Chronicle 15 16 issue 05 rev1

See COACH, page 20

See ANOTHER, page 2

Volume XLIII, Issue 5

November 10, 2015

OCAA championship win UOIT cafe´ serves up side of English Tabitha Reddekop The Chronicle

W

Logan Caswell

CHAMPIONS: Catcher Justine Pike jumps into the arms of teammate and shortstop Rebecca Ropp after scoring an inside the park home run and winning the OCAA championship gold medal game. For more photos, see page 21.

hen Wesslen Lima, a UOIT international student from Brazil, first arrived in Canada two months ago, he could only speak broken words in English but thanks to the Conversation Café, he can now say big sentences.

The Conversation Café helps international students practie their English skills while meeting people from around the world and learning about Canadian culture.

Around 15 to 25 students gather every Thursday afternoon from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. in a room inside the U5 portable to socialize and have group discussions.

Catherine Lee, an English Second Language Specialist from UOIT, is the brainchild of the weekly event.

She says she started the group to help students develop their speaking and listening skills.

Lee says most international students, such as Lima, have good English skills when it comes to reading and writing but haven’t had the chance to have actual conversations.

“They might be working in a lab all day long, five days a

week. Some of them might not have the opportunity to integrate and meet up with anyone,” she says.

She started the weekly gatherings in 2010 to change that.

“University can be a lonely place for anyone but especially if you are an international student it can be extremely lonely and isolating.”

She says the group was formed with international students in mind but it has expanded to welcome non-international students as well.

She says talking to Canadian students helps the international students integrate into Canadian culture.

She says the group also tries to have relevant conversations to do with Canadian culture and traditions to help students understand them.

The past few weeks included discussions on Canadian politics and Halloween.

Eddy Zhou says it was groups similar to the Conversation Café that really helped him when he came to Canada from China in 2006 as a teenager.

When he became a student at UOIT he was drawn to the group for social reasons.

See Practise page 2

The campus is wheelchair friendly Accessible for all students

Andrew Brennan The Chronicle

T

he leaves are beginning to fall, the mornings are colder and darker and snow will soon coat the streets and sidewalks of Oshawa.

Imagine you’re walking to your favourite restaurant, or maybe your friend’s house; snow crunches under your feet as you hop up the stairs to enter the building. Now, think about that scenario again, but you’re in a wheelchair. The snow is caught in your wheels, and the last thing on your mind is how you’re going to reach that door because you’re fighting to move even an inch.

With winter quickly approaching, it’s more important

now than ever to address the issue of wheelchair accessibility.

While Oshawa suffers from a lack of universal accessibility, Durham College (DC) is trying its best to make all its students feel welcome when they exit the city and enter the campus.

The college is committed to creating a universally accessible student experience, and has worked in cooperation with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) to ensure its hallways, bathrooms and residences meet the needs of all students.

Durham Region has a population of around 650,000. According to Statistics Canada, approximately 70,000 are living with a disability.

That means more than ten per cent of the population lives with a disability, but there are still buildings around Oshawa and its surrounding cities that are not universally accessible.

A lack of wheelchair accessibility is a huge issue, as many businesses still only provide a stairway to their entrance, and fail to include lower elevated sinks

and soap dispensers in their bathrooms. Paint for handicap parking spaces has washed away, and street signage is at a height that’s difficult to see for someone in a wheelchair.

Buildings around the city still lack automatic door openers, and even if they do have them, the layout of these buildings often makes it difficult for someone in a wheelchair to maneuver comfortably. This may also include, but is not limited to, the removal of snow from sidewalks and pathways in the winter.

Durham College and UOIT made it one of their goals in the Campus Master Plan to address these issues, work within the AODA standards, and make the school accessible for all students, staff and faculty.

Durham College states on its website that it’s a “value-driven organization, committed to equal access, diversity, respect and delivering quality customer service.”

Section 3.2 of the Campus Master Plan directly addresses universal accessibility, adher-

ing to both the AODA and the Accessibility Standards for the Design of Public Spaces.

Wheelchair accessible ramps can be seen throughout the campus, bathroom stalls contain lowered sinks, soap dispensers and hand dryers, elevators are scattered throughout, and hallways are spacious enough that students using a wheelchair can flow freely amongst other students.

Also, any new building will be required to meet the standards set out in the Ontario Building Code, in relation to the AODA requirements.

It is the goal of the AODA to achieve accessibility for Ontarians with disabilities by Jan. 1, 2025. That means, within the next decade, it will be expected that buildings located in Oshawa will follow the lead of Durham College and UOIT and become universally accessible.

That includes, installing wheelchair accessible ramps, bathrooms and transportation devices such as an elevator. The goal of the AODA is that any “barriers” preventing persons

with a disability from, “fully participating in all aspects of society because of his or her disability,” will be removed in the next ten years.

Marc Athanas, the Residence Life Manager for Durham College and UOIT’s South Village and Simcoe residences, can attest to the amount of change that can come in a decade.

Athanas has been working at the school for approximately ten years, and has seen significant change in the level of universal accessibility since his arrival.

The South Village residence has seen additions to its accessibility in terms of automatic doors, and the level of accommodation it provides with its rooms.

“Any student who has a mobility concern, we ensure they’re housed in our South Village residence, because of its proximity to the institution, especially come winter,” says Athanas.

See DC page 2

2

The Chronicle

DC is more accessible than Oshawa Continued from page 1 “We have barrier free suites here, which are designed for access for students who use a wheelchair.”

The suites include a roll-in shower, grab bars in the bathroom, a lowered counter, and other similar accessibility features, Athanas says.

These features mimic the transformation the campus has seen in the journey to making Durham College more universally accessible.

“We’ve had students who’ve had beds that we provide that didn’t fit their needs. We work with that student to get a bed in there that does fit their needs,” says Athanas.

Athanas and his team at the South Village residence have also lowered sinks upon request and are willing to do what is needed to accommodate all students, he says. The current system is not perfect, and it may never be. But as the college states on its website, “we strive to foster an accessible environment throughout our organization.”

The school continues to move toward its goal of a barrier-free student experience.

However, even the current level of universal accessibility can act as an escape from the struggles some students may face in a city that has yet to catch up to standards of the AODA and the needs of over ten per cent of its citizens. Students who use wheelchairs can exit the city, where ramps and other accommodations aren’t provided, and feel welcomed by the college’s plan to make itself more accessible. Oshawa and other cities in the Durham Region can look to the steps DC has taken. The time will come when students realize their voice matters in both their community and their school.

Durham College already suffers from a lack of student engagement, it’s important to strengthen the relationship with its students. Adding to the level of accessibility doesn’t only affect those students who have accessibility needs. It will show all students the lengths their school is willing to go to accommodate them.

November 10, 2015

Campus

Practise English at the convo cafe´ Continued from page 1

Zhou says even though his English skills had improved, he still liked to hang out with people who understood the difficulties of speaking a second language.

Students, such as Lima can relate to his difficulties.

Lima says he found English an easy language to learn on paper because it was similar to his native language of Portuguese, but found it harder to understand when it was spoken to him.

“They have the same writing but different sounds,” he explains, adding that the café gave him experience on how to differentiate the sounds.

Zhou says his biggest worry when he first came to Canada was not being able to finish conversations.

“I got really shy and it became a circle where I’m too shy to talk to people and my English skills don’t develop.”

He says he has broken this pattern but still enjoys coming to the café to make friends and help other students break out of their comfort zones.

Lee says even though Zhou has been coming to the group for years, most students only stay for a year or semester or even just a month.

She says she is happy when students stop coming because

Tabitha Reddekop

SECOND LANGUAGE: Wesslen Lima, a UOIT international student from Brazil, holds up a Halloween mask he made at the Conversation Cafe. The Cafe helps him practise his English and learn about different parts of Canadian culture, such as Halloween. she wants students to get what they need out of the group.

“It means they are now feeling independent enough, in the point of view of language skills,

their social network that they can manage by themselves.”

Lima is pleased with the progress he has made since he started coming out to the Con-

versation Cafe.

“My friend from here told me that my English has improved too much,” he says with a laugh.

Another new face on campus Alumni welcomes new prez Sachin Bahal The Chronicle

Chris Vale is the new president of the Durham College Alumni Association. He previously was a member of the association’s board. Vale graduated from the web development program at Durham College in 2002.

Vale says that his role will require him to help run the Board of Directors meeting as well as trying to keep the vision of the association which is to help alumni stay connected with the Durham College community.

The Alumni Association provides programs and activities to help serve alumni.

Durham College has 73,000 alumni so far. Every graduate from the college is a member of the Alumni Association.

Vale has worked for a number of non-profit organizations and charities. He was the Director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Durham Region but is

Sachin Bahal

NEW ROLE: Chris Vale is the new president of the Durham College Alumni Association. now a member of their Public Relations committee.

Vale is also on the Board of Directors of the Ajax-Pickering Board of Trade. Vale says that these roles will be able to help him in his new role as president of the Alumni Association.

“I want to give back to organizations and places that have helped make me what I am today, they’ve also helped with my personal business,” Vale says.

When Vale is not running

meetings and events for the Alumni Association, he is running his own company, CLH Designs, which provides web solutions for businesses in Durham Region.

Vale is replacing Lesley Wagner, who just finished her two-year term. The Alumni Association also has a new vice president, Elaine Garnett, who graduated from Durham College in 1990 in the advertising program.

In addition, the new board

members are Heather Bulman, Matisse Hamel-Neils and Vanessa Hughes. Bulman and Hamel-Nelis both recently graduated from Durham College’s public relations program while Hughes graduated in 1990 from the human resources program.

Hamel-Nelis says when she was at Durham College, she was very active in extracurricular activities on campus.

But then when she finished her studies, she says that she really missed all that.

“When this opportunity arose with the alumni association, I thought, I need to be there … it was my way to stay connected with the school,” says Hamel-Nelis.

Both Bulman and HamelNelis were part of the Durham College ‘Experience’ campaign.

Bulman says it increased her knowledge and passion for the school. She believes that those are the types of things that she can bring to the table as a new board member.

Bulman says, “Once you graduate, you’re so excited that you got to go of to new world with all theses skills that you’ve learned but at the same time I really do love this school and any opportunity that I can find to stay connected to the school and benefit future students, I jumped all over that.”

Campus

The Chronicle

November 10, 2015

3

The appeal of online learning Taylor Prest

learned in physical classrooms.

Flexibility is key.

“Most online courses are what we call synchronized which means you’re not signed on chatting with your professor at the same time, you just sign on when you need too,” says Hinton.

This means that a student with a family or a job is allowed to do their learning on their own time. Hinton goes on to say that faculty for online courses at Durham are taught how to develop and teach for a technology-based classroom.

This instruction prepares faculty to understand the differences between physical and cyber courses. In the end, the students benefit.

The University of Phoenix

primarily offers their students learning online and students prefer it compared to what we call a “normal” classroom.

They’re the first post-secondary institution in the states to market online as their primary offering for students. Durham College leads in the GTA area with their offering of online learning for programs. Nearly half of a student’s course load at DC is either fully or partially online. Along with an associated email each student is required to check regularly.

Students who have knowledge in online are able to deal with work-related problems faster then students who don’t.

Technology is where the future of education is headed so without any experience dealing with

an online-based course it will be harder to meet challenges in most careers. Hinton approves of the way technology prepares students for the workforce and agrees with the pros online learning offers.

“I do believe that technology allows better learning experiences in some cases,” says Hinton.

Durham College’s Manager of Distance Education, Michelle Mouton, oversees the hiring of instructors for most online courses in the college.

She also ensures the quality of online learning. Mouton believes online learning has grown in popularity because it is what students were used to.

Most students are already on their computers, so adding on a

course where all you do is sign on and use a laptop or desktop is very easy.

Mouton says that students have become a lot busier.

“When I was a student I didn’t have a cellphone, I didn’t have a car, I was a student and that was my job,” she says. “Noticing now what student’s lives entail with kids and phones or cars they need to pay off, I think life has become busier.”

Travelling long distances may not be the ideal approach for some students, especially those with full-time employment.

Travelling for a three-hour class isn’t appealing, especially if it’s five days a week and requires a lot of studying. Mouton explains that commuting is exhausting and that is why being able to multi-task and get work done at your own speed at home is why online learning is what students find desirable.

However, online learning does have many faults, even if they are minimal. Procrastination is the downfall for a majority of students and having material and a program online can definitely not help. You need to be driven or else falling behind with work is the gift you will be rewarded.

Still, a majority of students prefer technology-based education. It’s safe to say the pros will always outweigh the cons of cyber credits. Having a more in-depth look and perspective into the cyber world of eLearning demonstrates just how appealing and beneficial it can be.

cialist at the Student Academic Learning Centre (SALS) for the college and university, said that there is not as much opportunity for cursive writing because most professors want students to submit their assignments electronically.

“I think that most students between their phones and tablets and laptops and computers and so on. There’s not as much opportunity to use cursive writing,” Linstrum says.

Cursive writing is something that requires patience and there has to be a connection to the material, Linstrum says. When someone is typing on a computer, there is more of a detachment as your fingers move, while when you are writing something out, you are more active. When writing something out, you have to think about what you are writing, there isn’t that pause between words.

A 2014 Princeton University study says that students are more likely to learn “when they use old-fashioned handwriting rather than the computer to take notes in class.” This may be because writing requires a different connection to the ma-

terial, as opposed to typing.

At SALS, Linstrum says that students may become disconnected from the material that they are producing if they are just passively typing away at the computer.

“It requires a different connection to the material. Students get distracted by looking at other things on their tablets or phones,” Linstrum says. “I think it decreases that creativity.”

If cursive writing is not being reinforced and students are not being given the tools to develop the skills needed for cursive writing, then the students would lose the lack of creativity that cursive writing has to offer.

Cursive writing does not always mean writing out notes for class or writing an essay. Cursive writing could be used when students do research for school.

Linstrum says that people may lose track of their information more easily if there are many open tabs on their computer or tablet open.

Before technology started to evolve and make its way into schools, cursive writing was introduced to students at a young age. Cursive writing is first

mentioned to students in Ontario in Grade 3. However, like many U.S. states, cursive writing is being eliminated from the curriculum. While there is still mention of cursive in Ontario, it is not an expectation anymore. Instead it is just known as one-way that students can show their work to teachers.

A survey conducted in 2013

by Pew Research showcased how many Advanced Placement (AP) and National Writing Project (NWP) teachers use technology in the classroom.

Almost 2,500 teachers were surveyed on cell-phones, laptops, tablets and other devices in the classroom. In the survey, 73 per cent of teachers said that they and/or their students use their phones in the classroom or to complete other assignments. When using tablets in class, 43 per cent said of students say they use it to complete assignments.

With the growing usage of tablets, cellphones and laptops in the school system, cursive writing has become less prominent. There are also now SMART boards in the classroom, which are similar to a blackboard. About one-third

of classrooms in Canada now carry SMART boards in their classroom. With more technology the option to print, write cursive or type your notes is becoming less of an option.

This means college and university students won’t be able to use cursive in class, unless the choose to.

At SALS, Linstrum says that there are many students who come in to get help with their work who prefer to print or write their notes in cursive.

This is because they can remember the notes more easily.

“When I see students in here and I hand them out some documents, for doing an essay outline, or taking what are called research notes, or developing their own editing checklist.

Many students tell me that they are more a paper and pen person,” Linstrum says.

Cursive writing may still be in the school system now, even vaguely, but the question is how long will that last? If classrooms are becoming more technologically-based, it may not be long until cursive writing is a vague memory that is only used when your grandmother writes you a Christmas card.

The Chronicle

The primary use of technology is now a required action for courses in a post-secondary institution rather then face-toface teaching. It’s efficient for students with busy schedules, travelling long distances and completing other daily tasks such as work and extracurricular activities. But even with the drawbacks such as procrastination, online learning is becoming more appealing. Being able to stay at home in your pyjamas while working is every student’s dream and a big factor for online courses. Cyber courses are convenient and for many, an easier method to earn an education, making it beneficial for students who would rather not travel for a class.

The online community of the University of Phoenix says 46 per cent of students feel their biggest motivation for pursuing a course online is to expand their current program of choice. This gives students ways to pursue their career without having to travel and set up a scheduled timetable for classes. Convenience is what online learning truly emphasizes. On the other hand, 60 per cent of students have said they take courses online to manage their job schedule.

Durham College’s Centre for Academic’s (CAFÉ) director, Chris Hinton, believes that the valuable skills online learning teaches students cannot be

Taylor Prest

ONLINE EDUCATION: Michelle Mouton oversees the hiring of instructors for most online courses in the college. She also ensures the quality of online learning.

Lack of cursive writing affects students Reba Pennell The Chronicle

Cursive writing was once prominent in the school system. Nowadays, with the growing demand of technology, the use of cursive writing in schools is becoming non-existent. So, is cursive writing dead? Students won’t have the advantage of learning how to write in cursive, which means that they won’t know how to sign their name, sign cheques, write thank you notes, write birthday cards or read historical documents. Cursive writing in the school system is being taken over by a more technologybased, interactive classroom.

The growing demand to have electronics in the classroom is cutting out time to learn about subjects that require pen and paper, like cursive writing.

Cursive writing is still needed to enhance students learning.

In The Wall Street Journal, researchers have found that learning how to write cursive helps students with learning the letters of the alphabet and different shapes.

Leslie Linstrum, writing spe-

4

The Chronicle

November 10, 2015

Publisher: Greg Murphy Editor-in-Chief: Brian Legree Ad Manager: Dawn Salter

Editorial Page

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

Alex Ross

How sports culture keeps cashing in Professional sports has become one big game of Monopoly. The fans are the spaces, the athletes are the tokens, and the owners and league commissioners are the ones rolling the dice and controlling us all. And just like the game of Monopoly, their goal is to take those tokens to every space and do one thing, make money.

They litter your television with advertisements, schedule games on every available day, sometimes disregarding player safety to put themselves in your living room even more than they already are, and they’ve created a culture which craves numbers featuring dollar signs rather than wins or losses.

It truly begins and ends with

the insane level of advertising professional sports has taken on. Almost every stadium name is now sold to the highest bidder.

A perfect example is the stadium formerly known as the SkyDome. It now stands as one giant advertisement for Rogers.

On top of their names, stadiums themselves are plastered with advertisements. From the jumbotrons to the benches, to the walls holding the building up.

But no one does advertising quite like European football.

Turn on your television on a Saturday or Sunday morning to catch some Barclays Premier League action and you’ll see

the likes of Chevrolet, Yokohama Tyres, Etihad Airways and Standard Chartered plastered on the kits of the league’s biggest teams. This trend is now spreading to North America.

The NBA announced Kia Motors will have its logo on the All-Star Game jerseys for the next two years. I suppose the State Farm All-Star Saturday Night festivities, featuring the Degree Shooting Stars, Taco Bell Skills Challenge, Foot Locker Three-Point contest, and Sprite Slam Dunk contest was too subtle.

The real king of the professional sports business model is the NFL. Twenty of the 32 NFL teams were on Forbes most recent edition of their 50

most valuable sports franchises. Every team is worth over a billion dollars and the league’s average value has grown 38 per cent over the past year, to two billion dollars.

The NFL is such a lucrative business that it’s led to the historic rise of fantasy football. A 2013 article by Brian Goff of Forbes estimated 32 million Americans participate in fantasy football, and placed its value at around $70 billion.

It’s only grown since then, and has gotten to the point that during Sunday Night Football, commentators Al Michaels and Cris Collin sworth will often make comments about their own fantasy teams.

However, the NFL is a

A

E

T

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

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

Publisher: Greg Murphy

Editor-In-Chief: Brian Legree

Advertising Production Manager: Kevan F. Drinkwalter

Andrew Brennan

dvertising sales:

Sharik Aga, Christina Alexiou, Kendra Allin, Evan Blair, Rebecca Broderick, Courtney Brown, Malik Burke, Garbrielle Charrois, Deanna Colomvakos, Shannon Darroch, Taylor Ellis, Francesco Ferrara, Kaitlin Francis, Brittany Garlin, Lauren Givelas, Zara Impelido, Chayanika Kar, Zack LevequeWilson, Dominique Libbert, Tyler Macdonald, Anabella Macdonald-Pearce, Courtney Mccormick, Cameron Mckinnon, Stephanie Michaud, Heather Moran, Karen Prozak, Justin Rojas, Justin Sagolili, Nicole Scholtz, Jacob Skiffington, Kaitlyn Souch,Taylor Smith,Cassidy Wagner.

ditors:

Deen Albertini, Sachin Bahal, Andrew Brennan, Alyssa Bugg, Ryan Burden, Logan Caswell, Megan Chase, Bill Christou, Michael Clark, David Conti, Alexander Costa, Jordan Edmonds, Alyssa Erwin, Michael Fletcher, Jordyn Gitlin, Sean Heeger, Kyle Johnson, Shane O’Neill, Mariah Pardy, Sherise Peart-Kent, Reba Pennell, Remona Maria Pillai, Cameron Popwell, Taylor Prest, Cody Quinney, Amanda Ramlal, Tabitha Reddekop, Christopher Rego, Charles Roach, Alexander Ross, Justin Stewart, Marina Tyszkiewicz, Sandhya Visvanathan, Taylor Waines.

league that now clearly values the dollar more than its athletes. Thursday Night Football was established in 2006, and has been a staple in the weekly schedule for the past few years.

In a sport built on beasts of human beings trying to slam each other into the ground, the NFL has decided that each week two teams will play on Sunday and then again four days later on Thursday.

Why would the league completely disregard player safety like this, you ask? Maybe it’s the almost one billion dollars of tax-free revenue those games pull in annually.

Features editor: Teresa Goff

Photography Editor: Al Fournier

A

dvertising design: Darian Alphonso,

Adrian Blake, Surya Brehm, Quinn Ciceri, Amy Dewey, Charlotte Dockerty Watters, Nicole EderDoucette, Aaron Esmaquel, Graham Hart, Alysha Jacovou, Okeen James, Jessica Lalonde, Jesse Mendell, Joel Mitchell, Julianna Moffatt, Jacob Moss, Kimberly Nickerson, Hasaan Osensi, Also Perri, Karlee Pafford, Alexander Pecchia, Aldo Perri, Madison Reesor, Caitlyn Swinerd, Paige Towell, Philip Trapp, Veronica Trask, Cody Wheaton.

Ad Manager: Dawn Salter

Technical Production: Darren Fisher

The Chronicle

Opinion

November 10, 2015

5

Homeschooling: Better than you think Tabitha Reddekop “She isn’t going to be able to go to college.” These were the words repeated by many people throughout my life - including my own grandmother. The reason was because I was homeschooled my whole life.

I am now a second-year journalism student at Durham College and I am doing fine thank you very much.

Even though there was a lot of pressure going to college as a life-long homeschooler, homeschooling ultimately prepared me for school by making me adaptable to different schedules and allowing me to focus on the subjects I wanted to pursue as my career.

The pressure going to school for the first time was heavier than a first-year student’s stack of textbooks.

For the first time my grades were going to be critiqued by someone other than my own mother. Those grades would prove if I was a success or a failure.

I would find out if what people had been saying about me my whole life was true but I was determined to prove them wrong.

One of the reasons people were so worried for my future was because I wasn’t taught the same subjects as the kids my age in the school system.

They said I wouldn’t know enough when I graduated and wouldn’t be able to keep up with the people who went to public school.

My list of classes was different from public schooler’s because my home-ec class was cooking dinner for the family and my gym class was climbing trees or playing tag in the backyard.

I never did a proper geography course and I couldn’t say anymore than a basic introduction in French.

But homeschooling gave me the chance to focus my interests instead.

I learned all the basics, math, science and English but I also got to dive deeper into reading about the subjects that interested me.

I spent hours pouring over science books about the human body, leafing through history books about the ancient Egyptians and indulging in the fantasy worlds of C.S Lewis to George Orwell.

I would read on average five books a week, more than most school kids would read in a year!

The number of books I read filled in any gaps of education I lacked and I had fun while doing it too. You also couldn’t help but pick up a few tricks of the story telling trade along the way.

Another worry was I wouldn’t be able to keep up with a sometimes-strenuous college school schedule.

After all, how can you expect

Photo Courtsey of Tabitha Reddekop

HOMESCHOOL: Tabitha Reddekop, pictured here in 2000, working on her homeschooling, which she did throughout her whole life, up to college. a kid who is used to starting school in their pajamas at 11 am to be able to be up and ready for an eight am class?

But homeschooling made this possible.

As a homeschooler, you have to be used to doing school in variety of circumstances.

Often I would cram all my schoolwork into one morning so I could go out and play in the afternoon.

My family would double up on school work a week before a family trip in the fall or even do some school during our vacation. I learned the motivation to get things done in order to

reach a goal.

I was taught to work around schedules and figure out how to get things done in a time frame by myself.

I could then achieve my goals whether those goals in the past were more time to go play pirates in the backyard or now, the goal of finishing an assignment before work.

Not having a strict and consistent school schedule made me have to figure out how to use my own time wisely.

This combined with motivation has been useful for me when it comes to balancing homework in between my work

and school schedule, even if it means getting up before the sun is up.

Homeschooling is not an obstacle to success, if anything it leaves you more prepared for any education or career goal.

Even though a lot of people thought I couldn’t make it in the “real world,” I’ve so far proved them wrong.

I haven’t had an issue transitioning to college. I have been given all the motivation and tools I need for success.

I’m planning on graduating as an honour student in 2016.

So far, my 4.64 GPA isn’t too shabby either.

ed in Oshawa, has seen a steady student enrolment increase in spite of a decrease in post-secondary enrolment throughout the province.

The school shares a campus with Durham College, which has developed its own success and reputation over the past four decades.

Sport culture is high throughout the region as well.

Much like the Blue Jays’ fandom in Toronto, Oshawa, the largest city within Durham Region, is home to the Oshawa Generals, an OHL team, which has over 18,000 Twitter followers.

In addition to sports, Durham is expanding its artistic endeavours.

This year the first annual Durham Region Film Festival was hosted at UOIT. Durham Region’s Economic Developmental Officer and Film Office Liason Eileen Kennedy teamed up with Reel World based in Toronto to not only screen films, but also host

interactive learning workshops to introduce Durham residents to the education behind filmmaking.

The crime rate in Durham is also likely to attract new residents.

While some might argue that the population disparities between Toronto and Durham are reflected in the crime rate, Durham Regional Police reports show a general decrease in crime over the past five years throughout the region while the population increases.

Durham Region continues to develop. Bus schedules and routes also continue to change as traveller volumes increase.

New schools, homes and stores are being built to keep up with the increase in population, which is expected to reach more than 800,000 by 2021, according to analysts at the Region of Durham.

A strong sense of community is also felt throughout smaller cities within the region.

Local residents were very

engaged in the recent provincial election.

Voter turnout increased more than 10 per cent across Durham ridings, which is no surprise to residents who know and love their small town.

Part of what draws people to places in the world are the unique cultural aspects and community experiences.

As a fairly new region, Durham continues to develop because of residents’ desire to establish their own identity for themselves and for future generations to uphold and build upon.

Wouldn’t it be nice if people would let Durham’s reputation speak for itself- an electric composition of hidden gems throughout a string of small communities?

We would finally move outside of the shadow of “the six,” Drake’s nickname for Toronto.

We would prove that Durham is more than just a suburb sitting to the east of Canada’s largest city.

Durham Region’s growing identity Identity is equal parts who are you and where you are from.

Or, identity may be even more where you are from than what you would like to admit.

Like people, places have reputations that speak for themselves, in the way that New York is known as the “City that never sleeps” or how the Southern States are known for their ‘Hospitality’.

Identifying as a smaller community closely linked to a major city can be challenging.

Residents of suburbs often can be culturally grouped with residents from the closest major city, making it difficult to distinguish the identity of smaller communities from the larger city.

Aside from geographical location, suburban communities of the Greater Toronto Area have their own identities and in order to develop if they need to embrace and build on it.

Being a part of the Golden Horseshoe already links the

GTA suburbs to the closest metropolitan area, and there’s nothing wrong with that, except for when suburbanites don’t spend any energy personalizing their own city’s identity.

Sherise Peart-Kent Durham Region is a fairly new suburb, a huge contrast to the age city of Toronto. Founded in the mid-seventies, Durham Region is now home to over 600,000 residents and workers. The region has a number of cities, towns, hamlets and just as much farmland.

Durham has its own school board, regional and municipal councils, and it is home to some province’s best post secondary schools.

The University of Ontario Institute of Technology, locat-

6

The Chronicle

November 10, 2015

Campus

Becoming a local beer maker Sean Heeger The Chronicle

5 Paddles is a Durham based nano-brewery, owned by five people who have turned their love of beer into a business.

This local brewery has been around for more than two years, and was started when one guy came up with a business plan that ensured they could open a brewery “without having to selling your house, or lose your wife,” says co-owner Spencer McCormack.

Spencer McCormack, Ian Mills, JP Tibensky, Mike Bray, and Ed Woods, the owners of 5 Paddles, consider themselves “beer psychopaths”. They met in a home brew club and fell in love with the idea of owning their own brewery. In a year, they opened a brew house and a storefront in Whitby.

It takes hard work, determination, and a lot of capital to make a brewing dream come true. But here in Ontario, the laws make it one of the most complicated places to start and run a craft brewery. 5 Paddles was able to open their brewery on a shoestring budget.

The equipment includes kegs, steam boilers, extensive piping setups, and even machinery you’ve never heard of like glycol chillers to make the beer. 5 Paddles managed to find themselves a quaint little spot in Whitby after moving from their first “hole in the wall” location a few streets back of their new brew house and store.

The brew house is in an industrial-esque section of Whitby. The front of the brewery is a store where the 5 Paddles crew interacts with customers and offers samples of what’s on tap. They make up to six different beers each week, yet almost never have enough stock to last.

5 Paddles doesn’t advertise but has a strong social media presence. This allows them to keep more money and invest it into making the brew house better. The success of

5 Paddles can be attributed to the fact that the craft brewing industry has tripled since 2002, according to iCraftBrew, an online handbook and website that helps young hopefuls start their brewery. The sales of craft beer has gone from one per cent to over three per cent in that timespan, and is the fastest growing segment in the LCBO for beer according to iCraftBrew.

The rise in craft beer can also be attributed to a shift in market interests, according to the Financial Post. The number of craft breweries in North America has multiplied tenfold since 1980, going from 38 to 520 as of 2014. From 2012 to 2014, the number of breweries in Canada also went up by at least 60 each year.

Even though the number of breweries has been rising, that doesn’t mean opening one is easy. According to Ben Johnson on BlogTO, it costs around $1-million to open a small brewery that serves a small number of beers, and the prices only go up from there.

“It’s definitely an expensive venture to undertake,” says Michael Gurr of the Kensington Brewing Company, a slightly bigger craft brewery located in Kensington Market in Toronto, that has been offering its beer to customers since 2011.

The brew house is usually the biggest expense. 5 Paddles, built everything on their own.

Putting aside the money, starting any type of business involving the creation or sale of alcohol means that you have to deal with the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO), and other government agencies.

Getting a manufacturers’ license from the AGCO is probably the first step you should take, because with no license, that shiny new brewery will just go unused. The Canada Revenue Agency also has laws that come into play here that make the manufacturer get another license under the Excise Act

which will allow someone to package and bottle their beer.

In all, there are four licenses you need.

Our laws here can be kind of crazy, and Ontario has also been thought by some to be behind the times of selling beer, as our sales are controlled by a foreign “beer monopoly,” and a heavily regulated LCBO. We have what’s considered the “most complicated approach to beer sales” according to the CBC, and compared to a place like Quebec, where corner stores are allowed to sell it, we’re in a beer police state.

However, Ontarians are taking small steps to get out of this beer purchasing hell, as we are set to have new laws come into effect sometime this year. In April, Premier Kathleen Wynne announced that Ontario grocery stores will now be able to start selling beer in up to 450 stores starting this Christmas.

With this new legislation comes an entirely different playing field for craft brewers, who now get 20 per cent of shelf space

of the beer store and grocery stores to sell their product to the masses.

But getting beer out to the people is not always easy, and while having a store front like 5 Paddles is one way to go, there aren’t always easy paths to get into big chain stores and sell to crowds.

These laws give 20 per cent of shelf space to local brewers.

This does not help small brewers like 5 Paddles because they produce less than 3000 hectolitres of beer per year. They can “barely keep the store fridge stocked,” according to McCormack. Getting into the Beer Store, “a privately owned chain of retail outlets selling beer and other malt beverages in the province of Ontario,” is also an issue for smaller breweries as the conglomerate charges you a fee to get your beer on the shelf.

This current business model is what 5 Paddles co-owner McCormack thinks puts Ontario off from getting a wider selection of beer.

“I was in Belgium and I was

KEYS TO US

PLEASE DON’T DRINK AND DRIVE! LIMIT ONE COUPON PER TRIP. CANNOT BE COMBINED WITH ANY OTHER OFFER. VALID WITHIN DURHAM AND YORK REGION ONLY.

talking to…the best brewery in the world, and I asked them why can’t we get anything in Canada, and he said I deal with one man who gets my beer all across America,” says McCormack, “I would have to deal with 10 men in a very convoluted system to get my beer into one province.”

So while Canada has one of the biggest growing craft beer sectors, we also have the worst set of laws. We are finally making changes to our laws but compared to America, or even our French neighbours, we’re still far behind.

5 Paddles has made strides to get themselves known in Durham Region, and their signature beer known as Home Sweet Home is a crisp and light ale that’s so full of flavour it sticks to your palate and leaves vanilla and honey on the brain.

They have the right set up and an attitude toward the future, and they can be used as an example for all of those people who wish to start a brewery of their own.

Campus

The smart way to commute Sachin Bahal The Chronicle

Sometimes it can be a pain to commute to work or school.

Smart Commute Durham is looking to change this by providing alternative ways for commuters.

Smart Commute Durham is a joint partnership between Metrolinx and Durham Region.

The aim of Smart Commute Durham is to help employers in the region and commuters by finding and promoting sustainable options for commuting, such as carpooling, public transit, cycling, teleworking, walking or even flexible work hours.

Smart Commute Durham was established in 2007 along with 11 other communities across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area. Durham College has been part of Smart Commute Durham for the past five years.

Tanya Roberts, the sustainability coordinator for Durham College says, “It just gives you an alternative option to driving to work.”

Roberts says Durham College has multiple options that contribute to Smart Commute Durham including, carpooling, the U-Pass to give students access to Durham Region Transit, parking spots designated to those who carpool to the campus and also the Student CarShare program.

She also says a bike-sharing program is in the works for Durham College.

Smart Commute Durham’s website provides tools and information including a section that can help you find someone to share your trip to work or school, it will also help you decide the best way to get to your destination and there also an online calculator that can help you determine how much money you could save by using alternative transportation methods.

In early October, a survey was sent out by Smart Commute Durham to Durham College and UOIT students and faculty to ask how they get to and from the campus. Roberts says more than 2000 people responded to the survey which greatly exceeded their expectations.

Roberts says the survey revealed students and faculty are interested in finding new alternative ways of commuting.

“We got a very high demand for the survey, which shows that people are interested, they’re engaged, so we want to make sure that they have the resources they need to commute the way that they want to,” says Roberts.

The Chronicle

November 10, 2015

7

8

The Chronicle

November 10, 2015

Record enrolment at DC

Campus

Jordan Edmonds The Chronicle

Durham College’s (DC) enrolment has reached an all time high. There are now more than 11,200 Durham students across the Oshawa, Whitby and Pickering campuses.

DC recently announced an increase of 1.3 per cent in enrolment compared to the fall of 2014. This relates to around 150 more students.

Between 2008 and 2014 there has been a 61 per cent increase in enrolment and $115 million has been spent on improving the campus in various ways. In the words of vice-president academic, Elaine Popp, this is “astronomical.”

This increase in enrolment, according to Popp, is due to many factors.

Durham, Halton, Peel and York are the four regions in Ontario that are expected to experience population growth at the college level, said Popp.

And with 75 per cent of Durham College’s student population being from Durham region, this is only good news, said Popp Accounting and Payroll and Media Fundamentals are two of the 12 new programs that were introduced this year.

“These new programs attract more students to the college, we have especially seen an increase in international students from last year, around a 17 per cent increase,” Popp said.

Popp thinks that students are starting to move away from university courses and beginning to choose more practical college courses.

“College education truly makes you career ready and is much more hands-on then university, it give you the specific skills you need in the workplace,” she said.

Students and parents are starting to realize the value and the skills that are offered by colleges.

“College gives you more of a feel for the field you’re entering and university is mostly theory based,” said Chris Brazeau, a mechanical engineering student at Durham.

Some students say they felt pressure from high school career advisers to pursue a university degree instead of college courses.

“I wish I went to college instead of university because it prepares you more for the field you want to work in. You also build better relationships with professors because class sizes are smaller,” said Joanna Toonders, a business student at UOIT. Now the aim is to strengthen and develop the student experience, said Popp.

NOVEMBER CALENDAR HIRE A COMIC FOR YOUR COMPANY PARTY AT YUKYUKS.COM

AJAX

JOIN US FOR OUR NEW YEAR’S EVE BASH

AJAX - TORONTO - MISSISSAUGA - VAUGHAN - KITCHENER - LONDON - NIAGARA FALLS - HAMILTON - OTTAWA - MONTREAL - EDMONTON - CALGARY - VANCOUVER - HALIFAX - ST.JOHN’S

DURHAM COLLEGE STUDENTS GET

50% *

NOVEMBER 12-14

KATHLEEN

OFF SHOW ADMISSION

BY RESERVING YOUR TICKETS ONLINE

YUKYUKS.COM/AJAX USE CODE: DC

- ONLINE RESERVATION REQUIRED AT yukyuks.com/ajax - MUST SPECIFY PROMO CODE : “DC” WHEN RESERVING - NOT VALID FOR SPECIAL SHOWS - LIMITED AVAILABILITY PER SHOW - NOT VALID WITH OTHER PROMOTION OFFER - OFFER EXPIRES JAN 31, 2016

AMATEUR NIGHT EVERY LAST WEDNESDAY OF THE MONTH

NOVEMBER 19-21

McGEE KENNY

ROBINSON

NOVEMBER 26-28

AARON

BERG

BUY AND PRINT YOUR TICKETS AND GIFT CERTIFICATES AT YUKYUKS.COM/AJAX

YUK YUK’S AJAX

235 BAYLY STREET WEST FOLLO W U S A NY W H E R E

NOW HIRING

FUNDRAISING EVENTS AVAILABLE - CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION

Campus

The Chronicle

November 10, 2015

Canadian Women’s Foundation dedicated to helping women in poverty Megan Chase The Chronicle

Poverty amongst women is a growing concern in Canada and our poverty level is ranked 23rd out of 34 developed countries, according to an infographic from the Canadian Women’s Foundation.

Helping women move out of poverty brought together a diverse crowd at MYNC Brow and Beauty Bar recently to show support for the non-profit organization, Dress for Success Toronto (DFST).

The event was highlighted with a holiday fashion show from Toronto-based designer Caitlin Power and the launch of a new lipstick, POWERwoman.

Power and MYNC created the limited edition lipstick as a fundraiser to supportwomen in need and 100 per cent of the profits benefitting DFST, according to MYNC’s representatives at the event.

The organization helps women move out of poverty

through tackling their struggle to find employment and investing in specialized career-training programs.

“It’s just amazing seeing all of these people from different walks of life together in the same room to support a great cause.

“It’s so amazing to see women helping other women,” said Annie Khan, an architect and MYNC customer who was at the event.

DFST runs the Pink Carpet Program with MYNC, where women are given access to complimentary beauty services.

This service focuses on raising women’s self-confidence and self-esteem, which are important tools when on the difficult journey out of poverty.

“So they put a final touch on a product we are trying to create and we would just like to thank everyone for supporting the community and supporting women on the path to financial independence,” said Anna Shredder, boutique manager

for DFST. There has been a growing focus on helping women in need because in Canada, women are

more likely than men to live in poverty – but the true extent of their poverty is unknown.

Women find themselves in

poverty due to a variety of problems, such as domestic violence, lack of affordable childcare, and insecure housing.

REGISTER TODAY! November 25th, 2015 Megan Chase

WOMEN: POWERwoman is a limited edition lipstick that will allow woman living in poverty, access to complimentary beauty services.

100 Youth Who Care Durham Region is looking for young people aged 10-25 to on our community.

their community and around the world.

100 YOUTH 1 HOUR 1000 DOLLARS BIG IMPACT Megan Chase

POWER: The Canadian Women’s Foundation is dedicated to helping women move out of poverty.

9

Youth coming together to make a BIG IMPACT in their community www.100youthwhocare.com

10

The Chronicle

November 10, 2015

Campus

The difficulties of life with ALS Mariah Pardy The Chronicle

“My dad had to take on the role of two parents so there was four kids relying on one parental figure for everything, so I guess things stopped running as smoothly as they usually had before.” These are the words of 19-year-old Maddie Blondin, a student here at Durham College who is faced with the struggle of having a parent with a terminal illness. Learning that someone you love is diagnosed with a disease is not easy. Blondin and her mother used to go for walks and out to eat. Now Blondin has to help her mother sit up and feed her.

Over time, the illness creates a whole new world, not only for the person battling the sickness but also for the family, even though they are not facing the illness physically.

Along with the illness comes adjustment, change and a whole new outlook on life. The carefree life that Blondin and her siblings once had as children was quickly changed. Blondin had to mature and become independent much quicker than she would have had her mother not fallen ill.

Having a parent with a serious illness can take a toll on a child. Children will notice their parents missing in the crowd at their soccer game or dance recital because they are at home caring for that loved one to make sure that they are okay.

Maddie Blondin found out that her mother was diagnosed with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) seven years ago.

She remembers her mom and dad calling her downstairs for a talk; from there they explained to her that her mom was sick and that things would begin to change around the house.

ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease is a neurological disease that attacks the nerve cells that control the muscles we use in the legs, arms, and face. Over time, the muscles weaken and all voluntary movement is lost.

Only about 10 percent of those with ALS will survive for 10 or more years. Within 3-5 years from the discovery of symptoms, most people die with ALS due to respiratory failure. According to vanierinstitute.ca, options for end of life care involve adequate support for the patient even from at home. The patient can choose to live at home during this process. This means they are closer to their family during the time that they have left.

There is also much more time and space as opposed to family members having to travel a distance and being crowded in a hospital waiting room just to see their loved one. Blondin’s mother chooses to live at home. This gives Blondin’s family time with her, but also puts stress on the household.

‘

As time goes on I grow as a person and learn smarter ways on how to cope.

Maddie Blondin

’

The extra work and stress is often outweighed by positives.

Choosing to stay at home gives the patient a sense of comfort and contentment during a painful and scary time. But it’s also scary for the family. “I know there are organizations out there for people who have a family member that does or did have a serious illness and need someone to talk to,” said Blondin.

Regina Galgay, who works as a personal support worker for the area of Durham Region, says that there are many resources for those who have family members that are dealing with a terminal illness. “As for myself and other PSW’s [personal support workers], we are open to respond and talk to anyone in the family with

any concerns or help they may need.”Having a loved one in such a position is scary, it becomes very real very fast. An illness can take an emotional, mental, and even a financial toll on a family, but discussing your options and conversing with each other may be the best way to cope and come together as a family.

Blondin was only twelve when she found out about her mother’s illness and looks back at the way her parents addressed thing as helpful. She explained that they helped her understand the illness and what was to come.

If you are dealing with a loved one who has a serious

illness and have a child in the family, there are many different ways to communicate with the child to help them better understand the situation.

According to childcareresourcesinc.org, some of the best ways to respond to the child is to talk about how allliving things change and to explain we have no control over how things or people change over time.

For example, childcareresourcesinc.org suggests you can buy the child a daisy and watch the daisy grow then wither. Monitor how the flower goes from tall and yellow to frail and faded. This is the circle of life and reveals that nature takes its

course. Blondin says that she is in a good place with coping with this struggle and believes that this obstacle in her life has only made her stronger.

An illness in a family can affect the whole family, but it does not have to break a family.

In a time like this, communication and understanding can be key factors to keeping a family together in such a painful time.

“As time goes on I grow as a person and I learn smarter ways on how to cope,” says Blondin.

For more information on how to cope with a family member who has a terminal illness, visit The ALS Society of Canada at als.net.

Campus

The Chronicle

November 10, 2015

Eat your news slowly to enjoy it

A manifesto for the critical news consumer Michael Clark The Chronicle

News, news is everywhere.

People consume it constantly.

Paper, TV, iPhones, tablets everyone soaks up as much news as possible across many platforms to get his or her daily news fix.

That shouldn’t be necessary though. People don’t need to be up-to-date with every developing story.

Awarding-winning author, journalist and broadcaster Peter Laufer’s Slow News: A Manifesto for the Critical News Consumer tells readers that the news media has become filled with mostly fluff stories.

According to Laufer, people are sucked into watching 24/7-fast-track type of news that in the end offers little too no substance.

Laufer’s book provides methods for how daily news consumers can gain the most critical pieces of news that concerns them and avoid empty-calorie news that invades their daily lives. Laufer tells the readers to step back from the constant bombardment of instant news to consider news thoughtfully and thoroughly.

Laufer bases his slow movement on fellow author Michael Pollan’s slow food movement.

Just like good food, you need to eat your news slowly in order to enjoy it.

Take news one bite at a time and enjoy the moment, savour the taste, and study the texture of it. Just like the food people love, consumers need to, savour the news they read or watch.

Slow News talks about how people have become media junkies, feeding off of the 24hour news cycle. Laufer calls this fast news. Slow News outlines a set of rules that any newsreader can follow. The twenty-nine rules discuss how to find completed news stories that add substance rather than fluff.

“Trust accuracy over time,” “Know your sources,” and “Don’t become a news junkie” are just some of the guidelines in Laufer’s quest to get consumers to ruminate on news events.

Slow News is a common sense read. Laufer shows how much of a media junkie most people have become. He says most people have not ever noticed their news addiction. Before the

Michael Clark

SLOW NEWS: First Year Digital Video Production student Ashley Simpkiss is enjoying her afternoon reading a good book. digital age, Laufer says news was based more on facts.

Today’s fast global news is like a friend telling an inter-

esting story then stopping and saying they’ll finish it tomorrow or in a week.

That’s not to say Laufer thinks all developing news is garbage. In the case of global catastrophes, stock market crashes and other situations with global consequences then Laufer says staying up-to-date is perfectly understandable.

Laufer believes that in today’s world, consumers are just bombarded with whatever kind of “information” is out there.

He says it’s hard for individual readers to see what’s important to them when there is so much uncompleted information being published.

People today don’t sit down and listen carefully to the full story. Today, news organizations will get the latest updates of a story and report on it as soon as possible.

They can’t hold on to it be-

cause of competition. This often results in the story either being inaccurate or being run with key facts missing. The publishers can’t help it because they want to be the first to get the story out there.

The 24/7-news cycle pushes reporters to work fast, which may lead to missteps or improper punctuation.

Laufer says it’s the job of the readers and viewers to know when to turn away from a story.

Slow News describes the steps

11

to keep your news-fixated mind in check while staying away from news that offers little substance to your life and wastes your time.

Loafer’s motto “Yesterday’s News Tomorrow” means that it is rare that news is so important. Read Slow News and the next time you wish to have your news fix, resist. Turn off your phones, TV, put the newspaper down, read it all tomorrow. The world won’t change that much overnight.

12

The Chronicle

November 10, 2015

Campus

Student stress levels on the rise Amanda Ramlal The Chronicle

As flu season approaches people are falling victim to stress and losing daily motivation because they’re overworked. Students are dropping out of programs because of the workload but that workload is possible to be controlled.

“From time to time I felt stressed out trying to work on multiple projects at once,” says Sarah Brooks, recent graduate of Durham College’s Graphic Design.

“If I knew I had plans or wanted to have free time, I would just make sure I had my stuff done or almost done early, in anticipation of doing social things.”

Brooks admits there were a couple of late nights she stayed up to finish projects but says she procrastinated more than she should have.

In the last few years, media has drawn attention to what they call the “mental health crisis” on campuses. While only a little less than a quarter of people will actually have a mental illness diagnosis, more than half will experience a mental health problem during their life.

Stress was a common problem amongst students. About 57.6

per cent of students reported that they were feeling more stressed than usual according to Lisa Versevel’s article in the Western Universities Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. Finding a balance could be the key to handling stress.

It’s important to keep a balance between work, school and your own leisure time. If not, you could feel overworked or overwhelmed possible leading to mental illness. According to Canadian Mental Health Association, indirectly, mental illness will affect all Canadians at some point in their life through a loved one or colleague.

Mirelle Huneault, Health Promotions and Media Relations Specialist at the Canadian Mental Health Association, Durham says you can take a healthy individual but “if there’s enough distress in that person’s life they will start to become unhealthy.” She went on to say “stress builds over time.” Huneault is a certified mental health trainer who gives talks and workshops about mental health. She says seeking professional help is good for any level of stress and it’s always best to get help sooner than later. The Canadian Mental Health Association says 20 per cent of Canadians will experience mental illness dur-

ing their lifetime sometimes not even knowing the cause.

Being overworked has a different meaning to everyone but ultimately means you have to much to do and not enough time to do it. Some may say that this is our own faults for feeling this way but there are many different elements to being overworked. Early signs of being over worked are losing your temper, having a hard time focusing and feeling more forgetful. This all on top of feeling more exhausted than usual.

Another big sign you might be overworked is a lack of motivation and involvement. While adults handle stress from their workplace and home, the youth carry a heavier amount of stress.

The Canadian Mental Health Association says approximately five percent of male and twelve per cent of female youth, ages twelve to nineteen have already experienced a major depressive episode in their life. Huneault says in her opinion, youth have a lot more to contend with nowadays compared to the past. There’s a lot of competition to do well in school and social media plays a huge role in youth development. Youth are exposed to a lot more distractions because of the development of social media.

“It’s important to have a balance of leisure time, work time, and balance of family time. Being able to take a vacation before you’re completely exhausted is helpful,” says Huneault. If it’s possible, taking a vacation or break from work is a great opportunity to get away from any stressful environments. Keeping the balance between work and personal time is healthy. But if you’re not able to get away from your workplace or school environment, turning your cellphone, computer and emails for a little while could help reduce stress because it shuts off communication.

A lot of jobs overwork their employees. In an article written by Jodi Kantor and David Streitfeld from The New York Times said that Amazon employees that were suffering from miscarriages, cancer and other life crises were not given any time off. Instead the individuals were treated unfairly or edged out of their work rather than having the time off granted to them.

If you start to notice early signs of mental illness developing because of being overworked in your workplace, it is highly encouraged to speak to your boss. Early signs include constantly worrying, not

being able to concentrate and insomnia. People aren’t always too sure about taking time off work. It is normally an iffy topic between a boss and employee.

Employees might fear it might make them fall way behind or are just not comfortable to ask for the time away. If you’re not able to speak to your boss about the issue, you can still talk to somebody who you trust and allow them to help you. Almost 49 per cent of people who have suffered from depression or anxiety have not gotten professional help. But this doesn’t always mean you need to talk to a psychiatrist. Seeing a family doctor and getting a physical could help. Health promotion specialist, Mireille Huneault also recommends looking into employee wellness programs in the workplace, they are normally available to both full and part time employees.

If a balance isn’t made with workloads and necessary leisure time mental illness will continue to rise in the future amongst the youth.

If the youth continue to be overworked and stressed out their health will decrease which could lead to mental illness later on in life. With control, being overworked can be avoided if students learn to balance their work, school and leisure time.

Full Time students are covered 100% for Exam, X-rays and Cleanings*

FREE Teeth Whitening for ALL patients FREE Orthodontic/Implant/Cosmetic Consultants FREE Invisalign Consultations FREE Oral Cancer screening Emergencies seen same day Wisdom teeth extractions with Sedation

www.smileviewdental.com www.facebook.com/SmileviewDental *Certain conditions apply

905-571-0001

Beside Subway

Campus

The Chronicle

November 10, 2015

13

Campus Help save lives: Donate to the Canadian blood bank The Chronicle

14

Mariah Pardy The Chronicle

Canadian Blood Services is asking people to roll up their sle eves and consider donating. Canadian Blood Services took to Durham College on Oct. 27 in the Gordon Willey building and allowed students to come forward and find out what blood type they are. CBS is returning to campus Nov. 10 at the Campus Recreation and Wellness Centre to host a blood donor clinic and is encouraging students to schedule an appointment with their nurses to make a donation. If the testing was missed, knowing your blood type is not needed when making a donation. Just last year CBS stated that there is an urgent calling for donors of all blood types to come forward and donate, especially those with type A or O. But according to a CBS report, this past year they have received 98 per cent of their target goal with collecting over 850,000 units of whole blood.

‘

There are many people who need blood on a daily basis.

Mark Donnison

’

Mark Donnison, CBS vice president of donor relations, said that platelets derived from blood expire just five days after a blood donation and are critical to stop bleeding. “There are many people who need blood on a daily basis. Just think of all the people who need blood because of accidents and medical conditions,” said Donnison. “Blood donors are the great people who save them.

They help keep so many people alive without even knowing them.”According to blood.ca, Canadians are some of the most loyal donors and donate more than two times per year on av-

November 10, 2015

erage. The campus is allowing students to become more aware and to donate.

Rae Tsukamoto, a General

Arts and Science student at Durham, shared that Nov. 10 will be her first time donating blood.“I’ve always understood

the importance of donating but unfortunately I just never really got around to doing it,” said Tsukamoto. “When Canadian

Blood Services came to campus I found out my blood type and booked an appointment to donate for the first time ever.

Campus

The Chronicle

November 10, 2015

Fate of Central Collegiate is in board’s hands Cameron Popwell The Chronicle

Oshawa’s Central Collegiate might be closing its doors after several dozen students and members of the community addressed the Durham District School Board at the final public meeting on the issue.

The discussions regarding the potential closure arose in January when it was revealed that the 65-year-old school’s student population would be approximately 300 students, 150 less than the regional curriculum requirement.

The student body only utilizes 44 per cent of Central’s available resources, according to the DDSB. This shows a decline from 2003, when there were 944 students attending the high school.

Oshawa Councillor John Aker spoke out to the board, believing that construction of a luxury apartment building currently underway on Bond Street may lead to an increase in the school’s enrolment in the coming years. Board Chairman Michael Barrett attributes the school’s low enrolment rates to the “exponential growth” of the Oshawa community north of Rossland Road.

According to the DDSB, enrolment rates at Central are not expected to increase above 400 students within the next eight years, which is what initially sparked the discussion regarding the eligibility for the school to continue to operate. Central Collegiate Principal Lucy Sharp was unable to comment on the matter, saying she “couldn’t talk about it until there’s a more solid answer as to what’s happening next.”

According to the DDSB, in the event of closure, students would have to be distributed between R.S. McLaughlin and Eastdale C.V.I., which would increase those schools’ student population beyond their current capacity.

It’s expected that 12 new classrooms would have to be constructed at Eastdale to ac-

commodate that school’s share of the student influx. It was also suggested by attending parents

that Eastdale students transfer to Central to prevent potential crowding in the future. Stu-

dents from Central’s feeder schools, College Hill P.S. and Village Union P.S., would also

15

be distributed between Eastdale and McLaughlin should Central close down.

16

The Chronicle

November 10, 2015

Campus

The Chronicle

Entertainment

November 10, 2015

17

Join Master Chief on his newest journey Sean Heeger The Chronicle

“A new force threatens the galaxy, John-117 is missing and his loyalty is being questioned.”

That’s the tagline Microsoft has been running with to ramp up the intrigue and entice you to buy the latest instalment in its best-selling Halo series.

Halo 5: Guardians was released October 27th to lineups of fans and gamers who waited almost three years to join the iconic Master Chief on new adventures.

While the wait was long, the game was only announced by 343 Industries, the game developer, in May, 2014.

Since the game’s announcement, Microsoft has run the usual marketing campaign of television ads and social media blasts.

This time, however, there was much more mystery added into the promotions, including a podcast series titled ‘Hunt the

Truth’ that looked to expose a “cover-up” surrounding the Master Chief.

“It’s been a long wait,” said Taylor Stewart, a Whitby EB Games employee, “I’ve had people pre-ordering the game for months and every time a new commercial or teaser would come out about the game, I would have regular customers come in and talk about how stoked they are.”

According to Stewart, the lineups for the midnight launch at the Whitby EB Games reached close to 300 people, not all of whom owned the console before the game’s release.

“We had a good 20 people come in and buy an Xbox One along with the game…a few even spent the extra money and bought the Halo edition Xbox,” said Stewart.

While Microsoft hasn’t announced sales figures for Halo 5: Guardians yet, product manager Aaron Greenberg expects the game sales to rise with the

Sean Heeger

HALO 5: Master Chief, the main character of the game, in the Halo franchise. new teen rating associated with the game.

“I do expect the ‘T’ rating will help game sales…we believe there is an audience of fans, particularly younger fans and parents that don’t let their kids play games that are M (mature) rated,” said Greenberg in a Gamerant post.

Halo 5: Guardians does have a lot to live up to compared to its predecessors. According to

numbers from Microsoft, Halo 4 sold $220-million dollars on its first day, adding to the overall $3.6 billion the game franchise has grossed.

Fans do seem to be enjoying the game, adding to the series they have loved for years.

One fan in particular was so pleased to play he took the day off work.

“I knew when the game was coming out and I booked it off

weeks ago,” said Luke Thorn, an RBC fraud investigator purchasing a Halo 5: Guardians season pass from EB Games.

“I’ve played the game since the original came out and I’ve always made sure to get an Xbox no matter what.”

Halo 5: Guardians is full of new, and returning franchise faces, and sets a tone for the which is expected at a date to be announced.

Halo 5: Despite the flaws it’s worth playing Halo is a legacy series for the Xbox console. I remember playing the first one when family was visiting and I played it on a laptop. The game was beyond its time and it was something I could play for hours.

Now, 14 years later that series has continued on and released its fifth major instalment in the story of Master Chief, the Spartan hero of the United Naval Space Command (UNSC).

This instalment of the series, while great, is probably the most flawed Halo game ever released.

Halo 5: Guardians has provided more worlds to explore, and also added a fire-team to inspire more multiplayer coop since they took away split screen play.

However, the fire-team concept is only slightly worthwhile to keep you from feeling lonely during the game, but we’ll get to that later.

The first thing you’ll notice in this game is the lack of the main character Master Chief until you at least pass the first mission. Much like Halo 2 where you played half of the game as the Arbiter - an elite (alien soldier) who was disgraced for not killing the Mas-

Sean Heeger ter Chief in the first game - you are playing most of this game as Spartan Jameson Locke, a new soldier whose backstory was told through a television miniseries called Halo: Nightfall.

Locke and his fire-team, code-named Osiris, is tasked with rescuing Dr. Halsey, the woman who captained the Spartan program and basically created the Master Chief. Once this mission is completed you move into the part of the game fans have waited years to play, the part with the Chief.

After his mission, however, you’ll find that things go sideways very quickly and Chief and his fire-team, code-name Blue Team, goes AWOL in order to hunt something he lost.

This is where you won’t see Master Chief again for quite some time as you’ll play as Locke and Osiris for most of the game. In fact, out of 15 missions you only play as Chief and Blue Team for three. THREE missions. Fans waited three years

for a new Halo to come out, and the developers give us one mission with the main character for each year we waited.

One of the only upsides to playing as Locke is the fact that his fire-team has a personality.

Nathan Fillion returns to the series as a Spartan, and he pretty much saves the fire-team premise by bringing his wiseass demeanour to Spartan Buck.

If it weren’t for Fillion I would argue that the fire-team concept is pointless because they pretty much do nothing unless you command them to, and can basically bore the crap out of you with their banter.

I get that a lot of people enjoy multiplayer based games, I mean look at Destiny, it’s all one big multiplayer shooter and even though it lacks in so many ways people enjoy it, but bringing this concept to a game where the story is based around one character is just silly.

The final thought on the fireteam concept is that they can revive you if your health goes too low, something that would have just killed you in previous games now has a chance to just sting you until a teammate comes to your aid.

I should warn though, that

being run over by a tank, or blasted by a big cannon will still kill you outright. This game sees the addition of “Spartan abilities” which are actually pretty lacklustre. You get to charge, smash, and boost out of the way of attacks which might be glamorous if they actually helped.

The charge is probably the most useful ability you get, because the smash doesn’t aim well and barely does anything, and the boost barely gets you out of the way of a sword swipe.

The controls for the game are pretty fluid and easy to pick up.

I was playing on an Elite controller with additional buttons added to the control so maybe I had a different experience than those with a normal controller, but the layout seems pretty solid and rarely forces you to take your fingers off the look button unless you need to jump.

The good things in the game are basically that they kept true to the Halo series, of course with the exception of letting us play as the main character more throughout the game.

You know what the mission is at all times, and it’s pretty simple to just pick up and go.

It took about seven hours spread out over a few days to complete the game, so it wasn’t the expanded story I was promised. As a loyal fan of the series I enjoyed it, but I think next time there definitely need to be more of the main character.

The bad parts of this game are of course the fire-team concept, I think it’s a good idea to a degree, but next time make them more useful. Also, the one thing most people won’t pick up on is while playing is the fact that you won’t ever see a Halo world in this game unless you beat it on legendary.

That’s right folks, the game series, which is basically based on and around these ring worlds has eliminated it from this instalment.

It’s great if you want to give people more places to go to, an abandoned UNSC ship, the Elite home world, even the back of a giant monster/ship/ police officer-pseudo-guardian, but you can’t have Halo without the Halo.

Overall, the game is flawed and has many things that Microsoft should change. But continuing the story of Master Chief is what makes this game worth playing.

18

The Chronicle

November 10, 2015

Rose of Durham works with young parents and their children all across Durham Region to improve the overall mental health of both parent and child.

We provide individual counselling, parenting education groups, peer support, a teen mom school program, and pre-natal classes on site!

Visit our open house on November 22nd!

200 Bond Street, West • Oshawa, Ontario • (905) 432-3622 www.roseofdurham.com Follow us on Facebook!

The Chronicle

Sports

November 10, 2015

19

Former teammate becomes mentor UOIT grad returns to coach Ridgebacks Alyssa Bugg The Chronicle

From skates to stands, Melissa Berney has made the switch to UOIT women’s hockey assistant coach after finishing up her five years as a defence player for the Ridgebacks’.

The choice to coach was simple for Berney, a graduate of the UOIT criminology program, who was approached by newly hired coach, Justin Caruana during the off-season.

After years of sharing the ice with a group of teammates, some might think the shift from player to assistant coach may be difficult but for Berney, it’s all about perspective.

“It’s an adjustment. Some

days I just want to be out there playing still. But it’s a good opportunity and I’m happy to still be involved,” said Berney. “[Having been a player is an advantage because] you’ve seen the game from a different perspective. I think I’m learning a lot more about the game now and I’m learning more about how to coach.”

Berney joins the ranks with other assistant coaches, former NHLer Jim Jackson and former Ontario Hockey League and minor league professional, Tom St. James. Through this role, Berney observes the game from the stands, tracks stats and does some video work for the team. She also takes on a mentor role with the current players, a role that comes naturally for this Bowmanville, Ont. native.

Rachel Budden, a forensic psychology student and fourthyear player on the Ridgebacks, was defence partners with Berney for a few years and had the opportunity to witness her mentoring first-hand.

“With her being captain last year she played a mentorship and leadership-type role. So

her transitioning to assistant coach, it wasn’t as drastic as you might think,” said Budden.

“The biggest difference is she’s not on the bench. You come off the ice and she gives you a little fist bump and is like ‘do this, do that, you played a good period’.”

Coming into their sixth game of the season on Saturday, Oct. 24 against the Laurentian Voyageurs with a two-game losing streak, the Ridgebacks may have appeared as if they were in need of some mentoring. According to Berney, it isn’t about what happened in the past that determines the future.

“I think that it’s really important that the girls know that on any given night any team can win. It doesn’t matter if you’re in first place or last. And [the girls] have learned that from both the winning and the losing side,” said Berney. “So I just remind the girls that you gotta work hard every shift and that yesterday is in the past and it’s how you show up for this game.”

The team seemed to follow Berney’s mentality as they came out with a 3-1 win against

Alyssa Bugg

SKATING WITH POWER: Former Ridgebacks player turned coach Melissa Berney (centre) poses with players Rachel Budden (left) and Mikaeli Cavell (right). the Voyageurs.

After losing their previous two games against the Toronto

Varsity Blues and Nippissing Lakers, the Ridgebacks came to the Oct. 24 game ready to win.

UOIT looks west to recruit new talent Michael Fletcher The Chronicle

The UOIT Ridgebacks women’s hockey team has had to take a different approach to the recruitment of their players. The Ridgebacks find themselves competing with NCAA schools when it comes to recruiting Canada’s top hockey talent.

The Ridgebacks women’s hockey team has had to stretch their recruitment to the western provinces as a result. They have had success bringing in players from Ontario in the past but recently they are seeing a larger number of girls are going to play for NCAA teams in the U.S.A. Seven of the Ridgebacks on the 20152016 roster are from Nanaimo, B.C., Richmond, B.C., Edmonton, Alta., Lethbridge, Alta., or have played in the NCAA before joining UOIT. Justin Caruana is in his first year with the Ridgebacks women’s team as their head coach and has already noticed some difficulty in recruiting players even from Ontario. “We have had to make adjustments to our recruitment strategy because we are having trouble getting some girls to stay home and play for UOIT,” says Caruana.

The Ridgebacks recruitment team wants to bring more locally grown talent to the team.

“I think you will see us make a push towards recruiting more girls from more local leagues here in Ontario because a lot of good talent comes out of here and we want to tap into that resource,” says Caruana.

‘

We have had to make adjustments to our recruitment strategy.

Justin Caruana

’

Caruana also says he is not sure whether players are leaving Ontario for the NCAA because the NCAA either gets to them before UOIT does or the player’s like the idea of playing in the U.S. and see it as a better experience. The players UOIT has brought in from the western provinces were very excited to get their varsity careers started, says Caruana.

Mikaeli Cavell (Edmonton, Alta.) is in her third year with the Ridgebacks and says the recruitment from UOIT was a great experience that made

them feel like they were going to a division one NCAA school in the U.S. “When I was being recruited by UOIT, I was also being scouted by Princeton University in New Jersey.

Princeton invited me to tour the school and their facilities and after that I toured the UOIT campus and got a better feeling for this school,” says Cavell.

Cavell says meeting the coaching staff, her new teammates and touring the facilities on the UOIT campus helped shape her decision to join the Ridgebacks. “UOIT was also going to give me more options in terms of a scholarship, so I knew coming here was going to be the right fit for me,” says Cavell.

Tori Campbell (Lethbridge, Alta.) is also in her third season with the Ridgebacks and says she valued the way UOIT went about their recruitment process compared to other schools.

“UOIT’s scouting and recruitment for me was much different from when I was being scouted by other CIS schools, UOIT was a lot more aggressive in their approach,” says Campbell.

Campbell also says the other CIS schools were laid back and wanted her to go to them in hopes that she would have waited too long and would be panicking, trying to find some-

Al Fournier

SKATING IT IN: Ridgebacks’ centre Mikaeli Cavell (16) takes a shot on goal. where to go to school and play hockey. “UOIT and their scouts came to a showcase tournament that Mikaeli and I were both playing in Lethbridge and watched me play a couple games that weekend and made their offer to me after watching me play,” says Campbell.

Both Cavell and Campbell found that UOIT gave them a good sense of how varsity athletics are supposed to work in conjunction with being a student and focusing on academics. “When I toured the UOIT campus I was really impressed

with everything I had seen and then I got to see all of the hockey facilities and meet the coaching staff and all of that was what drew me into UOIT,” says Cavell.

The Ridgebacks women’s hockey program has had to make some big adjustments to the way they recruit and scout their players by travelling outside of Ontario but they hope to change that over the next few years. They hope to tap into local hockey leagues to generate interest from players thinking about heading south to play.

20

The Chronicle

Alyssa Bugg

COACHING CHANGE: Justin Caruana takes the reigns for women’s hockey at UOIT, head coach for the men’s team.

Caruana changes jobs but still with UOIT Alyssa Bugg The Chronicle

After nearly a decade of service with the UOIT Ridgebacks’ women’s hockey team, head coach Karen Nystrom stepped down.

Nystrom stepped down to commit full time to sport apparel company, Under Armour, making way for Justin Caruana.

Caruana is no stranger to Ridgebacks hockey.

Three years ago, he joined the men’s hockey team as assistant coach, where he remained for two and a half years “He’s given us a new and fresh look at the game. He’s a great asset to our team, everyone was super excited when he got the position and he’s helping our program grow so much already,” said Battie.

“When Karen stepped down, I felt very comfortable I was ready for the head coaching role. I love UOIT, I live in Oshawa, I grew up near the area, so it was a place that I wanted to be,” said Caruana.

“I’ve learned a lot from my experience as head coach with the men’s team, a lot good, a lot bad. I’ve taken those things and tried to use some of that stuff with the women’s team, as well as growing and learning from some of the things that I’ve tried and may have failed or succeeded with.”

The Ridgebacks played back-to-back games over Halloween weekend, losing against both the Guelph Gryphons and the Waterloo Warriors, leaving them in tenth place with a record of 2-5-1.

The Ridgebacks take on the Queen’s Gaels on Nov. 14 at the Campus Ice Centre; the puck drops at 3:30 p.m.

November 10, 2015

Sports

Sports

DC softball team swings for a championship

The Chronicle

November 10, 2015

21

The Durham women’s softball team won their first OCAA championship in four years on home turf, beating Humber 7-3 .

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Fielder Justine Pike holds the OCAA championship plaque high after win; Cassidy Gallant (21) takes a swing at the ball; Rebecca Ropp smiles happily after the team’s gold medal win; Lords’ pitcher Caitlyn Omelanchuk (8) winds up to throw a strike; Players Justine Pike and Cassidy Gallant dance in celebration after the Lords win the game.

Photos by Logan Caswell

22

The Chronicle

November 10, 2015

Sports

Ex-UOIT coach is a mighty Duck Fitzgerald adds strength to Anaheim Jordan Edmonds The Chronicle

From Whitby to the sundrenched city of Anaheim, California, Mark Fitzgerald has made a strong name for himself in the hockey world.

The 36-year-old is owner of ETS (Elite Training Systems) located in Whitby, but was recently appointed as the strength and conditioning for the Anaheim Ducks before the start of the NHL season.

Fitzgerald signed a threeyear deal with the Ducks after previously working with the UOIT Ridgebacks, Oshawa Generals and the Toronto Marlies. He remains very grateful for the experience he gained while working with the Marlies and it has allowed him to make a smooth transition into his current role, he said.

“It was great to work with coaches who had a lot of professional experience, being around them set me up perfectly for my job with the Ducks,” Fitzgerald said.

While working in the NHL he has noticed a clear difference between the Ducks and the other teams he has worked with.

“The main difference is professionalism, the players in the NHL know what they need to do on a daily basis to stay here.

They are dedicated with everything they do and they are the guys who get the small things done,” said Fitzgerald.

Fitzgerald was keen to implement his own style into the Ducks’ strength and conditioning program. The main thing he added was a lot more technology. The players are weighed daily before and after practice, and the scale is linked up to a laptop where the data is kept.

This is to give their ‘well’ weight and to check hydration levels, Fitzgerald said.

To add to this, players are tested before and after a long road trip to see what toll it has taken on their bodies. Players are also tracked on the ice to see what their heart rate is during

practice, Fitzgerald explained.

Although most of his work is with the Ducks, Fitzgerald still works closely with ETS, as it is his own business.

“It won’t ever take a back seat, that is my business and I’m very lucky that I have a great team back in Whitby to help me,” he said.

Fitzgerald Skype calls his ETS team daily and is still heavily involved with marketing, advertising and gaining partnerships, he explained.

Fitzgerald is proud of his achievements, but claims that he still has a lot more that he wants to do and always thinks about what is next for him.

Hockey on the west coast is something he believes he can really help with.

“Hockey is growing like crazy and my mind is going crazy at the thought of what I can do here, I especially want to do a lot more speaking and help hockey continue to flourish,” Fitzgerald said.

His hometown however, will always be Whitby.

“Whitby is my home and it’s where I grew up, but I like California and it is certainly growing on me,” said Fitzgerald.

UOIT Athletic Department

FLYING SOUTH: Mark Fitzgerald signed a three-year contract with the Anaheim Ducks (NHL) to become their new strength and conditioning coach.

Generals wheeling and dealing

Logan Caswell

ON THE MOVE: Dominic Commisso (12) chases after the puck in the Generals 6-3 victory over the Kingston Frontenacs on Sunday, November 1st. The Generals have lost their offensive touch so far this season. Through their first 17 games this year they have averaged three goals per game compared to last season where they averaged four and a half goals per game through the first 17 games. In other news the Generals traded defenceman Stephen Desrocher (37) to the Kingston Frontenacs in exchange for two second round draft picks, a third round draft pick, and a conditional fifth round draft pick.

The Chronicle

November 10, 2015

23

24

The Chronicle

November 10, 2015