Rangers help community Charity event raises money for United Way. Page 11 MONDAY. FEBRUARY
SPOKE
A LEARNING NEWSROOM FOR JOURNALISM STUDENTS
11,2013
CONESTOGA COLLEGE.
KITCHENER, ONT.
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Improving our self-esteem YWCA Cambridge hosts Beautiful Woman Project. Page6 44TH YEAR - NO. 6
SHOW me the money BY RYAN BOWMAN
Thisis the last of a five-part series examining causes and consequences o f homeless ness in Waterloo Region. It’s a Saturday evening, but the Bethany Evangelical M issionary Church in Kitchener is packed. A group of people are con gregated in the carpeted foyer, their hair and shoul ders dusted with freshly fall en snowflakes, chatting casu ally about the city's current cold snap and the Super Bowl. Several others pace the halls while another leans against the door to the sanctuary, a dark puddle of water form ing beneath his heavy winter boots. M o s t o f th e v isito rs, h o w e v er, a re g a th e re d in th e g ia n t g y m n a siu m at th e b a c k o f th e b u ild in g .
There are about 70 of them and they are segregated to one side of the room. Beneath the bright fluores cent lights and the ancient basketball net, they sit on green plastic chairs surround ing a dozen or so scarred wood en tables, some round, others
Helter
Shelter
A LOOK A T HOMBJBSSNBSS IN WATERLOO REGION
rectangular, each topped with a pitcher of amber iced tea. The air in the gym is humid and smells of meat and burnt coffee. The -mood is sombre, the monotonous murmur of com peting conversations interrupted only by the occa sional cough or the scrape of silverware. The majority of the guests are only half-lis tening to one another, lost in heaping plates of roast beef, mashed potatoes and mixed veg. On the other side of the room, separated from the makeshift cafeteria by a long steel divider, about 40 single mattresses are spread across the concrete floor like fallen casualties. They are buried beneath multi-coloured com forters, piles of rolled-up clothing and frayed back packs bursting at the seams. They are where some of the people devouring their roast beef dinner will spend the night.
. PHOTO BY RYAN BOWMAN
Lome and Anne Reltzel volunteer one Sunday a month at the St. Louis Roman Catholic Church, Out of the Cold site. OOTC serves about 100 meals and sleeps 60 people a night from Nov. 1 through April 30. According to the most recent census data, Waterloo Region is home to one of the high est median incomes in all of southern Ontario and 96 per cent of the labour force
worked at some point during the last year. A full quarter of all house holds earn average incomes of above $100,000, and there are far fewer “low income" house
holds - 10.2 per cent - than the provincial average of 14.7 per cent, and the national average of 15.3 per cent. SEE ENDING HOMELESSNESS, PAGE 9
International students want more services BY C A LilO H M C LiLLA N P At the first College Council meeting of the new year, council members shared some exciting changes and initia tives that will be happening at Conestoga. The council is a group of col lege students and staff who provide advice to the pres ident on matters of impor tance. According to Alan Vaughan, vice-president of enrolment management and internation al education at Conestoga, this year has proved to be successful in terms of inter national student enrolment at the college. And with 138 new inter national students in degree and diploma programs since January alone, the college needs to make sure there are services available to support them in both their academic
lives and personal lives, by better integrating them into the college. In a recent survey, inter national students asked for more job opportunities on campus and assistance with making new friends. CSI will, therefore, be pro viding 10 to 15 international students with on-campus jobs. The number of students who have English as their second language enrolling at the col lege annually was also a topic of discussion. It was suggested that an English course for firstyear ESL students be provided. “It is one thing to bring international students here, but it is our job to keep them by providing good services to support them,” said Vaughan. In other international educa tion news, there will be a post graduate embedded systems development program begin ning at the college in May that
will be targeted toward inter national students. Council members also dis cussed an exciting concept called Energy Village. “We wanted a site to put us at the forefront of renewable energy and conservation,” said Conestoga College presi dent, John Tibbits. The vision of Energy Village is to establish a research and learning facility to educate and innovate in the fields of energy renewal and conserva tion. The concept paper will be given to the Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities in early March, and if they like the idea, the college will complete their research and move forward with a business plan. “This is going to positively impact the trades and engi neering programs," said Tibbits. “It will also attract
international students and create jobs.” Next on the agenda was Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities. With a nine per cent increase in students registering with the college’s Disability Services this past year, and a new range of disabilities being presented, Conestoga’s immediate goal is to prevent barriers for all people with disabilities, including stu dents, faculty and visitors. Right now, accessible edu cation is only provided upon request, but “as of today, everything we do will meet the standards of accommoda tion,” said Michael Dinning, vice-president of student affairs and student services. “We are working diligently to get the resources in order.” Dinning added that “what we’re presenting in the class room must be accessible to all
as we move forward.” It will be necessary for all videos to be captioned, and teachers are learning how to make all documents accessible. Other suggestions included the idea of electronic books, and more online notes. Next, Ciara Byrne, presi dent of Conestoga Students Inc., presented CSI’s news. She said the U-Pass, a uni versal CRT bus pass, will no longer be implement ed in September. Instead, Conestoga’s shuttle service will be expanding with the possibility of extended hours and longer routes. A second driver and a new bus for next year are also being considered. In other CSI news, Byrne said the recreation centre will soon be getting a makeover. A survey of students is cur rently underway, asking them for their thoughts.
NEWS
Page 2 ♦SPOKE
Now deep thoughts ... with Conestoga College Random questions answered by random students
If you could ruin any ce le b rity’s career, w ho w ould it be?
“ Ben Stiller.”
Ian Green, first-year broadcast television
“ Leonardo DiCaprio, even though it’s already ruined.
Josh Gofton, first-year broadcast television
“ Drake.”
Leo Gantioqul, first-year broadcast television
Monday, February 1 1 .2 0 1 3
Local CBC station to hit the airwaves BY ROB MENPONSA
For those accustomed to starting their day listening to the radio in KitchenerWaterloo, a new sound will hit the airwaves on March 11; a new CBC station will begin airing at 89.1 on the FM dial. Hosted by Craig Norris, the new station will provide lis teners from 6 to 8:30 a.m. with all the things that peo ple expect from CBC but with a local twist. Norris, whose roots are firmly planted in the region, grew up and still lives in Guelph and has been with CBC for eight years. “I’m so happy to be coming back to the area, it’s unbeliev able and truly is a dream come true,” said Norris. “Starting this has been really liberat ing, it gives us an opportunity to really put our own stamp on things.” The station, which is situat ed in the middle of downtown Kitchener on King Street, will offer the hosts an opportunity to really interact with people on the street. Along with the radio show, there will be a huge web pres ence, led by producer, Andrea Bellemare, host of the sta tion’s new digital service at
feed the web and the web will feed the show, giving listen ers a whole new experience,” Norris said. The new service expan sion is part of CBC’s fiveyear plan, “Everyone, Every Way,” which was launched in February 2011. Its goal is to better connect more than six million Canadians over the next four years, in areas that they have identified as being underserviced. Included in this was the recent launch of PHOTO BY ROB MENDONSA the Hamilton station. Construction w ork continues “Just as CBC was an innova at the new CBC station in tion leader in the earliest days Kitchener. The station at 89.1 of radio and television, we’re on the FM dial is set to open on continuing to lead the way with this distinct service that March 11. will connect the residents of www.cbc.ca/kitchener-water- the Waterloo Region to their loo. Everything they do on neighbourhoods, their cities, the radio show will be simul their country and CBC,” said cast on the web, giving those Kirstine Stewart, executive with access to a computer an vice-president for English opportunity to interact with Services, “whenever and wher the guests and the hosts via ever they are, in a way no one their keyboards. It will allow else is doing in Canada.” It’s all part of what Norris the residents in the region to ask questions and have their says makes this unique from say on the topic of the day, just another show that’s resulting in an in-depth com broadcast from CBC Toronto. munity-focused experience for He said this satellite station the people of Waterloo Region. will bring an extremely local “It will be a very symbiotic viewpoint that just can’t be relationship. The show will done from Toronto.
Conestoga student app has wow factor
“ Nicki M inaj.”
Brock Macdonald, first-year broadcast television
BY JESSICA REDIKER
“Jeff Dunham .”
Nick Gillett, first-year broadcast television
“One D irection.”
Dustin Wilson, first-year broadcast television
Smile Conestoga, you could be our next respondent!
Anyone can develop appli cations for Blackberry, but it took a Conestoga College stu dent to create the first userfriendly Grand River Transit app. Summet Gill, a third-year computer programmer/analyst student, recently partici pated in the KWBBDev BB10 Mini-Hackathon, hoping to simply get feedback on the app he had been working on, but he left with more than he had anticipated. Gill’s app dazzled the judg es and he won the competi tion, earning himself a 32-gig Blackberry Playbook. The objective of the hackathon was to develop an application that was not offered in the Blackberry Appworld at the time. It also had to be based on existing code written by computer pro grammers, and be completed within a specified time limit. Gill had been working on
the app for his mobile pro gramming class and came up with the idea by finding room for improvement in the exist ing market. “I use the Grand River Transit myself and surpris ingly enough, there aren’t a lot of good GRT apps for Blackberry, so I thought I might as well fill that gap,” said Gill, explaining that his app will display an overall map, individual routes and times for specific stops. There is one other app in the store that will let you view the GRT schedules, but it also displays public transpor tation information for Guelph and Hamilton. Gill’s is the only app that is strictly for transportation in Waterloo Region and features a favou rites list that users can add their frequently visited stops to for quick access. This isn’t the first time Gill has created something to ben efit the Waterloo community. He also developed an app for
reviewing the health and san itation of local restaurants. “The Region of Waterloo gives out that information for free. You search any restau rant name, it’ll pop up, you click it and it shows you their health inspection report for the past year.” Although Gill has been working hard to get his GRT app in Blackberry users’ hands, it is currently not available for download due to some last minute fixes including trying to compile an offline database of the transit route schedules so it can be accessed without a data connection - some thing that was inspired by students having no recep tion in particular areas of Conestoga. Regardless of when the app will be available for down load in Appworld, Gill said the real prize was the vali dation that what he does at Conestoga applies in the real world.
NEWS
Monday, Febaiaiy 1 1 ,2 0 1 3
SPOKE ♦Page 3
Club brings back classics BY LINDSAY TESSiER
Have you ever wished you could watch your favourite movie again on the big screen? If so, now’ s your chance. Guelph’ s Bookshelf cinema is giving moviegoers the chance to see fan favourites and cult classics on the big screen as part of their new movie club. The Guelph Movie Club kicked off its inaugural meeting on Jan. 31 with a showing of Ghostbusters. Each month, club members will choose a film and the cinema will screen it for one night only. Next in the lineup is The Big Lebowski, which plays on Feb. 21. Much like the adage of another classic movie, Bookshelf cinema manager Peter Henderson is hoping that if you build it, they will come. “My hope is that by providing the space and the movie, people who love movies will come out,” he said. “We’re also hoping this will become a regular event where people come out not only to watch a movie, but to join like-minded people to talk more about the movies we love.” The initial idea for the club came from avid moviegoer and Bookshelf customer, Danny Williamson. Williamson said the idea for the club came out of a conversation with friends about which movies they’d love to see again in the theatre. “From there, the club took
shape pretty quickly because of the enthusiasm of The Bookshelf. They’re cool like that,” he said. So, what does he hope to accomplish with the club? “Two things. The first goal is to have a night once a month where people who love movies can see movies with other people who love movies. I really want it to feel like a community,” Williamson said. He also hopes to encourage people to act on their own cre ative ideas. “So many people have great ideas that they never act on because they think they’re too hard, or because they worry no one will be interested in them. Hopefully people will use this example and start something themselves.” There are also plans to feature things like contests, speakers and trivia at the movie nights. “That’s the great thing about having The Bookshelf involved,” said Williamson. “We have a chance to combine movies, books, music and food in a great space. Hopefully, as things go forward, we will be able to incorporate our ideas with suggestions from mov iegoers to make it an evening not to be missed.” The first two movies were
selected by Henderson. But from now on the movies will be nominated by members of the club by ballot. Those nominations will be used to create a short list which will be posted on The Bookshelf Facebook page. After a week, the movie with the most votes becomes next month’s pick. Henderson said he is curious to see if people will lean more toward Hollywood populist movies such as Ghostbusters and Indiana Jones or choose more complex art films. “I’ve seen some emails and requests that people have put in for French art films from the ’60s or David Lynch mov ies like Blue Velvet” he said. Whichever movie is chosen, Henderson is just excited to sit back and let other people decide what they want to see. Tickets for the Guelph Movie Club are currently only avail able at the door, so moviego ers are encouraged to line up early. Tickets are $8 for mem bers and $12 for non-members. However, a dinner and a movie reservation will get you dinner at the Greenroom and reserved seating for the night’s movie. Cost is $23 per person, $20 for members. Call 519-821-3311, ext. 155, to make a reservation.
Not much social about social media As part of most people’s daily routine, Facebook has brought us everything from farm games to the ability to connect with friends long forgotten. But for some, the social media site is taking up more time than necessary. Constant usage is distract ing many from what’s real ly important, the ability to interact with real people. Chances are, like me, you have a Facebook account. But have you ever sat down and taken a hard look at who your friends are? Personally, I try to keep my friends list to people I actually know or contacts I may want to maintain in the future. But for most, the ability to draw the line as far as letting peo ple into their online life is something of a trial. According to an article pub lished in the Huffington Post, 24 per cent of users don’t maintain any sort of security when it comes to their posts or online activities. Welcoming a plethora of creepers and trolls into your account can cause more harm than good it’s true, but is security really that important when you hand out “adds” like candy at Halloween? Why do we feel the need to add anyone and everyone we’ve ever met to Facebook?
Whitney South
Opinion
Maybe it’s the longing to feel popular, stemming from years in high school where having a vast amount of friends defined social status. Or maybe it’s because, in this world full of technology and electronic communica tion, feeling one small ounce of personal connection helps us to fight the feeling we are all truly alone. I can’t count the number of times I’ve had a “friend” obliv iously walk by in a grocery store or on the street, only to receive a message hours later letting me know how nice it was to see me. Recently, I attended an event at a local pub. I knew some friends I hadn’t seen in over a decade would be there and was excited to have some face-to-face interaction. Inspired by some great chats and debates online, I headed out for the night expecting a great time and some inspired conversation. Instead, our meeting was limited to a few quick greetings, marred by
the fact my presence didn’t seem to warrant even a glance up from what must’ve been a very tasty cheeseburger. The lack of ability to com municate in real life was stag gering. The number of monthly Facebook users around the world has climbed to over 850 million since its launch in 2004. With Canadians mak ing up over 18 million of those users, 54 per cent of the coun try is logging on. What society has to remem ber is that, despite the ease of online friendships, it’s quality not quantity that really mat ters.
FACEBOOK FACTS 1. B a rack O b a m a ’s victo ry Facebook post w a s the m ost liked photo on Facebook with over four m illion likes. 2. Th e a ve ra g e F a ce bo o k user has 130 friends. 3. M ore than 250 m illion p h o to s a re uplo a ded to Facebook every day. 4. A s o f 2 01 2 , 2 1 0 ,0 0 0 ye a rs of m usic have been played on Facebook. 5. Z y g n a ’s gam es re v enue w as 12 per cent of Face book’s total incom e.
Source: Huffington Post
DANNY’S FIVE PICKS “There are so many movies I’d love to see on the big screen, but, if you put a gun to my head, I’d be picking from my child hood favourites. I grew up in the ’80s and early ’90s, so my bal lot would look like this:” ■ ■ ■ U ■
Star Wars: A New Hope (original release) Jurassic Park Raiders of the Lost Ark E.T. Back to the Future - Danny Williamson, Guelph Movie Club
videos On Spoke Online (www.spokeonline.com) this week: ■ ■ ■ ■ ■
Local dance artist Michelle Hopkins believes in communi cating thought the art of dance. What is the significance of Valentine’s Day to students? Learn what Conestoga students are doing during Reading Week. The Total Women’s Show celebrates women over 40. How would you get your life back together after a devastat ing fire robbed you of all of your possessions? Fortunately, an ES L student from Conestoga has an entire department helping him get back on his feet.
COMMENTARY
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Monday, Febmary 1 1 ,2 0 1 3
TV ads need work BY MARK FITZGERALD
The Super Bowl has come and gone and, for some, that means absolutely nothing except that they’ve just seen a whole bunch of commercials that are more elabo rate than usual. The hype of Super Bowl ads has become so big that there are people who care more about the commercials than the game itself. We couldn’t care less about watch ing sweaty men push and shove each other for four hours until one team is declared the best pusher and/or shover. It’s all about the commercials. Why can’t companies put this much effort into all of their ads? Today’s 30-second clips are more about being entertained than being brainwashed into buying products. If you haven’t already become a fan of Doritos, one commercial with a man playing tea party with his daughter and danc ing in a dress eating Doritos isn’t going to sway your mind. Super Bowl commercials are some of the most expen sive ads of all time so it only makes sense that they must be elaborate, funny and fantastic, right? But com panies should strive to put out the best commercials possible year-round. We don’t need to see Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson walk through the apocalypse just to grab some milk to let me know that milk is good for us. What a waste of money. It just shows a lack of creativity on behalf of the writing staff, if there even was one. Many companies believe that having celebrities endorse their product is the only way to go. It puts a face that people recognize on their brand. But, this seems like an outdated way of thinking. Most people who watch television are not going to go out and buy the new Samsung phone or tablet just because Seth Rogan, Paul Rudd and LeBron James were in the commercial. On the otherhand, maybe we’re just oblivious to the idea that some people are sheep. It isn’t about how extravagant a commercial is that gets our attention. It’s purely about the thought that goes into it. Clever writing trumps razzle-dazzle every time. For example, the diamond Shreddies ads a few years ago were amazing. It was so simple, but brilliant. The point is that if companies are willing to go all out with their ads for their 30 seconds in the spotlight dur ing the Super Bowl, wouldn’t it be more meaningful if they did that all the time? If their commercials were successful throughout the year, then they wouldn’t have to drop a ludicrous amount of money to try and entice us to buy Coca-Cola and Blackberry Z 10s in their Super Bowl ads. The views herein represent the position of the newspa per, not necessarily the author.
Letters are welcome Spoke welcomes letters to the editor. Letters should be signed and include the name and telephone number of the writer. Writers will be contact ed for verification. No unsigned letters will be published. Letters should be no longer
than 500 words. Spoke reserves the right to edit any letter ? for publication. Email letters to: www.spokeonline.com with the subject line “Letter to the Editor,” or bring them to Room 1C30 at the Doon campus.
A day in the life of a bus driver Grand River Transit (GRT) bus drivers have a tough job. Although driving a bus all day may seem simple, it’s not. Bus drivers have to put up with a lot of crap from people who use transit on a daily basis. Not only do they have to deal with passengers, but other drivers and pedestrians - who are too busy on their cellphones with ear buds in to pay attention. As a girl who uses the bus almost every day, I can understand how the cus tomer feels when the bus is late and they have to wait. However, as the daughter of a bus driver, I also under stand how frustrating driv ing a bus is too. I understand that people have places to go and things to do but a bus being late can’t always be helped. Red lights, car collisions, busy four-way stops, traffic jams, construction and breakdowns can all cause a bus to be late. I’ve been on a broken down bus. After 15 minutes, a new bus arrived and the driver continued with the route try ing his best to get back on schedule. An elderly woman got on the bus and started yelling at the driver because he was late and when he tried to get her to calm down so he could explain the situa-
Kelsey Heeley
Opinion tion, she wouldn’t listen. I couldn’t believe how angry she was. With my luck she, of course, sat next to me and started ranting about the bus and how she didn’t like GRT. Before I got off, I apologized to the bus driver for her ignorance because he didn’t deserve it. Passengers usually mind their own business and are fine. However, some people get on the bus drunk and they are sometimes harder to deal with. I was on the No. 8 bus and two clearly intoxicated girls got on, followed by three mothers and their young children. The bus was clearly going to be stopping in drama ville before it got to the Charles Street terminal. The two girls were talking as loud as they possibly could and were swearing like sailors. Well, the mothers who had toddlers didn’t appreciate it, for obvi ous reasons. When one of the mothers said something to the drunks, they flipped out. A third party decided to
add her two cents, nearly causing a brawl to break out. Although one of the drunken girls was clearly scared, the other kept antagonizing. After some screaming, threats and cursing, the bus driver stepped in and told the two drunken girls to get off the bus. It was a peaceful ride after that. Then there are those people who need a bus, but can’t read. It says right on the bus where it is going and on what street. For example; Fairview via Weber. That means the bus is going to Fairview Mall on Weber Street. I’ve seen this count less times. I have also heard countless stories from driv ers, where the bus sign indi cates it is going downtown but still passengers ask where the driver is heading. Are you kidding me? Passengers who drive me up the wall the most are the ones who try to get out of the back door and can’t open it. It says right in the centre of the door, “Wave hand here.” Some people just stand there and yell “Back door!” What we all need to remember is a little more common courtesy and aware ness go a long way in making riding and driving the bus more enjoyable.
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NEWS
Monday, February 1 1, 2 01 3
SPOKE ♦Page 5
Writing service makes a difference BY KRIS MANUEL
When Maidelin Cruz and her husband arrived in Canada from Cuba in August 2010 as skills workers, it was to provide a better future for her family in Canada and in Cuba. But, English was foreign to her. “I thought I knew some English in my country, but when I came here I realized that I didn’t. I knew some words, some vocabulary, but the English that people speak in my country is very differ ent because we speak with a Spanish accent and we don’t hear the real sounds. When I came here, I didn’t under stand what people were say ing.” But, by carefully forming her sentences as she spoke, her English improved. When she first arrived in Canada, she worked two jobs and had to learn English on her own. She said what really helped her was reading the Bible. Cruz, 28, is a first-year general business stu dent at Conestoga College. Before going into the busi ness program, she took a gen
eral arts and science English language program for one semester, where she was put in the highest level - level 4. Then when she transferred to the business program she started using the Learning Common’s writing service. “Because En glish is my second language, I realized that I needed more help with my writing skills,” she said. “I remember my first writ ing class, I was so scared when my teacher asked us to introduce ourselves. My other classmates spoke very well and I felt very ashamed to speak. I could not express my thoughts very well.” After receiving her mark back for a test in the introduc tion to professional writing and presentation skills course, she noticed how low her mark was. She booked appoint ments with writing services to help her boost her grade. “When I wrote my first test I got a 55 per cent and I was really disappointed with that. When I started to come (to writing services) my grades were improving and improving; and I fin ished with an A,” she said. “From a 55 per cent to an
PHOTO BY KRIS MANUEL
M aidelin Cruz, a first-year gen eral business student, uses the Learning C om m on’s w riting service to help im prove her m arks.
A, that’s a big difference.” Cruz still uses the writ ing service and goes once a week to review or do practice exercises to help her to con tinue to improve her writing skills when writing reports, reflections and presenta tions for class every week. “Here, they help me find my own mistakes. They don’t just tell me what I did wrong, they help me understand what I did wrong and it’s easier for me to correct my mistakes,” she said. “It’s a good opportu nity to improve your marks.”
PHOTO BY KRIS MANUEL
W riting Service co-ordinator Lynn Gresham helps Diego Saz, an office technology assistant at the Learning Com m ons, with his w riting skills. •*.
Lynn Gresham, writing centre co-ordinator, said the writing service is a place for students to get help with anything related to the writ ing process, whether it’s help getting started, orga nizing thoughts, structuring the essay or a paragraph, or documenting sources. “We can help them if they have any questions
about what was explained in class,” said Gresham. Cruz is thankful for all the encouragement given by her teachers as well as the help from the writ ing service throughout her time at Conestoga.. “The workers here are very professional and they have very good skills to help people,” she said.
FEATURE
Page 6 * SPOKE
M onday, February 1 1 ,2 0 1 3
T h e S c h o o l o f S e lf-A c c e p ta n c e STORY AND PHOTOS BY KEILA MACPHERSON
When you look in the mirror and don’t like what you see, your self-esteem can take a hit. Sometimes you wish there was a solution, something you could read or someone to tell you that you’re really OK. The messages of the perfect body that society and the media are blasting at us are tough to drown out and solu tions are next to impossible. We almost need a guide or a tutor to help us navigate our own body image. Don’t look any further ... the School of Self-Acceptance is now taking applications. However, it isn’t a real school, but an art exhibit set up in a former school in the upper level of the Women’s International Gift and Gallery building located at 55 Dickson St. in Cambridge. The YWCA Cambridge is hosting the 10th anniver sary exhibit of Cheryl-Ann Webster’s Beautiful Women Project which will be open to the public from March 7 until April 26.
" Self-esteem is the foundation of everything we are, no matter who you are and no matter what background..." - Cheryl-Ann Webster “It’s such a great way for us to put something out there that really summarizes who we are as an organization and I think it’s a great way to promote to school groups and to youth and to people in the community what kind of programs we offer,” said Kate MacLaggan, media lit eracy program co-ordinator at YWCA Cambridge, who worked directly with Webster to bring the exhibit to the space. Admission is free, but the YWCA is taking voluntary donations from generous visi tors. People can also sponsor a sculpture for $100 through the YWCA Cam bridge’s Facebook page. If a sculpture has already been sponsored, it can’t be sponsored again and will show up as sold out. All the proceeds from sponsors will go toward the YWCA pro gramming for girls and spon sors will get a tax receipt. At the exhibit, 120 clay sculptures of women’s torsos
of varying shapes and sizes will be on display for visitors to look at and compare to their own bodies. W ebster started the Beautiful Women Project when the effects of poor body image hit home and her daughter was struggling with her own body image. When Webster was 17 she became pregnant and, unable to take care of her daughter, allowed a family member liv ing in England to adopt her. After this, she said she began to drink heavily and her self-esteem hit rock bot tom. However, her life final ly came together after she met her husband, graduated from Carleton University in Ottawa and became a Canadian citizen. When her daughter was 13 years old, Webster was reunited with her. “It was her responses to her body that led me to create the Beautiful Women Project.” She also said that the Beautiful Women Project helped her accept herself and, in a way, accept her past, by making her able to call her stretch marks from her pregnancy “ribbons of motherhood.” Webster defines body image as the way we think we look, and not the way we really look. Low body image usually results in a person having low self-esteem. However, in the same respects, someone can have high self-esteem and poor body image, or a positive body image and low self-esteem. It is no shock that people suffer from low self-esteem and poor body image with in the Western standard of beauty; it seems that no mat ter what shape or weight a person is, she will always be pressured to change her body. The sculpture Goddess in the School of Self-Acceptance exhibit is one example of the pressures society puts on people. Webster described how the volunteer she sculpted as Goddess said she had been both thin and heavier in her life, and that no matter what she looked like she wasn’t accepted for who she was. “When she was small peo ple would encourage her to eat more; as she got larg er people would encourage her to diet constantly,” said Webster. Although Goddess is one of the larger sculptures and rarely gets sponsored early, she almost demands a mater nal respect and awe when
Artist Cheryl-Ann Webster poses with her own clay sculpture In her exhibit at the YWCA In Cambridge on Feb. 1. Her message Is that there Is not one Influence on how we view ourselves, but many. you first see her. “She is very present, She’s the opposite of what women are told to be; to be quiet, to be in the background, to lis ten and do what they’re told,” said MacLaggan. Goddess isn’t the only one that people tend to be drawn to. Invasive Beauty and Invasive Beauty 2 are sculp tures of a woman who was cast before and after she had her breasts removed because of breast cancer. The differ ence is very obvious and often striking, but people accept it, even those we might not expect to understand. “Many years ago, we had a little girl come into the exhibit and her mum was looking around when all the
sculptures were in one room. The little girl came up and she was really confused by the sculpture and she asked if it was a boy. I said, ‘No, there are no boys in this.’ “So she looked and said, ‘ah! It’s her back.’ “I said, ‘Well, she has a belly button.’ And I’m hop ing the mum will come back to explain rather than me do it, but she was still visiting another sculpture, so I said, ‘Well, the lady’s boobies got sick and the doctor had to take them off so she could be well again.’ I thought oh, what’s going to happen to this little girl, but she just went, ‘She’s just like me now,’ and rubbed her hands down her chest.”
This shows the exhibit is not only for adults and teen agers. It is a family-friend ly exhibit that is meant to relay the same message for all, regardless of age or gen der. This is why Webster used a wide range of vol unteers when creating the sculptures. Volunteers from 19 to 91 and of all shapes and sizes were used and their ages were not posted under the sculptures to enforce the idea that the shape or size of a person’s breasts or stomach is not dependent on age. There are two 19-yearolds in the exhibit and one 91-year-old, with their sculp tures named I Am More, Love Life and Clarity.
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Amy Brown, a member of the YWCA board of directors, compares herself to the clay sculpture torso of a six-foot woman. The torso was passed around for everyone to try as an activity to get people comfortable before seeing a whole exhibit full of breasts and bellies. One of the 19-year-old girls visited the exhibit with her school when there were only 119 sculptures. She later became the 120th sculpture. “They spent a long time in the gallery looking through and reading each story and this one young lady came up to me and said, I ’ve lived the lives of all these women.’ And I looked at this young 19-yearold woman and realized she was telling the truth.” Webster said this young woman came to her and told her that visiting the exhibit
had helped her make her deci sion to leave her unhealthy lifestyle, everything she knew, and change her life for the better. Webster does have her own sculpture in the exhibit called Body Image Is Not Black And White. She uses this phrase on her piece because after all the research she did, she realized it didn’t matter if everyone was raised the same or saw the same images, body image between two people can vary and there are thousands of influences that affect body
image and self-esteem, Each classroom in the exhibit will house a number of sculptures or a reflective and informative activity to get visitors thinking about body image and how they perceive themselves and others. The exhibit holds stories of loss, abuse and struggle and can be quite emotional at times. However, there are many uplifting and inspira tional stories that won’t fail to leave a mark on all who visit and has had the biggest impact on the artist herself.
Only two volunteers were cast twice. One woman’s Initial sculpture was titled Invasive Beauty. She was cast again after undergoing a double mastectomy due to breast cancer. Her second sculpture Is titled Invasive Beauty 2.
“The last 10 years with the Beautiful Women Project has been equivalent to doing a PhD on life. For me as an art ist I was simply creating an art exhibit, but what it had to teach me from who I am as a person, to what resilience
truly means, what transfor mation means, what health means and how self-esteem is the foundation of everything we are, no matter who you are and no matter what back ground, I can honestly say it was like a PhD on life.”
The clock hands pointing at nine o’clock represent the abuse Webster suffered at the age of nine. The tears and healing swirls represent the recovery and cleansing of self. With this sculpture, Webster’s message Is that although we put up barriers to protect ourselves, we are also deflecting love and kindness so sometimes our shield Is down.
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Condom s and com m unication with your partner are im portant in preventing STIs, even in the heat of the m om ent.
PHOTOS BY HEATHER KENNERY
Condom s are a great w ay to protect against m ost sexually transm itted infections (STIs). That is w hy couple Tyson Pagett and Rachel M cKay insist on using protection every tim e.
Think with your condom O ne in fo u r people have an STI BY HEATHER KENNERY
With Valentine’s Day almost here, most of us are busy buy ing flowers and chocolates, hoping to woo that special someone. But, what about buying condoms? According to www.nursingschools.net, if you are sitting at a lunch table with three friends you can estimate that one out of four of you have had a sexually transmitted infection (STI). This shouldn’t make you cringe at the sight of your friends but rather realize the importance of safe sex. Safe sex is almost an oxy moron, when nothing but abstinence has been proven to be fully effective against pregnancy and STIs. It makes you question what should you really be using for protection. Condoms do not prevent all STIs, which is a common misconception, said obstetri cian-gynecologist, Dr. Ashley Waddington, who is current ly serving as one of Queen’s University’s Contraceptive Advice, Research and Education fellows, Asking your partner about his or her past sexual experiences is a good way to start the conver sation about contraception, but if your significant other has had even one sexual part ner you should also discuss if they have recently been tested for STIs. Waddington wants college students to know that being tested isn’t something to be scared of.
“You do not need to have a painful exam to be tested for STIs. Chlamydia and gonor rhoea can be diagnosed with a simple urine sample,” she said. Using a condom during intercourse including oral, anal and vaginal, is a great step for prevention, according to the website, www.sexualityandu.ca. The site also sug gests that females can use a dental dam during oral sex, which is a sheet of latex that can prevent transmission between you and your part ner. At Conestoga College you can visit Health Services in Room 1A102 for free con doms. While there you can also schedule an appointment for STI screening and preg nancy testing and counsel ling with the campus doctor who works part-time. If you are unable to visit the office you can book an appointment by calling 519-748-5220, ext. 3679. Shannon Oliu, the Health Services nurse at Conestoga College, wants students to know that there are other places in K-W to go to for sup port if the doctor’s office is not open. Oliu, suggests urgent care clinics, which are open seven day a week, as well as phar macies, as a great help for students who need support and information on sexual health and protection. Having “the talk” or clum sily ripping into a condom may not seem like a top pri ority when you’re in the heat
of the moment, but it will save you from having to ask many other questions after the fact.
COMMON MYTHS ABOUT STIs Myth: It w o n ’t happen to me. Myth: HPV is a fem ale prob lem.
Fact: Eight out of 10 Canadians (both m ale and fem ale) will get HPV in their lifetim e. M yth: You ca n’t get an STI from giving or receiving oral sex. Fact: Com pared to all other form s of sex, oral sex is con sidered a low er-risk sexual activity but the m ajority of com m on STIs can be spread through either perform ing or receiving oral sex. M yth: I don’t have an STI because I d o n ’t have any sym ptom s. Fa ct: Most sexually transm it ted infections d on’t have vis ible sym ptom s. You or your partner m ay have an infection and not even know it. M yth: All STIs can be treated.
Fact: HIV, herpes and hepa titis can all be m anaged with m edications, but cannot be cured.
Source: Dr. Ashley Waddington
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Ending homelessness not so simple ♦ FROM PAGE 1
Sandra Dietrich-Bell is the executive director of Reaching Our Outdoor Friends (ROOF), a 24-hour shelter and resource centre for homeless and impoverished youth. She says the region’s rela tive level of wealth and afflu ence makes its rising home less numbers hard to swallow. “I think it’s ridiculous and shameful that in an area as rich as this we have anyone who sleeps outside,” she says from an upstairs room in the downtown Kitchener youth facility. “I think homelessness could be eliminated 100 per cent in this country.” Lynn Macaulay, hous ing service co-ordinator at Lutherwood, contributes the widening gap between the rich and poor to a selfish society. “Part of what I see in our culture is that we are very individualistic and we have an expectation that govern ment is going to look after other people’s needs,” she says. “I think we change how we look at people who are vulnerable and marginalized within our own communities. We have a collective respon sibility to look after the basic needs of everybody who’s liv ing in this region.” One group that has been looking after the basic needs of homeless people since 1999 is OOTC. Cathie Savage, who has been with the overnight shelter pro gram since its inception and serves as the co-ordinator at the First United Church site in Waterloo, says the initiative was launched as a response to social service cuts made by the Progressive Conservatives at the turn of the century. “At that time, Mike Harris was the premier in power and he was saying the government couldn’t afford to continue to support social programs and the churches needed to be doing more,” she says. “Some people took that as a challenge.” Over the next 14 years, OOTC grew to include nine churches and today relies upon hundreds of volunteers and tens of thousands of dollars in food donations each winter. And while many of the area’s homeless population would be sleeping on the streets with out the local church commu nity’s compassion, local advo cates are concerned about the rising number of people using the service. According to Dennis Watson, co-ordinator of the Trinity United Church site, the need for beds has risen steadily ever since the program start ed. The number of people who slept at OOTC sites in
November and December 2012 was 30 per cent higher than the same period in 2011. Dietrich-Bell says the prob lem with programs like OOTC is that although they serve basic immediate needs, they fail to address the root causes of homelessness. “It’s a bit of a catch-22,” she says. “I know shelters are abso lutely necessary and I fought for two years to get ROOF into a position where we could be a shelter, but I think in some measures it is very much a Band-Aid solution.” Dietrich-Bell says programs like OOTC take the onus off of the province to address the issue. “To me, a shelter or Out of the Cold lets the govern ment off the hook,” she says. “Because we operate the shel ters as a community, there’s not enough pressure on them to do what would really end homelessness.” ■■■ So the question is a simple one: what would really end homelessness? The answer, Macaulay says, is not so simple. “There are enough really bright people looking at this and there is enough public and government will that if there was one thing we could do to solve homelessness, we’d have done it,” she says. “The reality is, it’s a complex problem and it’s going to require a complex, multi-faceted response.” The one thing most experts agree on, however, is the need for funding. And if funding means higher taxes, Macaulay says, so be it. “If we don’t have tax increas es, we’re actually decreasing services,” she says. “If we want the government to look after people who are vulner able or marginalized, we need to be prepared to pay into the collective pot that allows them to do that.” Gael Gilbert is the executive director of Supportive Housing of Waterloo (SHOW), a provincially and federally funded program providing people who have been defined as persistent ly homeless with fully-equipped, one-bedroom apartments and 24-hour supportive care. “I, as a taxpaying citizen, want my tax dollars to look after people,” she says. “I think that’s what makes a civilized society. There has been too much thrown by the government onto our shoul ders and it’s the most vulner able in the community who suffer because of it.” Funding, however, is only the first step. Deciding what to do with it is the next. “You can spend dollars one of two ways,” Macaulay says. “One
PHOTO BY RYAN BOWMAN
Out of the Cold relies on hundreds o f volunteers and thousands of dollars of food donations each year.
is to keep the homeless people more comfortable, the other is to try and move them from homelessness to housing. We have decided, as a region, that we really want to move people from homelessness to housing. We see that as a much better, long-term, more humane, more dignified solution.” In other words, fewer emer gency shelters and more sus tainable housing initiatives like SHOW. One of only three hous ing programs of its kind in Canada, SHOW was spawned by a group of Out of the Cold volunteers desperate for a long-term approach to home lessness. Since opening its doors in 2010, SHOW has retained about two-thirds of its original 30 tenants. According to Gilbert, that’s an extremely successful ratio for a program designed not as a stop gap solution but as a per manent place for people to live. In fact, Gilbert says, some of SHOW’s tenants may never leave. She says that’s what makes the program so unique - and so successful. While shelters are designed to get people in and out as quickly as possible, the pur pose of SHOW is to provide shelter and support for as
long as people need it. “Most services will say to you, ‘In order to live here you must be clean and sober.’ Here, we don’t condone active use of drugs and alcohol, but it’s a part of how people live and we don’t judge,” she says. “We try and help them recog nize the harm the addiction is doing and help them respond to that harm, but we try not to infantilize people.” In short: “We do whatever we can to help them remain stably housed.” Gilbert says part of what makes programs like SHOW effective is their individual ized support. Instead of sim ply paying someone’s rent and handing over the keys, they meet the various needs of their tenants. Joe Roth has been with SHOW since its inception. He says the 24-hour support has helped him countless times. “There’s some really good people here,” he says of the apartment building on Erb Street in Waterloo. “I don’t care who you are, this place would help anybody.” Dietrich-Bell says an approach like SHOW would work well with homeless youth. "Wouldn’t it be ideal if 10 youth were living in apartments
and each had a primary worker who went there a few times a week and helped them cook and helped them with laundry and helped them maintain relation ships with their landlord?”’ she says. “It’s supported, yet inde pendent, living.” Macaulay says a model like SHOW also makes sense financially. “From a taxpayer point of view, (homeless people) use a high number of services in terms of hospitalization and in terms of police calls,” she says. “It’s much more affordable to keep people housed and sup port them than to kind of keep people’s needs met through emergency services.” However, Gilbert admits, sup portive housing isn’t perfect. First off, there’s the fact that the supply level of these ser vices is constantly dwarfed by the ever-increasing demand. SHOW has only 30 apartment units. ROOF has 15 beds, five of which are overflow. There is currently a waiting list of 1,500 for the city’s various affordable housing initiatives. The most glaring issue it fails to address is the “back wards” welfare system prac tised by the province. SEE NICK'S PAGE 10
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Nick’s story both typical and unique Homeless man says it is ‘emotionally draining more than anything else’ ♦ FROM PAGE 9
For instance, she says, it punishes people for work ing by clawing back Ontario Works (OW) and Ontario Disability Support Plan -(ODSP) payments when they receive employment income, minimal as it may be. “You can get a part-time job as a way of stepping out of poverty and re-establish ing a more productive life, but you’re punished for it. Under the current system there’s very little incentive to work.” Gilbert says SHOW resi dents, who must receive OW or ODSP payments to live there, have had oppor tunities to work but would rather live comfortably with a lower income than make slightly more and struggle to find adequate accommo dations. “Their choice is, ‘Do I have a roof over my head, or do I have a part-time job and go back on the streets?”’ she says. “The system needs to take a good hard look at itself and really figure out how to get people off of welfare and allow them to earn some money and live in living conditions that are beneficial to them.” According to Gilbert, anoth er problem facing the home less is the lack of OHIP fund ing for certain types of health care. ‘Y ou ’re on the street for 10 years, you haven’t been to a dentist, you’re missing half your teeth, you want to go get a job but your self-esteem is not where it needs to be. Or you may not be able to see and need glasses.
‘Y o u ’d think these are basics, but according to the system they’re not. All these basic supports in our system have been eroded,” she says. “We have a health system which in many ways is ter rific but still has some serious gaps for the most marginal ized of society.” So while the general consen sus is that supportive housing and individualized care would go a long way in solving the problem of persistent home lessness, there are also deeprooted systemic issues which need to be addressed. And for the population rely ing on emergency shelters for a place to sleep in the dead of winter, the sooner, the better. ■■■ Beyond the big glass doors of Bethany Evangelical it is -9 C and snowing. Inside, a 36-year-old man sits alone at a table near the back of the gym. The food on his plate is separated into three neat piles, none of them touching the others. He says it’s the way he’s always eaten. The man’s name is Nick, and he’s been homeless on and off for the past four years. He doesn’t speak much, but when he does his voice is loud and clear. His face is cov ered in patches of dark brown stubble, his blue eyes clear and alert. He’s dressed in a pair of blue jeans, a greenand-black flannel shirt and a black toque which is folded up above his ears. Nick’s story is both typical and unique. About five years ago he lost his job of seven years with a local manu facturing company. When
he couldn’t find another job and his dwindling chequing account reached the red, he was evicted from his one-bedroom apartment. At first he crashed on friends’ couches, but even tually considered himself a burden. He began sleeping in stairwells and secluded areas of local parks and eating at the Kitchener soup kitchen and other community service centres. He can still recall the first time he woke up to someone trying to steal his backpack from beneath his head and the first time he was jumped for what few belongings he owned. Nick, who doesn’t drink alcohol or use drugs and has never been diagnosed with a mental illness, slowly began giving up on his search for a job. He began wandering the streets and spending hours at a time at the local libraries.
He applied for OW, and when he began receiving the measly cheques - about $570 per month - decided the money would go further if he didn’t have to pay rent. He kept living on the streets and says he finally accepted the fact that he didn’t have a home to call his own and possibly never would. “Some homeless people talk about how it’s freedom,” Nick says between impossibly long pauses. “But I don’t think this is freedom. You’re locked in the same thing all the time. “Freedom is when you can decide what you’re going to have for supper and what you’re going to do tonight, whether you’re staying home, going out, watching TV, read ing a book, whatever you want. That sort of freedom is what I miss more than any thing.”
After another long pause and a few bites of roast beef he says he’s tired. The days seem to be getting longer, he says. And harder. “It’s emotionally draining, more than anything. You don’t know what’s around the corner, you don’t know what’s gonna happen next. And you don’t know whether or not you wanna know.” He rises from his chair, walks over to the nearest gar bage can, where he scrapes the remains of his plate into a black plastic bag. It’s time for bed, he says without looking up. He returns his plate to the serving counter and walks across the dirty concrete floor of the gymnasium. He reach es the long steel divider in the centre of the room and paus es. Without turning back, he takes one final step and dis appears.
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A fundraiser called, An Evening with the Kitchener Rangers, w as held at Kitchener M em orial A uditorium on Jan. 29, with proceeds going to the United W ay. A bove: Steve Spott (from left), Rangers head coach and general m anager, and Mike M c K e n z ie and Troy Sm ith, both assistant coaches, pose for a photo at the event. Left: A young fan gets his picture taken with Rangers players Matia M arcantuoni (left) and Matt Puem pel.
PHOTOS B Y STEPHANIE LEFEBVRE
Kitchener Rangers give back BY STEPHANIE LEFEBVRE
The Kitchener Rangers wanted to say thank you to their fans for 50 years of sup port. So, on Jan. 29, they teamed up with United Way to show their appreciation. By purchasing a $20 tick et, people of all ages could enjoy An Evening with the Kitchener Rangers. From 7 to 9 p.m., there were several events throughout Kitchener Memorial Auditorium that featured at least one player at each station.
The events included face painting, autograph signing, slapshot practice and pic tures. And even though the offi cial numbers aren’t in yet, Karina Tutak, the market ing and communications offi cer for United Way Kitchener Waterloo and Area, said the estimated amount raised that night was $18,000. At the beginning of the evening, Mike Farwell, of Sportsnet 590 The Fan, wel comed everyone to the event. As the emcee, he gave an
overview of the night’s agen da and introduced Varner so she could explain what the night was all about. “It’s to raise funds for this community through United Way K-W,” she said. “This represents a strong connec tion to the Kitchener Rangers’ history of community sup port. This year we decided to recognize and celebrate the Kitchener Rangers in their 50 years of history.” She went on to thank many supporters and sponsors, including the media for mak
Kitchener Rangers players Owen Stew art and Evan M cEneny (right) signed autographs for excited fans w hile other fans had their faces painted.
ing the event happen. The fans were thankful as well. Over the course of the evening, they had a chance to talk to the players, ask them questions and have their pic tures taken with them. The event was a fundrais er for the United Way, but Rangers head coach and gen eral manager Steve Spott used it as a teaching tool as well. “The players will make tonight part of a legacy. Not just on the ice but in the com munity as well. They under stand that it is (fans’) support that has built and strength ened our franchise and we’re proud to give back.” He also said his players know that in addition to being hockey players they are part of the community too. Which is why, due to the
recent $9.6-million renovation to the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium, funded by the Rangers hockey club in the form of a repayable loan from the city, the players now have a lounge and dressing room worthy of 50 years of enter tainment. Spott said the updated centre has afforded the players w orld-class fa cili ties to train and play in. It also allows for about 1,000 extra seats to be filled with fans each night. During the evening, fans could tour the dressing rooms, which were much nicer than expected, aside from the typi- 4 cal dressing room smell. Two of the most popular activities throughout the night were viewing play ers’ jerseys and their locker areas.
Fans had the opportunity to tour the dressing room s and see the players’ je rse ys and locker area.
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HOCKEY WAS
NEVER ON HOLD at Conestoga college
Monday, February 11,2013
SUNDAY NIGHTS send you back in time
PHOTO BY MARK FITZGERALD
Conestoga College students made quick plays and tight saves during ice hockey intramurals at the recreation centre on Jan. 24.
VALENTINE’S DAY is not just for couples
PHOTO BY ALLANAH PINHORN
Local musician Raul MacLeod entertains Boathouse patrons with his renditions of classics such as Waltzing Matilda and Bruce Cockburn's One Day I Walk, MacLeod and fellow musician Alex Machldan play at the Boathouse In Victoria Park every Sunday night at 9 p.m.
PHOTO BY KEILA MACPHERSON
If you find yourself alone this Valentine’s Day, surround yourself with things you enjoy, whether It’s curling up with a good book, watching a favourite movie, listening to your favourite playlist or getting out of the house. Whatever you do, treat yourself this Feb. 14.