The Converged Citizen - October 22, 2015

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*Volume XI Issue 2 *October 22, 2015

The Power Of The Future

Inside

Moroun addresses bridge worries Alannah Wills Converged Citizen Staff The vice chairman of the Ambassador Bridge Company blamed the City of Windsor for the bridge’s current condition during a press conference Thursday afternoon.

Matt Moroun, son of bridge owner Manuel “Matty” Moroun, called out mayor Drew Dilkens by name, along with the City of Windsor, blaming them repeatedly for blocking the repair of the bridge.

“Every step of the way the City of Windsor has acted to object and delay Transport Canada’s approval and throw obstacles in our way of doing that major repair and rebuild,” said Moroun.

Wyandotte Street West Photo by Alannah Wills underneath the bridge was Vice Chairman of the Ambassador Bridge, Matt Moroun, walks up to the press confer- closed Oct. 9 after reports of

ence in Windsor, Oct. 15. Moroun was addressing the current condition of the bridge.

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Politics and its effect on youth Nathan Trombley Converged Citizen Staff With the federal election fast approaching, many young people said they are shying away from the voter’s poll.

According to Statistics Canada, only 38.8 per cent of young people in Canada have voted in 2011. The

parties are aware of this and have centered their platforms on older Canadians who will vote and are involved.

Cierra Bray and Amanda Moffat are St Clair College students. Bray and Moffat share similar opinions on the federal election and what it means for young voters.

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Bray said she likes to focus on the effect this election will have on young people. Moffat said she is focused on issues relating to the union.

Bray said she feels the reason many youth do not vote is because they are uneducated about the elections and the platforms involved with each party.

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She said she also feels the educational system does not educate youth enough on how to get information on the parties.

“I think one of the major reasons as to why young people don’t vote is because they feel their voice does not matter,”

SEE PAGE 2 Weather Thursday, Oct. 23, 2015 High:17°C Low: 6°C

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16 “Fate rarely calls upon us at a moment of our choosing.”

—Peter Cullen Optimus Prime

QOTD Quote of the Day

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Candidates match wits in Caboto debate

Mulcair plans to turn Essex orange

Allison Crease and Séraphine Rayyan Converged Citizen Staff

Photo by Mark Brown

Moderator Craig Pearson of the Windsor Star listens as Essex riding candidates Jeff Watson (left), Tracey Ramsey and Audrey Festeryga debate at the Caboto Club Sept 30.

Mark Brown Converged Citizen Staff Hundreds of people watched on Sept 30 as candidates representing the three local federal ridings debated a variety of issues.

Candidates for the Conservative Party, Liberal Party and New Democratic Party participated before a sold-out audience at the Caboto Club in one of the few forums of the election season where candidates from the major parties came together.

The event was hosted by Unifor and the Windsor-Essex Regional Chamber of Commerce. Chamber president and CEO Matt Marchand said questions came from a variety of sources.

“We had a pool of questions that we got from the WindsorEssex chamber, Unifor and the community…and were allocated to various ridings,” said

POLITICS PAGE 1 said Bray.

Moffat said many youth do not vote because they see it as pointless. She said they feel no one is listening to them.

Moffat believes social media is a medium that will show a rise in youth voters because parties would be able to target young adults and talk about issues which directly affect them.

“I have seen social media bringing a lot of attention to the elections and issues surrounding them, which is something we haven’t seen in recent years but it’s much needed,” said Moffat.

When trying to decide on a

Marchand.

Craig Pearson of the Windsor Star moderated the debate, which consisted of a 30-minute block for each riding. Candidates did not know the questions in advance. The first riding on the program was Essex, where Conservative incumbent Jeff Watson defended his record on the auto industry and local agriculture against challengers Audrey Festeryga from the Liberals and NDP candidate Tracey Ramsey.

Windsor West was up next with Tory challenger Henry Lau stressing job creation, while incumbent Brian Masse of the NDP discussed a need for Senate reform.

“It’s very naïve to think that we have a modern democracy where people have the right to vote, should be allowed to vote and then have representation from those votes,” said Masse.

Windsor West Liberal candidate David Sundin also attacked the Conservatives’ approach to concerns about the Senate.

“Mr. (Justin) Trudeau has already done more in one day than Stephen Harper has done in the past ten years,” said Sundin.

In the Windsor-Tecumseh debate, Conservative Jo-Anne Gignac attacked the tax proposal from the NDP. “Mr. (Tom) Mulcair’s 13.3 per cent tax increase will cost 150,000 jobs in addition to the 100,000 more jobs the payroll tax will kill,” said Gignac.

Gignac is running against the NDP’s Cheryl Hardcastle and the Liberals’ Frank Schiller in the contest for the only open seat in the region, thanks to the retirement of Joe Comartin.

Organizers hoped that the debate would help undecided voters make an informed choice on October 19.

party to vote for, Bray said she looked at which party was going to do the most when it comes to issues that affect students and young adults.

According to her, these issues include the cost of tuition, OSAP and youth employment in the community related to their field of study and not just in the automotive sector.

“I would like my choice to remain private, but I feel after the large amount of research that I did, I made the right choice in voting,” said Bray.

Moffat said she has not been very informed on the issues related to this election. She said the issues she has been following are related to the

legalization of marijuana.

According to an article in 2012 by the National Post, this is an issue that many young adults are in favour of. This is causing the Liberal Party of Canada to draw attention and support of these young voters.

Moffat said she is one of those young voters who is supporting this.

“I believe that if marijuana is legalized it will have great effects on society,” said Moffat “Just look at the States and the impact it has had on their society.”

Soon, the polls will tell if young adults have decided to get involved in voting and if their opinions will be heard.

NDP leader Tom Mulcair was in Essex this week at the campaign headquarters of NDP candidate Tracey Ramsey.

This was part of his six city Southwestern Ontario tour.

Essex was Mulcair’s last stop and his main topics included Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s administration and what changes an NDP government would offer.

Mulcair and Ramsey brought a large crowd to Essex, trying to encourage more voters to go orange with the election just two weeks away.

NDP Candidates Brian Masse

need someone federally to turn their attention down to Southwestern Ontario. Also we have a great opportunity to win this seat to turn Essex orange into an NDP riding. So Tom’s very excited about that too.”

Mulcair told supporters he believes Harper’s lost 400,000 manufacturing jobs and failed on Canadian health care and the environment.

“If Ontarians want to defeat Stephen Harper and have better health care, cleaner air and water and real opportunities for jobs and growth, it’s the NDP that will deliver,” said Mulcair. “We can build the Canada of our dreams and it starts right here in Southwestern Ontario.”

Although Mulcair’s tour had multiple points against the

Photo by Allison Crease

Tom Mulcair speaks during his Southwestern Ontario tour in Essex, Oct. 4.

(Windsor-West) and Cheryl Hardcastle (Windsor-Tecumseh) were also there to meet Mulcair and support the tour.

Essex has been a Conservative riding since 2004 with Jeff Watson occupying the seat. The NDP came second in 2011 with 35.2 per cent of the vote.

Ramsey says Essex is one of the most important ridings in Southwestern Ontario.

“I think Tom Mulcair recognizes that there are a lot of people down here who really need our help in the NDP, and that this area really has been ignored by the federal government. We know that we have the highest unemployment rate in Canada and it’s very important that that issue is addressed,” said Ramsey.

“People are really suffering down here and need jobs, and

Conservatives, across the street were Conservative supporters at Jeff Watson’s office listening to Mulcair’s speech.

Last May, Joanne Gignac was elected to be the Conservative candidate for WindsorTecumseh and had her own opinion of Mulcair’s speech Sunday night.

“The Conservative government since the down term and global recession has created 1.3 million net new jobs. So first the depth of that recession is one of the strongest job creation records in the G7.

Ninety per cent of those are full time jobs, 80 per cent are in the private sector and nearly two-thirds of those 1.3 [million] are high wage jobs,” said Gignac. “In terms of going forward the Prime Minister has indicated very

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news ONVERGED CITIZEN College candidate debate Minimum wage increase reaction encourages student voting

By Aaron Sanders Converged Citizen Staff

Photo by Kenny Bullock.

Left-to-right - Brian Masse, Windsor-West candidate for the New Democratic Party of Canada addresses the crowd about student voting. Dave Sundin also attended the event held at St. Clair College’s south campus Oct. 9.

By Kenny Bullock Converged Citizen Staff Canada’s last federal election had less than half of youth aged 18-24 participate in the voting process. In 2011, an estimated 38.8 per cent of youth came to the polls.

Politicians at the federal debate had similar opinions about young people being hesitant to vote because they aren’t well enough informed.

“Jobs aren’t coming from nowhere, it’s coming from the investment in business,” said Henry Lau, Windsor-West candidate for the Conservative Party of Canada. “When that’s done more students can be hired and they’ll be more involved in the voting process.”

Lau said he’s been a businessman and deep in the Windsor community for many years. He also said the TransPacific Partnership is bringing in more than 8 million customers for Canada and students need to understand why it’s important.

To gain more student votes in the coming election, the Liberal Party of Canada is looking to lower tuition rates and make it easier to pay back student loans.

“You shouldn’t have to pay back your student loans until

you have a job and are making a sufficient income to even worry about that,” said Dave Sundin, candidate for the Liberal Party of Canada.

Young voters need to vote to contribute to the election.

Sundin said his party is implementing a youth job strategy.

The goal is to get students work and to get them interested in voting again. Sundin said he knows people who received a proper education in Windsor but had to leave because there were no jobs available.

Windsor-West MP, Brian Masse also made an appearance at the debate. He said as a former St. Clair College alumni, the student vote is a very important factor in determining the proper way of running government.

“Students need a proper investment in education, they need investment in the economy, they need an investment in the environment,” said Masse, who is also a candidate for the New Democratic Party of Canada. “This will instill hope in voters.”

Masse and the other candidates all stuck around after the debate to talk to students about important affairs in their city and why it’s important to vote. The federal election is on Oct. 19.

Windsor residents have been commenting on the latest raise in minimum wage.

On Oct. 1, minimum wage in Ontario increased to $11.25, 25 cents more than last year.

The province’s new minimum wage is now the second highest in Canada.

The Northwest Territories wage is the highest at $12.50.

New Brunswick is at the bottom of the list with a $10.30 wage. Michael Toney, a St. Clair College student, said the raise gives support for some employees.

“The increase is everything because it’s already hard trying to make a living working

minimum wage as it is,” Toney said. “Your paycheck is done before you get it, so every increase is good.”

For Bobby-Jo Musey, 31, a mother of four, she said the raise is beneficial to those with financial issues.

“It’s good for people with low income and it will increase what they have,” said Musey. “It’s a small benefit because it will go up a little bit and people will get more.”

At the same time, the quarter increase is not enough to satisfy. Toney is in contact with people who work at multiple jobs due to minimum wage. He said he’s sympathetic to them and think they deserve more than they are paid.

“You can’t survive working one job minimum wage

How to save money, heat this winter

By Kristine Klein Converged Citizen Staff Homeowners who want to save money on heating bills this winter can do it by changing some habits and making a few home improvements that will pay off over the long term.

Some ways to have a lower heating bill include installing a programmable thermostat and setting it to lower heat at night and when you are away.

Furnace efficiency can also be improved by checking the air filter every four weeks.

Filtered should be cleaned or replaced as required, according to the Ministry of Energy.

Most Canadians said that they set their home temperature between 20C and 22C during the time of the day when they are at home and awake. Average home temperature was generally kept between 16C and 18C during the time of day when household members were asleep, according to Statistics Canada.

“In my home in the winter time I usually set the temperature to 20C and to save money and energy I turn it even lower when I’m out of the house or sleeping to somewhere around 15C”, said Windsorite Siera Vanhorn, 25. “Sometimes even when I am home I’ll keep the temperature at 15C

but just dress warm in the house.”

Craig Goettler, the general manager of Boonstras Heating and Air Conditioning discussed the benefits of preventative maintenance for your furnace and why it is important to have an expert take care of it.

“A maintenance inspection includes cleaning the furnace, changing the filter, checking for leaks and unhealthy gases and ensuring that everything is operational. We can also clean the furnace ducts,” said Goettler. “Regular furnace maintenance is important for safety, reliability and efficiency reasons. Having your furnace and heating system in peak operating condition before the heating season begins saves you time, money and hassle down the road.”

Other than sealing up cracks around doors and windows a good way to keep even more heat inside your home is to roll back the curtains and have the sunlight go through the window, according to Julia Bensette 19, a Windsorite attending St. Clair College. “I find that it’s almost like a greenhouse effect and you are able to get more heat into your home in a natural energy efficient way,” said Bensette.

Drafts and unwanted air leaks not only make your

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because that’s just impossible,” Toney said. “As much as they put it all on the line everyday, economic problems still prevents them from getting what is really due to them.”

Musey predicted Ontario’s minimum wage would not increase in the few years to come.

“I don’t think it will with the way the economy is going right now.”

Toney disagreed with the wage remaining at $11.25. He said it can happen in a short amount of time.

“If the government finds a way to control these financial issues, then I can see them raise it to $12 in about three years,” said Toney.

NDP PAGE 2 clearly that he’s looking at an additional 1.3 million more jobs by 2020. We look at that and the record of the Conservative government right here in the city of Windsor and how that applies here in the city. I think you know, very clearly in ‘09 the Conservative government was the government that stood up and bailed out the auto industry. We all know what would have happened if the other parties were in charge because they voted against the bailout, both the Liberals and the NDP, and we know that would have meant here in the city of Windsor.”

Mulcair also brought up recent Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations, speaking about the Conservative’s agreement on the negotiation and the detrimental effect he thinks it would have on jobs especially in the automotive industry.

“Stephen Harper hasn’t stood up for auto jobs, and Justin Trudeau and the Liberal Party simply won’t,” said Mulcair. “An NDP government will fight for auto jobs with a national auto strategy, support manufacturing and invest in innovation.”

The provincial election will take place on Oct. 19. Voter registration can be done in person at a local election centre, or online at www.elections.ca.

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BRIDGE PAGE 1 falling debris. Three more streets were closed for the same reason Oct. 14 after an inspection by an engineer hired by the City of Windsor.

“We have not heard from the city,” said Moroun. “The only information we’ve gotten from the city is their actions from closing the streets and what we’ve read in the newspaper. We’ve reached out and contacted them asking for cooperation or a copy of the report and they say it's forthcoming but we haven’t seen it yet.”

Despite the reports of debris and visible holes in the bridge’s infrastructure, Moroun said multiple times that the bridge is not crumbling and any holes are not in the road bed, but in the

bridge’s closed-off sidewalk.

Moroun claims the bridge is safe and gets inspected once a year, even though rules state it only needs to be inspected every two years. The last inspection was July 2014 and its 2015 inspection is due in two weeks.

Windsor-West MP Brian Masse said the bridge debate is a case of “he said, she said.”

“I’ve seen the impact of the border on our community and it’s sad that again the border is becoming a burden,” said Masse. “ It shouldn’t be that way. ..It’s embarrassing as an elected official representing Canada that we have international news media here.”

One resident who lives near the bridge spoke up during the conference, claiming there wasn’t any debris on

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Wyandotte Street, calling the whole story a “hyperbole.”

Caroline Taylor, who lives in Sandwich Towne, disagrees with a claim the story was exaggerated. Taylor wasn’t impressed with Moroun, saying he dodged questions and quickly left after berating the city.

“It’s always been a C-, it’s probably a D now. Over the years when its been graded he always got a C- grade which bothers me because how can we allow him to build a new bridge when he can’t even maintain the one he has now,” said Taylor.

Shortly after the press conference, Dilkens replied to Moroun by tweeting a picture of a chunk of rust coated concrete with the caption “Here’s a reason we closed Wyandotte Street under the Ambassador Bridge.”

Photo by Kenneth Pastushyn Raptor bander Corey Balkwill hands Red-tailed hawk to Michelle Stein for release during the Festival of the Hawks.

Voting views of young Canadians Allison Crease Converged Citizen Staff Are you voting this year?

Election Day in Canada is getting closer which is leading to lots of talk about whether the younger generation will out-vote their older generations.

Conservative leader Stephen Harper has been in office as prime minister for nine years. On Oct. 19 the candidates hoping to end his run this year are NDP leader Tom Mulcair, Liberal Party leader Justin Trudeau and Green Party leader Elizabeth May. The Liberals, the NDP and Green party have all addressed ways to help the youth of Canada, putting aside money for youth job creation and even trying to abolish tuition fees by 2020.

The Conservatives have said they will make job creation and the economy a priority.

The last election in 2011, according to Elections Canada, had a youth turnout of 39 per cent, ages 18-24 voting compared to the highest turnout of 75 per cent for ages 65-74. Turnout in recent years has been declining, showing the political parties of Canada that young voters aren’t very interested in expressing their ideas.

“Due to the fact I haven't been following along with the elections this year, I feel ignorant of the platforms the runners have based themselves,” said Megan LeClair, 21.

“Which leads me to believe that without the information, how can I properly vote.”

LeClair is currently a student at Leamington District High School and is choosing not to vote because she hasn’t followed the election process this year. She proposes easier ways for young voters and students to find out the poli-

cies and ideologies of the political parties by promoting them on social media and gearing the information in ways youth can relate.

Recently in Toronto a team of the 15 top Canadian election researchers and political science scholars have also developed a way for all ages to find out which political party they most correspond to through an online tool named Vote Compass. It involves answering 30 questions on important social and economic issues in the world today, giving voters’ insight at the end of the test based on what they answered.

Elections Canada has also brought advanced polling stations to university and college campuses this year, making voting more accessible to youth. Heather Morgan, 21, has voted this year in the advanced poll.

“I think it's incredibly important for young people to vote,” said Morgan. “I think when young people make a habit of actively voting and caring about our government they grow into people, citizens, who care about what's happening in our country.”

Morgan is a student at the University of King’s College in Halifax and the main reasons she votes is related to her student debt.

“I voted because first of all, it's my civic responsibility. If I want to live in a safe and democratic country then I need to vote to maintain that,” she said.

The advanced polling has ended, but voters can still go online to www.elections.ca and register to vote for Oct. 19. Do you need help figuring out which political party you lean towards? Go online to www.votecompass.ca and find out where you stand on the political spectrum.

Nutrition concerns rise for new Coca Cola Keurig Tyler Boissonneault Converged Citizen Staff

A local nutritionist is warning Windsorites to consider health risks and consequences following the launch of a new home pop brewing machine.

Just over a year ago beverage company titan Coca Cola partnered with Keurig, a company well known for their home coffee brewers. Following the multi-million dollar deal, Coca Cola announced a

plan to take an almost 16 per cent stake in the company. As well, Coca Cola said they would design a pop brewing equivalent machine for Keurig. The brew will consist of various Coca Cola soft drink products that dispense in eight ounce cups. The brewer will be called the Keurig Kold.

With the new product’s launch local dietician Joelle Jean wants Windsorites to consider

their health when it comes to buying the machine.

Jean said she is worried most buyers won’t take their health into account, which could be dangerous, considering the soft drink contains harmful substances such as high sugar and high fructose corn syrup. Those can contribute to heart disease and have other possible health risks.

“Avoid soft drinks, don’t even limit them. People have food addictions and

it’s a real issue with a product like this, health-wise,” said Jean.

Jean said she believes the product will sell regardless of the detrimental nutrition facts, but she hopes people will promote the consequences the product can have on their health.

St. Clair College student, Lucas Leather, said on average he drinks two to three small bottles of pop a week, but is not interested in the new device.

“I like the idea for coffee, but not for pop. The more and more people who spend their money on it, the more and more risk they have for diabetes, they are buying calories,” said Leather.

Leather says despite the risk, pop is just as popular as coffee and thinks the machine will sell.

The machine will cost roughly $300 in the U.S and will launch Oct. 6. It will be available in select areas in the U.S. and on their website for Canada.

CONVERGED CITIZEN OCTOBER 22, 2015

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Young adult books now capturing a larger audience read the later books in the series.”

In the past two decades, more than 50 book series have been made into films. The three most recent YA-tomovie adaptations, Maze Runner: Scorch Trials, Insurgent and The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies, grossed nearly $1.5 billion alone.

As a reader and author of YA novels as well as a librarian, Martin also said she feels like YA fiction has as many varieties and themes as adult novels but is easier to read, which may appeal to adult readers.

Canadian Author Marina Cohen said that she feels YA also offers adults an escape.

“I think reading fiction is about escapism,” Cohen said.

Cohen has written six novels, all for the YA genre and also reads mostly YA fiction.

“Children’s and YA novels create extremely rich and fantastical worlds. It’s so easy to slip into them.”

“Books with a teen protagPhoto by Rhiannon Lotze onist, such as The Catcher in the Rye, have been popular for Martha Martin poses for a photo in the library at LaSalle over half a century with adults Public School, on Oct. 8. Martin has been a librarian for more though it wasn’t called YA at than 20 years and is also an author and reader of YA novels. that time,” said Cohen about when YA became popular. “A Rhiannon Lotze larity with adults. pivotal point, however, may Converged Citizen Staff According to a 2013 study be the enormous popularity of published by Bowker Market Harry Potter. Adults began The popularity of young Research, 86 per cent of YA reading Rowling’s novels to adult novels with adults has novels are bought and read by their children and enjoying been growing and may now people 18 years of age and them just as much. This older. be at an all-time high. opened the door to adults While it is unclear why YA reading other YA authors, The term “young adult” was first coined in the 1960s popularity is increasing with such as Suzanne Collins and by the Young Adult Literary adults, there are many theo- John Green.”

Services Association. It was ries.

While many reasons exist as “I think first and foremost, created as a way to describe a to why YA fiction has become genre of books written for the movie adaptations of poppopular with adults, perhaps it readers from 12 to 18 years of ular YA have introduced adults to this demographic of boils down to something as age.

Since then the genre has literature,” said librarian simple as what Shadow and yielded thousands, if not more Martha Martin. “Having seen Bone author Leigh Bardugo novels. However, YA books and enjoyed these movies, said on Twitter: “because we have been growing in popu- adult readers have gone on to never stop coming of age.”

Summer school boasts accelerated learning Ashley Ann Mentley Converged Citizen Staff

Happy and successful students of all ages are proving that summer school programs in Windsor Essex County are more than just extended detention.

The Greater Essex County District School Board has been running three programs summer the throughout months which have drawn in large numbers of students and are resulting in high success rates.

The programs, which vary in focus from grades 1 through 12, are intended to serve as not only a place to make up or gain extra credits, but also as summer camps and accelerated learning environments.

Summer Learning Program is a three week course for students who have just completed grades 1, 2 or 3 and is focused on core learning.

“It’s really quick but it’s very rich and highly focused and intensive on teaching and learning mathematics and literacy,” said Superintendent of Education for Program and Professional Learning, Clara Howitt.

She said one of the biggest strengths of the program is the 200 minute learning block.

Participants also receive an optional free breakfast and have the opportunity to swim and play games each day.

SLP has grown from three sites in 2010 to 31 sites this past summer with more than 600 students. Howitt said the main goal of the program is to limit summer learning loss.

Another program aimed at

slightly older students is Reaching Ahead.

According to Dan Fister, Superintendent of Education for Student Success and Alternative Education, the program “speaks to transitioning our Grade 8 students into Grade 9 students in a full credit summer school program.”

The focus of the course was “discovering the work place” and the 51 students who participated are now beginning high school with one credit already completed.

Fister said when students experience success early on, it typically continues.

“If students can achieve 16 credits by the time they turn 16 years old, our graduation rates increase,” he said.

Also offered throughout the summer was the traditional summer school program.

Though the success rate was 97 per cent this year that was a slight drop from 2014’s numbers. Summer school principal Pat Boulos said because there was an increase in the number of students attending – roughly 1,400 – a slight decline is to be expected.

School board members said they want to emphasize that summer programs should not be seen negatively and that they are great opportunities for students.

“It’s typically been seen as something punitive – if you don’t pass during the school year then you have to go to summer school.

We’re changing that culture,” said Fister.

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Top three stresses of a college student Samantha Wigfield Converged Citizen Staff College can be stressful enough for anyone. It can seem exciting and moving on to the bigger and better but in reality, it can be pretty scary.

Whether it’s the workload, trying to juggle courses along with a job, friends, family or the inhumane crushing debt most students are balancing, it all can be dealt with.

“Stress is about perception.

It’s not things that cause stress, it’s how you view them. In other words, stress is a result of a perception of a view.” said Karen Gignac, the manager at the mental health service of Canadian Mental Health Association Financial struggles A typical St. Clair student spends about $13,500 a year on tuition, books, housing and transport. That’s a hefty bill and a massive stress for a college student of any age.

According to Collegelife.com, ways to reduce financial stress are to make a budget. If you know

Tuition and fees: At St. Clair College, this averages out to about $7000 Books and materials : $655 (National Association of College Stores) St. Clair College residence for one year: $5,350.00 Transportation (based on Windsor Transit student bus pass) : $520 exactly how much money you have coming in versus how much you have include going out, organizing funds will help give a clearer picture.

Stick to the budget – there’s a difference between wants and needs when it comes to extra spending money. Making coffee at home every day is a little cheaper than buying a five dollar coffee every day. Avoid using a credit card, as it racks up more debt. Apply for as many scholarships as possible. There’s always the financial aid office to discuss OSAP appeals and get other advice too.

Relationships and Time Management “In my experience, a lot of students at the University of Windsor face a tremendous amount of stress from their families to succeed,” Gignac said. “They also feel the need to compete with already successful siblings and to have that feeling of approval within their families.”

Gignac also said students need to balance homework, school and personal time. Too much time doing one thing will either result in failure in academics or isolation from

How to make fall makeup work for you Melissa Amiouni Converged Citizen Staff Fall is here and it’s the best time to play around with your makeup bag. Are you imagining darker colours? How about darker makeup?

There are many fall trends in makeup looks and it’s pretty simple to make them work for you. Yasmine Ab, 26, a self-taught make-up artist working at Sephora said there are three fall trends to follow this year.

Bold lips, feathered brows, graphic liners.

All of which should include the fall colours. “Fall is all about being bold while introducing gold, bronze and glitters, as the holidays are fast approaching,” Ab said.

Ab also said berry and brown shades on the lips or the eyes are perfect for that warming effect. They also give definition and a rich look to the face. But how does it work for you? Ab said learning the shape of your face will make it much easier to get your best look.

“When it comes to the perfect winged or graphic liner, practice makes perfect! But

also when it comes to bold fall looks, it’s all about smokey, sultry brown eyes and berry lip trends,” Ab said. “Learn the shape of your eyes and how to best perfect a halo eye look, and sharpen the lips for

a more polished look. Practice makes perfect and social media has made it that much easier to learn!”

Makeup is not the only part of getting that fall trend look to work for you. Taking care of your skin is part of the process.

“With the cold winter months fast approaching, I can’t stress enough the impor-

tance of hydrating your skin and incorporating a full skin regimen into your day,” Ab said. “Makeup is so much fun, and can be so versatile, but your skin is forever.”

Other people also struggle with skin troubles. Samantha Sperduti, 18, a lover of cosmetology was surrounded by the beauty world. Having her mother work at the beauty department at the Bay gave her the chance to experiment with different makeup products. The only problem Sperduti dealt with is her sensitive skin.

“I have to be careful with my foundations,” Sperduti said, “I use a couple products I know won’t break me out.”

Having the chance to play around with makeup, Sperduti said the fall look is definitely her favourite.

“It’s the best season to experiment!” Sperduti said.

So this fall, go with bold colours, learn the shape of your face, hydrate your skin and check out social media to follow new trends. Makeup is the best when you play around and experience it, so go and enjoy it.

peers. Isolation can breed into anxiety and depression. When someone is alone with their thoughts, it all comes down to support and emotional resilience which can be learned, or born with. But having people close to you can relieve some of that pressure.

“I always keep a planner of what I have to do. I highlight certain things too. Green means I have a week or so to complete it, yellow means I have 3 to 4 days and red means do it now.” said April Anderson, a student in the Office Administrative program.

Keeping a planner is great for time management. Along with trying not to commit to too many hours at work right away. Try to schedule an evening or two to distress and spend some time with loved ones. If you communicate with people most people will understand the struggle of school and the time consuming stress that comes alone with it.

Freshman 15

It’s not hard to figure out where the dreaded freshman 15 actually comes from.

Energy drinks, cafeteria pizza and ramen noodles could be the culprit.

Don’t skip breakfast. Not many people have time for a sit down breakfast, but even a piece of fruit will rev up your system for the day. As tough as it may seem, limit alcohol intake. Remember a light beer, glass of wine or just an ounce of liquor has 100 calories.

Drink a ton of water. There’s the recommended eight glasses a day, but it can also help if you drink a glass of water before meals, too.

There are plenty of websites, such as collegerecipes.com, with cheap and easy meals and recipes to help avoid gaining the extra pounds in the college years.

Stress is a completely normal feeling, but knowing how to handle it in a healthy manner is an entirely different thing. Take a deep breath, spend some time with family, and maybe talk to a counsellor and all the hard work will pay off.

How to deal with work stress Naureen Ahmed Converged Citizen Staff Fear of being laid off, more overtime due to staff cutbacks, pressure to perform to meet rising expectations with no increase in job satisfaction are problematic. “Layoffs and budget cuts are common in workplaces, which result in increased fear, uncertainty and higher levels of stress,” said Harrison.

Pressure to work at optimum levels—all the time are some of the common causes of excessive workplace stress.

According to Harrison, people should identify stress triggers and learn to tackle them.By taking these steps one can reduce both overall stress levels and the stress on the job and in the workplace.

“The better you are at managing your stress, the more positively you will affect those around you and the less other people’s stress will negatively affect you,” he said.

According to Tayraco, food cannot stop stress, but a healthy food can help tame stress in several ways.

Comfort foods like a bowl of warm oatmeal, boost levels of serotonin, a calming brain chemical.

“A healthy diet can help counter the impact of stress by

shoring up the immune system and lowering blood pressure,” she said. “It’s best to eat complex carbs which take longer to digest.”

Healthy food choices include whole-grain breads, pastas, and breakfast cereals, including old-fashioned oatmeal.

Complex carbs can also help people feel balanced by stabilizing blood sugar levels, she said.

EatRight Ontario suggests people should eat in order to keep stress in check. Omega-3 fatty acids found in fish such as salmon and tuna can prevent surges in stress hormones and may help protect against heart disease and depression.

Drinking black tea may also help people recover from stressful events more quickly.

Carbs at bedtime can speed the release of the brain chemical serotonin and help people sleep better. Since heavy meals before bed can trigger heartburn, stick to something light.

Harrison said that by employing some of these strategies individuals can not only reduce the stress in their lives, but can also turn oncefrightening events into positive endings. Even general physicians can also help by analysing the situation and referring patients to more specialised help if necessary.

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OCTOBER 16, 2015

ONVERGED CITIZEN

Odette World Health Innovation Network primed to succeed Justin Prince Converged Citizen Staff On any given day, multiple students pass through the front doors of the University of Windsor’s Odette School of Business. As they walk through the 24-year-old building, multiple brand logos decorate the walls and floors, enough to catch people’s attention.

Inside the building though, tucked into one of the side hallways, is Room 120. The office space is home to Dr. Anne Snowden, chair of the Odette World Health Innovation Network, who only recently moved into the space. Its past owner’s name is still on the sign outside.

People may be asking themselves: Why have a health innovation network as part of a business school?

“Healthcare is actually one of the largest businesses in the world. It is also the business with the highest growth,” said Snowdon, who teaches undergraduate and master’s students how to lead innovation in health systems at the school. “We don’t traditionally think of it as a business. We think of it as part of a healthcare service for Canadians, but it fact, it’s a very large business and we need business principles and business expertise to help it run more efficiently and more effectively.”

The innovation centre, which launched in July, is a network of researchers and partners from different health systems,

Photo by Justin Prince Dr. Anne Snowdon, the chair of the Odette World Health Innovation Network, stands in her office in the Odette School of Business at the University of Windsor in Windsor, Oct. 8. The innovation network was launched in July. The network currently is working on about 15 projects across Canada and the U.S. all focused on delivering quality healthcare to their respective populations. The network is currently connected to multiple groups, including British Columbia’s Ministry of Health, Dalhousie University and Arizona State University.

It’s the first network of its kind to collaborate with both Canadian and U.S. organizations. Prior to coming to the University of Windsor, Snowdon was the chair of the Ivey International Centre for Health Innovation at Western University for five years.

“Odette recruited the team because we’re at a very important geographical area in Windsor. We are on the busiest border crossing in the world,” said Snowdon. “Our two health systems in Canada and the U.S. don’t collaborate very often on how to make our systems work better, but if you are specifically located right under the bridge right at the border, you have a much greater opportunity to build on the work we’ve been doing in Canadian provinces and extend it and accelerate it with

U.S. partners.”

Snowdon said each person involved in the network has a certain area of expertise “to better redesign healthcare systems to be more effective and cost less money.” For example, the network is working with ASU for their innovation in supply chain management.

The WHIN’s seven researchers are also sent to where its research and innovation projects are located, some of which are in Halifax, Toronto and Vancouver. The network is currently working

on about 15 research projects, including one local project with Hotel-Dieu Grace Healthcare.

“Healthcare around the world is all becoming very similar … even though people think it’s different, the problems we have are the same problems. Problems associate with people not being able or feeling they’re not able to access the care they require, plus health systems not coping with people of increasing age and complexity of illness,” said Dr. Charles Alessi, an add-on faculty member at Odette and a senior advisor for Public Health England.

“Bringing together all this focus in one place is actually quite helpful for all of us all over the world.”

Throughout the summer, three students assisted with the network’s projects. Jon Suckling, who worked on various tasks from doing research to collecting data, said he learned through the centre that it was crucial to have a business background in the healthcare industry.

“I think a lot of the time in research, we have the tendency to be very problem-focused and it was an opportunity to be very solution-focused,” said Suckling, an MBA student at UWindsor. “As you get to dive in deeper into what’s going on in other parts of the world and what’s going on in Canada as well domestically, it’s a really exciting thing to be a part of.”

Snowdon said the WHIN expects to see more projects start in the near future.

Biodegradable bottle contains environmental solution Alexandra Latremouille Converged Citizen Staff Two professors at the University of Windsor said a new edible, biodegradable water bottle could eventually replace plastic water bottles.

The product, named Ooho, was developed in 2014 by Imperial College London students Rodrigo Gonzalez, Pierre Paslier and Guillaume Couche. Rather than containing water in plastic, Ooho holds water in a membrane made from calcium chloride and brown algae extract. The material is safe for human

consumption and is comparable to the juice-filled pearls in bubble tea.

Ooho’s eco-friendly design causes it to be more appealing to consumers than standard water bottles, according to a marketing professor at the Odette School of Business.

“There is a move where people want something that is more environmentally friendly,” said David Bussiere, assistant vice-president at the campus. “The fact that something is not going the recycling route but is actually able to degenerate on its own

would probably be seen as higher-up on a green scale, and therefore more favourable.”

Ooho is currently not being sold, because, according to Gonzalez, food and beverage corporations have not adopted it. However, its recipe has been posted online.

Another professor at the university said Ooho will likely become more popular than plastic water bottles because its materials are less expensive.

“I could see them replacing standard water bottles for a

number of reasons,” said Paul Henshaw, an engineering professor. “The main thing is that the material that makes up the non- biodegradable water bottle, which is essentially petroleum, could become more expensive down the road.

Petroleum prices are down right now but that’s probably only for the short-term.”

However, some things hinder the product’s success. For example, one of the substances used to create its membrane, brown algae extract, is not available in many Canadian stores. Other obstacles include the bottles

not being resealable and people generally not being interested in creating Ooho them selves.

Regardless, Ooho could renew interest in the bottled water industry which has been subject to criticism due to concerns about resource wastage, according to Henshaw. Some post-secondary facilities and cities, such as the University of Vermont and San Francsico, have banned them for this reason.

“If Ooho can change public perception around, I don’t think it’s such a bad thing,” said Henshaw.

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OCTOBER 22, 2015

ONVERGED CITIZEN

Safe is sexy: STI screening test Lyndi-Colleen Morgan Converged Citizen Staff

Students at St. Clair College have been learning that being safe is sexy, and that there should not be a stigma about getting tested for sexually transmitted diseases.

The Safe is Sexy campaign was held in the St. Clair College Student Centre Oct. 15. It was sponsored by the St. Clair College Student Representative Council, St Clair College’s Health Centre and the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit in order to bring awareness to students about the importance of being tested and removing the stigmas that are associated with being tested.

Miranda Underwood, president of the SRC and member of the organizing committee, said this event is the first one of this magnitude to be held at St. Clair College for STI screening. The event was available to all St Clair students at the South campus in Windsor.

“We have started this year

doing smaller testing events within the student residence,” said Underwood. “Testing has always been available, but we decided that we would take it out of the office.”

In 2014 Western University ran an event where 517 students where tested, setting a Canadian record for the most STI tests conducted in one day. On Sept. 21, the University of Windsor tried to break the world record for most STI tests conducted in a 24 hour period, with their event called T’s 4 Pee. They fell short of this goal but still tested 700 students in the time period.

St. Clair’s event ran from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. During that time, 539 students were tested for chlamydia and gonorrhea.

“People don’t have to be embarrassed to ask for STI testing. It really is the safest and easiest thing to do,” said Elyse Maindonald, nurse practitioner for the St. Clair College’s Health Centre.

“Some may have an STI and not even know because there may be no symptoms. The danger of this is they would go untreated and can also pass an infection unknowingly to a

partner.”

Public Health Ontario statistics show that in 2014, chlamydia rates were 272 per 100,000 Windsor-Essex residents, which is comparable to Ontario’s as a whole which was at 352 per 100,000 people.

Public Health Ontario statistics also show the rates for gonorrhea during this time were 19 carriers per 100,000 people, compared to Ontario’s average of 56 carriers.

Health promotion specialist for the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit, Dana Boyd, said if both schools could gather more than the 517 students Western did, it would be a victory for the district. She also said people who attended would be knowledgeable about prevention and advocating for their own health.

“The reason that we are here is that locally we are doing better than the provincial averages for chlamydia and gonorrhea,”said Boyd.

“However, when you look at the people who are testing positive it is those under 24 years of age, that is why we are at the St. Clair campus and the university. We want to do

an even better job. We don’t just want to be below the provincial average, we want to do an even better job and have safe and healthy people.”

Tyler Week’es waited in line to get tested said it is important as a 19-year-old college student to be tested.

“It’s healthy for you,” said Week’es. “I recommend that students get tested because if you are sexually active it’s a way of being informed about if you are infected or have been infected.”

Boyd said students who tested positive during the event will be notified by the health unit within the next week about treatment options and that the testing procedure and reporting is confidential.

Testing services are also available to students at St. Clair campuses who could not attend the event. For more information about testing and services offered by the Health Centre visit www.stclaircollege.ca/studentservices/health services.

The Windsor-Essex Health Unit also provides testing for all STIs including HIV and Hepatitis at all their locations.

Appointment hours can be found at www.wechu.org.

Gender Journeys program starting in late October Kassandra Coates Converged Citizen Staff St. Clair College’s downtown campus is looking to help people who are struggling with gender identity issues.

The Gender Journeys program is being offered at the downtown Center for the Arts campus. It is a support group for people who are thinking about their own gender changes and looking for reliable information and community connections.

Jackie Fulmer, a social worker at St. Clair said it is going to be an open, nonjudgmental and safe environment for students and the public. Each week they are focusing on a particular topic and discussing relevant health information.

“We want the program to be a place where youth can come together, talk about the stressors, challenges and utilize one another to assist them

Photo by Kassandra Coates

St. Clair College Centre for the Arts campus, where the gender journeys program will be held. in navigating their life right now,” said Fulmer. “The group will be a safe space for all members.”

According to Rainbow Health Ontario many trans people in Ontario are still treated unfairly. The statistics showed that many trans people are denied health care, or are treated with disrespect in health care settings, as well as in the general public.

The Association of Ontario Health stated the story of Caitlyn Jenner helped raise

awareness about the struggles of people who are transgendered. However, very few trans people enjoy the privileges that come with Jenner’s fame and wealth.

A local trans woman said she feels being transgender is made very difficult by the society we live in.

“My biggest difficulty was family members making the pronoun transition and getting used to referring to me as she,” said the woman. “It was a very painful process. I still don’t really understand why

it’s so hard for people to grasp the concept of using the correct pronouns for trans people.”

The Gender Journeys program will allow the students and others to vent about their feelings and even ask questions about things they might not understand.

Paula Cole, a social worker at the Windsor Family Health team will be taking the intake calls for the program and said she wants to make sure that the group is a good fit for the individual’s interests and needs.

“Listen to trans women, support trans women, and recognize that we are deserving of love – platonic and romantic,” said the woman.

The program will be held every other Thursday from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. starting from Oct 22 through Dec 17. 2016 dates will be released at a later time. If you have any questions you can call 519-2505656 ext. 203.

HEAT PAGE 1 home uncomfortable, but they can also increase heating costs by around 20 per cent.

According to Sustainability Victoria who facilitate and promote environmental sustainability in the use of resources, minimise heat loss by sealing drafts.

You can check for drafts by looking for obvious gaps and listening for rattles or whistling around doors and windows. Also, check around skirting boards and architraves, evaporative cooler outlets, exhaust fans and vents, around external doors and sealing around wall vents.

Smart meters and time-ofuse pricing can help you manage your electricity costs.

Ontario introduced time-ofuse pricing to reflect the costs of producing electricity at different times of the day.

There are three time-of-use periods: off-peak, when energy demand is low and less expensive sources of electricity are used; mid-peak, when the cost of energy and demand are moderate; on-peak, when demand is highest and more expensive forms of electricity production are used.

In winter electricity use peaks twice daily, when people get up in the morning and when they come home from work. according to the Ministry of Energy.

For more tips and tricks on how to keep warm and save money this winter go to Ontario’s Winter EnergySaving Tips.

Please recycle this newspaper Recycle newspaper There are 63 million newspapers printed each day in the U.S. Of these, 44 million, or about 69%, of them will be thrown away. Recycling just the Sunday papers would save more than half a million trees every week.

Source: 50waystohelp.com

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OCTOBER 16, 2015

ONVERGED CITIZEN

Religious leaders ponder purpose of life Rabiul Biplob Converged Citizen Staff The recent shooting at a school in Oregon reminds everyone to rethink their purpose in life and redesign their goal in life, according to local clergymen.

A 26- year-old shooter entered the school and killed nine students, wounding nearly 10 more.

Pastor Brandon Taylor works at Riverside Baptist Church of Windsor.

“In this fast-pace world people sometime forget what their purpose of life is and that’s why they forget that they have to die and they do not prepare themselves accordingly,” said Taylor.

“That is what happened with the killer of the Oregon shooting, he did not even love his life and his mind was filled with hatred.”

“That is why we have to rewire our thinking process and connect ourselves with love which we can get by following the path of Jesus,” said Taylor.

Rajvinder Singh is a Guru of Sikh temple Gurdwara Khalsa Parkash in Windsor.

“The tragic death of those

Photo By Rabiul Biplob Mufti Mohammad Ibne Solaiman is giving a speech after evening prayer at West Mosallah, Windsor on Oct. 7 students and teacher on that day teaches us that life is so vulnerable and we need to follow the path of love and help each other to fulfill the purpose of life which is connecting ourselves with God,” said Singh.

According to the Sikh reli-

gion everyone is equal in the eyes of God and one should take care of other human beings, whether he or she is from the same religion or not.

“They should love each other for the sake of God,” said Singh.

Mufti Mohammad Ibne

Solaiman of Windsor teaches Quran recitation and Hadith at an Islamic school in Windsor.

“Allah has sent prophets to tell the people to follow the path that is directed by the almighty and who sent messages through prophets and by only doing that can

one find the purpose in their life,” said Solaiman “Life is short and one has to remind himself of that and lead their life accordingly.”

All clergymen said only love can change the world, not the hatred.

Dear college companions: just chill Alexandra Latremouille Converged Citizen Staff You slither into bed after plodding through seven-anda-half hours at school. Soggy bags, labelled “exhaustion,” tug on your lower eyelids.

They have been doing this all day — in fact, for the past few days…weeks…maybe months? But, sizing up the assignments stacked before you, you ignore this. That math booklet can’t be completed in a dream, right?

For many post-secondary students, October means parttime work, school, finding long-term employment and stress. A 2013 survey by the National College Health Assessment found 58 per cent of college students suffer academically because of stress.

What’s to be done about this fiasco?

Tracey Rogers, a local Reiki

practitioner and owner of White Feather Holistic Arts, made her answer clear as a crystal ball: students must make themselves a priority.

Not their homework, friends’ drama, Facebook or Twitter.

Just their minds and bodies.

“We have to find time for ourselves to create inner peace,” stated Rogers, nestled among books and spiraling incense. “If you find yourself getting stressed about upcoming tests or by looking at your workload, just breathe….In reality, it’s the only thing you’ll ever have to do.”

This meditative practice, also known as mindfulness, has been proven to relieve anxiety.

Even five or ten minutes of it can make you feel fabulous, according to Willoughby Britton, a psychology professor at Brown University in Rhode Island. Mindful meditation is also one of those things that can be done any-

Photo courtesy of www.liveforlivemusic.com where. You just need to feel what is going on around you.

Or, you can unchain builtup frustration by getting ripped. Exercise is another fantastic way to alleviate stress. At least Phil Ricciardi, chief psychologist at the Greater Essex County District School Board, believes so.

“Physical conditioning and exercise can easily be used to

inoculate yourself,” said Ricciardi. “The whole focus of wellness is something companies are really beginning to look at now, for example.

From an economic standpoint, billions of dollars are lost each year due to lack of physical conditioning.”

Academically, being physical unwell can cause absenteeism. To treat this, therapists

at the Anxiety and Depression Association of America recommend participating in aerobic activities. Aerobics cause the body to release loads of endorphins, which act as biological Tylenols.

“I imagine people should also pay attention to what they eat,” Ricciardi added with a chortle.

Diets richly coated with sugar, fat and salt can trigger sadness and other mental health problems. If you are unable to focus or feel like using your binders as pillows, that Prime burger might be one of the culprits.

So, what if you meditate, work out and stuff yourself silly with cucumbers but still wince when thinking about those five assignments? It might be time to write a checklist. That way, you can use each project as stepping stone to the next. It might also steer you to sanity.

CONVERGED CITIZEN OCTOBER 22, 2015

Huttch headlines the Fam Fest Dominion House show

10

In the news

By Nate Trombley

Amber Rose transformed Kanye West’s demeaning statement into an empowering one On Oct. 3, Amber Rose led several hundred women in a “SlutWalk” which is an event used to target “issues of sexual violence, gender inequality, derogatory labeling and victim blaming,” said Rose. According to the L.A. Times, women from Los Angeles and the surrounding area showed up to support not only Rose but her cause. Many of these women held signs that read “my clothes aren’t my consent” or “the way I dress does not mean yes”

Demi Lovato poses naked for Vanity Fair Demi Lovato, 23, found it “empowering” to be able to pose nude without makeup, according to the Bang Showbiz. “In the past I suffered from eating disorders and I basically went from hating every inch of my body to working on myself and figuring out ways to love myself and love the skin that I’m in, ” said Lovato in a video accompanying the steamy photoshoot. Lovato feels the photoshoot allows fans to see her true self and help them learn to love their bodies.

The Martian set to beat out Gravity

Photo by Anthony Sheardown

Sebastian Abt, lead singer of Huttch plays at the Dominion House on Oct, 4 Anthony Sheardown Converged Citizen Staff Local band Huttch headlined the fourth night of the Windsor Fam Fest and were rewarded with three encores.

Harvesting The Fam Festival is Windsor’s largest independent interarts festival. The festival is an opportunity for artists to showcase their work throughout the city. It showcases many different artists including photographers, painters, film makers and more, all spread out at different places from Oct. 1 until Oct. 10. Some artists’ work will stay up on display for the remainder of the month.

Fam Fest was created in 2006 and is still run by Murad Erzinclioglu and Benjamin Young-Har. The music shows take place every night at a different loca-

tion for the 10 days of the festival. On Oct 4 at the Dominion House in Sandwich Town, people gathered to watch the six band show, including Ivory Hours from London and headliners, Huttch.

“Music is often times the most populated genre at the festival,” said Erzinclioglu.

There was a lot of support from fans and other artists.

People were gathered around to watch every artist do their set.

“I really did dig the event, I was happy to see how much energy the artists brought to their community,” said Elliot Hale, 21, a University of Windsor student. “It definitely shows how much respect each artist has towards each other when you see the bands jamming out to each opening act.”

This was the first year Huttch

played at the Fam Fest. As the headliners of the show they went on at 11:30 p.m. and after playing their set plus three encores they finished at 1 a.m.

“The crowd was great. They kept wanting more so we kept giving it to them. We love these kinds of shows,” said Robbie Cervi, 22, the drummer in Huttch.

There are many different styles of music that are played throughout the fest. Every event is free which allows more people to come out and support.

“For us Fam Fest brings out people who wouldn’t normally go to a local show or who haven’t seen Huttch live before,” said Cervi. “It puts the Windsor art seen in an extremely available format that anyone can enjoy and attend.”

The Martian was released on October 2 and has hit almost record breaking sales of $55 million, just below the Oct. record for the 2013 hit Gravity. According to an article on the Los Angeles Times, The Martian stars Matt Damon as an astronaut who gets left behind by his fellow astronauts on a hostile planet where he must learn to survive until he can be rescued.

Selena Gomez announces a shocking secret Selena Gomez recently announced she was diagnosed with lupus, an autoimmune disease. As a result, Gomez had to cancel some of her shows during 2013 and 2014. According to an article on CBC, she took a break and while many people thought she went to rehab, she was actually getting chemotherapy and was not strong enough to tell people at the time. “I wanted so badly to say you guys have no idea.

I’m in chemotherapy. I locked myself away until I was confident and comfortable.”

Actor says his “Bond bank is dry” “I’d rather break this glass and slit my wrists” said Daniel Craig when asked what he thinks of playing James Bond again. According to an article on CBC, Craig said he just wants to be done and have someone else take over. Craig added he does not care who replaces him as long as he does not have to do another movie. “Good luck to them. All I care about is that if I stop doing these things we’ve left it in a good place and people pick it up and make it better. Make it better, that’s all,” said Craig.

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OCTOBER 22, 2015

ONVERGED CITIZEN

Game review: Transformers Devastation Caleb Workman Converged Citizen Staff It’s here. It’s been a long time coming for Transformers fans everywhere and Hasbro has delivered with its newest next-gen video game installment – Transformers Devastation.

A lot of skepticism and doubt has fallen into the Transformers universe since the Michael Bay films according to its series-wide low ratings from various entertainment reviewers. The reviewers say this is because of its lack of detail and surplus of explosions but this next step backwards is the right step forwards.

The game, developed by PlatinumGames (Bayonetta) and published by Activision brings gamers to a world familiar to those growing up with the original Generation 1 Transformers. With its cellshaded art design, a very comic book feeling dialogue and original voice acting complete with Peter Cullen who has been voicing Optimus Prime since the 80s, gamers will feel like they were put into the world originally created back then.

Gamers can play as Optimus, Sideswipe, Bumblebee, Wheeljack or Grimlock to save the human world from being turned into a Transformers-based planet like Cybertron, the Transformers’ home world.

The beat-‘em-up style game throws players right into the mix from the beginning facing them off against legendary villains Devastator and Megatron

Photo provided by www.heypoorplayer.com Transformers Devastion rolled out into local stores on Oct. 6 and has been said to be the best Transformers game ever impressing fans and reviewers world-wide. within the first 20 minutes of the game. With unique button mashing combos, and the throw in of a vehicle-mode combat mechanic, players are facing off against the best of them from the start.

Other classic characters you face off against include Starscream, Blitzwing, Motomaster and Menasor.

One of the biggest and most appealing features of the game is the combat. With fluid motion, the “turn-into-a-vehicle-and-bash-into-robot” mechanic and combos you won’t figure out until your

second play through, the fighting in the game is not shallow as most beat ‘em ups are.

Although it is awesome to hear Peter Cullen as the leader of the Autobots the game would not feel complete without the rest of the cast as well.

Original voice actors from The Transformers series include Dan Gilvezan (Bumblebee), Michael Bell (Sideswipe and Scrapper), Gregg Berger (Grimlock and Long Haul) and Frank Welker (Megatron and Soundwave) reprising their roles in this G1 game.

Aside from the nostalgia, the original story created for this game fits perfectly with the G1 feel and has a unique setting. That being said, the setting is also one of its weak points.

The cell-shaded design is beautiful but the very apparent ‘copy and paste’ settings takes away from the idea of exploring the different levels. From Earth’s streets to the world of Cybertron, all settings are unique but the same because of the repetitive looking environments in each world. It’s

nice to use a comic book art technique but cheating with setting takes away from the game.

Overall the game was a success with many online review sites claiming it to be “the best Transformers game ever.”

Like the famous slogan would suggest, in this game there “is more than meets the eye.”

I would say the game is flawless for what it was meant to be aside from the ‘copy and paste’ settings and would give this game an 8.3/10 and the “Classic Game” seal of approval.

Stop the blame on mental illness COLUMN

Sean Previl

There’s been yet another mass shooting in the U.S., this time on a university campus in Arizona and I’m betting at least someone will blame mental illness.

It’s a good bet considering mental illness has been raised in so many highly publicized mass killings recently.

Aurora, Colo., Newtown, Conn., Charleston, S.C., Roseburg, Ore.

In all these terrible stories, politicians and news media have pointed the finger to mental illness. It’s exhausting.

In the U.S., it is easier to place blame on something other than guns for the shooting incidents and often mental illness takes this blame.

However, this is not about why more gun control is needed. It is about the ever present stigma placed on mental illness.

In the aftermath of shootings, Americans speculate about the cause. Dr. Jonathan

Metzl, in his article “Mental Illness, Mass Shootings and the Politics of American Firearms” (U.S. National Library of Medicine), challenges the assumptions “mental illness causes gun violence” and “psychiatric diagnosis can predict gun crime.”

Although he says there can be some truth to this, the automatic connection between the two is also based on stereotypes. The National Center for Health Statistics suggests fewer than five per cent of gun-related killings between 2001 and 2010 were commit-

ted by people diagnosed with mental illness.

Do you think people who suffer from mental health issues will be comfortable raising their hand to publicly admit they have a problem?

So one piece of advice: Americans, please stop it. Just stop. Stop knee-jerk blaming your gun violence on mental illness when statistics show it is rarely a result of mental illness. The blaming doesn’t help anybody and in fact, it may make the situation worse.

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OCTOBER 22, 2015

ONVERGED CITIZEN

LoL world championships draw millions of viewers Kameron Chausse Converged Citizen Staff The League of Legends World Championship tournament is underway. For the month of October, the best teams from across the world will compete against each other. Each match will be broadcast to an audience of millions. The tournament will culminate in an epic best-offive battle between the top two teams on October 31 for the title of World Champions and a potential grand prize of $1 million.

To those not in the know, League of Legends is one of the most played multiplayer computer games on the planet as well as one of the most widely viewed eSports in the world. According to numbers released by Riot Games, who developed the game, League of Legends had 27 million daily players and 67 million unique monthly players as of early 2014. Over 27 million viewers, with 11.2 million viewers at one time, tuned in to the final match of the 2014 World Championships – compared to 5 million viewers for the NHL Stanley Cup Finals Game 5 in the same year.

The main game mode is played between two teams of five, each player controlling a unique character on a two dimensional map with a fantasy setting. The teams of five will then utilize teamwork and their character’s unique abili-

Image courtesy of Ayton Chausse With a roster of over 125 characters, League of Legends has deep gameplay value. ties to conquer neutral objectives and eventually destroy the enemy’s base. With a roster of over 125 characters, ach match is a test of each team’s adaptability and strategy.

A total of sixteen professional teams have made it to Worlds this year. Of those, three are North American; Counter Logic Gaming (CLG), Team SoloMid (TSM), and Cloud9 (C9). The other eleven hail from South Korea, China, Europe, and Southeast Asia with two “International Wildcards” (one from Brazil, and one from Thailand).

Traditionally, the Korean and Chinese teams have been favourites – the 2012 champions were the Chinese Taipei Assassins, where the 2013 and 2014 winners were the South

Korean SK Telecom T1 and Samsung Galaxy White, respectively.

The only Western team to have won the World Championship in history has been the European team Fnatic, in season one in 2011.

This year’s tournament began on the first of October with the group stages taking place over the first two weekends of the month. Several teams, including all three North American teams, were knocked out in the group stages with the remaining players made up of a mix of European, Chinese, and Korean teams.

“It’s a spectacle and one full of people who were all really talented and entertaining playing a game I liked,” said Niraj ‘Everbronze’ Ratanji, a Silver5 ranked LoL player and

eSports enthusiast. “I think it’s also a good way to pick up on ways to improve as a player yourself.”

Everbronze has played League of Legends for three years and been a fan of the LoL eSports scene since 2012.

In that time he has become a diehard TSM fan and has taken to following the players on streaming sites, even in the off season. He will continue to follow current and former TSM affiliated players now that they are not obligated to continue in the tournament.

ESports are gradually becoming more popular as viewership grows. LoL’s World Championships this year will be held in several cities across Europe, with the finals being held in Berlin’s Mercedes-Benz Arena. Last

year’s season four World Championships were held in South Korea’s packed Sangam Stadium where 40,000 fans cheered the teams on. Sangam Stadium might be remembered as a venue for 2002’s FIFA world cup.

“The growth of eSports has been nothing short of amazing,” said Shaun Byrne, CEO of eSport Gaming Events (EGE). EGE is an event planning company that organizes eSports events in Windsor and Essex County. “ESports have been able to accomplish in just a few years what traditional sports have taken over fifty years to accomplish.”

Several real-world establishments have begun to broadcast eSports events for their patrons as well, with ‘eSports cafes’ such as Tecumseh’s Kappa Gaming Lounge cropping up across North America and beyond.

Cineplex has announced plans to begin broadcasting certain events up on the silver screen.

The LoL championships will be broadcast across several websites including streaming site Twitch.TV, YouTube, and Riot’s own eSports website lolesports.com. It’s also available through the League of Legends in-game client, through a pop-up function. A full schedule can be found at http://2015.na.lolesports.com/ and past and current games from this tournament can be found at the LoLChampSeries YouTube channel.

Local book drive donating to children in need Rhiannon Lotze Converged Citizen Staff A local charity is providing books to children in need to highlight the importance of reading during childhood.

The Link to Literacy Children’s Book Drive was started in 2008 by Tamye Machina. The goal of the charity is to provide children with reading material if they cannot get it otherwise.

Since its creation, Link to Literacy has collected and distributed more than 30,000 books written for children aged 4-13. This year alone over 8,000 gently-used books have been donated and will be distributed to places like elementary schools in November.

The charity was created by

Machina as a way to recycle her children’s books and to promote the importance of reading to children who don’t have easy access to reading material.

“I firmly believe the ability to read is an essential life skill and that owning a book makes a huge difference to a child to motivate them to … achieve success in school and also in life,” said Machina. She runs the organization largely by herself but has received help from local groups such as the LaSalle.

Vipers junior hockey team and the Essex County Library.

“Many of these children live in economically disadvantaged neighbourhoods, are new immigrants to Canada, have challenging family situa-

tions or do not live near a public library,” she said.

Some of the places Link to Literacy has donated to in the past include Roseville Public School and the LaSalle Rotary Club.

According to the principal of Roseville, Eileen Topliffe, the charity has already benefited over 1000 students in more ways than one.

“Every student in the school received a take home book.

Some received more because of need,” Topliffe said. “From my school, the home library is sparse and they borrow quite a few books from the library. To have ownership of a precious book is fantastic.”

Having children read is also important because reading

promotes academic excellence, enhances speech skills, helps children think more logically and can help with concentration and discipline, according to an article on earlymoments.com.

While it is important for children to read, it is often difficult to inspire them to do so.

As an elementary school teacher and mother of two, Michelle Murphy-St. Amand has been working on ways to interest her students and children in reading.

“Let them choose the books they get to read,” she said.

“Don’t tell the entire class they are all reading the same book. Take them to the bookstore and look at the book covers. Have them talk to their

friends about the books they are reading. Having a book recommended to you by a peer is a powerful thing. Read to them. Read with them. Buy them books, even at Value Village or yard sales. Read non-fiction books about topics they are interested in. Find a series they like so they can read the entire series and get attached to the characters.”

Link to Literacy is one of several charities that provides books to people in need and promotes the importance of reading. For people wanting to donate to the organization, Tamye Machina can be contacted through the Link to Literacy Facebook or Twitter pages or by phone at 519-9781517.

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arts & entertainment ONVERGED CITIZEN School hosts Thanksgiving dinner David Dyck Converged Citizen Staff In the wake of its 10-year anniversary, a Christian private school in Staples will be holding a Thanksgiving dinner fundraiser, which officials say they need to keep the school running.

Christian Fellowship Learning Centre, a private school located on Rochester Townline Road in Staples will hold its annual fall fundraiser on Oct. 24, at the UMEI Christian High School, a tradition it has followed since it was created in 2005.

The school hosts two fundraisers every year, usually in the spring and fall. With the school not receiving any government funding, John Dyck, chairman of the school board, said the fundraisers are necessary to keep the school going.

“They do fairly well, they raise anywhere from $6,000 to 40,000,” said Dyck. “We have to do fundraisers, that’s the only way we can survive.”

While the funds right now are primarily for the general maintenance of the institution,

Photo by David Dyck

Principal of the Christian Fellowship Learning Centre, Lisa Friesen, poses for a photo at the Centre before Thanksgiving celebrations.

Principal Lisa Friesen said the school also has long-term plans to one day enlarge their kitchen. The renovations are expected to cost more than $17,000 in addition to $15,000 which was put into a new gym, constructed last year.

“The gym is still a work in progress, (but) we’re able to use it already,” said Friesen.

“There’s still some finishing touches that need to be made,

the bottom is still just plywood sheets.”

Even though the fundraising events are open to the public, Friesen said they are consistently reliant on the school’s supportive parent base.

“They have to give us so much just to keep us going,” said Friesen, referring to the auctions they hold irregularly.

“They donate the items to the

What’s onBy Alannah in Windsor-Essex Wills What: Jekyll and Hyde

auction, they come to the auction and they buy the items (from each other). They really give a lot for this cause.”

The support of the parents goes back to the beginning of the school when several Mennonite parents wanted to branch off from the private school funded by the Old Colony Church, but were hesitant to immediately send their

kids to a public school.

“Initially, it was pretty much parent-funded,” said Aaron Blatz, one of the core founding members for the school and its first principal. “We went ahead with founding the school which would accommodate multi-Mennonite denominations as opposed to being from just one denomination.”

Dyck said the school appreciates this flexibility which also allows them to adjust the curriculum to be more biblically slanted. He said the school has recently had students transferred from public schools, because the parents were objected to the new sex education curriculum introduced into the Ontario education curriculum.

“The biggest reason a lot of these parents send their kids to this school is to get true Christianity,” said Dyck. “We need to get more of Christ in our life.”

For more information and times for the Thanksgiving fundraiser, the school can be reached by phone at 519-6876613.

MEDIAPLEX CONVERGED TEAM

Where: E.J. Lajeunesse 600 E.C. Row Ave. W., Windsor When: Oct. 15, 16, 17, 18 Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 8:00p.m.

Sunday, 2:00p.m.

Kameron Chausse Kristine Klein Rabiul Biplop

What: Intimate Mozart Where: The Capitol Theatre 121 University Ave W. Windsor When: Sunday, Oct. 18, 2:30p.m.

Managing Editors

What: Swim with Ariel Princess Pool Party

Ashley Ann Mentley Michael Hugall

Where: Adventure Bay Water Park 401 Pitt St. W., Windsor When: Saturday, Oct. 17, 10:00a.m.

What: Haunted Greenhouse and Maze

Production Team Kameron Chausse Kristine Klein Rabiul Biplob

Where: Colasanti’s Tropical Gardens 1550 Road 3 E., Kingsville When: Oct. 16, 17, 18, 23, 24, 25 6:00p.m.

Entertainment Editor

What: Rent

Alannah Wills

Where: Olde Walkerville Theatre 1564 Wyandotte St. E., Windsor When: Oct. 16, 17, 23, 24, 7:30p.m.

October 18, 25, 2:00p.m.

Co-Managing Editors

Production Managers

Caleb Workman Mark Brown

Naureen Ahmed Josh Teixeira

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Sports Editors

Anthony Sheardown Christian Bouchard Jordan Caschera Tyler Boissonneault

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Julia Poehlman Rhiannon Lotze Samantha Wigfield

David Dyck Victoria Parent

WWW.THEMEDIAPLEX.COM EMAIL: MEDIA.CONVERGED@THEMEDIAPLEX.COM PHONE: (519) 972-2727 EXT. 4963

CONVERGED CITIZEN OCTOBER 22, 2015

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Abeare said he recommends that players who have been concussed visit specialists rather than physicians.

“Athletes can shop around for physicians who are willing to say the athlete is ready to go back,” said Abeare. “These regulations require notes from physicians and unfortunately, many physicians are still under the old belief system that concussions require loss of consciousness.”

Abeare also said although it is good to educate the public about concussions and how they can be severe, many people are “fear mongering” and making Photo by Garrett Fodor people believe that Lajeunesse’ Colin Goyea tackles a Belle River player in a game on Oct. 2 at Lajeunesse in Windsor. concussions will end your life.

Bird Bouchard Football is the most anyone get hurt,” said Rob “The majority of people school in Seattle was McIntyre.

“It’s a game and Converged Citizen Staff with concussions recover in playing defensive back common sport with a when he was struck in the concussion risk for males – it’s supposed to be fun. The two to three days,” said last thing we want to see is Abeare. “The vast majority, With yet another death of a head during the fourth a 75 per cent risk. high school football player, quarter of a game Oct. 5.

A convener for WECSAA someone getting seriously about 80 to 90 per cent will local coaches say 2015. football said at any point in injured. We’re not going to recover in eight to 10 days.

WECSSAA is taking the Bui’s death is the fourth time where an adult, coach risk anyone’s safety to win a Most people recover fairly right steps towards high school football-related or parent puts a student high school championship, I quickly.” protecting their players. in jeopardy, can assure you that.”

The website death in the U.S. in the past athlete Although WECSAA has Kenney Bui, a senior at month and highlights a WECSAA absolutely will guidelines and concussion SEE PAGE 15 Technology, Engineering concern in player safety in respond to it. and Communications high WECSSAA football.

“We don’t want to see protocol, Dr. Christopher

WECSSAA tackling player safety

The 2015 Tigers:

OPINION

A Post Mortem Mark Brown What began as a season of promise ended as a season of regret for the Major League Baseball team across the river. A team that was supposed to contend for its fifth straight American League Central Division title is now watching the postseason from the sidelines with a losing record. And many fans in Windsor are temporarily shifting their loyalties to the team from Toronto.

The team across the river is of course, the Detroit Tigers, who finished the season with a 74-87 record, their first losing season since 2008. Here’s what I think went wrong this season, what went right and what the team needs to do to be competitive in 2016.

The MVP Miguel Cabrera Despite a team offence that was spotty and underperforming, Cabrera showed why he remains the heart and soul of the Tigers.

Although sitting out some time with injuries, Cabrera still pulled in a .338 average

to take his fourth AL batting title in five years. The AL as a whole was weak-hitting this season and the .338 average isn’t as high as his other batting title-winning years. Cabrera did register his 10th All-Star Game appearance and hit his 400th home run as a Tiger this year, surpassing Al Kaline’s franchise record. This is the stuff that Hall of Fame careers are made of.

Biggest Disappointment Brad Ausmus Ausmus’ second year as the team’s manager is one I’m sure he’d like to have back. After winning a division title for the Tigers

in his first year, the team stumbled under his leadership this year.

Questions were raised about his coaching ability and were amplified by instances of pitchers losing control and multiple tactical and base running mistakes.

Cries for Ausmus’ head got louder as the year went on and there were reports that he would be fired, but new general manager Al Avila gave Ausmus a pass and will honour the last year of Ausmus’ contract.

Most Improved Player Justin Verlander The Tigers needed an ace

after Max Scherzer bolted for Washington in free agency and Verlander easily retained that label. Even after sitting out half the season with injuries, Verlander regained his form by pitching 133 1/3 innings, striking out 113 and registering a 3.38 earned run average. This was a nice bounceback from 2014, a season marred by subpar pitching and personal embarrassment caused by the release of wink-wink photos of him and girlfriend Kate Upton. We haven’t seen the last of Verlander by a longshot.

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sports & fitness

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OCTOBER 22, 2015

ONVERGED CITIZEN

WECSSAA Breast Cancer Awareness Week

Photo by Ryan Blevins Tecumseh Vista football team huddles before their game against Riverside Secondary School at Tecumseh Vista Academy on Friday, October 2, 2015 cancer with the intention of Cancer Centre by selling Ryan Blevins silicon bracelets to students making a change.

Converged Citizen Staff Oct. 1 they kicked off the and fans to be used as tickets to all the games Windsor-Essex Catholic fifth annual breast cancer played during the week. awareness week for local Secondary School Athletic high school football players.

Each bracelet costs three Association Football players The event raised money for dollars and all of the profits are raising money for breast the Windsor Regional made from the 40 cent

MORTEM PAGE 14 Biggest Loser David Dombrowski If Ausmus wasn’t going anywhere, the team certainly needed another scapegoat and poor Dombrowski got the chop.

General manager of the team since 2002 when the incompetent Randy Smith was sacked, Dombrowski was credited for building a team that would consistently dominate over the next decade and a half. But after he hit the panic button and traded away David Price and Yoenis Cespedes for players that didn’t really deliver the results hoped for, Dombrowski fell out of

favour and he was shown the door.

Nicest Surprise J.D. Martinez Little did the Tigers realize that they were picking up a sleeping giant when the Houston Astros released Martinez after the 2013 season. Martinez hit 23 homers for Detroit in 2014, but broke out this year with a team-leading 38. He also knocked in 102 runs.

Martinez was one of the few batters in the lineup this year that played consistent baseball. He was rewarded with his first All-Star appearance.

Look for Martinez to continue to be a force to be reckoned with.

So what do the Tigers have to do to get back on top of the Central in 2016?

For starters, get decent pitching. Alfredo Simon was a disappointment, and Anibal Sanchez was just mediocre.

Verlander retained the ace label, but sat out part of the season, and Daniel Norris registers an incomplete grade despite showing promise since joining the Tigers in the David Price trade.

The Tigers need hitting as well, starting with getting Cespedes back. After being traded to the New York Mets, Cespedes has expressed interest in returning to Detroit when he is a free-agent this winter. A couple more big bats would boost an offence that has struggled mightily this season.

bracelets are donated to support the cause.

Tami Hawkins, 44, a physical education teacher at Tecumseh Vista Academy is the quarterback of the operation. After being diagnosed with stage two breast cancer in August 2008 and experiencing how uncomfortable she felt in the chemotherapy suites, she felt it was time for a change.

“You were just kind of starring at the person across from you and it was very uncomfortable I found,” said Hawkins. “I always had someone with me, a lot of support, a huge family and you saw a lot of people sitting alone and I felt really bad for them.”

While teaching at Kennedy Collegiate Institute she began the first Pink Day, Oct. 1, 2010. This day hosted a school-wide walk and a football game between Kennedy and Riverside Secondary School (the school where her

MORTEM PAGE 14 The website concussiontreatment.com estimates that 47 per cent of athletes do not report feeling any symptoms after a concussion blow, something Chris Church, football coach at Cardinal Carter High School is trying to address.

“The biggest thing for us is keeping your head up,” said Church. “Guys want to hit with the head but you just can’t do it.”

In addition, WECSAA also ran coaching clinics prior to the season teaching blocking and safe tackling as well as

husband was teaching at the time.) Five years later, there are 14 high school football programs participating in the week of games and selling of the bracelets. The event also encourages players and referees to wear pink apparel throughout the week.

WECSSAA convener and head coach of Holy Names High School Football Rob McIntyre, 44, has not had any trouble with getting his players to jump on board with the initiative.

“The one thing that I can say over the years is, you know, our players have really stepped up and gone out there and sold the bracelets,” said McIntyre.

“They’ve done a great job promoting it.”

To date $107,000 has been raised with the help of players and coaches.

Anyone looking to donate to this event can contact Tami Hawkins at Tecumseh Vista Academy. getting more involved in youth sports to teach young athletes from a younger age the proper ways of blocking and tackling.

“Football’s never been safer than it is right now,” said McIntyre. “You can’t prevent every single thing from occurring. People are going to get hurt, it’s a violent game. We’re just trying to reduce it as much as humanly possible.”

In an effort to keep the league safe for all athletes, McIntyre is taking the dad route to safety.

“We’re teaching it as if every single player on the field was one of our sons,” said McIntyre.

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sports & fitness

OCTOBER 22, 2015

ONVERGED CITIZEN

Saints recruiting athletes

Photo by Dan Gray The St. Clair Saints women’s softball team stands on the foul line for the National Anthem at Mic Mac Park in Windsor on Oct. 6.

Jordan Caschera Converged Citizen Staff The St. Clair Saints are celebrating wins from five of the school’s varsity sports programs this week.

The Saints varsity season is well underway and the

school’s golf, basketball, soccer, softball and baseball teams are all celebrating victories. The golf team came away with a division II gold medal and the men’s basketball team won bronze at the Dawson College Fall Classic, winning three of five games. The men’s and

women’s soccer teams both stretched their winning streaks to four games and the women’s softball team took both games of a doubleheader to set their record at 14 and four. The undefeated men’s baseball team kept their streak alive sweeping a doubleheader against Humber College.

The school’s teams are winning their games and according to director of recruiting, Bernie Labute, the college is drawing in student athletes.

“The success of our entire sports program is beginning to attract athletes from all over Canada… and the world,” said Labute.

St. Clair College enrolls nearly 20,500 students a year and nearly 800 of those students are internationals.

The three most recent international athletes from Panama are helping the men’s baseball team continue their undefeated streak.

The three Panamanian athletes – Roberto Duncan, Max Ayarza and Teiden

Frias are all in their rookie year but according to head coach Dave Cooper the players are key members of the team.

“Roberto ,Teiden and Azarya have been great additions to our team,” said Cooper. “They’ve filled some holes and that was the difference between us having a rebuilding year or another dominant season.”

Labute said there are a few ways players are chosen to play baseball for St. Clair College – they are scouted internationally, they have played a significant amount of baseball in the summer with the Tecumseh Thunder who are coached by the same head coach of the Saints, they have demonstrated the highest level of ability and lastly, walk-on-tryouts from enrolled students.

Labute said if it wasn’t for the majority of student athletes playing in the U.S., St. Clair would be a destination for student athletes.

“Players want to go to

where teams are successful on the field,” said Labute.

“We have that here at St. Clair.”

Myles Miller, a Windsor native now playing baseball at Roane State College in Tennessee, said he always planned on playing in the United States.

“I had the plan of going away for school since I first got in high school,” said Miller. “I chose to go to the States for baseball because I eventually want to play professionally or get drafted and the path to that is a lot easier in the States.”

Though Miller always had the intentions on going to the U.S. for school, he said St. Clair was his next option.

“If I had to choose a school in Canada to play for, it would definitely be St. Clair because of their athletic facilities and dominant baseball team in Canadian baseball,” said Miller.

The defending champions, Saints baseball team is ranked first in the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association with 14 wins and no losses this season.

Balancing academic importance and athletic ability Michael Huggal Converged Citizen Staff Although the dream of becoming a professional sports superstar may appeal to some student athletes, sometimes the importance of academic achievement may be lost.

In the second year of its existence the F.J. Brennan School of Excellence and Innovation teaches students from Grades 7 to 12 the skills necessary to be successful in both the classroom and in the student’s respective sport.

It is a program put into effect by the Windsor Essex Catholic District School Board in order to promote academic excellence while pairing it with physical activity.

Principal Kevin Hamlin is a major influence on the growth of the program.

“We are not creating an empire,”

said Hamlin. “This is not an NHL factory… This is very much an academic initiative as it is an athletic initiative.”

The balance is noted through the time split in each the school and sport portions of the day. The primary students will be participating in their sport specific activity during the morning with a progressive transition to their respective classrooms in the afternoon.

“We have a skill expert, that’s what differentiates our program from the others in the province,” said Hamlin. “They are in charge of developing curriculum for our student athletes.”

Hamlin is also a hockey coach at the University of Windsor and explains the partnership between the skills academy and the University of Windsor.

Hamlin said they have brought in some hockey players to help mentor young student athletes, and emphasizes more help is on the way for the other respective sports.

According to Hamlin, students are coming from all over the WindsorEssex region in order to participate in the program. Students from Boblo Island and LaSalle have been enrolled and are seeking help from the teachers and sport specific program leaders.

“We are using athletics and skills in sports to help the learning experience,” said baseball skills instructor Marc Picard.

Picard is a talent developer at Baseball Ontario and has coached both national and provincial championship teams.

However in order to truly excel in finding a scholarship students must not lose sight of the academic

importance.

According to former academic allCanadian and University of Windsor baseball player MichaelAnthony Ferrato, it takes key time management skills in order to achieve excellence in both.

“In order to get things done on time I had to prioritize tasks and stay organized,” said Ferrato. “I developed more efficient study habits … I actually did better academically as a varsity athlete than in my first year when I was just a student.”

In its second year of existence the Brennan Centre for Excellence and Innovation has yet to prove to be a great alternative to the normal style of learning but still could prove to be the best avenue for student athletes in the province.