Exhibition sparkles Four artists show off their vibrant art.
SPOKE
A LEARNING NEWSROOM FOR JOURNALISM STUDENTS
Page 5
CSI spends $140,000 on renovations Conestoga Students Inc. has spent $140,000 on renova tions over the past six months that they say will increase the overall college experience. “We’ve heard more compli ments about CSI this year than complaints,” said CSI president Ciara Byrne. The two major projects undertaken by CSI were ren ovations to their offices over the summer and the current renovations to the Den, for mally known as the upper Sanctuary. CSI spent $70,000 to open up their offices for better com munication and productivity which, according to Byrne, had been lacking from years past. There used to be two sepa rate offices for the board and staff which caused com munication problems she said. “Opening it up into one office has made it a better working environment,” she said. “Having good communi cation in a team helps serves students better.” She said the new reception area added this year has made it quicker and easier for students to get their ques tions answered. This gives the directors the ability to concentrate more on their work. The Student Life Centre opened six years ago in 2005. At CSI, there are seven full time staff and 22 students who work in paid leadership roles. The Den has been out of service since September and Byrne hopes the $70,000 ren ovations will be completed by the new year. The renovations are a little behind schedule as CSI, at their annual general meeting on Oct. 19, thought the Den would be open by Nov. 19. The new and improved stu dent hangout will include separate rooms to watch movies and play video games as well as chairs and tables to work on school assignments. The old upper Sanctuary was out of date with ratty pool and ping pong tables. “People were going up there just to sleep and we wanted to make it a little more function al,” she said.
Theo Floury speaks out Former NHL star talks about his life’s struggles. Page 3
THAT'S ONE BIG MINI WHEAT
PHOTO BY NICOLE JOBES
Jordanne Hutchison, a pre-health science student, dove into her healthy breakfast of Mini Wheats to demonstrate how easy it is to start her day off right. She was participating in Health and Wellness Week held Nov. 21 to 25 at the college.
Is there life after death? Take a course led by psychic Dan Valkos to find out By NICOLE JOBES
I take a pensive seat on the desk, trying to seem relaxed and less anxious than I truly am. The pale sea foam green carelessly splattered on the walls reflects the fluorescent light from the ceiling fixtures into my eyes, causing me to squint and struggle to make eye contact with Dan Valkos. His lemon-coloured polo com plements his newly blond coiffure and he assures me, “You don’t want to know what bet I lost to have to dye my hair this colour.” We begin our conversation with a few of my more gener al questions pertaining to birthplace, current affairs — the usual stuff. As he begins to tell me about his radio career in Windsor, he suddenly stops. Valkos raises his head to the left and his eyebrows madly scrunch together, as if he is
listening in on someone’s con versation from afar. His right hand rises off the desk slightly, and then he crosses his arms, as if he was making a decision. Nearby, maybe 10 or 11 feet outside the door, I can hear some faint giggling from a group of women. They’re walking toward us, down the hallway. “We’re in here ladies,” he says with a smirk. The women stop. One very surprised, very pregnant woman shuffles up to the door and looks at Valkos curiously. “Are you talking to us?” she asks. ‘Well, you’re the only ones out there looking for this room, are you not?” “But you didn’t see us, did you?,” she asks. “Bring those pillows and blankets in here and sit down already,” Valkos replies. Astonished, she leaves the doorway to retrieve her
friends. They funnel into the room and sit down in the far corner, whispering in confu sion to each other. I was in disbelief. I was flabbergasted. What exactly had I just witnessed? There was absolutely no explana tion, other than sheer luck, at least that’s what I thought. Valkos could sense my con fusion and turned back to me. “OK princess, what’s the matter?,” he asked, unfold ing his arms. “Mr. Valkos, how did you do that? How did you know they were Coming ... how did you know they were looking for this class?,” I inquired, leaning in to hear his answer. “I’m a psychic, cookie. Quit asking me that.” By now Conestoga College students know who Dan Valkos, the psychic, is. In addition to 21 years teaching at the college, Valkos has been doing readings in the
Sanctuary. One of the classes he teach es deals with the aspect of reincarnation. With his huge personality and his chillingly accurate clairvoyant abili ties, Valkos is the perfect person to lead the reincarna tion workshop. If you are curious to learn about reincarnation and a few of your past lives, and you have an extra $87, I strongly suggest you enrol. Reincarnation is generally an area of confusion for many. If you are like me, the first thing that pops into your head when you think of reincarna tion is the stories of young James Leininger, as reported by ABC news back in 2005. At the age of three, the boy could sit in the cockpit of a plane and do a pre-flight check without any prior teaching; it was if he had done it before. See VALKOS, Page 2
NEWS
Page 2 ‘ SPOKE
Now deep thoughts ... with Conestoga College Random questions answered by random students
W hat w ould your ideal part-tim e job be?
“I want a well-paying job at Starbucks.”
Scott Toman, first-year advertising
“I want to be a bartender.”
Derek MacKay, first-year police foundations
“I already have mine and it’s at Toys R Us.”
Nicole Robinson, first-year police foundations
“Working at Footlocker would be good.”
Jordan Tomlin, first-year police foundations
“I’d like to be working at La Senza.”
Marysia Rusiniak, first-year police foundations
“I’m already working at it as a lifeguard.”
Terry Osmond, first-year police foundations
Smile Conestoga, you could be our next respondent!
Monday, December 5,2011
Valkos has 40 years’ experience Continued from Page 1
He remembered the name of 21-year-old James Hutson Jr., a Navy fighter pilot who was shot down by Japanese artillery over the Pacific in the Second World War. The boy had nightmares; he knew the names of specific parts of the planes, and even stranger, James was able to tell his father the name of the ship he took off from in his past life— Natoma — and the name of someone he flew with — “Jack Larson.” After some research, his par ents discovered both the Natoma and Jack Larson were real. Reincarnation has many skeptics, including me. In the first hour of the class a lot of bases are cov ered. Valkos introduces himself, which is a lecture in itself. He will tell you he’s been involved in the psychic world for 40 years and he’s done over 1,500 radio shows and has lectured or per formed at over 1,000 col leges. Then he will tell you about the two books he has written. But aside from his impressive accomplish ments, the best part in his introduction is when he announces a few psychic forthcomings he has come to know as true. “The good news: the world is not going to come to an end in 2012. The bad news: if you were hoping for the world to come to an end in 2012 so you would not have to pay off your credit card bills, too bad!” Valkos says with a devilish
smile. Also in the first hour, Valkos will give his views on what reincarnation is all about. Then it’s an all-out frenzy as the question and answer period begins. Everyone in the room seemed to have something to ask when I attended the lec ture. A woman, who is not a Conestoga College student regularly but who made sure she attended this particular class, raised her hand eagerly as Valkos finally called upon her to voice her question. She asked I not name her, as her question was quite sensitive, but she did allow me to retell her experiences.
Always remember that the best psychic in the world you can rely on is yourself. - Dan Valkos
As it turned out, her mother had passed away recently and then shortly after her daughter became pregnant. The daughter had gone to see a different psychic and was told that her unborn child was the reincarnation of her grandmother. After learning this information, the woman in the class was not sure what to make of it all ... which is where Valkos piped in. “It is very possible,” Valkos answered. Elaborating, he
went on to say that if a spirit has unfinished business, or has debts to repay, that he or she may immediately return to serve out the rest of their time. What students learn in the first half of the class is trumped by what they experi ence in the last 60 minutes. Valkos hypnotizes the class, hence why blankets and pil lows are a requirement, and sends everyone back to a pos itive past life. I appreciated that he made the stipulation of “happy” past life, as I’m sure it would be beyond trau matic to relive something hor rifying. To end the experience, Valkos gives one last vital piece of advice: “Always remember that the best psy chic in the world you can rely on is yourself." “Trust your own instincts. Go see a psychic for advice and insight, but make the choices yourself.” On that note, the students slowly dispersed, some visibly shocked, others looking enlightened. The next classes will be held in March 2012, and enrol ment is already open through the student portal. If you’ve got an interest in reincarnation, or you’re just curious, the class is enter taining and incredibly fasci nating. Who knows, maybe you too were a Navy pilot, or a shoemaker! Spoiler alert: you probably were not King Arthur or Marie Antoinette in any of your past lives, Valkos sends his apologies.
NEWS
Monday, December 5 , 2011
SPOKE ♦Page 3
It takes a true man to show emotions' TheoFleury shares his life story at Conestoga By DREW LOGAN
“You’re only as sick as your secrets” is the message former NHL hockey player Theo Fleury sent to Conestoga stu dents on Nov. 24. In an attempt to raise men tal health awareness - and to warn others about the conse quences of ignoring your emo tions - Fleury talked about how he coped with pain through the use of alcohol and drugs after experiencing years of sexual abuse as a teenager. Fleury was invited to Health and Wellness Week, a weeklong event that started Nov. 21. Fleury, a NHL Stanley Cup champion, shared his story of a troubled home life and years of sexual abuse, followed by his coping by abusing drugs. “It doesn’t matter what it (the disease) is. Your disease never becomes better. It will become progressively worse,” said Fleury to the packed Sanctuary. Fleury was raised to play hockey beginning in kinder garten. Ever since the day a classmate walking him home
offered him the chance to practise he was hooked. Fleury’s father was an alco holic and his mother a pre scription pill addict. He was 14 when he became a part of a bantam draft for the Western Hockey League’s Winnipeg Warriors. And that was when Graham James, a hockey coach at the time, convinced Fleury’s parents to let their son leave his hometown of Russell, Man., and train in Brandon, Man. It was there James sexually molested Fleury 150 times over three years. James pleaded guilty to 350 sexual assaults against two players on January 2, 1997. After he was molested Fleury experienced a roller coaster of emotions - most of which he buried deep within his abuse of cocaine and alcohol. Despite his problems, on the outside he seemed like a guy who had it all. He kept his secrets deep within himself. “Every time I closed my eyes I ended up in that dark room where I was molested. For 25 years I never slept with or without the use of
alcohol and drugs.” Eventually Fleury was in and out of counselling for addictions. But his real sav iour was his 16-year-old son at the time, who called Fleury in 2004 and made him realize what he was doing to himself and to others who loved him. This convinced Fleury to come home to his family, and helped him stop his suicidal tendencies. At one point Fleury came close to committing suicide. “As I held the gun in my mouth, I realized I’ve never given up a day in my life. I asked myself, why am I giv ing up now?” and he threw the gun away. “I looked at myself in the mirror and I didn’t see myself the same, finally. I knew the miracle had come.” And since that day he hasn’t touched a single drug, and doesn’t plan to. Fleury ended his lecture by warning the students not to hide their emotions, espe cially men who tend to think they have a certain “tough ness” status to uphold. “It takes a true man to show emotions,” he said.
PHOTO BY DREW LOGAN
Former NHL star Theo Fleury shares his darkest moments with Conestoga students, staff and faculty in the Sanctuary on Nov. 24.
F-wing has official open house Addition cost $16.6 million By RACHEL HENRY
The Health and Life Sciences Centre at Conestoga’s Doon campus is taking interactive learning to a new level. The F-wing expansion cost $16.6 million with an addi tional $3 million spent on equipment. With a focus on interactive learning, audio visuals such as collaborative boards and monitors are a supplemental resource in the classrooms. Julie Gillis, manager of donor relations and steward ship, said software for the new simulation centre “will allow future innovation in the way we support and capture student learning in simulated settings.” The wing also includes new labs and lounge areas. Although the facilities have been in use since September, an open house and grand opening were put off until
late November due to busy schedules. “The beginning of the school year was a very busy time for everyone and (our) first prior ity was to ensure the building was up and running in time for the students’ return to school,” Gillis said. In recognition of the support Conestoga received through the Family Campaign dona tions, the open house took place on Nov. 29 before the official grand opening on Dec. 2. Faculty, staff and their families were invited to tour the facilities, take part in hands-on activities and meet the “patients” in advance of the public. The Family Campaign is ongoing, with Conestoga staff and faculty being asked to donate money as an invest ment in students, in the com munity and in the college’s future. The campaign goal is $800,00, of which $708,000 has already been raised.
PHOTO BY RACHEL HENRY
The F-wing is home to new models which allow students to have a hands-on approach to human anatomy.
COMMENTARY
Page 4 ♦SPOKE
Monday, December 5, 2011
Fighting the war on Christmas By JAKE ROBINSON
December is a great time of the year; the trees are painted in snow, school’s out for a month and we get to celebrate holidays such as Hanukkah, Kwanza, New Year’s Eve and Day and even Christmas. The war on Christmas, which is being waged in an effort to create equality amongst all religions during the holiday season, has been in effect for a few decades. Although the goal is to create equality, it may be going too far. The beautiful thing about Canada is that we live in a diverse society where we accept a variety of different cultures; however, in our efforts to embrace all, have we targeted Christianity? Christmas is a religious holiday to celebrate the birth of Jesus and censoring the holiday seems to be back tracking from diversity. Other religions, traditions and beliefs can still be acknowledged by society, but it’s only natural that in a prominent Christian country that Christmas is glorified. Many controversial activities regarding Christmas even happen within Waterloo Region including the deco rating of a community evergreen and the salutation of ‘Merry Christmas.” The fact that a decorated evergreen tree is known as a “Christmas Tree” is unnerving to some. They would rather the tree be known as a “Holiday Tree.” However, the tree is decorated in keep ing with Dec. 25, which is known as Christmas Day, not “holiday” day. As far as an atheist approach to changing the social traditions of Christmas, it is unfair to the people who are merely celebrating their religious holiday or a holi day that they just choose to embrace. Unlike most holi days, commercialism has brought a positive influence to Christmas. It allows non-Christians to enjoy the giving and family oriented part of the holiday. However, some atheist groups such as American Atheists use the season to promote their hatred of the holiday, calling it a myth. We are free to believe whatever we wish, but trying to make Christians and non-Christians feel guilty or stu pid for celebrating Christmas is unacceptable. The holidays are a special time of the year when the entire community is supposed to think about giving, lov ing and socializing. We’re not supposed to be fighting over how we greet or adieu one another. We should be embracing this time of the year and accepting everyone and all of their beliefs - and that includes Christmas. The views herein represent the position o f the newspa per , not necessarily the author.
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In accordance with new diversity policies, Santa has hired pixies and sprites as well as elves.
Students are bad tippers Everyone should work in the food service industry at least once in their life. Nearly everyone goes out for dinner or periodically has a drink at their neighbour hood restaurant. It is reason able to wish the general pub lic understood the clockwork that is meant to happen on the other side of the restau rant table or bar top. It is not my intention to say you as a restaurant guest should accept poor service or unacceptable food quality, however, those who have an understanding of the indus try can appreciate that their cold vegetables or flat diet Pepsi has a fast solution and does not constitute not tip ping your server. As it pertains to the restau rant industry, TIPS is an acronym meaning To Ensure Prompt Service. For most peo ple the quality of guest service provided to them naturally affects the tip they leave. Generally 15 per cent is con sidered proper etiquette while 20 per cent or more reflects a greater appreciation for excel lent service. The majority of restaurants implement a tip out or tip pool system. This is how the kitchen and support staff, including hosts, dishwashers and kitchen expeditors, receive tips. The name tip pool is deceiving. In some
Karen Haynes O p in io n
cases serving staff submit to their managers a percentage of their sales, not their tips, from that day. It is then appropriately distributed between the kitchen and sup port staff. So, say that table of four that I’ve been looking after for the last hour and a half has a bill of $100. If they do not leave a tip, the system does not care and I tip out $2.25, which is 2.25 per cent of the $100. Since I wasn’t left a tip, I actually have to take money from my own pocket to pay the system. It shouldn’t cost your serv er money to serve you. And do not forget their hourly pay is $8.90, far below minimum wage. I have been a server for five years, long enough to be considered a veteran in the restaurant industry. In my experience there are stereotypical tables who will not tip, this includes students. Although this accusation is a generalization and there are always exceptions,
students are for the most part terrible tippers. Your server probably inwardly cringes when she hears you talking about mid terms and realizes you are students. She likely thinks you are going to leave a bad tip, or worse, no tip. Over the years I have heard every excuse as to why students are bad tip pers. The No. 1 reason is always “students have no money.” Well, students have enough money to pay for that extra pint that costs $7 and they have enough money to splurge on dessert, costing $6. Then the bill comes and the bank is closed. With a lack of generosity and any under standing of the restaurant industry, some students even have the audacity to say, ‘Your service was great, but I don’t have any money to tip you.” My smile feels awkwardly tacked onto my face and I say nothing. If that last pint truly tapped you out, maybe you should have ordered water and skipped dessert. If you cannot afford to tip, don’t eat in a restaurant where gratu ities are proper etiquette. Be a mindful adult. Respect the server and the excellent service that is being provided to you.
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SPOKE ♦ Page 5
Monday, Decembe 5 , 2011
CLOWNING AROUND a t a
Ch r is t m a s p a r t y
PHOTO BY ALEXANDRIA DEER
Uncle Bucko the clown and Rachel took part in an ATS Christmas skating party at Conestoga’s rec centre on Nov. 27.
Waterloo Town Square sparkles and shines By ALEXANDRIA PEER
Although the weather out side is frightful, Uptown Gallery is simply delightful. Uptown Gallery opened its newest exhibition on Nov. 18, called Sparkle and Shine: Flashing, Flickering, Shimmering Art. The exhibition features four Waterloo Region artists; Supria Karmakar, Deborah Pryce, Laurie Spieker and Ted Spieker, who were chosen for their individuality, dedi cation and professionalism in the field of fine art. Each of the artists featured in the exhibition utilize dif ferent forms of media in their artwork. According to the gallery’s website,“Supria Karmakar uses encaustics, mixed media and altered books to explore her musings about life’s jour ney. Karmakar’s artwork unfolds with depth, intrigue and vibrancy.” “I love being able to make a statement with my artwork,” Karmakar said. “But what I think really tops that all off is when people look at the work and it really resonates with them. Something about my art speaks to them in their own way.” Deborah Pryce has been with Uptown Gallery for almost six years. “I’ve been a freelance artist for over 20 years. I’ve done a real variety of things. I started off doing architectural pieces, working for interior designers and architects, and then I moved into theatre set painting and I’ve illustrated a couple chil dren’s books. Now I’m having fun at Uptown Gallery doing fine art and experimenting
with acrylics, mixed media and photography,” Pryce said. Laurie Spieker sparked her husband’s interest in fused and stained glass when she opened her own studio in 1996. “I’ve only been doing it for about five years now,” Ted said. “I do glass fusing pretty exclusively, bowls or other sculptures.” As for Laurie, she fell in love with the qualities of glass. “Stained glass and glass fusing is my passion. I find all glass very interesting because there’s always so much going on. In just a cou ple inches of stained glass you have grain, texture, translucence, opalescence. It’s a beautiful art material. It pleases my sensibilities to further form and manipulate glass. I enjoy the whole process,” Laurie said. Uptown Gallery is a collec tive of local artists that was founded in 2006. The gallery has since moved to a new location in Waterloo Town Square near the atrium. There is a variety of art on display including water colour, sculpture, photogra phy, textile and fibre art and stained and fused glass, all which can be purchased. According to its website, the gallery’s mission is “to pro vide a friendly environment in which to view, discuss and purchase fine local art and an interactive lively opportunity to learn a variety of creative artistic processes.” The exhibition will continue until Jan. 14, 2012. For more information, including the gallery’s hours of operation, visit www.uptowngallerywaterloo.com.
NEWS
Page 6 ♌SPOKE
RAISING MONEY fo r b r e a s t c a n c e r
PHOTO BY REYHAN ENVER
During Health and Wellness Week, general arts and science health students (from left) Christina Kolyade, Ally Broun, Amanda Truckle, Jess Vogel and Katie Sherritt asked for donations for breast cancer research. They all wore pink and offered cupcakes to those who donated.
Monday, December 5 , 2011
NEWS
Monday, December 5 , 2011
SPOKE ♦ Page 7
Your ideas are worth sharing It sometimes takes courage to make your voice heard I have a voice, and it is mine alone. You have your own voice too, but would you use it when the time calls for it? It seems we all talk con stantly without knowing what we’re saying but when something happens, we for get how to open our mouths. Sometimes a faint whisper comes out but then we real ize it’s only our minds, our conscience that is telling us what’s right and what’s wrong. It bothers me when people act like they’re tough and
know their way around the world but can’t seem to speak out on simple things going on around them. When people litter, would you tell them to pick it up? You wouldn’t, because we all avoid confrontation. We don’t have the courage to chal lenge someone. We’re also told to be careful who we confront, for fear of being attacked. We’re also so reliant on technology today that we don’t know how to converse. You want to break up with your boyfriend or girlfriend?
Mariana Morales
Opinion
You do it via text messag ing or Facebook. With all the quarrels online, we’re glued to our computer screens. If someone is smoking in a no smoking zone and it both ers you, would you tell him to move? Unfortunately for
me, I would be the one mov ing, and not using my voice to get him to smoke some where else. If we had the courage to speak up, people would get the message. After all, one person can make a difference. It comes to us naturally when someone is being hurt; most of us immediate ly do something to help. You may be afraid, especial ly if someone is being robbed or weapons are involved. This may prevent us from getting involved but we know what is right
and what is wrong. It is up to you to decide if your voice makes a difference. I’m telling you it does. So don’t forget you have a voice even if you think you don’t. Your voice is the first step to whatever you want to change. Once your voice is heard, let your actions be heard. If you have an idea, don’t let others shut you down because we live in a world where anything is possible. Ideas are always worth shar ing.
FEATURE
Page 8 ♦SPOKE
Monday, December 5 , 2011
BlAck FriDaY overshadows this year's Buy Nothing Day By ELISSA PEN HOED
n Nov. 25 at Fairview Park Mall, the Tim Hortons’ lineup stretched long enough to resemble the Great Wall of China, scores of people scurried around carrying bags, and the Wal-Mart parking lot was packed. It was the biggest shopping day of the year, known in the United States as Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. This year is the first year the one-day shop ping frenzy came to Canada. Ironically, it was also Buy Nothing Day (BND), much less known even though it’s been around Canada since the early ’90s. BND, founded by artist Ted Dave in Vancouver, is an annual consumerism awareness day promoted by Adbusters, an anti-capitalist magazine which also inspired the Occupy movement, partic ipated in by over 65 countries. In some cities, BND activi ties can include a “Whirly Mart,” a conga-line of protest ers silently pushing empty shopping carts through a Wal-Mart; a credit card cut up, a friendly outside-thestore offer to destroy shop pers’ credit cards with a quick snip, or a “Zombie Walk,” a
O
PHOTO BY ELISSA DEN HOED
Adnan Ahmeti, an aspiring Conestoga College student who wants to study police foundations, is shown saving his cash on Buy Nothing Day, which gives consumers the power to say no to spend ing for one day.
group walk through a mall with group members wearing blank-faced stares. When asked if she supported the philosophy behind BND, Bev McCarroll, at the end of the mile-long Tim Hortons’ lineup, shrugged and ges tured to the large box in the shopping cart she was leaning over. “Well, I’ve already bought something, so no.” Judging by the crowd Friday afternoon, it doesn’t look like anyone’s ready to give up the goods anytime soon - much less organize a peaceful protest. The only thing that made this day at Fairview Park Mall different than any other day at the mall was the amount of money changing hands, thanks to the newly introduced Black Friday. Brian, a shopper in WalMart who refused to give his last name, thought for several moments about this day he’d never heard of before and finally concluded, “I think it’s a waste. If people are going so far as to organize protests, it’s a waste of time and resources.” A toy shopper at Canadian Tire had almost the opposite opinion. Siobain MacIntyre never heard of the holiday but liked the sound of it. She said
she could easily last a day without buying and might even participate next year. A group of Canadian Mennonites founded the notion of Buy Nothing Christmas. If that’s too extreme, buynothingchristmas.org suggests making it a ‘buy less” holiday. Best Buy CD browser Rachel Smith said shopping distracts from what Christmas should really be about. “We spend more time spending money on each other than we spend time with each other.”
“PRICELESS” GIFTS These free and/or socially responsible gift ideas are from contributors on buynothingchristmas.org Seeds or a potted plant ■ Handmade cookbook of favourite family recipes ■ Adopting endangered animals through World Wildlife Fund Calendar with family photos Do a favour or a kind act Fair trade coffee or chocolate
NEWS
Monday, December 5 , 2011
SPOKE ♦ Page 9
Students bring Christmas cheer By REYHAN ENVER
It was a chilly day filled with Christmas spirit and school pride as Conestoga stu dents from the Guelph cam pus participated in the annu al Santa Claus parade for the first time on Nov. 20. A car was entered into the Guelph parade which was donated and driven by Security Services. The vehicle was decorated with a winter wonderland theme by student Tracy Luu. A group of roughly 20 stu dents from the School of Business and Hospitality wore Conestoga shirts and Santa hats and handed out candy canes as they walked alongside the car. Conestoga’s mascot Cliffy the Condor also joined the group and was a great hit with the children, according to teacher Anela Tomac. Barbara Kelly, a chair in the School of Business and Hospitality, was very excited about the event. “This was a wonderful opportunity for our students to get involved in their local Guelph community. Their enthusiasm for this event was
PHOTOS SUBMITTED
Conestoga students from the Guelph campus participated in the Santa Claus parade in Guelph on Nov. 20. In addition to walking the route, a student decorated a vehicle for the parade.
great and very contagious. It is great to have our students present on a Sunday to sup port the college,” Kelly said. According to Tomac, the school thought the parade would be a wonderful way to bring awareness to the cam pus in Guelph as well as to the programs available. Their business programs aren’t well known in Guelph yet. “It was wonderful to see the
students’ enthusiasm and energy as they walked the parade route. Cliffy and the students did a great job of showing Conestoga’s commu nity involvement and spirit as they participated in the Guelph Santa Claus parade. We hope to be involved next year as well,” said Amy Kendall, another chair in the School of Business and Hospitality.
NEWS
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Monday, December 5,2011
Alumni Association has lots to offer By ERIC MCKENZIE
Conestoga students and alumni may still be unaware of the VIP treatment they can receive thanks to the Alumni Association. Programs provided by the association were highlighted at their annual general meet ing on Nov. 15 at bloom, where Conestoga’s culinary program provided gourmet hors d’oeuvres and desserts. Over $97,000 was raised by the Alumni Association this year for programs and awards, said treasurer Debra Fagerdahl, who also works for Kitchener-Wilmot Hydro as a manager of accounting. “The goal of the Alumni Association is to spend what we bring in and give it back to the college,” said Fagerdahl,
who jokingly added, “as an accountant this goes against everything I stand for.” Besides giving out about $10,000 worth of awards to current students this month at the Alumni of Distinction Awards ceremony, the Alumni Association provides many other services. An important service the association started in June is e-Connections, a magazine emailed to 29,000 alumni to keep them up-to-date on what the association is doing. “We always knew Conestoga alumni were out there but now we actually send some thing out to them and have them reply back,” said Jan Bockmaster, manager of Alumni Services. An example was when the School of Business was look
ing for experienced mentors for their entrepreneurial class and e-Connections helped alumni connect with 22 students “who were thrilled,” said Bockmaster. Some new programs provid ed by Alumni Services for cur rent students were discussed and they included the Oktoberfest breakfast, the exclusive ski and snowboard day at Alpine Ski Park and the alumni dinner at bloom in September. The biggest event was the annual Alumni and Friends open golf tournament fundraiser at Whistle Bear Golf Course, which saw 140 golfers raise $46,000. In April the Alumni Association partnered with Conestoga Students Inc. for the first time at the free pan
cake breakfast, which served students over 1,000 pancakes in the fall. The event went so well another pancake break fast is planned for the spring, said Bockmaster. “We did something really fun. We used upside down Frisbees as plates and after the students ate they threw them around and just had a blast.” Another program, the Ontario Colleges Marketing Competition (OCMC), was highlighted at the meeting by third-year marketing stu dents Alannah Garside, Nathan Greene and Chelsea Drung. The OCMC, held at Humber College this year, is a quiz bowl that helps marketing students network with 15 other colleges, as well as com
pete in a Jeopardy-style game to showcase and hone the marketing skills they have learned at Conestoga. “It would be almost impossi ble to do all of our training without the Alumni Association. We thank you again,” said Greene. The association’s biggest source of revenue is Johnson Insurance, which has raised over half of the money gener ated in royalties and sponsor ship. Johnson also offers dis counts to alumni on health, home and car insurance poli cies. “We can only keep making this place better and add value for graduates so they can take more and more pride in their credentials,” said John Tibbits, president of Conestoga.
SHUA JAMES RELEASES NEW ALBUM
PHOTO BY BRENDAN DALEY
Conestoga marketing student, Josh Miller (a.k.a. Shua James) per formed at Maxwell’s Music House on Nov. 26. Miller is promoting a new album, Schwiggles and Wiggles for Shits and Giggles.
SAY NO TO DRINKING AND DRIVING
PHOTO BY ALYSHA MILLER
Emily Rayner (left to right), Danielle Babos and David Mackenzie, all in first-year pre health, designed a display outlining the dangers of drinking and driving as part of Health and Wellness Week at Conestoga College’s Doon campus from Nov. 21 to 25.
Monday, December 5,2011
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Win a Bookstore shopping spree By VANDA POBRITOIU
Have you ever imagined yourself dressed in a snow man costume and running frantically around a room? Well, you should. On Friday, Dec. 9, Conestoga College’s Bookstore is giving a student the opportunity to leave the store with as much product as he or she can hold. The only catch is the winner will have to wear a snowman costume. Given only 35 seconds, the student, dressed as a snow man, will run through the store and grab as many items as he or she can carry. To enter the contest student have to purchase a sale item and/or make a Food Bank donation at the Bookstore any time before the contest. The contest will be held at the Doon campus. “We haven’t started yet, but we’re excited for the shopping spree,” said Quinn Battersby,
i
promotion manager of the Bookstore. “We hope students bring canned goods to support the cause.”
“We haven’t started yet, but we’re excited for the shopping spree. We hope students bring canned goods to support the cause.” - Quinn Battersby That’s not the only surprise the Bookstore has up its sleeve for you. With Christmas just around the corner, they are offering huge discounts on some items. On Thursday, Dec. 1, mugs and water bottles will be on sale for $5 and tumblers for $10. The following day, Tshirts will be $7 and track pants $20. On Dec. 5, lan
yards will sell for $2.50 and winter gear can be purchased for $10 and up. Tuesday, Dec. 6, there will be $5 off of USB drivers and $10 pyjamas. On Wednesday you can grab bags for as low as $10. Last but not least, on Thursday, the pro gram specific hoodies are only $15. The Bookstore is located on the second floor of the Doon campus. For more informa tion, contact Quinn Battersby at 519-748-5220, ext. 2245, or email him at qbattersby@conestogac.on.ca
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Silent films’ music must fit the mood By PAN MACLEOD
There was a murder at the Registry Theatre! Well not exactly. The Registry Theatre held another night of silent film accompanied by a live orchestra, the VOC Silent Film Harmonic. The film they showed was Robert Wiene’s The Hands of Orlac, starring Conrad Veidt. In the movie, a pianist, played by Veidt, loses his hands in a train wreck and the doctor replaces them with the hands of a recently executed murderer. Orlac becomes convinced that they’re possessing his mind and will force him to kill someone. This is a story
that’s been retold many dif ferent ways including in the movie Idle Hand and in the Simpsons’ episode where Homer gets the recently exe cuted Snake’s hair trans planted onto his head. The film itself is brilliant. I’ve always been a fan of German expressionism in silent films so I thought the acting, the writing and the subtle symbolism that laced everything was just marvel lous. Veidt gave an outstanding performance that rivalled his role as the Nazi, Major Strasser, in Casablanca. However, I’m not sure what I found more frustrating, the orchestra or the audience.
This is the fourth season of this type of event and The Hands of Orlac was the fourth showing that I’ve been to. But I’m no stranger to the budding art that was silent film. I get that since they couldn’t speak, to convey emotions they had to act with very emphatic body lan guage and the more powerful the emotion, the more exag gerated their movements became. This may look a lit tle silly at first but it doesn’t take very long to get used to it. This being said, it’s not hard to recognize that this movie isn’t a comedy. It’s insulting to giggle at times like when Orlac’s wife is desperately imploring the
doctor to do everything possi ble to save Orlac’s hands. I hate to sound stuck up but the level of persistent imma turity that the audience dis played was downright obnox ious. If you can’t handle drama or horror without sound then you shouldn’t be going to see these movies in public. As for the orchestra itself, they were somewhat hit and miss. The first film I saw them play for was Battleship Potemkin, an early commu nist propaganda film, and their style of dark, abstract jazz worked well with it. The next film I saw was Alfred Hitchcock’s The Lodger. This was about a mysterious stranger, staying at a hostel, who goes out every night for mysterious reasons during the time of Jack The Ripper. Again, the brooding, dis jointed style of the orches tra’s jazz worked with the movie but I noticed it sound ed pretty similar to the first one. The next was the original version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr.
Hyde. Here I again noticed how similar the music sound ed to the first two and in many scenes it was signifi cantly less fitting. Their tone didn’t change accordingly from scene to scene. Finally it was the same story for the Hands of Orlac. I think that they need to learn a new style that’s discernibly different from their usual one. Music has great sway on the mood of a silent film and they made every film feel exactly the same despite how different the films are. Sure the orchestra plays quite well but skill means very little when it doesn’t really seem that their hearts are in it. There may be hope though. In March, the Registry will be playing a Buster Keaton marathon. Keaton, in my opinion, is the absolute best comedian/filmmaker to come out of the silent era and I would hope that the VOC Silent Film Harmonic can see how flat out wrong it would be to play slow, dark, foreboding tones over top of Keaton’s light-hearted antics.
MOVEMBER MADNESS
s h a v in g g o o d b y e
PHOTO BY JESSICA MARTIN
Chad Frey, a first-year business administration - accounting stu dent, licks his bushy moustache, Ferdinand, for the last time before shaving it off for December.
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Conestoga sets trend in alternative energy By ERIC MCKENZIE
Conestoga’s alternative ener gy students are going green by helping set the trend for renewable solar and wind energies. The third-year electrical engineering technology class has designed in the last few months an electrical distribu tion system for a 2MW wind turbine that is being built in St. Agatha as a community co operative project. ‘The project is not only rele vant to the alternative energy program and the students’ co op placements but benefits the community as a whole,” said Karen Kokkelink, the teacher of the class. The alternative energy stu dents work in partnership with the Local Initiative for Future Energy (LIFE), a renewable energy co-operative based in Waterloo Region. LIFE’S aim is to help foster community-owned renewable power in Ontario. Although one of LIFE’S cur rent projects is to connect a wind turbine to the provincial electrical grid, few members are in the engineering field and are mainly community leaders who need help with the technical estimates. “A lot of what this project is going to do is help those people who don’t have an electrical background understand the distribution system. So when they hire a professional firm they know what’s going on and
Local Initiative for Future Energy (LIFE) is a K-W community of concerned citizens who are attempting to foster renewable power in Ontario.
This logo was designed by students for their third-year electrical engineering alternative energy wind turbine project.
they won’t be taken advantage of,” said project manager Dan Hoffmann. The students applied their skills and theory in a practical real-world project. At the same time they learned project man agement skills as they worked together with their groups for specific aspects of the design. Most of the work for the project was done outside of class and on the students’ own time. The students gained confi dence through the project as they interacted in a profession al manner with KW Hydro, ENERCON, LIFE and other groups outside of the college. Lead engineer Ryan Schumacher said real work experience benefits a project such as the turbine, using his
four-month work placement as a source to acquire information for the turbine project. “A lot of people were depend ing on me to use my contacts in the industry and it helped,” said Schumacher. Brandon Colman, another third-year student, worked at Stantech in Kitchener over the summer and his AutoCAD training also benefited the project as a whole. Hal Thornton, another stu dent of alternative energy, said the best part of the project was learning about and becoming aware of the emerging trend in the community of renewable energy. “The more people you can get involved on any scale, that’s where the future’s at,” he said.
I love those cheesy holiday moments Lights? Check. Ornaments? Check. Cheesy family bond ing moment, while standing anxiously in the living room about to decorate our tradi tional family Christmas tree? Also check. What says corny more than three teenagers and their par ents flipping their thumbs up and smiling for the camera while wearing ugly Christmas sweaters? Throw a golden retriever into the mix and we’d be a regular Brady Bunch. But does it bother me? No. Well, maybe a little bit. But I have come to realize that I am blessed. As much as they annoy me, make me bite my tongue and swallow my words, I love spending this holiday season with them. Drawing names for secret Santa and complaining about who we picked. Snowball fights which always turn into violent face washes. Singing Christmas carols with the world’s most off-tune family and competitions to see who can stay the same weight all
Jessica Martin
Opinion
through the holidays. Yes, we annoy each other but we get along. However, there is one thing my mom and I disagree on every year without fail. “I’m so glad winter is tak ing so long in coming,” I overheard her say on the phone last night. I glanced out the window at the brown, brittle grass and bare trees and sighed. Despite my mom’s desire to hold on to fall as long as pos sible, there’s something sad about seeing Mother Nature caught between the seasons. She’s long since left behind her autumnal glory of scarlet and gold, and stands in a kind of awkward nakedness as she waits for her winter
covering of snow. I say bring on the snow days, the cold wind rattling the windows, long evenings of tobogganing with the fami ly and coming in from the snowy outdoors to sip apple cider by the fireplace. The snow would make our Christmas sweaters feel like they’ve come out of the closet for the right season and make our Christmas tree feel like it belongs. Most importantly, the snow would create an abundance of opportunities for my fami ly to indulge in more embar rassing but amusing holiday festivities. The typical teenage thing to do is complain about our families and I often catch myself doing just that. But deep down, beneath my embarrassment and shame, I would never change the Martin’s cheesy, tacky and delightful way of celebrating the joyous season. So yes, I guess I am fine with my Brady Bunch.
PHOTO BY ERIC MCKENZIE
Third-year alternative energy students surveyed this site in St. Agatha for LIFE.
WORKING HARD e ig h t d a y s a w e e k
PHOTO BY VANDA DOBRITOIU
Cody Banks, a second-year radio broadcast student, practises his CJIQ podcast in the radio booth.
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GLBTQ students launch new club By ALYSHA MILLER
Though the GLBTQ Welcome Night held on Oct. 3 ended with a roomful of smil ing people, it also ended with a question, “Now what?” For over a month, that question remained unanswered. “It just didn’t seem fair to have this welcome night and then nowhere to go,” said Eric Jackson, a second-year broad cast television student who took the lead and during the weeks that followed, began to organize this year’s club, which remains nameless. There were talks of forming a club through CSI at the Welcome Night, but at the time nothing was official. The leader of Conestoga’s last GLBTQ club had graduated. Guests who were interested in keeping in touch added their emails to a list and dispersed. Although still in the plan ning stages, a new club is hap pening and is open to anyone who wishes to join, help out or learn more. For the comfort of everyone involved, a list of members will not be released and those interested in the club can email Jackson at ericbjackson91@yahoo.ca for meeting times and locations. “I want to accommodate everybody’s comfort level,” Jackson said at the first club meeting held on Nov. 23,
which was only advertised to those who attended the Welcome Night. He noted that though Conestoga is an overall accepting place, many stu dents come from a variety of experiences affecting their willingness to have their mem bership publicized. The meeting had a small turnout of seven people, which was expected with the mini mal advertising and it being held midday on a Wednesday. Future meetings will be held after class times, depending on member schedules. Among the things discussed were ways to spend some of the club’s budget - with sug gestions ranging from rubber bracelets to movie nights and group outings - to the reasons behind everyone wishing to join. The most common answer was that members simply wanted a place to meet others like themselves and make friends. After about an hour guests had to attend class and the meeting drew to a close. In a few weeks another meeting will be held in the evening in hopes that more people will come out and join so goals and plans can be made to accom modate the needs of as many people as possible. Anyone interested in joining or learning more is encouraged to email Eric Jackson.
Monday, December 5 , 2011
CONESTOGA STUDENTS p r o m o t e s a f e s e x
PHOTO BY NICOLE JOBES
First year pre-health science and police foundations students promoted safe sex with the slogan, ‘practise makes perfect,' as the finale to Conestoga’s Health and Wellness Week on Nov. 25.
SPORTS
Monday, December 5 , 2011
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From zero to hero Local football star shines in his first year and wins the OFC return specialist award By JEFF BOMBEN
Meet Keaton Jones. He’s a 22-year-old running back/wide receiver who was recently named the return specialist of the year for the Ontario Football Conference. Jones amassed over 468 return yards with the Twin Cities Predators during the eight-game regular season. His breakthrough game was in Week 5 when his team was playing Windsor’s AKO Fratmen. Jones returned the ball after a missed field goal 115 yards for the score. He started his football career as a quarterback but grew into his role as a big powerful fullback by the time he finished his fifth year in high school. At Sir John A. Macdonald high school in Waterloo, he had some incredible experi ences including an amazing turnaround which saw his team go from last place to first place. After finishing 1-7 in his Grade 10 year, only three years later, his team went undefeated and dominated in the playoffs, not allowing a touchdown But one game that contin ues to haunt him was in the CWOSSA semi-finals versus Saugeen. His Highlanders were winning by 21 points in the fourth quarter and looked posed to pull off the win.
However, his team fell apart in the last moments and they lost the game. Jones was highly recruited out of high school, receiving offers to attend most univer sities in the area. Instead he opted to go out of province and landed at the University of Calgary. During his first and only season as a Dino in 20092010, Jones pulled his ham string during training camp, forcing him to miss most of the season. During his recovery period, he had a tough time focusing on football, as his mother was very sick back in Kitchener. Jones dressed one game for Calgary but opted to return home after the season was over. He decided to put his foot ball career on hold and worked full time in Kitchener. He also continued to upgrade his courses. Football re-entered his life when the Canadian Junior Football League announced a new team was coming to Kitchener-Waterloo. Jones attended the first training camp and said it was a very exciting experi ence. He credits his head coach at the time, Chris Triantafilou, for his as well as the team’s early success. “Especially because of coach Triantafilou, he’s awe some and so knowledgeable.
He knows the game inside and out. He’s been around the game forever and he’s not the typical coach who’s going to yell at you and get upset. He explains it to you in a way that makes sense for everyone,” Jones said. Jones talked about his first year with the Predators. “If we would have had a couple more weeks, I think we would have made the playoffs. Our offence was just hitting their stride and figuring out what we were good at and what we weren’t good at. And our defence throughout the whole year was awesome, “Jones said. Jones has looked into going back to university but understands that he is get ting older and playing for the Predators was a great way for scouts to see him. Jones looks to the future and thinks that he has the potential to play at the next level. He is seriously deter mined to crack a practice roster in the Canadian Football League within the next few years. “In 10 years, I just want to be happy. I hope to be in a financial state where I can just relax and enjoy life. I want to make sure that my mother is all right and does n’t have to work. And lastly, I just want to be a good, pos itive influence on my broth ers and sisters,” Jones said.
PHOTO BY HEATHER ABREY
Keaton Jones of the Twin Cities Predators was the winner of the Ontario Football Conference’s return specialist of the year award. He is shown rushing during their first game of the season Sept. 1.
PHOTO BY ANDREW OMRAN
Second-year rec and leisure services student Danielle Pauze, a passionate athlete, prepares to throw the rugby ball into a scrum.
Sports big part of her life By ANDREW OMRAN
Most of Danielle Pauze’s life has been dedicated to sports and she wouldn’t have it any other way. The second-year Conestoga College student has played hockey, fastball and volleyball but that isn’t enough for her as she is now dominating varsity rugby. “I’ve been playing fastball my entire life and when I heard there’s a rugby team, I thought it’d be really good to stay in shape ... it’d be a new sport for me to try,” Pauze said. She finds baseball much eas ier thanks to years of experi ence in the sport. In fact, it is one sport where she can relax and enjoy the game. “I’ve played my whole life, I was just kinda doing my own thing, not trying to impress anybody. It was just like, hit the ball, catch the ball, not try ing to do anything amazing,” she said. In her short time thus far at Conestoga, Pauze has been connected with just about every sports team offered and she shows no signs of slowing down. The recreation and leisure services program student says she finds it easy to stay in shape. “I just make sure that I eat well ... Subway, no McDons and I play a lot of sports and that’s all I do ... I don’t work out unless it’s in the summer.” As for any challenges that stood in her way, Pauze was prepared for anything that arose. “There wasn’t really a chal lenge for the physical part (of rugby) because I’ve played hockey but it was just hard because I didn’t know the
rules. I just pretty much told the coach give me a position and I’ll learn the position, and I’ll just get the ball and run,” she said. The transition to rugby was much easier than Pauze thought and it resulted in suc cess in her first couple of games. “I started off my first game and I was really nervous. I had no idea what I was doing. The coach told me Tackle the girl with the ball and if you get the ball, just run.’ That’s what I did and I actually scored the winning try of that game ... I got another try in my second game. I was really excited.” The Ontario Colleges Athletic Association rewarded Pauze for her strong play to start the season. “I actually got athlete of the week for OCAA and I thought that was really exciting because I never played rugby before and I was really happy,” she said. But it would turn out to be the physical aspect of the sport that would set her up for her worst experience yet. “I got a black eye and a con cussion so I was out for a week. It scared me a lot because I’d never had one before and then two weeks later I got another so I was out for three weeks. “I was forgetting things, I ,was really dizzy, I couldn’t drive because I was out of it so it made me nervous.” Good times and bad, there are certain things that rugby gives Pauze that she says are invaluable. “The thing I like the best about rugby is just staying in shape and meeting new friends; the girls on the team are awesome.”
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