Nichols battles on Muaythai champ wins three more gold medals. Page 9 MONDAY, NOVEMBER 12,2012
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Just part of the job Nursing students learn how to deal with death. Page 7 43RD YEAR - NO. 24
M OVEM BER
P H O T O B Y S T E P H A N IE L E F E B V H E
Eleni Tsimpragos (left) and Florencia Mosti are true Mo sistas as they support the men by getting their own moustaches painted on at Chainsaw in uptown Waterloo on Nov. 1. For story and another photo, see Page 3.
Conestoga students score big while trick-or-treating BY JOANNA D ittm er
Conestoga students came together on Oct. 31 to raise awareness and non-perishable food for the Conestoga Students Inc. food bank during Trick-orTreating with a Meaning. Taryn Schmidt, CSI’s food bank team leader, said this year’s food fundraiser was a great success. “What we’re doing is taking students and asking them to go out into the community for some support, and they went around (Halloween night) and instead of getting candy they got some canned food for our food bank,” Schmidt said. The idea behind the cam paign came after Schmidt and her boss brainstormed ways to raise awareness and get
more food into the food bank. They knew trick-or-treating for candy was coming up, so they started putting together ideas in September. Schmidt said they came up with the idea in a few minutes. The students who went out
"
We were becoming very low on food
in the food bank... " -T a r y n Schmidt collected approximately 900 items of food. “We didn’t really have a goal because we didn’t really want to set one in case we didn’t make it ... We were becoming
very low on food in the food bank so we didn’t really want to set a goal just in case we didn’t hit that. But right now there is a lot more that came in today (Nov. 1) than I thought would come in, so we’re above what I thought we would do by far,” Schmidt said. Conestoga students are impressed with the amount of food collected and with the student involvement. ‘I think it’s great that the school is doing something to help those less fortunate,” said Nick Robinson, a second-year woodworking technology stu dent. CSI is holding another food drive this week. They are urg ing students in different pro grams to compete against each other to bring in the most food.
P H O T O B Y JO A N N A D ITTM E R
Taryn Schmidt, Conestoga Students Inc.’s food bank team leader, sits with all of the food that was collected during their Trick-orTreat with a Meaning event. More food is expected.
Last cash out for retiring employee NEWS
Page 2 ♦SPOKE
Now deep thoughts ... with Conestoga College Random
questions
answeredbyrandom stue
When is the best time to start Christmas shopping?
“Right after Halloween when there’s no snow, because that’s what makes people go crazy.” Alex Daly, second-year broadcast radio
“Anytime in the fall before the holidays start.”
Julia Peters, second-year journalism broadcast
“During the summer, because no one’s thinking about Christmas yet" Tommy De Jong, second-year information technology design
“In September, because it’s before everyone starts buying, and it’s not too early.” Chris Plaafjes, second-year computer programming
“At the beginning of January, because stuff goes on sale and you can buy things a year early.” Leonard Gantioqui, first -year broadcast television
“Mid-November. Sometimes it’s good to go to the States to shop because there are better prices.” Fabio H enao, first-year business accounting
Smile Conestoga, you could be our next respondent!
Monday, November 12,2012
BY WENDY CZAKO-MAH Have you ever walked into a place, one you walk into five days a week, week after week, and suddenly noticed something was missing? This might be that week when you walk into the main cafeteria at Conestoga College’s Doon campus. The cafeteria is now short one employee, as one of its veteran cashiers said goodbye Nov. 2. With her husband planning to retire soon, Linda Muise, a cashier at the college’s main cafeteria, decided it was also her time. After 20 years with the col lege, Muise’s first plan is to do some travelling. “After that it’s wide open,” she said. Renate Rathwell, a fellow co-worker and friend, said, “I’ve been here 31 years and I never thought she would retire before me.” R athw ell said Uta Ottmann, a fellow co-worker, will miss Muise the most. The two had worked sideby-side for the past six years and had developed a great friendship. ‘She’s got a really good sense of humour,” said Ottmann. “I’ll miss that. We don’t have to tell each other what to do.” Renate was quick to inter ject. “They work as a team,” she said. “We just worked well togeth er and she is such a nice lady,” said Ottmann. The two enjoyed many funny moments. Ottmann noted one in particular, when they were informed that they had to keep track of the napkins. “The customers were calling us the napkin Nazis,” said Ottmann. “I’m not sure you can put that in your paper,” s h e chuckled. The news came as a surprise to Ottmann. “I thought maybe
P H O T O B Y W E N D Y C Z A K O -M A H
Chartwel! co-workers Uta Ottmann (Sett) and Renate Rathwell (right) embrace Linda Muise, a Chartwells cashier who retired Nov. 2 after 20 years. she’d finish out the year,” she said. “But I guess she just fig ured, when it’s time to go, you got to go.”
When asked what Muise would miss the most, her eyes filled with tears. “My co-work ers, ’ she said.
NEWS
Monday, November 12,2012
SPOKE ♦ Page 3
Mo razor, mo problem BY STEPHANIE LEFEBVRE
As the razors get rusty and the shaving cream gets dusty, men show their support for Movember by growing their facial hair. K-W Movember kicked off the month of moustaches with their annual event, The Good, the Stache and the Ugly, at Chainsaw in uptown Waterloo on Nov. 1. The event was full of plaid and cowboy hats, the suggest ed dress code for the event. Some of the men, or ‘Mo Bros,' came clean-shaven where oth ers hoped to get a free shave by stylists from Cowboys and Angels, a salon on Princess Street in Waterloo. Women also supported the cause by getting glittery black moustaches painted on their upper lips. These ‘Mo Sistas’ support their men through their facial hair plight. So much so, that along with a Man of Movember, a Miss Movember is elected each year. This year’s Miss Movember is Breanne Cram. She is also the co-chair for the Mo Sistas side of K-W Movember. Cram has been an active ly involved member of Movember since it came to Kitchener in 2007, and, as a face painter, offered her expertise to the cause. She said originally the event was a way for her to network and help her face-painting busi ness, Bre Creative, but as of last year, when she was nomi nated Miss Movember, she has been even more engaged. Cram also said The Good, the Stache and the Ugly took about a month to plan and though she must attend many events throughout November, she will also be planning the end of the month Movember Ball for Nov. 29, which celebrates the end of the hairy upper lip and costs $20 per person. Movember was original ly started in Melbourne, Australia, in 2004 when 30 men decided to grow a mous tache for 30 days to raise awareness for prostate can cer and depression in men.
PHOTO BY STEPHANIE LEFEBVRE
Stylists from Cowboys and Angels show off the back of Kevin O’Reilly’s head at Chainsaw in Waterloo on Nov. 1. O’Reilly got a moustache shaved onto the back of his head to show his support for the addition of mental illness to the Movember campaign. Now they are the Movember Foundation charity. Kitchener-Waterloo joined the movement five years ago, helping Canada raise its larg est amount last year - $125.7 million. Cram’s fellow Mo Bro co chair, J.R. Waddell, said this year the mayor of Waterloo, Brenda Halloran, has become even more involved. “She’s running the Mayor’s Movember Movie Morning on Dec. 1,” he said. At this event, Waddell said there are about six different movies playing from 9 a.m. until noon. Tickets are $10 per person, which includes admission, munchies and door prizes. All proceeds will go to the Movember cause, which now includes mental health as well as prostate cancer research. Waddell got involved in the initiative three years ago. Originally he had his own lit tle campaign, the second year he was on the committee and this year, he is the co-chair of K-W Movember. The event at Chainsaw attracted a variety of people, including some directly affect ed by prostate cancer or a mental health disorder. Kevin O’Reilly, a vice-princi pal at Cameron Heights, has been battling general anxiety disorder, major depressive dis order and panic attacks. Due to the recent addition of mental
videos On Spoke Online (www.spokeonline.com) this week: ■ Take a tour through the world of tea and learn to brew the perfect cup. ■ Watch the Remembrance Day ceremony in Preston during which war veterans and today’s soldiers were honoured. ■ How will you show your kindness? See how K-W and Conestoga celebrated Random Act of Kindness Day. ■ With Obama’s presidential win, see what Conestoga stu dents and Canadians think.
health research as a recipient of the money raised through out the month of November, O’Reilly was even more enthu siastic about being involved. “I decided to do this last year when Clara Hughes was on the Bell Let’s Talk cam paign,” he said. The Let’s Talk campaign invited Canadians to speak openly about mental illness and its impact on people’s day-to-day lives. Though he’s been involved in Movember as long as it’s been in Kitchener-Waterloo, the addition of mental health made more of an impact, espe cially after he heard of the two Scotts who spoke at Forest
Heights at the end of October. The Scotts are two muscular men who were diagnosed with cancer. One had testicular cancer while the other had a brain tumor. They were asked to speak to a couple of classes of boys to deliver the message that they need to talk about their health. “I booked myself off for their presentation,” he said. “You could hear a pin drop in the room. The boys would get it. We need to talk about our feelings.” Scott Barker, one of the two Scotts, was diagnosed with testicular cancer and warns men that they need to take care of themselves. It’s a good message for the month devot ed to prostate cancer as that is what Movember is about. The Canadian Movember website states that one of the goals of the campaign is to talk. “We have seen that pros tate cancer is an issue that men typically do not speak about. Mental health faces a similar challenge in that regard,” according to the web site. “Through Movember and the power of the moustache we hope to reduce stigma, increase awareness, improve treatment and expand the understanding of this cause.” Barker does not seem like the type to want to talk about his feelings. However, he said he could have saved himself
about 15 years of his life, had he talked to a doctor earlier. “We, as men, think that it takes our masculinity away. We’re the protectors, we help and we do everything that way,” said Barker. “But actu ally what I learned, going through it, I learned that being open and honest and talking about your feelings and asking for help when you need it actually is infectious.” Even Conestoga College is involved in the Movember initiative. Through things such as T-shirt sales and tips made at the bar during the Tuesday Nooners, Conestoga Students Inc. hopes to con tribute money to the cause as well. The pre-service firefighter program at Conestoga is get ting involved, too. Doug Richard, a faculty member, has agreed to shave off his moustache of 37 years if his students can raise over $1,000 this month. The students will be in the hallway in front of the LRC over the noon hour every Thursday this month collect ing donations. For further information regarding Movember in K-W, check out their website at www.movemberkw.com. For the dates of college-related events, check out www.conestogastudents.com.
COMMENTARY
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Monday, November 12,2012
Make it a season of giving BY MIKE VELM A
The fall colours of red, orange and yellow have seamlessly shifted to the red and green of Christmas and the shrieks and screams of Halloween trick-or-treaters have been replaced with the harmonious melodies of festive carols. The season of giving is upon us. Often people associate Christmas with giving presents to their loved ones on a fun-filled snowy day. But not all gifts are unwrapped from festive paper in front of family and friends. Sometimes, the most rewarding gift can be giving to complete strangers, and not expecting a gift in return. An easy way to do this is to give to the United Way. This organization collects money and gives it to other charities, which, in turn, provide basic and secondary necessities, such as shelter and counselling services. Some people are privileged to have more than enough resources at their disposal. Others are not quite as blessed. According to uwaykw.org, between 2001 and 2006 the number of families classified as “poor working” grew more than six per cent and the number of emergency beds grew approximately 42 per cent in the Kitchener-Waterloo area. We need to stop living our comfortable lives and start helping others in need. At Conestoga, our United Way campaign started about a month ago to help get the season of giving rolling. We set a goal of $50,000 and are currently 87 per cent of the way there (as of Nov. 7). There are many ways to help. There is the common outlet of donating money to families in need. You could also donate basic living essentials such as toiletries, clothes or even food, or go outside the box and buy and wrap presents to donate to individuals of all ages. Knowing you made a little girl’s Christmas would be truly priceless. There are also events to volunteer at if you would rather get your hands dirty. You could help out at a local United Way event, maybe a hockey tournament or a canned food drive. You could even organize your own event at your workplace or even in your college program. What may seem like a little to you, could go a long way in bringing happiness to another individual. Every tiny bit counts.
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A ft e r m ore than a ye a r o f campaigning and $6 billion being spent, Obam a is re-elected.
Women have a sixth sense I am a woman. And as a member of the XX chromosome, I am at liberty to state that there are many things I don’t particularly like about it. Our incessant need to purchase pricey cosmetics, achy feet after a night out in our favourite but lethal stilettos, and, of course, who can forget the monthly reminder of our womanhood? It’s easy to see that being a woman is sometimes a drag. However, there is one natural trait that we carry with us like a convenient cross-body Coach purse. The female sixth sense: our intuition. Many psychologists say a woman’s intuition is a myth and is nothing more than our advanced ability to read body language and non-verbal cues from those around us. I agree in part, but I also think it goes beyond that in a deeper way. I think all women hold some degree of this power and it strengthens as we mature. The first encounter I had with my intuition occurred
Jessica Lanthier Opinion when I was a young teen. I was facing a devastating breakup with a boy that I had been dating for two weeks. When he didn’t call me one night, I knew some thing was off. Sure enough, he was dating a girl from another school. Although it’s juvenile, that incident set off my intuition like a wild fire. When something in my per sonal life is about to change, a high frequency vibration usually goes off in the pit of my stomach. It is a feel ing similar to the one you get when you can sense a thunderstorm brewing even before the darkness starts to show in the sky. One of the hardest parts about the female intuition is learning to trust it. More often than not, when the familiar feeling starts to set in, it’s about something that will be difficult to face. It’s
easier to be optimistic and convince yourself that you’re just being paranoid. But I’ve learned that when you’re facing something, whether it is in matters of the heart, making a big life decision or actual danger, it’s best to trust yourself. Another perk of the female intuition is that when a woman becomes a mother, the instinct becomes even more fierce and precise. My mom has always been eerily in-the-know when it came to my behaviour as an adolescent. She swears that after giving birth, the intuition develops into an almost psychic ability to help you protect your children. I couldn’t help but wonder if we were the only ones who believe in this, so I asked my best friends’ mothers. I learned that they, too, have experienced this phenomenon. The late Benjamin Spock, an American pediatrician and author, said “Trust yourself; you know more than you think you do.” He didn’t say this about women and our intuitions, but it fits nonetheless.
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NEWS
Monday, November 12,2012
SPOKE ♦Page 5
ONE Movement dances to make a difference BY KRIS MANUEL Sometimes bullying is talk ed about but ONE Movement is getting the anti-bullying message across with dance. The professional dance com pany in Cambridge educates, empowers and inspires chil dren and teens through move ment. Spectators and parents at the Cambridge Centre watched as ONE Movement and their students, which included children from vari ous schools, performed a dance for the STAND UP with ONE Movement perfor mance on Nov. 3. ONE Movement was found ed by Autumn Fernandes, who is a certified dance teacher who teaches at Basic Attitude Dance Company and Elements Dance Arts in Cambridge. The dance com pany uses hip-hop, ballet, contemporary and jazz dance styles in performances at ele mentary and high schools to inspire students to stop bul lying, along with using differ ent activities to educate them. “It was started to bring bul
lying awareness to schools in a different way,” said Fernandes. “If we can get them to make the change, then as adults they can deal with bullying in the workplace and they’ll teach their kids not to bully.” ONE Movement member Ajay Avilla said, “We as danc ers have a movement and this movement is to make a big change in our community and with our children.” “They are the future. Why not show them that as a danc er we can make a change, even though we’re not trades men, we’re not police officers and we’re not doctors. We can make a change regardless.” Fernandes, who is also the artistic director of ONE Movement, said that bring ing children from different schools to one place for an event shows them that it’s not just their school, but also an entire community that wants to make a difference. In today’s society, where technology is used in most communication, bullying can be as easy as a click of a but ton. A person no longer has to
physically confront or speak to another person. Avilla said, “That, in turn, turns out to be a good forum for people to make fun of somebody and hurt their self esteem just through a simple text message, and what we’re trying to get across is we shouldn’t let bullying escalate any further.” Dancing is an engaging way to get children energetic and excited about promoting a good cause. Sarah Walsh, another ONE Movement member, said “Because we’re dancing, it’s different then when kids are being told by adults or just being spoken to about bully ing.” “Children are really into it,” she said. There was also a poster con test for the students and the winners won prizes which included ONE Movement T-shirts, bracelets and gift certificates. Avilla said he enjoys using his passion to make a change. “It’s one thing that I love to dance,” he said. “It’s another thing to dance for a cause.”
Veterans of two world wars deserve a lot more respect With Remembrance Day behind us, I feel that it is relevant for people to know about the differences between the veterans of today and yesterday. I am not here to discredit or show disrespect to our modern soldiers and veterans of Afghanistan, or anything that they have experienced. However, I believe that today’s veterans and the older ones who served in the First and Second World Wars deserve different types of respect. The war in Afghanistan and the First World War are so completely different in every way imaginable that it is very difficult for me to consider the veterans of these wars equals. Removing the human aspect from it, which is the whole point of Remembrance Day, it is clear to see that these wars were fought at completely different times in history. From 2002-2011, approxi mately 158 members of the Canadian Forces were killed serving in Afghanistan. In the First World War, at Vimy Ridge, approximately 3,500 Canadians lost their lives in only three days. It is true that there is a vast difference in the number of troops sent
Mark Fitzgerald Opinion to these two wars, but this comparison is just for per spective. Clearly these wars were fought ‘at different times, and technology has played a huge role reducing casual ties. Arguably, First World War veterans experienced a more raw and soul-shattering war than younger veterans. That is not to say that our modern veterans have not experienced things that I probably don’t even want to know about. The point is to realize the differing levels of inhumane acts that these two groups have gone through, and then base how much, and what level of respect and thanks, they deserve. I find it hard to show the exact same type of respect (not any less, just that same type) to these two very dif ferent veteran groups. How can I look a man in the eye who may have been stuck in a trench swimming with
rats, dead bodies and feces, while having to urinate on a rag to hopefully filter out chlorine gas that was sent his way, and give him the same respect as another man who may have only seen car bombs. Of course those are two vastly different comparisons, but it is because of what the veterans of the First World War went through that we don’t have weapons such as chlorine gas anymore. It is very difficult to express the same type of respect for veterans of a war where they could kill people hundreds, if not thousands, of kilometres away from a remote location, compared to a war where it was much more personal and raw. My point is-, we need peo ple to realize that there is a huge difference between veterans of today and the veterans of the past. I believe we shouldn’t blindly group them all under one big title. Each veteran of each war has experienced and sacrificed vastly differ ent things, and we need to take that into account, each and every time we remem ber what they have done for this country. Otherwise, what’s the point?
p h o t o BY KRIS MANUEL
ONE Movement and their students perform a dance at STAND UP with ONE Movement, an antl-buflying event, at the Cambridge Centre Nov. 3,
Buddy W alks 4 0 0 and counting BY RYAN GOODYEAR The smiles of those who attended the Waterloo Buddy Walk warmed the cold day better than any ray of sun shine ever could. Despite the cold weather citi zens from the tri-cities attend ed the Waterloo Buddy Walk for the Waterloo Regional Down Syndrome Society Nov. 4, hoping to bring awareness about the condition and the challenges of living with it. The Buddy Walk, which is held during National Down Syndrome Awareness Week, originally started out in America with only 17 walks. It now spans most of North America and includes a stag gering 400 walks. It plays a huge role in helping raise awareness for those deal ing with Down syndrome. Kitchener has been hosting walks for the past 11 consecu tive years. With a solid community built around the Waterloo Regional Down Syndrome Society it’s not surprising that the Buddy Walks have such a strong turnout, especially when you have devoted sup porters such as Tracy Kuepfer who has attended the walk for the last nine years. “I just really enjoy being able to see my daughter danc ing, having a good time and spending time with other chil dren, who, like her, also have
Down syndrome.” Those in attendance gath ered inside the Stanley Park Community Centre to come together as a com munity, donate money and listen to speakers including, those involved in running the event, politicians such as MP Stephen Woodworh, Mayor Carl Zehr and a handful of others. Despite the speakers being geared more toward adults, the whole event was family-oriented with clowns doing face painting and bal loon tying, music and the Buddy Choir. After the walk well-known children’s enter tainer, Eric Traplin, put on a show for the kids. Proceeds from the threekilometre walk went to the Waterloo Regional Down Syndrome Society according to Jane Baker, a co-ordinator of the event. “Most of the money stays with our group, the Waterloo Regional Down Syndrome Society, and it goes towards our bursary programs which include speech, music, physio therapy and occupation therapy. It also goes toward some of the social programs we run such as our picnic, Christmas party and weekend social clubs for the older kids. The other portion goes to the Canadian Down Syndrome Society to pay for public awareness and advocation activities,” she said.
NEWS
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Monday, November 12,2012
C areer W eek g uides students BY KEILA MACPHERSON
Not knowing whether you are on the right career path or not knowing what your career goal is can be overwhelming and confusing. Not to worry ... Conestoga Co-op and Career Services offers several free workshops throughout the year as well as one-on-one appointments with a career adviser in their office. “In the first semester we've seen a lot of students who feel they’re maybe in the wrong program, they haven’t come up with their career goal or they’re trying to figure out if their program is a good fit for them,” said Karen
Shoemaker, a career adviser with Career Services. Headed by career advisers, Career Week 2012 kicked off on Oct. 30 with a university planning workshop at Doon campus and an information booth at the Cambridge cam pus to bring awareness to the options students have. “The purpose of National Career Week is to celebrate careers and to make an aware ness of people like us who do a lot of the career advis ing, career counselling, career exploration ... because we’re all involved in it,” said Joy Tomasevic, another career adviser at the college. According to Tomasevic, it is also celebrated in the U.8.
Degree in public health in the works BY WESLEY BUTLER
Because of an expanding job market, emerging occupations and more private sector jobs, administrators and faculty in Conestoga College’s School of Health and Life Sciences are exploring the need for a degree in public health. The school received a request from the Region of Waterloo Public Health ear lier this year, outlining the gaps in environmental health education. Currently, a degree in public health can only be obtained at Ryerson U niversity in Toronto, Cape Breton University in Sydney, N.S., the British Columbia Institute of Technology in Burnaby, B.C., Concordia University College in Edmonton, Alta., and at the First Nations University of Canada in Regina, Sask. If approved, the degree would include courses on the impact of living and human health, food sciences and nutrition, water, air, the effects of pollution, popula tion, and public health promo tion and education. It would also focus on risk assessment, emerging issues, infection prevention and control, and communicable and non-com municable diseases. “Each semester would be designed around what we call a hub course, which would integrate other courses,” said Curt Monk, chair of informat ics and life sciences. “We are hoping to offer a variety of courses that will make poten tial students knowledgeable
in the field of environmental health.” The degree would take four years to complete, and the school plans on implementing a two-year advanced stand ing option for students who already have obtained a uni versity degree or a diploma in a related field. They would be able to transfer credits from another institution, and expand their education. That way, students could complete the degree in two or three years. If the degree gets approved, the college hopes to see the first intake by September 2015. “In order for the degree to be created, we must design it carefully,” said Monk. “After that, it has to be approved internally by the college first.” Before the school submits the degree for approval, the program map will be created, which will outline the deliv ery sequence of the program, what courses would be offered, and their descriptions. Upon graduation, students would expect careers as tra ditional public health inspec tors at a local health unit and environmental health offi cers. This degree would also open the door to a career in food security, housing, injury prevention, infection control, hazardous materials man agement, and drinking water quality. “The public health degree would be an applied degree,” said Monk. “It would be entirely hands-on, which is an aspect all colleges should have.”
and is designed to encour age post-secondary school stu dents to explore and gather information about what they want to do when they finish their studies. The university planning workshops informed students about articulation agree ments the college has with other schools, how to apply to university from college and degree programs that are available at the college. Brian Sage, a software engi neering and technology stu dent who attended the uni versity planning workshop, said he left with some infor mation he needed to apply to university after college. “After we do workshops like
this we see probably more than half the people (who were at the workshop today) want to come in and talk to us specifically about their situa tion. They want to know what articulation agreements per tain to them and just figure out, ‘Where do I want to go from here?”’ Tomasevic said. Conestoga has many agree ments with local universi ties and universities abroad. Shoemaker said there is high student interest in studying or working abroad. “We’ve had students go to Australia and I’ve seen a couple in the last semester who are asking about study ing abroad, even working abroad,” Shoemaker said.
She also said there are many new agreements in the business programs with uni versities in Ireland. “Part of what Joy and I do is point them in the direction of some really good career resources, so they can do their own career research,” Shoemaker said. The workshops and infor mation sessions such as rapid resume reviews, career fit and essential skills workshops will continue to run until the end of November, and at the end of the semester. For more information on Co-op and Career Services or to make an appointment, visit Room 1A105 or call 519-7485220, ext. 2298.
FEATURE
Monday, November 12,2012
SPOKE ♦ Page 7
Moral Medicine Five Conestoga nursing students make a difference internationally ome people believe that one person can’t make a difference in the world. But last summer, five inspired women proved that’s not true, making a difference in five different worlds. As part of an international exchange, Martina Zvalena, Tracey Kram er, Emma W ichers, Edom Gebeyehu and Amanda Guthrie, level four students in the bache lor of science in nursing pro gram at Conestoga College, were offered the chance to spend three months in a different part of the world. In Argentina, Nicaragua, Z am bia, K enya and Thailand, the five women were able to see nursing through different eyes. At an informational session on Oct. 22, three of these nurs ing students were available to share their experiences with anyone who wanted to know more about doing an interna tional nursing exchange. There, they were able to tell students and faculty alike
about a variety of different topics, including how difficult it was to adjust to accommo dations, the cost of their stay and what they learned. The students opened up about why they chose each locale, the role they took while they were there, the highlights of their stay, what they learned and what they were able to teach the com munities they were in. The exchange has been offered through Conestoga College since 2004, but this was the first time each stu dent visited a unique locale, one that had never taken a student before. Tracey Kramer, who went to the Roberto Clemente Santa Ana Health Clinic in Nicaragua, chose that locale because it was the poorest country in Central America, but it was also stable enough that she felt she could bring her family with her. While she was there, she educated the people about diabetes, nutrition, clean water and general hygiene.
Emma Wichers Went to: Chitokoloki, Zambia, Africa Why?: Had an interest in mis sion nursing. Learned: How to work with lim ited resources, the effects of cultural beliefs on health. Challenged by: Language bar rier, lack of privacy and space. Taught: Importance of sexual health and HIV-AIDS education.
Tracey Kramer Went to: Nicaragua Why?: Poorest country In Central America and Western Hemisphere, but had a stable enough government so that she could bring her family with her. Learned: Family-centred nurs ing, health-care systems, cul ture, determining factors of health. Challenged by: Language bar rier and flexibility. Taught: Education about diabe tes and ran a support group.
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She also noticed the differ ences in culture. “I learned a lot about fam ily-centred nursing,” said Kramer. “When I was at the clinic, I don’t think I saw one patient who didn’t have a familv member with them.”
Story and photos by Stephanie Lefebvre That was different than what she was used to. Martina Zvalena went to Mendoza, Argentina, where she was able to not only be educated and earn a certif icate in breastfeeding, but also to teach others. She was invited to create a presenta tion about the health-care system in Canada and also give some feedback as to what she learned while she was there. Zvalena said she really real ized the role of nurses in other countries as well as the role of a nurse coming from another
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Edom Gebeyehu Went to: Nairobi, Kenya, Africa Why?: Was born in Ethiopia and always wanted to go back and do something meaningful in the area. Learned: Self-discovery: see ing where she fits in a bigger picture, determining factors of health. Challenged by: Language bar rier, being away from family and friends for a long period of time. Taught: Nursing and health care in Canada, evidence-based practice.
country. “You can’t change every thing,” she said. “And you can’t help everyone but you can definitely influence at least one person.” T hat’s d efin itely how Emma W ichers felt when she went to Chitokoloki, Zambia. She was already interested in mission nurs ing and wanted to get a taste of it before committing to it for a longer period of time. Chitokoloki has an incred ibly high HIV-AIDS rate and part of Wichers’ job was to educate the people about how to prevent contracting it. It wasn’t as easy as it sounds. “I was able to give a talk at the school to all the Grade 8 to Grade 12 girls. The teachers asked me to talk about sex ual health and HIV-AIDS,” she said. “I was happy to do that, but I found out that 80 per cent of them had children already.” Wichers said it was shock ing to her that this was the case and knew that this
talk should’ve been given to younger females instead because for most of the girls, it was already too late. However, Wichers valued her time with the commu nity members outside of the hospital because she said it helped her to learn about how they think and their attitudes toward different topics. She said this aided her when she had to take care of them in the hospital. After contacting the other two students who were not able to make it to the infor mational session, it was easy to conclude that all five stu dents wouldn’t have traded their experience for anything. They learned more than just how to be a nurse or how to survive in a different country. It was more than just an exchange program. All five women could say they now view the world through a different pair of eyes and that Canadians are lucky to live in a coun try with such sophisticated health care.
Martina Zvalena Went to: Mendoza, Argentina Why?: Personal and profes sional growth. Learned: Breastfeeding, increased awareness and confi dence, the role of a nurse. Challenged by: Nursing isn’t a valued profession, client choice and privacy, trust with doctors, lack of policies and protocols. Taught: Importance of human istic care, the role of nurses in Canada.
Amanda Guthrie Went to: Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand Why?: Always wanted to go and immerse herself in a place where she didn’t speak the native language. Learned: Culture, Buddhism, two-tiered health-care system, what it’s like to stand out, how to be accepted. Challenged by: Language bar rier, travelling alone and being so far from home. Taught: Health-care system in Canada, little bits of English to* whoever wanted to learn.
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United Way campaign winds down The student committee really achieved quite a bit that day, which is really exciting.” The student committee consists of 12 students who dedicated their time to raising money starting in September. Robinson attributes the success of this year’s student campaign to the dedication, commitment and experience of the current committee. Connell pointed out that along with the United Way Student Committee, he worked with the business foundation students and the human service foundations program to put together fundraisers. He said he gives credit to students in the programs for really stepping up the creativity and bringing plenty of energy. “Students don’t always have a lot of money and many are struggling,” he said. “So for P H O T O B Y W E N D Y C Z A K O -M A K those who can give, it’s just Student Life programmers, were excit been incredible how thoughtful of Nov. 2 for the United Way cam and generous they have been.”
BY WENDY CZAKO-MAH
The Conestoga College student fundraising campaign for the United Way was a success. Although the exact total is not yet known, Student Life programmers Janina Robinson and Ryan Connell said they were happy with the results this year. “Overall, I feel the campaign was very successful,” said Robinson. “The student portion of fundraising was approximately $1,400.” “We’re expecting that the full amount is probably going to be around $3,000,” she added. In addition to the student campaign, there was a faculty and staff campaign. The goal for all campaigns was set at $50,000, of which $43,283 had been raised as of Nov. 7. Connell, who has participated in several past campaigns, expected higher numbers from the student portion of the campaign. “But, overall, this has been a great year,” said Robinson. “Especially with the United Way Student Committee that
Ryan Connell and Janina Robinson, both ed to show off the percentage raised as paign. More donations are expected before I’m working with, Ryan and I were looking at the numbers this year for the United Way
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kick-off day,” she said. “They made $247 in donations and last year they made $129.
Conestoga student brings home more gold BY SARA HANAFI
Conestoga’s golden girl has done it again. World champion Muaythai boxer and Conestoga College Aboriginal student Ashley Nichols brawled her way through the 2012 Ottawa Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Open to win three gold medals and one bronze. The competition was held on Oct 20 and 21. Athletes from Ontario, Quebec, and even one from New York competed over the two days. Nichols competed with the Cambridge MAS Academy of Martial Arts for Team Renzo Grade in four different weight divisions. These included the featherweight division and the absolute light/heavy division, which combines all weight classes into one category. The first division she competed in was the women’s feather weight gi division, where com batants are required to wear a gi (a jacket tied closed with a martial arts belt). Her first challenger was the 2011 Ottawa Open champion. “I was able to hold the domi nant position,” Nichols said. It paid off - she beat her oppo nent and won a gold medal. Nichols, who weighs 125 lbs., conquered her next two rivals in higher weight classes as well, including a competitor who weighed 200 lbs. “I thought, "Oh my goodness,
PHOTO BY SARA HANAFI
Ashley Nichols shows off her medals after winning them at the 2012 Ottawa Brazilian JiuJitsu Open on Oct. 20 and 21. this is going to be a chal lenge/” she said. With 30 sec onds left in the match, Nichols managed to get her opponent in a guillotine hold, forcing her competitor to tap out. “Everything happened really fast,” she said. “I didn’t want to get into a position where she could use force over me.” The final bout Nichols par ticipated in was the women’s light/heavy absolute division. After fighting for the entire duration of the match, Nichols found her and her opponent tied. “She was a really strong
wrestler,” Nichols said. Both competitors had an advan tage point over each other during the match. “Neither of us gained any actual points though,” she said. However, a winner had to be chosen, and Nichols’ rival was picked by referee’s discretion, leaving Nichols with a bronze medal. Her medal haul is pretty impressive for a Muaythai boxer who has only been prac tising Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for one year. Jeff Harrison, Nichols’ JiuJitsu coach, said he is very proud of her achievements in combat sports. “It is great to see her bring her blend of physical talent, mental toughness and good technique to the mats in com petition,” he said. Nichols said, “I think (JiuJitsu) is more by feel, since you have to feel the person’s weight and make sure you’re stable. It’s a lot of muscle endurance, and if you have a lot of muscle strength, that helps too.” Nichols explained the main difference between the two is that there is no striking in Jiu-Jitsu, and that your moves are “always evolving as you go through the match.” “It was a good experience and a great weekend,” she said. Nichols’ next competition is the Ontario Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Provincials on Nov. 24, held at Centennial College in Toronto.
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Student nurses need to prepare for worst BY BRAD COUGHLIN
When Dannielle Baynton was 18 weeks pregnant, her doctor informed her that her son would be born with gastroschisis, a life-threatening birth defect where an opening in the abdominal wall permits the intestines to protrude. After an induced birth, the premature baby was rushed to the neonatal inten sive care unit at McMaster Children’s Hospital. In the following weeks, Baynton’s son underwent multiple sur geries and remained under close observation, with his young mother never leaving his side. Three weeks passed before Baynton, anxious and sleep deprived, held her son for the first time. A compassion ate nurse, stepping oiitside her boundaries, allowed the embrace. That nurse, and others like her, influenced Baynton’s career choice. “ T he nurses there are w hat in s p ire d me to becom e a n u rse ,” said B aynton, now a student in C on estoga C o lle g e ’ s
person al support w orker (PSW ) program . “T hey treated my son like their own and it really touched my h ea rt.” Many students entering into health-care professions have been affected by death or near-death experiences in their personal lives. But, patient death in medical cen tres should be far less inti mate than that of a loved one. Nursing and PSW pro grams at Conestoga College don’t have specific courses about death. From a health care provider’s perspective, the dying process is a small part of the life cycle as a whole. However, prepara tion to personally and emo tionally deal with patient death is very much embed ded within a student’s edu cation. Student nurses in the four-year bachelor of sci ence (BScN) program test their medical skills by way of problem -based learn ing in which they’re given hypothetical cases. Students research and diagnose the
PHOTO BY BRAD COUGHLIN
Laura Joiner, a second-year nursing student, practises in an all-access lab on Oct. 31. While practis ing at the college is fairly relaxed, students need to prepare for dealing with death in hospitals both mentally and emotionally. patients, and learn how a nurse in the field would approach the case. The topic of the life cycle and death is often brought up in these cases. “We talk about old age and what happens at the end of life, different things a per son might be going through and how they might view life,” said Andrea Miller, an instructor in Conestoga’s BScN program. Instructors, also being career nurses, are an irre placeable resource in a curriculum that prepares students for nearly every thing. Easily accessible to students, nursing teachers allow insight into their own experiences and feelings about death. “I usually share my sto ries about long-term care,” said Sarah Pottier, a PSW program instructor. “Death doesn’t have to be such a neg atively perceived thing ... but I don’t think anything will ever prepare (them) for the first time that (they) have to go through it.” Their first time in a hospi tal might be during a clini cal placement which allows students to work in real-life situations but, for some, it might be overwhelming. Again, instructor and precep tor role modelling comes into play. Coaching inexperienced students through basic dayto-day routines and proce dures, Miller said she works closely with students on a day when their patient might die. She assesses how
they’ll cope and what they’ll need from her to make it through the situation, which depends on previous expe riences and each student’s own maturity. “The last breath - that is a distinctive noise that you will never forget,” said Baynton, who experienced death while volunteering at a palliative care facility. “I don’t think I was really ready for it then.” Barbara Kraler, a coun sellor at C onestoga’s Counselling Services, said three triggers may cause stu dents to be upset after the loss of a patient. It may be the first time a student has seen a body, it may trigger losses in their own life or it may be an unusually graphic experience. “You need to seek out a support system,” said Karen Bertrand, a member of the board of directors for the Ontario Nurses Association (ONA). “In particular for nursing students it would be talking to their preceptor ... the experienced nurse that they’re with.” A nurse for 37 years, Bertrand has seen a change in health-care providers’ attitude toward grieving patient death. While nurses may have felt the need to be stronger and stoic in deal ing with death 40 years ago, they’re now more open about emotional needs. Progress can be partially attributed to Elisabeth Kubler-Ross’s 1969 book, On Death and Dying, in which she introduced the five stages of grief.
All nurses are unique in the way they deal with death. For some, spirituality and the thought of life after death, which is often a com mon thought process after the first death experience, is vital to coping. For oth ers, reflection or discussion with a support system, be it counsellors or co-workers, is important. “Often as a team we’ll have a debriefing to talk about it,” said Jackie Young, a PSW at Lisaard House, a palliative care facility where she esti mates 150 to 200 patients die each year. “To say that none of the deaths effect me would be a lie because sometimes you have people younger than yourself or parents with chil dren dying.” While some might think it’s common for nurses to eventu ally become desensitized to deaths, those in the field say it never gets easy; it just gets easier to distance them selves. “Death takes its toll on all of us, that’s for sure, and you have to develop some coping m echanism s,” said Bertrand. “It’s so important that you’re able to leave work at work.” Death is part of life and, depending on the profession, some will see it more than others. “It’ s a jou rn ey e v ery one needs to get through — w hether th ey’re dying th em selves or w hether th ey ’re losin g som eon e,” said M ary C arley, an in stru ctor in C onestoga’s BScN program .
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Badminton team begins new era BY DYLAN DACOSTA
Conestoga's badm inton team is embarking on a new chapter in their history as they welcome new head coach Michael Kam. Kam took over the reins of the badminton program after his appointment in late August and brings a lot of experience to the team. He played all through high school and then also at a var sity level in university. As well, he has travelled across the province to compete in various competitions, i “I draw from a lot of expe rience,” Kam said. “Having played varsity, I know what skills are really needed and focus on finding drills to strengthen players' weak nesses.” The team currently consists of 14 players, although only four are females (the team is still recruiting) and mem bers have the opportunity to test their skills throughout the year at Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) Invitational tournaments. “We only have funding to go to a certain number of tourna ments,” said Kam. “We choose to enter into whichever tournaments we feel would give us good expe rience and fit into our sched ule.” The Condors have been in two OCAA Invitational tournaments so far - one at Redeemer College and anoth er at Georgian College.
The tournaments are not always formatted the same way, but usually allow for one or two men's and women’s singles teams from each col lege, as well as one men’s and one women's doubles teams, and one mixed gender team. Conestoga's participation in the Georgian College tourna ment on Oct. 26 and 27 was fruitless in terms of results. The team made it to the semi-finals, but lost over all to Georgian, Centennial and Cambrian colleges, with Georgian going on to win the tournament. The Condors will have the opportunity to make amends in the next OCAA invita tional which will be held at Fanshawe College from Nov. 16 to 18. These tournaments are worthwhile for the experi ence alone, and Kam already knows who the strongest sin gles players are, but wants to use these as a chance to assess which players he can pair in doubles. 4We're trying to figure out what the strongest doubles teams will be and are using the tournaments to match different partners,” he said. “Everyone has a unique play ing style, and the trick is often matching up two play ers who suit each other.” The East and West regional tournaments at the end of the season are much differ ent - each player can only play one single event and the tournament is set up in an
PHOTO BY DYLAN DACOSTA
Coach Michael Kam (left) watches his player Steve Richards (right) practise his serving technique to partner Geoff Luya during a Conestoga badminton team practice in the recreation centre on Nov. 6. elimination-style format. The top players from each regional tournament move on to the OCAA provincewide championships, and success at these qualifies the play ers even further for participa tion in the Canadian Colleges Athletic Association (CCAA) nationwide tournament. Although these competi tions are still far off, Kam and the team are working hard to prepare for them.
“There’s a great camara derie among the team,” he said. “The team gets along extremely well and everyone supports each other.” The players share Kam's thoughts, and are looking to have success not only on a personal level, but also for the team as a whole to have a successful season. “Personally I want to stay injury free and play a full season while having fun,”
said player Steve Richarefc. “Overall I think we just need to focus on playing our best and growing as a team.” As well as achieving success throughout the year, Kam also wants to quash the opin ion of some people that bad minton is still a “backyard” sport. “It's an extremely physically demanding' sport,” he said. “You have to have endurance, speed, strength and reflexes.”
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