Fall 2013
DISCOVERY CAMPAIGN KICKOFF P. 6 • HISTORY OF THE BARN P. 18 • MAKING SPARKS FLY P. 28
A PUBLICATION OF LETHBRIDGE COLLEGE
Editor’s message
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hen I started working at the college two years ago, there were no shortages of interesting discoveries to make. I loved learning about the different programs and people who built the college into the thriving and energetic place it is today. From its earliest days as Canada’s first publicly-funded community college (right here in Lethbridge? I didn’t know that…) to founders whose names are so familiar in southern Alberta (Gilbert Paterson and Kate Andrews, now perhaps better known as two area schools), it seemed like every day brought new and interesting discoveries. As time has gone on, however, I was surprised that the pace at which I was learning about interesting college people, places and programs didn’t slow down. For example, did you know that Lethbridge’s first rock-and-roll concert took place on the college property (in the building we now know as the Barn)? Or that the vegetables you eat at many local restaurants are produced right here at the college, in an innovative recirculating growing system? Did you know the college has a 3-D scanner capable of capturing every nuance of the landscape, or that there are ovens in our kitchens with onboard computers?
I was to learn some of these tales. So when it came time to plan this issue, we thought that “Discovery” was the perfect theme – as there is so much all of us still can learn about Lethbridge College. You may notice a few changes in this issue as well. We’ve added this Editor’s message to give you a sense of what goes into making the magazine, and we will be featuring a photo each issue of our president, Dr. Paula Burns, in action, whether she’s out in the community, interacting with students, or (as she is in this issue), relaxing and smiling at the end of the college’s first-ever presidential installation ceremony. We invite you to share the stories you’ve discovered about Lethbridge College with us, too. Just drop us a note, email us at WHMagazine@lethbridgecollege.ca, or share your story on Facebook. We can’t wait to hear from you – and we hope you enjoy this issue. Thanks for reading.
Lisa Kozleski Managing Editor
Neither did I. Moreover, many long-time colleagues and community members were just as surprised as
I loved learning about the different programs and people who built the college into the thriving and energetic place it is today.” — Lisa Kozleski
What’s inside Discovering Lethbridge College
Vol. 7, No. 1, Fall 2013
Despite being a familiar part of the local landscape for more than five decades, there are many spaces, places, people and stories about Lethbridge College waiting to be discovered..............................................................................16
20 Order in the classroom Courtroom on campus gives criminal justice students experience on the witness stand.
24 Aquaponics: always in season These are not your everyday vegetables grown in everyday greenhouses.
In every issue
30 Heads-on learning Cradling craniums in the classroom to help get a handle on human evolution.
From our kitchens.......................36 News and notes..........................38 It’s a family affair........................43 Where are they now?..................44
President in action.........................2 Campus in season.........................4 Office intrigue.............................32 Q&A...........................................34
Augmented reality: Bringing print to life In this issue of Wider Horizons, we again invite our readers to enjoy more – more content, more photos and more of the people and places you love to read about in this magazine. Augmented reality, and the Layar app in particular, provides a new way to add digital content to print media.
It’s as easy as one, two, three. 1. Download a free application called Layar on your smartphone. 2. Look for the Layar logo throughout the magazine. (In this issue, you’ll see it on pages 33 and 37.)
3. Scan the page with the Layar app and watch what happens next. You might be taken to a video, a more detailed story or additional content. We hope you enjoy the experience.
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Wider Horizons is Lethbridge College’s community magazine, celebrating the successes and accomplishments of its students, employees and alumni by promoting them throughout the community and around the world. This publication aims to educate its readers, engage stakeholders and recognize donors through compelling stories and images that relate to, and resonate with, its readers. Wider Horizons is published by the Lethbridge College Advancement Office. We thank you for picking up this copy and we hope you enjoy the read. If you would like to suggest a story or find out more about our magazine, contact us. Wider Horizons c/o The Advancement Office 3000 College Drive South Lethbridge, AB T1K 1L6 WHMagazine@lethbridgecollege.ca publisher: Dr. Paula Burns executive editor: Carmen Toth managing editor: Lisa Kozleski designer: Dana Woodward photographers: Rod Leland, Rob Olson, Jonathan Ruzek, Gregory Thiessen magazine staff: Leeanne Conrad, Alison Fehr, Pieter Luong, Elisabeth Morgan, Heather Nish, Shawn Salberg, Kasha Thurston, Gwen Wirth contributor: Amanda Michalezki, Megan Shapka In addition to free distribution to our regional community, Wider Horizons is also mailed to all Lethbridge College alumni. Alumni are encouraged to stay connected to the college by emailing alumni@lethbridgecollege.ca or by updating their contact information at the Alumni Relations website: lethbridgecollege.ca/alumni. To share this issue with others or access even more content, visit us at widerhorizons.ca. To change the address where you recieve Wider Horizons, email WHcirculation@lethbridgecollege.ca.
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President in action Dr. Paula Burns takes a moment to share a smile with Thomas Lukaszuk, Alberta’s Deputy Premier and Minister of Enterprise and Advanced Education, and Bridget Pastoor (Nursing ’87), Lethbridge East MLA, following the college’s first-ever presidential installation ceremony April 25. In her speech, Dr. Burns said: “I can’t think of a better place to be as we continue to create innovative solutions to the challenges we are facing today and those we will face in the future.
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Photo by Rob Olson
“In my short time here at Lethbridge College, I have seen first-hand how this institution provides high quality, innovative programs and services that have enabled our learners to achieve their educational and career goals,” she added. “With the people, the excellent programs, and the record of success that is already in place, it is my true pleasure to move the college forward, to help it write the next important chapters of its history.”
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Campus in season Students, staff and visitors to campus this fall will see some of these flags fluttering in Centre Core, representing the incredibly diverse backgrounds of Lethbridge College students. During the 2012-13 academic year, students from more than 70 countries enrolled in the more than 50 career-training programs, applied degrees and apprenticeships at the college.
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Photo by Rod Leland
The countries with the greatest representation included Canada (not surprisingly), followed by Japan, India, South Korea, China, the United Kingdom, the United States, Kenya, the Philippines, Nigeria, Bhutan, the Netherlands and Sudan. But there were also students on campus from Tajikistan, Sri Lanka, Norway, Panama, Thailand, Burundi and beyond.
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Campaign kickoff: Lethbridge College launches ambitious fundraising effort
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Great ambition and lofty goals have never been in short supply at Lethbridge College.
Whether it was the vision that early founders had in creating Canada’s first publicly-funded community college, or the quick and thoughtful responses over the years to the changing needs and demands of industry and the community, the college has a long history of aiming high and ultimately achieving its objectives.
An investment in Lethbridge College today is an investment in the future of our students, our partners and our local and global community.” — Dr. Paula Burns This year’s launch of Lethbridge College’s most ambitious fundraising campaign in its 57-year history illustrates this same tradition. The bar has been set exceptionally high: the college is working to raise $103 million – including $25 million from the private sector. That money will be used to renew the campus’s aging trades and technology facilities,
support the environmentally-innovative Kodiak House residence, reimagine the college’s library and learning space, increase access to student awards, and focus on emerging priorities in programming excellence. And the college is well on its way to achieving that impressive goal. At the May campaign launch, college officials announced that more than $13 million of that $25 million private sector goal had already been raised. In fact, on the day of the launch, college leaders had the pleasure of announcing three gifts totalling $1.6 million in support of the campaign (see the following pages for more details). This fundraising effort will shape the look and work of the college for decades to come. “An investment in Lethbridge College today is an investment in the future of our students, our partners and our local and global community,” said Dr. Paula Burns, Lethbridge College president and CEO. “It’s an opportunity we hope the whole community will embrace – just one of many opportunities that are waiting at Lethbridge College.” With the May announcement, the college has now moved into the active, public phase of its fundraising effort. All five targeted areas will benefit from the support given by members of the community, alumni, industry partners and even Lethbridge College employees. The college’s previous major fundraising efforts included TEC 2000 in 1999, which raised close to $4 million for a third floor on the technologies building, and Making Dreams Real in 2005, which raised close to $2 million for scholarship initiatives.
Photo by Rob Olson
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“Power of Five” Five families join forces to make a $1 million gift in support of scholarships, awards and bursaries for students with financial need. Good things come in fives: five fingers on a hand, five toes on a foot, the five senses, five oceans, quintuplets. Without fives, we wouldn’t have nickels, the Chinese elements, the Olympic rings, the Great Lakes or five course meals. Fives are fantastic. At Lethbridge College, five philanthropic families have joined together to help make education more accessible to students from all backgrounds. They’re building a knowledge economy, focusing on the future and changing lives by giving a cumulative $1 million gift that will support new student scholarships, awards and bursaries.
Photos by Gregory Thiessen
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“The generosity of this $1 million gift from these families will provide access for learners in financial need and allow them to further their education to reach their career goals,” says Lethbridge College President and CEO Dr. Paula Burns. “Each year, we hear stories of student successes that would have been impossible without the financial support of student awards.” Lethbridge College students receive nearly $950,000 annually through internal and external awards and scholarship programs. To ensure access to all, and in an effort to continue to attract and retain outstanding students, the college is committed to raising $2.5 million in new scholarships, awards and bursaries. This $1 million donation will help the college reach its goal of raising $2.5 million in new scholarships and is specifically targeted to support students in financial need. This gift was bolstered by a match from an anonymous donor, now deceased, who wanted to encourage philanthropists to invest in increasing accessibility for students in financial need as well as from a former “matching funding” initiative.
Continue reading to learn more about the five families who contributed to this “Power of Five” gift.
Ken and Lorna Bateman, who have created the Bateman Family Award. Ken Bateman is a Campaign Cabinet member and he and his wife have been involved with the college for over a decade. “We believe obtaining a post-secondary education enhances opportunities and empowers the mind. During the time we’ve been involved in Lethbridge College, we’ve had two of our daughters graduate,” says Ken Bateman. “We hope our student award will help students in need to be able to stay in college and complete their studies as well as leave a legacy for our family,” adds Lorna Bateman. Randy and Louise Dunlop, who have created the Dunlop
Family Award. Randy Dunlop is a member of the Lethbridge College Board of Governors, a Campaign Cabinet member and a member of the Lethbridge and District Auto Dealers Association, which previously donated $1 million to the college. The Dunlops believe their gift will give students a real opportunity to achieve their goals, give them a solid platform to reach their potential and allow them to support the businesses and surrounding area of southern Alberta.
Anna “Jean” and Cale Harris, who have created the
Anna Jean Harris Scholarship Fund for Nursing. Prior to the passing of Jean Harris in 2012, the Harrises wanted to create a way to recognize and encourage the work of nurses and both believed that the Anna Jean Harris Nursing Scholarship would be a meaningful way to provide assistance to qualifying students as well as provide trained nurses to the growing Alberta population. In speaking about his beloved Jean, Cale Harris goes on to say that family was most important in her life. “She was a wonderfully loving, warm and caring wife, mother and grandmother. Jean had always been a strong advocate of education and frequently encouraged her grandchildren to get as much education and knowledge as possible. In Jean’s extended family, two daughters, three grandsons and one granddaughter have attended Lethbridge College. Lethbridge is our home. Lethbridge College is a part of home.”
Randy and Cheryl Jespersen, who have created the
Cheryl and Randy Jespersen Award. Randy Jespersen (Business Administration ‘73) is a Lethbridge College alumnus and the current chair of the college’s Board of Governors. “Randy and I have been very fortunate in our lives and in our careers,” says Cheryl Jespersen. “We’ve always believed it has taken many supporters for us to get to where we are. We try to do the same for others.” Randy Jespersen adds: “We believe in the principle of leaving this world better than we found it. A partnership with Lethbridge College helps us to achieve that. As Cheryl said, we’ve had the good fortune of having many sponsors, mentors and cheerleaders. In a way, I guess you could say this is a form of payback.”
Glenn and Janice Varzari, who have created the Varzari Family Award. Glenn Varzari (Business Administration ‘7o) is a member of the Campaign Cabinet, member of the Lethbridge College Hall of Fame, and former chair of the Lethbridge College Board of Governors. “We give when we see there is a need and a benefit,” says Glenn Varzari. “We give when we see an opportunity that will support children, youth and families. We want to give as much as we can back to our community both with financial donations and by donating our time as volunteers,” adds Janice Varzari.
We believe in the principle of leaving this world better than we found it.” — Randy Jespersen
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Métis Education Foundation gives $500,000 for student awards at Lethbridge College A $500,000 gift from the Métis Education Foundation to Lethbridge College will be directed to fund Métis Student Awards, ensuring that more than $20,000 will be awarded annually to Lethbridge College students starting this fall through awards of $3,500 each. “This gift has four purposes,” said Lorne Gladu, CEO of Rupertsland Institute, the education, training and research institute of the Métis Nation of Alberta. “First, we wanted to encourage and assist Métis people to access post-secondary studies at Lethbridge College. We also wanted to increase the number of Métis people who enter and successfully complete post-secondary studies. In addition, we are looking to foster stronger linkages between academia and the Métis community. And finally, we are working to promote knowledge of Métis history and culture and culturally appropriate practices at Lethbridge College and to promote Lethbridge College’s offerings within Alberta’s Métis Community.”
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Cost is often the largest obstacle for Métis individuals looking to further their education. Understanding this barrier, the Métis Nation of Alberta and the Rupertsland Institute have worked to establish Métis-specific endowments at post-secondary institutions in the province. The gift, which was announced at the launch of the college’s major fundraising campaign in May, will be used to alleviate financial need and to encourage post-secondary achievement by Métis students attending Lethbridge College. “It is extremely gratifying to see support for our Métis students in post-secondary studies extend across Alberta into the southern regions of our province,” said Yvonne Poitras Pratt, PhD, former Associate Director, Métis Education and Advancement. With this gift to Lethbridge College, the total amount of endowments given through the Métis Education Foundation has grown to $14.5 million. As the interest earned on the principal value is disbursed annually as awards, these endowments are set up to support Métis students in perpetuity. Lethbridge College has seen its First Nations, Métis and Inuit (FNMI) student numbers grow steadily over the course of the last four years. Last fall, 319 FNMI students enrolled at the college, making up seven per cent of its overall student population; 63 of those students were Métis. “Lethbridge College offers a ‘circle of services’ to assist our FNMI learners to be successful in their journeys of pursuing a post-secondary education,” said Dr. Paula Burns, Lethbridge College president and CEO. “This donation will further increase accessibility to post-secondary education for students from underrepresented populations and expand the Métis representation on our campus.”
C.E.M. Heavy Equipment donates $100,000 to Lethbridge College C.E.M. Heavy Equipment of Lethbridge donated $100,000 to Lethbridge College, a gift that will support the college’s Trades and Technology Renewal and Innovation Project (TTRIP) through the establishment of the C.E.M. High Head Heavy Equipment Bay. The gift will also support student awards through the creation of the Ed Valgardson Memorial Scholarships for Heavy Equipment Technician apprentices and Parts Technician apprentices. These two memorial scholarships, both valued at $1,500 per year, will be named in honour of the company’s founder, Ed Valgardson. “Our partnership with C.E.M. is yet another fine example of Lethbridge College working with industry to enhance the education of the future workforce of this province,” said Dr. Paula Burns, Lethbridge College president and CEO. “This collaboration further reinforces the community’s commitment to providing access to the best post-secondary education and training facilities in southern Alberta.” C.E.M. Heavy Equipment is a privately owned heavy equipment dealer located in Taber. It was started in 1978 by Ed Valgardson, a heavy duty mechanic, originally with one service truck based out of Pincher Creek. In 1980 Ed Valgardson joined forces with his brother, Pete, and moved
the operation to Taber. They opened their current shop in 2000. For the last 13 years, the business has maintained its dedication to equipment servicing, but has also expanded its reach and become more involved with selling material handling equipment, using their new fabricating facilities, as well as with selling new Hyundai and Manitou heavy equipment and preowned heavy equipment. Ed Valgardson passed away in 2003. Since then, his wife, Jennifer, has been running the operation and is the current President and CEO. She says that the gift is an ideal way to honour the memory of her husband, whose influence is still felt throughout southern Alberta. “Lethbridge College is an important part of our business and a very worthwhile cause,” said Jennifer Valgardson. “Ed and I always believed in the value of giving back and putting our beliefs into practice. The Heavy Equipment training at the college is worthwhile. Getting excellent trades training gives young people a great future in the skilled trades.” Also on hand for the announcement were Ed and Jennifer Valgardson’s two daughters Corey and Kristy, and their husbands, Mike Davis and Jeff Bell. Jennifer Valgardson says she is proud to share the meaning of this gift with her staff as she considers them part of the C.E.M. family and knows they will be excited to be part of this announcement.
Lethbridge College is an important part of our business and a very worthwhile cause.” — Jennifer Valgardson
Photos by Gregory Thiessen
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The Possibilities are Endless: A campaign to lead and transform education in Lethbridge and beyond Wondering just what all this money is being raised to support? The five projects outlined here showcase the innovative and responsive planning Lethbridge College has embraced as it moves into its sixth decade.
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Trades and Technology facility ($65 million)
The planned trades and technology facility is an ambitious project, one of the largest in the city’s history. The 165,270-square-foot project will be built with the goal of supporting more than 880 new students (a 65 per cent increase in current capacity) across eight trade areas and four technology programs. The new facility will allow the college to double its current trades and technology capacity. The focus in this new facility will be both on traditional trades as well as new technologies, such as alternative energy programs including solar, geothermal and wind energy. The project is estimated to cost $65 million. Following a pre-election commitment in May 2012 of $55.6 million to support the project, the provincial government announced last March that the first round of funding would be $18 million over three years. The college is currently working with the government to determine the plans for budgeting the remainder of the government-provided funds. The project has also received enthusiastic support from the community to move ahead on this facility. “We are thrilled with the level of community support we are receiving for TTRIP,” says Joyanne A. Mitchell, Development and Alumni Relations manager. “From the ‘transformational’ gifts such as the $2 million donation from the Crooks family in 2009 to the $1 million donation from the Lethbridge and District Auto Dealers Association in 2011, to partnerships with business and industry, to the commitments our staff members have made providing donations through the Family Campaign, it is obvious the entire community recognizes the urgent and compelling need for our new trades and technology facility.”
The existing trades structure at Lethbridge College is composed of a series of buildings constructed between 1962 and 1977. The newest buildings are by far older than most of the students attending classes there. Despite advances made over the years by instructors and equipment meeting the changing demands of industry, the buildings have simply outlived their expected lifespans. The college has been able to extend the life of these buildings through a “Warm, Safe and Dry” project, which replaced a leaking roof and some single-paned windows, contained asbestos and improved air quality and lighting. But these bandages did not address the long-term needs of today’s programs. Once complete, the new facility will become a centre that fosters interdisciplinary innovation among students, instructors and industry partners. It will bring together students, faculty and industry to create a more vibrant learning environment that explores emerging trends in sustainable design and technologies. Using simulated technologies, such as the virtual welder showcased on page 28, and by engaging in applied research, students and faculty will become the driving force in Alberta’s knowledge economy. The college will provide facilities and opportunities to support new and emerging trends in trades and technology programs and practices, including skills
It is obvious the entire community recognizes the urgent and compelling need for our new trades and technology facility.” — Joyanne A. Mitchell simulation and new equipment for both training and applied research. Alberta has been caught short before, when boom times opened opportunities for growth but a shortage of skilled employees hampered potential.
Space allocation: 72% Shop, lab, related support 14% Lecture, classroom, seminar space 8%
Office, administration
4%
Public areas
2%
Central services
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The Learning Commons ($17 million)
The concept Lethbridge College has in mind for the Buchanan Library will provide the comfort, connections and knowledge found in libraries of old with the cutting edge technologies that will be needed in libraries of the future. Today’s libraries are more important than ever, especially at colleges and universities. They are a dynamic, ever-expanding part of any successful post-secondary institution and must entice students inside and excite them with their possibilities. This project encompasses more than 45,000 square feet of renewal, renovation and construction. The Buchanan Library will become the heart of Lethbridge College, a focal point of learning for the entire institution. It will still provide conventional library services, but will expand its support services for students and faculty. The renovation will provide break-out rooms and study areas, affording students spaces to engage with others to expand their learning, or to quietly focus by themselves. The newly evolved library will also be the future home of the Buchanan Art Collection, which includes 12 Group of Seven paintings and the works of other key Canadian artists. The Learning Café, an autonomous “library within a library” that provides additional space and resources for more direct instructor-student interaction and support, will also be housed in the Learning Commons.
The Buchanan Library will become the heart of Lethbridge College.
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Kodiak House student residence ($13.5 million)
Students come to Lethbridge College from across Canada and from around the globe. The college would like to increase its global campus community, but Lethbridge’s notoriously low vacancy rate makes this a challenge. To assist in alleviating this housing crisis, the college has built a residence that has helped shorten wait lists, allowing for more students to learn on campus, live in the community and fulfill their dreams. The five-storey residence contains 109 low-cost individual rooms, raising to 500 the number of students the college can house on campus, an increase of 25 per cent. Kodiak House has incorporated many green features in its construction, such as solar energy for water heating, prevailing west winds for ventilation, rainwater collection for irrigation and sunshine for natural lighting. It is a residence as interesting as the students who reside there.
Emerging priorities ($5 million)
The requirements of society shift with the wind (quite literally when one considers alternate energy). One of the strengths of Lethbridge College is its ability to sustain relevance and responsiveness to those needs, and fulfill its vision of being green; globally and socially responsible. Gifts directed to Emerging Priorities will allow the college to take action with strategic solutions to real-world problems as the opportunities present themselves.
Student awards ($2.5 million)
Lethbridge College maintains that education should be accessible for anyone with the determination to achieve, not merely the ability to afford. Each year, students receive just under $950,000 through internal and external awards and scholarship programs. To ensure access to all learners, and to ensure that Lethbridge College continues to attract and retain outstanding students, the college aspires to offer its students in excess of $1 million per year in awards and scholarships. To reach this goal, the college is committed to raising $2.5 million in new scholarships, awards and bursaries. Of that goal, $2 million will be allocated towards new endowments, ensuring the stability and longevity of the college’s awards programs and $500,000 will be allocated to annual initiatives.
Campaign goal
103 million $65 M Trades and Technology facility $17 M The Learning Commons $13.5 M Kodiak House student residence $5 M
Emerging priorities
$2.5 M Student awards
For more information about the campaign visit lethbridgecollege.ca.
Photo by Gregory Thiessen
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DISCOVERING
LETHBRIDGE
COLLEGE The spaces you didn’t know about, the stories you haven’t yet heard.
Lethbridge College is well-known for many attributes, from
its bright and experienced graduates to its gorgeous coulee views. The college has been a centrepiece of the city since 1957, and is a welcome sight when cruising along Scenic Drive. But behind the familiar façade are a host of intriguing stories about Lethbridge College’s spaces and places, its people and its past. The next pages offer a glimpse into the lesser known corners of the college, starting at the college’s very beginning. The opening of the doors of what was then called Lethbridge Junior College in 1957 marked a first in Canada – the creation of the first publicly-funded community college in the country. Gilbert Currie Paterson, a teacher turned lawyer, was at the heart of the movement to establish a college in Lethbridge and was a passionate supporter of education. “Education,” he once
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stated, “should assist us not only to make a living but also to make a life. Life, we are told, is not a goblet to be drained but a measure to be filled.” Paterson became interested in the junior or community college movement in the United States while attending conventions in the southwest U.S. This movement was designed to expand educational opportunities for all people, and Paterson grew convinced that Lethbridge – and Canada – would benefit from following this model. To him, the community college was to be the great educational institution of the future. With the support of key Lethbridge figures and organizations as well as the backing from the region’s rural leaders, including Kate Andrews, who maintained that “the country people have
Photos by Rob Olson
to feel that they are part of the plan,” the provincial government approved the proposal to open Lethbridge Junior College in 1957. Thirty-eight students enrolled that fall and attended classes in space leased at Lethbridge Collegiate Institute. To distinguish the high school students from the first-year college students, college students used a separate entrance to the school, were called Miss or Mister, and were allowed to smoke in the student lounge on campus. Like the 4,000 students who walk through the corridors of the college’s 80-acre campus today, those first students likely did not fully appreciate their college’s role in history. But from its first days, and as its mission today plainly states, Lethbridge College has always been looking forward, leading and transforming education in Alberta.
DISCOVERY AT LETHBRIDGE COLLEGE If you’d like to share your own story of discovery at Lethbridge College, just email WHMagazine@lethbridgecollege.ca or post your story on the college’s Facebook page.
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n Lethbridge College’s more recent history, the D.A. Electric Barn was best known as the place to be when classes were out. Alumni and former faculty and staff members can tell some impressive tales of evenings well spent at the Barn. Dave McRae, Environmental Sciences instructor and alumnus (‘84 RRM Parks Management), says back then it was like a big family on a journey together. “It was during these socials that we got to know our instructors on a different level,” he says. “As students we appreciated the Barn as a safe, inexpensive place to relax and get to know each other.” But the building has many more great stories to tell than those that were shared over a pitcher of beer and hot wings on a Friday night. Belinda Crowson, museum educator at the Galt Museum and Archives, explains that the Barn’s history goes back even 18 • WIDER Horizons/Fall 2013
beyond the earliest days of the college. Lethbridge College resides on land that was once owned by the David J. Whitney family. Crowson says that in 1955, James N. Murdoch (better known as Bus Murdoch) purchased the Whitney property and had big plans to convert the 85-acre Fort Whoop-Up Ranch into a destination dude ranch. “He was going to make it into a dude ranch with dining room, tourist cabins, golf driving range, and a track for stock car races,” Crowson says. Stock car racing didn’t last long at the ranch, Crowson says, moving instead to the Exhibition Grounds, and “most of Murdoch’s grandiose schemes were never realized and he eventually left the community” for California. The Round-Up Room for Murdoch’s dude ranch is now known as the Barn. Newspaper articles list it as the site for Lethbridge’s first rock-and-roll concert, the place where more
Photo by Rob Olson Photo below courtesy of the Galt Museum and Archives
From dude ranch to roller rink to favourite campus watering hole, the Barn boasts a vibrant history.
MORE THAN
MEETS THE EYE BY MEGAN SHAPKA
than 2,000 people clapped, whistled and danced on June 23, 1956, as Bill Haley and His Comets played “Rock Around the Clock” and other favourites. By 1959, the building was listed in the Henderson Directory as the Fort Whoop-Up Entertainment Centre, located on the west side of 28 Street South. “Over the next few years this was either called Fort Whoop-Up Hall or, by 1965, Fort Whoop-Up Playland,” Crowson says. “It seems that the building was used for roller skating in the 1950s and 1960s.” In the early 1960s, construction started on Lethbridge College’s campus and the first building opened in 1962. Today, the only part of the Fort Whoop-up Guest Ranch construction remaining on campus is the Round-up Room – better known as the Barn.
TELL US YOUR BARN STORY
Wider Horizons wants to hear from you. Do you have stories or photos about the Barn (at least those that can be shared with the public?). If so, drop by the Advancement office on campus and ask for Lisa Kozleski, or send an email to WHMagazine@lethbridgecollege.ca. We plan to run your stories and photos in a future issue of the magazine.
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ORDER IN THE CLASSROOM
Courtroom on campus gives criminal justice students experience on the witness stand.
T
here’s a room on campus that even most long-time staff members are surprised to find exists. It’s at the end of the windy walk through the Andrew’s wing, very much out of the way. It’s full of windows that look out on the seasons and the expected desks and whiteboard at one end of the room.
“I remember this place,” says Michelle Monette (Criminal Justice 2008), who now is an officer with the Lethbridge Regional Police Service and revisited the college courtroom earlier this year. “This was the most nerve-wracking experience. It was very stressful answering the questions.”
At the other end of the room, however, visitors are often amazed to see a very realistic looking courtroom, complete with wood panelled walls, a leather-lined judge’s bench, a witness stand, a well-worn Bible, and leather-lined tables and podiums for the prosecutor and defence. For students in the college’s Criminal Justice program, this is the setting of one of their most memorable learning experiences: the scenario-based training that gives students a sense of what real-world policing is like.
Her LRPS colleague Andrew Firby (Criminal Justice 2010), agreed. “It’s one thing to learn it on paper and to read the code,” he said. “But it was the hands-on stuff, the real experiences, that was how we really learned and understood it.”
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The courtroom, which is furnished with donated furnishings from a Calgary courthouse, allows students to experience the roles of lawyer, accused, witness and police officer. An instructor sits as judge and other students watch as the scenes play out.
Photos by Rob Olson
The courtroom is one of two places where Criminal Justice students get to practice real-life scenarios; there is also a small apartment set up on a second floor near the welding classrooms where professional actors come and challenge the students with different scenarios from domestic violence calls to drug busts. The two settings are used in both capstone courses offered in the fourth and final semester of the Criminal Justice program, and both experiences are the ones most often cited by alumni of the program as the most beneficial and memorable. This summer, the courtroom turned even more high-tech, with the addition of cameras and video monitors. The additions will provide future students observing the scenarios to see closeup views of the evidence and to study past scenarios as they
are preparing for their own. Criminal Justice instructor Ken Taylor, who has been teaching at the college 10 years, explained that students need to understand some of the challenging moments of policing: what it’s like to notify the next of kin when a loved one has died, what it’s like to handle evidence, and how best to recount their interviews and investigation before a judge. The courtroom and the apartment allow them to do just that. “It’s the practical aspects that really set our program apart,” Taylor said. “It’s not just all theory.”
21
Laser scanning, or high-definition surveying, brings objects
to life in length, width and depth, providing highly accurate data about a physical space. It is a useful tool for students in Civil Engineering Technology, Geomatics Engineering Technology, and Engineering Design and Drafting Technology programs, who can use it to collect information about everything from coulees and flood plains to mechanical rooms and bridges. Eventually, the students in Criminal Justice or Conservation Enforcement could even use the scanner as a way to understand the scene of a crime. The scanner is a welcome addition to the tools used by students who will soon be working in this quickly-changing field.
“The engineering and surveying industry is moving forward rapidly with the use of this technology,” says
22 • WIDER Horizons/Fall 2013
Warren Salberg (Civil Engineering ‘85). “The ability to quickly gather and use point clouds made up of millions of accurately located 3D points can transform the way we design and build engineering projects.” Salberg adds that the use of 3D scanning will increase significantly in the near future. “Our graduates will be able to use this technology and the associated software which enhances their employability,” he says. “It is one more complementary skill set to add to those that they already have in their repertoire. The new scanner, which engineering chair Bill Smienk says costs between $70,000 and $80,000, works by emitting a pulsing laser beam that makes a systematic sweep over an area as large as a few hundred meters. As it does so, the beam hits
Photos by Rod Leland
Students in Lethbridge College’s Engineering Technologies programs will get to experience the complex and interesting nuances that a world in three dimensions offers first-hand this fall semester, thanks to the arrival of a Leica Geosystems ScanStationC10 on campus in the spring.
objects (like walls, the ground or coulee edges) and bounces back to the scanner, where it records the time it takes for the beam to come back, accurately measuring the distance. This process happens tens of thousands of times a second, in every direction. Multiple scans can even be combined to survey very large areas or objects. This data is then collected and combined into a detailed 3D representation of the scene called a point cloud, which can be viewed and manipulated in computer software. Point cloud data can be used for a variety of purposes including creating 2D plans and elevations, creating panoramic images with measurements, evaluating clearances, calculating volumes, and creating topographic maps. The last part of the process is the output or deliverables. From a simple computer file, to an accurate 3D printed scale-model of a space, building, or structure, there are
almost endless applications for this technology. Salberg says students in his second year Engineering Design and Drafting Technology program will be using the scanner this September for a surface drainage project. The college and the engineering technologies advisory board decided that this was an important investment for the college to make for two reasons, Salberg explains. “Lethbridge College is a progressive educational institution,” he says, “and keeping up with emerging technologies is critical for the success of our graduates.”
23
AQUAPONICS:
ALWAYS IN SEASON
These are not your everyday vegetables grown in everyday greenhouses.
I
f you’ve ever had a Greek salad at the Round Street Café, an arugula salad at Mocha Cabana, or anything with herbs, tomatoes or cucumbers from the Lethbridge College kitchens, then you’ve already savoured the successful outcome of some of Lethbridge College’s most delicious applied research projects. Those vegetables are produced in a greenhouse in a far corner of campus connected to the Aquaculture Centre of Excellence (ACE). It is here that an exciting development in agriculture known as aquaponics is used to combine the seemingly disparate worlds of aquaculture and horticulture. Through aquaponics, fish and plants are cultivated together in a recirculating growing system that can efficiently and safely produce fish and plants year-round while generating little to no waste. These systems considerably enhance the growth rates of greenhouse crops compared to traditional soil-based greenhouse methods. 24 • WIDER Horizons/Fall 2013
In other words, these are not your everyday vegetables grown in everyday greenhouses. The plants are grown in nutrientrich water provided by the fish. While the nutrients are good for the plants, they are not good for the fish. By absorbing the nutrients however, the plants clean the water, which is then recirculated back to produce healthy fish. No herbicides or pesticides are used. Currently, aquaponics produce is for sale to the public and harvested twice weekly starting around May until the end of October, and smaller research systems at the college are producing plants and fish year round. “Aquaponics has been a part of the college’s Aquaculture Centre of Excellence for about 13 years,” says John Derksen, ACE Head of Research. “It was established to show the beneficial relationship between fish and plants and to demonstrate how this symbiotic relationship can provide a form of agriculture that minimizes water and energy use.”
Photos by Rob Olson
The research and its delicious and environmentally important results are getting noticed around the country and the world. Earlier this year, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada announced that the college received an Innovation Enhancement Grant of $200,000 over two years to advance applied research in the area of commercial aquaponics. As a result, Charlie Shultz, one of the world’s experts on aquaponics training and research, joined Lethbridge College as an aquaponics researcher in August. The grant will be used to support projects that will assist commercial aquaponics producers locally and across Canada in overcoming existing technical and policy obstacles. It will also be used to help interested parties investigate and adopt commercial-scale aquaponics as an environmentally sustainable form of agriculture.
Penny Takahashi (Renewable Resource Management ‘03), an aquaponics technician at the college, is excited by the rapid growth of aquaponics in North America. “Aquaponics has changed rapidly over the last four years and the number of people touring our facility has increased by 75 per cent,” she says. “People want to know they can grow their own food to sustain themselves.” To book a tour of the Aquaculture Centre for Excellence, call 403-394-7344. To learn more about applied research opportunities at Lethbridge College, call 403-320-3202 ext. 7344.
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When the Lethbridge College Culinary Careers chefs
and students were asked to help prepare meals for more than 2,600 athletes and 175 officials during last year’s Alberta Summer Games, they didn’t flinch. They had the experience and the staffing, of course. And they were helped tremendously by some high-tech ovens that let them prepare meals for the masses in no time flat. The ovens – officially called Rational Self-Cooking Centers – are “just another tool,” according to the chefs in the college’s culinary program, not much different than a chef’s knife or cast iron skillet. While they are quite a bit pricier than even the best cooking utensils (generally ranging from $13,000 to $16,000 a unit), they allow chefs to program the timing for an entire meal – from meat to potato to bread to dessert – to be prepared and kept warm
26 • WIDER Horizons/Fall 2013
until a precise moment when the meal can be served to hundreds at one time. “Students use this new technology to aid in their learning of cooking methods and how it affects foods by designing their own programs that cook their selected item to their desired results,” says Lethbridge College Chef Mark Dieser. Rational, the company that makes the self-cooking centres, explains that they take the guesswork out of cooking so chefs have more time for the essentials, like appearance and flavouring. Dieser and his colleague Chef Allen Clampitt (Chef Training ‘81) put their teaching skills to good use with these self-cooking centres in the larger community as well
Photos by Rod Leland
An oven with an on-board computer? Lethbridge College’s high-tech self-cooking centres make meal prep for the masses a piece (or several hundred pieces) of cake.
AMAZING
OVENS
as with students. In addition to using the ovens for college events and student learning, the chefs travel to restaurants, Hutterite colonies and care facilities throughout southern Alberta, eastern British Columbia and western Saskatchewan to train other chefs as well. Dieser had just returned from the installation of a new unit at Trappers Grill in Waterton in May and had several visits to Hutterite colonies scheduled later in the summer. “It’s a great tool,” says Dieser. “It allows you to use your staff more appropriately, it ensures that the food is juicy and not dried out, and it lets you offer a consistent product every time.” And it’s cool. Or hot. Whatever the chef needs it to be.
Lethbridge College’s self-cooking centres are used by culinary students year round. Community members are invited to enjoy some of the products of the students’ efforts by booking a table at the Garden Court Restaurant. The restaurant will be open for lunch in late September and early October, for evening dining in October, and for luncheon buffets in December. Call 403-382-6999 to make a reservation.
27
MAKING SPARKS FLY
Lethbridge College uses a simulator and students’ interest and skills in the virtual world to teach high-demand, real-word employment skills.
S
parks still (and will always) fly in the welding program at Lethbridge College.
learn after you’ve practiced enough. You can look at the weld and the wire and get a very accurate sense of your work.”
But sometimes students get stuck and need to practice one particular technique – maintaining an even pressure or the correct angle, for example. When that happens, their instructors can now send them to the classroom that is home to a “virtual welder,” where they can put in the time needed practicing one particular technique, getting experience and feedback as they go.
The goal, welding instructors say, is to have the students learn to react exactly the same way each time. The virtual welder – which cost a bit more than $50,000 – allows the college to save in “consumables” as well as improve safety for novices. It’s available to any student who wants or needs the extra help, says Heins.
“Our virtual welder simulates the real welding experience and requires real welding procedures – the sounds, the lights, the sparks,” says Dave Heins (Agriculture Mechanics ‘92), an instructor in the welding apprentice program. “Your body will
28 • WIDER Horizons/Fall 2013
While virtual welding is not currently a part of the Alberta curriculum, Heins says Lethbridge College’s program, where 132 students were enrolled from January to June, has developed its own curriculum and will be incorporating virtual welding into different courses in the future. Lethbridge
Photo by Gregory Thiessen Photo below by Rod Leland
College, SAIT and Northern Lakes College are the only postsecondary institutions in Alberta to provide such a teaching tool. Alberta Premier Alison Redford got to try her hand at the new Lincoln Electric welder when she and other government officials were on campus in early June. The program simulates working on the top of a skyscraper, with blue skies, sparks, splatters, fizz, buzz and even a bit of vertigo when you look over the edge. Soon enough, and with enough practice, students and graduates will find themselves working on real projects. When that happens, the molten metal and the wonderful lights and sounds that come with it are very much the real thing.
Lethbridge College offers several apprenticeship training programs that consist of a mixture of on-the-job work and technical experience. Students spend about 80 per cent of their time learning from qualified tradespeople and the rest in specialized courses. To book a tour of the welding classrooms, call 403.320.3366, and to learn more about apprenticeship programs, call 1-800-572-0103 ext. 3322.
29
S
haylene Wall’s (General Studies ‘00) anthropology and archeology students are a little squeamish when she first introduces them to her impressive assortment of skulls. But each semester, Wall sees the hesitation of her students turn to excitement as soon as they start passing the specimens around the classroom. Wall’s skull collection is just one of many unusual teaching tools used by Lethbridge College instructors to give students a chance to truly get their hands on a subject. Using casts of skulls, Wall teaches her students about the fossil record of early hominids, helping them to better understand human evolution, a topic with roots in both anthropology and archeology. The students in her classes say they appreciate the practical experience.
30 • WIDER Horizons/Fall 2013
“It gave us the ability to see and touch skulls that are exact replicas of the real life skulls that archaeologists have found,” says Jenessa Korver, who had enrolled in a few General Studies courses last year to prepare for university this fall. Wall says speaking about human origins can be a difficult subject with people holding a variety of opinions. “I like to use the visuals to help students actually see that there is a fossil record, that there is scientific evidence to support the theory of human evolution because I find it is kind of hard to make that reference without really seeing what’s out there,” she says. “I’m just trying to get them to appreciate that there is solid evidence to support some of the references that are being made.”
Photos by Rob Olson
Cradling craniums in the classroom to help get a handle on human evolution.
HEADS-ON LEARNING BY MEGAN SHAPKA
Wall says the opportunity to see and touch the skull casts in class, some of which date back four to five million years, benefits her students because it offers practical experience and introspective learning. “Getting the opportunity to touch the skulls and to look at them and to just feel them gives them a sense of what we came from,” she says. “I think it helps them understand themselves a little more too.” Wall observes that using the skulls in her classes also helps students appreciate the subjects they are studying – anthropology and archeology – as well as related topics such as history, fine arts, zoology and geography. “There are a lot of different avenues that you’re integrating,” she says, “so I think it helps students understand diversity.”
If students are interested in this kind of hands-on learning opportunity, or would would like to learn more about anthropology and archeology, they can register in HUM165: Introduction to Archeology or HUM195: Cultural Anthropology. Both courses are open to all college students and can be used as science electives for university transfer.
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Office intrigue
Hoodies – or bunnyhugs, depending on what part of Canada you call home
Bundle of pencils, sure to get much use this semester
Textbooks – loads and loads of textbooks
Stethoscopes – needed by students in health sciences
Photo frames – to show off those lifelong friends you found at college
32 • WIDER Horizons/Fall 2013
College umbrellas – works for rain and sun (not so good for windy days)
Emily Mulingtapang does have an actual office. It just happens to be quite small and utilitarian. The real work the manager of bookstore services and her staff do each day takes place in a great space – the newly renovated Lethbridge College Bookstore. Students, alumni, sports fans and staff can find everything from froggie flip-flops to Kraft dinner to thick textbooks and more. And the bookstore is the place to find the best Kodiaks hoodies, sparkling Lethbridge College water bottles and the coolest college scarves. Emily finds the swag that students and alumni want, creating a bookstore that buzzes all year long.
emily.mulingtapang@lethbridgecollege.ca Photo by Rob Olson
Coffee mugs – from simple to sparkly
Greeting cards
Kodiaks gear for all ages and stages – from babies to current students to alumni and friends
Stylish new bags – good for books, sports gear, weekend trips and more
Learn more about the Lethbridge College Bookstore with
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Q&A Q&A
WITH Jeremy Hummel
By Megan Shapka
Many insects harm crops and cause great devastation for farmers. Lethbridge College agricultural instructor Jeremy Hummel has been studying one of them – the cutworm – and how to limit the serious crop damage they inflict in the Canadian Prairie provinces. Hummel’s research is just part of a larger project funded by the Canola Council of Canada. He took a break from his work to answer a few questions about the discoveries he’s been making.
Wider Horizons: What are you hoping to learn through this applied research project with moths and wasps? Jeremy Hummel: We want to create better recommendations for cutworm management for prairie farmers. Cutworms, which are the larvae of several species of moth, are a significant problem for crop production. They clip off plants in the spring and reduce crop yields, sometimes by very significant amounts – in some case up to 100 per cent.
34 • WIDER Horizons/Fall 2013
The wasps involved in the research are parasitoids (parasites that eventually kill their hosts). The purpose of this research is to not only eventually create management recommendations that represent best practice for managing cutworms but also best practice for maximizing the populations of the wasps that kill cutworms. Basically the more we work with nature to manage the cutworm problem, the less we need to work against nature.
WH: What does your research look like? JH: What I do is go out to farmers’ fields to collect cutworms. In the lab on campus, the cutworms are individually placed into containers with an artificial diet to rear them to adults. Eventually, most pupate and then emerge as adult moths. Some, however, die as larvae or pupae. Some larvae are also parasitized and various gruesome events transpire to either the larvae or the pupae if this is the case.
Photo by Rob Olson
WH: What role has the college played in this research? Are students involved?
WH: What are the benefits of engaging in applied research as a faculty member?
JH: The collaborative nature of the project demonstrates our institution’s interest in very practical applied research and a willingness to work with other institutions and stakeholders to bring results that will be useful to the industry.
JH: Research is one effective way to refocus what we as faculty are actually at the college to do – effective training of people to make a difference in our industries and the world. I also think that many of us in academic settings really do want to know, and we recognize that there are a lot of things that no one knows, so research is also a way to discover, and that sense of exploration and discovery is a very exciting and motivating thing.
I have also involved individual students and whole classes in the project in classroom and out-of-classroom experiences.
That excitement and passion flows out from the research into the teaching, especially when the discoveries made in the research can be directly applied to aspects of the material being taught or the experiences used in the teaching/ learning process. Members of the college community are welcome to see Hummel’s research lab; email jeremy.hummel@lethbridgecollege.ca to book a tour. Local businesses with a problem that needs to be solved can contact the Applied Research and Innovation office at 403-394-7344.
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From our kitchens
Recipe by Chef Heng Ng
Thai Green Curry As the seasons shift from summer to autumn, the chefs in the Lethbridge College Culinary Careers program sought out a recipe that would satisfy the senses and showcase some of the bounty from the garden. The end result: Thai green curry with chicken and okra as prepared by Chef Heng Ng (Culinary Diploma ‘94).
36 • WIDER Horizons/Fall 2013
Thai curries are a staple dish in Thailand and are consumed almost daily, Chef Ng says. They are usually hot and spicy – the green curries get their heat from green chilies, the red curries are flavoured by red chilies, and yellow curries usually have turmeric listed among the ingredients – but the level of spiciness can be adjusted to suit individual preferences. The ingredients can all be found at Superstore, LA International Foods and other area grocery stores. In the past, Chef Ng has offered a World of Curries hands-on, non-credit Saturday class. While the class is not currently on this fall’s schedule, those interested in learning to make curry should contact the Culinary program at 403-320-3245 or culinary@lethbridgecollege.ca to see if one has been added. In the meantime, try out this recipe and let us know what you think. Bon appetit!
Photo by Jonathan Ruzek
Ingredients
Method
Thai green curry paste........................4 tablespoons
1. Heat oil in cooking pot 2. SautĂŠ the curry paste, lemon grass and onion until the pan smells fragrant. (Those with shellfish allergies should note that Thai curry paste usually contains shrimp. Be sure to check labels if you are allergic.) 3. Add in the chicken and sautĂŠ until it is cooked through. 4. Add in the tomatoes, the okra and the green beans. 5. Toss well to make sure the curry paste, meat and vegetables are well mixed. 6. Add in one to two cans of coconut milk, depending if you prefer lots of sauce or a drier texture. 7. Serve hot with rice and enjoy.
Sliced red onion..................................1 medium sized Smashed lemon grass.........................2 stalks Ripe tomatoes.....................................2, each cut into eight wedges Okra....................................................12, cut in half Green beans ......................................24, cut in half Boneless skinless chicken breasts......4, sliced into strips Canola oil............................................4 tablespoons Coconut milk.......................................1 to 2 cans, stirred well
Serves four.
Watch chef Heng Ng make Thai Green Curry with
37
News and notes
Photo by Rod Leland
Anniversaries abound at Lethbridge College in 2013
This year is a big one for several Lethbridge College people and programs. Although different from the traditional gifts given for wedding anniversaries, the staff of Wider Horizons thought it would pass along virtual anniversary gifts to the following Lethbridge College programs and one very important person celebrating big years.
• A gift of gold to the Culinary Careers program, which is
celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. An early menu from what was then called Lethbridge Junior College showed one could purchase a “tenderized steak dinner” for a mere 95 cents. Both the elegance of the menu – and the prices – have changed a bit since then, but one thing remains the same: you can still count on having a wonderful meal prepared by the students and chefs of this program any time of year.
• A gift of rubies to Randy Jespersen, Chair of the Lethbridge College Board of Governors. Jespersen graduated from the college 40 years ago with a business administration diploma, and he has been making a difference in his country and community ever since. Whether it’s running a successful natural gas operation in British Columbia, helping his brother bring in the harvest near Taber every August or volunteering at the West Vancouver Senior Activity Centre, Jespersen has given his enthusiasm, great energy and experience to all endeavours.
• A gift of pearls to the Engineering program, which is
celebrating its 30th anniversary. The program started offering classes in an auspicious year for engineers – 100 years after construction started on the Brooklyn Bridge and 50 years after work started on the Golden Gate. With another amazing bridge in the college’s own backyard, this program has grown and thrived in its three decades.
• A gift of silver to the Therapeutic Recreation-Gerontology
program, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. This program started when the youngest baby boomers were 24 and the oldest 42. Today, the oldest boomers are approaching retirement, and graduates of this program are finding their skills in higher demand than ever.
• And finally, a gift of china to the Fashion Design and
Marketing program, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary. This program welcomed its first students at a time when the grunge look ruled the runways and hallways, and when students who weren’t wearing flannel might be found in overalls, Lycra or ankle boots.
To all of these people and programs, the entire Lethbridge College community wishes you the happiest anniversary and many years of great adventures to come. 38 • WIDER Horizons/Fall 2013
All invited to annual Career Conference on Oct. 7
Career Conference will be held this year from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 7, in the Val Matteotti Gymnasium. This annual event is a one-of-a-kind experience geared especially for college and high school students who want to investigate different career options represented by industry experts and businesses. Admission is free and the event is open to the public. Recent Career Conferences have been quite successful, with nearly 100 businesses exhibiting, as well as many post-secondary institutions and more than 50 Lethbridge College programs. On average, about 2,000 visitors participate in the event each year, almost three-quarters of whom are Lethbridge College students and alumni. Feel free to come and check it out.
Free career advising groups planned on Fridays this fall
Don’t know what you want to be when you “grow up”? Have a child or friend who is unsure of what to do next? Lethbridge College Career Advising will offer free group sessions this fall that are open to high school students in Grade 11 and 12. Participants take the Myers Briggs Type Indicator personality assessment and the Strong Interest Inventory interest assessment to assist with the self-exploration stage of career planning. These two-part sessions offer: an introduction covering the career planning process and how assessments fit in; printed reports of the individual’s unique assessment results; and assistance with the research stage of career planning. These are two-part sessions which will be held every month; attendance is required at both sessions. Call 403-320-3287 for more information.
School of Justice Studies wins innovation award for successful Networking Day
Students in the college’s Criminal Justice-Policing program can prepare for the rigorous public service application process with the program’s successful and now award-winning Networking Day. The most recent event, held March 2, gave students in the Professional Communication in Public Safety Organizations class a chance to interact with recruiters to learn for themselves what justice programs are all about.
During Networking Day, recruiters come from near – Lethbridge Regional Police Service, the City of Lethbridge Public Safety Communication Centre and Blood Tribe Police – and farther afield – Saskatoon, Edmonton and Calgary police services, Military Police and Canadian Armed Forces. Before the event, students research the agencies’ missions, values and visions and then must interact with every agency the day of the event. The students then choose the five agencies which appeal most to them and report back to their instructors in detail about their choices. The college nominated the event for an “Innovation of the Year” award given by the League for Innovation in the Community College and faculty members Bill Anderson, Kirsten Fantazir (General Studies ‘99) and Hugh Richards received awards for their involvement in the event in the early summer. “The response from both students and recruiters has been exceptionally positive,” says Ian Hepher, who was interim chair this spring. “It is an effective and highly innovative project which links Policing diploma graduates to potential employees” and prepares graduates for the justice workforce, connecting them to public safety organizations globally.
Alum to launch first-ever Lethbridge comic convention in November
Lethbridge College grad Adam Essex (Culinary Arts, 2008) is organizing the city’s first “comic con” on Nov. 1 and 2. These conventions bring together fans, collectors and vendors of comics, games, artwork, antiques, collectibles, toys, jewelry and more. In addition, those who attend are “highly encouraged” to come dressed up as their favourite superhero or villain and can enjoy entertainment and have a chance to meet the artists and writers behind some of the best loved graphic novels, videos and art. Essex, manager and head chef of the Italian Canadian Club, says his training at the college has helped him throughout his career. He adds: “I truly believe in the entrepreneurial spirit and have high hopes for the event.” Among the confirmed featured guests at the first Lethbridge Comic Con will be comic artist Nat Jones, special effects/props/costume designer Travis Shewchuk and ‘80s horror film scream queen Linnea Quigley. For more information about the event, go to lethbridgecomiccon.com. 39
News and notes
Lethbridge College Culinary students shine in Austria
Four Lethbridge College students took their learning on the road this summer – thousands and thousands of miles out of the classroom. The four students, accompanied by three chefs from the college’s Culinary Careers program, travelled to Semmering, Austria, to showcase Canadian cuisine and experience working in European kitchens for two weeks in June. One of the highlights of the experience for Derek Flohr, Kristy Olsen, Nadean Wutzke and Melissa Eberle came early in the trip, on June 5, when the students prepared a Canadian dinner for a sold-out crowd of 160 under the guidance of Chef Allen Clampitt (Culinary Careers ‘ 81), Chef Rob Sonnenberg (Renewable Resource Management ‘93) and Chef Charles Parker. The students’ Austrian guests sampled caribou Carpaccio, East Coast lobster mousse and maple-infused Arctic char, Saskatoon and tart apple sorbet, fillet of bison with pheasant and wild mushroom pate, sour cherry chocolate sponge, strawberry panna cotta and warm almond and Alberta fruit wine flan. “It was all high quality, locally grown produce and products with great flavour,” says Parker. “It was a nice celebration of two different cultures and communities.” The students and chefs also took field trips to regional culinary production facilities, including a gingerbread factory, a chocolate factory, a vinegar and schnapps vineyard, a sparkling wine production facility and even a pumpkin seed oil plant that has operated on water power from a local river for more than 50 years. This was the third year that students from Lethbridge College and from Tourismusschulen Semmering (the Semmering School of Hospitality) participated in the international exchange. Last summer, Austrian students came to Lethbridge to learn from Canadian chefs on campus and in the community, and another group of Austrian students will return to Lethbridge in the fall of 2014. While making incredible memories (including seeing student Kristy Olsen successfully slice off the top of a bottle of sparkling wine with a saber), the students all picked up new skills along the way, lessons they can apply to their future work, wherever in the world it takes them. 40 • WIDER Horizons/Fall 2013
Culinary Boot Camp for Kids Cooks Up Another Season of Success
For one week each summer these last five years, the culinary students at Lethbridge College suddenly look much shorter than usual. But they are still stirring up sauces, soups and salads, learning correct cooking techniques, and serving their creations to important guests – just like the usual students do. These fresh-faced students are enrolled in the college’s Culinary Boot Camp, a program for 10- to 15-year-olds that has young chefs working in the kitchens from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. for a week, learning how to debone chickens and make the perfect sugary crust for a crème brûlée. Chef Mark Dieser has been involved in all five camps and says “it’s just a great time to see these kids work and learn.” This year’s class had a long waiting list of would-be campers looking to learn to prepare everything from Boston cream pie to fresh buns to chicken cacciatore. On the last day of class, the students invite two guests to lunch and serve them their specialties. Dieser says that they’ve had several students repeat this popular camp, and one student who was in the first camp has now enrolled in the college’s Culinary Careers program and will start classes this fall.
Stefanie Dunn named recipient of 2013 Troy Reeb Internship
Stefanie Dunn, a 2013 graduate who earned her diploma in broadcast journalism, was this year’s recipient of the Troy Reeb Internship for Lethbridge College’s Communication Arts program. The internship kicked off April 7 when Dunn joined the team behind the award winning Best Local Newscast in Canada, Global Toronto. While in Toronto, she spent time learning the investigative news process at newsmagazine 16x9 as well as joined the fast-paced team of creative early-risers who bring The Morning Show to Global audiences across Canada every day. Dunn then headed to Ottawa where she joined veteran journalist Tom Clark as he produced the agenda-setting current affairs program The West Block. She was also there as Bureau Chief Jacques Bourbeau led coverage of the April 14 selection of Justin Trudeau as the new leader for the Liberal Party of Canada. Dunn now works at Global Lethbridge.
Two builders in The College Home community partnership announced
The Canadian Home Builders’ Association Lethbridge Region (CHBA) and Lethbridge College announced the two builders who will be involved in creating the first houses to be sold in the innovative The College Home partnership at a groundbreaking ceremony in July. Both Galko Homes Master Builder and Ashcroft Homes Master Builder have stepped up to build the inaugural homes for the collaborative project. Over the next five years, CHBA builder members will partner with their suppliers and tradespeople to build two homes per year and have the proceeds from the sales of each go towards the Trades and Technology Renewal and Innovation Project (TTRIP) at Lethbridge College. Both homes will be unveiled this year at the CHBA’s Parade of Homes in Lethbridge, which takes place from Sept. 21 to Oct. 6. Lethbridge College will further its commitment to promote accessible post-secondary education by donating a $2,500 tuition credit to the home buyer for each of the ten homes.
Aboriginal group and Lethbridge College extend partnership
The National Aboriginal Trust Officer Association (NATOA) and Lethbridge College announced in June that they have extended their partnership to complete the remaining phases of a trust training program with the prospect of eventually laddering into a professional designation and a post-secondary credit. The pilot of the stand-alone “trust-training basics” was originally launched at Lethbridge College in 2010 to enhance Aboriginal fund management strategies and processes, providing online training founded on Canadian best-practices. It has been successfully delivered to close to 200 participants across Canada to date in support of increased education and decision-making in the investment of trust funds on behalf of community and economic development. The next stage of the project includes the development of capacity to expand the reach of the program. There is an estimated $200 billion dollars of trust assets and investments being managed on behalf of Aboriginal communities across Canada. NATOA’s vision is to improve investment return by a conservative two per cent across the country, putting an estimated $4 billion dollars back into these communities.
FASHION STUDENTS AND GRAD SCORE BIG INTERNSHIPS THIS SUMMER
Three Lethbridge College Fashion Design and Marketing students worked to make their own innovative fashion statements this summer in the fast-paced fashion world of New York City. Fashion Design instructor Brenda Low said this was the first-year Lethbridge students were selected for internships in New York. Calgarian Kelsey Laugher, who graduated in May, went to FiftyTwo Showroom in New York for her summer internship. FiftyTwo specializes in men’s wear, women’s wear, swimwear and accessories. Laugher learned the ins and outs of the fashion industry and was involved in buyers meetings and merchandising the showroom. Since Laugher was more interested in the business side of the fashion industry, this was a perfect fit. “I also want to experience what the fashion world in New York has to offer and be able to network with people in the industry that I can stay in contact with throughout my career,” she said before leaving for her internship. Ericka Veltman grew up in Onoway, Alta., which has a population of just over 1,000. The chance to go to New York will give Veltman a big opportunity to help her move forward with her fashion career. Veltman’s internship will be with Mara Hoffman, a women’s contemporary ready-to-wear designer who is known for her eye-catching prints on fabric, swimwear, accessories and shoes. She will be working closely with the designers, helping them sew and prepare for Miami Fashion Week. “I’ve learned so much from being here and being taught by such wonderful teachers,” she said earlier this year. “I have pushed myself in so many ways to do things that I never thought I would be able to do – like go to New York.” Jena Dee Murray had the opportunity to work with one of her style icons this summer, Anna Sui. Anna Sui, one of the most celebrated names in fashion history, is known for her timeless designs and ability to transcend eras with historical and 41
News and notes
Noted online Here are a few highlights of some of the tweets coming across @LethCollege’s Twitter feed these last months:
Alison Redford @Premier_Redford
culturally inspired collections. Her fashions and accessories are sold in more than 50 countries. Murray worked as an intern at Anna Sui for three months, spending time in the sample room, cutting, tracing and learning what the industry is all about. “I see things differently than most people and often find inspiration in simple shapes, everyday items, my own life experiences, architecture, or anything that I find intriguing,” she said. “I often notice things that many people don’t and an idea can compound quickly within my mind.”– By Amanda Michalezki
@lethcollege Thank you for the warm hospitality and tour! We had a great time. #ableg #BuildingAlberta #BuildingSkills June 11
TransAlta @TransAlta
Proud to share over 1,500 students were educated about #renewableenergy at the KidWind Challenge @ lethcollege http://bit.ly/10PGKq5 May 22
Marcel Jepson @MarcelJepson
Students discovered worth and wonder of wind energy
Lethbridge College gathered southern Alberta’s brightest and youngest wind energy engineers on May 17 when the International Wind Energy Academy (IWEA) hosted Grade 9 to 12 student teams from St. Michael’s (Bow Island), Catholic Central High School and Immanuel Christian School (Lethbridge), Picture Butte High, Kainai High (Cardston) and Stirling School in Canada’s Second Annual BMO KidWind Challenge. More than 800 students from across southern Alberta tried their hand at making wind turbine crafts. Lethbridge College and the International Wind Energy Academy are proud to have now educated more than 1,400 students from across southern Alberta about wind energy since efforts began two years ago.
Annual FNMI Honour Night
Lethbridge College was proud to host its annual FNMI Honour Night on April 27 to celebrate and honour its FNMI convocates. This year featured a Round Dance at the Val Matteotti Gymnasium, which was open to the community, and a special honour song for the FNMI convocates. A Round Dance is a social gathering that is open to the entire community where the singers sit at the centre of the hall or gymnasium and use hand drums. The Round Dance originated with the Cree Nations of Canada and is not necessarily a Blackfoot custom. Its popularity has grown over the years, and, as a result, many other tribes have adopted the Round Dance and now host them in their communities.
42 • WIDER Horizons/Fall 2013
@LethCollege @LC_President great video! Makes me happy to be an alumni of such a great college! May 15
Katelyn @AyKate
got my latest copy of @LethCollege magazine. always enjoy getting it in the mail :-) I feel connected to the best college in alberta! May 8
Amara Johnson
@amara_lj
i couldn’t have asked for a better college experience or a better great group of people @LethCollege you’ve been fantastic! #grad2013 April 26
David Green
@ActionCoachDG
Hats off to @LethCollege for great programs that help students get real-world experience! #greatinternships #proudtobeanlcgraduate April 10
Stay connected to Lethbridge College all year long. Follow us on: Twitter: @LethCollege Facebook: /LethbridgeCollege YouTube: /LethbridgeCollege Instagram: @LethCollege
It’s a family affair
T H E S A U E R FA M I LY By Megan Shapka For the Sauer family, Lethbridge College almost feels like home. Mark Sauer, two of his daughters, Kortney and Paige, and two of his son-in-laws, Dustin and Steven, all studied here. He says everyone’s experience was unique and rewarding. “It’s hard to put into words the influence and impact that the college has had on our entire family,” he says. “It has given each person the confidence to go on to bigger and better things. It truly has been the catalyst for success in each of our lives.” The family’s journey with the college began when Mark’s wife, Diane, worked as the administrative assistant to the dean of business from 1981-85. Mark says she encouraged him to enroll after speaking highly of the business department and its instructors. “When it came time for our children to begin their education, we just knew that Lethbridge College would be the perfect place for them.” Mark was named one of the college’s Distinguished Alumni in 1997.
Mark Sauer, Business Administration, 1987 Mark is the owner of Battery Direct locations in Lethbridge, Medicine Hat and Saskatoon and president of Sauer Holdings Inc. Kortney Sauer Orr, Prerequisites for dental hygiene program at Texas State Technical College, 2006-07 Kortney is a dental hygienist in Coaldale. “I found the college classes to be the perfect mix of friendliness and excellent information from the instructors.” Paige Sauer Heyland, Culinary Arts, 2012 Paige was recently employed with Firestone Restaurant before moving to Philadelphia where her husband, Mitchell, will continue his post-secondary education. “More important than the specific skill set I learned was the confidence I gained in myself and my abilities, which I have used in every area of my life since graduating.”
Dustin Orr, Business Administration (Accounting) 2013 Dustin is the Branch Manager of Battery Direct in Lethbridge. “The college has given me the practical, real life training that will actually help me not only put food on the table, but a lot of food on the table.” Steven Christensen, Business Administration (Management) 2008 Steven is president and founder of Novo Watch and attended two other post-secondary institutions after he graduated from Lethbridge College. “The classes were very interactive and the teachers all seemed focused on our success. It definitely helped me get my schooling off to a good start and allowed me to build off that base for more education in the future.” Mark’s sisters and brother also attended the college. Mona Sauer Poulin graduated from the college in 1994 after studying Secretarial Science, Laurel Sauer Syryda took upgrading and completed the nursing program in 2011, and Shawn Sauer completed Business Administration in 1985.
New baby? New job? New hometown? Are you a multi-generational Lethbridge College family? Tell your classmates all about it by emailing WHMagazine@lethbridgecollege.ca. Be sure to include your name, your program or area of study, the year you completed your program, and a little bit about what you have been doing since you left Lethbridge College. If at least three members across one or more generations attended Lethbridge College, let us know. We can’t wait to hear from you.
43
Where are they now? Celebrating the successes of our alumni in their careers and throughout their lives.
2013
Pedro Fehr, Upgrading and Business Administration (Accounting) Pedro came to the college after completing an ESL program at the Taber and District Community Adult Learning Centre. He started in the Upgrading program and then moved into Business Administration, where he received his diploma in April. He was featured in a June article in the Prairie Post, which highlighted his dedication and hard work during his time in the Taber ESL program. In the article, Jane Brenner, the executive director of the centre, said “Pedro inspires us to keep doing the work we are doing and to know it is making a difference. He also inspires many learners in his same circumstances who sometimes feel they can’t do it. He is living proof they can.”
2012
Matt Gillan, Business Administration (Marketing) Matt was one of the featured speakers at the June TEDx-Lethbridge event. One of the goals of TEDx-Lethbridge is to foster the spread and application of great ideas. At TEDx events, speakers present their forward-thinking ideas with the hope that all participants will leave the conference inspired and empowered to effect positive change. Matt spoke as a “young entrepreneur” and shared the story of creating his successful clothing company, Candie Co., which he started in his basement as a grade 11 student. Catherine Oczkowski, Early Childhood Education Catherine was one of 14 early learning and child care professionals to receive a provincial Award of Excellence this year for her work in a rural daycare. Catherine was working at the Children’s World Day Care in Pincher Creek when she received the award, which praises her
44 • WIDER Horizons/Fall 2013
for excelling at work with children and families. In a June article in the Prairie Post, Catherine said “I feel very honoured to be recognized in early childhood. ...I think the best part of my job is seeing the children’s faces when you bring something new in the room or teach them something and that expression on their face, that wow, like ‘I’ve got it.’”
2010
Katelyn Day, Business Administration (Marketing) Katelyn wrote to Wider Horizons in May to share this update. “I really enjoyed my time at Lethbridge College. I met so many wonderful people there and miss them every day. After college, I entered the hospitality industry and have learned what it takes to open a brand new hotel. I have also been traveling the world, from San Francisco to Paris, Egypt, London, Greece, Turkey, Italy, Spain, and Asia, and sponsor a child in Ecuador. I will be moving to Australia to continue my passion for hospitality and traveling on a working holiday. You can read about my adventures at katestraveling.wordpress.com. Being at Lethbridge College, I was able to become who I am and create my own world.” Tia Zelinski, Fashion Design and Marketing Tia was featured in a news article in the Regina Leader Post that highlighted her work as a Regina fashion designer. She is one of two Lethbridge College alumnae who have been involved in building up the new Saskatchewan Fashion Week, and she is part of a movement that is seeing the Saskatchewan fashion community take off. According to the Leader Post, she helped style and coordinate backstage at this year’s Fashion Week show, and showed her second-ever collection after getting positive feedback last year.
2008
Connie Lynne Konkin, Early Childhood Education Connie writes: “Thanks for my great education. Today, I am an Early Childhood Education manager for a staff of five and a lifelong learner!” Darrell Romuld, Communication Arts Darrell has been named CTV Regina’s new sports anchor. After graduating from Lethbridge College, Darrell went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Southern Maine, where he also played hockey. He joined CTV Lethbridge as a reporter in 2008, and most recently worked as a senior reporter. In a June article in Broadcaster Magazine, he said he has a passionate connection to all sports, adding that “I’m excited about this new challenge, and about coming to a city and province which has a devoted fan base.”
2007
Alayna Chatterton, Child and Youth Care Alayna writes: “I did one year in General Studies in 2004-05 and then went on to complete a CYC diploma. After graduation, I worked with McMan Youth and Family Association in a crisis stabilization and assessment group home and the PChad (The Protection of Children Abusing Drugs) safe house. I then worked for the Lethbridge School District 51 and also took Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder education from the college. I spent the next two years working in the CYC field in Saskatchewan before staying home to raise my children, which I continue to do.”
1987
Cheryl Dick, Print Journalism Cheryl discussed “mindful choices” as one of the featured speakers at the June TEDx-Lethbridge event. TEDxLethbridge exists to foster the spread and application of great ideas and invites speakers to share their forwardthinking ideas and inspire participants to effect positive change. Cheryl, a 1992 Distinguished Alumni recipient and the current CEO of Economic Development Lethbridge, says she has been studying mindfulness and meditation for more than 20 years. Her talk provided observations and pointers on “the effect our habitual mind habits have on our ability to enjoy our success.”
1983
Leslie Collings, Business Administration Leslie has been appointed the new director of 21st century learning at Rocky View Schools. She had previously worked as the principal of Springbank Community High School and has more than 25 years of experience as an educator. Her new role will involve looking at ways to promote the schools’ priorities of nurturing engagement, building modern classrooms, and serving the needs of all learners. In a May article in the Airdrie Echo, she said “No one can predict what [Rocky View Schools students] will be engaged in, in the future. To be able to navigate in that world using great problem solving skills, and to be creative and innovative, that is where we are headed.”
1980
Colin Catonio, Law Enforcement Colin was promoted to Deputy Chief of the Lethbridge Regional Police Service effective Aug. 1, moving from the role of inspector to this new position. He has worked for the LRPS for 33 years, starting there after graduation. He also earned a diploma in Business Administration in 1997. Over the years, Colin rose through the ranks of the LRPS and was promoted to inspector in February 2003. He has served in numerous capacities throughout the service, and as an inspector, has commanded every division. He also serves on many committees and boards and is an active volunteer with Lethbridge Family Services.
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Kodiaks 2013 - 2014 schedule Basketball Oct. 25 Oct. 26 Nov. 2 Nov. 15 Jan. 17 Jan. 25 Jan. 31 Feb. 8 Feb. 14 Feb. 15
W
Grant MacEwan 6 p.m. Lakeland 6 p.m. SAIT 6 p.m. Keyano 6 p.m. NAIT 6 p.m. St. Mary’s 6 p.m. Olds 6 p.m. Medicine Hat 6 p.m. Red Deer 6 p.m. Red Deer 1 p.m.
M 8 p.m. 8 p.m. 8 p.m. 8 p.m. 8 p.m. 8 p.m. 8 p.m. 8 p.m. 8 p.m. 3 p.m.
Volleyball Nov. 1 Nov. 2 Nov. 8 Nov. 9 Nov. 23 Jan. 10 Jan. 11 Jan. 24 Jan. 25 Feb. 1 Feb. 7
NAIT NAIT Red Deer Red Deer SAIT Briercrest Briercrest Keyano Keyano Olds Medicine Hat
Golf
Cross-Country
Sept. 21-22 Lethbridge hosts the ACAC South Regional Golf Tournament at Paradise Canyon Golf Course
Sept. 14 Red Deer Sept. 21 SAIT Oct. 5 Concordia Oct. 12 Augustana
gokodiaks.ca
W 6 p.m. 1 p.m. 6 p.m. 1 p.m. 6 p.m. 6 p.m. 1 p.m. 6 p.m. 1 p.m. 6 p.m. 6 p.m.
M 8 p.m. 3 p.m. 8 p.m. 3 p.m. 8 p.m. 8 p.m. 3 p.m. 8 p.m. 3 p.m. 8 p.m. 8 p.m.
Soccer Sept. 7 Lakeland Sept. 8 Red Deer Sept. 21 SAIT Oct. 6 Olds Oct. 19 Medicine Hat
W
M
2 p.m. 4 p.m. 12 p.m. 2 p.m. 12 p.m. 2 p.m. 12 p.m. 2 p.m. 12 p.m. 2 p.m.
Free admission with Lethbridge College student ID This schedule is subject to changes. Please visit gokodiaks.ca for the most up-to-date game times.