INSIDE: the
Nuit Blanche...
T.O. parties all night long at annual art show See page 6
Surviving your roommate Can you get along with a roomie who’s driving you crazy? See page 8
The toys are back in town
Disney plans 3D relaunch of Toy Story franchise See page 5
Sheridan Sun
http://sheridansunonline.sheridanc.on.ca VOlume 40, Issue 4
Thursday, OcTOber 8, 2009
Violence rocks Sheridan’s Trafalgar Campus
Two men charged following fight in Learning Commons
Turner takes home international educator award Sara rozalina KrStevSKi Sheridan newS
Sheridan College’s president Dr. Robert Turner has been selected as the 2009 recipient of the Innovation in International Education Award. Distributed by The Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE), the award recognizes contributions to international education. “I’m very honoured by this award as it comes from our national association of all colleges and universities in Canada,” Turner said. For Turner, the award is icing on the cake after a 34-year career in postsecondary leadership.
anum Kahn & maggie vouraKeS Sheridan newS
Hundreds watched in horror on Tuesday afternoon as a fight erupted in the halls outside of the Trafalgar Campus Learning Commons. The dispute was between what appeared to be two students. According to witnesses, a male in his 20s was struck multiple times in the head with a stapler and choked with what looked like a computer cable. Police arrived on campus and took one man into custody. The other man was taken from the college in an ambulance. “There was blood everywhere,” said one witness. “They were really going at it,” said another onlooker. “No one could do anything.” The two men involved in the fight have been charged. The motive for the fight is unclear. To follow the story, visit sheridansunonline.sheridanc.on.ca.
∙ OakVIlle, ON
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“Being a part of Sheridan and what we’ve accomplished gives me great satisfaction.”
Police take photos of the crime scene following Tuesday’s assault on Trafalgar Campus.
Ousted president speaks out against Student Union
Anum KAhn
Cebulla claims she was dismissed from presidency over her plans to bring efficiency and accountability to the SU Jordan Cumberland & laura buSCh Sheridan newS
Amanda Cebula, the acclaimed SU president for 2009-10 who was dismissed from her position over the summer, is speaking out against the union that fired her. Cebula believes that she was removed from the presidency because she planned to bring efficiency and accountability to the SU. “As director of communications last year, I became concerned with the management of the Student Union. It was being run more like a social club than the multi-million dollar corporation it is. Once I was acclaimed as president by the student body, I was very candid about my intentions to correct this,” said Cebula in an e-mail to the Sheridan Sun. Among the changes Cebula was planning on making in the SU was, “mandating the Student Union members behave like any other employees – arriving on time, only being paid for work performed, meeting deadlines and the expectations of their positions,” she said.
Cebula says that before she could begin her work, the SU dismissed her on May 14. “On my seventh business day as president, and before I’d made a single decision, I was notified of an emergency meeting called by one vice president and a board member. The purpose was to discuss my performance as president,” said Cebula.
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“I was accused of being a ‘my way or the highway leader.’”
“I was accused of being a ‘my way or the highway’ leader and told they had issues with how demanding I was. And without any votes being disclosed, my employment was terminated,” said Cebula.
In an e-mailed statement to the Sheridan Sun, current co-president Crystal Bennett defended the SU’s decision to relieve Cebula of her duties. “There was no specific platform that was disconcerting to our company, but rather her lack of leadership skills and managerial tact were troubling,” said Bennett. “Some transgressions during [Cebula’s] term as director of communications coupled with misguided priorities early in her term as president led the board to lose confidence in Amanda’s ability to lead our company. As a result she was voted out.” Bennett went on to say that the SU’s priority is to enrich Sheridan students’ college experience. “Our goal is to engage, inform and empower the students of Sheridan and we take the responsibility we have been charged with as a serious matter,” said Bennett. In SU board of governors meeting minutes for May 14, there is an outline of the procedure that resulted in Cebula being released. Continued on Page 2
“I have a real passion for education. I finished my master’s degree and then I started teaching. I started teaching at college when I was 23,” Turner said. Turner has visited approximately 50 countries, where he has made numerous contributions to international education. “One of my most interesting international experiences was when I was the first foreigner that helped the national government of Vietnam to establish a plan for their post-secondary system in 1991,” he said. This was the first time that Vietnam’s university presidents and education officials gathered together in one spot. But Turner considers his accomplishments at Sheridan to be the most satisfying. “Pretty soon after teaching, I began engaging in administrative roles and became part of the leadership team. I had only aspired to become a vice-president but eventually became the president,” Turner explained. Continued on Page 2