For Alumni & Friends
Fall 2010
Golden Boy Laurier grad John Morris shares his 2010 Olympic success
Sailing the dream Nancy and Stephen Lefneski cast off for a round-theworld adventure
We’re celebrating 100 years! Look inside for details.
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contents
Cover Story Rock Star
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He has been called curling’s bad boy, but Laurier alumnus John Morris was good as gold at the Vancouver Winter Olympics.
Departments
Features
Editor’s Note
3
One hundred years
Reader Letters
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Laurier is turning 100, and we want you to join the party!
President’s Corner
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Alumni News
7
Campus News
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Keeping in Touch
30
Calendar of Events
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Flashback
40
On Campus
8
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How teaching babies basic math skills can help them excel later on. Plus, studying health and behaviour via GPS technology.
Sailing the dream
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Nancy and Stephen Lefneski quit their jobs, sold their home and set sail on a globetrotting, four-year odyssey.
Homecoming 2010 highlights
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Get the lowdown on how this year’s festivities unfolded.
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LAURIER CAMPUS Fall 2010
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Editor’s note
Centennial kickoff
Volume 50, Number 2, Fall 2010 ISSN 0700-5105
Laurier Campus is published by the Department of Communications, Public Affairs & Marketing (CPAM) Wilfrid Laurier University 75 University Avenue West, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3C5 Publisher: Jacqui Tam Assistant Vice-President: Communications, Public Affairs & Marketing Editor: Stacey Morrison ’97 Writers: Lori Chalmers Morrison, Mallory O’Brien ‘08, Sandra Muir Design: Erin Steed Photography: Tomasz Adamski, Dean Palmer Send address changes to: Address Updates, Development and Alumni Relations Email: alumaddress@wlu.ca Phone: (519) 884-0710 ext. 3176
What an exciting year it has been for Laurier! With 2010 coming to an end, there is much to reflect on, and looking ahead, there is even more to celebrate. This year, the university welcomed visits from a variety of high-profile people, including CBC news anchor Peter Mansbridge, Olympic gold medal curler John Morris, comedian Tim Allen and award-winning author Lawrence Hill. Laurier celebrated milestones such as 45 years of science, and the launch of several new programs, including the first Canadian executive master’s program in technology management. The university’s Brantford campus also continued to grow, with the opening of phase one of the environmentally friendly Research and Academic Centre and the SC Johnson Building, which will house a new business program. It was a banner year, and 2011 promises to be even better with the celebration of Laurier’s centennial. The festivities started in October with kick-off events in Waterloo and Brantford, and the celebration will carry
on to the university’s 100th anniversary date next fall. Very few Canadian universities share this milestone, so it’s a great opportunity to share your Laurier story and show off your Laurier pride! For more information and details on where you can find a full events calendar, see page eight. Over the next year, Campus magazine will include special features, photos and stories to commemorate Laurier’s anniversary. And of course, we will continue to bring you inspirational alumni stories and achievements. In this issue read how curler John Morris owned the podium at the Winter Olympics, and how Nancy and Stephen Lefneski quit their jobs, sold their house and embarked on a four-year, aroundthe-world sailing adventure. Happy reading!
Stacey Morrison ’97
Publications Mail Registration No. 40020414 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: CPAM Wilfrid Laurier University 75 University Avenue West, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3C5 We welcome and encourage your feedback. Send letters to the editor to stmorrison@wlu.ca. We reserve the right to edit all submissions.
Laurier Campus (circ. 58,500) is published three times a year by CPAM. Opinions expressed in Campus do not necessarily reflect those of the editor or the university’s administration. Cover photography: Dean Palmer Visit us online at www.wlu.ca/publicaffairs
Questions, comments, rants or raves? We’d love to hear from you! Email us at stmorrison@wlu.ca.
LAURIER CAMPUS Fall 2010 3
What’s in a name? 1911-1924 Waterloo Lutheran Seminary
1924-1960 Waterloo College
1960-1973 Waterloo Lutheran University
1973-today Wilfrid Laurier University
For Wilfrid Laurier University, it’s a 100-year-old legacy of inspiring lives of leadership and purpose. In 100 years from now, what will your legacy be? Help Laurier ignite the minds, spirits and hearts of our communities for another 100 years by leaving a charitable bequest in your will today. To find out how, please contact Cec Joyal, Development Officer, Individual & Legacy Giving at cjoyal@wlu.ca or 519.884.0710 ext 3864.
reader letters
A pioneer in television I was delighted to read in the Winter edition of Laurier Campus magazine that WLU had awarded an honorary doctor of letters to Vera Good. I graduated from Waterloo College in 1950, and became a pioneer in television at CBC in 1952. In 1953, CBC named two women as producers/directors and I was fortunate to be one of those chosen — we were the first females in Canada to hold this position. I worked at CBC for 10 years and resigned to “produce two children.” In the late 1960s, I joined the new fledging TVO and in 1972, I worked with Vera Good to originate Polka Dot Door. Peggy (Nairn) Liptrott (BA ’50)
Thanks for the summer I was delighted to receive the Summer issue of Laurier Campus. I extend my hearty congratulations Meet to you and all your associates for producing such a fine publication. It is a great credit to all of you and to your university. Having served on the Board of Governors of Laurier for 12 years many years ago, I share the enthusiasm and gratitude for the developments and accomplishments of any person associated with Laurier. I wish you continued success. For Alumni & Friends
Summer 2010
And learn how one conversation can change your life
Sara-Lynn & Jay Weiler rehabilitate injured
musicians
Joanna Harries forges a career in social enterprise
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A few years ago, a youth leader approached me to assist him with the youth at our church. Getting very close to the age of 60, I was quite overwhelmed (you are as old as you feel). In this new capacity, I have come to the All Ontario Youth Conventions that take place at WLU on Victoria Day weekend in May. On these memorable times, I proudly wear the WLU sweater given to me. This is my third sweater since I graduated back in 1973. Tonight I read the Summer 2010 edition of Laurier Campus and your excellent article on Stuart Knight — we are always looking for speakers for our events. George Prins (BSc ’73)
Hon. George Ferguson
Therapy at its best Reading the fascinating story about the unique therapy practiced by Sara-Lynn and Jay Weiler (“Musician Therapy”, Campus Summer 2010) was music to the ears for me. First, because I have been familiar with Jay’s fantastic fiddle playing for many years. In 1994, I featured with him on Stephen Todd’s Failte CD Celtic Chaos — Jay rendering a lively version of the Irish dancing reel Drowsy Maggie and yours truly reciting MacPherson’s Lament. Second, as a seasoned graduate of WLU’s Religion and Culture program 20-something years ago, I was reminded again that I too am a grateful beneficiary of WLU’s marvelous educational milieu – bringing the rich and enlightened learning from teachers like Delton Glebe, Ken Beal, and the late and great Aarne Siirala to my front-line work as a rehabilitation counsellor. This year I retired after 30 years in the field at the ripe young age of 70. I am writing this letter to you as I relax and listen to the melodious tones of Jay Weiler’s violin and mandolin playing on Celtic Chaos. Now that is therapy at its best! Thank you for this wonderful edition of Laurier Campus. Seán O’Seasnáin (MA ’87)
LAURIER CAMPUS Fall 2010
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PRESIDENT’S corner
100 years inspiring lives of leadership and purpose
Mary Dalton, Jan Basso and Dr. Max Blouw at the staff and faculty launch of the centennial celebrations.
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The phrase “celebrating 100 years in 2011” has become a familiar one at Laurier over the past few years. There is no doubt that an anniversary of this magnitude is an occasion for great celebration. It is truly a milestone that should be marked with fanfare and pride. A centennial is an opportunity to look back, to reflect upon what we have experienced and all that we have learned; to recognize and applaud all that has been accomplished and those who have contributed so much. A centennial is also an opportunity to look forward. This institution has grown from a one-building seminary with four students to a multicampus university of more than 17,000 undergraduate and graduate students. I can’t help but wonder if the people who gathered together 99 years ago to mark the opening of the Evangelical Lutheran Seminary, the institution to which we trace our roots, could have possibly imagined the nature and scale of the developments that would come in the decades to follow. Somehow, I suspect they did not. But Wilfrid Laurier University is here today because of them, and for that we owe them our respect for their vision, and our gratitude. Throughout its history, Laurier has earned a reputation for combining academic excellence with a distinct sense of community. In our rapid evolution as a multi-campus community it is important to remember that the mission, vision and values that were identified as part of the recent envisioning exercise have captured and built upon strengths and traditions almost 100 years strong.
LAURIER CAMPUS Fall 2010
These values and traditions have allowed us to produce exceptionally thoughtful, engaged and productive graduates. Our institutional proposition — “inspiring lives of leadership and purpose” — will increasingly become a statement by which Laurier is defined by peoples far and wide. Over the coming months, you will hear about an initiative that even more completely integrates our students’ academic experience with the many experiential and co-curricular learning opportunities that are so abundantly available to them at Laurier. It is not an exaggeration to say that this initiative will catapult the university into a position that no other institution holds, and will carve for us a unique leadership position. Wilfrid Laurier University, I believe, is entering into a brilliant future. When our namesake, former prime minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier, addressed the Ottawa Canadian Club in 1904, he spoke the following words: “Canada has been modest in its history, although its history, in my estimation, is only commencing in this century. The nineteenth century was the century of the United States, I think we can claim that Canada will fill the twentieth century.” It wasn’t long before this particular quote had a much shorter version, which is now commonly attributed to the former prime minister. “The twentieth century,” people say, “belongs to Canada.” It could be said that Wilfrid Laurier University has also been modest in its history. But the prologue has been written. Our time has arrived. And the next century is one of amazing potential and possibility.
Dr. Max Blouw President and Vice-Chancellor Wilfrid Laurier University
ALUMNI news
Planning for the future and marking a grand opening
WLUAA 2010-11 Executive President Tom Berczi ’88, ’93 Vice-President Megan Harris ’00 Vice-President Marc Henein ’04 Treasurer Chris Pehlke ’00 Honorary President Dr. Max Blouw Past President Steve Wilkie ’82, ’89
Board of Directors Bruce Armstrong ’72 Peter Batson ‘69 Scott Bebenek ’85 Thomas Cadman ‘87 Paul Dickson ‘03 Peter Gobran ‘99 Caitlin Howlett ‘05, ‘10 Andrea Murik ‘96 Kiran Nagra ‘02 David Oates ‘70 Priya Persaud ’98 Patricia Polischuk ‘90 Marc Richardson ’95 Chris Rushforth ‘80 Shirley Schmidt ‘86, ‘09 Kelly Schoonderwoerd ‘03 Cynthia Sundberg ‘90
September saw WLUAA welcome six new directors to the board, which has enabled the association to strengthen its alumni representation from the 1960s, 1980s and 1990s. Two departing directors deserve special mention: Melissa Kiddie ’01 and Sue Lockett ’99, who both served for six consecutive years, the maximum allowed under our bylaws. They were formally recognized for their dedication to WLUAA and Laurier at our fall retreat dinner. We have been busy over the past few months crafting our new strategic plan. The plan, which will carry us through to 2013 and can be viewed at www.laurieralumni.ca, features a more streamlined Board structure comprised of five operating committees focused on key goals in five main areas, including alumni communications, alumni engagement, university development, university relations and board governance. Part of our strategic plan is committed to engaging our alumni in volunteer opportunities at Laurier. There are numerous opportunities available to get involved at alumni events, Homecoming and convocation. I encourage you to contact us to learn how you can get involved.
In September, the university celebrated the grand opening of the SC Johnson Building at Laurier Brantford. WLUAA is a significant partner in this multi-purpose facility, donating $65,000 for the development of a lecture hall, which has been named Alumni Hall. The grand opening of Alumni Hall was celebrated at Laurier Brantford’s Homecoming on October 23. Funds for this project were provided by an estate gift from Walter Metzger, with matching support provided by WLUAA. I would like to thank all of our alumni who use the many GradVantages programs (see page 36) — it is through the revenues from these affinity partners that we are able to support significant projects such as Alumni Hall. As Laurier prepares for its 2011 centennial, WLUAA will be actively involved in the planning, delivery and support of many related events. We look forward to significant alumni involvement in this milestone for the university.
Tom Berczi ’88, ‘93 President, WLUAA tberczi@wlu.ca
Board of Governors Representatives Frank Erschen ’81 Tim Martin ‘92 Steve Wilkie ‘82, ‘89
Senate Representatives Susan Lockett ‘99 David Oates ’70 John Trus ’90
Grand opening of Alumni Hall at Laurier Brantford. From left: Dr. Max Blouw, Acting Principal/ Vice-President Lesley Cooper, WLUAA VP Megan Harris, Laurier’s VP Development and Alumni Relations Rob Donelson (behind), and SC Johnson VP Shawn MacLeod.
LAURIER CAMPUS Fall 2010
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100 years Wilfrid Laurier University is turning
and we want you to join The university will mark its 100th anniversary on Oct. 30, 2011. To celebrate this significant milestone, we have launched a full year of centennial events and initiatives that will carry on throughout the next 12 months, culminating in a gala celebration next fall. The centennial celebrations kicked-off in October with launch events at Laurier’s Waterloo and Brantford campuses. “There’s no doubt that an anniversary of this magnitude is an occasion for great celebration,” said Max Blouw, Laurier’s president. “It is truly a milestone that should be marked with fanfare and pride.”
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LAURIER CAMPUS Fall 2010
100
the party!
The fanfare and pride can be seen in the large, colourful centennial banners that have been installed on prominent buildings around the Waterloo campus. It will also be evident in the numerous centennial events and activities that will be held over the next year, all of which can be found on a new website at LAURIER100.ca. The website includes a historical timeline, photo gallery, events calendar and much more. Centennial activities taking place in the coming year include concerts, lecture series, the creation of a statue of the university’s namesake, Sir Wilfrid Laurier, and a history of the university written by Dr. Andrew Thomson, a Laurier history professor.
100 years
Among the many other centennial initiatives taking place, three deserve special mention: • 100 Scholarships To mark 100 years of education, Laurier will be awarding 100 new scholarships to future undergraduate and graduate students who embody the leadership, passion and achievement for which the university is known. Family and friends can nominate students who may not otherwise know about the awards. Candidates will be considered regardless of geographic location. For more information, please visit: www. laurier100.ca/centennial-scholarships. • 100 Volunteer Hours Faculty, staff, students, alumni and retirees are being challenged to log 100 volunteer hours at the organizations of their choice between now and October 2011 as part of Laurier’s 100 Hours for 100 Years program. The total number of hours will be publicized at the end of the campaign.
All successful participants will receive a certificate verifying his or her completion of the challenge, and students will have it recorded in their co-curricular records. For more details and to register, visit: www.laurier100.ca/ get-involved/100-hours. • 100 Alumni of Achievement Many of the university’s more than 70,000 alumni represent Laurier’s living legacy of inspiring lives of leadership and purpose. We’d like to recognize those who have made an exceptional contribution to the university and to the broader community by compiling a list of 100 Alumni of Achievement. We encourage you to nominate candidates. Chosen alumni will be recognized during Homecoming 2011 and in the fall 2011 issue of Campus magazine. To find out more, visit: www.laurier100.ca/ get-involved/100-alumni-of-achievement. continued on page 11
alumni
100 ALUMNI of ACHIEVEMENT In celebration of Laurier’s centennial in 2011, the university will honour 100 Alumni of Achievement who represent Laurier’s legacy of inspiring lives of leadership and purpose. Nominations are being sought for alumni who have significantly contributed to the world in which we live through their professional endeavours and volunteerism. For more information on the award and its criteria, or to nominate an alumnus/a, visit LAURIER100.ca. Deadline for nominations is December 31, 2010.
LAURIER CAMPUS Fall 2010
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100 years inspiring lives of leadership and purpose.
Sir Wilfrid Laurier knew what it meant to live a life of leadership and purpose. So do the thousands of Wilfrid Laurier University graduates who go on to make a difference in communities throughout Canada and around the world. To commemorate our centennial in 2011, the university is awarding 100 new scholarships to students who give meaning to the words ‘Inspiring lives of leadership and purpose’. To apply or for details,visit LAURIER100.ca
100 years
Laurier’s centennial website includes a historical timeline, events calendar and a photo gallery containing historical images from the past 100 years.
Sir Wilfrid’s life was clearly one of Wilfrid Laurier University traces its roots to 1911 when the Evangelical Lutheran Seminary of Canada opened on the current site of the university’s Waterloo campus, near Albert Street and Bricker Avenue. The institution evolved over the years, undergoing a number of changes in name and structure. From 1924 to 1960 it was known as Waterloo College; from 1960 until 1973 it was called Waterloo Lutheran University. In 1973, it became a publicly funded university under the name Wilfrid Laurier University. Today, Laurier has seven faculties, two campuses (Waterloo and Brantford), a Faculty of Social Work in Kitchener, a Toronto office, a weekend-format MBA program in Toronto, and an office in Chongqing, China. Waterloo Lutheran Seminary remains a federated college of Wilfrid Laurier University. Throughout its history, the university has prided itself on combining strong academics with a distinct sense of community and a culture that inspires lives of leadership and purpose. In his remarks at the centennial launch, Blouw drew parallels between the character of the university’s namesake — Sir Wilfrid Laurier, who served as
leadership and purpose, and it is often said that without him, this country would not be the Canada we know today. Canadian prime minister from 1896 to 1911 — and the university’s vision and values. These shared values include “the courage to engage and challenge the world in all its complexity,” the desire to encourage people to live a “life of purpose and citizenship,” and the importance of supporting “diversity and a culture of inclusivity.” “Sir Wilfrid’s life was clearly one of leadership and purpose, and it is often said that without him, this country would not be the Canada we know today,” Blouw said. “How appropriate then, and perhaps inevitable, that the university that bears his name inspires lives of leadership and purpose.” To learn more about the centennial and how you can participate, visit the website at: LAURIER100.ca. LAURIER CAMPUS Fall 2010
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campusnews Want to know what’s going on at Laurier?
There’s an app for that On the go and looking for the latest Laurier news, sports headlines or upcoming events? With Laurier’s new mobile application, people can now receive the Laurier information that interests them — no matter where they are — from a BlackBerry, iPhone, iTouch or iPad. Whether users identify themselves as present or future students, alumni, members of the media, friends of the university, faculty or staff members, they can control the type of Laurier notices uploaded to their smartphone by selecting from five available information channels: What’s Happening at Laurier, Athletics and Recreation, Career Centre, Residence Life and Future Students. The Laurier app consists of text, image and video updates “pushed” out to users who can then
share the information with friends on Facebook, Twitter or email at the click of a button. Interactive features and additional university information channels will be strategically added to the app during its second phase of development. “Students are coming to university with smartphones in hand. It’s another way for us to reach students and for students to enhance their connection to Laurier,” said Tom Buckley, assistant vice-president: academic services. The Wilfrid Laurier University Students’ Union has also developed an app, which features WLUSU-specific information. To download the Laurier app for free on an iPhone, iTouch or iPad, visit Apple’s App Store and search “Laurier app.” To download the app on a BlackBerry (operating system 4.7 or higher), enter www.laurierapp.com into the BlackBerry browser.
Visit Laurier on the web at twitter.com/LaurierNews, facebook.com/LaurierNow, and youtube.com/LaurierVideo
New courses
Laurier expands its educational offerings
Laurier has two new programs available: an Executive Master’s in Technology Management and Certified Financial Planner designation courses. A first in Canada, the School of Business & Economics’ Master of Science in Management in the technology management field is being offered as an executive program designed to create senior leaders for a fast-moving global economy. The one-year, part-time program accommodates busy work schedules with no gap in income. The program combines state-of-the-art management practices and insights into emerging technologies. Beginning in January 2011, selected students will be coached by an elite group of professors and professionals sourced from the best institutions in the world. Laurier’s Continuing Studies department has also partnered with Advocis, the Financial Advisors Association of Canada, to offer courses leading to the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) designation. Advocis’ four core curriculum courses will be available, as well as the capstone course at regularly scheduled intervals, beginning September 2010. The courses are offered through Advocis in conjunction with CCH Canadian Limited, the lead professional publisher of reference material in tax and financial planning. They will be taught by Laurier faculty as well as outside professionals.
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LAURIER CAMPUS Fall 2010
campus news
Research recognition
Professors awarded prestigious Early Researcher Awards Two professors in Laurier’s Faculty of Science have been awarded prestigious Early Researcher Awards from Ontario’s Ministry of Research and Innovation. Psychologist Nancy Kocovski and chemist Vladimir Kitaev have each been awarded $100,000 over a five-year term to facilitate their innovative research. Each professor will also receive a $50,000 matching award from Laurier. The title of Kocovski’s research is “Mindfulness and AcceptanceBased Treatments for Social Anxiety: Mechanisms of Action.” Kocovski says people who are concerned about being judged by others experience social anxiety. At extreme levels, it is diagnosed as social anxiety disorder and can be extremely debilitating. “My recent research has focused on the development and validation of mindfulness- and acceptance-based group therapy for social anxiety,” she said. The title of Kitaev’s research project is “Nanostructured Materials for Advanced Optical Applications via Synthetic Control and Self-Assembly of Nanoscale Building Blocks.” Nanoparticles are extremely small — a nanometre is one billionth of a metre. Kitaev and his students have produced several well-defined nanoshapes including cubic, decahedral (10-sided) and pentagonal rod silver particles. The importance of this is that “metals at nanoscale, with a uniform shape, have well-defined optical properties.” These optical properties have great potential. Nanoscale metals could be used in optical sensors to, for example, “detect proteins, DNA or whatever you want by appropriate nanoparticle modifications.”
Award-winning author spends a week on campus as writer-in-residence Lawrence Hill visits Laurier
Lawrence Hill, author of the best-selling novel The Book of Negroes, spent a week at Laurier as writer-in-residence in September. Hill’s itinerary included three public readings at the Waterloo and Brantford campuses, as well as a luncheon with students, two lectures with undergraduates, a roundtable discussion with graduate students and faculty, and a fundraising dinner. The money raised through the fundraising event will help establish the Lawrence Hill Graduate Award in Arts and Humanities. Hill has visited Laurier several times in the past. He wrote a small portion of The Book of Negroes while staying in Laurier’s Lucinda House guest residence on a previous visit. Hill also received an honorary doctor of letters degree at the university’s fall convocation in October.
Order of Wilfrid Laurier University
Gerry McGrath named inaugural recipient Gerry McGrath, a former longserving member of Laurier’s Board of Governors, has been named the first appointee of the Order of Wilfrid Laurier University. He received the award at the university’s fall convocation Oct. 29. McGrath is a partner and chief financial officer of Perseis Partners Inc., a Torontobased investment firm. He served nine years as a member of the university’s Board of Governors. During that time he was active on many committees and chaired the board’s audit and compliance committee. He also volunteered with many other board activities, and was a
frequent supporter of student-centred events in the Laurier School of Business & Economics (SBE). McGrath also inspired SBE to create the Centre for Excellence in Business Education in 2008. In 2006, McGrath was named Laurier’s Honorary Alumnus of the Year, and in 2009 he received the university’s Distinguished Governor Award. The Order of Wilfrid Laurier University was created to recognize members of the Laurier community who make outstanding contributions to the university. Eligible recipients include current or former faculty, staff, students, alumni, volunteers, and friends of the university.
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campus news
Professor bikes with Tour de France champion for charity
Riding with Lance
Jill Tracey, a Laurier kinesiology professor, rode alongside cyclist Lance Armstrong for a daunting 120-kilometre bike ride for charity, and for her father. Tracey, an avid cyclist, lost her father to cancer in April. Around the same time, she heard the Ride with Lance fundraising event was returning to Waterloo Region for a third time, and knew it was something she needed to do. “My dad lived a very active lifestyle and valued physical activity — I couldn’t think of a better way to honour him,” said Tracey. “He is still a huge influence in my life, and I know he would be very proud I am doing this.” To participate in the Ride with Lance, riders had to raise a minimum of $20,000. All funds raised go directly Jill Tracey (top left), with Lance to the Grand River Hospital Foundation for cancer Armstrong research and patient care. Tracey raised almost $21,000. After months of hard training and fundraising, Tracey said meeting Armstrong — a cancer survivor and seven-time champion of the Tour de France — was a bittersweet moment. As a cyclist and as a researcher who has studied the effects of suffering and cycling, Tracey has always dreamed of meeting Armstrong, but never expected she would do so under such circumstances. “It was an incredible, amazing, wonderful experience — I loved every kilometre, even the few that were hard,” she said. When I had the opportunity to speak with Lance, I told him all about my dad. “I am very grateful for everyone who donated, including the many people from Laurier who donated. We have a great community here.”
Once you choose hope, anything is possible. Christopher Reeve
Donate blood, save a life
Laurier partners with Canadian Blood Services In Canada, someone needs blood almost every minute of every day for surgery or medical treatment. One blood donation, which takes just one hour, can save up to three lives. Recognizing the importance of donating blood, Laurier recently joined Canadian Blood Services as a Partner for Life (PFL). The university held mobile blood donor clinics in September and October, with more scheduled in 2011. Laurier has pledged to collect 300 donations this year. The partnership encompasses all Laurier campuses as well as more than 70,000 alumni. Donations from all campuses will count toward one university-wide PFL number. Laurier’s Brantford campus has been involved in mobile blood donor clinics since 2006. Eight clinics have been held with more than 230 units collected, 85 new donors welcomed, and almost 700 patients’ lives being touched.
People at Laurier Leanne Holland Brown has been appointed dean of students for the Waterloo campus. She holds an MA in Leadership, and has served as manager of Laurier’s Student Leadership Centre since 2007. She was previously student-life coordinator at Contestoga College, and has worked as a residencelife area coordinator at Laurier and as a residence-life coordinator at the University of Waterloo. She will report to David McMurray, Vice-President, Student Affairs.
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LAURIER CAMPUS Fall 2010
Political Science Professor Alistair Edgar has been appointed executive director of the prestigious Academic Council on the United Nations System (ACUNS) for a three-year term. ACUNS is an international association of educational and research institutions, individual scholars, teachers and practitioners active in the work and study of multilateral relations, global governance and international cooperation. ACUNS was founded at Dartmouth College
in 1987, and was later hosted by Brown University and Yale University. In 2003, ACUNS moved to Laurier for the first of two five-year terms. Brian Smith, finance professor in the School of Business & Economics, has been named an associate editor of The Financial Review, making him the only Canadian on the academic journal’s editorial board.
campus news
A graduation first
SBE awards first Phd in management After successfully defending his doctoral dissertation, Joel Marcus has become Laurier’s first graduate of the School of Business & Economics’ Doctor of Philosophy in Management program. “Joel has completed his studies with the highest result possible on the graduate candidate record and we are so proud to welcome him to our alumni family as our first from the PhD management program,” said Ginny Dybenko, dean of the School of Business & Economics. The objective of the four-year program, which launched in 2005, is to train students to become independent research investigators in their chosen field of study. In his dissertation, titled “Human Values and Corporate Actions Propensity: Examining the Behavioural Roots of Societal Sustainability,” Marcus explores how different personal values relate to the propensity of corporations to engage in actions that benefit or harm society across the economic, social and environmental domains. His research shows that individuals with strong economic values have a greater tendency to engage in harmful actions across all domains, and are less likely to engage in beneficial social and environmental actions. He also found that females were found to have stronger social and environmental values, and weaker economic values, than men. Marcus received his degree at Laurier’s fall convocation in October. He also has a BA from the University of Western Ontario and an MBA from Laurier.
Laurier a top finisher in Canadian Commuter Challenge
Leaving the car at home
In a friendly competition between organizations nationwide to reduce carbon emissions, Laurier proved to be a leader. The university finished in the top five in its size category for participation in the Canadian Commuter Challenge in June. More than 14 per cent of the Laurier community showed their support for sustainable transportation by biking, walking, carpooling or taking the bus to work for a week. “Together, we burned more than 120,000 calories and reduced our carbon dioxide emissions by more than 3,100 kilograms,” said Mary
Basler, manager of transportation and parking resources. Laurier was the only university to place in its category size of 1,000-5,000 employees.
Don’t blow it — good planets are hard to find. Time magazine
John Leigh Walters wins Edna Staebler Award for Creative Non-Fiction Laurier bestows literary award
Author John Leigh Walters is the winner of the 2010 Edna Staebler Award for Creative Non-Fiction for his memoir A Very Capable Life: The Autobiography of Zarah Petri. Written in his mother’s unique voice, A Very Capable Life tells the story of her journey from Hungary to Canada to start a new life in the 1920s. Zarah and her family endure the Depression with courage and innovation, even if it means breaking the law to do so. Walters lives in Kitchener, Ontario, and has written, produced and hosted television programs in the United States and Canada, most recently for CTV in Waterloo, Ontario. The Edna Staebler Award for Creative Non-Fiction was launched in 1991 and is administered by Laurier, the only university in Canada to bestow a nationally recognized literary award. The $10,000 award encourages and recognizes Canadian writers for a first or second work of creative non-fiction that includes a Canadian locale and/or significance.
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on campus
The research is groundbreaking — it is the first study to look at the math education of children this young…
Numeracy in the nursery Why are some children good at math while others struggle? The Faculty of Education’s Donna Kotsopoulos and Joanne Lee, from the Faculty of Science’s Psychology Department, theorize that teaching children math concepts at a young age is key. The researchers videotaped 140 families, in which parents played with their children, aged 12 to 39 months. They discovered that while moms and dads often talk about colours, shapes and names, they spend little time teaching their children about basic math, such as quantities and numbers. Through their LittleCountersTM program, a free communityoutreach program that took place at local libraries, Lee and Kotsopoulos taught parents and caregivers how to engage in purposeful play in ways that integrate relevant math concepts
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through games, stories, songs and movement. They will track the progress of these children, comparing their math skills as they grow, with children whose parents did not receive instructions in math concepts. The research is groundbreaking — it is the first study to look at the math education of children this young, building into early learning the important role of parents and caregivers. More importantly, by incorporating math concepts into playtime, Kotsopoulos and Lee say parents could give their children an advantage that could last throughout their school years. To learn more about LittleCountersTM, visit www.wlu.ca/ childlab. ❖
on campus
…we know that physical activity affects glucose levels, along with food and stress…
Tracking human behaviour Geography and Environmental Science Professor Sean Doherty is using the Global Positioning System (GPS) and geographic information systems to track and predict human behaviour. He has developed a web-based activity diary that can automatically record where a person has been for the day, if he or she drove or walked, how many hours were spent in the park or at home, or even how long a patient spent waiting in a hospital emergency waiting room. The information gathered can be of considerable use to health-care professionals. “For diabetic patients, we know that physical activity affects glucose levels, along with food and stress,” says Doherty. “But glucose can be very unpredictable in certain circumstances
— we don’t know exactly how different combinations of food and activities influence it.” Through a study that logged a person’s glucose level every five minutes, Doherty and his team were able to relate the readings to where the person was and what they were doing, to what they were eating and any stressful situations (like being stuck in traffic), to better understand co-relational factors. Doherty is also working with a weight-loss clinic to help clients overcome health challenges. For example, the monitoring system could help combat obesity by closely examining daily physical activity and access to grocery stores and restaurants. Other applications include monitoring patients recovering from a stroke or heart attack, the elderly or disabled children. ❖
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cover story
a sweeping success John Morris curls his way to an Olympic gold medal By Stacey Morrison
As a student
at Laurier, John Morris often wrote course assignments on airplanes and received special permission to rearrange his exams. The unusual schedule was necessary to fulfill his two dreams: to graduate from university with a kinesiology degree and to win an Olympic gold medal in curling. He accomplished the first in 2003, and he did it while attending World Curling Tour events across the country. While completing his degree, he competed in the 2001 Olympic trials and played in the 2002 Nokia Brier. He was also a member of the Golden Hawks varsity curling team. His second dream was seven more years in the making. Along with skip Kevin Martin and teammates Ben Herbert and Marc Kennedy,
Morris won the country’s 13th gold medal at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games in February. The win helped Canada set the record for the most gold medals ever won by one country in a Winter Olympics. After years of hard work and personal sacrifice, Morris, 31, was surprised by his reaction to the victory. “When you’ve put so much blood, sweat and tears to get there, you’d think you might shed a tear when you get up on the podium,” he says. “But we were just elated. We were able to keep our emotions in check throughout the entire event.” For a man who is known for his intense focus, and who says he simply loves to win and hates to lose, the golden moment seems as natural as his ability to throw rocks.
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The road to
Olympic glory started when Morris was five years old. His father, Earle, was an avid curler and played in three Briers. He introduced his son to the sport in the family’s hometown of Ottawa. But curling wasn’t the only sport Morris took part in. Coming from a family of athletes, he played “every sport under the sun,” including baseball, hockey, tennis and football. He was juggling a hectic athletic schedule, when at 15, he won a bonspiel in Toronto. First prize was a trip to Switzerland. “That was pretty cool being 15 and winning a prize like that,” he says. “That got me hooked on curling and international competition.” It wasn’t long before his focus on curling started to pay off. In 1997 he placed second at the Canadian Junior Championships and then went on to win the next two nationals in 1998 and 1999, setting records for most wins by a skip along the way. He also won the World Junior Championships those Canada’s gold medal curling team, with same years. John Morris at second from right. As his curling career was taking off, he enrolled at Laurier. He says the university’s willingness to accommodate his athletic schedule was one of the reasons he decided to attend. While balancing a full academic and athletic calendar, he still found time to play on the university baseball team and join several campus clubs and intramurals. “Laurier’s really got it right in terms of combining athletics and academics,” he says. “I loved my time there. The staff and other students were a lot of fun and very supportive of my curling career.” After graduating in 2003, he moved to Calgary, home to world-class curling facilities, and played
with Laurier alumnus Paul Moffat. He put a career on hold to focus on the sport, but between matches and training, worked as a volunteer firefighter and with special-needs children. In 2006 he relinquished his position of skip to join veteran Kevin Martin’s team as third, and set out on a four-year plan to win gold in Vancouver.
There have been
a few bumps along the way to the podium. At the 2001 Olympic trials he made headlines when he lost a tough match to Ontario’s Russ Howard and ripped off his shirt and threw it in a garbage can. During 2007’s Brier he snapped a broom over his knee after a bad miss. And only weeks before the 2008 Brier he broke his throwing hand while defending a fellow firefighter. He played anyway and won the tournament’s Most Valuable Player award. Because of this intensity he was dubbed the “bad boy” of curling. But he always redeemed himself with his natural ability and on-ice performance. “Some people are just born with competition in their blood. What I especially love about curling is how competitive it is,” says Morris. Off the ice, “I’m a laidback dude who just enjoys the smaller things in life, like fishing or hiking in the mountains.” Morris breaks the stereotype of a typical curler. Named one of Canada’s most eligible bachelors by Entertainment Tonight Canada, female fans would agree that he brings sex appeal to the sport. Nicknamed ‘Johnny Mo’ by friends and fans, he’s also young and takes a serious athletic approach to the game. “I’m passionate about fitness and going to the gym is one of my favourite things to do,” he says. “It’s a huge misconception that curlers aren’t very athletic, but to be the best in any sport you have to be in peak physical form. Even in the off-season, we’re hitting the gym.” In 2009 Morris authored a curling-specific training book called Fit to Curl, which he says truly reflects the athletic nature of curling. Using his background in kinesiology and personal training, the book provides exercises to improve power, strength, balance, flexibility and cardiovascular performance for curlers at all levels.
Some people are just born with competition in their blood.”
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Laurier’s really got it right in terms of combining athletics and academics.” Curling, along
with hockey, is considered Canada’s game. As one of the best curlers in the country, there is an immense pressure to perform. In Vancouver, the team spent one week in the athlete’s village before moving to a private residence only a few minutes away from the curling venue. Morris says the move was key — it allowed them to focus and it felt like home. During their downtime, Kevin Martin often had his nose in the financial pages of the newspaper keeping up on the stock markets, while the others watched Olympic events on television and played cards. Morris says that while some athletes don’t watch TV or read the newspapers while competing, for the curlers, Canada’s performance at the games provided inspiration as they geared up for their own event. The team’s Olympic game plan was to prepare as much as they could, but to just play their best and really enjoy every moment. They took a careful approach to each end, and if they found themselves in a tough spot, they took a timeout to assess all the options. “We tried not to worry about what was out of our control and took it one shot at a time.” The enthusiasm of the crowd also helped. Morris says the venue, which seated 6,000, felt like it was filled with 20,000 fans. “It was like a hockey atmosphere,” he says. “It wasn’t your traditional curling demographic of older, quieter fans. These were sports fans and Canadian fans. It was a great vibe.” After their podium moment, and the drug testing that immediately followed, the team was finally able to relax. Morris spent time with family and friends, who made the trip to Vancouver for support. The team also watched from the tenth row as Canada defeated the United States in the gold- medal hockey match.
Later that night, Morris found himself giving curling tips to another gold-medal winner: Sydney Crosby. “He had gone curling with the Penguins and said he gained a new respect for us — he didn’t realize how challenging the shots were or that his muscles would be more sore from curling than from a hockey practice. So, we shared some tips with him over a few celebratory beers. It was definitely one of the highlights of the games.”
With the Olympics,
and the media tour that followed, now behind him, life is returning to normal. Morris is putting down roots and building a house in Chestermere, Alberta. And after considering careers as varied as a chef, teacher and personal trainer, he is now working full-time as a firefighter. “Firefighting and curling go together really well. The shift-work allows me to work and curl at the same time. And it instills the qualities of teamwork, which is what curling is all about. It’s a good fit.” Morris says he’s ready to focus on his personal life, specifically a girlfriend, a family and his career, all of which were put on the backburner until the Olympics. “Right now I don’t have a family and a lot of other things people my age usually have, but my priorities have always been a little different that way. I’m living my dream now. I’m sure I’ll eventually find a great partner.” And although curling is an important part of his life, Morris says it won’t be forever. “I won’t be one of those guys curling into my old age. Once I retire I’ll be fishing, camping, and enjoying time with my family and friends.” But that time hasn’t come yet. Morris plans to defend his title in Sochi, Russia at the 2014 Winter Games. ❖
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Sailing the
How Nancy and Stephen Lefneski sold their home, quit their jobs and sailed the world By Mallory O’Brien
The Gulf of Aden, located between Somalia and Yemen, is also known as “pirate alley.” It is one of the most dangerous parts of the world for boats — the area where Somali pirates are known to commandeer vessels and take hostages. For Nancy and Stephen Lefneski, who were circumnavigating the globe on their 39-foot sailboat Toboggan, the route was unavoidable.
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story
You prepare the best you can, and you just go.�
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Before embarking on the five-day passage, the couple joined a Belgian and German boat to create a small convoy for safety. About halfway through the route, Stephen, 46, heard chatter from two vessels over the radio and learned that just the day before, a ship called Polaris had been hijacked. Soon after, four motorboats — the type of high-speed watercraft pirates use — appeared on the horizon. Nancy, 47, remembers her hands shaking as she put out a distress call on Toboggan’s single-sideband radio. “I was very afraid and couldn’t think straight, but luckily I had written out the instructions in advance and taped them above the radio,” she says. “It took all of my concentration to transmit the proper distress call.” At the helm, Stephen attempted to close the space between the boats in the convoy so they could defend each other. But the motorboats split into two directions and quickly surrounded the group. But after a brief look, the unidentified boats diverted and disappeared. Despite the danger, experiences like this made the couple’s decision to quit their jobs, sell their home and possessions, and sail the world for four years, even more gratifying. “At the end of every day, we had such a sense of accomplishment we would sleep like rocks,” says Nancy (née Alexander, BA ’85). “Neither Stephen nor I would consider ourselves adventurous — we just really love to travel to out-of-the-way places and we love to sail.” Stressful days on the high seas were greatly outnumbered by weeks of exploration, adventure and friendships made with other boaters and inhabitants of the 32 countries they visited on their voyage. There were also many days spent relaxing in exotic locales such as Bora Bora, where Nancy and Stephen spent seven days snorkeling and walking the beaches before continuing their journey west to Niue, the world’s smallest independent nation. The freedom to explore the world on their own schedule is what made the couple decide to leave their life in Kitchener, Ontario. Choosing to go was easy. Making it happen was
Neither Stephen nor I would consider ourselves adventurous — we just really love to travel to out-ofthe-way places and we love to sail.”
December 2006 - Bahamas Diving in Thunderball Grotto
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much more difficult, and took eight years of planning, saving, budgeting, researching and improving their sailing skills.
N
ancy and Stephen discovered their love of sailing in 1996 after taking lessons on Conostogo Lake using 15-foot dinghies. They moved on to larger sailboats in Hamilton Harbour and Georgian Bay, and in 1999 they chartered a 31-foot sailboat to the British Virgin Islands. On the first day of the trip, anchored off the island of Virgin Gorda, the couple was enjoying a glass of wine and watching the sunset, when one of them said, “We should do this every day.” They had lots of reasons to go, and not many reasons holding them back. “We both had good careers and were making good money, but we were spending it on stuff like furniture, and thinking, ‘this really is not fulfilling.’ So we just decided to do it,” says Nancy. When they returned hom e, they bought a 26-foot sailboat to “test the theory.” They spent five summers sailing Lake Erie on weekends and vacations. And they started saving money —Nancy and Stephen needed $150,000 for four years at sea.
May 2007 - Galapagos Interesting wildlife
November 2007 - Australia Hiking the Glass House Mountains
“If it didn’t go on the boat, we didn’t buy it,” says Nancy. “It’s amazing the money you can save when you’re basically buying only food.” The couple also started to quietly prepare for their voyage. They planned their route and completed medical training. They learned how to provision a boat and took training lessons, including a diesel engine maintenance course and six-week program to earn a license just to use the boat’s singlesideband radio. In 2004 the couple mortgaged their house and bought an ocean-going sailboat. They christened it Toboggan — a distinctly Canadian name that would be easily recognizable to North American sailors and would be fun to explain to people who first had to learn what snow was. They also told their closest friends and family they would be leaving in two years. Many didn’t believe they would actually do it. Those who did worried about it — Stephen’s father would send them newspaper articles detailing recent pirate attacks. Nothing deterred them, although quitting their jobs was difficult. Nancy, who was in advertising sales, had recently switched jobs and wasn’t as attached to her work as Stephen, who loved his job as an architect. “But it’s what you do and your experiences that make life interesting,” says Stephen. “I was working 10 to 12 hours a day, and while it was fun, I was only doing one thing with my life.”
A
fter selling their home, the couple set out from Hamilton Harbour on Lake Ontario in September 2006. “In the end, you can never research enough, or learn to sail enough, or have enough money, and there are so many things you don’t know but you just have to go anyway,” says Stephen. “You prepare the best you can, and you just go.” They sailed south and west, stopping at islands in the Caribbean and passing through the Panama Canal en route to Australia. Their longest stretch of sailing was 23 days across the Pacific Ocean, travelling 3,000 nautical miles (5,700 kilometres) from
September 2008 - Bali Steve and dancer
…it’s what you do and your experiences that make life interesting.”
the Galápagos Islands to the Marquesas Islands. Surrounded by six-foot ocean swells, they were completely cut off from the world “It was very peaceful, but it takes a while to get into the swing of it,” says Nancy, who adds they took turns sleeping in fourhour shifts during the crossing. The rolling boat made it difficult to cook. They ate canned soups, pork and beans, and pasta. They also had fresh fish, if they were lucky enough to catch any. “That was one of the things about the trip that was different than we thought it would be,” says Nancy. “It was a lot more work and a lot less drinking out of coconuts under palm trees.” The reward after the long crossing consisted of visits to Tahiti, Bora Bora, Tonga, Fiji and a host of other islands. Nancy and Stephen then laid anchor in Australia for six months to wait out cyclone season. “I live to snorkel and the Great Barrier Reef was spectacular,” says Nancy. “Abundant sea life, giant clams, beautiful fish… I would never get tired of it.” The layover also allowed time to make repairs to Toboggan. Stephen likens the boat to a “cranky thing that needs constant attention,” and on the ocean, smaller fixes need to be made on the fly.
Febuary 2009 - Gulf of Aden Pirate encounter
May 2009 - Egypt A ride through the desert
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We need you back.
When you were a Laurier student, you benefitted from the generosity of Laurier alumni who were inspired to donate to guarantee an exceptional Laurier experience for you. As an alumnus, we need you to reciprocate that generosity and support.
GIVE TODAY. Keep Laurier’s cycle of giving rolling forward.
www.wlu.ca/giving
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annualgiving@wlu.ca
Finding creative solutions was one of the joys of the trip for Nancy. If they didn’t have the perfect part, what could they use to get the job done? One time, while travelling the Red Sea, a valve in Toboggan’s washroom corroded and broke off, and water started leaking into the boat like a garden hose. They temporarily fixed it with a wooden emergency plug, but it would be weeks before they would arrive in a country where they could find the proper replacement part. Stephen made a homemade contraption like a cork gasket, donned his dive equipment and threaded it into the outside hull to close the hole more securely. “There’s no Home Depot so you are often trading someone this part for that part. You really depend on each other out there,” says Nancy. “Before we left, and sadly now that we’re back, we leave early for work, come home late and barely talk to our neighbours. We’re all too busy. At sea, you talk to people, whether it’s a local person or another sailor. You help each other. You entertain each other. That was something I really liked.” At the end of cyclone season, Toboggan set sail to Indonesia. While the island of Bali is the country’s most popular tourist destination, some of the lesser-known islands were highlights for Stephen and Nancy. Many of them can only be accessed by boat, and offer a quieter paradise of white-sand beaches, jungles filled with orangutans and komodo dragons, and tiny villages where only a handful of outsiders have set foot. They also stopped in Thailand before an 11-day passage across the Indian Ocean, where they celebrated New Year’s Eve on a friend’s boat eating Indian food and watching fireworks. They made an emergency medical stop in Sri Lanka — Nancy needed antibiotics for an ear infection and Stephen had a filling replaced in his tooth. After passing through the Gulf of Aden they sailed north across the Red Sea, where they caught a glimpse of the ethereal and somewhat elusive bioluminescent water produced by deep-sea marine life. One of Stephen’s favourite locations was Yemen and the ancient city of Sana’a, which has buildings that date back to 1,000 AD. The couple lunched with the Yemen Navy and explored the local culture. They also got shot at by the army. Caught in a storm one night, they decided to take refuge in a Hanish Islands bay, home to what they thought was an abandoned military base. “The next thing we know, we hear a big kaboom!” says Stephen. “We figured it was a warning shot and turned to leave, but then
October 2009 - Gibraltar A view of “The Rock”
a big high-speed boat, containing men brandishing machine guns, comes straight for us.” The boaters were able to diffuse the situation and were allowed to stay for the night. “A lot of sailors talk about whether you take a gun on your trip or not,” says Nancy. “This was a situation that if you did have a gun, and felt the need to protect yourself, things could have gotten really bad, really fast.”
How much does it cost to sail the world for almost four years? Here’s what the Lefneskis spent on average per year on the essentials. Food & pharmacy
$4,786
Entertainment & beer
$3,908
Fuel & propane
$3,689
Permits & charts
$2,164
Equipment & repairs Phone & Internet
$10,255 $862
Bus & taxi
$1,294
Haul-out & docking fees
$1,692
Insurance
$4,875
Other
$2,728
TOTAL
$36,253
N
ancy and Stephen arrived home in March 2010 after six months sailing the Mediterranean. After the final 19-day crossing of the Atlantic, Stephen called his old employer to see if there were any jobs available. They wanted him back immediately, so they had Toboggan hauled out of the water for storage in a Florida marina and flew home. Today, Nancy and Stephen sit in their new home, sparsely furnished with the bare necessities, and reflect on how their journey changed them. Living on the boat forced them to be “pseudo environmentalists,” preserving energy and food and minimizing water and waste. They continue to live with that philosophy in mind. “You become very aware of how much energy you use, how much food you consume and how much waste you produce,” says Nancy. “When you see 23 days worth of your waste, and you multiply that by the billions of people in the world… you get good at buying things without too much packaging.” Toboggan is currently docked in Port Dover on Lake Erie. The couple plans to sell their ocean-going boat for a smaller sailboat, but say they would go out to sea again “in a minute.” “When we retire, we want to get back out there and have some more fun,” says Nancy. “As many places we went, there were so many more places we didn’t even scratch the surface of. There’s so much to see out there.” ❖
January 2010 - Canary Islands The beautiful skyline
January 2010 - Bahamas Circumnavigation complete
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homecoming news
Homecoming highlights
Despite rain and cool temperatures, thousands of Laurier alumni and friends gathered on Laurier’s campuses for one of the biggest events of the year — Homecoming!
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Photo: Dean Palmer
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Photos: Rainer Leipscher
For updates and more information, visit www.laurieralumni.ca/homecoming.
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For more homecoming photos visit www.laurieralumni.ca/homecoming
In early October, thousands of alumni, students and community members celebrated Homecoming 2010 on the Waterloo campus, and reconnected with friends and their Laurier family. This year’s festivities started with a free pancake breakfast Saturday morning in the Fred Nichols Campus Centre quad, followed by faculty open houses and the inaugural Legends of Laurier Lecture, featuring Dr. Don Morgenson, psychology professor emeritus. The crowd then moved to University Stadium for the annual tailgate party. Despite rain and cool temperatures, a record-breaking crowd of over 9,200 fans filled the stands decked out in purple and gold as the Golden Hawks took on the University of Guelph Gryphons, winning 36-2. That evening, alumni met up with friends at the Alumni Party at Wilf’s, which featured a peformance by Laurier’s own Blackwater Trio, and celebrated at the Turret. There was a great turnout Sunday morning for the Homecoming worship service at the Waterloo Lutheran Seminary, followed by the third-annual Laurier Loop, with more than 500 runners taking part in the charity run. Participants raised $3,000 for the Sun Life Financial Movement Disorders Research & Rehabilitation Centre. Laurier alumnus Ian McLean (BA ‘98) matched that amount, raising the total to $6,000. The festivities concluded with comedian Tim Allen performing at the Kitchener Auditorium Sunday evening.
1, 2: Cheering on the Golden Hawks. 3: Free pancake breakfast in the quad. 4: Celebrating a class reunion. 5: Comedian Tim Allen takes the stage. 6: The Burlington Teen Tour Band entertains the crowd. 7, 8: Runners compete in the Laurier Loop charity run.
Laurier Brantford celebrates second-annual Homecoming! Laurier Brantford celebrated its second-annual Homecoming Oct. 23, 2010. The festivities included campus tours, a barbecue lunch, a varsity hockey game against the University of Guelph Gryphons and pub night at the Piston Broke Pub. For more details, visit www. laurieralumni.ca/brantfordhomecoming.
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keepingin touch
Life on the fast track It’s common to see 21-year-old Caitlin Johnston (BA ’10) tinkering with her car in the driveway of her suburban Orangeville home. What’s unusual is the car is an open-wheel Formula Ford race car. Neighbours have been seeing Johnston, who put a 540-horsepower Dodge Avenger to the test at the Toronto Indy in July, working on everything from go-karts to race cars for more than seven years. “My neighbourhood has seen it all!” said Johnston, who graduated from Laurier in 2010 with a BA in political science. She can talk about international policies with the same ease that she can put together an engine. Johnston started racing go-karts when she was 11 years old. At a friend’s invitation, Johnston’s father took her to the track, and at the end of the day she told him they weren’t leaving until he bought her a kart. Five years later, after winning the Mosport senior kart championship in
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2006, Johnston took her racing to the next level, moving to open-wheel race cars and competing in the Formula Ford series in Canada and the F2000 series in the United States. She also enrolled at Laurier. “My parents said that I could keep racing, but school was a priority,” Johnston said, adding that she didn’t mind because she had always wanted to go to university. Luckily, her racing seasons ran from April to October, so there were only about two months when her racing life and school life overlapped. “At times it was tough, but when you’re doing something you love, you just deal with it. You just make it work.” For Johnston, it was worth it — she applies the skills she learned at Laurier to the racetrack. “In balancing school and everything else, I really learned how to keep calm and cool under pressure.” It is a skill that comes in handy when she’s in the cockpit of her car, taking corners at over 250 kilometres per hour.
Hoping to have a professional racing career, Johnston has started to race closed-wheel stock cars. Racing in the Toronto Indy was just her second time in a stock car. “The fans and the atmosphere were amazing,” she said. “It’s a completely different style of racing, but I love the challenge and I’m really excited for more.” Now that she has graduated, she’s looking forward to racing a full schedule next year in the national NASCAR Canadian Tire series. She is also enrolled in a sports-business management program, so that if she doesn’t make it as a racer, she can still have a career in the industry. “Driving as fast as you can, out there on a track with other drivers, the adrenaline rush is amazing. When you’re in that space, it feels like you’re conquering the impossible. I have a hard time imagining what I’d do without it.” ~ Mallory O’Brien
Keeping in touch
1960s An investment club formed by a group of Laurier alumni celebrated its 45th anniversary in September. FEMORK Enterprises Club, titled using the initials from members’ last names, is thought to be one of the oldest of its kind in the country. “We have a wide cross-section of people, with some business people, teachers and a few who work in law,” says former Waterloo mayor Herb Epp (BA’61), who along with his wife Jane (BA ’64) has been a member for 25 years. The group also includes Don Campbell (BA ’64), Canada’s former ambassador to Japan and Korea, and Jim Kent (BA ’63), a judge in Brantford. Club members get together three times a year to review their investments and then go out for dinner. Each member invests $600 a year and at least one partner in a couple must be a Laurier grad. Epp says that over the years their investments have done fairly well. And while choosing which funds to invest in can be difficult, the group always decides together. “It’s done by consensus and we try to accommodate everyone,” he says. “We discuss it and if someone feels strongly, we’ll go with that investment at least for a while, so everyone gets a say and there are no hard feelings.” Once the business aspect of the meeting is complete, the rest of the day is devoted to catching up and reminiscing about their Laurier days. “If we didn’t have the club and just tried to hold a social every year, it wouldn’t have lasted,” says Epp. “This is a great way to bring everyone together.”
Investment club members (standing l-r): Jack Korpela, Robin Korpela, Jane Fry, Sheila Elliott, Ron Elliott, Becky Heacock, Ross Heacock, Mary Knezic, Gordon Fry; and (sitting l-r) Ralph Reichert, Jane Epp, Herb Epp, Jim Kent, Candace Bryson, John Knezic, Carol Kent and Evan Bryson. Absent from photo: Don and Catherine Campbell, and Wendy Bethune.
1980s Ray Tanguay (Dipl ’83) was promoted to chair for the Canadian operations of Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada. He previously served as president of Canadian operations. Tanguay is also a member of Laurier’s SBE Dean’s Advisory Council.
1990s
Steve Griggs (BA ’92) has been named chief operating officer of the Tampa Bay Lightning and the St. Pete Times Forum. He joins the Lightning from the Orlando Magic, where he served as executive vice-president
of sales and marketing. Griggs played with the Laurier Golden Hawks men’s hockey team from 1988 to 1991. Paul Blais (BA ’93, MA ’95) is a founding partner and vice-president of Millier Dickinson Blais, an economic development consulting firm. The company was recently named to PROFIT magazine’s PROFIT Hot 50 list, which ranks young firms by two-year revenue growth. Kerry Roebuck (BMus ‘95) is the winner of the WLU Centennial Fanfare Composition Competition, which was held to commemorate the university’s 100th anniversary next year. He will receive a cash prize, and his composition will be premiered at a March 10, 2011 concert featuring the WLU Symphony Orchestra and the K-W Symphony Youth Orchestra at Kitchener’s Centre In The Square. The competition accepted submissions from Laurier grads in the spring.
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W I L F R I D L AU R I E R U N I V E R S I T Y A L U M N I A S S O C I AT I O N
meet
Melissa Howie, user Photo: Tomasz Adamski
As a student at Laurier, Melissa Howie understood the value of being involved, and she participated in many campus activities, including leading the Canadian Student Alumni Association Network (CSAAN) conference as part of the Laurier Student Alumni (LSA). She has been a brand manager at Hershey Canada, where she managed national marketing plans, including developing Canadian advertising content for online and television campaigns, products and consumer promotions.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE FEATURED in the next edition of Laurier Campus magazine, describing how you benefited from one of Laurier Alumni’s GradVantages programs? Please send your story to alumni@wlu.ca For more information about this and other GradVantages programs, visit www.laurieralumni.ca/gradvantages
Melissa understands that value and savings play an important role in marketing products, so when she learned about the TD Meloche Monnex insurance discount for Laurier alumni, she immediately switched her home and auto insurance. TD Meloche Monnex home, auto and travel insurance is just one of 19 products and services being used by more than 10,000 alumni today. The GradVantages program provides great deals on such things as credit cards, mortgages and financial planning. A portion of the proceeds generated through GradVantages helps support university and alumni programs, building on the great traditions we all enjoyed as students.
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V I S I T W W W. L A U R I E R A L U M N I . C A / G R A D V A N T A G E S
Keeping in touch
Roebuck studied clarinet while at Laurier. He now lives in Montreal where he enjoys a successful career as a music teacher and conductor — he is currently the musical director of many ensembles, including the Montreal West Operatic Society. Previously, he served as director of the national youth orchestra in Trinidad and Tobago. An active composer, Roebuck wrote his winning piece for double brass quintet, remembering a fourth-year paper he wrote on the history of music at Laurier. Honoring Laurier’s roots in the Lutheran Church, he replicated, musically and physically, the five corners of the cross in the heart, and the five corners of the Lutheran Rose, supplying a blueprint with his composition that shows how its musicians should be arranged on stage. “Musically, the first quintet represents the cross in the heart, not only in the warmth of the harmonization, but in the solidity of the rhythmic pulse,” Roebuck said. “The second quintet represents the petals of the rose in
“ Help level the playing field by investing in student athletes like me.”
Kerry Roebuck
both brilliance and presence as it has the flashier notes.” The one-minute piece is also in the key of G-Major, because a low G measures about 100 Hz, and is set at a tempo of 100 beats per minutes, paralleling Laurier’s centenary.
Where in the world are you? Keeping in Touch is a great way to let your fellow alumni know what is happening in your life, from family news, to career changes, travels and personal milestones. Sending us an update makes connecting with your classmates easy. Here’s a sample: John Doe (BBA ’95) has joined Toronto law firm Smith & Smith, where he practices commercial law. John and his wife, Michelle (Brown) Doe (BA ’96), live in Mississauga with their two boys, Sam, 3, and Michael, 5. Your Keeping in Touch submission can run in length from one line to a paragraph. Feel free to share your favourite Laurier memories! We also encourage photographs (if submitted electronically, they should be 300 dpi). If possible, please include your student number with your entry. Send your update via web: www.laurieralumni.ca via email: alumaddress@wlu.ca via fax: (519) 747-2106 via phone: (519) 884-0710 ext. 3176 via mail: Sandy Krall, Alumni Hall, Wilfrid Laurier University 75 University Ave., W. Waterloo, ON N2L3C5
Adopt-A-Hawk today! Abby Rainsberry 3rd year Kinesiology & Physical Education 2009/2010 OUA Champion and Women’s Hockey Captain
Don’t forget to update your profile online for a chance to win a $500 Homecoming package! Visit www.laurieralumni.ca for details. w w w. w l u . c a / a d o p t a h a w k LAURIER CAMPUS Fall 2010
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Keeping in touch Ian McLean (Dipl ’96) has been appointed president and CEO of the Greater K-W Chamber of Commerce. He previously worked in both the public and private sectors and was a Waterloo City councillor.
Bringing soccer fever to a South African School While the world was caught up in the excitement of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa this summer, a much smaller celebration occurred at a school in one of the country’s impoverished townships. Thanks to the efforts of a group of four Laurier students, the Zweliyazuza Primary School outside of Pietermaritzburg installed its first goal posts and nets, the initial step to creating a soccer field for the school’s students. “It was ironic that in all the hype leading up to the World Cup, a school in the host country was too poor to have its own soccer facilities,” said Len Friesen, associate professor of global studies and history, who worked with the Laurier group as their university faculty mentor. The Laurier students, Sanja Brankovic (BMus ’10), Cassandra Taylor (BBA ’10), Denise Garneau (BA ’09) and Kevin Desmarais (BSc ’09) — all Garfield Weston Scholars — formed a connection with the school during an international learning trip funded by their scholarships in 2008. During a visit, the group learned the school had very few resources and no library. The students and Friesen made individual donations to fund a new library, though the students say they gained more than they gave. “The time we spent at Zweliyazuza was transformative for all of us,” said Brankovic. “It was a moving experience to be with students and staff, and to be so welcomed by all of them.” Their initiative struck a chord with Roger Lindsay, a friend of the university and a trustee of The W. Garfield Weston Foundation. He contributed to the library project, but also wanted to do something that would
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2000s
be more playful for the children at Zweliyazuza. Inquiries were made, and out of these came the decision to fund goal posts and nets to coincide with the World Cup. Immediately after the posts were installed, students donned their soccer uniforms and tried out the new nets. Beaming student faces and shouts of joy told the story. “Soccer fever has hit South Africa, even to the depths of the rural areas and we are so pleased to be included in this way,” said Zweliyazuza Primary School principal Musi Zuma upon receiving the gift. “The posts will serve as a daily reminder of your kindness to us.” “It’s such a thrill to know that our time at Laurier started a process that has allowed students in need to be able to celebrate sports through soccer in addition to the library project,” said Brankovic, who has since graduated along with her peers. In August 2011, a new group of four Laurier Garfield Weston scholarship recipients will travel to South Africa and visit the school. They intend to raise funds for the school library in the coming year in anticipation of their visit to Zweliyazuza. “Any assistance we can provide will pay dividends for the whole community,” said Friesen. “And it speaks to the students’ efforts, to the generosity of Mr. Lindsay, and to how small deeds can help those down and out have something to celebrate.”
Luke Stuart (BA ‘04) married Julie (Moore) Stuart on July 10, 2010 at St. James-Rosemount United Church in Kitchener. They celebrated with family and friends at St. George Banquet Hall in Waterloo. Among the wedding party members were Laurier grads Michael Morris (BA ‘04), Joe Aubrey (BA ‘04), Bradley Davison (BA ‘04), Andrew McNabb (BA ‘04), and Carinne (Chambers) Saini (BBA ‘01). Alix Duck (BA ’05) is on a mission to support families living with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Duck, along with Torontonian Shana Valo, created the ALS Objective (A.L.S.O) to help families living with ALS achieve and maintain the quality of life they deserve. Both Duck and Valo lost their fathers to the disease, and have seen first hand the emotional, physical and financial impact ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, has on a family. One of A.L.S.O.’s long-term goals is to establish foundations and funds to help families finance family vacations and fun nights where they can spend time together, not as caregiver and patient, but as parent and child. Additional goals include facilitating caregiver relief and establishing scholarships for children of people living with ALS. “We have been very well received by the ALS society of Canada who have met with us to discuss our ideas,” said Duck, a registered nurse at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto. “Shana and I are very excited about A.L.S.O and have a very personal and unique motivation to help these families.”
Keeping in touch
Alumni tournament hits a home run For the eighth straight year, graduates spanning 10 years returned to Waterloo for the Major League Summer Baseball (MLSB) Alumni Annual Softball Tournament. About 300 alumni participated in this year’s event, which includes graduates from Laurier’s School of Business & Economics who participated in the co-op summer baseball league. For the first time, MLSB alumni donated $4,000 to the Outstanding Women of Laurier (OWL) award. The donation was made in honour of Heather Swift (BBA ’02), a former cross-country varsity athlete and MLSB alumna who died unexpectedly in 2004. “We consider each other family,” said Jason Escobar (BBA ’02), tournament co-founder and lead organizer. “We now have a decade worth of graduates coming together, and what started as a small reunion has expanded into a major event and charity to honour our teammate Heather. It’s something we can all be proud of.”
T H E
W I L F R I D
2 0 11
Funds are raised through teams’ registration fees, as well as individual donations. Registered teams participate in the baseball tournament and enjoy a welcome party, barbecue, and dinner and awards ceremony at the Turret. The winning team is recognized as the year’s MLSB Alumni Tournament champion, and the most spirited team receives the Swifty Spirit Cup, also named for Swift.
Award s o f Excellence L A U R I E R
U N I V E R S I T Y
A L U M N I
A S S O C I AT I O N
C E L E B R AT I N G O U R C H A M P I O N S
The WLUAA Awards of Excellence were established to honour
Our Award s
alumni, faculty and staff who,
Alumnus/Alumna of the Year
Hoffmann-Little Award
through their actions and
Recognizes outstanding achievement by a Laurier graduate.
Recognizes teaching excellence by a Laurier faculty member.
accomplishments, make a
Honorary Alumnus/Alumna
Faculty Mentoring Award
difference in the WLU community
Recognizes friends of Laurier whose contributions enhance both the university and outside communities.
Recognizes a Laurier faculty member for outstanding mentorship and support to students.
and the community at large.
Schaus Award
Young Alumnus/Alumna of the Year
If you know someone who
Recognizes outstanding contribution by a member of Laurier’s administrative staff.
Recognizes outstanding achievement by a Laurier alumnus/ alumna who is 30 years of age or under.
embodies the spirit of WLU, consider nominating him or her for a Wilfrid Laurier University Alumni Association Award of Excellence.
N O M I N AT I O N D E A D L I N E
The closing date for 2011 Awards submissions is February 4, 2011.
For more information about the awards and to download a nomination form visit: W W W. L A U R I E R A L U M N I . C A / A W A R D S You can also call alumni relations at (519) 884-0710 extension 3178 to learn more about the program. LAURIER CAMPUS Fall 2010
35
Keeping in touch
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plus the Laurier Real Estate Advantage 36
LAURIER CAMPUS Fall 2010
Keeping in touch
Bringing education to children around the world While teaching at schools around the world, Amy McLaren (BA ’02) saw first-hand the extreme poverty and lack of education in third-world countries. She was inspired to help, and along with husband Stuart McLaren (BBA ’02), started World Teacher Aid (www.worldteacheraid.org), a charitable organization that helps bring education to children in the developing world. The organization sets up feeding programs, builds schools and helps fund teacher salaries in Kenya, Uganda, Ghana and El Salvador. “I knew that education, helping others and travelling were what I loved and I wanted to do something meaningful to help the children that didn’t get a chance to attend school because of low finances or lack of a teacher,” she says. The couple has also started a program called Write to Give (www. writetogive.com), which empowers elementary school students to become published authors while giving back to children in developing countries. All the books are written and illustrated by students. In just two years, more than 21 books have been published
Kristy Wiltshire (BA ’06) moved to Western Canada after completing her kinesiology degree to attend college for massage therapy. She received her certification in sports massage therapy in 2009 with the Canadian Sports Massage Therapist Association (CSMTA), and is now working as a registered massage therapist in Surrey, BC, and as the sports massage therapist for Trinity Western University. In March, Kristy was selected as one of the host medical massage therapists to work at the Paralympic Games in the Vancouver athletes’ village. “This was an amazing experience,”
involving more than 1,600 students from Ontario, Hong Kong, the U.S. and Uganda. Each book sells for $15 with the proceeds going to World Teacher Aid’s educational programs. “Thanks to Stuart’s business expertise (he co-founded the online company WishList Products) the program is available online, so it doesn’t matter where a teacher is on the globe, they can get involved in writing part of a book with their
class,” says Amy, who is also a fulltime teacher. The program has won two awards from the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario and the couple hopes for bigger things to come with help from donors and participants. “My big goal is to have a Write to Give section in Chapters with our books,” says Amy. “The more teachers and students I have on board, the more chance I have of it happening.”
she says. “The athletes were amazing individuals to work with and from all different backgrounds.” Peter Glassford (BA ’07) is a competitive mountain bike racer and is busy building a coaching/kinesiology business. This year he raced for Trek Canada in Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Quebec, Alberta and New York, and was top-three in national competition. He was also second in provincial competition, top-70 in World Cups and represented Canada in the mountain bike marathon event in the world championships.
Peter says his team also makes an effort to be involved in local youth programs. To follow Peter’s adventures, visit www. trainwithpeter.com.
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Keeping in touch
Connecting with tradition, looking to the future In the fall of 2009 when Kelly Laurila (MSW ‘10) entered Laurier’s Master of Social Work Aboriginal Field of Study program, her name was Kelly Nixon. Over the next year, much more than her name changed. Laurila grew up in northern Ontario. She is part Irish and part Sámi. The Sámi – sometimes referred to as Laplanders – are an indigenous people of Finland. And while she settled in southern Ontario in 1980 and was involved with the aboriginal community in KitchenerWaterloo, she did not really feel “connected” to her heritage. This was largely because she did not know much about her culture. To change that, she took a one-year leave of absence from Conestoga College, where she has been a counselor for the past 18 years, to enrol in Laurier’s MSW Aboriginal Field of Study. Laurier’s program is designed to inspire students to learn about their personal heritage, and Laurila dove right in, participating in an aboriginal fasting ceremony and taking courses in which she researched her Sámi background in depth. “What I learned this past year in the program was that when you know who you are and where you come from, you stop questioning if you belong, because then you know you do,” Laurila says. “It is this ‘knowing’ that equips one with all that is needed to handle whatever life brings.”
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This “knowing” led her to change her last name from Nixon (her married name) to her traditional name of Laurila, which means song bird. “The ironic part of all this is that I only learned of the meaning of my original name in the past year,” she says. Academically, Laurila challenged herself beyond what she thought possible, writing more papers than anticipated and pushing her critical thinking skills to a higher level. She was awarded for her efforts with a Gold Medal of Academic Excellence. “Social work has to do with change, and having an impact on people’s lives,” says Susan Cadell, acting dean of the Faculty of Social Work. “The Aboriginal Field of Study has tremendous ability to inspire, and I think Kelly is an example of the potential both the program and the profession have.” A beaming Laurila graduated at fall convocation on October 29. She has since returned to her post at Conestoga College, and will also teach aboriginal-related courses at Brock University and the University of Waterloo in 2011. Within the local aboriginal community, she has initiated discussions about an aboriginal community centre in Waterloo Region. “I trusted in the Creator to guide my path and I am truly a better person for all of this. I say a ‘Chi Miigwetch’ (a big thank you) for all that has come my way.”
calendar of events
Mark your calendar For a complete list of events, tickets or more information, visit www.laurieralumni.ca/events Peter Pan Dec. 11, 2010
Family Skate & Women’s Varsity Hockey Game
Join fellow alumni at the
January 22, 2011
Drayton Theatre for a
A family favourite: skating
presentation of the family-
at Waterloo Memorial by refreshments and cheering on the
Jan. 9, 2011 The kick off to Laurier’s weeklong Winter Carnival, Carnival Day is open to the entire Laurier community. Come out and enjoy some winter fun!
Womens Varsity Hockey team!
Niagara Wine Tour January 29, 2011 Jump on the bus with GTA-West Chapter volunteers bound for Niagara Wine Country to enjoy a delicious lunch and sampling at three wineries.
Perfect Pairing: An Evening of Food & Drink
Elegy for a Stolen Land by Peter Sibbald
Feb. 11, 2011
Jan. 12 – Feb. 9, 2011 Visit Laurier’s Robert Langen Art Gallery to view this photographic exhibit, which explores how contemporary land-human relationships
WE NEED VOLUNTEERS TO:
for an evening of delicious food and drink
and contact your classmates!
pairings based on a theme.
Ongoing
Jan. 14, 2011
education with an MBA? Learn about
graduation. Norris is chief energy officer
Celebrate Laurier’s centennial and your 5th, 10th, 15th, 20th, 25th, 30th, & 40th reunion! choose your events, plan the celebration
Life After Laurier Science Speaker Series
(’87) speaks about her life and career after
2001, 1996, 1991, 1986, 1981, 1971
favourite, join fellow alumni
MBA Information sessions
as physical education alumna Libby Norris
Calling all members of the Class of 2006,
A Kitchener-Waterloo chapter
have evolved.
Join us in the Science Building (room N1001)
2011
Recreation Complex followed
friendly, classic story Peter Pan.
Winter Carnival – Carnival Day
Homecoming
To volunteer or for more information about getting involved, visit www.laurieralumni.ca/reunions
Are you thinking about furthering your Laurier’s MBA degree and the many flexible program options. Free information sessions take place at the Waterloo and Toronto
Interested in planning a reunion not mentioned? We can help! Contact reunion@wlu.ca for more information
campuses. Visit www.wlu.ca/mbais for details.
with Inspired Energy, Inc., one of Canada’s leading health and fitness consulting firms. She is also the fitness expert seen Mondays on Canada AM and is the fitness editor of the newly launched Kellogg Special K website and blog. She is one of six Reebok Master Trainers in Canada, and has written articles for Prevention Magazine, Fitness Business Canada and Chatelaine. For more information, visit www.wlu.ca/science.
Get with the program! Update your profile. If you haven’t updated your alumni profile, here’s what you’ve been missing: • invitations to events and reunions • connect with former classmates • our online alumni newsletter, Alma Matters
E YOUR PROF IL E DAT UP for a chance to
a
HOMECO HOMECOMING OMING 2 2011 PACKAGE PA
Log on to www.laurieralmni.ca and GET CONNECTED!
LAURIER CAMPUS Fall 2010
39
flashback
A scene from Guys and Dolls is performed in the 1980s. The production drew its cast from among faculty members, alumni and students. The decade saw the building of the $10-million John Aird Centre to house the Faculty of Music and other departments. Other developments included renovations to the dining hall, new scholarships, two floors added to the library and the construction of women’s residence Bouckaert Hall.
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LAURIER CAMPUS Fall 2010
Do you have a photo of your Laurier days? Email a high-resolution image to ndinka@wlu. ca and it could appear in Flashback.
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XXX-MM8019-09 MMI.EN•wlu (8.25x9.75).indd 1
1/21/10 3:09:29 PM
Projet : Annonce MMI 2009
Province : Ontario
Client : Meloche Monnex
Publication : Laurier Campus
Épreuve # :1 Date de tombée : 18/01/10