Sept. 27, 2017

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Ω OMEGA

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THE

T H O M P S O N R I V E R S U N I V E R S I T Y ' S I N D E P E N D E N T S T U D E N T N E W S PA P E R

VOLUME 27 · ISSUE 04 · SEPTEMBER 27, 2017

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ARTISTS BATTLE IT OUT

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CANDIDATES FOR MAYOR DUKE IT OUT

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VANCOUVER FASHION WEEK

TRU community and beyond mourns loss of Christopher Seguin Sean Brady EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Ω Thompson Rivers University’s vice-president of advancement Christopher Seguin has died in hospital in Victoria following reports he was critically ill earlier Friday, Sept. 22. Seguin was earlier said to have been critically ill and not expected to survive in a message from his family shared with the TRU community by university president Alan Shaver.

Seguin was in Victoria on university business on Sept. 11. “As you can appreciate, this sudden news comes as a devastating blow to the family,” read the short message from Seguin’s family. In lieu of flowers, the family is asking that donations be made to a trust fund account for his and his wife Melissa’s two young children, available at any Kamloops CIBC location. “Christopher has been an inspiring presence at TRU, and

I am sure this news comes as a shock to many of you. Please give the family privacy as they try to deal with this,” Shaver wrote in the message. Seguin came to TRU as the vice-president advancement in July 2007, and prior to that he worked as the advancement officer for the Simon Fraser University athletics department. He is also a graduate of Kamloops High School.

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Remembering Christopher Seguin Members of the TRU and Kamloops communities and beyond share their thoughts of remembrance following the passing of TRU's vice-president advancement Christopher Seguin. Photo TRU

The first time I met Christopher was during the provincial election campaign in 2009. Christopher invited me, as a candidate, to lunch to discuss TRU and post-secondary education. From the outset, Christopher's passion for TRU was obvious; particularly telling was his desire to see our students thrive. In later years, I was extremely impressed by his commitment to making our Kamloops community stronger. He made a real difference in the lives of many of our fellow citizens. On behalf of the TRU Faculty Association and TRU faculty, I send condolences to Melissa and her family.

Tom Friedman TRU Faculty Association

We were deeply saddened to hear of Chris' death. We remember him as a tireless advocate for TRU, and current, past, and future students. His legacy and accomplishments within TRU and across the community will be remembered and forever treasured. Our deepest sympathies to his wife Melissa and two young boys as well as the Seguin family. You are in our thoughts.

Amanda Jensen Kamloops Thompson Teachers' Association

You've inspired others to contribute to their communities. You will be missed.

Jarrod Bell

Christopher, for me, was the model for young leaders in Kamloops. Energetic, confident, successful, but also kind, giving and fun. It's hard to think of Kamloops without him. I assumed he would be here leading the charge long after I was gone.

Geoff Collier Rotary Club of Kamloops

Christopher was the first person to take my young family out for a evening when we first came to Kamloops 7 years ago - it was a Wolfpack basketball game, of course. His kind gesture made a big impression on us, and over the years I have continued to be amazed by his tireless generosity and endless effort to helping others and to making our community a better place in countless ways. There is a hole in Kamloops's soul today with his passing - a hole we can only fill by honouring his memory and continuing his work. Today we mourn. Then we work. Tim Shoults

What I really appreciated and thought was so remarkable about Mr. Seguin was that he was so quickly willing to help & support me - even though we didn't know each other very well at all! He helped me to set up a Rotary presentation so that the TRUSU Lean In - Leadership for Gender Equality Club could try to sell some more last-minute tickets to our IWD Empower Conference. He even gave up some of his time to come to our event - that really meant a lot to us. His actions demonstrated the kind of supportive person he was. I am deeply saddened by his early passing. What a jarring and numbing reminder of life’s fragility. As we mourn this massive loss to our community, I am thinking about what Mr. Seguin would like us to do to honor his life of service. His love for our community & commitment to making a positive impact is so evident.

Emiko Ohama TRUSU Lean In Club

While I was the editor-in-chief of The Omega, Chris would frequently be my go-to source for information about all kinds of TRU things, and as frustrating as it was to get him to talk sometimes, he was always super nice. He was clearly one of the good ones, and he did great things for this school.

A significant loss for the community and my heart goes out to his family and friends.

Mike Davies Former editor, The Omega

A sad, sad moment for our university and our community. Christopher Seguin remembered as tireless community advocate Will Garrett-Petts, on Twitter

Deeply saddened by the passing of Thompson Rivers University VP Christopher Seguin. Our hearts go out to his family.

Andrew Wilkinson, on Twitter

Chantelle and I are devastated by the loss of our dear friend Christopher Seguin. I often talk about Kamloops being a community that punches above it's weight in terms of all who live here looking after one another. Christopher embodied that spirit - a man of grit, compassion and heart who always stepped up and gave of himself to help others and make our university, city and community a better place. He was a great friend, with a hearty laugh and a generous soul. I will miss our breakfasts at Scott's Restaurant where we seemed to always come up with fixes to the world's problems, and

our stories reflecting our adoration for our respective kids. Our deepest condolences go out to Melissa, his boys and his family. You have left a hole in our hearts Christopher. May you rest in peace.

Todd Stone, on Facebook

Our family is saddened and shocked by such tragic news of Christopher's passing. My family has attended the Rotary Club Dinners at NorKam for the past few years. Chris was always smiling and engaging the children in games at the dinners! He always seemed to remember all the children that attended. Some of my children's favorite memories of Chris are meeting his family, the game Simon Says, the prizes and fun and Christmas Dinners. My children looked forward to attending each dinner. My favourite memory is of a Mother's Day dinner when Chris called all the mom's up to play Simon Says for Mother's Day prizes. The dinners always lifted our spirits and helped us through the week. Chris' smile, genuine care and happiness will not be forgotten. Our family sends our deepest condolences, thoughts and prayers at this time.

Lavina, Joshua, Marilyn, Mya and Tannis


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