetables should be consumed in their original form more frequently than juiced. According to Health Canada, at least half of the grain products eaten in a day should be whole grains that are low in fat, sugar and salt. Milk and alternatives should be as low fat

as possible, preferably skim. Although meat is important in any diet, alternative protein sources like tofu, beans and lentils are also beneficial. To ensure that options are always readily available, it’s beneficial to grocery shop regularly. “When you’re on campus, you’re in the Marketplace, at Tim Hortons or E.P. Taylor’s, food can be a little bit more pricey than if you were to just go out to a grocery store and have something on hand,” Emmorey said. She recommended stocking your backpack, locker or dorm room with some staples like fruits and vegetables, tuna, eggs, nut butter and healthy bread. “You can buy carrots, bags of apples and oranges and bunches of bananas that are nutritious and they last. You can keep them in your room and not necessarily refrigerated,” Emmorey said. She said that nuts are also a great snack as they are a source of healthy fats, fiber and protein. Pairing a handful of nuts with a piece of fruit and bottle of water makes a complete snack. Some students’ budgets are so tight they don’t allow for a car. Emmorey said that not having a car and living distantly from a grocery store isn’t an excuse to avoid grocery shopping. Full-time students have access to the UPass which offers unlimited access to the Durham Region Transit system. Students can hop on the Simcoe bus a few times an hour and ride it directly to many different grocery stores. Students who wish to speak to a registered dietitian to seek advice can call EatRight Ontario’s hotline at 1-877-510-5102.

The Chronicle

March 24, 2015

The Chronicle

March 24, 2015

Diversity

in Durham

Campus

The man who ‘goes in front’ for Oshawa Muslims

Pandor is the leader of a community within a community Frank Thickett The Chronicle

Many people don’t worry about being stereotyped as they walk into the bank. Shakir Ibn Yunus Pandor does. Wearing traditional Muslim long garb, he once worried when he spotted a shady character on his way into a TD Bank. “I saw this biker and I thought, Oh, he’s got tattoos all over his body, and I thought to myself, I hope this guy doesn’t say anything to me.” As he waited in line, Pandor noticed the biker behind him. “I hope he doesn’t say anything to me in the bank,” Pandor thought, “and then he said ‘hello sir.’” Pandor was then faced with something he hadn’t anticipated at all. A pleasant conversation. “He was just the nicest person and I felt so bad inside myself,” Pandor says. “Like, why did I think this guy might be rude to me when he was actually such a nice guy, such a nice person, and he spoke to me so nicely that it was just a pleasant meeting?” This comes from a place of caution for Pandor. He admits that sometimes when bad news comes from overseas he feels more conscious about who he is in public but stresses that nothing particularly bad has happened to him yet. “Subconsciously you’ll feel things and be aware it might happen, but nothing has really taken place,” he says. Pandor is a new face in Durham though he was born and raised in Toronto he has only lived in Durham Region for the past three years. As the imam of the Oshawa mosque, Pandor is a commu-

Frank Thickett

GROWING TOGETHER: Shakir Ibn Yunus Pandor stands with religious texts at the Islamic Centre of Oshawa, a place he’s greatly involved with. nity leader for Muslims in Oshawa and an active member of the community. “The meaning of imam is ‘one who goes in front’ so it’s a term that’s used for scholars or preachers,” Pandor explains. The Oshawa mosque is one of the oldest mosques in Ontar-

io. Before it was renovated two years ago it used to be a house where people came to pray. It was purchased back in 1979 because, according to Pandor, the work economy in Oshawa was booming and that drew in more people, including Muslims.

The current mosque won an urban designer award and the community has largely been supportive of the mosque’s presence. “We haven’t had any incidents,” Pandor says. “Our open houses have been successful. The mayor has come in, MPs

have come in to speak to the community. People come in randomly, locals who have embraced the faith.” Pandor has done presentations at city hall and schools about Islam and even worked as a “human book” as part of a library program that allowed him to discuss and teach Islam to the community. Some of the congregants of the mosque have experienced offensive language, and an Islamic school has been tagged with graffiti, but the community has largely been accepting. Pandor tells the story of a female congregant who faced abrasive language in the supermarket for wearing a hijab but a non-Muslim lady got offended, stood up to the abuser, and eventually he was removed. The ease with which Muslims can settle into Durham Region is due to a few factors, according to Pandor. First it’s that Muslims come from many different cultures and backgrounds. Pandor himself is Indian but there are Muslims from Africa, the Arab countries, and other Asian nations as well. “Unless you dress the part you won’t stand out,” he explains. “Islam allows people to practice any culture they wish to so long as it doesn’t go against the teachings.” The other indicator Pandor cites is that Muslims are required to pray five times a day. A person going to a prayer space or leaving work early to get to the mosque for congregational prayer on Fridays might be identified by that but otherwise Muslims are going through the day the same as everyone else, he says. Second, he says Durham Region is growing and developing quickly. “Oshawa is a very old city but in Ajax, Whitby, and Pickering everybody is fairly new. Everybody is growing together and we’re just a part of that,” he explained. “Everybody seems to realize they’ve all come together by chance and we’re all just living here.” But living here isn’t all we do, we bank here too, and maybe a conversation while waiting to make a deposit could change perspectives.

Campus

Diversity

The Chronicle

March 24, 2015

in Durham

From Egypt to the halls of UOIT Roman is studying nuclear engineering Sarah Chan The Chronicle

Everybody needs an escape from time to time. Whether from work, school or just a need for a change in scenery, people need to get away from the mundane dayto-day rituals. But when a vacation just won’t cover it, some people take it a step further and make a permanent, or semi-permanent move. Raef Roman is a nuclear engineering student at UOIT and works for the Student Association, and he has done just that. Well-spoken, well dressed and extremely polite for holding open all the doors, Roman seems like a well-rounded good Canadian boy, which is true. However, the surprising part is he has only been an official Canadian for about a month. Roman was born in Cairo, Egypt. He first came to Canada as a young child with his family, but they decided to return home when he was in Grade 2. Looking back, Roman says he didn’t really fit in here the first time around. “I was a social outcast because of my English and how proper I was. That was just a crazy experience,” he said. As if adjusting to life in Canada at such a young age wouldn’t be hard enough, adjusting back to the Egyptian lifestyle was even more challenging for Roman when his family returned when he was seven. “I grew up in a bottom-ofthe-middle-class family. When we went back home I was living with my grandmother and my grandfather and they were very simple people, no education. My grandfather was a mechanic who built himself up from scratch, and it was a very simple lifestyle,” he said. The change from his Canadian living arrangement to his Egyptian one took a lot of adjusting. “We were living in a very rural area and our apartment

Courtesy of Raef Roman

OH CANADA: Raef Roman is officially a Canadian citizen, years after moving here from his home in Egypt. building was two floors. On the rooftop, my grandmother had her own farm. She raised chickens, ducks, rabbits, so it was crazy going from growing up here in North York, going to St. James, and then going [back] to Egypt. It was just two different extremes,” he said. Roman managed to re-adjust to this lifestyle and grew up with the Egyptian culture instilled in him. He remained there until high school. At that point, he decided to come back to Canada and live with his father while going through the Canadian secondary school system. “That was like the worst time ever because I was kind-of fully Egyptian, without the accent. I spoke English how I speak it now, so when I came back here for high school it was kind of weird for the kids at school because it was like ‘you speak English but you’re just a complete FOB,’” he said. FOB stands for fresh-offthe-boat. Roman had a difficult time adjusting to Canadian teenage culture because he knew nothing about it. He didn’t un-

derstand the slang people at school were using, so he would go home and watch South Park to try and pick it up. Upon graduating high school, Roman once again moved back home to Egypt and completed two years of university in a computer science program. Ultimately, his end goal was to graduate and find a job in Canada, so when his father, who was still living here, suggested he come back and study in a Canadian university, he agreed. He originally enrolled in UOIT’s computer science program since he was studying that subject in Egypt. Unfortunately, only four credits from his schooling back home transferred to the Canadian university system. “That was the most upsetting thing ever, to know that two years of your life just went down the drain,” he said. It wasn’t long before Roman realized the computer science program would prove to be too costly. He was worried he would be graduating with too much debt and nothing to pay it off with,

so he transferred to nuclear engineering, which he will be graduating from this year. Roman’s final decision to come to Canada for university was also an escape to avoid being drafted by the Egyptian military.

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You can pretty much postpone it as long as you’re doing post-secondary education outside of Egypt. So everytime I went back [home] I’d have to prove that I’m enrolled.

Raef Roman

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In his home country, he says people can be forced to join the military against their will. “You can pretty much postpone it as long as you’re doing post secondary education outside of Egypt. So every time I went back [home] I’d have to

prove that I’m enrolled,” he said. After years of coming back and forth to Canada, Roman says it has finally started to feel like home within the past few years after meeting close friends who have taken him in as family. Although he has built a life for himself here and hopes to remain here forever, the 25-year-old still misses his family and is working to get his mother to Canada. Despite the majority of his family being far away, Roman says he loves it here. “My favourite thing is that I’m just completely independent. I feel like I’m not a kid anymore, I’m an adult, and Canada makes that easy. The fact that you can get a job, it’s not as hard as back home. Back home there is no minimum wage so you have to have a profession to actually work,” he said. But there is one thing the nuclear engineering student has not come to love just yet. “The weather. It takes time to adjust to and I still haven’t adjusted to it, it’s killing me! I feel like I’m not built for it.”

The Chronicle

March 24, 2015

Diversity

in Durham

Campus

Antigua’s great, but Canada’s home UOIT student Alieka Hewlett loves living in Durham

Christian Coulombe The Chronicle

Some women choose not to fly when they’re pregnant but one woman was determined to give birth to a baby girl in Canada. She wanted her daughter to have the greatest life possible without any limitations. Alieka Hewlett is that daughter and was born in Scarborough on June 22, 1990. Her mother moved her family back to Antigua about a week after she was born. Her mom gave birth to her children here to make sure they had a Canadian passport so they could access education and become citizens. When a woman gives birth to a child in Canada that baby automatically gets citizenship, she says. “My mom came up here to have me and my brother so if we wanted to go to college we could do it without all the problems of a visa,” she says. Education in Antigua is much different than it is here. According to Hewlett, many students attend either all boys, or all girls schools. There is also an age to grade difference in Antigua compared to Canada. Hewlett started high school when she was 11 as opposed to Canada where the average age is 14. However, just because a person is the proper age doesn’t mean you go to high school, she says. “We have common entrance exams in Grade 6,” says Hewlett. “If you pass, you get into your high school of choice. If you fail, you don’t go to high school.” After high school, there is a final year, which is the equivalent to our Grade 12. This is considered to be a

Photo courtesy of Alieka Hewlett

GET MY SWAG ON: Alieka Hewlett posing in the washroom preparing for a night on the town. year of university, according to Hewlett. In Antigua, if someone wants to pursue a full university degree they go to Barbados or Jamaica, she says. During a family vacation to Canada, Hewlett decided to stay and live here instead of going back. “I was failing my classes, I missed my family, and I didn’t want to go back,” she says. At 17, Hewlett was considered a high school graduate in her country, but here she still needed to attend high school. Hewlett says her aunt convinced her to do a year of school here to make it easier to get into post-secondary. Hewlett attended Father John Redmond Catholic High in Etobicoke with both boys and girls. “I was so excited,” she says. “There were boys everywhere and I loved it.” Hewlett also loved her uniform, she says. “I like school here. I get to wear a kilt, and knee highs and I have a locker,” she says. “This is just like on TV. I definitely thought I was the

coolest person in my kilt,” says Hewlett. In Antigua, Hewlett says there were no jocks, cool girls, or nerds. But here it was different.

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No one actually cares if you’re 15 and drinking. There’s always places to get alcohol. You can buy it on the street.

Alieka Hewlett

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“Here there were the black kids, the Polish kids, nerds, and the cool kids.” The people Hewlett hung out with was a “mixed group” she says. “My cousin grew up here, so for the first little bit, I followed him around like a lost puppy until I met my friends. My year, there was two other new kids from Albania and Russia, and we stuck together,” she says. But the differences don’t

stop there. Antiguan schools are very open, with no glass windows, and sometimes they’re all wood. They eat lunch in the classroom. It’s like a hut, says Hewlett. It took a bit for her to adjust to her surroundings, she says. “I had never eaten in a cafeteria before and I have definitely never had a free period,” she says. “It was so nice, but so weird.” Partway through her year in school, Hewlett got her first job at Sizzling Grill. “Back home, you don’t work unless you’re really poor, and people are like, what happened to you?” says Hewlett. She wanted to make money because she didn’t want to keep asking her aunt for money, and she wanted to party on her own dollar. In Antigua, everyone drinks, she says. “No one actually cares if you’re 15 and drinking. There’s always places to get alcohol. You can buy it on the street, in a store,” she says.

“It’s not like Ontario where you can only buy it in the LCBO with government I.D. We love our rum,” according to Hewlett. Parties and clubs in Antigua usually played reggae and dance hall music, she says. “You would never go to a party and hear something like Muse playing, like ever,” she says. Life in Antigua is much different than in Canada and she loves it in Durham, says Hewlett. She says she likes Durham because it is more suburban. She first lived with her aunt in Toronto, and moved to her uncle’s in Ajax. She moved because her aunt’s neighbourhood was “too busy, and too much drama.” Hewlett is also a student at UOIT and it was cheaper for her to live at her uncle’s while attending post-secondary. According to Hewlett, she loves it here and doesn’t see herself moving back to Antigua. “The weather is different, school is different, laws are different, and I’m still trying to adapt, but I’ll never move back home,” she says.

Campus

The Chronicle

March 24, 2015

Jessica Maxwell

LOVE: Howard Gerald is getting some puppy loving after a long day at work.

Pet love can help you feel better Research shows pets can improve mental health Jessica Maxwell The Chronicle

Depression whether it is caused by loss or by experiences in your life can offset many things and make life a daily struggle of trying to keep your head above water. “I have experienced depression from losing an animal, but not from losing a person. Nothing cheers me up after losing an animal. I just reach a new normal and continue loving all the animals in my life,” said Robin Voisey, professor in the Animal Care program at Durham College. Research shows pets can improve your mental health. “It has been scientifically proven that your heart intelligence can improve your health from a biochemical, biophysi-

cal and energetic level,” said Voisey. In a 2014 study published by the International Journal of Comparative Psychology, researchers found humans who had animal companions had beneficial changes to their health. These changes include an increased mood, general improved physical health, decreased stress as well as becoming more social in all aspects of their life. The study suggests part of the reason humans see improvements in mental health is because the animal offers an environment that is free from judgement or stress. Pets also work in a different way than humans, which allows them to see the world differently. People have two forms of intelligence. One is head intelligence that is made up of negative feelings such as worry and depression, which is damaging to our mental health. Heart intelligence is made up of positive feelings like love and compassion, which can help improve human health. According to Voisey, pets make great companions for humans because they give humans something to care for and usually get them active. Pets

also love unconditionally because they have strong heart intelligence instead of head intelligence, said Voisey. According to Angela MartinKing, animal chiropractor at Kingstone Animal Chiropractic, pets can be a great way to lift your mood and spirit. “Pets are always in the moment. They do not dwell on something that happened, they move on. Their energy is focused in the moment and so they help us focus our energy on what is going on right now,” said Martin-King. “Because they live in the moment, they are naturally optimistic and share that enthusiasm with people. How can you not smile at a tail wagging puppy?” Pets often mirror their owners to teach them and to help in any way they can. “If a depressed person owned a pet, the pet might try to mimic depression to try to show the owner that is how they are feeling,” said Voisey. “Along with giving them all the benefits of companionship and a sense of responsibility.” According to Martin-King, humans need pets because for protection and companionship. “They can be assistants or helpers, or protectors and guardians. They can alleviate stress, depression, and give

that uncompromisable love we all seek,” said Martin-King. “Humans need companions, and pets are the best at providing what each person needs.” A study conducted by the University of Saskatchewan on equine assisted psychotherapy showed horses are the best type of therapy for people who have suffered a traumatic event or severe mental health issues. The study showed animals are intuitive creatures. Horses are the most intuitive with dogs being a close second. “If you have a depressed person or someone who had abuse or any kind of mental health issues, if they are standing in the middle of a group of horses, a specific horse will walk forward because they can help that person, “ said Voisey. The emotional state of humans has an energy field that is eight-to-10 feet outside of their bodies, she said, so intuitive animals are drawn to people who need help. Companion animals could make a huge difference with people who are living with mental health issues and provide them with a higher level of living, according to Voisey. She says it is important to keep researching and providing information about animals as a tool in mental health.

“If we understand it from a scientific and spiritual level, people will accept it, believe in it and maybe practise it,” said Voisey. There are currently therapy dogs available to PTSD patients as well as other people with severe mental health issues. The responsibility acts as a coping mechanism to promote a positive mindset. Martin-King says that they people shouldn’t receive animals but rather adopt them and that the government shouldn’t fund the entirety of a program like this. “However, I do think that the government should give grants to those who serve and are in need of a therapy animal for recovery,” said Martin-King. “This would keep the control of those programs with the professionals that are trained to run them, and also give the support of the government for recovery.” She says people who require a therapy dog should look into adoption instead. “There is always an opportunity to start with a personal pet as a companion, I have known many dogs that have the qualities required to be a therapy animal, and develop these qualities based on what their person needs,” said Martin-King.

The Chronicle

March 24, 2015

Campus

ACE, hidden gem at DC, UOIT

Jessica Maxwell The Chronicle

The Automotive Centre for Excellence would rather be called ACE from now on because they have expanded out from just working with automotive projects. ACE is a hidden gem at the DC-UOIT campus that looks like a regular building until you go inside. “ACE is an innovation centre where anyone has access to $100-million tools for research and development,” said John Komar, Director of Engineering and Operations at ACE. ACE has high-level equipment for research in several different fields such as automotive, aerospace, defence, media production, unmanned automated vehicles and much more.

zle in the wind tunnel is one-ofa-kind and allows ACE to play with the way the wind hits a vehicle or piece of machinery, as well as simulate driving and speed. It can simulate driving up a hill carrying a heavy load or downhill. “What makes us a one of kind tunnel is this big dynamometer, this big road simulator that 129,000 kilograms rides on air and we can turn the car into the wind while it’s under full dynamic loads,” said Komar. “So as a result our nozzle has the ability of opening. So it’s a variable nozzle with the rotating table that contains a 1,000 horsepower dynamometer…so we are the only place in the world that can do cross wind development under full dynamic loads.” ACE has two climate cham-

Photo courtesy of ACE

SNOW: ACE creates a blizzard in the wind tunnel to test the effects of weather on automobiles.

Photo courtesy of ACE

NO ECHO: This room allows for soundproof testing and monitoring the breakdown of shake tests. ACE also provides automotive testing such as climate cross-flow and performance under weather, climate and distance simulations. The centre offers many different facilities within the ACE building. The wind tunnel offers aerodynamic wind flow and can simulate the sun, rain, freezing rain and snow. Its temperatures can range between minus 40 and plus 60 degrees Celsius. It can produce humidity range of five-to-95 percent. “We can make it’s as hot as Dubai or we can make it a nice, cold sunny day in winter,” said Komar. The wind tunnel can go from 250 kilometres to a dead still calm. The dynamometer and noz-

bers, one small and one large. The rooms are temperature and humidity controlled and the large chamber has another dynamometer and solar simulation and it can fit a large bus in it. It allows to ACE to test how certain climates affect vehicles, people and other objects over a period of time or series of events. The four-post shaker climate chamber allows ACE to test the durability of any product or vehicle either at a shake rating that a human could withstand or a more intense shake that allows testing the durability of something like an unmanned automated vehicle. The semi anechoic chamber with multi axis shaker table is a room that is soundproof and

produces no echo. There is no echo so this room is perfect for testing anything that may make a sound when breaking down or testing soundproof technology. “When things start to break, they tend to crack and squeak and rattle so a lot of times the tests are called squeak and rattle,” said Komar. Underneath the wind tunnel is a room that looks like a cave, the walls are high and it is because it needs to protect the climate in the wind tunnel so that the test results are based on the right factors. “It’s engineering 101 on steroids. Do we do rocket science here? Absolutely. These bearings are the same idea as is used to move the bottoms of rockets,” said Komar. The machinery used in the

wind tunnel is has been constantly improved through the time ACE has had it. “We have learned so much about our equipment that we have actually added capability,” said Komar.

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The noisiest part of the building is just the normal air-conditioning because we are all self-contained noise.

John Komar

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ACE is the only one of its kind in Canada. Companies used to leave the country for this type of research

but now they stay here. Now researchers from other countries are travelling to Canada to access this technology. Each room is secured behind a key-pass lock to ensure safety and secrecy. No cameras, pictures allowed without approval. ACE works under a five-pillar system where they honour safety, security, quality, flexibility and continuous improvement. The ACE research building is quiet and hidden on the campus. “The most noise we make in this place is in the summer time and it comes from trying to cool the classrooms here,” said Komar. “The noisiest part of the building is just the normal air conditioning because we are all self-contained for noise.”

Photo courtesy of ACE

TESTING: Durability testing against wind and snow.

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Campus

Region issues warning about home-based tattoos Brittany Rout The Chronicle

With the sound of his tattoo gun buzzing and music playing, this is undeniably a relaxed atmosphere. Zac Young, tattoo artist, works from his home in Oshawa. The home-based service he provides to clients allows them access to privacy and low costs that they might not find in a shop. “I’ve worked at shops and I’ve taken my Bloodborne Pathogens course and the other necessary courses to practice as a tattoo artist,” he says. Young emphasizes the importance of cleanliness and safety. “You can’t be dumb, it’s people’s lives.” He adds that the Health Department makes available a list of individuals who have been inspected and suggests that taking a look would be a smart idea for potential clients. This past week, the Region of Durham’s Health Department issued a warning to residents. An artist, based out of Oshawa, is accused of unsafe tattooing practice. The artist works from home and clients are urged to contact the health department due to a

Brittany Rout

TATTOO: Zac Young, tattoo artist, has been inspected by the Region of Durham’s health department, and works from home. concern that the artist’s equipment may be causing the spread of communicable disease.

“At this time we have no evidence of transmission of infectious disease, but there is a risk

of transmission of hepatitis B and C, and HIV because of the use of possibly non-sterile in-

struments by the individual,” says Dr. Robert Kyle. Durham Region Medical Officer of Health, in a news release. For Young, this warning created a negative impact on his business. “People might think that tattooing from home isn’t safe, which isn’t always the case,” he says. The report has provided the public with reason not to visit a home-based tattoo artist, but the question remains, is it safe or should it be avoided? Ashlynne Jones, former Durham College student, says she is willing to take the risk. “My friends had (sic) been tattooed there before, so that was like the security for me,” she says. After reading the news release, Jones says that she would still visit a home-based tattoo artist. “To me, it’s scary because it could happen anywhere,” she says, “but once you have that trust in the artist it really gives me the go ahead.” Young says to always look into your artist and come for a consultation before your tattoo. “Never jump into a tattoo without knowing your artist and where he is working from.”

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Olivia Da Silva

AMNESTY VOLUNTEERS: (Back row left to right): Jamie Bedford, Ryan LePage (Front row left to right): Ryan Persaud, Deepa Dindal, Wesley Ho. Volunteers sit with Amnesty’s International’s mechandise at a recent semi-formal event for the organization.

Fighting for human rights Olivia Da Silva The Chronicle

It was an evening of tea, ties and music as Amnesty International at DC-UOIT held a semi-formal event to raise awareness for the organization. Chocolate covered strawberries and goodie bags were neatly laid out on each table, acting as another indicator of the amount of work the studentrun group put into setting the evening up. Areeba Afreen, the club’s president, highlighted the purpose of the event. “We wanted to wrap up our year for 2014 to 2015, and to introduce what human rights is to new guests.” Included in the evening were a student musician and two spoken word poets, all sharing pieces identifying with human rights. “Waiting for Superman”, performed by Hard Trivedi, depicted a story of standing up against oppression, with powerful lines like “It’s now that we stop pointing fingers and start putting up our middle ones to the politics.” Karen Eaton, a woman who had been volunteering with the international organization for over 20 years, presented as a guest speaker, discussing the importance behind Amnesty International’s work with human rights causes. Eaton gave a great amount of focus to “The Story of Claudia”, which depicted a woman in Mexico who had been taken by Marines, falsely accused of crimes, and tortured until she signed a false confession.

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Last month, it was reported that a judge had just recently dropped the last remaining charge against her.

Karen Eaton

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“Claudia is one of many people who has been tortured in Mexico and lived to tell the experience. She was presented to the media as a dangerous criminal by state officials, anxious to show results on the war on drugs.

Amnesty International was able to help her plead her case, showing the good that their cause does for those around the world. “Last month, it was reported that a judge had just recently dropped the last remaining charge against her,” Eaton elaborated, wrapping up Claudia’s story for those gathered in attendance. A cheque was presented to Eaton from the DC-UOIT branch to Amnesty International, before wrapping the evening up with a group sing-along to K’Naan’s hit song “Wavin’ Flag”, uniting the room in both spirit and song.

March 24, 2015

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Cultural awareness Frank Thickett The Chronicle

Durham College and UOIT hosted a Mother Language Festival to help students learn more about different cultures. According to Sarah Edwards, an International Education Officer at Durham College, the event featured 11 different cultural groups showcasing food, music, and culture. “It’s an important event for students who are inter-

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ested in different cultures,” Edwards explained. “It’s an opportunity for students to come learn about and ask about different cultures.” Several performers were scheduled for the event including a drummer, but the focus of the event this year was on folk tales. “Folk tales used to be a way for people to teach morals,” Edwards said. According to Edwards, planning of the event started back in December. The event took place Wednesday, March 18th.

Campus

Minding your own businesses on campus Frank Thickett The Chronicle

The Vibe, Durham College’s new entrepreneurial office, hosted part four of a five part lecture series to prepare students for entrepreneurial careers. Thinking of a Master Plan is the theme of the lecture at the Vibe and the goal was to prepare students for building their own business plans.

The lecture series is run by FastStart, the campus entrepreneurship program run out of the Vibe. According to Rebecca Holmes, the Entrepreneurship Coordinator from the office of Research Services and Innovation, this lecture is perfect for students with business ideas. “It’s for people hoping to start a business but don’t know where to start,” Holmes said.

The event hopes to help students develop the skills required to build a detailed business plan and will offer an online plan as well. “It’s important to encourage students with these sessions and let them know that the campus offers support,” Holmes said. The fifth part of the lecture series, It’s Everybody’s Business: Basics for Start Ups, will be held on April 8.

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March 24, 2015

Oshawa: Under construction Jessica Maxwell The Chronicle

The City of Oshawa has a lot planned for the upcoming construction season. One of the major projects that will be completed this year is the Conlin Road and Thornton Road roundabout, which will help ease traffic flow when the Highway 407 extension is finished, according to Gary Carroll, director of Engineering Services for the City of Oshawa.

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We’ve got a great council that understands that funding capital projects is a very important part of maintaining our infrastructure.

Paul Ralph

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The city started the project prior to the 407 extension being completed and it is an $8-million project. “We knew full well that there is going to be a lot of traffic between Thickson Road and Simcoe Street. So we anticipated that and we got ahead of it to try and accommodate the traffic in the area,” said Carroll. The purpose of the roundabout is to make a simple, efficient way of directing traffic while lowering the severity of motor accidents. Oshawa will also receive up to 80 kilometres of work for the asphalt, pavement and side-

walk repairs and preventative work. This includes crack sealing, when rubberized asphalt is placed into cracks in the road to stop it from spreading. In some cases a few layers of asphalt is removed and a new asphalt top is layered on top to fix bigger road problems. The city also replaces sidewalks, curbs and ramps to match accessibility guidelines for the province. The City of Oshawa will also be repairing four pedestrian bridges as well as make watercourse improvements in the Goodman and Harmony creeks. The creeks are a $500,000 project. “We will naturalize the streams and add pools for fish,” said Carroll. “Basically we put it back the way it would be otherwise in the wild.” The process that the city goes through to determine which projects they do first is fairly detailed through road needs and bridge needs. “We go out and we access the conditions of the roads under various criteria and we give them a rating number,” said Carroll. “When all is said and done, we score them and we determine which ones have the highest need.” Bridgework is different because it is covered by provincial legislation that makes it mandatory to inspect and maintain the bridges every two years. Carroll’s group stays on top of this on a frequent basis because they want to stay ahead of maintenance. Carroll says that roughly 90

per cent of Oshawa’s bridges fall into the very good to excellent category. These last few years Engineering Services of Oshawa has introduced a new way of getting construction contracts that saves the city money, according to Paul Ralph, commissioner of development services for the City of Oshawa. The city gets council to approve time-sensitive projects in the fall, which allows them to go out in the wintertime and get the best possible deal for construction work for the upcoming construction season through a bidding process. Carroll’s group is also work-

ing on an assets management plan. “What that does, is it will [explain] more about all of the city’s assets whether it be buildings, sewers, pipes, that type of thing,” said Paul Ralph. “It will set out the criteria by which you actually make a decision for where the priorities are for spending your capital money in future.” Ralph stressed that council is a big part of why they can do so much work. “We’ve got a great council, that understands that funding capital projects is a very important part of maintaining our infrastructure,” said Ralph.

The city of Oshawa is introducing a new accessibility feature at intersections in the form of a metallic plate that is cast into the pavement to help people with accessibility or mobility issues as they walk towards intersections. “Legislation calls for it to start in 2016 but we made the decision that with all of our capital projects we are going to do that this year,” said Carroll. “We’ve also asked for developers in the community where there is subdivisions or large apartment complexes to also include the same type of feature everywhere there is pedestrian activity adjacent to a roadway.”

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Campus

Conlin Road is nearing completion Jessica Maxwell The Chronicle

Conlin Road near the joint DC-UOIT campus has been under construction since fall of 2013 and it will be completed in late summer 2015. The road is getting an $8-million renovation that includes a modern roundabout at Conlin Road and Thornton Road.This will help with the flow of traffic from the Highway 407 extension. According to Gary Carroll, Director of Engineering Services for the City of Oshawa, the road will also see fixes such as, the realignment of the Oshawa Creek so that they can build up the road. They’ll also be building a high level structure over top of the creek which will allow for the current two lane rural road to become a four lane road. This will also have sidewalks, curbs and cycling paths near the campus. The City of Oshawa hasn’t been working on the road as much because the melting snow weakens the concrete and can damage the road. The lesser work load started on March 1st and the city will

Jessica Maxwell

CONLIN ROAD: Conlin Road at Founders Drive is slowly re-opening in time for summer. Durham College, UOIT students and drivers will be free of the construction headache. start again in approximately six weeks. According to Carroll the

Oshawa city council approves new bylaws Kyle Brown The Chronicle

Councillors of Oshawa city council will continue to ask as many questions as they want of delegations after deciding not to approve a recommendation that would have put restrictions on the amount questions asked during council. The recommendation, brought forth in a report by the Public Participation Committee, was the only one not approved by council. The committee was formed with the intention of boosting both public and councillor involvement at council and committee meetings. Bob Malcolmson, chair of the Public Participation Committee, said council needs to adopt the recommendation due to past delegations leaving council after those who spoke before them took too long. “The committee feels very strongly that council needs to have a process on their side as well as the public participation side, because without this process there is no respect for the agenda or

for the public.” Malcolmson said councillors would only be allowed to ask two questions of a delegate or staff for clarification on the subject matter on the table. But he adds there would be a possibility of a third question if approved by the majority of council. Malcolmson believes the recommendation would add openness and transparency to meetings and stop councillors from monopolizing meetings with questions they can get answers to elsewhere. “Is this about face time on Rogers (television) or recognizing that you need to have a efficient, transparent, accountable meeting,” Malcolmson questioned. Councillor Amy England, however, argued that it’s important for councillors to be able to ask many questions on significant reports in an open, public, and televised form. She said this is an important part of a transparent meeting, and believes it is especially important when a councillor is the only opposi-

project is almost three quarters of the way done. “In mid-to-late April we will

tion member on a topic. “By not limiting the ability of elected officials to address issues and converse with a delegation, that is transparency,” said councillor Nancy Diamond. “By limiting those who have been elected it is cutting off not only their right to ask questions but their obligation to do their job.” Councillor England added that at times councillors might not have time to sit down on committee meetings due to scheduling issues, and would not be afforded an opportunity to ask questions on topics because they could not attend a certain committee meeting. Malcolmsom responded by saying it was important to her as a councillor then councillor England should have been involved throughout the process. “They can go through the process by asking questions of people prior to, asking staff questions, reading the report and attending committee meetings, that’s what they’re being paid for,” said Malcolmsom.

be starting this project up again and it needs about two-three months before we’re totally fin-

ished,” said Carroll. They hope to have a ‘grand opening ‘ in late July 2015.

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Campus

Take to the skies for womankind Aviation is a career for women, too

Emma Nicholls The Chronicle

In Canada, fewer than six per cent of employees working as pilots, flight instructors or flight engineers are female, according to the latest census. Amelia Earhart, a famous woman of aviation once said, “You haven’t seen a tree until you’ve seen its shadow from the sky.” She pioneered the way for women of aviation, and that achievement is celebrated each year for a week in March coinciding with International Women’s Day. To celebrate Women of Aviation Week recently, female pilots and other experts in the field gathered at the Oshawa Airport to answer questions from the public. They also took a few lucky ladies up in a small airplane for a short ride in the clouds above Oshawa. Jackie Book, a pilot for the last 17 years, has flown about two thousand military hours and teaches new pilots the ropes. “I’ve always liked flying but at the time I was going to the [university] and they came out with an incredible commercial aviation management program and that’s when I joined that program and I realized I loved flying and ever since then I’ve never looked back,” she said. Book says there are a disproportionate number of women in her field and she’s trying to encourage more to take up aviation. “It’s a great career, and unfortunately, we don’t have that many ladies compared to men in the program,” she said. Book loves all aspects of flying. “The people that you get to fly with, the places that you get to go and obviously the aircraft

Emma Nicholls

FLYING IN STYLE: Jackie Book, an instructor pilot at the multi-engine school in Portage La Prairie, Man., stands in front of a King Air plane on display at the Oshawa Airport. you get to fly – phenomenal,” she said. “I’m so happy to be able to influence young ladies coming into the flying career.” She belongs to the 99s, a non-profit international organization of women from 36 countries around the world that promotes females in the industry through scholarships, support and education. According to the organization’s website, almost every female pilot in the world will belong to the 99s at some point in their career. There are 10 Canadian chapters with six in Ontario and four in Western Canada. Amelia Earhart was the organization’s first president in 1929. Not all women of aviation are pilots. There are a number of other careers involving air traffic and safety. Leslie Calhoun is the manager of operational training at NAV Canada. She is responsible for national recruitment, and oversees all job training for all air traffic controllers across the country. “I was about 20 years old and just near the end of my undergraduate degree at the Uni-

Emma Nicholls

SKY-HIGH: An aerial view of Oshawa during a flight on March 7.

versity of Windsor, questioning my career path. I considered and researched many careers. I was searching for something rewarding, both personally and financially,” she said. “When I finally did get to meet someone that did the job, what really struck me is how much they loved it and how happy they were.” Calhoun said free flights are a myth and although the job is stressful, she’s glad she pursued air traffic control as a career. She has worked for the last 23 years as an air traffic controller and manager for NAV Canada. Kim Winsor is a pilot for Air Canada, something she has always wanted to do. She worked her way through the skies for several years before landing her dream job. “I instructed for three years with the flight school, then I went on to fly with Provincial Airlines, which the flight school was owned by. I was flying throughout Newfoundland and Labrador, also did a couple flights into Greenland,” she said. Winsor enjoyed flying above Eastern Canada, and appreciated the beautiful landscapes beneath her wings. “My next step was flying with CanJet Airlines on the 737 as a first officer. This was a great airline. Unfortunately, it was short-lived as six months after I started to work there they actually shut down operations,” said Winsor. “I was forced to find another job.” Winsor went on to have a job with SunWing Airlines for eight months before receiving a call from Air Canada, and her dream became a reality. Glennis Walsh is also an Air Canada pilot, and she got her career started through the Air Cadets. “I am a huge advocate for the

Air Cadet program and what they can do for you,” she said. “My brother is an Air Canada pilot and he got his licence through Air Cadets and our father who is also an airline pilot also got his licence through Air Cadets.”Walsh says her inspiration for becoming a pilot came from her father. “He was an airline pilot and absolutely loved his job. One of the best days of flying was be-

ing able to go flying with my dad in a 152 after I got my licence,” she said. Walsh has flown a number of well-known people, including Jack Layton in 2008. “That was a real honour doing that flying. We got to fly to places like Thompson, Manitoba, stuff that would not normally be on an Air Canada route schedule. It was a real fantastic opportunity.”

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Entertainment

March 24, 2015

Adam Jankiewicz

FROM STUDENT TO AUTHOR: Agniezska Jankiewicz poses with her self-published book Q-16 and the Eye to All Worlds.

From student to published author Eva Matys-Wright The Chronicle

A 27-year-old Durham College student hits two birds with one stone by self-publishing a novel and completing a final thesis project. Agniezska Jankiewicz, a third year Contemporary Media Production student, has self published her first fiction book in connection to a thesis project. Students in their last year of Contemporary Media Production use this project to display their knowledge throughout the course. Jankiewicz has been in the

process of writing her book for 14 years and has finally published ‘Q-16 and The Eye To All Worlds.’ The story is about two Toronto teenagers named Annetta and Jason, who have inherited an underwater base called ‘Q-16’. The teens then discover a warlord who is trying to use the base for his own evil plans. “One of my teachers asked me how I spent my summer and I told him I was editing my book,” said Jankiewicz. “He asked me if it was my thesis project and I just said ‘no but it could be’.” The book was already com-

pleted when Jankiewicz decided to make it her thesis project. For my presentation for my thesis project I just literally brought in the manuscript and said, ‘I wasn’t kidding I did actually write a book’,” said Jankiewicz. “A lot of people didn’t want to believe me at that point I think.” Including the prologue and epilogue the book has 63 chapters and 491 pages. Jankiewicz says that she prefers smaller, shorter chapters since longer ones can sometimes be boring. “The book is a wonderful story about a young girl being thrust into a world that her fa-

ther distanced himself from,” said Ashlee Terlicher, long term friend of Jankiewicz who acted like an editor and preread the book before publication. “Throughout her journey she grows and matures and Annetta is a character we can seeourselves in.” She credits her ability to write well due to her degree in Film Theory and Criticism from York University. “When I was writing my first draft I paced myself and did 1,000 words a day,” said Jankiewicz. “That way I never ran out of ideas and I always knew what I would be writing the next day.”

Jankiewicz published her book on Lulu, which is a selfpublishing website. Her book is also available for purchase on Amazon but Jankiewicz recommends buying off Lulu for a cheaper price. She estimates she has sold around 30 books. She currently still works part time at Déjà vu Discs in Oshawa and hopes to start a career after graduation in web design or graphic design. Jankiewicz is already writing a second book to sequel ‘Q-16 and The Eye To All Worlds’ and is planning on attending various conventions to help promote it.

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Sports

March 24, 2015

Jenny Gordon

OCAA WEEKEND: (Left) Vice President of Marketing and Sporting Development , smiles with a poster for the championships, which he has spent months helping plan. (Right) Durham head coach, Desmond Rowley gives the Lords a pep-talk mid game.

Lords succeed at hosting OCAA hoops

Durham shows off campus at provincials Jenny Gordon The Chronicle

The Ontario Colleges Athletic Association men’s basketball championship wasn’t just a success for the bronze medal the Lords won, but also for the tournament organizers.

A tournament of this scale takes time to set up. If a college wants to host a championship game they must put a bid offer similar to the way the Olympic bids are received by a city. Durham College won the bid and it took more than a year to organize the event. Scott Dennis, vice-president Marketing and Sporting Development at Durham College, said the effort put into an event of this scale was well worth it. “It’s a lot of work leading into it,” he said. “It goes by pretty quick. But it’s pretty rewarding when your teams are playing

and everybody says such good things about your hosting job.” Dennis also mentioned that throughout the three-day tournament the crowd attendance stayed consistent. “We’ve also had the local community out,” he said. “We had a bunch of schools that came out and participated in the mini games and they brought busloads as well.” He mentioned that the next tournament Durham will host is the national woman’s fastball championship in the fall. Ken Babcock, athletic director at Durham College, says it

takes a lot of school spirit to pull off a tournament. “Our entire staff gets behind it,” he said. “Our administration gets behind it and our Student Association. It’s a real great opportunity for schools to showcase their campus.” He said it took four months to put the final details together and the timing of March Madness completed the ending to the season. “It’s really exciting to have the best college players play at our campus,” he said. The experience that comes from a home-hosted champion-

ship tournament for students is important, said Babcock. “It’s about the student experience for sure,” he said. “One of the amazing things is the student volunteers and my staff that do an amazing job all make up for a great event that the student-athletes can experience.” Ryan Colpitts, a Durham College student studying advertising and marketing, cheered on the Lords to their third place victory. “It’s just an amazing tournament,” he said. “Any basketball lover would love to be here.”

Men’s volleyball season goes sour Jenny Gordon The Chronicle

Jenny Gordon

LOOKING AHEAD: Sports information and Special Events Coordinator, Christopher Cameron has hope for the Lords next season.

The Durham Lords men’s volleyball team’s performance at the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association championships didn’t reflect their season. The team had a perfect 18-0 record heading lead into the final tournament where they lost two games in a row to St. Clair and Sheridan. The three-day event at St. Clair College’s new SportsPlex facility in Windsor featured an amazing crowd. Durham Lords men’s volleyball captain, Jeremy Hoekstra, says it was a disappointment to leave the tournament empty handed. “Unfortunately we didn’t make it past our first rounds,” he said. “We played pretty well. We just ran into a couple of pretty tough teams.”

Looking back at the tournament there are some sore feelings towards the outcome, but no regrets. “I wish we could have gone further; I don’t have any regrets with my five years here. It’s been a great experience all the way through,” he said. The first college the Lords played against were the hosts, St. Clair Saints. “We matched up against St. Clair in the first round. It was pretty cool actually,” he said. “They had a marching band and cheerleading section. The stands were absolutely packed. It was really loud but it was fun to play.” Hoekstra said the team needed to pull together to pull off the game. “We didn’t so much play a team game but an individual game at parts,” he said. “And it

put us in trouble.” The Lords played Sheridan College after St. Clair and Hoeskstra hoped for a better result. “That was a game we should have won,” he said. “We played that game not to lose.” As the captain to a sinking ship he wanted the team to go all the way, but sadly they fell short. “Yeah of course,” he said. “With a loss like that especially after a great season there’s always going to be those feelings [disappointment] but at this point it’s what you choose to do from here on.” He hopes the team can win the championships next year. Christopher Cameron, Sports Information and Special Events Coordinator, says it was an unfortunate result. “We did have a tough game,”

he said. “We lost that three sets to one, I don’t think that was expected.” The new fitness facility was a huge factor, he said. “It was their [St. Clair’s] first big major event at the facility they had a big crowd and I don’t think that was something we had experienced this year,” he said. Cameron said Hoekstra had the right idea, it doesn’t matter what the season record is, the tournament should be taken with a fresh mindset. “I think even if you look at the men’s basketball championships you don’t experience those crowds all season,” he said. “I think we average[d] somewhere between 200 and 400 people.” A crowd can make or break the players’ concentration, and proved to be true for the Lords.

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