The Dialog - Orientation Issue

SWEETERY TORONTO Toronto is getting sweeter thanks to George Brown’s French patisserie students who topped off their exams with a little bit of frosting.

P.10 Aug 31–Sept 13, 2015

Emergency texting now available at George Brown

SA starts the school year with the Week of Welcome

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P.11 GBC Student Newspaper • Founded 1982

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NEWS

The Dialog • dialog.studentassociation.ca // Aug. 31–Sept. 13

7 Helpful steps for getting an award 1 If you are not already registered, create a username, a password and then proceed to log-in. You can create any username, it doesn’t have to be your student number.

2 Once you are logged in, you will be brought to an application wizard tool that will help you set up your application and determine your best scholarship options.

3 Fill out the personal information questionnaire and you will then be brought to another opening questionnaire page, which asks questions about your background as well as about volunteer and extracurricular activities.

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Apply for GBC Awards George Brown College has made $3 million dollars in scholarships and bursaries available to students EMEKA IBEH STAFF REPORTER

When applying for a scholarship it’s not a bad idea to compare it to college and university applications. Why? Mainly because any college or university application you may have completed in the past was taken pretty seriously and a potential scholarship award should be considered the same.

Students should view researching for scholarships as the easiest part-time job they’ll ever find because that hour or two it takes to search and apply could be the best financial decision a student

can make for their future.

According to Peter Oltenau, the acting manager for the financial assistance program, the application for a GBC Awards account can take anywhere from 45 minutes to one hour to complete.

So, it would be a great return if you are offered a bursary of $500.

“Be persistent! Last year we had over 7,000 students begin to apply but in the end less than half the students who began the process actually completed it. This resulted in most students not being qualified for any funds because they did not stay with it,” said Oltenau.

Without financial aid the

cost of school can be suffocating for students, not only financially but socially and this why students should take advantage of the George Brown College (GBC) Awards program. It will allow students to apply for scholarships, bursaries and awards without having to stress over paying it back since they are non-repayable, which gives students the breathing room they desperately need during chaotic semesters.

The awards are mostly based on financial need, college-community involvement, and academic performance, which are things students should keep in mind when applying.

There aren’t any big tricks when applying for bursaries, however, reading each instruction carefully and applying for each relevant award you come across is important.

Oltenau added that the

most common mistake students make is not completing the budget that is available through the website. “They must download and complete the budget that we supply and then upload that same budget back to their GBC Awards account.”

It is worth noting that there are a variety of scholarships offering programspecific awards, which allow for even more opportunities to be considered. By applying for GBC Awards you may be able to share in over $3 million that the college provided to over 3,000 students during the last academic year.

The deadline for the fall applications is Sept. 30 and you must be a registered fulltime student. If you apply after that date and by the end of January of the following year, your application will only be considered for the winter and spring awards.

The following page on the application process will be about academics, clarifying your program name and year of study.

5 Once you finish the academics page you will then be brought to the most important part of the application, the free-form essay page.

This is where students have the chance to sell themselves.

6 Following the free-form essay students can attach any additional documents they wish to submit.

7 Once all the steps have been completed, the application wizard will provide you with a list of all the recommended scholarships that are available to you.

NEWS

The Dialog • dialog.studentassociation.ca // Aug. 31–Sept. 13

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Student Association Garden – a relaxing spot for students “It is an exciting feeling - to grow something that belongs to you and then share it with somebody.”

PHOTO BY: ALIONA KUTS

ALIONA KUTS STAFF REPORTER

This summer the Student Association (SA) of George Brown College has been running a unique project, its very own garden in Regent Park.

Mireya Forero came up with the idea after talking to students and staff of the Good Food Market and hearing the same question, “why don’t we have a place to go and grow things?”

After conducting research and doing some planning, Forero managed to get support from Toronto Christian Resource Centre (TCRC) and City Hall.

With the help of the TCRC, the SA Garden found a home in Regent Park. City Hall was also extremely helpful holding several introductory gardening workshops; both organizations also donated seeds and small plants.

“The idea was to create a relaxing space for students and that’s what a garden is about,” said Forero. “It’s a place for

STUDENT VOLUNTEERS HELPED CREATE A VEGETABLE GARDEN IN REGENNT PARK

well-being, improving mental health, and just breathing and living in the moment.”

Forero added that one of the volunteers missed the garden so much that during her trip to China she had asked her for new photos of the garden.

The SA Garden is a flexible

community open to everyone.

All you need to do is show up on Wednesdays at 3 p.m. in Regent Park at Cole St. and Sackville St. Currently there are four staff members and approximately 20 volunteers who come out weekly to take care

6 things international students should know Tips to make adjusting to first-year much easier ALIONA KUTS STAFF REPORTER

Being a first-year international student in a new city can be really overwhelming and these tips can help make your first semester easier and more exciting: 1. Get all the paperwork done - Bring a copy of your study permit to the International Centre and submit a photo for the student ID online to avoid long lines. To make sure you have a method of transportation get a postsecondary TTC Photo ID at Sherbourne station for $5.25 to be eligible for the post-secondary student Metropass.

Also, apply for a bank account and make sure to get a student account to avoid all the fees.

2. Work options - Some people are not aware of this but you are eligible to work off campus without a work

permit as of June 1, 2014, according to Citizenship and Immigration Canada. However, you have to be a full-time student with a valid study permit, gaining a degree, diploma or certificate at a designated learning institution at the post-secondary level.

If you meet these criteria you can work 20 hours per week during academic sessions and full-time, 40 hours per week, during scheduled breaks.

3. Volunteer - In order to get involved with college life start networking and making new friends. All full-time students are welcome to join the Dean’s Volunteer Recognition Program through the school of business. It is a free opportunity.

4. Explore the city - Use your student ID card to get free or discounted admission to major city attractions.

Post-secondary students get free admission to the Royal Ontario Museum on Tuesdays and can enjoy the free

concert series from the Canadian Opera Company. Students also get special rates at the Ontario Science Centre, Rainbow Cinemas, TIFF Bell Lightbox, and at a variety of retail stores. Do not be afraid to ask for special rates or offers!

5. Explore the country Although your main focus is studying that doesn’t mean you can’t take a nice weekend getaway. With all major transportation companies offering special student rates such as Via Rail, Go Transit and Greyhound, travelling has never been easier and cheaper.

6. Stay connected - Set up your George Brown College email, download the Transit app for the TTC so you’ll always know when is the next bus or streetcar is coming.

Also, download the George Brown College app and GBevent, a new Android app developed by GBC students, to stay updated on college events.

of the plants.

Throughout the season students have grown tomatoes, peppers, green onions, berries, mint and celery. All the crops will be divided; volunteers can take some and the rest will be donated to the TCRC. Although the season is com-

ing to its end the garden will still run and welcome new members until October. Participation is free and all costs are covered by the SA. The garden will most likely come back next spring so be sure to check the SA Garden Facebook page for notifications.

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NEWS

The Dialog • dialog.studentassociation.ca // Aug. 31–Sept. 13

Good food for all students The Good Food Market brings fresh produce to communities and George Brown TINA TODARO STAFF REPORTER

Food is not always easily accessible. Partnering with community organizations, the Good Food Market has found a home at George Brown College (GBC).

“The presence of the Good Food Market at George Brown College is important because many students live in

food deserts,” said Good Food Market staff member Mireya Forero. “Students living in food deserts

face high financial cost and scheduling challenges associated with travelling long distances to buy groceries.

Access to quality food is a human right, not a privilege.”

Established in 2012 at the St. James campus, the Good Food Market was later introduced at the Waterfront campus in 2014, bringing high-quality, affordable and fresh fruits and vegetables to the college.

The program was brought to the Waterfront Campus by the Student

Association of George Brown College in partnership with FoodShare Toronto, a nonprofit organization that provides quality produce to communities where it may not otherwise be available, or where farmers’ markets cannot be sustained due to low sales,

Having become quite popular within the George Brown community, Forero says that students depend on their services for quality produce. “Paying for school and eating well are difficult and we’re here to make it easy.”

The Good Food Market has had a significant impact on Toronto’s communities over the years. Of the individuals who reported having used the service, 79 per cent

returned to other markets and 98 per cent reported seeing an improvement in their neighbourhood, according to FoodShare Toronto.

Customers also reported making healthier food choices and preparing more homecooked meals.

“Students love the Good Food Market so much that they have asked us to run year-long markets,” said Forero. “Now, the Good Food Markets run throughout all school semesters.”

Students can visit the Good Food Market in the main lobby at Waterfront campus every Wednesday from 10:45 a.m. to 2 p.m. and at St. James campus on Thursday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. also in the main lobby.

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NEWS

The Dialog • dialog.studentassociation.ca // Aug. 31–Sept. 13

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Protect your bike by registering it GBC security help students register their bicycles with Toronto Police MICK SWEETMAN MANAGING EDITOR

Stacey Andrews, the head of Public Safety and Security at George Brown College (GBC) knows what it’s like to have a bicycle stolen.

“When I was younger, we’re talking many years ago, I had my bicycle stolen from my driveway in front of a car.”

24 bicycles were stolen at PHOTO BY: MICK SWEETMAN

GBC between May 2014 and April 2015, at least that’s how many were reported—the actual number is likely much higher.

A total of 3,456 bikes in Toronto were reported as stolen in 2012, the last year that the Toronto Police have released a statistical report for on their website.

According to Andrews, no bikes reported as stolen at GBC have been recovered, and that is partly because very few bicycles are registered with the Toronto Police.

For two weeks at the start of the school year GBC’s public safety and security office will have laptops set up in the main lobby at the three major campuses by the security offices and welcome desk where students can register their bicycles with the Toronto Police.

GBC security will also have bike registration forms that students can fill out if

they don’t have all of the information on them, and then hand back into either GBC security or police. You can also register your bike on the Toronto Police website.

“I hope people register because it does make a difference,” says Andrews. “It really does.”

In addition to the bicycle registration campaign, Andrews says she increases patrols outside during the influx of new student cyclists.

Security guards check out the bike racks and put flyers on bikes telling students about how to help keep their bike safe.

Some tips that Toronto police have for preventing bike thefts are: Register your bicycle with the police.

Use a good quality locking device such as a hardened steel “U” shaped lock, or a hardened steel chain and

padlock.

Lock your bicycle and both wheels to an immovable object that cannot be easily cut or broken.

Andrews has one more, “don’t bring a bicycle that’s worth a few thousand dollars, you know it’s going to be targeted. What I see some people do in this city is they get a cheap bike that they use for riding around.”

If there’s a spike in reported bike thefts in a short period of time Andrews’ team of investigators will work to identify the suspect and send security-camera images to police and security at all campuses. Investigators will even comb through Kijiji for items that students have reported as stolen.

“We understand, it’s students’ hard-earned money that they spend on these items and we try and do what we can,” says Andrews.

The Premier’s Awards recognize George Brown alumni Honouring the success and achievements of former George Brown students ALIONA KUTS STAFF REPORTER

The Premier’s Awards honour the accomplishments of Ontario college graduates both in the province and throughout the world, acknowledging students from business, community services, creative arts and design, health sciences, technology as well as recent graduates, according to the 2015 Premier’s Awards website.

This year 116 graduates have been nominated for the awards, six of whom are George Brown College (GBC) alumni, having graduated between 1980 and 2013 and nominated by the school this year.

Cheryl Cecchetto, a theatre arts program graduate in 1980, is now running her own event company Sequoia Productions in Los Angeles.

“I feel quite honoured to be nominated by a school with such an incredible reputation,” said Cecchetto. “But what is really interesting is that I was there when the theatre program first started

with Joseph Shaw, a veteran actor and director.”

Under his direction, she feels that the school really built her skills adding that because of the Premier’s Awards, “the world can see that the school really nurtures your skills.” She adds that it’s interesting being nominated more than 30 years later by a school that used to be intimate and small, making her proud of what the college has become.

As for the impact of the nomination on her career, she says that she has always been and will continue to be engaged with many schools in regards to supporting the arts.

Another GBC nominee, Susan Gapka, who graduated with honours from the community worker program in 2000, was nominated for the award by Robin Buyers, a community worker professor and co-founder of the school of social and community services destination Cuba program.

Gapka came out publicly as a transgender person in college. “I owe this to Margaret Cameron, my former

classmate and former manager of equity for the Student Association. She saw me at the Pride Parade and the next day on our way to school, asked whether I thought about going public. That was the seed and she planted it.”

She adds that college along with the extracurricular activities pushed her confidence. Gapka also mentioned a documentary by Lisa Rideout saying, “I have a story to tell. 10 years of struggle living on the streets along with all the work I’ve done, I want to share it with the world and apparently the world wants to hear it based on the Kickstarter results” The Kickstarter campaign that was set up in order to make the documentary, recently exceeded their goal with $24,184. ”As a transgender person who came from the streets to a Premier’s Awards nomination, I can’t express what an honour it is to me and how confident it makes me feel,” says Gapka.

The 2015 Premier’s Awards gala will be hosted at the Sheraton Centre Hotel Toronto on November 16.

PHOTO BY: TANIA LIU

GAPKA (ABOVE) IS NOMINATED FOR A PREMIERE’S AWARD

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NEWS

The Dialog • dialog.studentassociation.ca // Aug. 31–Sept. 13 // SERVICES

George Brown College introduces emergency texting New service particularly important for Deaf and hard-ofhearing students

MICK SWEETMAN MANAGING EDITOR

“I’m stuck in the elevator!” isn’t the type of text you want to have to send when you’re at school, but now at least you can send it to the people who can help you.

Starting this September, George Brown College (GBC) is launching an “emergency texting system” where people can directly text the college security’s central dispatch.

“If we can get the college community to be able to communicate with security that for me is huge,” says Stacey Andrews, the manager of GBC’s public safety and security department. “The more they’re able to communicate with us, the better it is for the community itself.”

According to a statistical report obtained by The Dialog through a Freedom of Information Act request, there were a total of 45 calls for “elevator entrapment” between Sept. 1, 2014 and March 31, 2015.

So make sure you save

Students are now able to text school security from their phones.

the new number (416-7234761) in your cell phone because you never know when, or where, you might need to send an emergency text.

While this service can be used by everyone, it’s of particular importance to Deaf and hard-of-hearing students and staff at GBC. George Brown is home to academic upgrading for Deaf and hard of hearing students, an American Sign Language interpreter and intervenor for Deafblind persons programs.

“It will remove systemic barriers for Deaf students, and will enable them to communicate effectively with GBC security, and receive the required assistance in a timely manner,” says Paul Smith, a professor in the Deaf upgrading program. “The ETS will enhance the quality of student life for Deaf students, as they will have equal access to this essential service.”

According to Andrews, the school of Deaf and Deafblind studies at GBC is also the reason that the college’s announcement system can send a text message to phones in each classroom as well as use the phones as an audible PA system.

Huge demand for student food bank services The Student Association Food Bank is making necessities more accessible TINA TODARO STAFF REPORTER

Brought on by higher tuition fees, precarious work and housing issues, many students are finding themselves unable to pay for food.

“The need has increasingly grown, so much, and at colleges and universities it’s a bigger problem,” says Greg Philip, food bank lead staff at George Brown College, about the growing need for food banks.

The food bank provides basic necessities like produce, canned foods and hygiene products to students who have demonstrated financial need.

By providing this service, the Student Association “en-

sures that students can think properly and do their assignments with food in their fridges,” says Philip.

“Without proper food you just cannot function, which can lead to all kinds of problems.”

1,163 students used the food bank between June 2014 to March 2015 of those 19.5 per cent of individual households used the service one to two times while those who used the service more frequently at 10-37 times accounted for 32.7 per cent, though with fewer individuals per number of visits.

34 per cent of food bank clients are between the ages of 25-35, followed by youth 19-24 who made up 29 per cent.

253 children were among the people in students’ households who used the food bank.

The food bank is available at all three George Brown campuses. Students who wish

PHOTO BY: EMEKA IBEH

The food bank provides basic neccessities for students

to use the food bank just need to register and provide their timetables to use the food bank.

“There are some people who have prior experience using a food bank and some who do not,” he explained, adding

that it is unfortunate that there is a stigma attached to using the food bank.

Among produce the food bank also distributes nonfood items like TTC tokens, pet food and feminine care and hygiene products such

as shampoo, body wash and soap accounting for 73 per cent of the non-food items, according to the Community Services Annual Program Report. Feminine care products like sanitary pads and tampons are available through the food bank as well as the Community Action Centre at St. James, Waterfront and Casa Loma which is pending renovations.

Students are urged not to visit for snacks and to treat the service as an emergency service for students who are struggling financially.

The hours of operation for the food bank are Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the St. James campus and Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays at the Waterfront campus. The Casa Loma location will reopen when renovations there have been completed.

OPINION

The Dialog • dialog.studentassociation.ca // Aug. 31–Sept. 13 // EDITORIAL

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// TOP TWEETS

Volunteering can help you make the most of your college experience At George Brown College there are many volunteer opportunities available for students and although it may be difficult to find time in your busy schedules, volunteering at school can benefit you in a variety of ways.

It can help you make connections. Building connections is crucial to student success and future employment and participating in school activities can provide you with opportunities to do just that. While many students may be shy and intimidated to get involved, volunteering allows you to meet others who may share the same interests, hobbies and opinions as you, which contributes to a positive college experience.

These new experiences also expose you to new insights and this involvement can build on your character traits and help you to develop a real sense of community from working in different settings with a variety of people. Building a community or becoming a part of one is helpful in achieving academic and social success while at college.

Being able to work with all types of people is also considered an asset among

potential employers and volunteering is a great way to challenge your skills and abilities. Working with others can sometimes be a difficult task and volunteering allows you to challenge yourself and help you gain new skills that make working with others much easier.

Getting involved can also make you feel empowered.

The time you put into volunteering gives you the opportunity to give back to others and by doing this, your help and commitment to the people you work with, gives you a feeling of purpose and sense of accomplishment.

Some volunteer opportunities that are available to students include the George Brown College Mental Health Conference, the Student Leadership Academy as well as the Student Association.

Students who get involved at school will be benefited in many ways through gaining new knowledge and skills, making connections and gaining insights and new experiences, all of which contribute to a better college life.

Take part and volunteer with your school, you won’t be disappointed!

Lil Megs @_megdaniels

@GBCollege Fully registered for my courses!! Couldn’t be anymore excited to be a GBC husky!!

Filomena Facciolo

cleo

@f_lo_f_lo

@grapeghoul_

@GBCollege

@GBCollege

regardless of how sleep deprived & cranky I was, Staff and students were v. friendly and useful today at St.James campus

What an amazing few days it’s been. My head and heart are so full of inspiration and love from everyone! #GBCSLA2015

// EDITORIAL CARTOON

Cartoon created by: Michael Shea

// OPINION

Toronto PanAm /Parapan Am – it was worth it ALIONA KUTS Torontonians still remember the traffic jams and regular road closures that happened across the Greater Toronto Area and the common belief that no one actually cared about the games or that they didn’t sell enough tickets.

These were some of the most frequent complaints about the Toronto PanAm and Parapan Am Games.

If you were one of those people you should have visited any one of the venues to see the excitement and enthusiasm of the spectators and volunteers. Evidence of

that delight can be found on the official Facebook page for the Toronto2015 volunteers as each day dozens of former volunteers write nostalgic posts about their shifts, new friends, visitors and athletes they had seen, followed by numerous sad faces and compassionate comments.

The Games did leave a mark in people’s hearts as well as at George Brown College (GBC).

According to the GBC website, since September 2012 more than 30 George Brown students have completed internships with Toronto2015 in areas such as sport and event marketing, human resources management, business marketing and computer systems technology.

The Brazilian men’s and women’s volleyball teams trained at St. James campus’ Alex Barbier gym. During

this time the college’s classrooms were turned into volunteer training spaces in the evenings and on weekends, according to GBC. GBC students Heather Lochhead, Andrew Murrell and Jillian MacSween were chosen to be torchbearers during the games. MacSween also participated in the Parapan Am games as a goalball player and her team won the

bronze medal match against Guatemala.

The Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) offered a longer grace period to repay the loan and a waiver which reduced the pre-study contribution to zero for college and university students who volunteered for Toronto2015, according to the OSAP website.

Last but not least GBC

will transform one of the buildings in the Athlete’s Village into its first student residence by the fall of 2016.

The suites will be two-bedrooms and furnished with a student lounge, a games room and study areas. The location will have a new streetcar route, which will be launched in 2016, and a roof-top YMCA garden built with the help of George Brown students.

PHOTO BY: GEORGE BROWN COLLEGE

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SPORTS

George Brown student wins bronze medal in Goalball at Parapan Am Games Jillian MacSween, an early childhood education student at George Brown College, took part in the 2015 Toronto Parapan Am Games as a Goalball player and torchbearer.

MacSween won a bronze medal and qualified with her team for the 2016 Paralympics in Rio. Living by her motto “you can always be better,” she took part in a sport where visually impaired and blind athletes try to stop a heavy ball with bells while wearing blindfolds.

Team Canada brought home 168 medals at the 2015 ParaPan Am Games with 50 gold, 63 silver, and 55 bronze medals.

The Dialog • dialog.studentassociation.ca // Aug. 31–Sept. 13 PHOTO BY: CANADIAN PARALYMPIC COMMITTEE

Jillian MacSween, a George Brown student dives into the 2015 Toronto Parapan Am Games to win a Bronze medal.

SPORTS

The Dialog • dialog.studentassociation.ca // Aug. 31–Sept. 13

George Brown hires experienced baseball coach With over 22 years of experience coaching baseball at the rep and Triple-A levels, Mark Cotgrave will be taking over the Huskies baseball team after last year’s disappointing 3-17 record.

“I am so thrilled to join the George Brown Huskies,” Cotgrave said. “It is a new challenge and opportunity and I feel I have coached at almost every level so this is the next step for me.”

A former manager of the North York Blues Bantam Baseball Club, Cotgrave is also known as a player development specialist, according

Icon by: Dmitry Kudinov

to GBC athletics.

Cotgrave’s experience and talent for training will help the Huskies learn new techniques and build on existing ones, focusing on the defensive side of the game and putting pressure on the opponent.

In preparation for the season Cotgrave says he is building the team from fielding and pitching.

“Hitting is dessert,” says Cotgrave. “You do not get dessert until you have finished your dinner.”

With files from George Brown College Athletics

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Badminton skills workshop raises funds for alumnis Icon by: Gira Park

George Brown Dragonboat Club paddles to nationals This summer George Brown College’s (GBC) dragon boat club took part in the regattas in Milton and Pickering.

After managing to grab first place in the 200 metre B Uni division and second in the C Uni division, the Huskies’ winning streak was broken at the 2015 nationals when they were placed 10th.

Lisa Tai, head coach for the Dragon Boat Club, is more excited for the opportunities the paddlers had than the medals won. “What is

exciting about competitions is we get to experience true dragon boat racing against other university teams.” Tai said. “If we win a medal at the end of the regatta, it is a bonus.”

The dragon boat club will be recruiting new paddlers in September and students who have questions or are interested in joining are encouraged to contact gerogebrowndragonboat@gmail.com.

With files from Brittany Barber/GBC Athletics

For badminton players that want to improve their game, George Brown College (GBC) athletics is offering a badminton skills training program in support of the alumni scholarship program.

Beginning in the fall this two-day program will provide players with drills and techniques to help enhance and strengthen their existing skills. For $120 for 16 hours or the drop-in rate of $10 per hour, GBC students can register and rally.

The sessions will be held in the Alex Barbier gym on Sept. 5 and 6 from 9 a.m. to 6p.m.

For more details students can contact Kim Ng at 416752-0685 or Wendy RobertsSimpson at 416-415-5000 extension 3335.

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ARTS & LIFE

The Dialog • dialog.studentassociation.ca // Aug. 31–Sept. 13

Toronto is getting Sweeter George Brown’s French patisserie students took part in the first Sweetery Toronto ALIONA KUTS STAFF REPORTER

On the weekend of Aug. 15 and 16 Toronto hosted the first sweets-only festival— Sweetery Toronto. The festival featured sweets created by artists, chefs and enthusiasts, critics and students to create an engaging experience that is both unique and affordable, according to Sweetery Toronto.

George Brown College’s chef school and it’s French patisserie post-graduate program was a collaborative partner for the festival.

Saturday afternoon was a busy time for the parking lot at Front and Portland and shortly after the event began people were gathering around the tents.

George Brown’s tent received the most attention with an ongoing line of approximately 10 people making it a challenge to speak with students about their program, their upcoming trip to France and the desserts they created for the event.

Shefali Gupta and Delna Patel were

among the girls who ran back and forth to replenishing the constantly emptying refrigerator shelves. According to Patel there were 12 students enrolled in the program six of whom were presenting their creations on Saturday and the other six on Sunday.

It was an exciting and

thrilling experience for all them. While they were earning money for their desserts with the proceeds going towards their education, this event was also their final exam presenting in front of the chef as well as approximately 16,560 strangers, according to Nicolas Yu, founder and president of Sweetery Toronto.

Since attending the University of Toronto, Yu noticed that sweets were always a big hit at festivals and thought it would be a fun idea to create a festival dedicated to sweets.

“Sweetery was the perfect idea to combine my passion for food and event planning.”

With Yu it was a team of eight full-time professionals and about 10 consultants and partners to help bring the idea to life. The planning pro-

cess took three years and as Yu emphasized, “finding the venue took the longest time but once we secured one, we started meeting on a weekly basis for about a year and a half.”

The planning paid off.

“I would say collectively on our core team, we thought it exceeded our expectations.

We were estimating 10,000 attendees to be at the event but over 16,000 showed up,” said Yu. Yu has said, “From all the feedback we’ve seen, all things do point towards it being a very successful event, especially for its first year.”

Proceeds of the Sweetery Toronto festival went towards the SickKids Foundation. the largest charitable funder of child health research, learning and care in Canada.

The Food Court Social is making a comeback this fall Promising an even better selection of dishes from top restaurants and chefs ALIONA KUTS STAFF REPORTER

FILE PHOTO BY: DORA LIU

Planned from scratch last year in order to support the augmented education program, a partnership between George Brown College (GBC) and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, last year’s tickets for the Food Court Social were sold-out two months prior to the event and raised $150,000.

“The augmented education program is a tuition-free program that helps individuals, who have suffered from mental health and addiction

issues in the past, to either take a culinary or a construction program and get a job placement afterwards,” said Cindy Gouveia, president of the GBC Foundation.

The GBC Foundation is the primary fundraising vehicle that serves the students who are unable to attend a post-secondary institution with opportunities to do so.

It also supports the Young Leaders Council (YLC), a dedicated group of young professionals established in 2013 who help put the event together, according to GBC. Mikhael Metauro, a leader of the YLC’s sales and marketing, states that the whole team was inspired by one of the students who went through the augmented education program.

He added that, “the moment she revealed the struggles she went through and

how the augmented education truly changed her life, the YLC members knew they wanted to support the program. With George Brown’s reputation for culinary, we thought what could be better than having some type of food court with top chefs?”

You can visit thefoodcourtsocial.com to purchase tickets for $150. The event will run from 7 p.m. until 11 p.m. at Wychwood Barns.

“The event is awesome.

We have a lot of fun planning it, we have a lot of fun at the event. Besides, we never lose track of what we’re trying to do,” said Metauro. “What’s great with Cindy and her team is they continue to engage us regarding the augmented education program, get us involved with what’s going on in school, being able to see the success of the students.”

ARTS & LIFE

The Dialog • dialog.studentassociation.ca // Aug. 31–Sept. 13

11

PHOTO BY: WAYNE HOFFMAN.COM

SA Week of Welcome bringing students together The Student Association is introducing a jam-packed and eventful week for all students IBEH EMEKA STAFF REPORTER

The 2015 fall semester is finally here and for some new students the transition to college will not be easy.

In order to make the transition smoother George Brown College’s (GBC) Student Association (SA) is introducing their annual Week of Welcome to make the first few days more exciting, rather than frightening, for students.

This year they’ve filled the week with tons of fantastic events that will excite, inspire, and prepare students for their journey at George Brown. Students will also be able to get over the meeting new people hurdle fairly quick once they become com-

fortable and familiar with the campus and its environment.

Not only will new students get the chance to make new friends they will have the opportunity to ask questions about financial aid, health cards, and student identification—all in one place.

Simply consider the Week of Welcome as a sneak peek into what life will be like during the semester and the college’s best shot at impressing you According to a document provided by Rachel Grace, the SA’s director of campus life, students can look forward to three action-packed street festivals that will be taking place at each of our campuses from Sept. 8 to 10.

The festivals will also include tons of free food, stage performers and buskers along

with rock climbing walls, a mobile zip line, inflatables, activities, prizes, giveaways, music and more. There will also be a mentalist show by the famous Wayne Hoffman, a Shisha garden, a casino day, yoga by the lake, pancake and smoothie breakfasts, socials and much more.

Finishing with a bang, GBC students will join Ryerson students on Sept. 11 for the 2015 parade and concert. The parade will begin at Ryerson, tour the streets of downtown, stop for an aerial picture at Yonge and Dundas and end back at the Ryerson campus where the concert will begin.

With an expected attendance of 10,000 students, tons of special guest appearances, food, drink, vendors, and limitless excitement, according

Menatlist Wayne Hoffman is featured for the Week of Welcome

to Grace, this event will be the talk of the year.

Be sure to find the SA tents and float in order to win some amazing prizes and to meet with other stu-

dents. Also, make sure to keep posted on all the other events happening in September through the Week of Welcome; flyers will highlight all of the additional events.

USE THE CODE 'RIOTBROWN' AND BUY SPECIALLY PRICED 2-DAY TICKETS

pinkerton ALEXISONFIRE • WEEZER (performing • THE PRODIGY • WU-TANG CLAN & the blue album) ...and out come the wolves) • MOTÖRHEAD • ALL TIME LOW RANCID (performing

TYLER, THE CREATOR • COHEED AND CAMBRIA • ATMOSPHERE DRIVE LIKE JEHU • BLEACHERS • ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN • THRICE FRANK TURNER & THE SLEEPING SOULS • EAGLES OF DEATH METAL • AGAINST ME! BABES IN TOYLAND • YELAWOLF • THE AIRBORNE TOXIC EVENT THE JOY FORMIDABLE • THE DEAD MILKMEN • ANDREW W.K. • BAYSIDE • GWAR CANCER BATS • THE THURSTON MOORE BAND • FIDLAR • DOOMTREE • JAZZ CARTIER D.O.A. • MONEEN • DIE MANNEQUIN • HEAT • COURAGE MY LOVE RITUAL • OBGMs • WILDLIFE • NOVA ROCKAFELLER • THE DIRTY NIL INDIAN HANDCRAFTS • LIKE PACIFIC • THE DYING ARTS • FOXTROTT D LI M I T E T S E TICKLABLE AVAI

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TWIN RIVER • BLACK MASTIFF • TOMAHAWK LOVE

SPECIAL PERFORMANCE BY HELLZAPOPPIN CIRCUS SIDESHOW REVUE

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PARTYCAT • WILLA • TASHA THE AMAZON • SAFE TO SAY • RARITY

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ARTS & LIFE

The Dialog • dialog.studentassociation.ca // Aug. 31–Sept. 13 PHOTO BY: 5PB. AND NITROPLUS

Smaller is better ‘Ant-Man’ offers bite-sized fun Adam Tatelman The Other Press

N e w We s t m i n s t e r, B. C. (CUP)—Ever since his debut in the comic series Tales to Astonish, Ant-Man’s been riding on the shoulders of the Avengers. He’s always been there. You just never saw him. Now it’s the intrepid insectonaut’s turn to carry the Marvel Studios torch in his own film, Ant-Man. Superhero films no longer land in a genre of their own, but filter other genres through their stories. For example, Captain America does spy fiction and Thor does epic fantasy. This time around, Ant-Man takes on the grand heist storyline, fuelled by a special effects budget funded by previous Avengers films.

Paul Rudd brings his average-Joe charm to the role of Scott Lang, a downon-his-luck ex-con who struggles to pay child support in order to visit his daughter. He ends up caught in a power struggle

after he inadvertently steals long-hidden technology invented by Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), a reclusive former captain of industry whose successor, Darren Cross (Corey Stoll), is trying to copy and sell the technology to military contractors.

Lang and Pym set out to stop Cross, treating audiences to comedic spins on all the typical heist tropes of planning, training, and execution. The two misguided men who want to protect their daughters have some effective scenes together.

Following in the zany, tongue-in-cheek footsteps of Guardians of the Galaxy, the subtle comedic foreshadowing of Ant-Man far surpasses the plot it’s attached to. Cut-away sight gags make way for overthe-top slapstick humour as the pacing builds, blatantly poking fun at overproduced CGI carnage that’s typical in the Marvel Universe by wreaking similar havoc on a microscopic scale. The final battle takes place on a child’s model train set, so it’s pretty clear this was never intended to be a serious drama.

Ant-Man is burdened by a predictable façade, but you have to embrace its imperfections in order to enjoy a fun-sized world of laughs.

PHOTO BY: MARVELCINEMATICUNIVERSE.WIKIA.COM

Steins;Gate throws time travel for a loop One of the best anime released in the past five years Adam Tatelman The Other Press

N e w We s t m i n s t e r, B. C. (CUP)—To the outside world, Okabe Rintarou is a mildmannered scientist working at the Future Gadget Laboratory in Akihabara, Japan.

But inside he is HOUOUIN KYOUMA, a grandstanding self-proclaimed mad scientist who accidentally invents a way to send text messages into the past. After witnessing a murder, Okabe texts his lab buddy Daru in the past, before the murder even happened. What follows is a spiralling, slow-motion spiderweb of unintended consequences permeating past, future, and parallel reality.

Welcome to Steins;Gate.

Generally, stories about temporal ethics and the devastating mental strain brought on by reckless historical tampering are hard

to write well. They accommodate unpredictable twists and second-viewing subtleties, but they’re easy to botch due to their inherent narrative complexity. Steins;Gate works in the long run because it takes the time to lay out its theoretical logic early on, interspersed with the character backstory info dumps.

Unfortunately, this frontloading makes everything between the first and ninth episodes move very slowly.

The rhythm is tranquil, in a numbing sort of way, following a pattern of meet supporting character, run experiment, then have a big reveal. It plays out like a slice of life series at first, a sort of domestic sci-fi sitcom with cosplay geeks and gender-bent shrine maidens. Just trust that everything on-screen has a purpose. Once all the pieces are in place, the rest of the show is like watching dominoes fall—the wait is agony, but the payoff is incredibly satisfying.

Over time, the supporting cast grew on me—even the irritating, idiosyncratic ones, like Okabe’s surrogate sister Mayuri. The aggressive sexual-tension-in-denial between Okabe and his hotheaded lab rival Makise Kurisu is especially fun to watch, considering it plays out multiple different ways over the course of the show. So do all of the cast

members’ interactions, since Okabe regularly alters the past via text and only he can remember the details from one timeline to another. No one is who you think they are.

The animation is less dynamic than a typical action anime, mostly because Steins;Gate is a psychological thriller. That means a lot of sitting, standing, walking, and talking. You’ll feel it when the characters get a move on, but the rest of the show feels static by comparison. This effect is lessened somewhat by the music, with its ambient electric guitars and sharp piano that accentuate but never intrude.

I can confidently say that Steins;Gate has the best dub I’ve seen/heard so far. I attribute this to White Fox Studios’ choice to cast J. Michael Tatum both as the script adapter and Okabe himself.

This eliminates the middleman between the actor and writer, making adaptation easier and dialogue clearer.

Tatum’s performance as Okabe overshadows the rest of the cast. It’s not that the others aren’t good—it’s just that Okabe’s pretentious overacting is more memorable.

Steins;Gate asks a lot of hard questions and it’s not afraid to ask them in a complex way. I consider it one of the best anime released in the past five years.

SCIENCE & TECH

The Dialog • dialog.studentassociation.ca // Aug. 31–Sept. 13

13

PHOTO BY: ALIONA KUTS

Jerry Gou (left) and Stanley Xia (right) develop an app for GBC Events

GBevent app connecting students to college-wide events The new event app will bring more student engagement and a better college experience ALIONA KUTS STAFF REPORTER

“If I want to find all the school events, what should I do?”

This is the question Jerry Gou asked himself one day.

As a graduate of the business marketing program at George Brown College (GBC), an international student representative for the Student Association and a peer coach for Peer Connect, he launched a one-of-kind mobile application GBevent on Aug. 24.

“As a GBC international student I realized that it’s really hard to find all the events coming from all the departments and programs,”

said Gou, about how the idea was born. “Why don’t we have a centralized events sharing station for GBC and the students to bring higher student engagement and a better college experience?”

Gou turned to Amy Matchen, manager of startGBC, an organization that helps entrepreneurs bring their ideas to life. Gou became the first student in startGBC. With Matchen’s mentorship and through networking Gou realized that although his strengths lay with business, public relations, busi-

ness development and marketing, he didn’t know how to code. Finding his team with Stanley Xia, Jamie Lee, Larry Hu, Kay Xiao, Gou formed a collaborative project between the University of Toronto and GBC students and self-funded it with $1000.

With the help of startGBC Gou got into the DMZ (formerly the Digital Media Zone) at Ryerson University, one of the country’s biggest tech start-up incubators, according to The DMZ model.

Out of 26 teams he was the only George Brown student.

They began developing the application in mid-April.

The latest user-friendly version allows users to see the list of upcoming events, sort them by date, location (three GBC campuses), and organizer as well as the ability to search by keyword, register for an event or save the one you like. However, the categories are open to change based on users’ feedback. In addition, the application features a unique “special request” function.

All the categories are based on personal experience, and Gou claims, “as a GBC student, I know what we need.”

Allergies and wheelchair accessibility can now be submitted through the application simplifying the former process of sending an email to the organizer.

Sharing on Facebook and

PHOTO BY: NASA.GOV

NEW HORIZONS NASA engages the public through its innovative use of social media BRITTNEY MACDONALD THE OTHER PRESS

N e w We s t m i n s t e r, B. C (CUP)—Out of all the government agencies, none have embraced the popularity of social media quite like the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

NASA’s initial brush with social media fame happened in 2012, during the Mars Curiosity landing. Images of systems engineer Bobak Ferdowsi—henceforth known as “Mohawk Guy” due to his unusual hairstyle and excitement over the Curiosity rover’s first broadcasted images—went viral.

The media attention inspired NASA to engage more with Internet culture and social media, as they have since worked hard to build themselves up as a social media brand.

24-hour notifications are also available.

Registering an account is not mandatory if your goal is to browse the events, but if you want to attend an event you will need to create an account. Apart from regular nickname and password fields the application will ask for your gender, age, year and program of study.

“We have a privacy policy to protect your private information,” said Gou. As for the additional information, it will be used by the organizers for data analysis reports. GBevent will also have an immediate feedback system, when the event ends you will receive a notification asking about your experience. There will be three faces, happy, okay and sad, to choose from. If you click on the sad one, an organizer may reach you with a more detailed survey.

GBevent is available on Google Play, the iOS version is now being developed by Lee and Hu and should be launched in mid-October.

In the meantime non-Android users can visit the app’s website gbevent.net. Not only does it allow users to browse and register for events, it will also organize the events.

As for future plans Gou has an idea in case the GBevent app is a success, to find investors and duplicate the app at other colleges.

Recently, NASA celebrated yet another successful mission—this one consisting of a spacecraft doing a 20-hour long pass of Pluto. The mission, labelled New Horizons, was more than nine years in the making; its intent, to photograph Pluto at the tail-end of our solar system.

When the images finally did come, NASA didn’t bother releasing them to media and news outlets around the world. Instead, NASA released the pictures immediately to their Instagram saying, “Gorgeous Pluto! The

dwarf planet has sent a love note back to Earth via our New Horizons spacecraft, which has travelled more than nine years and threeplus-billion miles…”

As if releasing the images of Pluto to Instagram wasn’t enough, the New Horizons team then proceeded to conduct an AMA (Ask Me Anything) over Reddit and Twitter.

There has been criticism, however: social media companies like Instagram are privately owned—in this case, by networking giant Facebook. As a government agen-

cy, it is against the law for NASA to display favouritism to any privately-owned company. Releasing the images to Instagram, rather than its competitors, means NASA is walking a very thin line.

Their loophole is that content on social media is available to the public regardless of whether an individual has an account with the website or not.

I applaud NASA for the innovative new approach, and will definitely follow them across all our common platforms.

GAMES

The Dialog • dialog.studentassociation.ca // Aug. 31–Sept. 13

15

// SUDOKU

1 6 4 7 2 9 4 2 1 3 9 4 2 6 8 3 2 6 4 8 2 6 9 2 4 7 1 2

6 3

ADVOCACY Helping you help yourself

as a student, you have the POWER

1 5

after your exams, you have 10 DAYS

your education, your voice, SPEAK UP

For more information on the Academic Advocacy program, visit www.studentassociation.ca or call us at 416.415.5000 x 6320

Puzzle by websudoku.com

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facebook.com/runyourfuture

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// CROSSWORD PUZZLE

Across

1- The opposition; 6- Planet’s path; 11- Posed; 14- Bridget Fonda, to Jane; 15- Harder to find; 16- Family card game; 17- Stories; 18- Greek marketplace; 19- Church perch; 20- Ad word; 22- Grenoble’s river; 24- Acariasis; 28- Middle; 30- Some sculptures; 31- 1957 hit for the Bobbettes; 32- Eastern; 33- One who stays over Saturday and Sunday; 37- Numbered hwy.; 38- Alleviates; 39- Hail, to Caesar; 40- Indispensable; 43- ___ mignon; 45- Surmise; 46- Verdi opera; 47- Initially; 50- Igneous rock; 51- Copper and zinc alloy; 52- Vivacity;

53- Yes, to Yves; 54- Parisian pupil; 57- “The Family Circus” cartoonist Bil; 62- Summer hrs.; 63- Grow to maturity; 64- Sarge’s superior; 65- Biblical verb ending; 66- Pine; 67- Shouts;

Down

1- Tiny toiler; 2- Actress Vardalos; 3- Business card abbr.; 4- Hard water; 5- Official sitting; 6- Ph.D. hurdles; 7- Fury; 8- Sis’s sib; 9- Comparative suffix; 10- Apprentice; 11- Great; 12- End of ___; 13- Absorbent cloth; 21- Loser to DDE; 23- Type of gun; 24- Gaze fixedly; 25- Prices paid; 26- Spring sign; 27- Youth org.; 28- Angler’s basket; 29- Lodge members; 31- Flat-topped hills;

33- Belt site; 34- Lama lead-in; 35- Incident; 36- Knot again; 38- French summers; 41- Sponsorship; 42- Room for infants; 43- Candidly; 44- Tavern; 46- Period of history; 47- Dwelling; 48- Confidence; 49- Trust; 50- First American to orbit Earth; 52- Perpetually; 55- Whopper; 56- Ecol. watchdog; 58- Fair-hiring abbr.; 59- “You’ve got mail” co.; 60- Goose egg; 61- Some MIT grads;

"Crossword puzzles provided by BestCrosswords.com (http://www.bestcrosswords.com). Used with permission."

SEPTEMBER 8-11 SAGBC & RSU PRESENTS:

THE PARADE & CONCERT FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11

15TH ANNUAL BACK TO SCHOOL

BOAT CRUISE FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25

速

INDOOR TRAMPOLINE PARK