A little rain can’t hurt Mela 2012 rocks the stage despite bad weather. Page 11 Monday. September 17, 2012
SPOKE
A L E A R N I N G N E W S R O O M FOR J O U R N A L I S M S T U D E N T S
Conestoga College, Kitchener, ONT.
www.conestogac.on.ca/spoke
They’re on the prowl Twin Cities Predators kick off second season. Page 12 43rd year - NO. 16
Faculty strike averted BY RYAN BOWMAN
College students across Ontario breathed a collective sigh of relief Sept. 10, after faculty squashed the threat of a strike by voting in favour of a new two-year contract. The deal, which will keep faculty on campus through August 2014, was supported by 89 per cent of the 4,500 Ontario Public Service Employee Union members who turned out to vote. “I'm relieved there wasn’t a strike,” said Grace Hyslop, a public relations student at Conestoga College. “I’m in my first year and it would have been really crappy to have a strike my second week in.” The faculty bargaining team, which had been negotiating with the College Employer Council since June, presented the new contract on Aug. 29, the same day the union’s pre ceding contract expired. In the following days, it recom mended its 10,000 members support it. Lana-Lee Hardacre, presi dent of OPSEU Local 237, said she was confident before the vote the agreement would be approved. “Faculty want to be in the classroom with their stu dents, not on a picket line.” It is a decision Desmond Zink, a second-year busi
ness marketing student at Conestoga, appreciates. “The decision they made shows there’s a lot of good teachers out there,” he said. “It shows they care about the stu dents more than themselves.” Hardacre said she is glad to have a deal in place, but that it came at a price. “I think this is a very big sacrifice,” she said of the agreement, “especially for fac ulty at their maximum step.” One of the conditions of the contract is a two-year pay freeze for all faculty mem bers who have reached the top of the pay grid. This will especially affect employees retiring in the near future, as their pensions are calculated based on their salary during their last five years of work. Faculty members still mov ing up the ladder will con tinue to receive their sched uled salary increases, but not annual wage raises, which were about 1.75 per cent under the previous contract. Conestoga College president John Tibbits said while he understood the union’s point of view, factors such as the prov incial deficit and unemploy ment rate played a major role in the wage freezes. “They certainly gave up what they considered a rea sonable increase,” he said. “They’re not getting what
they hoped to get, but in the grand scheme of things it’s all relative. “The economy is tough right now, and not just in Ontario.” Despite the financial stale mate, Hardacre said money was not the biggest bar gaining issue. “Students think all we want is money and that’s not true,” she said. “It’s about quality education.” The biggest hurdle, said Hardacre, was a proposal by the province’s 24 colleges to create a new job classification of “facilitator” - a temporary, lower paying position which would push qualified profes sors and instructors out of the classroom. “We want to make sure stu dents get what they deserve, and that means having the best possible teachers in the classrooms.” While the colleges eventu ally withdrew the facilitator proposal, Hardacre said there were other concessions they did not make. They rejected the union’s request to reduce the probation period for new employees from two years to one, as well as their proposal to increase wages for employ ees with PhDs. Faculty benefits will also remain unchanged. Despite the two sides’ dif ferences, Tibbits stressed the
PHOTO BY RYAN BOWMAN
Steve Roberts, a broadcast television professor at Conestoga College, casts his vote at Doon campus Sept. 10. importance of a settlement for the sake of the students. “I’m happy for the students and the institution and I respect what the faculty has done here,” said Tibbits, acknowledging that the union made comprom
ises for the greater good of the student body. “At the end of the day, I think we’re all here to provide a quality education for the students. It’s a lot easier to do that if we’re actually open.”
Carnival kicks off fun at Conestoga BY JESSICA REDIKER
PHOTO BY JESSICA REDUCER
Laura Misch (left) and Nghia Nguyen, both who are enrolled part-time in courses through the College Co-operative Education Program, battle for supremacy at the Frosh Carnival on Sept. 5.
After a rainy first day back at Conestoga College, the clouds parted to shine some much needed sun on the Sept. 5 Frosh Carnival at Doon campus. The great weather wasn’t the only incentive students had to join in on the fun. Free food, free samples, the sounds of DJ Flash and the opportu nity to run wild through an inflatable obstacle course all played a key role. The event, which took place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the lot behind the Sanctuary, was held by Conestoga Students Inc. (CSI) and is just one of the many new events CSI hopes to bring to students this year. Students have come to expect the tradition of a party at the
school’s pond each year but CSI’s newest program and communications co-ordinator, Becky Saba, thought it was time for a change. The first change: improving the pond party. “Last year we ran our con cert on the same day as KOI Music Festival, a huge fes tival with over 150 bands. So I thought, why compete with them when we can just work with them?” said Saba, who worked with the festival this year to help Conestoga College become one of its main sponsors, which result ed in students getting their own venue for the festival. Saba has held her cur rent position with CSI since January, and has been a stu dent at the college for five years, studying both recre ation and leisure services, and business administration
management studies. She said those years gave her time to figure out what other changes were needed. “Over the summer I basi cally just did my best to chat with students and see what they wanted, and what I kept hearing was ‘more fun, more free stuff and more free food,” and that’s exactly what CSI delivered.” The fun came in the form of inflatable attractions such as gladiator jousting, an obstacle course, a mechanical bull sta tion and an inflatable rock wall. James Fioretti and Taylor Harrington, third-year mar keting students, raced each other to the summit of an Easter Island-themed rock wall, a challenge that was harder than it looked. SEE FREE FROSH FUN, PAGE 6
NEWS
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Now deep thoughts ... with Conestoga College Random questions answered by random students
What animal is most similar to your personality and why?
Monday, September 17,2012
Get Involved Fair connects students and community Event takes place Wednesday, Thursday BY KELSEY HEELEY
“An eagle because it is considered a spirit animal.” Craig Veenstra,
third-year graphic design
“A tiger because I am wild.” Denis Karasev,
second-year, bachelor of applied health sciences, informatics management
“A lion because I am courageous and protect people when I have to.” Josh Bradshaw,
first-year protection, security and investigation
“A wolf because I am good in packs of people or alone.” Mitch Russell,
first-year business administration accounting
“An elephant because I am afraid of mice!”
Phuong-Anh Wan,
second-year nursing-BScN
“A lion because I am loyal.”
Taylor O’Neill,
second-year nursing - BScN
Smile Conestoga, you could be our next respondent!
Getting involved can be stressful for many reasons; it can be difficult to decide what you want to get involved in and how much spare time you can devote to the cause. However, fortunately for stu dents, the Get Involved Fair is here to help. The fair will be held at Doon campus this Wednesday and Thursday. On Wednesday, the fair will be dedicated strictly to on-campus ser vices and clubs such as the Student Life department and Respect Campaign, the marketing department, the First Generation Student Initiative, Right to Play and more. On Thursday, the day is dedicated to off-campus ser vices and organizations. There will be approximately 30 organizations including Kids Ability, the Canadian Mental Health Association, Big Brothers, Big Sisters and Nutrition for Learning. The Get Involved Fair is considered a tradition. “When the Student Life department first opened in late 2006 it was one of our first events. It helped us amp up the importance of volunteerism because that’s one thing we are truly about. We want to connect students to meaningful opportunities to get involved on campus and out in the community,” said Ryan Connell, event planner. The fair used to be held once a year, but in the last couple of years it has got ten so popular it is now held twice a year. Connell said so many organizations find such great value and success in the fair that most come back year after year. He added that the fair is always a huge hit with students and vendors alike. “We know it’s been a suc cess because we often get so many organizations that return each year and they see that Conestoga College is one of the best ways to recruit volunteers for their organiza tions,” he said. When students gradu ate from Conestoga College or any other post-secondary institution and start looking for a career in their field, everyone is applying for these jobs at the same time. The challenge comes when the person going through all
PHOTO BY KELSEY HEELEY
Get Involved Fair planner Ryan Connell, from the Student Life department, holds up one of m any posters promoting the fair. these resumes keeps seeing the same thing over and over. Each resume will have the same post-secondary experi ence which is the bare mini mum and essential for any position. The question is, “How can I stand out?” The answer is volunteering. With everyone having the same experience, the person looking over the resumes will be looking for addi tional assets for the job.
“It’s a chance for students to put themselves above and beyond,” said Connell. By getting involved, you can develop great leadership skills, interpersonal skills and teamwork skills. So, by going to the Get Involved Fair and getting some information on orga nizations that interest you, you are giving yourself the chance to build experience, self-esteem, self-confidence and your resume.
NEWS
Monday, September 17,2012
SPOKE ♦ Page 3
New dining card easy to use BY ROB MENDONSA
PHOTO BY ROB MENDONSA
Ute Ottman, a food services worker, proudly displays signage for the new Dine With Us cards at the main cafeteria at the Doon campus, Sept. 7.
Rent your textbooks BY CALEiGH MCLELLAND
Lineups for parking passes, lineups in the cafeteria and lineups at the IT Service desk - the first week of school cer tainly requires a lot of time and patience from students. For this reason, the Conestoga College Bookstore has teamed up with textbookrental.ca to reduce the amount of frustra tion and costs that students experience at the beginning of each semester and through out the year. As of Aug. 27, students were able to rent used textbooks, not only in-store, but also online through the bookstore’s ‘Tour Bookstore and You” program. While buying textbooks online is not something new to most Conestoga students, the option to rent is. Adam Hustwitt, manager of retail and campus services at Conestoga College, under stands the annoyance and high costs associated with pur chasing textbooks in-store. “I wanted to provide students with an option,” said Hustwitt. With this service, students no longer have to endure the pain ful lineups in the bookstore that seem so unavoidable dur ing the first week of school. “It’s much better,” said Conestoga College student, Dave Pollock, adding he never wants to wait in those huge lines again. Although buying textbooks online also eliminates this problem, renting offers other benefits that are appealing to students. “The integration of textbook renting through the bookstore’s website provides students with the most convenient and costeffective method of sourcing our textbooks,” said Brandon Luft, CEO of textbookrental.ca. According to Luft, students are able to save up to 75 per cent by renting their textbooks online.
Online textbook rentals are available 24 hours a day, and “students also receive their order directly to their door, which saves them lots of time as they avoid the long line ups,” said Luft. According to Hustwitt and Luft, while the textbook rent al business is popular in the U.S., it has not yet caught on in Canada. Since textbookrental.ca’s affiliation with the bookstore began, there has been posi tive feedback, not only from students, but from other book stores hoping to provide the same option to their students. With such an encouraging response, Luft believes that the textbook rental business will continue to grow as an option to students. “I think the decision for schools such as Conestoga to take on textbook rental part ners like us is a sign that the textbook landscape is changing,” Luft said. “Power is now more in the hands of the students to consider all their options and go with the service that provides the best price and the most user friendly experience.” While not all textbooks are available to rent as of yet, Hustwitt hopes that by bet ter promoting the bookstore’s Buyback program, more rent al options will be available for students in upcoming years. Students are expected to return their rented textbooks in good condition by the due date shown in their custom er account; however, if they want to keep the textbooks they are able to do so by con tacting customer service for a textbook rental buyout. To rent textbooks online, go to www.conestogac.on.ca/ bookstore, click “rent online” under the “Your Bookstore and You” section, and follow the instructions.
Move over Interac and MasterCard, there’s a new superhero at the campus caf eterias, it has no service fees, is faster to use because it doesn’t require a PIN number and it can be easily replaced if lost or stolen. It’s the new “Dine With Us” card, Chartwells’ answer to all your payment prayers. Conestoga’s cafeteria services, which are run by Chartwells, have introduced this new meth od of payment, according to Susan Dixon, Chartwells’ food service director, to help elimi nate many of the problems that students were facing in paying for their meals, Every student living at Conestoga College Residence should have received one of these cards in their mailbox. For everyone else a card can be picked up at any cafeteria cash register. Students must then sign up and load money onto it using any computer on campus or at home.
In addition, students’ par ents, grandparents, aunts, uncles or anyone else who is worried about them not get ting enough to eat can load money onto the card from any where. This is the perfect way to make sure students are not going without, plus relatives won’t have to worry about the student spending the money on beer, not that college stu dents would do that. “It’s great for faculty and students who are going from campus to campus because they are good across all col leges in Ontario which are run by Chartwells, which pretty much covers them all except for perhaps three,” said Dixon. Each time the card is used, the amount of the purchase is deducted from the balance. The remaining balance is shown on the bottom of the receipt, which allows for easy reference and assures card holders they have enough for their next purchase. “There is no downside to this
card, if you lose your card you just go online and stop pay ment and then come in and I transfer the balance to a new card and you’re up and run ning immediately,” said Dixon. There are also incentives for using the card each day. For example, on Mondays, card users will get a dollar off their coffee and Wednesdays are free small soup day. Also, if anyone loads their card before the end of October they will receive 10 per cent free on whatever they load onto their card. The service has been active since Sept. 6 and has gar nered lots of interest thus far. “This is a great way for stu dents to save 10 per cent off their food and be entered into a draw to win great prizes, including an iPad 2 or even cash prizes,” said Wendy Phillips, a food service worker in the Sanctuary cafeteria. Staff can answer any ques tions you may have, or you can go online to www.dineoncampus.ca/conestoga.
COMMENTARY
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Monday, September 17, 2012
Classes remain in session BY STEPHANIE LEFEBVRE
It’s been a week since college professors cast their ballots in favour of a new two-year contract hammered out by their bargaining team and the College Employer Council. The terms, which included a wage freeze for two years, may not be fair to everyone, but they are in keeping with this tough economic climate. According to the OPSEU bargaining team, the terms outlined in the memorandum settlement were essential ly the same as the ones placed on the table in February 2010. So why the threat of a strike? It seems that every couple of years, teachers are regaled by their union as to what improvements are needed to the contract, including pay increases, job security and intellectual property rights. To show they are serious, a strike is threatened. This time around, however, the two sides reached an agreement without a strike vote being held. That has to do with the Ontario Liberals introduc ing Bill 115, more commonly known as the Putting Students First Act, to prevent high school and elemen tary school teachers from striking and receiving raises. The bargaining team suspected that college teachers would be next in line. Of course, students are glad that the professors voted to accept the proposed contract. We all saw the disruption caused last year when the support staff went on strike. However, maybe we worried for nothing. About a month ago the teachers’ union said there would be no disruptions. They said they would stay in the classroom while they continued their fight. High school teachers also said they would still teach while talks continued. Premier Dalton McGuinty wanted to ensure that hap pened. In a CBC interview on Aug. 27, he said, “This is a lot bigger than any one byelection. It affects two mil lion students and 125,000 teachers.” A strike would have cost students extra money and forced them to cram a semester’s worth of information into their heads in a shorter period of time. This time around, OPSEU president Warren (Smokey) Thomas decided to take a stand with students, instead of against them. Faculty followed suit, voting 89 per cent in favour of a new contract. Thankfully, we shouldn’t see a strike threat for at least another two years. 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. Address correspondence to: The Editor, Spoke, 299 Doon Valley Dr., Room 1C30, Kitchener, Ont., N2G 4M4
Th e difference between American and Canadian elections.
Parents are making kids wimps It’s a shame that chil dren don’t have warranties, because they are all bro ken. It is almost impossible to have a childhood full of adventure and imagination these days, and we keep making it worse. I believe that kids these days are a bunch of wimps. Parents are so fearful of their child getting injured that it makes it impossible to actu ally be a kid. For example, in November 2011, a Toronto elementary school banned the use of hard balls for awhile because someone got a concussion after being hit in the head. Are you kidding me? I can’t even begin to guess at what they plan on ban ning next. If a child falls on the ground and scrapes his knee, are we going to ban the ground too? Parents are also afraid to just let their kids go outside and play. There is a huge worry that someone might snatch their child. What are we so afraid of now that we weren’t 20 years ago? It’s not like kidnapping is a new thing, it’s been going on for centuries, we are just more
Mark Fitzgerald Opinion aware of it now. Where are all the kids play ing in the streets and at the parks? What happened to the golden rule of “be home before the street lights come on?” Let kids be kids. If you are looking to pre serve your children in mint condition, why don’t you just wrap them in bubble wrap and keep them in their bed. . Technology can be a great thing, but for kids, it is kill ing them. The Internet has spawned a whole generation of kids who have no desire to go outside at all. The Internet provides them with endless entertain ment until their mind has become numb. Video games can be just as bad as the Internet. Parents don’t seem to care. There will soon be a day when we no longer see Lego or dolls in stores because
there will be no need for them. Instead, kids will be building and playing on their iPad. What a tragedy. I will never understand why a 12-year-old would ever need a cellphone, but I still see them everywhere. I believe that kids probably spend as much time, if not more time, communicating through texts than they do face to face with other kids. Kids are wimps, and we are making them that way. We don’t let them go out side because they will be kidnapped. When they do go outside we take away their toys and tell them that they are too dangerous. Keeping them inside is even worse because we just keep them occupied with technology and entertainment. If you have kids or younger siblings, cousins, nieces and nephews, please let them go outside. If they don’t go, force them. Make them climb a tree and get dirty. Go out and play a game of Red Rover and maybe they will get a bruise or two. Kids are not made of glass, so stop treating them that way.
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COMMUNITY
Monday, September 17,2012
SPOKE ♦ Page 5
‘Be accepted, be welcomed and be who you are’ BY ALLAN AH PINHORN
Room 1D23 is full. It’s packed in fact. Over 50 Conestoga College -students are sitting, round-table style, laugh ing and getting to know one another. They come from dif ferent backgrounds; some like poetry, others rock music, yet they are all brought together by a common event: Student Life’s GLBTQ Welcome Night. GLBTQ is an acronym for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered and queer or ques tioning, A yearly event, partnered with Conestoga’s Gay Straight Alliance, the Welcome Night is the brainchild of Student Life programmer and Conestoga graduate, Ryan Connell, who started it three years ago. “For us in the Student Life department we really see this as a great opportunity for stu dents who identify as GLBT to attend and be able to tran sition into the (Conestoga) community,” Connell said. Held on Sept. 11, the Welcome Night created an open and safe place for students who identify as GLBTQ, and their straight friends. It was a chance for students who face unique chal lenges to gather, feel accepted and make friends; a meet-andgreet for students who some times feel alone. Although they may all look different - there’s rainbow hair, long and greying beards, men and women —they share a commonality that, while not
PHOTO BY ALLAN AH PINHORN
Students and allies, (from left to right) Ashlea Welsh, Kevin Bluck, Jordan Ortor and Nick Schuyler, gather for Student Life’s GLBTQ Welcome Night at Conestoga’s Doon campus, Sept. 11. defining in itself, plays an important part in their lives, and perhaps, their success at Conestoga. “There are a lot of different issues that may arise that can prevent them from succeed ing,” Connell said. “For many students right now, going into college or university is also the time when maybe they’re coming out for the first time. (They) haven’t been in an environment which they feel safe or comforting, they see Conestoga as an amazing place to finally do that, and show themselves.” The reality is, even in this tolerant day-and-age, it is sometimes hard for GLBTQ students to be at ease. Even if outright hate is a thing of the
past for some social groups, little things, like ‘that’s so gay’ to describe something unpleasant can hurt. Comfort is what secondyear practical nursing student Taylon Leduc experiences in Conestoga hallways. “Gay, straight, it doesn’t matter. Everyone here is so accepting. I feel so proud to be who I am.” The Welcome Night, with its icebreaker games, free pizza and jovial atmosphere, did indeed make the attendees feel at home and at ease. It also gave the students access to the services provided to them on campus. Things such as GLBTQ-friendly counsel ling, security services and a gender-neutral washroom located near the Sanctuary at 2A118B. However, Connell was proud to announce that this year the event was less about need ing those services, and more about connecting. Ashlea Welsh, a Conestoga graduate returning to study recreation and leisure services, agreed. “All I see now is friend ly faces in the halls,” she said. Connell isn’t surprised. “We have so much diversity here on the campus, and we are an accepting community for all students. This is a place, at Conestoga College, where you can be accepted, be welcomed and be who you are.” For more information about the GLBTQ club go to www. conestogac.on.ca/studentLife/ glbtq/
PHOTO BY RYAN GOODYEAR
Lety Cruz-Jarama (left) and Jana Vodicka show off som e fresh pro duce they picked at the Conestoga College community gardens, located at the Cambridge campus, on Sept. 7.
College garden thrives BY RYAN GOODYEAR
When looking at the Conestoga College commu nity gardens located at the Conestoga Cambridge cam pus, it’s easy to tell that the group’s first year was a smashing success. The garden is thriving with bunches of vegetables rang ing from the not-so-common eggplant and hot peppers to fall staples such as corn and squash. The garden was planted on the May 24 weekend with vegetables that usually grow well in this area. About six staff members and four dedicated students helped maintain the 11, 30-foot beds over the summer; with regu lar amounts of fresh produce being picked and donated to the Waterloo Region Food Bank said Conestoga’s envi ronmental co-ordinator, Jana
Vodicka. “We give to the food bank because they are able to take anything and process it on site. We have given about 40 pounds worth of produce this year and will be able to give more by the end of the season” she said. After seeing the fruits of their labour it’s hard to believe that the community gardens were nothing more than a brainstorming session and proposals in January 2011. “I have a thing for local foods, and I thought, well, we have the culinary classes and we have food processing, plus the company I work for, Compass, owns Chartwells which is Conestoga’s food ser vices and they try to promote local food as much as pos sible,” said Vodicka. Of course the labour of those involved does not go unrewarded; volunteers are allowed to take whatever veg etables they want, as long as it is tracked on a list. Once this year’s crop is fully harvested and brought in for the final time the plan ning for next year will begin. The group has been collect ing information on the gar den throughout the year and giving it to students in a Conestoga business manage ment program. Those stu dents designed a tracking database so that by the end of the season the gardeners can determine whether or not their pilot garden was effi cient and successful. Once this is complete the group will start organizing new meetings and start to devel op a fresh strategy for next season. Planning for next year’s gar den will begin in mid-October and they hope to be planting next year’s crop in May. Those looking to get involved with the garden for next year can look up the group on facebook under Conestoga acres or get in touch with Vodicka at jvodicka@conestogae.on.ea
FEATURE
Page 6 ♦ SPOKE
Monday, September 17,2012
FREE FROSH FUN
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
“It was really hard to get a grip and my feet and my hands kept slipping. “You kept looking up and looking down, but you had to look and see where the rocks were so you could co-ordinate your steps,” said Fioretti, who came out on top. Though rock-climbing par ticipants wore a harness, an element of fear was still at play. “Every time you slipped you’d feel like you were just going to fall the whole way down,” said Fioretti.
Free merchandise was pro vided by vendors Cineplex, Samsung, Nair, Trojan, Mio, Spinbrush and Arm & Hammer, who each brought samples geared toward stu dents. Students could enter contests or play a game to win prizes at each of the ven dor tents. CSI served up the free food for the day. Hotdogs, soft drinks and about 1,500 ham burgers were on the carnival menu, but it wasn’t just CSI staff that made the event possible. “We had our CSI team there but throughout the day I had
PHOTOS BY JESSICA REDIKER
students come up to me and say listen, this is awesome, do you want me to just jump behind and help you guys hand out pop?” Saba said, adding that they couldn’t have pulled the event off without those students. Doon campus wasn’t the only one to have all the frosh week fun. For the first week back, other Conestoga cam puses dished out free food such as pizza and had games available to students as well. So what can students expect
Nothing lasts forever, especially not when it m oves wildly at increasing speeds. Logan Crawford finds this out the hard w ay at the Frosh Carnival on Sept. 5.
from CSI for the rest of the school year? Regularly scheduled events will include $3 beer, suit ably named “Sanctuary Lager,” available from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Tuesdays at the Sanctuary bar. T.G.I.T. (Thank Goodness It’s Thursday) will be a weekly free item giveaway to help students get through the week - an event that CSI will also use to help bring aware ness to some of the services they offer. Major events that were pop ular with students in previ ous years such as November’s
Movember ‘Stache Bash and the X-rated hypnotist will be returning this year. “In the end I would love every student to at least come out to one event,” said Saba. Though the events this year will come in many sizes, Saba takes each one seriously, to ensure she delivers the best experiences to students. “To me, I think any of the events where you have stu dents saying This is awesome, thank you so much,’ to me, those are the best events no matter how big or small they are.”
Students line up to receive a free bottle of water flavoured with a squirt of Mio Water Enhancer at the carnival.
Monday, September 17,2012
FEATURE
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Nghia Nguyen takes a leap of victory after defeating fellow jouster Laura Misch, both who are enrolled part-time in courses through the College Co-operative Education Program.
Mackenzie Maillet, a practical nursing student, slides her w ay to victory on the inflatable obstacle course.
SPOKE ♦ Page 7
Katrina Singh shows the bull w ho’s boss before the rodeo begins.
Maggie Talbot (left) and Erika Ancion, second-year early childhood education students, push their way through the barriers of the inflatable obstacle course.
A little friendly competition is welcomed by Taylor Harrington (left) and Jam es Fioretti, third-year marketing students, who battled it out on the inflatable rock wall.
Erika Ancion bounces into the finish area of the obstacle course.
NEWS
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Monday , September 17, 2012
Learning just became more virtual BY KRISTIN MILAN I
It hasn’t gone 3-D yet, but Conestoga’s Learning Commons still celebrated its new virtual services and other changes on Sept. 6. Staff, student leaders, interns and many others gathered on that day to reveal •the new improvements at the grand re-opening. After six months, renovations to cre ate an open and collabora tive space are finished, a vir tual learning experience has launched and rebranding of the service is complete. Learning Commons manag er Bonnie Lipton-Bos opened the event with a speech to announce the changes, talk ed about what the Learning Commons is all about and thanked those who made it all possible. Conestoga President John Tibbits also spoke at the event. “The passion of your staff is something to behold. Everyone here, I can feel it, yap believe in what you’re doing,” Tibbits said. Lipton-Bos looked at the grand re-opening as an opportunity to raise aware ness about the department, its services and who it can help. She said the services will benefit all students and not just those who are having difficulty or struggling. “We really wanted to rede fine our services,” she said. Lipton-Bos said she doesn’t find recruiting professionals and student leaders hard but does find it challenging to keep people informed about the Learning Commons and serving all four campuses. The department originated in 2006 and began operating appointment-based services.
PHOTO BY KRISTIN MILAN!
Julia Cha (left to right), Learning Com m ons assistant, Bonnie Lipton-Bos, Learning Com mons manager, and Janina Robinson, Student Life programmer, stop for a piece of cake at the grand re-opening of the Learning Commons. Students meet one on one with staff members who spe cialize in their fields or stu dent leaders who are success ful in their programs. They are hired to help students grow and succeed, academi cally and in life. The services available are learning skills, peer tutor ing, peer supported learning groups, English conversation partners and math and writ ing help. Bachelor of busi ness student Matt Davis is one of the math leaders and enjoys working with the stu
dents to improve their skills. “If they’re able to under stand, it makes me happy because I was able to teach them something,” Davis said. eLearning Res consultant Michele Brannon-Hamilton came up with the idea to create a new way for the Learning Commons to offer its services in 2011. The Virtual Learning Commons was created so students can get the help they need at all hours of the day and now they can do just that. “We want students to be
able to access our resources and tools anywhere, any time,” Lipton-Bos said. Com puter application development student and web developer intern Paul Ram charitar spent 621 hours between May and August helping create the Virtual Learning Commons. Ramcharitar said the virtual aspect will allow students to get information faster. He also believes that the Learning Commons is benefi cial to everyone. “We know we can do better
at something we’re already good at and with the Learning Commons, we can improve even further,” Ramcharitar said. The Virtual Learning Commons will be launch ing in phases to ensure it runs properly. The Learning Commons staff is looking for people to test the fea tures and give feedback on how they work. They will be recruiting volunteers to be part of the beta testing group at the Get Involved Fair from Sept. 19-20 at the college.
Aboriginal Services receives a generous gift BY SARA HANAFI
PHOTO BY SARA HANAFI
Manager of Aboriginal Services Myeengun Henry shows off some artifacts and medicines in his office, located inside the Aboriginal Services Centre at the college.
A very unconventional sur prise was presented to the Aboriginal Services Centre during a traditional ceremony held this past May. Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada’s president Brian Krinock presented Conestoga president John Tibbits and Aboriginal Services man ager Myeengun Henry with a $20,000 donation to support Aboriginal programming at Conestoga. The donation was presented during a teepee-raising cele bration hosted by Aboriginal Services at Conestoga’s Doon campus. Students and other members of the Aboriginal community who attended saw
the teepee raised, and then were treated to celebratory drumming, singing and trad itional food, such as corn soup and buffalo meat. Henry said the donation stemmed from a speech that Liberal Leader Bob Rrae gave at Conestoga last year during which he talked about a lack of funding for the Aboriginal Services department. The Waterloo Region Record ran a story on Rae’s speech, which was read by Ray Tanguay, the chairperson of Toyota Canada. He came to visit the school and one month later, the company gave a donation to Aboriginal Services. The donation will be used to secure and retain students, as well as upgrade the Aboriginal
student centre to accommo date the growing population, which recently surpassed 500 students. Additionally, a por tion of the donation will be used to fund the annual pow wow in February, which would not have been held otherwise. The Aboriginal Services Centre is entering its third year at Conestoga. Services, including lessons on how to make dream catchers, free lunches every Wednesday and Aboriginal teachings, are open to anyone who is interested. Since the ceremony in May, the teepee has been taken down so a “Welcome Back Teepee Raising Ceremony” can be held on Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. behind the Woodworking Centre.
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ENTERTAINMENT
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Rain can’t dampen their spirits BY STEPHANIE LEFEBVRE
Though the weather didn’t co-operate, Mela 2012 was still attended by hundreds of people. In its ninth year, the Indianinspired festival was held Sept. 8 by the India Canada Association of Waterloo inside Kitchener City Hall. Usually the event would be held out doors, but the early morning rain forced them to move it inside. Full of aromas, ven dors and colourful attire, Mela is a way for people from South Asian backgrounds to get a little taste of home. Along with the food and clothing for sale at Mela, there were many entertain ing acts. From Bollywood karaoke singers to belly danc ers, the festival featured tal ent well known in the South Asian culture. Even comedian Dan Nainan performed and emceed the event. Nainan is a well-known come dian and has performed for the likes of Barack Obama and in over 15 different countries. He was the highlight of the day. The event started in 2002 as the brainchild of Ian Mendes, former president of the India Canada Association. It’s a miniature version of what occurs back home. Usually taking place in the spring, in South Asian culture, Mela is a festival or carnival that brings people together to cel ebrate their heritage. However, the festival is attracting more people from different cultures as the years go by. In Kitchener, the event is a
PHOTO BY STEPHANIE LEFEBVRE
Down Hips Dance Studio belly dancers perform routines, delighting the audience at Mela 2012 inside Kitchener City Hall on Sept. 8. way to celebrate the culture and talent of people of Indian descent. Kokila Khanna, Mela chairperson, said seeing as summer is a busy time for most people, instead of in the spring, having Mela occur the weekend after Labour Day seemed appropriate. Khanna did say the festi val started small. The first one was held at Countryside Community Centre, followed by years of bouncing around to different community cen
tres. It only got to Kitchener City Hall in 2008. “The idea was always to grow it,” she said. K hanna’s co -ch a ir, Chandrika Anjaria, said she enjoys Mela every year because it’s a way to showcase the culture. ‘W e are fortunate to take the best of both worlds. We are Canadian, we live in Canada, but we also have a rich heritage.” Kitchener MPP John Milloy
seemed to agree, as he has attended several since he’s been elected. “It’s a great way to bring together the South Asian com munity, but also non-South Asian folks to get a taste of that culture,” said Milloy. “It builds bridges and it helps us to celebrate.” Sheela Samat Spohn, presi dent of the India Canada Association, said the region has been very accepting of the cultural festival.
“This region is extreme ly dynamic. It’s extremely diverse. When we talk of multiculturalism, we think it only happens in bigger cities. It’s happening here.” The president also said the fair represents a small taste of what South Asia is. “For me, it’s a little bit of home,” she said. Next year they hope to have the event back outside, in front of City Hall, and extending all the way onto King Street.
Na’vi land in Kitchener BY JESSICA LANTHIER
PHOTO BY JESSICA LANTHIER
Janelie Wakarchuk, a student at Wilfrid Laurier University, gives a thumbs up to the Avatar premiere banner set up at Kitchener City Hall on Sept. 9. The exhibit will be open to the public on Oct. 11.
Kitchener residents will be the first to view an exhibit that will surely be out of this world. Avatar: The Exhibition will be hitting Kitchener’s THEMUSEUM on Oct. 11 and will be on display until Jan. 13, 2013. The city’s downtown museum will be the first des tination to kick off the exhibi tion’s North American tour. The exhibit gives fans of Avatar, the highest grossing film of all time, a chance to learn about every step that went into making the enchant ing world of Pandora. The display will include authentic props and costumes, interac tive displays, concept models and sketches. It will explain the creation and develop ment of every part of Avatar, including how it became a
blockbuster hit and how the innovative technology has changed filmmaking. “The exhibition will be a unique opportunity for people to learn more, not only about how the film was made, but also experience Pandora in a much deeper way,” said direc tor James Cameron in the Avatar: The Exhibition press release. “Fans will be able to see in-person, the workmanship behind the film, whether it’s how scenes are captured, or how a Na’vi costume was built, first as a real world garment then produced digitally.” David Marskell, CEO of THEMUSEUM, thinks the exhibit is a testament to how culture and creative collabo ration can have an impact on filmmaking. He is also proud of Kitchener for being the exhibition’s first stop on the
hugely anticipated tour. “It speaks volumes of how far THEMUSEUM has come. That this world-class exhibi tion will come to Kitchener as its first North American tour spot is just amazing,” Marskell said in the press release. Janelie Wakarchuk, a 21-year-old old English stu dent at Wilfrid Laurier University and an avid Avatar fan, was pleasantly surprised to hear that the exhibition was premiering at THEMUSEUM. “I loved the movie and the cartoon so I’ll definitely be coming to check out the exhib it,” Wakarchuk said. Since opening in theatres in 2009, Avatar has continued to break records in the movie making world. Overall, its box office gross totals more than $2.8 billion.
SPORTS
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Predators kick off their second season BY WHITNEY SOUTH
As the Twin Cities Predators head into their second sea son with the Canadian Junior Football League, the team continues to work toward establishing their identity and growing into a force to be reckoned with. The Predators are one of 2Q teams that make up the CJFL, a league which gives elite players ages 17-22 the chance to continue to compete even if they have chosen a path other than university. This creates an opportunity for players who have decid ed to attend community col lege or enter the workforce straight out of high school to continue their football careers. University students can also choose to play in the CJFL, which usually means more playing time. F irst-yea r C onestoga College student Derek Mulder is also starting his first year as a defensive lineman for the Predators. “The team is great,” he said. “We’re not a big team, but we’re a really close-knit group of guys. There’s a lot of cama raderie between us.” A pre-health science stu dent, Mulder said attend ing school and playing foot ball will be an experience that will prepare him for the future. “School is obviously first and football second, but it’s all about balance. But that’s
how life is, you have to bal ance everything you do.” Brian Jones is a receiver for the Predators and is also starting his first year in police foundations at Conestoga College. Jones said he appreciates the opportunity to play even though university wasn’t for him. “I love playing football,” he said. “It’s just fun to come out and play.” Head coach Tom Arnott has been coaching football for 33 years at both the high school and university level and was the head coach for Wilfrid Laurier University from 1990-2000. This is his first year with the Predators. Arnott said he’s looking for ward to seeing his players learn to work together and grow as a team. “We have a very good defence and in the defence our secondary is exceptional,” he said. “We have a good kick ing game and we have a lot of youth and enthusiasm.” As with any football pro gram, Arnott said the team has opportunities to improve the depth and skill level of all the players. “That’s our big thing, to really establish ourselves as a program and find an identity for ourselves.” The CJFL is also another venue and opportunity for players to be drafted by the Canadian Football League. Arnott said each CFL team is
PHOTO BY WHITNEY SOUTH
The Twin Cities Predators faced off against the Hamilton Hurricanes at University Stadium, KnightNewbrough Field, in Waterloo, Aug. 31. limited in terms of how many university players they can draft, however, they are not limited as to how many of the CJFL players they can bring to training camp. This gives players such as
Mulder and Jones another route to professional foot ball other than the university draft. The Predators face the Ottawa Sooners, Saturday, Sept. 22, at 7 p.m. at
U niversity Stadium in Waterloo. For more information on the Twin Cities Predators, includ ing their game schedule and ticket prices, visit www.predatorsfootball.ca.