September 30, 2005

Canadian Idol winner Kalan Porter
makes a stop in London, Ont.,
page 16
Mums part of learning experience
for horticultural students, page 12
What’s
Inside
College
Connection
Page 2-3
NOISE@
NIAGARA
Page 7
Columns
Page 8-9
Profiles
Page 10
Community
Connection
Page 11
Body &
Health
Page 13
Music
Page 16
The Reel
Deal
Page 17
Sports
Page 18
Don’t
forget to
check out
our next
edition on
Oct. 14
Enrolment exceeding
college expectations
By ROBIN HEALEY
Staff Writer
Niagara College exceeded
its full-time student enrolment
target of 6,040 by 203 students with a total enrolment of
6,243, said Al Vaughan, Niagara College registrar. That is
an increase from last year’s
record setting enrolment of
6,060 full-time students.
Vaughan, 49, from St.
Catharines, is “very pleased
with enrolment results not
only this year but over the
past four years.”
From the fall of 2000 to the
fall of 2004, enrolment at Niagara College has leapt from
4,944 to 6,060 full-time students, an increase over 1,000
students or 22.5 per cent.
Despite the large enrolment, Ryan Szpurko, 18, a
first-year Law and Security
Administration program student from Welland, said,
“Class sizes are fine.” He
noted that some of his larger
classes have been split into
sections, which are limited to
30 students.
Monique Vrolijk, 20, from
Jordan Station, in her second
year of studies in Office
Administration – Executive
program, said that access to
computers and the bookstore
is unimpeded by the growing
student population. She
noted that her class sizes are
small and that students in her
program have access to their
own computer lab, adding,
“We’re set.”
Vaughan said Niagara College’s high level of student
satisfaction has generated
positive
word-of-mouth
between students and their
peers, increasing enrolment.
He said that all of Niagara
College’s staff are focused
on student satisfaction. “We
all know that is our goal, our
priority.”
Niagara College ranked
first overall of the 24 Ontario
colleges in student satisfaction on the Key Performance
Indicator survey released in
April by the Ontario Ministry
of Training, Colleges and
Universities.
Although Szpurko and
Vrolijk acknowledged that
before enrolling they spoke to
peers who attended Niagara
College, both cited the closeness of the Welland campus as
the key factor in their decisions to enrol.
Niagara dresses down
By AMANDA STREET
Staff Writer
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
The faculty and staff of Niagara College will participate
in the Breast Cancer Society of Canada’s (BCSC) eight
annual dress-down day on Oct. 7 to raise funds for breast
cancer research. This will be the first year the school takes
part in the event, which is in its eighth year nation-wide.
The faculty can choose to dress in either casual or formal
style and wear a ribbon in support of breast cancer research.
The ribbons can be purchased in the Human Resource
office at the Welland campus, or in Kim Rose’s office,
W104, at the Glendale campus. The pink ribbons cost $5
and all proceeds go to the BCSC.
Nicole Perreault, manager of
human resources at the Welland
campus, is responsible for organizing the event.
“It’s a worthwhile cause that’s
all of our responsibility.”
Every day breast cancer becomes
a reality for 51 Canadians. Fifteen
Canadians lose their life to breast NICOLE PERREAULT
cancer daily. Two per cent of all
breast cancer cases in Canada occur in males.
Going nowhere fast
Drivers anxiously wait their turn to buy gas at the Shell gas station in Ridgeway. As hurricane Rita approached, motorists feared that gas prices would rise. The gas station ran out
of regular gas, for the first time since it opened in 1964.
Photo by Kaesha Forand
College achieving goals by balancing budget
By PATRICIA
RODRIGUEZ
Staff Writer
Niagara
College
has managed once
again to balance the
budget in the annual
business
plan
approved by the
Board of Governors.
The
2005-2006
plan released in June
shows a balanced
budget for the college
with a remarkable
investment of $3 million from the provincial government.
The balanced budget has been calculated to total revenues
and expenditures of
$77,369,293.
The
college
is
“healthy” financially,
said Darrell Neufeld,
manager of corporate
communications.
Student enrolment
for this year has had a
three
per
cent
increase, he said.
About 6,500 students
have enrolled in Niagara College for the
2005-2006
year,
which is higher than
last year’s enrolment
of 5,930.
“Our emphasis is on
student satisfaction.”
He said the college
places a high priority
on “hiring the right
people,” as “the students’ success is related to the teachers’
experience.”
He said the college
has produced a balanced budget for
many years, and this
year once again,
“we’ve managed to
balance the budget.
We are achieving
goals.”
Some of the business plan highlights
include resources for
20 new faculty and
staff
positions,
investment in infrastructure
renewal,
mechanical and electrical system replacement for the Welland
campus, investment
of “over $2 million”
for both campuses
and developing infrastructure to support
new apprenticeship
programs.
Continuing support
for the learning enterprises, including the
winery,
restaurant
and the greenhouse as
these activities are
integrated into academic programs, has
provided services or
goods to the public
and generated revenue to support other
programs.
Neufeld said the
$3-million
operational funding from
the provincial government was “needed” as it will address
many issues, including increasing the
level of services for
every division here.
However,
“there
are always more projects and improvements we would like
to
make,”
said
Neufeld.
New year brings new look to news@niagara
As the new school year starts, news@niagara has a new look. We’ve gone to an industrywide
nine-column format style. In doing so, we redesigned our layout making it more reader friendly.
Let us know what you think.
What’s Happening
at the College
College Connection.
Page 2, News@Niagara, Sept. 30, 2005
Conversation
Partners
Page 2
Learning
Resource
Centre
Page 2
Peer Tutoring
Page 2
College
Security
Page 3
Centre for
Community
Leadership
Page 3
Centre for
Students with
Disabilities
Page 3
Conversation partners offered for ESL students
By KAESHA FORAND
Staff Writer
English as a Second
Language (ESL) students
are looking to strike up a
conversation.
With the help of the International Department, ESL
students from the Welland
campus are being paired
with Canadian students to
create Conversation Partners. These partnerships
help ESL students practice
their English skills and
teach them more about
Canadian culture.
“It’s a two-way street. It
helps international students
adapt to the culture, and for
Canadian students they get
to learn about other cultures
around the world,” said
Larissa Strong, the international student adviser.
Students who are interested can pick up a Conversa-
tion Partner application in
the International department
at S100. It has five basic
questions about your personality and your interests, to
help pair you with the best
partner. An introductory
meeting is arranged so both
Canadian and ESL students
can receive information on
various topics to be covered
during later meetings.
Once the first meeting has
been established, partners
determine a regular time to
meet. The minimum expectation is once a week for
about one hour.
Chang-hoo Ahn, 25, is
from South Korea. He said
he is looking for a conversation partner who will help
him practice his English and
teach him about Canadian
culture. He said he would
also like to teach others
about his Korean culture.
“It (Conversation Partners)
is geared towards building
friendships and cultural adaptations,” said Brenda Bronson, the international housing
and conversation partner coordinator. “It helps Canadian
students appreciate a different
culture.”
“It’s working and overcoming challenges in communication...There are things that you
can learn in a relationship that
you can’t learn in a classroom,” said Bronson.
“I don’t have the opportunity to communicate with
Canadian people,” said Sam
Lee, 23, from South Korea.
“I want to make [a] Canadian friend.”
Lee adds that he also
wants to build his confidence and extend his English skills through the Conversation Partner program.
If a Canadian student
requires volunteer hours
to graduate from a program, the time spent with
a conversation partner can
be documented.
At the end of the term,
students who participate
receive a certificate of
appreciation and a letter of
reference to build their
résumé.
Currently 47 international
students and 20 Canadian
students are enlisted in the
program. More Canadian
students are needed to
ensure that everyone who
enlists has the opportunity
to have a partner.
For more information
Bronson can be contacted at
905-735-2211 ext. 7763 and
[email protected]
or contact Karen VanderVeen at 905-735-2211
ext. 7804 and [email protected].
Brenda Bronson is the new co-ordinator of the Conversation Partner
program. Canadian students can
still apply to be a conversation
partner to help English as a Second Language students practice
their English and teach them about
Canadian culture.
Photo by Kaesha Forand
Peer tutoring an asset to college life at Niagara Learning Resource Centre has
By BAILLIE ADCOCK
Staff Writer
Josie Tremonte, 37, of
Thorold, is Niagara College’s
peer services assistant at the
Welland campus. Her job is to
help those needing a tutor to
find one.
She concisely explains her
duties.
“We reach out and help as
many students as we can who
are struggling academically.”
The peer tutoring program is
also suited for those who need
to develop better study habits
or who have failed an assignment and need higher marks on
the rest of their work.
Peer tutors at Niagara College are paid $8.50 an hour.
Students who find out about the
service are pleased that there is
no registration fee, says
Tremonte.
“I’ve had students say there’s
a steady increase with their
grades.” Students must be
enrolled and attending classes
to be granted a tutor.
Suzanne Mounstephen, of
Thunder Bay, is the educational support adviser at Confederation College in Thunder
Bay. The peer tutoring program there requires a $10
administration fee from the
student needing a tutor. The
tutor is then paid $7.75 by the
Learning Centre.
Mounstephen says having a
tutoring program allows them
to catch students who are having difficulty before their
grades become fixed and to
encourage and help those who
are either failing or planning to
drop. “Ultimately, we want
everyone to succeed.”
At Niagara College, the tutor
can be paid for up to 12 hours a
week of tutoring. Confederation College will pay for two
hours for one subject and three
hours for two or more subjects.
Tutors at Niagara College are
encouraged to worry about
their own course load before
tutoring the maximum number
of hours.
The Welland and Glendale
campuses together had 294
learners apply for a tutor in fall
of 2004 but only 138 students
had registered to be tutors. For
the winter semester, 217 learners applied for a tutor with 115
tutors registered.
Confederation College had
“Ultimately, we
want everyone to
succeed.”
160 students apply to tutor but
only 117 were matched to a
learner in fall of 2004. In the
winter semester, 115 applied to
tutor but only 81 were
matched.
The benefits are not just for
the learner. Tutors often
understand the course material
more in depth after a session
with their tutee. It’s a rewarding experience and gives both
parties a chance to meet new
people.
Tremonte says the programs
would like to reach out to as
many programs as possible by
being more visible in all areas.
“The Mackenzie building (at
the Welland campus) is currently an area where peer tutoring awareness is low.” The
Mackenzie building is used to
teach programs such as Police
Foundations, Recreation and
Leisure Services, and Fitness
and Health Promotion. She’s
hoping to become more present
in the building and set up a display to promote the program
and hand out forms for tutors
and learners. She will also
attend classes to promote and
raise awareness so every student is made aware of the services.
If you are interested in the
tutoring program or need more
information, visit Peer Services
in the Counselling Office at
your campus. At the Welland
campus, Tremonte can be found
in SE102A or reached at extension 7769. At the Glendale
campus the Counselling Office
is found in W102 or at extension 4179.
Josie Tremonte, peer services assistant, deals with students
wanting to be tutors or who need one.
Photo by Baillie Adcock
more than just books
By ANDY BURT
Staff Writer
A library has books.
The Learning Resource
Centre (LRC) has books –
plus some things you didn’t
even know about.
Sue Bartlett, the library
services co-ordinator for
the Welland campus LRC,
says students should take
advantage of the LRC’s
electronic resources.
“Often students aren’t
aware of the online
resources we buy on their
behalf,” says Bartlett.
These resources are available online on or off campus. If you’re at home doing
homework late at night and
the LRC is closed, you can
access the research database
by visiting http://web.niagarac.on.ca/studying/library
/research_databases.htm.
On this site students have
access to the same online
database the LRC uses.
When connected to the
database from off campus,
students have some of the
same features as they
would if they were in the
LRC. There’s a search feature for encyclopedias,
books, magazines and journals. Searching an encyclopedia gives you a full text
version of the information
as it is presented in hard
copy complete with pictures. Magazine articles
and journal entries are
indexed and accessible
through the online database
as well.
Bartlett says the LRC
tries to add something new
every year. This year the
net library database was
added to the online
resources. When searching
for a book, you can use the
net library database, which
has about 1,200 titles you
can view in e-book form.
An e-book is an electronic
version of a hardcopy book.
“Every school year we
add new resources,” says
Bartlett. All the new books,
DVDs and other materials
are set out on display trolleys throughout the LRC to
promote the new additions.
Adding new resources
isn’t the only goal the LRC
has for this year.
“Our goals are continually to improve our service
and connect with the students,” says Bartlett.
“We’re here to support the
teaching and learning
process.”
The LRC also offers
photocopying, laminating
and report binding for a
small fee. Self-service photocopying costs 10 cents
per page. Lamination is an
overnight service and it
costs 75 cents per linear
foot. If you want your
report to have a more polished look, the LRC can
spiral bind it and add plastic covers overnight for two
$2 per report.
The LRC is open from
Monday to Thursday, 8
a.m. to 8 p.m., Fridays
from 8 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.,
and Sundays at the Glendale campus only from
noon to 4:30 p.m.
If you have any questions about the LRC, contact Bartlett at 905-7352211 ext. 7404 at the
Welland campus, or
Ralph Laird at 905-6412252 ext. 4402 for the
Glendale campus.
news@niagara, Sept. 30, 2005, Page 3
Security watches over campus
By AMANDA REYNOLDS
Staff Writer
Campus Watch and the red button
on the telephones are just two of the
many services that security provides
for the college.
Rick Demers, 55, of Welland,
manager, health, safety and security,
says security is primarily concerned
with the “protection of people and
property.”
Although the college does not
offer a foot patrol, there is a Campus
Watch. The service is provided by
students from the Police Foundations
program. They walk students, faculty
and visitors to their cars, or from one
building to the next on campus, says
Demers.
Almost every pay phone throughout the college has a red button that
will automatically connect you with
someone from security, who can
assist you at any time. Unfortunately,
not a lot of people are aware of
this. Danika Orlowski, 18, of
Beamsville, Ont., a Pharmacy Technician program student, says that she
wasn’t aware of the Campus Watch
or what the red button on the phones
was for. Orlowski says, “Security in
the school is important because there
could be people that you don’t get
along with, and it’s always good to
have that type of security.”
Security acts on many issues
throughout the campus such as
domestic issues, security and theft.
Demers says the actions taken in
these issues are as much as
“budgets allow.”
Personnel check security systems
and familiarize themselves with the
students, assisting them and being
open to students’ needs.
“Don’t hesitate to report what you
feel is unsafe or affecting you. If we
can help the student resolve the
issue, we’d like to. The students’
success is important,” says Demers.
Finally, no more bare walls!
Hallways were filled with posters and students when the Imaginus poster sale visited the
Niagara College Welland campus from Sept. 26 to Sept. 28.
Photo by Patricia Rodriguez
Centre for Community Leadership reaching out to local non-profit businesses
By KATE JEFFERIES
Staff Writer
Non-profit organizations are an important part of any
community.
Niagara College’s Welland campus is the home of
Welland’s Centre for Community Leadership (CCL).
A team of communications specialists headed up by
Manager Brenda Herchmer assists the local voluntary sector, which comprises organizations that exist to serve the
public benefit. These groups are non-profit and rely
heavily on volunteers.
The centre’s purpose is to provide resources and opportunities to connect with other groups in the voluntary
sector.
The CCL started in the college seven years ago, with
$50,000 from Ontario’s Trillium Foundation. Communications Specialist Alison Burgoyne, of Thorold, says the
college was chosen to host the centre because of previous
work done at the college. “We were initially funded to
start a community website, and it just went from there.”
Erin Nicks, 34, of Fonthill, also works as a communications specialist. She says that those in the non-profit
sector who aren’t sure about where to find resources can
come to the centre. “If we don’t have it
(the information they need we try to link them up with
somebody who does.”
The centre also works to recognize efforts by the volutary sector. Through the Annual Voluntary Sector Innovation Awards, the CCL gives more than 25 awards to individuals and organizations that show innovation and
resourcefulness in different areas of their work.
The centre also offers many workshops and courses.
Fundraising, resource generation and volunteer management are all covered in the workshops. Included in the
courses are several “roundtable” discussions when strategies and ideas can be explored.
The next event to be offered is a technology roundtable,
on Oct. 12. The course is offered at the Niagara Falls Maid
of the Mist campus of Niagara College and costs $25.
Exploring such issues as using technology to save time
and money and to achieve each organization’s goals, the
workshop would appeal to executive directors and senior
managers in the non-profit sector.
Students also play a role in the CCL’s focus. Nicks says
students are able to get involved. “We have quite a few
students who have done internships with us. Some have
even done paid work.”
This past summer, Canadian Idol judge Farley Flex
came to the Niagara College Glendale campus to share his
Know Thyself: Recognizing and Leading Your Talent presentation. This one-hour presentation was for emerging
youth leaders and others from Niagara’s voluntary sector
who were interested in learning more about leadership,
teambuilding and diversity.
For further information about workshops and services,
contact the centre at 905-735-2211 ext. 7603 or find them
online at www.communityleadership.net.
Disability services vary for students International Department works alongside foreign students
By NATALIE CLEWLEY
Staff Writer
More than 700 students with
disabilities are registered at
Niagara College.
The college’s Centre for Students with Disabilities is a
resource that provides services
to students with various
disabilities.
The services it provides
include note takers, counsellors, learning strategists, peer
tutors, a test centre, and assistive technology for students
with disabilities.
The number of students
coming to Niagara College
with disabilities, including visible disabilities and non-visible
disabilities, has been increasing over the years.
According to Sheryl Johns,
manager of the Centre for Students with Disabilities, “There
has definitely been an increase
in the number of students taking advantage of the services at
the centre.” This past year the
college was No. 1 in student
satisfaction. The statistics indicated that the students who
access the services are
“very satisfied.”
Johns says, “The centre pro-
vides the necessary accommodations and supports to ensure
that students with disabilities
have equal access to academic
and non-academic college life
experiences.”
In addition, there are specialists
on
disabilities,
assistive technologies and
learning
strategies
to
help students.
She recommends that any
student who is struggling academically should come in and
talk to a counsellor as early as
possible.
She says that not everyone at
the college with a disability
registers.
“They may not be aware of
the services available, or they
are reluctant to disclose that
they have a disability.”
For more information on services, visit the centre, in S102
at the Welland campus or call
ext. 7602 to set up an appointment with Francine Pinard. At
the Glendale campus in Niagara-on-the-Lake, the centre is
in W102 and the contact is
Carolynn Beaulne at ext. 4409.
You may also visit http://niagara.on.ca/studying/cswd for
more information.
By TAKAHIDE EGUCHI
Staff Writer
Don’t be afraid to call the International department office for
assistance.
If any overseas student has no
idea how to apply, Linda Hales
says the student can contact her in
an e-mail or look at the website.
Even if students are having trouble understanding English, she says
they shouldn’t be afraid to call the
office or write an e-mail in their
language. “I’ll do my best to translate that, using some online
translations.
Hales, 41, of Welland, is an international admissions clerk in the
International department. She is in
charge of processing all the applications. In order for Hales to know
who should be qualified to enter
his or her program, she evaluates
the grades, sees if they meet the
program requirements and manages the number of the students
according to the number of seats
available.
If international students apply
for undergraduate or postgraduate
programs, she says she looks for
their transcripts from their high
school, college or university and
English proficiency. Then she
enters those applications on the
computer, assigns student numbers
and prints a letter of acceptance
sent by the embassy.
A student then gets a package
that contains a college newspaper,
extra information from a particular
program the student is applying
for, and all kinds of documents
such as housing, bank transfers,
invoices, and a letter of acceptance.
Finally, it becomes the responsibility of the students to make sure
they pay their fees “on time.” Hales
says she asks the registrar’s office
to enrol those students when they
take care of all those things “in a
timely fashion according to the
dates we set.”
On the other hand, she says the
students don’t need anything but
their applications when they apply
for English as a Second Language
program because of the fact that
they come to learn English.
The processing usually takes her
three days but two weeks in the
“busiest months” of August and
September.
Sean Coote, 32, manager, International Recruitment and Services,
says the college does not impose
the application deadlines but the
Canadian embassy does. Other
than different amounts of time each
embassy in each country spends
processing visas to meet immigration rules, Coote says the office has
an equal consideration deadline for
every international student. He
adds that they will rank the students based on the admission criteria to determine who should get a
spot if there are not enough seats
available for all the students. Factors considered are when they (students) apply, where the student is
coming from (because of the visa),
what program he or she is applying
for, whether all the fees are paid,
and if all the necessary documents
are filled in.
“The sooner you apply, you are
more likely to get a seat in the program you want.”
Hales says she is busy throughout a year; however, “there is no
greater satisfaction for me than to
meet somebody that I have been
working with only on paper for
months and when that person
stands in front of me and I see them
here and I see them becoming successful and following and reaching
their dreams. That is the ultimate
satisfaction for me.”
For any questions or concerns,
visit Niagara College’s website
(www.niagarac.on.ca), or call 905735-2211 ext. 7505 or e-mail [email protected].
Page 4, news@niagara, Sept. 30, 2005
Walk for Life raises
funds for AIDS sufferers
By JEFF FORAN
Staff Writer
The stats don’t lie.
The Special Immunology Services clinic in Hamilton estimates
56,000 Canadians are living with
HIV/AIDS.
Fifty-two hundred people become
infected annually, but only a small
percentage is reported because people fail to be tested.
There are 300 HIV positive people in Niagara alone.
On Sept. 18, AIDS Niagara
staged its 14th annual Walk for
Life in downtown St. Catharines to
raise money to assist HIV and
AIDS sufferers in the Niagara
region.
Ed Eldred, resource development and communications coordinator of AIDS Niagara, says
the Walk for Life raised just under
$15,000 last year.
He says he hoped to raise
$25,000 this year and was aiming
at having 200 participants
involved in the walk.
All the money raised from the
event goes toward client services,
such as providing diet supplements, vitamins, food and trips to
medical appointments in Hamilton
and Toronto.
The 4.1-km walk had other
events, including an award ceremony, prizes and face painting in
addition to a featured set from the
band Groovy Food.
Eldred says that AIDS Niagara
is always looking for donations
and volunteer drivers.
He says the biggest misconception about AIDS “is that it is a gay
disease. It’s anything but that. It’s a
disease that affects all society now.
Young people and women are the
most infected. Everyone should be
worrying.”
Wendy Fawcett, 20, of Whitby,
is a Brock University student and
the vice-president of marketing for
Brock Pride. She helped organize a
team for the walk.
She says there are over 230
students on their listserv for
Brock Pride.
Devan McNeill, 19, another
Brock University Pride member,
says they wanted to “get Brock
noticed.”
Alison Grevatt, the president of
Brock Pride and a graduate of Niagara College, says Brock Pride
started in 1994.
She says the club advertises
throughout Brock by putting up
posters and placing ads on the
Internet. Forty members showed
up for their first meeting.
“Everyone is welcome, every
colour of the rainbow.”
She says their goal for the walk
was “get a big group out and raise
as much money as possible.”
Brock Pride show their support at the Walk for Life AIDS walk
which raises funds to support HIV/AIDS patients in the Niagara
Region. From left to right are Alison Grevatt, Devan McNeill,
Kaitlyn Borders, Mike Shiner, Jamie Birenbaum, Neal Jennings,
Christine Matijak, Holly Smith, Jess Pemberton, Wendy Fawcett
and Amanda Spakowski.
Photo by Jeff Foran
Volunteers needed to help local children
By AMANDA STREET
Staff Writer
The South Niagara Big Brothers
and Big Sisters organizations is
looking for volunteers.
Big Brothers Big Sisters Canada
(BBBSC) is a non-profit organization that matches a child under the
age of 15 with a mentor.
Greg Whelan, executive director of
the South Niagara chapter, encourages
students of Niagara College to volunteer for the organization. You must be
18 or older to become a big brother or
big sister, and must be 17 or older to
volunteer for the In-School Mentoring
program.
Whelan says there are about 100
children in the Welland area on the
waiting list to be matched with a
mentor. The organization does not
have enough volunteers or funding
to provide each of these children
with a match.
It costs about $780 a year to
maintain each match in the inSchool Mentoring program, and
about $1,100 a year to maintain
each big brother or big sister match.
BBBSC receives 50 per cent of its
funding from United Way while the
rest is raised through fundraising.
Whelan says that volunteering for a
non-profit organization such as this
one benefits not only the community
Greg Whelan, executive director South Niagara Chapter, Big
Brothers Big Sisters encourages students to volunteer.
but you as well.
“Think about what will separate
you from others. Volunteer hours
help your marketability in search of
opportunity. Everything you do
now will help.”
He says BBBSC can provide a
“wonderful” learning opportunity.
Whelan started in the organization as a big brother. He says he has
a “wonderful, wonderful” relationship with his last little brother, who
he considers a
part of his family.
Most of the
children enrolled
in the program
come
from
gains on books, music,
homes where one
videos, children’s books,
parent is absent.
games, puzzles and speMost, but not all,
cial collections.
of the children
Proceeds fund univerare considered at
sity scholarships for
risk of not comfemale graduates of eight
pleting school or
local secondary schools.
“falling through
To donate items, call
the cracks.”
905-735-1253, 905-732“With
the
7285, or 905-735-2211,
assistance
of
ext. 7579.
another caring
Book sale to raise funds
Nothing beats a good
read as the 35th annual
book sale of the Canadian
Federation of University
Women, Welland and
District Chapter, will be
held at the Niagara
Regional
Exhibition
Grounds, 1100 Niagara
St., Welland, 9 a.m. to 3
p.m. on Oct. 22.
Come for the great bar-
adult, chances are greater of achieving success for kids,” Whelan
explains.
Brian Heipel, 19 of Cobourg,
Ont., a second-year student in the
Police Foundations program here,
started volunteering earlier this
year. He says he wanted to finish off
the 40 hours of community service
that is part of his program, but it
was something he always wanted to
do. He will continue to volunteer
this year.
He says he chose to volunteer
because BBBSC is a respected organization, and he strongly believes in
how the organization helps young
people have a better life.
“It makes me feel amazing inside
to know that someone looks up to
me and is happy to see me and actually looks forward to seeing me
every time I come.”
Heipel is part of the In-School
Mentoring program, once a week
for an hour at the child’s school.
He says if a student is looking for
a place to volunteer, the BBBSC
program is an amazing program. “It
gives you a great feeling knowing
that you are making a difference
and making a child happy.”
Whelan invites first-year students
who may not need volunteer hours
this year, but know they will have volunteer hours to complete in the future,
to come out and “test the waters.” He
says to come by the office in late winter or early spring for more information and sign up as a volunteer. When
they return in September, they are
ready to begin their hours.
The South Niagara office is located on the second level of the Seaway
Mall on Niagara Street. For more
information, call 905-735-0570. For
students at the Glendale campus, the
number is 905-646-3230. For any
other information, visit the website
at http://www.bigmentorsniagara.ca.
I’M LOOKING FOR:
JE CHERCHE :
Want a career that’s more
than just a job? The Canadian
Forces offer you:
Une carrière dans les Forces
canadiennes, c’est plus
qu’un simple emploi.
Nous vous offrons :
A CAREER
I’LL TAKE PRIDE IN
•
•
•
a wide range of careers
in professional fields
and technical trades
specialized training
subsidized education
To find out more about
our part- and full-time
career opportunities,
visit your local Canadian
Forces recruiting centre.
STRONG. PROUD.
TODAY’S CANADIAN FORCES.
UNE CARRIÈRE
DONT JE SERAI FIER
•
•
•
un vaste choix de carrières
dans des domaines
professionnels et
techniques
une formation spécialisée
une aide financière
pour vos études
Pour en savoir plus sur
les possibilités de carrières
à temps partiel ou à temps
plein, rendez-vous dans un
centre de recrutement des
Forces canadiennes près
de chez vous.
DÉCOUVREZ VOS FORCES
DANS LES FORCES CANADIENNES.
1 800 856-8488
www.forces.gc.ca
news@niagara, Sept. 30, 2005, Page 5
Service Fair helps students
By KAESHA FORAND
Staff Writer
Niagara College held a Community
Services Fair on Sept. 15. The second
annual fair was created to help students adapt to the Welland community.
“The goal (of the event) is to help
students who are new to the Welland
community to know more about the
community and to know more about
the rules and bylaws. And in the end
we hope that leads to a better experience for everyone, for them as
students and for the community,” said
Brigitte Chiki, director of student services.
The fair, which was the result of an
Off-Campus
Student
Housing
Committee effort, also addressed
important aspects of living in the
Welland community. The fair included
24 organizations, such as Niagara
Recycling, Tourism Welland, the Job
Gym, the YMCA, the Public Health
Department and Welland Transit.
Each booth had information pam-
phlets to inform students about local
organizations, support services,
bylaws and living tips to assisttheir
off-campus living.
“As the Regional Police, we thought
we would bridge the gap between the
students and the police and actually
make it a really good partnership so
we can co-exist here,” said Mark
DiEgidio, a Niagara Regional Police
(NRP) constable.
The NRP provided brochures to
inform students on drugs, their
composition and their effects.
Tom Nenadovich, a fire prevention
officer from the Welland Fire and
Emergency Services, was promoting
fire safety. He emphasized the
importance of having a working
smoke alarm on each level of the
house. Although it is not mandatory,
he suggested that each bedroom in the
house have a smoke alarm because of
the number of electronic devices that
can be found in a bedroom.
He said when people are sleeping
they do not have a sense of smell.
Since carbon monoxide is one of the
first gases produced in a fire, it works
as an anaesthetic and will put you into
a deep sleep, making you more susceptible to death by smoke inhalation.
The YMCA, at the Welland campus,
was promoting its new facilities and
also educating students about their
financial assistance program.
“Our financial assistance program is
there so we can offer a membership to
everyone in the community so no one
is left out,” said Bev Bureau, membership host of the YMCA.
“I’m glad that the college
community now recognizes how many
partners are out there to help them,
help the students with their career,
whether it be inside the classroom or
outside the classroom,” said Welland
Mayor Damian Goulbourne, who
briefly attended the fair.
“Also, it’s good for the city because
we’re able to educate students that
they are neighbours and how they can
be good neighbours because the two
groups have to work well together.”
Nurse retires from Niagara
By CHERIE BORHO
Staff Writer
Last month Niagara College said goodbye to Carolyn Gould, the college nurse,
after 14 years of employment.
“I’m ready to embrace the next decade
or two of my life events,” says Gould.
“I’ve had a great life so far, so I thought it
was time to go.”
Gould says she plans to spend time
working on her garden and also
travelling.
Rosemary Chambers, 48, of Fenwick,
worked with Gould for six months as a
medical receptionist.
“Every day was really enjoyable for
me,” says Chambers. “It was never two
days the same.” Chambers says that
Gould is “bubbly, funny and very, very
knowledgeable.”
Gould says that she “absolutely”
enjoyed her time at the college.
“Every year at grad, part (of my)
responsibility as a nurse is to attend. (The)
beauty of it is, as the students cross the
stage, there are so many that you recognize and feel proud of them for reaching
their goals, surviving their challenges over
the last three or four years, and it makes
everything worthwhile.”
New nurse in Health Services
By CHERIE BORHO
Staff Writer
Penny McKee, 47, of
Welland,
is
Niagara
College’s newest college
nurse.
“I’m really glad for the
opportunity to work here,”
says McKee. “I would like
to invite students and staff
to visit me and access our
resources available through
health services.”
McKee, who has been a
nurse for 26 years, has a
diploma from Hamilton’s
Mohawk College’s Nursing
program and has taken
courses from Toronto’s
Penny McKee is the new Niagara College nurse.
Ryerson University in occupational health.
Photo by Cherie Borho
McKee previously worked
McKee says she hopes to bring in
at Niagara Health System, Henderson
Hospital in Hamilton as well as John mental health experience and be able to
Deere’s
medical
department
in provide students and staff with excellent nursing care.
Welland.
“I’m not even going to try to fill her
“These younger kids are our tomorrow,” says McKee. “I love working (Carolyn Gould, the previous college
nurse) shoes. My goal is to walk beside
with young people.”
Rosemary Chambers, 48, a medical her in my own,” says McKee. “If I can
receptionist from Fenwick, says McKee walk beside her, I’m doing a good job.”
The health office hours are weekdays
is “great.” She says McKee is funny
8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
and knowledgeable.
Niagara Regional Police Services Constable Mark
DiEgidio looks over an information pamphlet with Student Administrative Council President Blake Turner,
21, during the Community Services Fair at the Welland
campus on Sept. 15.
Campus closings
During instances of inclement weather conditions, Niagara College students
should listen to local radio stations for bulletins regarding any possible
campus closings as well as highway and road conditions. College closures
are generally announced between 6:30 a.m. and 7 a.m. for daytime closures
and between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. for evening closures.
Page 6, news@niagara, Sept. 30, 2005
Editorials
Publisher: Leo Tiberi
Managing Editor: Phyllis Barnatt
Associate Managing Editor: Gary Erb
Photography Consultant: Andrew Klapatiuk
Editorial Consultant: Nancy Geddie
Technology Support: Kevin Romyn
Composing Consultant: Paul Dayboll
news@niagara
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Telephone: (905) 735-2211 Fax: (905) 736-6003
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Natalie Ventresca
Editor
Patricia Rodriguez
Associate Editor
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Assistant Editor
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Your opinion is welcome
E-mail: [email protected]
Mail: V10, 300 Woodlawn Rd., Welland,Ont. L3C 7L3
In Person: Room V10, Welland campus.
Policy: All letters must be signed and include a day
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purposes.
news@niagara is a practical lab for Journalism-print students studying at Niagara College. Opinions expressed in editorials and columns are not those of news@niagara
management or the college administration. Columns, identified as such, reflect only the writer’s opinion. Readers are welcome to respond to columnists by e-mail at
[email protected]
Welcome back, good luck, and
have a great time – in moderation
Time flies when you’re having fun.
It seems only yesterday that we were writing final exams. Now we find ourselves as
college students again, or for the first time,
for eight months.
It’s time to buckle down and do some
heavy-duty work.
Prepare yourselves for all-nighters, presentations, essays, group work and midterm exams.
This all might seem overwhelming, but
you have to remember what you are working
towards. There is a light at the end of the
tunnel.
It is important not to overwhelm yourselves with work and become a reclusive hermit never emerging from the bedroom’s con-
fines. That won’t help your social life at all,
and, what is more important, that is not the
college way.
Having due dates and deadlines does not
mean you can’t have a little fun.
Your time as a college student at Niagara
will be over before you know it. Always
remember to take a deep breath and relax. Go
to the pub, or attend a party. Enjoy yourself
because if you don’t, you will regret it.
It is important, however, that you don’t
take the partying too far and start slacking
off. No party is worth failing a course.
Remember to party in moderation.
Good luck in all your studies, and have a
fun and safe year.
NATALIE VENTRESCA
Pick up news@niagara, we’ll try to be great
Reading newspapers can be a tedious routine for many people.
For students, however, it might be just a
lack of time for and/or interest in current
events, as some papers can be dull and
colourless.
Nevertheless, as journalists, our goal is to
encourage people to read the paper, especially the college paper, news@niagara.
This year we hope to achieve this by making the paper not only interesting and fun but
also informative.
The staff is working on new ideas to make
students, instructors, staff members as well
as people outside the college want to read
news@niagara.
It is essential to remind everyone that we
welcome feedback on anything related to our
paper, as we just want to make it better for
the community.
Last year’s graduates did a great job promoting and writing the paper, and this year
we hope to follow and improve on their
legacy.
We hope you are all ready for the
2005-2006 term, and we wish you the
best in your program.
PATRICIA RODRIGUEZ
This Date In History
Sept. 30, 1452 - The first book is printed, the Johann Gutenberg
Bible.
Oct. 1, 1949 - Mao Tse-tung declares The People’s Republic of
China.
Oct. 2, 1879 - Wallace Stevens, American poet, is born (d. 1955).
Oct. 3, 1283 - Dafydd ap Gruffydd, prince of Gwynedd in Wales,
becomes the first person executed by drawing and
quartering.
Oct. 5, 1582 - Because of the implementation of the Gregorian
calendar, this day does not exist in this year in Italy,
Poland, Portugal and Spain.
Oct. 6, 1889 - Thomas Edison shows his first motion picture.
Oct. 9, 1000 - Leif Ericsson discovers Vinland, becoming the first
known European to set foot in North America.
Oct. 13, 1812 - War of 1812: Battle of Queenston Heights – On the
Niagara frontier in Ontario, United States forces are
repulsed from invading Canada by British and Native
troops led by Sir Isaac Brock.
Many Hands gets many applications
By MELISSA TOPP
Staff Writer
Close to eight applications have
been received from organizations
wanting help from this year’s
Many Hands Project.
Heather Clark, co-ordinator of
the Event Management (Graduate
Certificate) program, says this
could be because of the success of
last year’s project, the Boys and
Girls Club of Niagara.
In its ninth year, the Many
Hands Project is a joint undertaking by the students in the Event
Management (Graduate Certificate) program and the Construction Engineering Technology –
Architecture program.
Students and volunteers from the
community take one day and
improve the facilities of a non-profit organization. Some of the things
they do include painting, landscaping, building decks, fixing the roof
and doing other physical tasks.
Clark says the project is important because it is an “opportunity
for students to be involved in the
Niagara region.” She says the
Many Hands Project is a “great
segue to careers.”
In the past, community support
has been “very good,” says Clark.
Event Supervisor Julie Densham, 39, of Grimsby, says the
Many Hands project is “one of the
best events I’ve ever worked on. It
is a wave of good feeling,” adding
the event is “very well organized
by students.”
“Many Hands is one of [Niagara
College President] Dan Patterson’s
favourite projects,” says Densham.
She says the project is “community partnership at its best.”
Supporters are Canadian Tire
Financial Services, Sherwin
Williams Paint and the St.
Catharines Standard.
Volunteer applications will be
available starting in November by
visiting the college website, looking for information posted in the
college or by contacting the Event
Management (Graduate Certificate) program directly.
To find out more about the Many
Hands project, visit the website at
http://manyhands.niagarac.on.ca.
Student Administrative Council Student Rep.
meeting Monday, Oct. 3, 12:30 p.m.
in the SAC board room at After Hours.
Open to students to attend or sign up as a rep.
Y
A
S
R
A
E
H
What do you think of the
renovations in the
Mackenzie building?
Nicole Milwine, 20, Police
Foundations, year 2
“That would be fabulous.”
The YMCA is “ridiculous
for a student rate.”
Drew Mackay, 22, Police
Foundations, year 2
“This is ridiculous, there’s
not even tables here …
I don’t understand. They
bring more in but give us
less.”
Brian Moulder, 19, Police
Foundations, year 1
“Sounds good to Brian.”
Paul Toker, 19, Police
Foundations, year 2
“It’s more accessible to
more people …
Some people don’t want to
be watched by the general
public.”
By BAILLIE ADCOCK and STEVE FRANCIS
news@niagara, Sept. 30, 2005, Page 7
Bands from Niagara Region
featured in free double album
By DREW LOUGHEED
Staff Writer
Noise@niagara officially launches today.
The spotlight is on 30 bands from the Niagara region and one Niagara College student wants everyone to hear about it, literally.
Sandor Ligetfalvy, 22, of Toronto, is
compiling a multimedia CD that is jampacked with music by area bands.
“I noticed there was a very strong music
scene in the region, so I put a posting on
bedlamsociety.com and 15 bands responded
almost immediately,” replied Ligetfalvy.
He’s a student in the Interactive Multimedia
(Graduate Certificate) program, and a former Journalism-Print program student.
Today, there will be 10 double CDs distributed by the Journalism-Print students in
the main cafeteria at the Welland campus.
The types of music range from rock and
acoustic, to hip-hop and hardcore.
Ligetfalvy says that he’s put a “great
amount of time” into making this CD,
which was his main focus this summer, at
the college’s Welland campus.
The enhanced CD will also feature the
noise@niagara website, the news@niagara
website, Niagara College SAC information
and a hardcore rock ‘n’ roll show.
“My motivations are to inspire the Journalism-Print students and to show them that
the JP program is a really fun course,” says
Ligetfalvy. He says that he would like to
double the readership of the college paper.
“I would like to see the big picture and be
creative in a variety of mediums, kind of
like cameraman versus director. I want to be
the director.” He added that The Strange,
Groovy Food and Marc Vida are some of
his favourite bands from the region.
“I may have been a brainchild creating
this CD and I hope that the JP students will
continue to publish it after this year,” he
added.
Noise@niagara, a website dedicated to
the Niagara area music scene, can be found
at http://www.niagara-news.com/noise/.
The site offers a virtual flash jukebox that
includes a list of the bands found on the CD
and MP3s available for downloading.
May 1 was when Ligetfalvy came up with
the idea of noise@niagara. By June 6, 12
bands had already made landfall on the
website and by Aug. 28, there were a total
of 30 bands. Four bands on the CD are
under one record label, Faint and Hearted
Records.
Ligetfalvy is asking SAC to sponsor the
promotion in order to produce 500 more
double CDs. "I really hope SAC gets on
board.” Throughout the summer, Blake
Turner, SAC representative of the Welland
campus, and Jon Allan, SAC representative
of the Glendale campus, supported the idea
but the student council body makes the final
news@niagara a double cd
presents
& online album
local and vocal music from niagara region
Acoustic, Rock, Punk, Hardcore, & Rap
Entire Album Online http://www.NOISEatNIAGARA.com
On Disc One Shade, The Morning Announcements, The
Strange, Groovy Food, Brett Friesen & The Great Lakes,
Flatlined, The Mute, Outlier, The Satellite State, Mark
Vida, Sleep The Season, Cue The Crowd, Anthony Sweet,
Cold Trail. On Disc Two Ceremonial Snips, Murder Thy
Maker, Senate, Rad Affair, A Prime Time Tragedy, Defence
Mechanism, Slang, For Your Information, Contrastincredible!, Instruments of Lusty and Fury, The Marantz Project,
Jonny Dark Eyed Ft. Mark Moffre, Ambience, Cigar Face,
Slick, Anubis 5, & Swamp Siccness Ft. Deep Lash.
decision.
Ligetfalvy says his tentative idea is for
the CD to be given away at pub events,
news@niagara promotions and to newcomers to Niagara College. Ligetfalvy says
there are plans for daytime and nighttime
concerts, as well as punk, rap and rock
shows around the campus.
"The more students who support the idea
equal a better a chance that SAC will sponsor the CD," he says. Ligetfalvy adds that
he hopes to get bands and their albums on
the air at The ‘NEW’ Heat 90.1 FM, the
college’s radio station.
Ceremonial Snips play Montreal as part of 2005 Vans Warped Tour
By NATALIE VENTRESCA
Staff Writer
Just as Charlie did in the movie Willy Wonka, the members of a local punk band also found their own golden ticket, making their dreams a reality.
They won a contest.
After six years of touring in cramped vans, small local
venues and crowded bars, Welland band Ceremonial Snips
have reached the ultimate venue, the 2005 Vans
Warped Tour.
Created six years ago in high school by Eric Pridmore, 21,
of Fonthill, Mike Podio, 21, Matt Breton, 20, and Tony Ventresca, 21, all of Welland, Ceremonial Snips’ first intentions
for their band were, says guitarist Ventresca “to have fun,
play music and eat pizza.”
With the addition of Clayton Doner, 20, of Niagara Falls,
and Chris Accursi, 19, of Welland, over the years, the Snips’
current lineup is the one fans know today.
Since releasing their CD entitled Fuck the Pain, Bring
the Noise last year, they embarked on a tour across Canada
making stops in Prince Edward Island and Halifax.
Then this past summer the band signed up online for the
Ernie Ball Battle of the Bands. Fans had the opportunity to
vote for their favourite local bands to play at different
venues of the Vans Warped Tour. Only four bands were chosen to play at each venue, and the bands with the most votes
won this exciting opportunity.
This would never have been possible without their fans
who, with their votes, won Ceremonial Snips a place on one
of Warped Tour’s venues. To the Snips, their fans are instrumental to their success in every aspect of their band.
“Fans are wicked,” says Doner, the Snips drummer,
“especially in the Rose. They come out to all our local
shows and support us way too much. They sport our merchandise and help get our name out there. Without the fans,
we wouldn’t have accomplished what we’ve accomplished
to date. We thank them dearly.”
The news that they were chosen was, says Ventresca,
“exciting.” He says that winning this contest “made us much
more determined, if you will. It forced us to pull up our
socks and tighten up our screws. It was like a reward for all
the hard work we did. For us to play was our trophy. It’s like
collecting bottles for so long and finally getting
The Ceremonial Snips lineup includes, from left, Tony Ventresca, Chris Accursi, Matt Breton, Mike Podio, Eric
Pridmore and Clayton Doner.
Submitted band photo by Julie Jocsak
that free case.”
of this Welland band.
In July the Snips said goodbye to the Rose and headed out
Ventresca says that they stayed on the tour for two extra
to Montreal, their chosen venue for the Warped Tour.
shows in Barrie and Quebec simply to sell merchandise.
On July 29 the Ceremonial Snips stepped onto the Ernie
“We sold 350 CDs, during all three days, so that’s cool.”
Ball Stage at the Vans Warped Tour in Parc Jean Drapeau in
With that exciting day behind them, the members of CerMontreal and played a 25-minute set in front of a crowd of emonial Snips have now either returned to work or school,
thousands.
but the months ahead are filled with recording a new full“It felt surreal because we got to play in such a high-sta- length album which, Ventresca says, will be finished by
tus festival and to get to play our music on a giant scale,” March. Then “it will be a busy year after that” becaue they
says Ventresca. “It was rad because that’s the reason why we are planning to tour.
do it. When you start a band, at least for us, the Warped Tour
You can still find them, Ventresca says, practicing “as
is all the marbles.”
much as we can” meaning one to five or six times a week,
This chance was not only an opportunity for Ceremonial “depending on our schedules.” Their hard work paid off the
Snips to get their music heard, but to sell merchandise to a first time. If they keep it up, who knows what will be store
whole new audience who would have otherwise never hear for them next summer.
What we Think
Columns .
Page 8, news@niagara, Sept. 30, 2005
Love them or
hate them:
celebrities
Page 8
Where did the
talent go?
Page 8
Turning the
big one-nine
Page 8
Cats helping
fuel crisis
Page 9
Wrestling:
love it or
hate it
Page 9
Missing: Bars
in Welland
Page 9
Celebrity input in media blur lines in news
What is wrong with celebrities asking the public to donate to the hurricane relief efforts in the U.S. Gulf
region?
I find it disturbing that it takes a
celebrity spokesperson to be involved
before certain members of the public
support a cause. Are we so totally
incapable of making decisions on our
own that we need celebrities to
motivate us to do what is the right thing?
It seems as if when they
talk, the public listens. They ask us to
donate, and the public asks
how
much.
They
sell
a
product and the public buys it.
What is this power that they hold
over us?
Scott
Henderson,
39,
a
communications, popular culture, and
film lecturer at Brock University in St.
Catharines, says that the public is
obsessed with celebrities because
“they live glamorous lives in a media
culture – fame, importance, everyone
recognizing you in a culture where we
are so often reduced to numbers and
crushed by the system. Those who rise
above and are known seem more
important.”
Henderson says he thinks the public
needs a celebrity face on a product to
buy it or to support a charitable cause
because of validation. “We are told it is
important because stars endorse or
support it, so we have come to expect
that. If they don’t turn up, or Oprah
doesn’t do a special, it can’t be that
important, can it?”
With such recent events as the presidential election, the tsunami, and hurricane Katrina, there seems to be a growing celebrity presence in the news.
Celebrities don’t hesitate to use this
presence to their own advantage as a
platform to express their concerns,
complaints and opinions about these
world issues. When celebrities such as
Kayne West, Diddy and Sean Penn
voice their opinions, their words are
deemed newsworthy.
In addition, they make the news not
only when they voice their opinion
regardless of how controversial or not
it is, but also when they do such mundane things as buying a car, shopping,
or eating at a new restaurant.
Because of this, the lines between
news and entertainment have become
blurred. Henderson says there is a lack
of distinction between the two but that
he feels the lines “may have already
been blurred for them given the
preponderance of entertainment shows,
tabloids, magazines and so forth.”
“Somehow
the
lives
of
entertainers have become news, and
while this has been going on since the
days of early cinema, it does seem to be
reaching a fever pitch.”
This blurring of lines can be
problematic as it has an influence in
shaping public opinion. Henderson
says that we now no longer know
“which is which as news shows are
hardly neutral, especially in the United
Letdown at age 19
I recently just turned the big
one-nine. That’s right, 19. I am now able
to stay out until the wee hours of the
morning, going from bar to bar, drinking
margaritas. Not that I would, but the point
is I have the option.
I spent months looking forward to it. I
can drink legally. I no longer have to rely
on other people to buy my alcohol for me.
Now that my birthday has come and
gone, I find myself disappointed.
I’m not disappointed because
the bar sucks. I didn’t have high
expectations anyway. I like the fact
that I can go to the LCBO and buy
alcohol for myself.
It’s not my birthday itself that I’m
disappointed with, but the fact
that I have nothing else to look
forward to. What’s so great about my
future birthdays?
Think about it. When you’re a child
and you have a birthday party, you get
to play games like Pin the Tail on the
Donkey. When you turn 13 you’re
finally a teenager and on your way to
What would
you do for a
kidney?
Page 9
news@niagara
high school.
Next there is
your
16th
birthday and
you
can
finally
get
your licence. When you turn 18
you are considered an adult and you
get to vote. Let’s not forget about
being able to buy lottery tickets
and porn.
Finally you turn 19, the last stone in
the path.
Some of you right now are
probably thinking, “What about
when you turn 21? You can drink
in the States.” My response to that is
why do I care about drinking
in the States when I can drink in my
own country? Why drive across
the border to have a drink if I can have
one in my own town? It’s less
of a hassle.
Overall, my birthday was great and I
have a feeling I will love being 19, but
what’s next?
States, and each one fights for ratings.”
In relation to the media shaping
public opinion, Henderson says that in
today’s climate it is the industry that is
constructing its own version of public
opinion, so “we seem to be told public
opinion even before it can possibly be
measured.”
“It is not that the tables can’t turn (do
people still take Tom Cruise seriously?) but the industry does seem
to
tell
us
whose
opinion
matters, and people are encouraged to
follow.”
Henderson says he believes that
these outspoken celebrities are being
listened to, given the sales
of tabloids and entertainment
news shows. However, is being
outspoken about certain issues and participating in relief efforts truly genuine
on the celebrity’s part, or do the
celebrities do it simply to boost their
careers?
Henderson says he feels that it
depends on which celebrity and in
which context. He says he finds that
some celebrities mean well, but tend to
come across as opportunist, such as
Elton John. “Then there are those who
may genuinely be there, even though
their celebrity is an important aspect of
their participation.”
“Someone like Oprah does seem
genuine in her concern, and she hardly
needs to boost her career, but if she
was not to show up and offer
concern, it could also be perceived
negatively.”
Yet Henderson reminds
us of an
important
issue. He says
that as “entertainers exist in a job
driven by publicity, no matter how
noble the intention, they are doing their
job and putting themselves in the public spotlight – and for the most part it
helps them.”
He says that although a celebrity
presence may draw attention to lowkey events, some celebrity intrusions
and photo-ops may actually be pulling
resources away from what is needed.
Celebrities are quick to respond to
tragedy, but what happens after they
raise money? Henderson points out,
“Have any celebrities been back to the
tsunami region to check out
rebuilding efforts, or is that simply old
news?”
In this sense, who really deserves the
most criticism – the celebrities, the
media, or the public – for being so
easily manipulated? In looking at the
issue
at
hand,
all
three
seem to be somewhat guilty of
something. Henderson says it is probably the media who deserve the most
criticism, “and beyond that capitalist
culture in general, which has
commoditized everything so that
things such as free press and neutral
journalism are a thing of the past as it
is all for profit.”
Missing talent in music world
The days
when musicians were
accepted
into
the
music industry by possessing only
pure musical talent are over. New and
more
important
assets
are
now required of a musician.
Musician may not even be an
appropriate name for our modern
musical entertainers. The need for star
qualities has bumped its way to first
priority.
First, to project a star image in the
music industry, an entertainer must
have a body that is fit, firm and
admirable to males and females. The
body is the ultimate eye candy for the
viewer.
Second on the agenda of
star quality is fashion. Musical
entertainers
are
the
main
fashion guides for the viewers.
Entertainers either sponsor a
company, accessories, designer
clothes or a new trend, or simply
anything that will kick-start the
fashion media, so the designers have a
trend to follow.
Entertainers must stay fresh in their
styles yet stay predictable and
constant to match the attitude they
wish to project.
The third priority of star
qualities is an attitude. An unforgettable attitude needs to be
projected: sweet, rebellious or sexy,
whatever suits the music and fashion.
People are so turned on by
beauty, fashion and attitude, the credit for talented music is lost like Waldo
in a Where’s Waldo? book.
It has come to the point where the
music media is not selling
music to the fans but enabling the
viewers to obsessively envy a star
image.
Students in the Journalism-Print program at Niagara College are
taught their reporting and column must be balanced, fair and objective. The feelings
and opinions of column writers are welcome, but balance, fairness and objectivity must never be
disregarded. Our columns, which are clearly identified as such, do not reflect the opinions
of Niagara College administration or news@niagara management.
They reflect only the writer’s opinion.
In our Oct. 14 edition of news@niagara, we will highlight a story with photos
of the six Niagara College students who helped out with the relief efforts after the tsunami in Sri Lanka.
The students returned to the area at the end of August.
news@niagara, Sept. 30, 2005, Page 9
Wrestling — a new age of storytelling
You either love wrestling or you
hate it. There's no in-between.
If you love it, you follow the
outrageous storylines. You watch
in anticipation as wrestlers do
everything from settling love triangles and partaking in custody
battles to defending the country
from terrorist wrestlers or returning from the dead.
The characters pull you in with
their flamboyant costumes and personalities. You have to love a 65year-old man who chops his opponent in the chest once and proceeds
to strut around the ring for five minutes stopping to dance, scream
"woo" to the fans, and perform an
elbow drop in the middle of the ring
to no one in particular.
You have to hate a cocky
Caribbean kid who chews fruit
and spits it into the faces of people
he doesn't see as cool.
You have to laugh at an entre-
Will van Roosendaal puts Simon Warren in a headlock.
Photo by Andy Burt
preneur who calls the fans fat and tem to the same people he just
lazy and then pitches his patented degraded.
nutritional protein shake diet sysOh, and they wrestle too.
Read
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with news@niagara?
Friday April 21
Please contact Laura Tait, advertising director for the Welland Tribune at 905-732-2411 ext. 281
or e-mail [email protected]
Often the matches themselves
do the storytelling. In the beginning there's a theme — singles
match, tag team, hardcore, cage,
etc. — and the characters are
introduced. The middle of the
matches has conflict, power
struggle, close calls, and misdirection. The matches end when
good triumphs over evil, vice
versa, or sometimes there's a
surprise ending.
Not everyone enjoys a
jacked-up soap opera though.
Crystal Tower, 22, a first-year
Early Childhood Education program student, says she hates
wrestling because it's "annoying
and fake."
"If I was going to watch a fighting show, then it would be something real like UFC (Ultimate
Fighting Championship), not
something where the people performing are actors or actresses,"
says Tower.
Second-year Broadcasting —
Radio, Television and Film program
student
Will
van
Roosendaal, 19, of Rexdale, has a
different view of wrestling.
"I like the matches themselves.
Seeing how two guys, well, normally two, can get into a ring and
tell a story," says van Roosendaal.
"I like the storylines as well and,
of course, the women are nice to
look at."
Amen, Will.
Deceased cats become new fuel
A German man has
created a homemade
blend of diesel fuel for
one-fifth the cost of regular diesel.
Christian Koch, 55, of
Berlin, is the man
behind this controversy.
This fuel blend consists of garbage that
includes dead cats
boiled to 300 degrees
Celsius. Then this concoction is converted to
diesel by a catalytic
converter.
Koch calls this blend of gas "bio
diesel" and has travelled over 170,000
kilometres on his homemade blend in
his vehicle.
For students the ever-climbing
gas prices are a major pain, especially if they have to travel back and
forth to campus five days a week,
but cats?
First, let me clarify that Koch
doesn't buy a cat, kill it and then
turn it into gas. He takes already
dead cats, mainly road kill, and uses
them to make his "bio diesel."
Of course, animal
rights activists in Germany are infuriated by
Koch's invention. It has
been declared illegal in
Germany to make gas
from cats or any other
animal.
Let's think about this
for a moment. A dead
cat on the road will
eventually be disposed
of after someone finally
scrapes it up. If we can
take that already dead
cat and convert it into
something resourceful, then why
not do it?
The thought is disturbing, yes, but
why not make something useful
from something that will be buried
in the ground or burned?
If Koch were purchasing cats daily
to convert them to diesel, I could see
why animal rights activists would be
angered. In this case, the animal is
already dead, so how is it cruelty
towards animals?
Why not let Koch dispose of the
waste in a resourceful way?
Welland club scene not poppin’
Columnist
Upon arriving in Welland last September I was shocked to discover the lack of
a bar and club scene geared to my demographic. In other words, I didn't have anywhere to dance with my girlfriends.
After skimming the city with my
roommate, we found mainly establishments geared to an older crowd,
and, unfortunately, the multitude of
clubs in St. Catharines were a $25 cab
ride away or an exceedingly long two
hours of persuading someone to be
the D.D. (designated driver).
"I was used to going out three or four
times a week in Hamilton because everything was so close and inexpensive," said
Emily Szabo, 20, of Dundas, Ont.
Although enjoying our night at the
first Thursday night campus pub of
the year, it was an unpleasant shock
when we arrived home at 3 a.m. to
realize we both had 8:30 a.m. classes. Needless to say, we did not often
attend pub, as I'm sure is the case for
many other students at Niagara.
Christina Topic, 19, of Stoney
Creek, said, "Considering Welland has
a college, there should definitely be
more of a variety in night life."
Another factor to take into consideration is that many students don't
own their own vehicle.
When I'm at home I have my parents' cars. When I'm here, I'm on my
own, so I can't even embrace sobriety
for an evening to save some money.
"I miss home and my local hangouts," said Szabo.
Those Brock University students in St.
Catharines don't know how lucky they
are to have somewhere to get a drink
every night of the week and cheaply.
People to Know
Profiles .
Page 10, news@niagara, Sept. 30, 2005
Leave the
Pack Behind
Graduate
creates own
occupation
New face in
Native
Student
Service
Sips and
Suds
New LTPB co-ordinator at Welland Campus
By CHERIE BORHO
Staff Writer
Leave the Pack Behind
(LTPB) has a new campus coordinator.
Eric Kaczmarczyk, 21, in
the Computer Engineering
Technology program, has
taken Cassandra Swan’s position as campus co-ordinator
for LTPB.
“There’s not much I can do
that Cassandra didn’t do but to
use my resources and do the
best job I can do,” says Kaczmarczyk.
Kaczmarczyk says this year
he wants to make LTPB “physically known,” and wants more
recognition for the program.
Sherri Whitehead, 32, the
research co-ordinator at Brock
University in St. Catharines,
and Sheryl Johns, 49, manager
of student services for Niagara
College, are working together
with Kaczmarczyk and his
team to “provide a supportive
environment on campus, an
environment that is smoke
free,” says Whitehead.
In order to do this, Whitehead says they will continue to
do what they are doing, getting
information from teams so
they can alter campaigns each
year to what students want.
“We’ve got a couple of aces
up our sleeves,” says Kaczmarczyk. “The Internet is an
untapped tool.”
LTPB will still run its annual Let’s Make a Deal contest,
but this year it is also adding
E-Smoke Quit.
This is an interactive website that has the Some Quit
booklets that you can also pick
up at any of their displays, as
well as other resources.
LTPB is also working with
Brock University in St.
Catharines to get a representative at Niagara College’s Glendale campus in Niagara-onthe-Lake.
For more information, go to
www.leavethepackbehind.org
or call health services at 905735-2277 ext. 7635.
Sheryl Johns, at left, Sherri Whitehead and Eric Kaczmarczyk meet to plan events for Leave the Pack
Behind.
Photo by Cherie Borho
Robotics open door to career Former Niagara students clean up with Sips & Suds
By KATE JEFFERIES
Staff Writer
Graduates of Niagara College find employment in
many different fields. Graduate Dan Langevin created
his own occupation.
Langevin, 26, of Welland, is an image specialist/aspiring
director working on a new robotics project. The Cybernetic Agent Template (CAT) is a robot built to imitate the
movement and agility of a cat, with many different applications. The CAT can be used for anything from search and
rescue operations and bomb squad duties to programming
education.
He says he designed it to be better and faster than
other robots available. “I was embarrassed about the current state of robotics, and I’m a huge fan of A.I. (Artificial Intelligence).”
Langevin is a graduate of two Niagara College programs.
He studied Graphic Design Production – Art and Design
Fundamentals (Graphic Design) and Broadcasting Radio,
Television and Film. He says the Graphic Design program
helped him with 3-D modeling, which he used to design the
CAT. “A lot of the arts helped me to get my ideas across.”
Langevin says his experience with programming and
research into A.I. were beneficial to the project, but he
established a team of eight people to work with him and
to give advice.
Langevin’s original interests were models, video
games and A.I., which led to designing the CAT.
He started the project last winter by creating a cardboard
model of CAT. Following that, he says he decided a more
sophisticated model was needed and created the skeletal
structure. Once the second chassis (cardboard model) was
finished, he created a gallery of pictures and made a portfolio, which he showed to programmers, mechanical engineers and different technology businesses. “There was an
extremely positive reaction to the project.” Today, he is continuing to develop the project’s website.
He says the next step is to start contacting robotics
companies that may be interested in the project.
“It all comes down to money. I’m looking for funding
right now.” He says he plans to form two teams to
assemble the actual skeleton and program the CAT.
Langevin says that he hates waiting for new technical
advances. “Stuff that is possible should be made. In my
mind it’s a complete concept with lots of practical applications.”
He says he’d like to see the CAT in schools and adds
it would be a good learning tool. “You can have lot of
fun and learn a lot.”
Langevin says the design process is not without its
surprises, adding that he “really hates budgeting” his
project, but says the work has allowed him to “sharpen”
his interests and capabilities.
He says his hope for the CAT is that it “gives back in
scientific ways, for exploration and discovery.”
Currently, Langevin’s CAT can be viewed and further
explored at http://www.flatplanet.net/robotics.
By MIKE LIKONGE
Staff Writer
Two Niagara College graduates have all the reasons to celebrate this year after successfully launching their first business called Sips & Suds on Vine
Street in St. Catharines.
Matt Miller and Jen Craig
are owners of Sips & Suds,
the only laundromat with a
café in St. Catharines. It
opened on March 26.
The couple say they met at
Niagara College in 2002
while taking their post-graduate
studies
in
Human
Resource Management. They
say from the time they met,
they’ve always wanted to be
entrepreneurs, but it wasn’t
until March that they finally
put those plans into action.
Miller, 31, of St. Catharines,
says he and Craig worked out
different business options
before going into the laundro-
mat business. He says it was
Craig who suggested they try
a laundromat since it was a
“cash business.”
Miller, who holds a bachelor of arts in Communications
from Brock University in St.
Catharines and a post-graduate diploma in Human
Resource Management from
the college, says he worked
for YIS in St. Catharines as a
financial consultant for five
years prior to starting their
own business.
He says he stopped working
for YIS because it did not turn
out the way he imagined it and
since he “loves working with
people,” he thought of building
his own clientele.
Asked about how Sips &
Suds is doing, Craig, 25, of Niagara Falls, says the business has
been doing fine and it seems to
be headed in the right direction
except for the first couple of
months when they had just
opened. Craig says the first few
months were hard and they each
had to work 40 hours a week
before hiring someone to help
them out.
Craig, who has a degree in
psychology from the University
of Iowa, says it’s not easy to
hold a full-time job while running a business at the same
time. Like her partner Miller,
Craig has a post-graduate diploma in Human Resource Management and some experience
in the human resource field. She
says she worked for Casino
Niagara before becoming business partners with Miller.
Miller and Craig say their
human resource skills have
helped in managing their
business and say they wouldn’t mind opening more businesses of the same model in
the near future.
College grad returns to be native student adviser
By ELIZABETH
HAWKSWORH
Staff Writer
Niagara College Native Student Services has a new face in
the office these days.
James Maloney, 34, is the
new native student adviser.
Maloney, from Boston, Mass.,
was hired from Fort Erie,
where he was a program coordinator for the native program at the Fort Erie Native
Friendship Centre. He is a
MicMac native with his
reserve on the East Coast, in
Nova Scotia.
Maloney graduated from
Niagara College in Welland as
a social service worker. He
was hired just a few weeks
ago to work for the college
and says that “it just kind of
fell in my lap.”
Maloney took this job
because he says he likes work-
ing for native people and
wants to help his own people.
He says, “They helped me
quite a bit, so I figure I’ll give
back what I can.”
Maloney’s responsibilities
include making sure that native
students are registered, providing counselling if they need it,
making them feel comfortable
with going to college and
attending school and departmental events.
Native Student Services is
planning events such as starting
a native club and drum group.
“Our goal is for Niagara College to create its own drum
group. This would be for everyone,” Maloney says.
Brock University, in St.
Catharines, already has a drum
group, and Maloney is hoping
to generate interest in one at the
college as well.
Maloney says he feels he
can help students at Niagara
College because he can identify with the experience of
going to school here and with
Native issues.
“Sometimes native students
are kind of timid,” Maloney says.
He says he knows how to deal
with those issues and he
empathizes with native students
here. “I am compassionate
about students’ anxieties.”
Along with being a native
student adviser, Maloney
enjoys other hobbies in his
spare time, such as rock climbing, beadwork, cooking and
Tae Kwon Do. He is a student
at Brock University taking
Aboriginal Adult Education.
Maloney says he is proud of
all the students at Niagara
College.
“I have no problem telling
them that because sometimes it
goes unheard.”
If leaving classes when it is dark, call Campus Watch ext. 6666
news@niagara, Sept. 30, 2005, Page 11
By JENN GIBBONS
Staff Writer
The goal is slightly over $1
million.
The campaign is underway
for the 41st year, as the United
Way South Niagara gears up
to support the community
needs of Pelham, Port Colborne, Wainfleet and Welland.
The theme for 2005 is “1 for 1
– One Gift For One Better
Community.”
The goal for this year is to
raise $1,004,001 for the South
Niagara region.
The United Way South
Niagara provides direct
financial support to more
than 7,000 funded agencies
and provides funding to
10,000 organizations through
direct donor giving.
The United Way focuses on
“improving lives and building
communities by engaging
individuals and mobilizing
collective actions.” The
money raised stays in the community to support the community. The United Way follows
the Statement of Principles of
Donors’ Rights, when it comes
to the rights of the donors, as
stated in the United Way South
Niagara website.
Niagara College is also
doing its part to raise money
as members participated in the
kickoff breakfast on Sept. 14
at Club Richelieu in Welland.
The event announces the campaign is underway.
The goals for the United
Way College Campaign are
the same as South Niagara’s
financial goal and to have
100 per cent participation,
said Betty Ann Chandler,
who is the chair for the
college campaign.
The college campaign supports the United Way South
Niagara by asking faculty and
staff members to donate
money. Various events are
held, such as a dress-down
week and a dessert auction.
Every Friday there is a draw
for prizes. The college campaign does not ask students to
donate as they have financial
obligations of their own to
worry about, said Chandler.
The campaign lasts from the
beginning of September until
the beginning of November,
said Chandler, in an “intensive
campaign.” This is the fifth
year for the college. It was
ranked as having the fourth
top campaign in 2004.
The college campaign team
is Chandler, chair, Carolyn
Ambrose, campaign committee volunteer, Lorraine Geli-
nas, campaign committee volunteer, Erica Jurus, webmaster, Beg Crumm, treasurer and
Jennifer Pinfold, campaign
committee volunteer.
New this year to the campaign is the addition of a website that was created by Jurus.
It will be used for updating the
total raised, providing information about the campaign,
as well as announcing
the
winners
of
the
prizes. The website is
http://services.niagarac.on.ca/
unitedway/.
The college campaign is an
opportunity to get the faculty
and support staff involved,
said Chandler. “It’s given me
insight into the many opportunities we have to help others.
There are people in need that I
didn’t even know existed.”
Not far down the street from
Niagara College is the office
for the United Way South Niagara, in the Seaway Mall on
Niagara Street. Three people
run the South Niagara office:
Bill Auchterlonie, executive
director, Karen Walsh, campaign and marketing director,
and Carolyn teBrake, administrative assistant.
Donations are primarily
made now in businesses by
payroll deductions, said
United Way South Niagara members from left Carolyn
teBrake, Bill Auchterlonie and Karen Walsh are gearing up
for the 41st year of supporting communities in Pelham,
Port Colborne, Wainfleet and Welland.
Photo by Jenn Gibbons
Walsh. People can now pay
through Visa or MasterCard,
by cheque and in office
monthly payments.
The money raised stays in
the communities it was raised
in. An allocation committee
determines what agencies,
organizations, and people get
the money. Agencies, organizations, and people go to the
committee and explain why
they feel they need support.
The committee then decides
who is most deserving and distributes the funding.
The goal for this year is
achievable,
said
Walsh,
although its always “nail bit-
Big success for ‘coffee party’
From left, Ross Serianni (Ross Serianni Construction Ltd.),
Teena Kindt (director of development, Alzheimer Society of
Niagara Region), Linda Ressler (branch president, Alzheimer
Society of Niagara Region) and Dan Patterson (Niagara College president) hold the Alzheimer Society flag on Sept. 12
barbecue at the Welland campus.
Photo by Patricia Rodriquez
O’Brien, director of education for has made participating in the
the Alzheimer Society. She said event “a personal choice.”
about one in 13 people over the
“It’s my time to step up and
age of 65 and about one in three help.”
people over the age of 85 have
Teena Kindt, director of
Alzheimer’s disease.
development for the Alzheimer
It is a progressive, degenerative Society, says each year in
disease that affects the brain. Ontario the Niagara region raisSymptoms include loss of memo- es the most money. She says
ry, difficulty with day-to-day about half of the 300 “coffee
tasks, and changes in mood and parties” held across the region
behaviour.
and the 10,000 held across the
Patterson said knowing peo- country will be hosted on the
ple suffering from the disease date of the event.
Dessert auction for United Way
By JENN GIBBONS
Staff Writer
Desserts are needed to help the United Way fundraising.
A dessert auction will be held on Oct. 7 by Niagara College’s United Way campaign team. Funds raised will benefit agencies and organizations in South Niagara including Pelham, Wainfleet, Port Colborne and Welland, said
Carolyn Ambrose.
Donations of desserts would be appreciated, anything from
cookies to cheesecake.
This is the second year for the dessert auction, said
Ambrose.
At the Welland campus, the auction will be held in the
foyer near the cafeteria and the location for the Glendale
campus is tentatively set for the main lobby.
There will be two tables of desserts: one for students to
bid on and the other for college staff to bid on.
The United Way college campaign members are Betty
Ann Chandler, chair; Erica Jurus, webmaster; Carolyn
Ambrose, campaign committee volunteer; Beg Crumm,
treasurer; Lorraine Gelinas, campaign committee volunteer; and Jennifer Pinfold, campaign committee volunteer.
For more information on donating or about the event
call Ambrose at 905-732-2211 ext. 7519.
Letter to the editor
Patterson thanks Niagara
Dear Editor,
I wish to extend a big thank you to all who came out to
the Monday (Sept. 12) BBQs in support of the Alzheimer
Coffee Break campaign.
The event generated great awareness of the campaign and
together we raised $1,000 for our local Alzheimer Society.
Thanks again for your support and generosity – and a
special thank-you to the volunteers at the Welland campus
and Glendale campus in Niagara-on-the-Lake who served
up a great lunch.
This was another great example of Niagara College working in support of healthy, vibrant communities.
Dan Patterson
President Niagara College
Your Link
By PATRICIA RODRIGUEZ
Staff Writer
A total of $1,000 was raised
in the recent “coffee party” held
at the college’s campuses to
benefit the Alzheimer Society
of Niagara.
This year the Society is aiming to raise $60,000 in the Niagara region, $9,000 more from
last year’s $51,000 target.
On Sept. 12 Patterson attended an Alzheimer Coffee Break
barbecue and encouraged the
college community to participate. Patterson is the honorary
chairman for the Sept. 21
anniversary of the 10th annual
Alzheimer Coffee Break.
The tickets for the barbecue
were $5 and included a burger or
veggie burger, a hot dog, a pop
and an ice cream. Serianni Construction Ltd., who provided the
meat, pop, barbecues and Tshirts, sponsored the staff’s barbecue on the Welland campus.
“It helped to offset the cost,”
Patterson said. The national event
originated in the Niagara region,
Patterson said. He said the staff
barbecue is a “community-based
concept,” and “Niagara College
plays an important role in the
community.”
Patterson said, “It is very
important that we help” achieve
the Society’s $60,000 goal.
“We have to go beyond our regular jobs,” he said and try to reach
out to deal with issues like this.
The Niagara region has about
7,000 people affected by
Alzheimer’s disease, said Jo
ing until touchdown day.”
Each area comes up with its
own goal. It’s a good organization that helps people, said
Walsh. “It’s satisfying to meet a
lot of different people from different walks of life. It’s very
rewarding.”
In the past the United Way
South Niagara has raised a
significant amount of money.
In 2002, $932,869 was raised
and that amount increased in
2003 to $954,989. Last year
the United Way South Niagara raised $1,004,939 for
the communities of Pelham,
Port Colborne, Wainfleet and
Welland.
Community Connection .to the Community
Gearing up for its 41st year
Dan Patterson
takes a
“Coffee
Break”
Page 11
Reaching out
to help the
United Way
Page 11
United Way
Auction
Page 11
Page 12, news@niagara, Sept. 30, 2005
Fall mums a showstopper
By SHERI WEBBER
Staff Writer
Fall mums are showstoppers
at the Niagara College greenhouse in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
The Niagara College Horticultural student-driven efforts bring
a variety of colourful fall mums
to the retail store in potted
arrangements and transplant pots.
“They are a popular choice
for this time of year,” says Jim
Thomson, manager of the Campus Development Environment,
Horticulture and Agribusiness
division.
“We start the mums end of
May. We start them here in the
greenhouse and then about three
weeks later, once the nights are
warmed up, put them out into
the nursery.
“They go on constant-feed
drip irrigation. The students take
care of the transplanting, pinching, watering and fertilizing.”
As the summer flowers fade
away, the fall mums give gar-
dens an added boost of colour.
As part of the learning
experience, first-year and second-year students are an integral part of the greenhouse’s
success.
Abbi Manderla, 19, of
Thorold, chose the Horticultural program for its co-op
component.
“Basic greenhouse maintenance and watering as well as
propagation, my favourite, and
planting outside” were some of
the duties Manderla had over
the summer, involving the popular fall mums.
The greenhouse is open
from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., seven
days a week.
Fall mums are available in
two-gallon pots at a cost of
$4.50 each or three for $11.95.
If you need further information, call the greenhouse at 905Surrounded by fall mums in the greenhouse at the Niagara College Glendale campus in Niagara-on-the735-2211 ext. 4464 or 4082.
You can also e-mail at Lake are second-year students of the Horticultural program Abbi Manderla and Jan Chechalk
Photo by Sheri Webber
[email protected].
Conservation area still thriving after years of entertaining visitors in Wainfleet
By JEREMY LAFORTY
Staff Writer
Naturalists living in the Niagara
Peninsula now have an opportunity to visit a new conservation site
in the Township of Wainfleet.
Morgan’s Point Conservation
Area (MPCA) officially opened to
the public Sept. 15, after undergoing a two-year restoration effort.
Located on the shores of Lake
Erie, MPCA is one of the last
remaining public access points to
the lake and is home to many geographically unique landscapes and
wildlife.
Gord Harry, mayor of the Township of Wainfleet and chairperson
of the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA), says
MPCA is one of the nicest parks in
the Niagara peninsula.
Funding for this project was
made possible by a grant of
$75,000 from the Ontario Trillium
Foundation (OTF) and other partners, including the Niagara Community Foundation, Wainfleet
Lions Club, NPCA staff, students,
volunteers, and all significant
agencies including the Ministry
of Natural Resources, Department of Fisheries and Oceans,
specialized contractors and other
service groups.
Fred Steeve, of St. Catharines, a
representative of the OTF, spoke
at the official dedication on Sept.
15. He said that when he was a
teenager, what is now MPCA was
then a campground and a “great
place to meet beautiful American
girls.” He used to visit the park
and its local dance club “seeking
a taste of its wildlife,” which he
now says has turned into “hiking,
biking and birdwatching.”
MPCA’s 28 acres (11.3 hectares)
of land helps protect one of the few
remaining sand dune, Carolinian
forest and native savannah
ecosystems along the Lake Erie
shoreline. It is home to an assortment of native animals such as
butterflies, fox, deer, coyote,
snakes, frogs, toads and birds.
Some of these animal species,
such as the elusive Fowler Toad,
have made Morgan’s Point their
home, along with other fragile
animal, insect, reptile and
amphibian species.
“Migrating birds rest here
before heading south,” says Kim
Frohlich, an ecologist of the
NPCA.
The oak savannah prairie habitat (once covering large areas of
the Niagara peninsula) is protected at this site, along with other
native tree species, such as black
walnut, ash, sugar maple, juniper
and red oak.
Superintendent of MPCA Mich
Germain says he seen a “huge
d
a
e
R
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influx of natural flora and fauna”
since the launching of this project.
He also said that the area is “reverting back to its natural state quickly”
and that it is one of the few areas of
this nature open to the public.
For the public’s enjoyment,
clearly designated trails and a
wooden boardwalk have been constructed in order to protect fragile
landscapes such as dense brush
areas and the sand-dune ecosystem
that exist there.
Frohlich says that two systems
of snow fences have been added
to help protect the existing sand
dune formations, where the rare
Fowler Toad has been known to
hibernate, from destruction in the
winter season.
A children’s playground area,
along with a sufficient parking
area and restrooms, make MPCA a
practical recreational destination
for families.
Aurel Rucurean, 78, of Welland,
often visited Morgan’s Point as a
youngster and says the area has
changed drastically for the better.
He says, “I think this will be a
popular place” and says that he
plans on taking his grandchildren
to Morgan’s Point.
George Bailey, regional councillor for Niagara Falls and a Niagara College graduate, says he
shares an interest in conservation
and that going to places such as
MPCA “slows the world down.”
MPCA is open to the public all
year and is a good location for
hiking, swimming, bird and
wildlife observation, canoeing,
fishing, cross-country skiing and
snowshoeing.
For more information or directions, contact the NPCA’s administration office at (905) 788-3135
or at http:/www.conservationniagara.on.ca.
Niagara Knights return
Niagara Knights athletics schedule
Wedneday, Oct. 12, men’s volleyball season begins against
Toronto’s George Brown College at 8 p.m.
Tuesday, Oct. 18, men’s basketball exhibition season begins
against Toronto’s Humber College at 8 p.m.
Tuesday, Oct. 18, women’s basketball exhibition begins
against Toronto’s Humber College at 6 p.m.
Wednesday, Oct. 19, women’s volleyball season begins against
Sheridan College in Oakville at 6 p.m.
Admission to home games is $4 for adults, $2 for students with
college ID and free admission for children 15 and under when
accompanied by an adult. Niagara College Booster Club season pass memberships are available for $12 and can be
puchased from the Athletics Office in the Mackenzie building
or at any home game.
All home games are played at the college’s Athletic Centre in
the Mackenzie building.
Check out the athletics web site at:
http://niagarac.on.ca/athletic
news@niagara, Sept. 30, 2005, Page 13
By NATALIE
VENTRESCA
Staff Writer
Just the thought of this can
bring tears to a grown man’s
eyes.
And to think, it is only made
of sugar.
Made with 100 per cent all
—natural ingredients of water,
sugar and lemon juice, this
alternative to waxing and shaving, called sugaring, has
emerged as the most-favoured
hair removal method for
women of all ages.
The theory of sugaring, as
stated
online
at
www.care2.com, is that the
hair is removed by the root.
When it grows back, there
will be less of it. In addition,
the hair will be softer and
not as stubbly as if a razor
had been used.
One of the differences
between waxing and sugaring
lies in its application. Waxing
consists of hot wax being
applied to the skin, then being
removed, along with the hairs,
by a strip of cloth or paper.
Sugaring has its paste kept at
room temperature. It is also
applied to the skin and
removed either by a strip of
cloth or by simply pulling the
paste off by hand, a technique
that Donna Jolin, owner of
Donna’s
Hairstyling
&
Sugaring Salon in Welland,
utilizes.
In contrasting waxing and
sugaring, Jolin says that sugaring is “much better for your
skin than waxing.” While the
wax used to remove the hair
contains some chemicals, she
says, “sugaring is all natural.
You can even eat it.”
An important difference
Jolin stresses is that the sugaring paste is kept at room temperature, while the wax is kept
heated. As the wax is warm, the
aesthetician can only go over
the same area twice before the
skin starts to be irritated and
maybe bruise. With sugaring,
though, she says, “You can go
over the same spot five or six
times” to successfully remove
all the unwanted hair.
Sugaring is not some type of
beauty product fad that will
quickly disappear. Body sug-
aring is an ancient Egyptian
art that has been passed
through centuries. Today,
women of all ages visit Jolin’s
salon to have unwanted body
and facial hair removed, “anywhere from 18 to 40.” She
adds there are 16-year-olds
interested in sugaring, but she
has a policy of getting the parents’ permission for anyone
under that age.
Although Jolin can remove
unwanted body hair from head
to toe, she says she has noticed
that the most popular areas to
be sugared are the eyebrows
and the bikini line. Of the two
most popular, however, she
sees “a lot of different age
groups getting their eyebrows
sugared.”
Another element that Jolin
says she cannot stress enough is
that the time between each sugaring appointment and the condition of the hair varies because
“every body is different.”
One myth she says many
clients believe is that if they are
sugared, the hair will keep coming back thicker or that it simply
won’t grow back. The hair
growing back might seem
thicker to you because you have
not seen it there for the last four
weeks, Jolin explains, adding
that sugaring cannot stop hair
from growing. The normal time
between appointments is four to
six weeks, but again, depending
on the individual.
Other factors include pain
tolerance. Television and
movie characters have sensationalized the pain of sugaring
or waxing over the years, scaring off many would-be clients,
but Jolin disagrees with that
portrayal.
She says, “A lot of my
clients complain that putting
the paste on hurts more than
actually pulling it off because
when you’re spreading the
wax on the hair, they’re getting pulled.”
Anne
Meginnis,
24,
Monique Beaudry, 23, and
Deanna Woods, 24, all of
Welland, are women who prefer sugaring to waxing.
Meginnis, who has been
having her eyebrows sugared
for 10 years, says she has
tried waxing, but she found it
to be “more painful because it
felt like it was taking off a
layer of skin.”
Beaudry, sugaring since
the age of 13, with her mother’s permission, has been
having her eyebrows sugared, plus underarms, bikini
line and arms. She says her
mother chose sugaring for
her because it was the healthier choice and not as painful.
Now, Beaudry says, she is
grateful that she continued
because she notices her body
hair has thinned out.
She says she prefers sugaring to other methods she’s
tried, such as shaving.
“You go in, it takes 15 to 20
minutes, and then you don’t
have to worry about it for four
weeks.”
Woods, who has been sugaring for 10 years, prefers it
because “it’s cleaner, not as
painful and lasts longer where
it doesn’t seem to grow as
quick.”
“You can go on vacation
and you don’t even have to
pack a razor. I think everyone
should get sugared.”
Crisis counsellor providing much needed help for community’s mentally ill
By LESLEY KERR
Staff Writer
The crisis department in the
Welland County General
Hospital is full of information
concerning the mental health
services offered to the public.
As the local crisis department deals with an immediate
crisis in a short-term manner,
it is the staff’s main job to
refer the client to the appropriate service that would best
accommodate the mental
issue at hand.
Dan (who asks his real
name not be published) is the
only full-time crisis counsel-
lor at the hospital, but he
shares the duties with two
part-time employees who also
work as nurses in the psychiatric ward. Dan says they
mostly deal with walk-ins to
the emergency department.
The conditions of the clients
range from psychotic behaviour and suicidal behaviour to
the addict and the physically
impaired. He says he also
deals with the families of
accident victims or, even
worse, families of suicidal
victims.
Even though he has worked
in the hospital for four years,
Dan says some cases do still
affect him.
He says, when a kid comes
in who has tied an electrical
cord around his neck and
tried to hang himself, “How
can you not be affected?
That’s why debriefing is so
important.”
Dan says debriefing is used
to provide support for staff
members who have dealt
with a traumatic event that
has affected them. Support is
there to let them talk about
how they feel and how it
affected them without judgment or blame. Afterwards
Media’s depiction of beauty scary, unrealistic for teens
The perception of beauty
has changed, to a scary one.
Women and young girls alike
flock to buy beauty magazines
such
as
Cosmopolitan,
Seventeen and Vogue. But
what image is being put forth
through these magazines?
Skinny has a whole new
meaning these days; women
who are a size 8 are now being
looked at in the entertainment
industry as “fat.” Now, a
woman with a “good body”
has to be, at the maximum, a
size three. This is insane.
People always wonder how
eating disorders occur. Well
parents, here’s your answer.
I find myself in the mall,
looking at some new pants to
buy, but wait, they don’t have
my size, and they have only
size zero. This is just the
beginning. These days you
can’t turn your television on
without seeing an advertisement for some new diet fad or
work-out machine.
After I interviewed several
young women, it became clear
to me the distress that we, as
women, are going through.Of
all of the women I spoke with,
between the ages of 18 and 20,
not one of them was happy
with the way she looked.
Laura Killeen, 19, who is
attending Wilfrid Laurier
University in Waterloo, Ont.,
for Honours Psychology, says
that the picture of beauty presented to us is one that is tall
and skinny and has sex appeal.
“I just think it’s sad that
many people assume there is a
relationship between how people look and who they are as
people,” said Killeen.
When asked if they read
fashion magazines, all of them
said yes.
“In the media, beauty is
someone who is tall, skinny
and doesn’t wear a lot of
clothes,” said Sarah Dybka,
also a Laurier student.
Andrea Tofano, a medical
student at the University of
Toronto, says that she wishes
she had a smaller waist. That
took me a second to comprehend, seeing that she was
already, at the most, a size five.
I was watching a show the
other day and a woman was
28 years old and had already
undergone 15 plastic surgery
operations.
I guess the conclusion is
clear. We will never be satisfied with the way we look as
long as the media continue to
fog the picture of what beauty
really is: :feeling happy with
yourself and being comfortable
in your own skin.
the staff members can feel as
if they have dealt with it in a
healthy way.
Most staff members know all
the coping skills but s ometimes people feel so “meshed
in the situation” they might forget to use the skills they have
been taught. Dan says it is
important to make sure that the
person is going to get through
it instead of suppressing it.
“I count on my collegues for
that support and I know they
count on me. The support
work makes us a team by a
100 per cent. It’s crucial to do
this kind of work. We deal
with a lot of suicide, and it can
get to you if you’re not taking
care of yourself and this is a
good way of taking care of
yourself.”
“The doctors and nurses are
great. I really feel a part of the
whole emergency team.”
Dan says even after 20 or 30
years he can see that parts of
the job still affect people who
work in the emergency field,
but they know the doors to the
crisis department are always
open for support. “One hand
feeds the other.”
Concerning the walk-ins to
the emergency department or
just off the street, Dan says
it’s very important for them
to be educated about the
other mental health services
available in the community,
such as caseworkers. There
are several caseworkers
available through the Niagara
Mental Health System and
another caseworker is based
in the hospital.
Dan worked as a case manager in northern Ontario for
about eight years prior to his
work at the hospital. Dan says
it is different than crisis work
because you get to see the
progress the individuals make
in the community.
Dan says a caseworker helps
clients reach their full potential
in society. By keeping their
clients connected to the programs offered in the community, crisis workers help reduce
hospitalizations or the number
of episodes the individual
might have. When a client isn’t
doing well, the caseworker is
there to educate the client on
how to mange his or her life, so
the client can be more dependent on his or her own resources.
A caseworker provides help in
finding subsidized housing, disability funding, doctors or a
psychiatrist.
“You’d be surprised how
many people are diagnosed
with a mental illness and
don’t have a psychiatrist.”
Dan says an ACT team is
offered through the Niagara
Region Health department.
The ACT teams work very
closely with the diagnosed
individual to reduce hospitalization and help the individual maintain a life in their
community.
Dan says another service
other than the hospital is a
called Safe Beds. It is for people diagnosed with a mental
illness who are going through
a rough time. They are there to
get the individual through the
next couple of days by offering their services such as the
24-hour support staff, counselling, three meals a day and
information on other programs
offered in the area.
Dan says he refers a lot of
clients to Safe Beds.
Dan says educational component to inform the public of
all these services should be a
role played by the services
themselves.
Body & Health .Taking Care of Mind, Body and Soul
Move over, wax; sugaring has become a woman’s new best friend
Ouch! Hair
Removal
Body Image
Concerns
Mental Health
Services
Page 14, news@niagara, Sept. 30, 2005
news@niagara, Sept. 30, 2005, Page 15
Tasty
Festivals
Festival shines light on community
By CHERIE BORHO
Staff Writer
Welland held its 12th annual Food
Festival from Sept. 23 to Sept. 25 on
Merritt Island, with a turnout of
30,000 people throughout the weekend.
The festival started when citizens
thought it would be fun to celebrate
the local restaurants.
John Mastroianni, 55, of Welland,
and Steve Fischer, are the festival’s
co-chairs. Mastroianni and Fischer,
along with six people from the
Tourism Office TOWN (Tourism of
Welland Niagara), work to “put the
Food Festival together from start to
finish.”
“[It’s] a wonderful time for the
community to celebrate what it has
to offer,” says Mastroianni.
The Food Festival had live entertainment, with bands such as
Stonewall and Kim Mitchell, 40
vendors such as East Side Mario’s,
and entertainment for the children,
including Clumsy the clown, a scavenger hunt and a colouring contest.
“[It’s a] tasty treat and a big
party,” says Mastroianni, “a wonderful, wonderful experience.”
Vendors give people a sample of
their food without their having to buy
a meal. By doing so, vendors hope
people will like their food and go to
their restaurant.
Emily Denney, 22, of Welland,
has attended the last three years. “I
love it. I look forward to going
every year.”
Denney says she likes the food
festival because in a restaurant she
doesn’t want to risk spending
money to try something new, but at
the food festival she can spend a
little amount of money and try as
many new things as she wants.
“Well, some people like the
atmosphere, the people or the
music, but it’s called the food festival. I just like the food, not the
crowds, not the music, just the
food,” says Denney.
“We are very, very pleased,” says
Mastroianni, adding vendors are
looking forward to signing up for
next year.
SPECIAL STUDENT OFFER!
Photography by Takahide Euguchi, Michael McClymont,
Cherie Borho & Kaesha Forand
By MICHAEL MCCLYMONT
Staff Writer
Mark Hand lent more than a hand at this year’s 54th annual Niagara
Wine Festival at Montebello Park in St. Catharines.
Hand is the executive chef at Niagara College. He organized a
Gourmet Pavilion and also gave a culinary demonstration this past
weekend at the festival. A number of Niagara College’s Culinary and
Chef Training students were also volunteering their time and recipes.
“So many people watch the Food Network now. Cooking’s in,” says
Hand. “A chef’s role isn’t just in the kitchen anymore. We need to
interact with the public.”
Hand has been connected to culinary arts for 25 years and says he
has worked at a dozen restaurants.
has been involved with the college full time for nine years, yet he
was one of the first apprenticeship students at the college back in
1984. Seeing as Hand was an apprenticeship graduate and is now an
executive chef at Niagara, he says things have “come full circle.”
Growing up in the Niagara region, Hand remembers going to the
festival when he was younger. He sees the pavilion as his contribution to the festival he has been involved with for 15 years.
“Because Grape and Wine was a part of my youth, when I went on
board with the college, I thought it seemed natural that students
should be here.”
With his demonstration stage, he says he wanted to “create a little
environment where we can do finer foods.” Hand used to do two
shows a year with his stage, one at the Grape and Wine Festival [now
the Niagara Wine Festival] and the other at Savour Niagara, in
Thorold. Now he sticks strictly to the Niagara Wine Festival.
Cooking and foods have always been a passion for Hand, and now
he helps college students develop their culinary skills.
“I developed a love of [culinary] when I was young, cooking with my
mother. I quickly realized, ‘Hey, I can do this,’ and it went from there.”
PHOTO BY JAMES PORTO
Chef demontrates talent at festival
$25 FOR FRIDAY AND SATURDAY 10PM PERFORMANCES!
REGULAR SCHEDULE
Tue –Thu 8,
Fri+Sat 7+10, Sun 2
CONTACT INFORMATION
416.872.1111
ticketmaster.ca
651 Yonge Street Toronto
1.800.BLUEMAN blueman.ca
©BMP2005
Tickets available in person at box office on date of performance. Must have a valid student ID. Limit one ticket per
ID. Subject to availability.
© BMP2005
Page 16, news@niagara, Sept. 30, 2005
Local band foresees future beyond Welland
Sam Kepecz, Kyle Wood and Russ Wood want to
become bigger than Rush.
Photo by Ariel Elliott
By ARIEL ELLIOTT
Staff Writer
The members of local
Welland band When Words
Fail foresee a world tour in
their future, or at least a tour
out of Welland.
Sam Kepecz, 17, Kyle
Wood, 16, Russ Wood, 18,
and Jesse Webb, 19, form
the band. Originally, Webb
and Russ formed a few different bands, on bass and
guitar respectively. The
other bands they formed
“didn’t work out in the
end,” says Russ.
They recruited Dan
Calcagno, 21, who was formerly a rival band member
as their drummer, but as of
Sept. 20 he quit the band to
embark on other opportunities in his life.
“We wanted to beat him up
before he joined,” says Webb.
Kyle, being Russ’s brother, was offered a spot in the
band and Kepecz was “just
thrown in there,” says Webb.
When Words Fail became
the official band name
because “I didn’t like Today
We Die,” says Russ.
“Also, you can’t understand a thing I say, so
words fail every time for
us,” says Webb.
“Essentially, it’s rock ‘n’
roll, if hardcore and metal
kicked it in the crotch,” says
Webb, although Russ says
it’s not like thrash metal, so
people with mullets won’t
be interested.
The last show they played
was at the Faith Tabernacle in
Welland on Sept. 9.
Russ says, “The best
thing about playing live is
the energy, and it’s really
pointless to throw my guitar around where no one is
watching.”
“Sometimes the mistakes
we make at shows become
permanent,” says Kepecz.
Webb says, “The band
tends to stretch themselves a
lot more when they play live
than when they just practice.”
“Besides,” says Russ,
“Jesse really can’t stop me.”
Webb says that the band
just wants to get people to
watch it play.
“Who wants to be
Dream Theater? They just
stand around,” says Webb.
Every show is done with
little regard to his own
safety, says Russ.
At their first show, Webb
forgot the words, says
Kepecz, and all he could
do was drink water.
When Words Fail members say they want to
become bigger than the
band Rush.
Visit When Words Fail on these websites
http://www.myspace.com/whenwordsfailca
http://www.purevolume.com/whenwordsfail.ca
Canadian Idol, performs for screaming fans
By KAYLA RICHARDS
Staff Writer
Kalan Porter, winner of the
second season of Canadian Idol,
appeared onstage at the Western
Fair in London, Ont., on Sept.
16 for the final show of his tour.
More than 2,000 screaming
fans greeted the 19-year-old as
he slowly moved onstage playing his violin.
Morgan Wammes, 17, of
Bothwell, Ont., says she voted
for the Idol winner “25 times
a night.”
“I’m the reason he won,”
she says.
Alicia Stepniak, 17, of
Ridgetown, Ont., says she
“loves” when he plays the violin. She also likes Porter’s hair.
“I just want to touch it,”
she says.
Ashley Jackson, 16, of Highgate, Ont., says she likes Porter’s
lips. “I have a lip fetish.”
As Porter found out, the final
night of a tour is also called
“trick night.”
He was subjected to jokes
played on him by his band.
Members of Porter’s band came
out on stage at one point during
the show wearing KISS masks
and then later came out with
blond wigs.
Porter informed the confused
crowd that he was told to keep
singing no matter what after he
was left onstage alone during an
encore performance.
Along with his single Awake
in a Dream, Porter sang covers of
Steppenwolf’s Born to be Wild
and Cheap Trick’s Surrender.
Fans were pleased with the
final concert.
Stepniak says Porter played
the violin “very well” and that
she liked it when he smiled.
“Kalan Porter takes my
breath away,” says Wammes.
Porter’s album 219 Days is in
stores now.
Youngest rock band plays at the Welland Rose Festival
By NATALIE CLEWLEY
and AMBER BEARDWOOD
Staff Writers
Canada’s youngest rock band
brings rock ‘n’ roll to Welland.
Hidden Echo was a smash hit
at the Welland Rose Festival this
past summer. The members
attracted a large crowd and blew
away people with their performance playing a combination of
original material and cover songs.
Hidden Echo, of Clarington,
Ont., began playing in 2003. The
band consists of four members,
the three Radu brothers and their
friend
13-year-old
Taylor
O’Meara, who, with five years’
experience on lead vocals and
rhythm guitar, is the veteran of
the group. The three Radu brothers are Phil Radu, 13, with four
years’ experience on guitars and
backup vocals, Dalton Radu, 11,
with four years’ experience as the
drummer, and the third and
youngest brother, eight-year-old
Colin Radu, who has been playing bass for only two years.
The three oldest boys met in
February 2002 at a music school
in Oshawa. After a year of working together, O’Meara, Phil and
Dalton decided to branch out and
develop their musical talent. In
May 2003 they left the music
school and added Colin to their
line-up. The four are self-driven
and don’t shy away from hard
work. They rehearse four to five
days a week and practice two to
three hours a day on top of balancing shows and schoolwork.
Mike Hall is teaching Hidden
Echo. He’s a graduate from
Berklee College of Music in
Boston, Mass., and lead guitarist/songwriter for the band
Killer Dwarfs.
With guidance from their
teachers the band began exploring different avenues for their tal-
Their sound is about
expressing a younger
point of view on
themes such as
music, family, friends
and the pressures of
being young.
ent including songwriting.
The band has written seven
original tracks and has put out a
self-titled demo CD. Their sound
is about expressing a younger
point of view on themes such as
music, family, friends and the
pressures of being young. The
punchy melodies, intelligent
lyrics and pounding beats set to
genuine vocals will overshadow
your disbelief that it all comes
from kids so young.
Hidden Echo seems to take its
growing success in stride but the
boys enjoy the attention they
receive from fans. They are
beginning to see themselves as
role models for aspiring young
musicians.
Hidden Echo has impressed
audiences at shows around the
province.
The band placed second in
2003 at the Battle of the Bands
and first in 2004 at a Toronto
Opera House, where performers
like Creed, Pearl Jam and Bryan
Adams have taken the stage.
Over the past year the band has
constantly beaten out bands twice
their age at competitions.
Their biggest accomplishment
occurred in Toronto while playing at the Ricoh Coliseum before
10,000 fans at two Toronto Roadrunners hockey games and at the
Rogers Centre for Toronto Argos
football team pre-game shows.
They were the youngest band
ever to play Toronto’s Canadian
Music Week and they finished in
the top 15 at 97.7 HTZ FM Rock
Search 2004 in St. Catharines.
Hidden Echo came to St.
Catharines to the Niagara Wine
Festival on Sept. 24.
The members have one thing
on their minds, making great
music that people will want to
listen to again and again. For
more information on the band
you can visit http://www.hiddenecho.com.
Canadian Idol singer Kalan Porter performs on the Grandstand at the
Western Fair in London, Ont., on Sept. 16.
Photo by Sarah Hirschmann
news@niagara, Sept. 30, 2005, Page 17
By JAYLENE POIRIER
Staff Writer
Movie Review
A demonic possession of a young girl diagnosed
with a severe and rare case of epilepsy turns into
an exorcism gone wrong. The Exorcism of Emily
Rose, based on actual events that were recognized
by the Catholic Church, is intriguing and, beyond
all doubt, horrifying.
The movie begins with the death of Emily Rose,
19, (Jennifer Carpenter) and then leads you dramatically through her tragic “episodes” involving
six demons that “dwell within.”
The movie is set throughout the duration of a court
case, in which the public defender is trying to see that
Father Moore (Tom Wilkinson) gets put away for his
negligent homicide charge involving Emily. Erin
Bruner (Laura Linney), Father Moore’s lawyer, is
trying to prove his innocence through various ways
that she herself may not yet believe.
Father Moore isn’t looking for freedom. He is
concentrated on revealing Emily’s story, as she
yearned for it to be heard. Throughout testimony
from numerous doctors, psychiatrists and spiritualists, the jury has to come to a conclusion on
whether Father Moore’s exorcism killed Emily.
In his defence, one of the spiritualists claims
that the drug that Emily was given by her doctor,
intended to control her seizures, had blocked part
of Emily’s brain, preventing the exorcism from
occurring correctly. Consequently, the demons
were trapped in her body, leading to her death.
Craig Bauslaugh, 20, of Kitchener, says, “It was
amazing. I’m not going to lie though, it scared the
shit out of me. I’ve never seen such realistic facial
expressions from a female actress in a horror film
before. It was great acting on Emily’s part.”
The exorcism that Father Moore performed was
recorded and given as evidence to the jury. The
recording contained the demonic voices coming
from Emily claiming to be Lucifer and other
demonic possessions. After the ongoing attempts
to get the demons to leave Emily, she felt faint and
fell into a deep sleep.
Emily then awoke and had the choice to “go to
the light” and end all suffering, or she could
choose to stay and fight the demons, leaving her
in great pain. Emily chose to stay to try to get her
story told to others.
Kimberly Roach, 18, of Stratford, Ont., says, “I
don’t ever want to wake up at 3 a.m. ever again (3
a.m. being the “witching hour” when most demonic possessions occur). Also the fact that it’s a true
story scares me even more. It was so realistic.
Even though I was scared, I’m so glad I saw it.”
Father Moore was convicted in Emily’s death,
but as a request from the jury, he received “time
spent” as his prison sentence.
Erin Bruner was later offered a promotion, but
politely withdrew.
Even though Emily took the hard road and suffered
a tragic death, she looked at herself as a saint and
hoped that others would too.
Red Eye suspenseful thriller for movie buffs TOP 10
By NATALIE VENTRESCA
Staff Writer
Film Review
Beware, all those afraid of flying.
Red Eye might not be the right film
to see if you have any anxieties about
being on a plane.
On the other hand, if you want to see
a really good suspense thriller in which
a woman kicks the daylights out of a
man, then you’ll be pleased.
Starring Rachel McAdams (The
Notebook) and Cillian Murphy (Batman Begins), Red Eye can be divided
into two parts. The first part, which
takes place on a plane, is dialogue driven. The characters remain in their
seats and rarely leave them. There is
minimal action, yet their dialogue is
intense. This part remains quite scary
thanks to Murphy’s creepy character
Jack.
The second part, which unfolds off
the plane, is all action: speeding cars,
assassination attempts, chases. There is
never a dull moment.
This film also takes advantage of the
viewer’s knowledge of suspense conventions. The film’s director, Wes
Cravin, knows what we’ve come to
expect from this genre of film and
exploits it. For example, when
McAdams’ character Lisa is looking
for Jack in the bathroom, we expect
him to jump out from behind the shower curtain. When he doesn’t, viewers
become comfortable in their seat, just
to be surprised minutes later by something simple and unexpected like a
telephone ringing.
The use of suspenseful music
greatly works to the film’s advantage
to bring extra drama to the scene.
Even when the characters are just
talking, the use of music helps to
make
the
viewer
anxious.
The music, along with great acting
by McAdams and Murphy, help
make this film an unforgettable one.
You will never look at the person
sitting beside you on a plane the
same again. Although this is a really
good film, it probably won’t be
screened as an in-flight movie.
Students encouraged to attend After Hours pub
or even a poker set (50 tokens).
The full complement of items is on
display at After Hours.
The bar has good news for footballhating roommates, too. Monday Night
Football can be seen in all its glory at
After Hours on the big screen, and
paired nicely with $4 chicken wings.
The wings “are great,” said one student
(who asked not to be named) as he
returned for thirds. Monday Night
Football is open to students of all ages.
Every Tuesday, students’ pockets
can enjoy a break with the new
Toonie Tuesday menu. The menu is
small, but effective, offering the
choice of a hot dog, grilled cheese
sandwich or a basket of French fries
for $2. Each comes with a small soft
drink, and is available until 4 p.m.
Comedy Night and Niagara Idol are
returning to Wednesday nights, and are
all-ages events. Gilson Lubin and
Mark Bennett entertained a large
crowd on Sept. 14, and the next comedy night is slated for Oct. 12.
A new Wednesday event is the monthly Texas Hold’em poker tournament.
Poker night is the third Wednesday of
each month. Pub night is still Thursday,
and will feature bi-weekly themes.
Check out the big board out front for
the latest updates. After all, the sign is on
your way into After Hours.
Crash new release hits stores starring Sandra Bullock
By NATALIE VENTRESCA
Staff Writer
Film Review
Sandra Bullock, Matt Dillon, Brendan Fraser, Don Cheadle, Ryan
Phillippe and Ludacris.
This probably sounds like some starstudded guest list to a trendy Hollywood party, but that could not be further from the truth.
These are the names of some of the
stars of the ensemble cast of Paul Haggis’
Crash, a new release in video stores.
This film, which deals with the delicate subject matter of racism, is not
simply a piece of entertainment; it is a
lesson. It raises questions and makes
you examine not only yourself but also
the world around you.
By dealing with this sensitive subject matter head on, and not tiptoeing around the issues, this movie
projects a strong sense of realism.
The situations the characters of all
various racial backgrounds find
themselves in are realistic, and the
words they speak don’t sound like
some contrived work of some Hollywood big-shot writer. The dialogue
is in your face and sounds authentic.
Because of the realistic tone of the
movie, you stop seeing the people in
it as actors playing a part. You get
lost in their world.
Although dialogue driven, Crash
never loses the viewer’s interest. There
are numerous storylines happening,
yet they all slowly intertwine.
This film explores not only how
strangers affect strangers’ lives but
also how racism affects individuals
and groups.
Every character is guilty of
some type of racial prejudice, and this
film explores how they deal with it.
This film does not leave us with
any answers. It simply works to
bring the idea of racism back into
people’s dialogue because it still is a
pertinent issue today and should not
be forgotten.
By NATALIE VENTRESCA
Staff Writer
Summer’s over. Deal with it.
Beaches, bonfires and camping are
now all distant memories. Instead,
days are now filled with books,
PowerPoint and the web.
If Hollywood has taught us anything
over the years, it’s that being in school
can be a really great time.
In the spirit of going back school,
here is a list of the 10 best school
movies.
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986,
John Hughes)
With a little ingenuity and determination, Ferris Bueller teaches viewers
not only how to cut class, but how to
really utilize your time off. This film
teaches how to both outwit parents and
teachers, so take notes.
The Breakfast Club (1985, John
Hughes)
What happens when you mix a
brain, an athlete, a basket case, a
princess and a criminal? You get a film
about social grouping in a controlled
environment, angst and pressure that
still resonate today.
National Lampoon’s Van Wilder
(2002, Walt Becker)
Van Wilder takes his love for the
post-secondary educational system a
little too far by attending for seven
years.
Road Trip (2000, Todd Phillips)
If the greatest college tradition is
to take a road trip, then Road Trip
can be considered one of the ultimate
college films.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992,
Fran Rubel Kuzui)
As if school is not hard enough dealing with grades, extracurricular activities and a social life, imagine trying to
do all that in addition to slaying the
un-dead. Talk about multi-tasking.
Dead Man on Campus (1998, Alan
Cohn)
Dazed and Confused (1993,
Richard Linklater)
Slackers (2002, Dewey Nicks)
Old School (2003, Todd Phillips)
Revenge of the Nerds (1984, Jeff
Kanew)
We hope this list of films will provide you with some back to school
spirit and not entice you to become a
couch potato.
For all
By STEVE FRANCIS
Staff Writer
Come one, come all.
That is the message from After
Hours, Niagara College’s Welland
campus pub.
Bar manager Ryan Young outlined
some of the changes, including a new
token redemption program, Monday
Night Football specials and a Toonie
Tuesday menu, plus some returning
favourites.
For every $3 spent on food before 4
p.m. After Hours’ patrons will receive
a token. The tokens can be redeemed
for a variety of items, including Tshirts (10 tokens), DVDs (15 tokens),
school movies
Entertainment - The Reel Deal.Movie Lovers
Exorcism of Emily Rose big hit at the box office
Top 10:
School
Movies
Review:
Red Eye
Review:
Crash
Review:
The
Exorcism of
Emily Rose
What’s Going on in the World of
Sports .
Page 18, news@niagara, Sept. 30, 2005
Gym
Renovations
Niagara Hockey
Alumni Book
Students have mixed reviews of gym renovations
By JENN GIBBONS
Staff Writer
This past summer the Mackenzie
building at Niagara College in Welland
underwent a facelift by getting a new
resistance room, cafeteria and a student
lounge. The most noticeable change
was the new resistance room located at
the upper level of the gym.
Before renovations, the upper level to
the gym had a working weight area and
cardio machines. On a regular basis the
upper level was busy with either students attending classes in the gym or students who wanted to work out. The gym
area functioned as best it could for a
small area packed with so many people.
After renovations the resistance
room was moved outside the gym
where the old cafeteria was located and
the cardio machines were left on the
upper level of the gym.
Now there is a big difference in gender grouping from the cardio room to
the weight room. Previously people did
not have a choice but to work together
in a small area. Now that the two rooms
are separated, more females are using
the cardio room and the majority of
males are using the resistance room.
Ray Sarkis, co-ordinator of Athletics
and Recreation, said that the renovations had been planned for a year and
took the summer to finish. Sarkis says
the renovations are complete. The
upstairs cardio room was worked on
Mike Nagy, 20, of the Broadcasting — Radio, Television and Film program,
works out in the new resistance room in the Mackenzie building at the
Niagara College Welland campus.
Photo by Jenn Gibbons
first, as the room for the resistance
The renovations met with mixed
equipment was not yet built. The newly reviews from students here.
freed room allows for more cardio
Sabrina Farmer, 19, from the Fitness
equipment to be added later, he says.
and Health Promotion program, said
“The new resistance room allows for that she doesn’t like the separation
students to work safely and for us to because she has noticed that the
keep an eye on the equipment.”
females are somewhat intimidated to go
The new room allows students with into the weight room.
disabilities to have easy access to the
“I enjoy working out with a lot of
resistance equipment and brings a new people because it motivates me to work
welcoming look, says Sarkis, adding harder. I can’t slack off because other
there have been no complaints from people are seeing me slack off and I
students about the new renovations, don’t like that. It’s now dead quiet
only compliments. Before the renova- upstairs in the cardio room.”
tions the gym was jam-packed and after
Farmer said that it is a good place to
“it’s great, a welcome change.”
meet new and different people. Farmer
said that since she wants to train people
in the future it is harder for her because
now she cannot see as many people
working out so she cannot get used to
helping different body types by watching
them work out.
Jordan Mallard, 20, also of the Fitness and Health Promotion program,
said he also doesn’t like the renovations because there is no music in the
weight room because the stereo is still
upstairs in the cardio room.
“I don’t like that the equipment is
old because I get rust on my hands
from the dumbbells.”
More money needs to go towards new
equipment and less towards renovating the
area, said Mallard. He says to enjoy the
freed space the new resistance room allows.
Mike Nagy, 20, from the Broadcasting —
Radio, Television and Film program, said he
does like the fact that the cardio room is separated from the resistance room.
“This is the first year that I have really
used the gym, but when I did go last year it
was always busy from all the people going
in and out. Now there is a lot less traffic.”
The new gym renovations generate a
mix of good and bad comments. The
gym area is more spacious, and students
are no longer crammed together. New
students wanting to use the facility may
not have as many complaints as returning students. Either way, this renovation
has made the gym a place that can now
hold more people.
New book tells of Niagara’s 1971 hockey team
By JEFF FORAN
Staff Writer
The clocks at Niagara College’s Welland campus After
Hours pub were turned back on
Sept. 17 all the way to 1971.
Hits from the era such as
Aretha Franklin’s Chain of Fools
and Bachman Turner Overdrive’s
Takin’ Care of Business were
pumping out of the pub jukebox.
Those attending were a bit older
than the usual pub patrons. In fact,
these were the men of the 1971
Niagara Knights hockey team
gathered for a reunion to celebrate
the book release of their team.
Almost Famous by Richard
Paul Tanos chronicles the whole
school year of 1971 — 72 and the
unbelievable feats of the Niagara
College hockey team that put the
five-year-old college on the map.
In 1971, Tanos, a Niagara Falls
native, was a student in the General Business specializing in data
programming two-year program.
With a “light class load” in his
final year, Tanos took to the ice
and donned the number 9 sweater
for the Knights, playing left wing
and writing his name into Niagara
College folklore. Now, at age 54,
Tanos lives in Coffeyville, Kan.,
“a nice place to die,” with a population of 18,000 “about the size of
Thorold,” and “no rink.”
He says he felt somebody had to
write the tale. “The story is now
told. It won’t be forgotten. The
whole year has been documented.”
This is the 10th book written by
Tanos, a semi-retired software
engineer on his way to “phasing
out” clients. He gave up playing the
game of hockey only two years ago
because of his knees. His first
book, The Home Child, is nominated for the J. Donald Coffen Award,
which was to be awarded on Oct. 8.
“I’ve never read a book in my
life for pleasure” he says,
although he will publish six more
books within three or four years.
Tanos says the sports budget
for Niagara College in 1971 was
$36,000, but cheques for over
$250,000 were written. The varsity teams and sales and marketing club organized many parties
to raise money.
“April Wine, Sha Na Na, and
JR Flood, which had a 15-yearold drummer named Neil Peart
(drummer of Rush), all played.”
Tanos says “it sucks,” and “it’s
terrible” that there is no longer a
college hockey team or a college
hockey league for that matter. He
would like to see the league
reformed and another team at the
school. “Someone’s gotta pick up
the ball and do it,” he emphasizes.
Dwight Young, 57, was the vicepresident of athletics at Niagara
College from 1971-72. He was at
the book release and reunion “to
see old buddies” and, he says he
“kinda felt obligated to come.” He
says everyone who came out and
attended the hockey games “had a
good time.” The after parties were
also well attended with 300 people
regularly packing the Reeta Hotel.
“The parties we had back then
were phenomenal. You knew you
had a good time at the end of the
night.” He says the college had to
hire two off-duty cops for their
hockey games in order for the
arena staff to let them play.
Like Tanos, Young says he
doesn’t like Niagara College not
having a hockey team. “It’s disap-
pointing, it’s a shame. I think
when they split the campuses,
they killed varsity sports.”
Ed Zanetti, 66, spent 30 years
as a professor of business at Niagara College and was the hockey
program developer who put
together the first Niagara College hockey team back in 1967.
He helped Tanos with the
book. He says Almost Famous
will give today’s students “a
perspective on life in 1971-72,
of college life, and they can
compare that to today.”
He says the reunion gives him
the chance “to meet everyone
again and get re-acquainted.”
Zanetti says, “The hockey
program at Niagara College
became a question of economics. There’s a reality to the
functioning of hockey. It’s a
very costly amount.” He
attributes the Ontario College
Dwight Young (left) and author Richard Paul Tanos
share stories at the book release reunion for Almost
Perfect, the true story of the 1971-72 Niagara Knights
hockey team, at Niagara College’s Welland campus
After Hours pub on Sept. 17.
Photo by Jeff Foran
Almost
Perfect
by
Athletic Association decision to abandon hockey last Richard Paul Tanos is available at Niagara College
year to that also.
“I want to congratulate bookstores and online at
http://www.rtanos.com.
Rik (for writing the book).”
news@niagara, Sept. 30, 2005, Page 19
Coote receives
special award
Thousands expected at Thanksgiving Festival
By PATRICIA
RODRIGUEZ
Staff Writer
Niagara’s longest-running fall event is back for
a weekend of fun, thanksgiving and relaxation.
From Oct. 7 to Oct. 10
from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. the
Niagara Peninsula Conservation
Authority
(NPCA) is hosting the
31st annual Ball’s Falls
Thanksgiving Festival in
Jordan, Ont.
The festival, which initially consisted of a twoday event with about 20
artisans, has evolved into
a four-day event with over
140 artisans from Ontario
and Quebec, said Christine Hayward, Ball’s Falls
land management curator.
She said that on average
the event receives from
20,000 to 30,000 people
every year, 5,000 who are
children under 14 and
who are not required to
pay the admission fee.
The admission costs range
from $6 daily to $12 for
the weekend.
This year, Hayward
said, they expect an atten-
dance of about 25,000
people. The Canadian
Tourism Research Institute of the Conference
Board of Canada has estimated this event to contribute to the region’s
overall direct and indirect
local economy with about
$1 million.
She said they usually
get visitors from the Golden Horseshoe Area and
especially from Toronto,
Hamilton, the Niagara
region where they get
“good visitation,” Kitchener, London and more
recently from the Western
New York area.
She said some of the festival’s attractions include
magicians, harpists and
guitarists, in addition to
live raptors to entertain the
visitors as well as to educate them. The event will
serve as the stage to show
hundreds of talented artisans including spinners,
weavers, coppersmiths,
sculptors and decorative
painters.
Gourmet foods, a children’s entertainment tent,
a Niagara wine tent,
native storytelling and
heritage demonstrations to
share time and traditional
skills will also be
featured.
This
long-standing
Thanksgiving event has
been not only supported
by the community but
also well recognized as
one of Ontario’s top 50
annual festivals ranked
by the Ministry of
Tourism for 2005.
Hayward said the
NPCA and staff are “very
proud” to be included in
the Top 50 ranking.
Sean Coote, 32, of Welland, manager, International Recruitment
and Services, sits in his office
with his Award of Excellence.
Photo by Takahide Eguchi
Public relations executive visits students
By TAKAHIDE EGUCHI
Staff Writer
He was excited, ecstatic, thrilled
and surprised.
Sean Coote, manager, International Recruitment and Services, won
this year’s Award of Excellence in
the administrative category.
Coote, 32, a father of two children, started his career as a student
adviser in the International department after graduating from the Business Administration — Human
Resources (Co-op) program in 1995,
and then being promoted to manager
in 2001.
He says to be nominated by his
peers is “amazing and wonderful,
and “then to also be selected as successful or as a person who receives
the award is also another phenomenal and amazing kind of
accomplishment.”
The award was given during the
college’s Welcome Back Breakfast
on Aug. 31.
Give thanks
for
Thanksgiving
Karen Dalton (centre), national executive director of The Canadian Public Relations Society, met with Darrell Neufeld’s Public
Relations Principles class on Sept. 21. She is talking with Neufeld and Nancy Geddie, co-ordinator of the Public Relations
(Graduate Certificate) program.
Photo by Baillie Adcock
Renovation keeps students at ‘leading edge’
By JOHN MISITI
Staff Writer
Many renovations have taken place
at Niagara College over the summer.
One that has really caught the eye of
the student-body is in the broadcast
wing in the Voyageur building at the
Welland campus.
Leo Tiberi is the dean of the Information and Media Studies division. He
commends Alysha Henderson, the
Broadcasting — Radio, Television,
and Film (BRTF) co-ordinator, on her
leadership throughout the project.
“It’s a very ambitious project to
demolish and rebuild 18,000 square
feet in four months.”
Tiberi says that all programs in his
department are under constant review,
although there are no renovations
planned for the near future.
“Students deserve good facilities,” says
Tiberi. “These renovations will keep us at
the leading edge of broadcast training in
Ontario,” adding he believes that the students are “thrilled” with the new
environment.
Henderson says the higher end editing associated with the renovations
will keep the Niagara broadcasting
program “unique.” Some of the renovations are esthetic, but some are more
technical and include equipment
upgrades such as a new screening theatre, and new sound mixing studio and
a non-linear Mac editing lab. Also
news@niagara
presents
most of the rooms have been placed
near windows in the Voyageur wing,
allowing other students to see the kind
of things that go on in the BRTF
environment.
Henderson says the renovations have
added to her workload as she is comanaging the project.
“All the renovations have made my
job harder, but things will run better
once the project is completed. In the
long run they will make the program
more efficient.”
Henderson says that there have been
no delays in classes because most of
the work occurs on weekends.
The BRTF program has about 220
students, she says.
http://www.NOISEatNIAGARA.com
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Email: [email protected]
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Page 20, news@niagara, Summer Supplement, Sept. 30, 2005
Summer Supplement
Summer brings many changes to college
By JEREMY LAFORTY
Staff Writer
Niagara College’s Welland
campus is experiencing a
multitude of changes and
renovations, some of which
have never been done since
the college was built in the
late 1960s.
“This is a great summer to
see many changes and
upgrades,” says Julia Bertollo.
She is the college’s Facilities
Management
Services
(FMS) manager, working
out of the Welland campus
Monday to Friday.
Bertollo,42, of Mount
Hope, Ont., has been
responsible for managing
the ongoing maintenance
operations that occur daily
at all three Niagara College
campuses for about a year
and a half. She manages
more than a million-square
feet at the three campuses
in Welland, Niagara Falls
and Niagara-on-the Lake.
Daryn Eden, a maintenance worker at the college, says he is aware of
the construction, renovating,
and upgrade efforts happening
here.
He says remodeling the
Broadcasting
—Radio,
Television and Film program
area in the Voyageur Wing is
the “biggest project” this
summer. Other big projects
include replacing a chiller (air
conditioner) and renovating
and painting the Mackenzie
building and the Black
Walnut building at the
Welland campus.
He
says
the
Skill
Centre’s auto body shop at
the Welland campus has
been removed to make room
for a construction/engineering machine shop for the
program that has recently
been moved from the
Glendale
campus
in
Niagara-on-the-Lake
to
Welland.
“There has been a lot of
upgrades
to
hallways,
offices and classrooms of
the Simcoe building. I’ve
seen a lot here,” says Eden.
Bertollo has organized a
program for addressing
landscaping needs and is
implementing a plan for
the construction of five
more on-campus décor
gardens, extra outdoor
seating areas, and a
piazza, a large patio with
seating by the rear main
entrance of the Simcoe
building. Sidewalks and
parking areas also are in
need of maintenance or
restoration.
Bertollo says the maintenance team she works with
“shares the workload well
and are a great team.”
They maintain utilities,
and regularly address
painting needs and heating
and air quality needs.
Weekly meetings are held
to organize the substantial
amount work.
Bertollo reports all work
needs to Mal Woodhouse,
director of FMS.
Bertollo is trained in the
Occupational Health and
Safety Act and has an
understanding of the law.
With all of the technical
construction that is happening, s h e m u s t o rg a n i z e
daily inspections of all
work sites to ensure safe
working conditions.
Woodhouse
says
the
provincial
Council
of
College
Presidentshaves
been trying for many years to
raise the profile of need for
post-secondary educational
institutes such as Niagara
College.
The
college
presidents and college
directors has been pushing the government for
more money to help
upkeep campus needs.
The Rae Commission
(headed by former Ontario
premier Bob Rae) investigated the physical condition of colleges throughout
Ontario in order to inform
the government of funding
needs.
“The college has put in a
lot of effort to make the
government aware of the
needs of students and the
college facility,” says
Woodhouse.
Woodhouse has worked
as FMS director for almost
15 years. He says it’s the
first time in 15 years the
government has responded
to the needs of the postsecondary
educational
system.
Niagara College was
built in the late 1960s with
other additions in the early
1970s.
“The lifecycles of some
of the college’s original
mechanical components are
nearing their end and
things like ceiling tiles,
chillers, boilers, water
distribution systems and
electrical grid systems
need to be maintained or
replaced. Energy conservation efforts are another
concern. It’s not what you
see, but what you don’t
see, that are the most
expensive parts of deferred
maintenance,”
says
Woodhouse.
He says $4 million of
extra funding has been provided for programs and
facilities by the government.
“We have received periodic grants over the years,
but I have seen nothing of
this magnitude in my time
here. So it is a very busy
time, and we are all very
excited,” says Woodhouse.
A construction worker measures drywall in the Broadcasting — Radio, Television and Film program
area in the Voyegeur Wing.
Photo by Jeremy LaForty
The newly installed chiller will help keep the Simcoe building cool when the weather is not.
Photo by Jeremy LaForty
news@niagara, Summer Supplement, Sept. 30, 2005, Page 21
Catching youth’s attention before high school
By SHERI WEBBER
Staff Writer
It was a ceramics camp aimed at
stimulating the minds of youth.
On June 18, Niagara College
offered Grade 7 and Grade 8 students the “chance to see how
ceramics and mechanical technology work,” says Cam McCrackin,
technician, technology division at
the Glendale campus in Niagaraon-the-Lake.
“These students are just about
to enter high school and choose
courses that will resonate
through the rest of their lives.
We wanted to capture their
interests early.”
The “AutoDesk Inventor software is a Computer Aided
Design (CAD) package that
allows the user to design items in
three dimensions. It is a relatively new package which exceeds
AutoCAD’s two-dimensional
environment in many ways and
is much more user-friendly,”
says McCrackin.
Kim Rose, 44, of Welland,
signed up her son as soon as she
read the “description of activities.”
“I figured Alex (12) would
enjoy it as he’s very interested
in design and technology. He
constantly draws cars and
bikes, dabbles in AutoCAD
and other design programs at
home, enjoys watching shows
about engineering and design
and going to auto shows.
Deciding to send Alex to this
Cam McCrackin watches Alex Rose, one of the students who
attended the ceramics camp.
Photo by Sheri Webber
camp was a no-brainer.”
done and the machines he had
Alex was so excited that, worked on. He really loved the
when his father picked him up, day,” says Rose.
“he took him into the shop area
“I learned how to use
to show him everything he had (AutoDesk) Inventor, terms for
Alex Rose shows off his work that was created at the ceramics
camp in June.
Photo by Sheri Webber
different machines such as CNC
(computer numerical control)
and how some machines work,”
says Alex, a student at Ross
Public School in Welland.
“The best part was using the
program Inventor to design
custom-car rims. I draw cars a
lot at home so it was nice to use
a computer for this.”
Thriving in ‘heart of the wine industry’
By MELISSA MANGELSEN
Staff Writer
Dr. Thomas F. Schulz moved
from Germany to Canada just in
time to join from day one the
thriving Winery and Viticulture
Technology program at Niagara
College.
Shultz, 44, of Lowbanks, Ont.,
who came from Lauffen,
Germany, has been a part of the
college since September 2000.
He helped develop and introduce
the Winery and Viticulture
Technician program at Niagara.
He grew up on a grape farm in
Germany and was actively
involved with the grape growing
business since he was a child.
Shultz, the program’s co-ordinator, says he previously studied
in Neustadt, Germany, where he
obtained a German diploma in
Business Information Studies. He
has a diploma in Business
Management as well as a PhD in
wine microbiology and molecular
plant pathology.
Shultz says he deals with many
things including grape and wine
disease and biology.
He has taught at the University
of
Applied
Sciences
in
Heilbronn, Germany, teaching
wine business management,
software and hardware for
wineries and applications in the
wine industry.
He says he does wine analysis,
business and consulting for
wineries, and sells equipment and
software for wineries and farms
aside from the work he does at
Niagara College.
Shultz says he has many things
he likes about his job. He says it
is a nice location as it is in the
heart of the wine industry.
Shultz says he likes that his job
is “challenging and innovative.”
He says they have international
contacts which help the program
gain recognition. Shultz says the
Winery and Viticulture Technician
program students have the chance
to study as interns in places such
as Australia, France and Germany.
Enrolment numbers into the
program at the Glendale campus
in Niagara-on-the-Lake are high.
Shultz says there is always a waiting
list that starts building in May.
Shultz says it is “the best
Winery and Viticulture Technician
program across Canada” and they
have won several awards for
wines. He says there is a lot of
interest in the program.
He is working on an online
distance learning program for
winery and a post-graduate program.
Shultz is helping to develop the
Wine Discovery and Education
Centre, which is a state of the art
facility designed for the training
of not just wine students but
business students and marketing
students. The Wine Discovery
and Education Centre will hold
demonstrations so visitors can
see into the wine stills.
He says this should be completed
in two years.
The wine industry will triple in
employee numbers over the next
15 to 20 years, says the Wine
Council of Ontario Strategic
Document.
Between 1989 and 2001
grape-based wineries in Ontario
grew from 18 to 72. With
Canada’s wine industry centred in
the Niagara Peninsula it is no
surprise why this program is
successful at Niagara College.
Summer supplement from January-Start students
Sheri
Webber
Welcome to our Summer
Supplement pages.
The stories and photographs
on these nine pages were done
by the seven Journalism-Print
program January-Start students
during May, June and July. The
Summer Supplement pages were
paginated in July.
The interviews and photographs
for these stories were done in
May, June and July.
The seven students started the
program in January and completed their first year on July 29.
They joined the 40 second-year
students of the program this
month.
The next edition of news@niagara is Friday, Oct. 14.
In total, 15 editions of the
news@niagara will be published
this school year. The publication
dates include today, Oct. 14,
Oct. 28, Nov. 11, Nov. 25, and
Dec. 9. Jan. 20, 2006, Jan. 27,
Feb. 3, Feb. 10, Feb. 17, March
17, March 24, Friday, April 7
and our last edition on Friday,
April 21.
Amber
Beardwood
No Photo
Available
Katherine
Griggs
Melissa
Mangelsen
Jeremy
LaForty
Lesleigh
Misener
Liam
McPherson
Page 22, news@niagara, Summer Supplement, Sept. 30, 2005
Young enthusiastic about After Hours
By KATHERINE GRIGGS
Staff Writer
Ryan Young, 27, who manages the Welland campus student centre, has grown to love
Niagara College.
After many miscellaneous
jobs including delivering for a
pharmacy, shipping/receiving
for a local paper mill, picking
peaches, delivering newspapers,
and working in a winery boutique, Young has settled into his
job at the college as bar manager at the After Hours Student
Centre.
Young has been a part of
Niagara College for eight years.
While a student at the Glendale
campus in Niagara-on-the-Lake,
Young worked as a security
guard for its student centre, The
Armoury, formerly Alexander
Davidson’s. After three years of
working there, the manager of
the pub quit. It was then that
Young decided to apply for the
job as bar manager.
“I applied for the job, not
expecting anything. Turns out I
must have made a good impression and was hired,” he says.
He spent three years working
as the manager at Glendale.
After the manager of the student
centre in Welland resigned, he
started working part-time hours
running all the nighttime activities. It was May 2004 when
Young took over all the fulltime duties.
It is his responsibility to oversee the daily operation of After
Hours. Some of the responsibilities included programming,
staffing, inventory and overseeing the nighttime activities and
ensuring that everything runs
smoothly.
Before working at the pub,
Young says he did not have any
work-related experience, except
the summer he spent working at
Inniskillin Winery. This job,
however, proved to be more of a
maintenance job.
In his spare time, Young says
he enjoys reading history books
and has taken to playing cards,
specifically Texas Hold’em.
“I don’t get much time for
hobbies when school is in ...
when I actually do get time for
myself, I spend it golfing,
whitewater rafting and camping. Anything that will keep me
outdoors and away from work.”
Young says Niagara College
has a bright future.
“We are a leader in both the
Ryan Young takes a few mintues out of his busy schedule.
Photo by Katherine Griggs
community and within the education field. Our instructors and
professors, along with our professional staff, are second to
none,” says Young.
Niagara College finished first
in the Key Performance
Indicators surveys last year in
student
satisfaction,
says
Young.
“The college’s president, Dr.
Dan Patterson, is a true leader
who is constantly fighting for
Niagara and fighting to keep
Niagara as the industry leader.”
The student centre is owned
and operated by the Student
Administrative Council. The
general manager of both student
centres is Cindy Blanchard.
“My entire time as an
employee for the student centres has been wonderful. The
people that I work with are
good people and are great to
work with.”
Dedicated professor gratified by teaching
By LIAM McPHERSON
Staff Writer
Tom Busnarda, 53, of
Grimsby, Ont., is the co-ordinator of general education at
Niagara College for the
Glendale and Welland campuses.
He has been teaching here for
23 years and now teaches electives for general education. He
has been teaching philosophy,
his “favourite subject,” the
longest. In addition, he teaches
part-time at Brock University, in
St. Catharines, in the masters of
education division.
Busnarda said he has been in
school the majority of his life.
He went to Brock University for
his bachelor of arts degree in
history, and his master’s degree
in education. Busnarda did one
year of undergraduate study at
Long-time professor Tom Busnarda sits in his office.
Photo by Liam McPherson
McMaster
University,
in
Hamilton, and one year of
undergraduate study at the
University of Waterloo. He was
doing doctoral studies at the
University of Toronto, but didn’t
finish his PhD.
Busnarda has had a lot of different jobs in his life. He said,
“I’ve had a lot more jobs, but I
won’t get into them all or we
would be here for a while.”
His previous jobs include
being an ironworker, welder,
working with blueprints, and
construction worker. In addition,
Busnarda was a cab driver in
Hamilton, Ont., for a stint.
He set out on the teaching path
for a different approach.
Busnarda said, “I didn’t know I
wanted to be a teacher until I got
a job at Niagara teaching on a
temp basis.”
He enjoys teaching to the
fullest and takes personal gratification in it. Busnarda said,
“Students are fun to work with
because not only do they keep
me young, but it’s also rewarding to make a difference in
someone’s life.”
He plans on enjoying the rest
of his summer in relaxation. He
said, “I plan to read a little bit
and play some golf, swim and
maybe drink some beer.”
Teaching has made its way
deep into Busnarda’s heart and it
will forever be there. He said,
“There’s going to be a lot of
travel in the future, and I can’t
see myself not being as an educator after retirement because of
the personal satisfaction I get
out of teaching.”
RJ’s ‘homemade’ food phenomenon opens in Welland
By LIAM McPHERSON
Staff Writer
There’s a new sub in town and
it’s taking Welland by storm.
Dan Waldro, 42, and wife
Melanie, 32, from Port Colborne,
opened RJ’s on May 3.
RJ’s is across from Niagara
College’s Welland campus at the
corner of First Avenue and
Woodlawn Road. The couple started out in the east side of Port
Colborne with a store called
Marianna’s.
It was renamed RJ’s for Rick
Kah, his son, Justin, and Rick’s
girlfriend Sheri.
Two months before opening,
Rick contracted Hodgkin’s disease. He died in October 1999.
RJ’s has been operating since
August 1999. Rick’s mother,
Mimi, took over for a while and
than the store was sold to Rick’s
Uncle Alain. Dan and Melanie are
family and they took over in
November 2003.
There are six part-time and two
full-time employees, including
Dan and Melanie.
“We never work together, only
on Sundays and soon that will
change when we hire new people,”
said Dan.
RJ’s staff makes most of its food
from scratch.
Melanie said, “Most of our food
is homemade.”
Dan said, “Our biggest seller is
our steak sub because we use real
steak from the butcher, because we
don’t use processed meat.
“Once students return we will
have later hours to accommodate
them.”
The couple said they are hopeful
about business in the fall.
Melanie said, “It’s going as
This Torpedo sub is 12 inches and it monsters in at 2 1/2 pounds.
Photo by Liam McPherson
good as expected, but we hope for
more business once school starts
again in the fall.”
Daniel Rothrock, 23, of
Welland, a first-year General Arts
and Science program student at
Niagara College, said, “They’ve
got the best food for the best
price.”
Mike Bela, 23, of Welland, said,
“They hook me up with two
square meals a day.”
news@niagara, Summer Supplement, Sept. 30, 2005, Page 23
Bright-er days ahead
By LESLEIGH MISENER
Staff Writer
The British are coming.
Chances are you know the story
of Paul Revere, but if by chance
you don’t, you may find yourself
seeking answers from a surprising
source.
Enter David Bright, a Brit and a
professor of history, at Niagara
College’s Welland campus.
Bright, of St. Catharines, is one
of the newest members of the faculty, having just begun roaming
Niagara’s corridors and classrooms in April 2004.
While he immigrated to Canada
17 years ago, Bright says, he is
commonly asked, what “a Brit is
doing teaching Canadians their
own history?”
He says the advantage of having
been raised in another country is
that it allows him to see Canada
objectively, for all that it is and
isn’t.
“There is a big difference
between the accident of having
been born somewhere and choosing to move there. I’ve now been
in Canada pretty much the same
length of time as several of my
students, so we’re equal in that
respect.”
Raised in Bath, England, which
he describes as an old and historic
town, and following “the worst,
two most boring years of my life,”
spent working for an insurance
firm, Bright says, he made the
decision to pursue a bachelor of
arts in medieval and modern history at Birmingham University in
England. It was at Birmingham
that he completed his master of
arts degree in history.
Bright says his plan was to then
begin studies to a doctor of philosophy (PhD) in history; however,
funding cuts under “the dark, dark
days of Margaret Thatcher” made
continuing his studies in Britain an
impossibility.
On the advice of a former supervisor, Dr. David Bercuson, Bright
set off for Calgary to continue his
studies.
Following the completion of his
PhD, Bright says, he began teaching on short-term contracts with
the department of history at the
University of Calgary and at
Mount Royal College in Calgary.
In 2002, along with wife
Catharine and daughter Tessa,
Bright relocated to Ontario, where
he spent a year teaching at the
University of Guelph, followed by
a limited-term appointment at
Brock
University
in
St.
Catharines.
With the position at Brock nearing its end, Bright learned of the
opening at Niagara, and set about
securing the position he holds.
Bright says he has been cautioned on the differences between
university and college teaching in
students, classes, and general
institution culture. He says he
hopes to discover for himself
whether this is true and to what
extent.
“I’ve taught in a college environment before, and generally
refused to accept that there was
any inherent difference in quality
between the two, though not
everyone agrees with me I suppose.
“I did get a sense that college
students, tended on the whole, to
perhaps be a little more driven, as
they took less for granted and
often had more outside responsibilities to juggle with their learning. Of course this could mean
that sometimes they found it more
difficult to get to classes on a regular basis, something which may
prove to be one of the biggest
challenges this fall.”
Having arrived during the summer term, he says, he feels he will
gain a better understanding of life
at Niagara, in September when the
campus is filled with students.
“So far, and it’s still the early
days, I’ve been pretty impressed
with the college’s commitment to
good teaching.”
The negatives, says Bright, are
finding a decent cup of coffee on
campus and the difficulty in locating comfortable spaces to gather
with others.
“I’m sure I’ll discover some
once I’ve been here a while.”
While away from the classroom,
Bright says, he most enjoys playing with his young daughter, reading, or a game of chess.
Bright, who plays guitar “and
other instruments, but to a lesser
proficiency,” says, his great interest is music and that he has toyed
with a variety of blues and 1960’s
style bands over the years.
He says he also enjoys running
David Bright instructs a Broadcasting — Radio, Television and
Film program student in Current Events.
Photo by Lesleigh Misener
and soccer and hopes to find a
team or league here on campus.
Despite his move to Ontario,
Bright says, he continues to write
a bi-monthly column for a newspaper in Calgary.
“This is a complex arrangement,
with me being out here, but so far
it seems to work.”
He has authored The Limits of
Labour; Class Formation and the
Labour Movement in Calgary,
1883-1929 (UBC Press, 1998),
and co-edited Canadian Labour
History: Selected Readings (Copp
Clark, 1994).
Bright says he is continuing
work on a book relating to
vagrancy and policing in Alberta,
and is beginning research on
workers who constructed the
Welland Canal.
Dawson assists students with employment search
Welland/Glendale Job
Centres open weekdays
8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
By JEREMY LAFORTY
Staff Writer
Shelly Dawson helps students
find jobs.
Whether for the summer, part
time, full time, on-campus or
internship, she helps students with
their employment needs.
Dawson works in The Job
Centre at Niagara College’s
Welland campus. There is another
Job Centre at the college’s
Glendale campus in Niagara-onthe-Lake.
Dawson handles information,
data and co-op services, and has
worked in this position for two
years. Before her employment
here, she worked in the offices of
a dance studio in Texas doing student registration — so working
with students is nothing new to
her.
“A long time ago I graduated
from Seneca College (in North
York) after taking a three-year
Computer Programmer Analysis
program, and worked in that field
for 10 years,” says Dawson about
her past education and work experience.
Dawson says she enjoys working at Niagara.
“It’s a great place to work.
People I work with, work as a
team and help and support one
another.”
So what type of help can you
get from the Job Centre?
Dawson helps students prepare
practical resumés and cover letters
for a variety of job fields.
“I enjoy working with students
and watching them grow. It’s nice
to see students come and leave
with a job.”
The Job Centre “is a very successful part of the college for
helping the immediate needs of
the student,” she says, adding
Niagara is a good school that is
forever growing and working hard
to develop programs for changing
times.
“I have only been here for two
years, but I have seen an increase
in the amount of students coming
into the Job Centre, and I hope the
trend increases.”
At the end of each term,
Dawson reports all statistics,
including co-op, to the director of
workforce and business development division at the Glendale
campus. Dan Patterson, Niagara’s
president, then gets to see the centre’s success.
The Job Centre is open and
Shelly Dawson at work in the Job Cente at the Welland Campus.
Photo by Jeremy LaForty
available to Niagara College students and alumni throughout the
year. It is open weekdays from
8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
“No matter how long you’ve
been away you can still return to
the centre for assistance,” says
Dawson, about those who have
graduated from Niagara College.
Page 24, news@niagara, Summer Supplement, Sept. 30, 2005
Keir’s life took many unexpected turns
By LESLEIGH MISENER
Staff Writer
The fabric of the silver lining in
clouds of adversity may be
stitched with strength of character
and a keen wit for Karin Keir.
Keir, 32, co-ordinator for Crime
Stoppers of Niagara, tread a path
fraught with obstacles that could
well have taken her to the other
end of a telephone line she is often
called to answer.
Keir says her involvement with
the justice system began at the age
of 16, when she left home and
found herself involved in an abusive and destructive relationship
with “a cocaine-addicted bank
robber.”
Ironically, she met him on a
high school field trip to witness
local court proceedings.
Keir says naivete led her to
believe “I could save him from
himself; that my love would
undoubtedly
conquer
his
demons.”
The teen soon found herself
entrenched in a world of violence
and drug abuse. Her partner’s violent episodes escalated and, Keir
says, she found herself the easy
target of his abuses.
In 1991, having begun to recognize her mistakes and the need for
escape, Keir returned to her parents’ home in Niagara-on-theLake and set about repairing her
life.
She says she spent the summer
“slinging beers in the local watering hole,” renewing old friendships and building new ones. She
says she found a new family, composed of “servers and bartenders,
bar and restaurant owners,
wealthy drinkers and badly
dressed tourists.”
A strong and supportive circle
of friends developed and is “to
this day kept,” says Keir.
“It was sometimes drunken, but
always a laugh.” However, “I
soon tired of serving people and
knew it was time for a change.”
Keir says in 1993 following “a
quick trip back to my roots in
Scotland,” she enrolled in the
Journalism-Print program at
Niagara College and set herself on
a more challenging and promising
course.
She says she then began her
studies at Niagara College,
“which at that time was reminiscent of a high school you could
smoke in.”
With first-year studies nearly
complete and feeling a renewed
sense of adventure, Keir says she
spontaneously set off with friends
to “roam the mountains of British
Columbia” between terms.
This trip would set in motion a
string of events that would alter
her path once again.
Upon returning home to complete her diploma, Keir says she
penned an article detailing her
experiences in the West. The article, entitled Stop and Smell the
Flowers, attracted the attention of
a former student who contacted
her and expressed an interest in
meeting.
The two were soon dating and
Keir, in her final week of field
placement with the Niagara
Regional Police Service, discovered they were expecting a child.
With a child on the way, Keir
says, she realized it was
imperative she obtain a position
that would provide stability and
financial security. She “applied to
everywhere with a union: police
station, parole board, LCBO,
Canada Post and the like.”
“The police station called, and
here I sit some eight years later.”
She says she then began her
employment as a 911 operator/dispatcher.
Keir and the father of her child
married in December 1995, and
just days before Christmas they
welcomed their daughter, Tess, to
the world.
The young family struggled and
saved, and by 1997 managed to
purchase a century home in the
Village of Queenston, where she
continues to live.
After several years, Keir says
she reached yet another crossroads. The marriage ended and
she found herself struggling to
juggle finances, a hectic work
schedule and the demands of
motherhood alone.
Recognizing the need for balance in her life, Keir says, she
began to submit applications for
alternate positions within the
police department. Her goal was
to eliminate the erratic hours
involved in dispatch, continued
financial stability and an opportunity that would allow her the time
required at home to effectively
parent her daughter and maintain
the household.
Keir says she found that with
Crime Stoppers of Niagara.
She says she has now managed
to strike a fine balance between
her work and parenting duties and
that life has become a much more
pleasant journey these days.
Keir says with a snicker that in
her spare time these days she
enjoys cooking, “but I prefer to
bake. I take solace in making my
friends’ asses as big as my own. I
love to smoke and drink vodka.
Sometimes this involves dancing
in tribal-like fashion in inappropriate places. I love to travel too,
but the limited budget allows only
short trips to Virgil and sometimes
the Price Club.”
For exercise, she says, she
works out “irregularly” but does
manage to walk the family dog
Haggis three times daily. “I sometimes smoke with both hands to
equalize the muscle build up in
my arms.”
Keir says her interests lie with
raising her daughter, the
restoration of her home and keeping abreast of news and developments in politics and religion. “I
can be a news junkie and love to
read fiction and biographies.” She
says she finds great moments of
happiness in the simplicities of
watching her daughter grow and
in just digging and planting in her
garden on a sunny day.
Bliss, she says, is a summer day
in Muskoka. “Being by the water
has always calmed me.”
Keir says about pursuing her
passions that she simply aspires
“to be free, free to think, feel,
taste, imagine and love without
hesitation or regret.”
Keir laughs easily during the
recitation of her story and appears
to possess a gift for seeing
humour in the most absurd of
circumstances.
She says her experiences, both
good and bad, have fuelled a continuous growth process and she
feels herself to be a strong, mature
and capable woman in control of
her life and heading in the right
direction.
Faculty, staff enjoy college-sponsored picnic
By SHERI WEBBER
Staff Writer
Lions, tigers and bears, oh my.
More than 250 Niagara College
faculty and staff enjoyed Family
Day off-campus with hundreds of
exotic and domestic animals at
Zooz in Stevensville, Ont.
The animals were an attraction,
but so was the splash pad, which
was “a huge hit, especially on a
hot day,” says Peggy Barnsley,
Continuing Education operations
officer at the Welland campus.
“It was great because they started off there, went walking to look
at the animals, came back to cool
off, lunch, games, cooled off,
walked around and then cooled
off. There was something to do
for all ages. Heck, the adults
enjoyed the splash pad as much as
the kids.”
Barnsley’s husband, Roger, had
an “enjoyable, relaxing day,”
especially since it was his “second full day off since March,”
says Barnsley.
“The girls thoroughly enjoyed
themselves. They loved the walk
around to see the animals.
Cassidy, 8, enjoyed the paddleboats. Went out twice, once with
mommy and once with daddy.
Justine, 3, wasn’t quite ready to
tackle them this year,” says
Barnsley.
The designated area couldn’t
have worked out better with the
tents, trees and having the splash
pad only steps away.
“My daughter [Caitlyne, 6]
loved the splash pad and the
games. She made some new
friends in the water,” says
Charmaine Kissmann, Niagara
College President Dan Patterson’s
special assistant at the Glendale
campus in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
The admission rates were set at
a price that everyone could take
advantage of, making this year
the largest turnout over previous
years.
“The admission price for Zooz
was also a great deal and probably
encouraged a lot of people to
come out,” says Kissmann.
“The nice thing about Zooz is
that even if the weather hadn’t
been quite so hot, people would
have come out anyways to see the
animals and enjoy the other activ-
Charmaine Kissman’s six-year-old daughter Caitlyne and Continuing Education
Operations Officer Peggy Barnsley’s eight-year-old daughter Cassidy and threeyear-old daughter Justine soak themselves in the Splash Pad to cool off in the summer heat. Kissman is Niagara College President Dan Patterson’s special assistant.
Photo by Sheri Webber
ities. I think the heat made the
water pad the main attraction, but
there was stuff to do for everyone
(even the adults).
“There was certainly more of a
variety of things to do and keep
the kids occupied,” says
Kissmann, “although the college
did a great job last year of getting
jumping tents, a magician.”
This year was “much better
than past years, more things for
the older children to enjoy,” says
Barrie Tober, accounting professor at the Glendale campus. “I
have always wanted to see a
giraffe up close.”
Tober’s husband, Jay, and children, Nicki, 14, and Sami, 12, had
“never been to Zooz before and
found it extremely interesting.
There was plenty to do to keep
them interested,” says Tober.
“I had a great day. It was so
good to see the large turnout from
faculty and staff,” says Tober.
“We have to go to the campus
every day and it was fun to see
co-workers at another venue.”
“The response of the college
staff was far greater than when we
held the event on campus. The
last two years we had approximately 75 people out and this
year as it was held at Zooz, we
have 281,” says Nancy Tyminski,
of the International Education
department at the Glendale campus.
“My favourite things were
going beside the splash pad on
such a hot day and the animals.”
Kathryn Korchok’s nine-year-old daughter, Nika, and her nine-year-old friend, Katie
Young, are taking a break after playing games like Sponge Bob Square Pants
(sponge, water and bucket game), Mr. Potato Head (potato sack race), Spiderman
(three-legged Race) and Splat (water balloon toss game). Korchock is the development co-ordinator of the Winery and Viticulture Technician program at the Glendale
campus in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
Photo by Sheri Webber
news@niagara, Summer Supplement, Sept. 30, 2005, Page 25
Niagara teacher exhibits his work
By MELISSA
MANGELSEN
Staff Writer
After keeping his work in the
confines of an art studio for
years, James Gielfeldt, a
professor of life drawing at
Niagara College, has prepared
for a solo exhibition at the
Niagara Art Gallery in Fonthill.
Gielfeldt, 41, who is from
Middleton, N.S., moved to
Fergus, Ont., where he grew up.
He has been a professor of life
drawing, in the Graphic Design
Production — Art and Design
Fundamentals program for five
years.
He says he focuses on
figurative art and the human
form. He varies in his techniques
and uses acrylic paints, oil paints
and print media.
Gielfeldt has also taught art
classes for Youth Innovations,
City of Welland and for the St.
Catharines Academy of Fine
Torn, painted by James Gielfeldt, is shown at the Niagara Art
Gallery on July 16. This painting was created to represent the
many facets of like that can tear us apart in a figurative sense.
All photos by Melissa Mangelsen
Artists as well as providing
private lessons.
Gielfeldt, of Welland, says he
has shown his artwork in four
galleries in the past but all in the
Guelph area.
Before teaching at the college,
he attended Niagara College,
where he obtained his diploma in
Visual Creative Art and Design.
He also attended McMaster
University in Hamilton.
He says before becoming a
teacher he worked in the hotel
management field, where he
managed a hotel and a cottage
resort. Gielfeldt has also worked
in an ink factory.
His new work includes two
new
series,
his Valhalla
collection, which is Heroes from
Norse Mythology and The Venus
Series, which has been exhibited
in the main floor gallery space at
the Niagara Art Gallery on
Highway 20 in Fonthill.
In Plain View is the name of
this exhibition, which was
shown from July 15 until July
29.
Each piece on his Heroes from
Norse Mythology series was
created using acrylic paint over a
charcoal sketching on Masonite
panels. The series is ongoing
with the intent of
creating the
entire pantheon of Norse gods.
Gielfeldt’s Venus series shows
five gods, the god of wisdom,
youth, protection, motherhood,
confined, un-bound, pirouette,
relax and sorrow. Gielfeldt
focuses on the female form and
includes one solitary male in this
series.
The Venus series was created
using acrylic paint over a
charcoal sketch on Masonite
panels.
The paintings stand eight feet
high with the width being one
foot and they have a stained
glass look to them, an
intentional Christian imagery.
James Gielfeldt’s series Valhalla: The
Heroes of Norse Mythology.
A painting from James Gielfeldt’s Venus Series.
Depicted is a painting from
James Gielfeldt’s gothic collection, painted using acrylic
paint on a canvas.
The Three Faces of Evil by
James Gielfeldt, displayed
at the Niagara Art Gallery,
shows the power of the
human mind to lead and
mislead us in many directions. It is taken from a classic 1957 movie about a
woman with multiple personality disorder.
Page 26, news@niagara, Summer Supplement, Sept. 30, 2005
Columns
Experience not soon to be forgotten
By AMBER BEARDWOOD
Staff Writer
Column
I am one of the few people
who have gotten a chance to
realize a dream.
Meeting the four members of
the Canadian rock band Our
Lady Peace (OLP) was a dream
come true for me.
The Sunshine Foundation of
Canada (SFC) is an organization dedicated to fulfilling
dreams for children who are
challenged by severe physical
disabilities or life-threatening
illnesses.
I met the medical criteria to
qualify because of an inoperable lesion that covers the left
side of my brain.
On Nov. 6, 2003, the SFC
made arrangements to send my
dad, Bill Beardwood, and me to
sunny San Diego, Calif., to
meet the members of OLP.
We were there from Nov. 30,
2003, to Dec. 6, 2004. My dad
and I stayed at the Comfort Inn
and Suites. We were supplied
with a rental car from National
Car Rental, spending money
for gas, food, beverages and
entertainment.
I had six days and five nights
to explore, tour and go shopping in addition to meeting
OLP.
Dec. 3 was the big day — the
day I got to meet the members
of OLP and watch them per-
form live in concert at Cane’s
Bar and Grill.
The anticipation of meeting
them gave me butterflies in my
stomach. While I was standing
at the bar watching the stage
being set up for the concert,
Jeremy Taggart, drummer of
OLP, entered the building and
headed towards the stage.
I introduced myself to him
and asked if he could introduce
me to Kevin Meikle, tour manager of the band. Meikle
explained OLP was sorting
things out for the concert and
they would soon have time to
see me.
I was able to speak with the
band for a bit before they had to
go on stage and start a sound
check.
Raine Maida, lead vocals of
OLP, asked me what song I
would like to hear. I requested
Somewhere Out There, my
favourite song from their fifth
CD, Gravity.
The sound check went longer
than expected, but they still
made time to talk to me.
I showed them a Nov. 6,
2003, copy of the Kincardine
News, a local newspaper I
worked for in my hometown,
which featured me on the front
page with a story about my
dream to meet the band. They
were immediately interested in
reading it. I had taken two
copies with me. I had them sign
one for me and I gave the band
the other copy.
Maida gave my dad and me
each a set of the T-shirts they
were selling, along with personalized autographed posters
and pictures of the band.
While they had their markers out, I had them sign five
of my OLP CD covers.
Maida and Taggart had to
leave to start getting ready for
the concert. Duncan Coutts,
bassist of OLP, and Steve
Mazur, guitar player of OLP,
stayed to talk with me. I told
Coutts I had never seen the
inside of a tour bus before, so
he took me to their tour bus
and gave me a tour.
It accommodates the band
as well as the band’s crew
members. When you walk in,
there is a sitting area with a
couch, some chairs and a
table. Then you walk past the
bathroom into where the band
and crew members’ bunks are.
Further back is a small area
with a couch, a table, a television and a Playstation 2.
Back inside Cane’s Bar and
Grill, Meikle allowed me to
stand off to the side of the
stage to watch OLP perform
in concert.
One of the songs they
played was Thief, about a
young girl named Mia who
died of an inoperable brain
tumour.
Before they started to play
the song, Maida said he would
like to dedicate the song to all
the people who have to live
with unfortunate circumstances.
It was the only time the
song Thief has made me cry. I
too have an inoperable brain
tumour like Mia, but with the
help of my medication I am
learning to control my
seizures.
When the concert was finished, Taggart came over to
me and gave me his drumsticks.
I waited around until everyone cleared out of the bar
after the concert and then I
went searching for the tour
manager so I could say goodbye to the guys.
After giving them a hug and
a thank-you for all the memories they have given me, I left
the tour bus with a smile on
my face, holding my prized
drumsticks signed by Taggart.
While I was in California,
my dad and I made sure to
check out the World Famous
San Diego Zoo. There were
many endangered animals and
plants to look at and learn
about.
By the time we headed
home, San Diego was very
much into the Christmas spir-
it. Strings of white lights decorated palm trees all the way
up the trunks, plastic snowmen decorated lawns without
snow, Christmas carols played
in all the stores, and I even
found an outdoor skating rink.
Winners, a clothing store,
generously sponsored my trip
and paid all expenses, including airline tickets, hotel, a
rental car and spending
money.
The generosity of Winners,
along with the SFC, made it
all possible for me to achieve
my dream.
This was an experience of a
lifetime that I will never forget.
The members of OLP were
exactly who I hoped they
would be — down-to-earth
guys.
I couldn’t have asked for a
better Christmas gift.
The SFC has fulfilled more
than 6,000 dreams throughout
Canada, but research tells us
there are still about 50,000
children between the ages of
three and 19 who would qualify medically to have a dream
fulfilled.
If you have a disability or
an illness or you know someone that does and might qualify to have a dream fulfilled, I
encourage you to fill out a
SFC request form. It is something you will never regret
doing.
You can download a request
form for the SFC by going to
its website, www.sunshine.ca.
Edgefest: ultimate Canada Day party
By LIAM McPHERSON
Staff Writer
Column
This Canada Day, while
my family and friends celebrated, I was at a much bigger celebration, a celebration
of music called Edgefest.
It took place at Molson
Amphitheatre in Toronto. I
was lucky to be with my
friend and have good seats
that allowed us to have a
nice breeze and not be beaten up by the hot sun.
The climax of the many
performances was when
Alexisonfire came out and
played and then Billy Talent
followed as the closing
band.
By those two bands at
night, the crowd was on its
feet and the atmosphere was
electric. The story of the day
was the band Story Of The
Year and lead singer Dan
Marsala, who energized the
crowd with his crazy antics.
Talk about a performance.
He jumped into the crowd
more than once and started
singing and got the audience
very pumped up. Marsala
stole the show, and I’ve
never heard someone curse
more in a matter of 30 minutes on stage.
I was expecting the majority of the people would be
teenagers and it probably
was, but not to be underestimated was the vast number
of adults, children and more
senior citizens than I thought
would ever come out.
The band Jakalope had the
most impressive special
effects.
I was amazed at how much
effort they put in to make the
band’s set as creepy as possible.
The gigantic scary-looking
bunny made me think about
the movie Donny Darko and
Donny’s hallucinations of
Frank, who happens to be a
scary-looking rabbit.
Looking back on it, I
would take the same ringing
in my ears again to spend
another Canada Day rocking
out to some great music.
news@niagara, Summer Supplement, Sept. 30, 2005, Page 27
Niagara student opens graphic business
By KATHERINE GRIGGS
Staff Writer
At 18, Travis Wood, of
Pembroke, Ont., has accomplished
more in his life than some people
have by the time they are 40.
Wood, who is going into his
second year at Niagara College
in the Broadcasting — Radio,
Television and Film (BRTF)
program, owns his own graphic
firm called Travis Wood Designs.
Along with the graphic firm,
Wood has a film production
company, Fork Studios, and a
clothing line, Woodchuk Apparel.
Wood says he has been designing websites since he was 13, the
first of which was about cats.
“It was really pathetic. It was
called Kool Katz Ally featuring
pictures of cats, mainly my
own.”
Wood says it was “very hard” to
find a job at an existing graphic
company because not many exist
in his hometown. For a long time,
he has had his own website,
designing graphics for other companies, using the name Wood
Designs.
He says, however, that if you
were to type that name in a search
engine, it would take a while
before you would find his site.
Wood says he was tired of
working for “the man” and wanted
to branch out onto his own. Since
he was always “very good at
graphics,” having his own company seemed like the natural thing to
do.
In May, Travis Wood Designs
officially went into business
launching its website, www.traviswooddesigns.com.
His new website, with its intricate designs, is a far cry from the
juvenile designs on his first one.
Wood says one of his aspirations
includes one day having many
employees working for him,
mostly to handle the sales and
paperwork aspect of the company
and to recruit clients. He already is
getting resumés sent to him via
e-mail.
“It’s crazy. I’m getting all these
resumés from random people, and
for the first time I’m actually looking at them like a real business
owner saying, ‘Do I want this guy
in my company?’”
The response from his clients is
overwhelming.
Dean Fruisz, of Certified
Windows, says he was thrilled with
the price and design that Wood
gave him.
Wood says his idea of starting a
clothing line spawned from just
wanting something to wear, and for
his friends and family to wear that
had his logo on it.
He says he has always done
things on his own, so designing his
own clothing obviously came naturally.
“Funny story ... you always see
famous people starting a clothing
line after they have become
famous. I thought maybe if I start a
clothing line, then later I’ll get
famous.”
Wood says with his clothing line
he really isn’t out to make money,
although he wouldn’t mind it.
However, Wood says his life
goal is to make movies. That is
what he is here for. He’s been
involved in film for a while and
already has a few movies under his
belt, including one for which he
won a Graffitti Award (a Niagara
College BRTF award) called The
Dunk.
“Film itself is such a ridiculous
field of work. It’s so uncertain and
so sketchy. It’s one of the old fields
of work you can do, and don’t actually need to go to college for.
[Director] Quentin Tarantino is a
good example of that,” he says,
adding Niagara has already helped
him a “great deal” and that he
“loves it here.”
“I feel that Niagara College gave
me exactly what I expect, a camera, some film and said now go
make a movie and for a filmmaker,
that’s all you need.”
Wood says one of the best things
about his company is that it’s
virtual.
“It’s not like I can go bankrupt.
We don’t have a warehouse full of
stuff. It’s all just a virtual product.”
He says his company’s main philosophy is to give the customer a
good product for a fair price. “I
believe that if you do it right the
first time, they’ll come back for
more.”
In his spare time, Wood does
anything that has to do with
movies.
“Movies are my freaking life.”
He collects DVDs and says he
would one day like to have the ultimate DVD collection.
Since Wood wants to get into the
film industry as soon as he’s done
college, or even sooner, he says,
since he knows so much about
graphics, it might give him a head
start.
“Film offered everything I
needed. It even let me incorporate
my graphic skills (DVD covers,
posters and websites) and everything else I like, such as writing. It
wasn’t until Grade 11 when I finally got the balls and said I want to
do exactly what I want to do.”
Along with film directing, Wood
says he would like to be part of the
production process, making movie
posters, editing and designing the
DVD/video posters.
“No matter how successful I am,
I always want to do more than just
directing, even if I’m making summer blockbusters at the time.”
With his graphic knowledge and
the skills he has learned, Wood
says he sees his goal as “very
attainable.”
“They (graphics) have helped
me out more than I could have ever
imagined.”
Librarian has more than just book smarts
By AMBER BEARDWOOD
Staff Writer
“An investment in knowledge
always pays the best interest.”
Benjamin Franklin
Library and information work is
more than shelving books.
According to Sue Bartlett, library
service co-ordinator at Niagara
College’s Library Resource
Centre (LRC), “It’s challenging,
important and rewarding.”
Bartlett, of St. Catharines, will
be celebrating her 24th anniversary this fall working as a librarian at the LRC.
“I like the job. I like the people.
Job satisfaction is good. Why
leave?” says Bartlett.
As the library service co-ordinator she is responsible for the
day-to-day operations of the LRC.
Bartlett’s job is to schedule
staff, to decide which books to
purchase for the library and to
order resources for faculty and put
them on reserve for students.
“Sometimes you just handle
one thing at a time.”
She teaches students enrolled in
the ENGL 1133 course about the
library’s homepage and how to
access the databases.
Bartlett says it is a question of
getting them to realize the valuable resources available from the
library’s homepage because it’s
usually not something they’ve
visited before they actually need
to write a research paper.
Bartlett says she finds helping
students to be “very satisfying to
see them catch on and find what
they are looking for.”
The college no longer offers
any co-op placements to students
with the LRC ever since the
Library Technician program was
closed in 1988.
“We don’t have co-op jobs,
mostly because we no longer have
a library program, but we do have
part-time student assistants who
help us at night putting books
away, generally tidying and that
sort,” says Bartlett, a graduate of
the Library Technician program at
Niagara College.
She completed her undergraduate degree (bachelor of arts) at the
University of Western Ontario in
London and completed a master’s
degree in library science.
When Bartlett first started
working at the LRC she had the
title of a library technician. Once
she had her master’s degree she
was able to move forward in her
career.
Bartlett says she has more
responsibility now than she did.
“The college is a great place to
work.”
There are about 600 print-journal subscriptions, 3,000 full-text
online journals, 1,000 e-books,
CD-ROM databases, media items,
government documents and
microfilm in the LRC’s collection
of 50,000 books.
Students are able to reserve
VCRs, LCD projectors, digital
cameras and camcorders for class
presentations. There are computers available for Internet searching and there are areas for quiet
study, group work, media viewing
and laptop connections.
Summer hours of operation at
the Welland and the Glendale
campus in Niagara-on-the-Lake
are weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.,
closed on weekends.
Visit www.niagarac.on.ca/lrc
for off campus access to services
and resources.
On the road
Still going strong
Tom Cochrane with Red Rider played at the Oakes Garden Theatre in Niagara Falls on June
24. From left are Ken Greer, Tom Cochrane and Jeff Jones. Niagara Fallsview Casino hosted
the event.
Photo by Sheri Webber
The girlfriend of one of the members of the band Flatlined
enjoys herself on a road trip to Toronto.
Photo by Liam McPherson
Page 28, news@niagara, Sept. 30, 2005
DJ Shyiem spinning his way to success
By JOANNA ZORIC
Staff Writer
You have a dream and want to make it
reality. You have a passion so strong,
nothing can get in the way of pursuing it.
Meet Deejay Shyiem, 22, of Stoney
Creek. Since birth he had a huge desire
for music. Playing instruments such as
guitar, bass, drums and piano, he says all
these things helped making DJing real.
“When I was younger I used to spend
most of my time daydreaming about
music and drawing. I’d skip school
every chance I got to stay home and
practice,” he says.
How long he has been doing this?
“Almost nine years now. As far as
doing shows, I played my first club
when I was 16.” Of course, there are
different styles and genres of music.
Shyiem’s unique style is more funky
breaks that include funk, hip-hop,
disco, soul, rock and house, just to
name a few. He says he just tries to
have fun with all sorts of different
styles and genres. Also, practice makes
perfect.
“I’ll practice an hour or two. It all
depends on how I’m feeling that particular day,” Shyiem says, “but I have had
days where I’ve practiced, like, 10
hours.”
As for what makes a deejay? Skill is
a definite must.
“First and foremost, passion,” says
Shyiem. “You’ll get nowhere without it.
He says there is also patience, dedi-
cation and a love and appreciation for
music.
“A little knowledge of music and
some creativity doesn’t hurt either.”
The real test, however, is how other
deejays view him.
DJ Marty McFly a well-known deejay in the DJing world says, “I spun
with Shyiem once before and together
it was a memorable set for everyone
there, and I’d gladly throw down with
him anytime.”
Shyiem has been lucky to have
played in bars and clubs across Canada
and in the U.S.
Some places have included Edmonton, Calgary, Montreal, London, Barrie, Guelph, Hamilton, Brantford and
Buffalo, N.Y., besides house parties,
car shows, malls and a few radio
shows. He has a tip for any DJ
wannabes who want to do the same
thing.
“My advice would be to stick with
it,” he advises.“You need to challenge
yourself. Don’t worry about what other
DJs are doing.
“Just be yourself and play what you
love to play.”
Where will he be in 10 years? He
says music will always be a big part
of his life and if he works hard
enough maybe even a DMC World
Champion.
“Either way I’ll be rockin’ the
turntables and making music till death
do us part.”
Welcome students
to London Arms
No Cover
For Ladies
Come early!
Avoid the lineups!!
DJ Shyiem, shown above busting
mixes at a show, has been spinning records for almost nine years.
Photo by Joanna Zoric
Niagara students attend Sharia demonstration
By AMY ZULINIAK
Staff Writer
First-year students in the Law
Clerk (Co-op) program saw legislation in action as they attended the
Sharia demonstrations at Queen’s
Park in Toronto on Sept. 8.
The issue of Sharia law is seen by
some people as favouring fathers
having custody of children and giving men preference over women in
divorce and inheritance settlements.
After being given a quick
overview on the buses on how Sharia
law will affect Canada, the students
disembarked at Queen’s Park to
observe events and listen to the
speakers. They were not, however,
allowed to take a stance at the rally.
June Caldwell, a noted Canadian
journalist, and various other Islamic
speakers voiced their opinions and
concerns to the people attending.
After the demonstration program
Co-ordinator Patricia Drosdoski
asked the students to write a few
paragraphs on their experience.
She asked them to omit their
names so they would feel free to be
honest.
“They (the opinions) were very
moving and very well put together,”
said Drosdoski.
After 29 years, the program continues to thrive under Drosdoski’s
guidance.
She earned a bachelor’s of law
degree from the University of Toronto and is a barrister/solicitor. She
freelances and deals with the many
responsibilities of co-ordinating a
program.
The two-year program here
includes a semester of paid field
placement, translating into a year
and a half of actual classes. Drosdoski explained that many students
graduate and go on to further education after Niagara College.
Some may eventually make their
way to law school. The program has
always been popular. Drosdoski
commented,
“We
are
always
over
capacity.”Although there have been
no recent changes to the program,
many exciting excursions have been
and will be taken.
Drosdoski is planning a wine and
cheese party for her students at the
end of October to give the first- and
second-year students a chance to
meet and socialize.
Come early! Avoid the lineups!!
Band
&
DJ
BEST FISH & CHIPS!!!
Band
&
DJ
KARAOKE &
3 college students confident about finding employment
By KATHERINE GRIGGS
Staff Writer
Most students at Niagara College
enjoy their programs. Some, however,
say they have no idea what they want
to do after they receive their diplomas.
After I interviewed several students
in different programs, it was evident
that some, however, know exactly
where they want to be. These students
were the ones that said they felt most
confident they would be able to find
jobs after their time at Niagara.
Ashley Thomas, 19, of Goderich,
who is in the Broadcasting – Radio,
Television and Film (BRTF) program,
says she is “very confident” she will
be able to find a job once she is finished her three-year program.
“Since the program is so specific, I
really think that I won’t have a problem finding a job once I am done
school,” said Thomas.
Michael O’Hagan, 19, of Hamilton,
is a Police Foundations program student, who is also in the military based
out of St. Catharines, Welland and
Hamilton. He says he has had to face
the reality that after graduation there
is a good chance he will be able to get
a job in his chosen field right away.
“People just don’t hire police officers right out of college. I’m only 19.
Who knows what I’ll do after I’m
done school?” said O’Hagan.
This uncertainty in students exists
outside the walls of Niagara as well.
Lauren Kelterborn, 20, of Burlington, who is in the Recreation and
Leisure program at Conestoga College in Kitchener, says she loves her
program, but she too does not know
what she wants to do when her two
years are up.
“University is always an option. It
would be hard though to go from
classes that are so small you can
develop a relationship with the professors to classes where they don’t
even know your name,” said Kelterborn.
Andrew Zuber, 19, of Hanover,
Ont., has always known what he
wants to do. Zuber, who is also in
BRTF here, has chosen the presentation stream of the program.
He wants to do the opposite of
Thomas and be on camera instead of
behind it.
“I believe I will be ready to work in
the real world because my program
allows plenty of hands-on and on-thejob experience,” said Zuber.
Most colleges do their best to ensure
that their students are job ready when
they complete their programs.
Some students, however, simply say
that they just do not know what they
want to do once they graduate.
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