October 22, 2010

T H E C O M MU N I T Y PA P E R OF N I A G A R A C OL L E G E
FREE
October 22, 2010
Vol 41 • Issue 3
College showcases itself
2010 Information Fair a huge success
By ALANNAH CAMPBELL
and CHRISTOPHER FORTIER
Staff Writers
With the completion of some of
Niagara College’s new facilities,
the stage has been set to showcase
the college on a much grander
scale.
On Wednesday, the 2010 Info
Fair was held at the Welland campus’ new gymnasium with the first
session going from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
and the second session from 4 p.m.
to 7 p.m.
For the first time, Welland was
utilized, rather than the Niagaraon-the-Lake campus in years past.
The reason for the move was “to
show off new facilites,” and because there is “more space for the
event,” said Carly Root, recruitment co-ordinator and the main
co-ordinator of the event.
“The Welland campus allows us
to expand our fair and provides the
academic areas the opportunity to
make their booths larger and more
engaging,” said Phil Hayes, associate registrar.
As many high school students
are “still in the exploratory stage,”
Hayes said it is a “crucial event” to
recruit prospective students.
The college provided free busing
for high school students from 26
high schools throughout the Niagara and Hamilton regions, though
the event was open to anyone interested in an Ontario college.
Prior to the event, there were
1,300 students confirmed for the
morning session and expected
more than 1,000 people in the
evening.
“It’s the largest we’ve ever had.
This year we could see upwards of
2,500 people or more. We’re hoping for at least 2,000,” said Root
during the event.
Final attendance numbers were
unavailable before publication.
Inside
Niagara
News
The cost for putting on an event
such as this is covered by the college, but the hopes are that the recruitment for the school will make
the event a worthwhile one, like
years before it.
“It’s [the Info Fair] all covered
by internal college costs. We have
internal budgets that we create for
each of our special initiatives every
year and they absorb the costs for
the event. There is no cost to come
to the event, it is completely covered by the internal college community,” said Root.
“We have had a successful event
in the past. The ratio of students
visiting our event in comparison
to our population exceeds most
events in Ontario,” said Hayes.
With the event at the Welland
campus, it gave prospective students the chance to see some of the
many programs that the college has
to offer.
Niagara was not the only college
there. Eighteen other Ontario colleges, in addition to the University
of Guelph were represented at the
fair along with Niagara College.
Among the interactive displays
on hand were members of the
college’s Canadian Food and
Wine Institute who were preparing appetizers for onlookers, the
Technology department which
had its R2-D2-inspired droid
named Benny roaming the gym,
manicures courtesy of the Spa and
Salon Studies programs and the
Business Hospitality and Tourism
program having a Who Wants to be
a Millionaire game for everyone in
attendance to play.
All of the students who had the
chance to participate in the day’s
events were given a chance not
only to consider their choices for
their future, but a fun and interactive day as well.
See more photos on page 2
Bryson Nault, 24, demonstrates immobilization techniques on Josh Wise, 18, both first-year students in the
Primary Care Paramedic program at the Info Fair on Oct. 20.
Photo by Christopher Fortier
Zombies and
vampires and
a crazy lady,
oh my »
Culinary
students cook
up diversity in
dining room»
SAC’s Halloween Haunt gives
students a scare.
NOTL campus hosts dinners Tuesday nights with different themes.
On Page 11
On Page 12-13
Win a $30
gift card »
www.niagaracollege.ca/survey
Page 2
NIAGARA NEWS
Oct. 22, 2010
ON CAMPUS
Catching a glimpse of college life
Niagara College’s new gymnasium was packed to the rafters with high school students checking out Niagara
and 20 other colleges to see what they had to offer. Niagara had plenty of interactive displays for each
program to entertain the masses.
Photos by Christopher Fortier
Oct. 22, 2010
NIAGARA NEWS
Page 3
ON CAMPUS
Studious students find their nest
Library’s opening day arrives at Welland campus
By STEPHANIE AZEVEDO
Staff Writer
The staff is friendly, the silence
is deafening and the resources are
on hand.
At least, so say some of the
students who visited the Welland
campus library Oct. 18, it’s opening day.
“You come in here and you can
hear yourself think,” says Marla
Togeretz, a Pharmacy Technician
student in her second year.
“There was no place to sit and
study [when the library wasn’t
open]. I would walk around a lot
and find a place to study.”
“There’s a lot more open space,”
she says. “It almost seems like you
can put more tables and chairs in.”
A first-year Dental Hygiene student who wished to not be named
says she “wanted quiet rooms for
studying.”
“There was the cafeteria; [I]
don’t like cafeterias. It didn’t take a
long time [for the library to open],
so [I’m] happy about that.”
Of the library now, she says, “It’s
good. It’s big. It’s got everything:
computers and study rooms.”
“Everything seems easy to find,
and the staff are helpful,” noted
Anja Stenhouse, a first-year Early
Childhood Education student.
Shaun Koepke, a first-year Child
Anja Stenhouse, of the Early Childhood Education program, works in the library which opened Oct. 18.
Photo by Stephanie Azevedo
and Youth Worker student, says the
best parts of the library are seclusion and comfort. “I can sit here
and no one can see me except the
people beside me.”
“It’s nice that it’s finally open. It
took a while, like the parking lot,
… but it’s definitely the quietest
place that you can study.”
A currently empty room in the
Learning Commons, one that is just
up the steps from the library, will
soon become a tutorial room. According to Gordana Vitez, Library
Services and Systems coordinator,
“Tutorials in English, math and
ESL [English as a Second Language] will be run out of the room
by faculty.”
“Previously, these tutorials were
run out of the library in the Library
Research Room.”
The Welland campus library
now includes 18 computers, a laser
printer and photocopier, as well as
a new lounge area surrounded by
shelves of magazines and journals.
The four group study rooms will
continue to be let out for two-hour
time blocks, but a silent study
room can be found outside the old
entrance.
“We have been transient for
quite awhile, albeit with very
good neighbours, and it always
feels so good to be home again,”
says Vitez.
“We’re looking forward to
making the Library and Learning
Commons a really friendly and
welcoming environment with all
the spaces students have been
asking for: quiet space, group
space and hang-out space,” says
Vitez.
The Welland campus library is
open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays.
Students’ tuition sits at an all-time high
Higher education not available to many Canadians
By SHAWN SMITH
Staff Writer
In 1963, United States President
John F. Kennedy spoke at the San
Diego State College. He discussed
the state of education.
“All of us do not have equal talent, but all of us should have an
equal opportunity to develop our
talent,” said Kennedy.
In this time of increasing tuition
rates, these words have never rung
more true. In most First-World
countries, including Canada, postsecondary education is a right.
Everyone who has received a
high-school diploma has the opportunity to attend either a college
or university if he or she please.
Unfortunately, the tuition rates in
Ontario and across Canada may
take this away.
If tuition continues to rise at the
alarming rate it has over the past
20 years, university may become a
dream for those who are not of the
financially elite. Statistics Canada
stated that the $6,307 average tuition for Ontario students is the
highest rate in Canadian history.
In comparison, undergraduate students in Quebec pay $2,400 for the
same amount of schooling, a difference of $3,900 or 263 per cent.
This is a 5.4 per-cent increase
from the 2009 average of $5,985.
‘All of us do not
have equal talent, but all of us
should have an
opportunity to
develop our talent’
— John F. Kennedy
Miraculously, neither Prince Edward Island nor New Brunswick
saw an increase in tuition for the
2010 school year, and Nova Scotia
lowered tuition rates by 4.5 per
cent.
This is significantly more than
the 4 per cent average increase
that took place across the country
in 2010 and much higher than the
Canadian average university cost
of $4,706.
This high tuition rate directly affects students. Those not of the upper class often have to find a way to
pay for school themselves. Many
have to work multiple jobs, or take
out thousands in dollars in bank
loans just to attend university. Others receive interest-free loans from
the Ontario Student Assistance
Program (OSAP) which keeps
them in debt for up to 10 years after
the completion of school.
Deanna Meade, 22, of Port Dover, Ont., is a third-year student at
Brock University in St. Catharines
in the physical education program.
She works upwards of 60 hours a
week at multiple summer jobs and
is still in need of funds from her
parents and OSAP. She says her
tuition is nearly $3,000 a semester,
and this does not include the many
other costs necessary for school,
including $425 a month for rent
and another $400 on books every
semester.
“My tuition raised as Brock
started its multi-million dollar
Both Sides of the Brain campaign.
Thousands of dollars spent on larger-than-life posters all over campus
of random people. I am paying for
posters,” says Meade. She says she
does not think she is getting her
money’s worth out of her program.
“I will still need to go to college
after my degree.”
Both Sides of the Brain was a
marketing campaign developed
by Brock University to attract
students from across Ontario and
Canada to attend the university.
Advertisements were taken out in
many national publications such as
The Globe and Mail and Maclean’s
to convince students to attend the
school.
Samantha Vanderleek, 20, of
Calgary, Alta. is a second-year
student at Niagara College in the
Early Childhood Education program who, because of previous
schooling, currently owes over
$20,000 to the Alberta and Ontario
governments. By the time she is
finished here, she will owe over
$30,000. She says without the
provincial government’s financial
assistance programs, she would not
be able to afford post-secondary
school.
To put this into perspective,
it will take over eight years for
Vanderleek to pay off her student
loan at $300 a month, a rather generous monthly payment.
“I do not think it [tuition] should
be raised unless they plan on giving people more OSAP or student
loan. Students can barely afford to
pay for school as it is. They should
not raise it because then there will
be many people who do not attend
school and cannot get jobs,” says
Vanderleek.
Zach Gable, 22, of Simcoe,
Ont., recently graduated from the
University of Western Ontario
in London, Ont., with degrees in
economics and political science.
After unsuccessfully searching for
employment for over a year, Gable
decided to return to school at the
University of Waterloo to receive
his master’s degree in Local Economic Development. He currently
owes $27,000 and expects it take
him 10 years to pay the loan off. “I
wasn’t aware [of the increased tuition]. Inflation has not increased,
so I wonder how they justify this,”
says Gable.
Aaron Clarke, 22, of Simcoe,
Ont., is a graduate of the Photography program at Algonquin College
in Ottawa, Ont. He currently owes
OSAP $8,000; however, he feels
that it was money well spent.
“I think I got my money’s worth
for a photography class. It was a
great location, great place for all
kinds of photos. Our school had all
the Nikon equipment that Nikon
has put out. We had amazing tools
and we had amazing teachers. Plus
our course covered more than most
photography college courses out
there,” says Clarke.
It is impossible to tell what the
impact of rising tuition will be on
student enrolment throughout the
province. If the cost of schooling
continues to rise at the rate it is,
those who come from less fortunate families will be unable to attend post-secondary school.
NIAGARA NEWS
Page 4
Oct. 22, 2010
EDITORIAL
T H E C O M MU N I T Y PA P E R OF N I A G A R A C OL L E G E
Editor: Nate Poortinga
Associate Editor: Lindsay Costello
Assistant Editor: Eden Armstrong
Photo Editor: Sam Vandenberg
Publisher: Annette Hemerik
Managing Editor: George Duma
Associate Managing Editor: Phyllis Barnatt
Design/Layout Consultant: Peter Conradi
Editorial Consultant: Nancy Geddie, Gary Erb
Photography Consultant: Dave Hanuschuk
Technology Support: Kevin Romyn
BNC2009
B2, 300 Woodlawn Rd.,
Welland, Ont. L3C 7L3
Telephone: (905) 735-2211
Fax: (905) 736-6003
Editorial email: [email protected]
Advertising email: [email protected]
2006 WINNER
Food banks depend on our
community’s contributions
Autumn is a time of comfort
and relaxation for most
Canadians. With the season’s
change comes a change of
lifestyle. Most people spend
more time indoors with their
families and mark major
celebrations of food and spirit
such as Thanksgiving and
Christmas.
When you sat down to your
turkey and stuffing earlier this
month, did you think about
those not fortunate enough to
get such a meal? What about
the people in your town who
are literally starving?
Food banks across the country
are preparing for another long
winter and need your support
keeping staple items such as
cereal, peanut butter and pasta
on their shelves and available
for those who need it most.
The Welland Food Drive
is on Nov. 6. Volunteers will
be picking up donations from
doorsteps around the city
that morning. You can help
by placing food outside your
home before 10 a.m. to spare
volunteers from asking; or by
lending a hand (or car) to the
collection effort. These small
gestures could save someone
else’s life this winter.
Organizations
like
the
Welland
Food
Drive
Committee depend completely
on the kindness of residents and
certain local businesses to help
people through these tough
times. Anything you can do
will help.
This is the 20th year of the
Welland Food Drive.
“Unfortunately, it is as
necessary now as it was in
the early 1990s, if not more
so,” says Welland Food Bank
Director Monique Finley.
“There are very few
communites of this size that
have such a wide-reaching food
drive.”
More information on the
event, including its volunteer
sign-up, can be found at www.
wellandfooddrive.com.
Donations later this year can
be made at The Hope Centre
at 179 East Main St., The
Salvation Army at 115 Division
St. or the Open Arms Mission
at 22 Fifth St.
NATE POORTINGA
Bullying continues to be a major problem
Sticks and stones will break
my bones but words will never
hurt me.
Every kid has heard these
words, but shouldn’t believe
them.
Although a bully may be
depicted as someone who uses
violence, a bully’s words can be
far more powerful than his or
her physical attacks.
According to the Canadian
Oxford dictionary, a bully is
“a person who uses strength or
power to coerce others by fear.”
Unfortunately, these people
are part of everyday life and
can cause major psychological
damage,
especially
to
impressionable people.
Bullying affects people of
all ages, races and lifestyles.
People may be attacked because
of their appearance, personality,
views or sexual orientation.
According
to
statistics
reported by ABC News, nearly
30 per cent of students are either
bullies or victims.
If people could be more
tolerant of others, they would
see these differences are what
make humans unique. No one
should be made to suffer for
personal lifestyle choices of
preferences.
Bullying made headlines
recently when 18-year-old
Tyler Clementi of Ridewood,
NJ, committed suicide because
his roommate allegedly secretly
filmed him engaging in sexual
activity with another man and
posted it on the Internet.
Sadly, Clementi’s suicide
is not the only incident of this
nature.
It is tragic that the fear of
being criticized for being
oneself would drive someone to
take his or her own life.
How cruel do one’s comments
need to be to make someone
contemplate or commit suicide?
More recently, cyber-bullying
has become prevalent because
of the anonymity of the
Internet. People can now hide
behind their computer screens
as they insult their victims,
proving bullies are not just
found stealing lunch money in
schoolyards.
The use of technology adds to
the growing epidemic.
Living in a country that
emphasizes
tolerance
and
freedom of choices, we
shouldn’t be made to feel
inferior just for being ourselves.
I think it’s about time people
considered another familiar
childhood phrase: treat others
the way you would like to be
treated.
LINDSAY COSTELLO
Illustration by Toni Karan
NIAGARA NEWS
Oct. 22, 2010
Page 5
OPINION
Halloween never gets
old, even if you do
CHRIS
FORTIER
Columnist
My favourite time of year is
upon us: Halloween.
Even at the ripe old age of 33,
I still enjoy getting dressed up in
a costume and enjoy a day when
I can eat as much candy as I want
and no one can say anything about
it. Of course, candy isn’t as much
of a priority now, what with the
diabetes and all, but I still enjoy
getting dressed up.
Now that I have a child, it’s even
more fun. My daughter, Chloe, 4,
is going to be dressed up as a princess this year, and she couldn’t be
more excited.
There’s just something about the
day that fills me with excitement.
What I can’t understand is how
so many more houses are not taking part in the distribution of candy.
I live in an area where there are
homes in the range of $300,000
and about one third of them don’t
give out candy.
Most of them have kids, and I
Spiders and snakes are some of the most common animal phobias among humans.
Illustration By Toni Karan
What gives you the goosebumps?
KAYLA
CABRAL
Columnist
You feel it on the back of your
neck first. Your hair starts to rise
and you get a tingly sensation
throughout your body.
Goosebumps come next. You
can’t stop them. You start to panic,
and you become short of breath.
You can hear your heart beating
outside your chest and you can’t
help but scream … SPIDER!
Phobias seem too common.
Ask your friends and they will tell
you something they are afraid of,
whether it be creepy crawlers or
small, dark spaces.
Growing up, I used to love
watching Are You Afraid of the
Dark? and Goosebumps. I was
obsessed with shows that made
me jump. Today, I jump when the
toaster goes off.
In the third Canadian edition of
Psychology Frontiers and Applications, phobias are defined as strong
and irrational fears of certain objects or situations.
There are three main categories
of phobia: agoraphobia, which is
the fear of being alone in a situation where a quick escape would be
difficult; social phobia, which is the
fear of being watched or humiliated
(a good example is public speaking); and specific phobia, which is
the fear of specific objects or situations (the most common is the fear
of animals).
Slipper, slimy, slithering snakes
would have to be my No. 1 phobia,
also known as ophidiophobia. I
remember as a child I went to the
Welland fair with my mother. There
was an exotic animal exhibit that
included boa constrictors. Knowing my fear, my mother suggested I
overcome it by holding one.
As I waited in line to hold a
snake that was huge and looked
evil (in my opinion), I started to become more and more terrified that
it would coil around me, squeezing
me to death.
A younger boy ahead of me held
this deadly creature. He loved every minute of it and was making his
parents take pictures as I watched
the snake curl around his entire
body. At this point I wanted to run
away and cry.
I begged my mother to hold the
snake with me. I made her hold the
head of it — there was no way I
was letting it wind around me —
and I held the tail.
To this day I can tell you exactly
what the muscles on the snake felt
like as they slithered and movedwithin my tiny hands.
Needless to say, it didn’t cure
me. I am still terrified of snakes.
Most phobias are harmless in the
sense most people stay away from
what scares them. Nevertheless,
some unfortunate people sometimes have to face their fears in
order to move on in life.
For example, if a businessman
is afraid of flying but has business
trips every month, he must find a
way to overcome his fear.
Therapy and medication are two
methods offered in helping overcome phobias.
Gradually facing the fear can help
someone overcome it, although, in
extreme cases, some people go to
great lengths to avoid their phobia,
even if it is a major inconvenience.
One of the weirdest fears I found
most common among my friends
was clown phobia. Most of my
friends admitted to being terrified
of clowns and I don’t blame them.
When I researched clown phobia,
most sites explained that it could be
due to the permanent expressions
painted on the faces of clowns. All
I know is that when I see a clown, I
want to run away and hide.
Unfortunately, some fears are
harder to overcome than others.
People with arachnophobia (fear
of spiders) and astraphobia (fear
of thunder and lightning) will just
have to curl under their covers or
run into a different room to get
away from their fears.
As my nana used to say before
bed, sleep tight and don’t let those
bedbugs bite.
can assure you that they’re trickor-treating.
I know that we’re in the middle
of a recession here, but why is there
the need to not partake in one of
the oldest traditions in our culture?
When I was a child I don’t remember a single house that wasn’t
handing out candy.
My brother Joel and I would
be out until all hours of the night,
filling up our pillow sacks to the
brim with chips and candy and
then going through our bounty at
the end of the evening. We’d have
enough candy to have in our school
lunches until mid-December.
‘My favourite time
of year is upon us:
Halloween.’
— Chris Fortier
Now, Chloe barely fills a grocery
bag with candy after about 90 minutes of going door-to-door.
It’s a real sign of the times; how
people are always ready and willing to take, but not give anything
in return.
Why is it always the kids that
feel the pinch in the end?
Eradicating homophobia
one step at a time
ANTON
MWEWA
Columnist
Do you like purple? Yes? Did
you wear it this Wednesday?
Oct. 20 was the day to wear it as
part of a special event started and
organized on Facebook to commemorate the suicides caused by
homophobia.
By now, most people should
know the story of the most recent
suicide: Tyler Clementi, a gay Rutgers University, NJ, student who
killed himself after his roommate
and an accomplice released a video
on the Internet of him engaging in
gay sexual acts.
If not that, then maybe the
incident in which Seth Walsh, a
13-year-old California middle
school student, hung himself after
facing several years of bullying
and abuse because he was gay.
Attitudes to homosexuality
may be changing, but clearly they
haven’t changed enough.
There are few things in this
world sadder than suicide, but
suicide committed because of
something so heinous as bullying
is much worse.
People have the right to their
opinion, but no one has the right
to propagate hurtful opinions
knowing they will offend. Such
opinions are best kept to oneself.
Life for gay teens trying to establish their identities in a narrowminded world is hard enough
without having the people who are
expected to understand them most
help them the least.
If the world can’t immediately
show acceptance, something it
should have done a long time ago,
‘Hate isn’t
something that
just happens, it’s
taught.’
— Anton Mwewa
the least it can do is show tolerance and understanding.
Hate isn’t something that just
happens; it’s taught, and it’s time
we started teaching children in
schools how to be accepting of
homosexuality instead of brushing
the topic off and pretending it’s not
an issue.
One can only hope that there will
soon come a time when people are
judged by their character and not
by their sexual orientation.
NIAGARA NEWS
Page 6
Oct. 22, 2010
ON CAMPUS
Niagara College’s Waters Spa treats everyone
Relaxing treatments at NOTL campus open to public, offering right prices, great service
By KIMBERLY SMITH
Staff Writer
The thought of being pampered
for a day could put a dent in a
college student’s budget. What if
there’s a place where serenity can
be found at a small price for high
quality?
If ever there’s a time when a day
at a spa is a necessity, it’s during
college.
Long hours sitting in classrooms, stressing over assignments
and getting limited hours of sleep
can make anyone look and feel
exhausted.
Niagara College’s Waters Spa
holds the answers.
Tucked away in the Niagaraon-the-Lake campus is a training
lab. There are three main rooms
painted a soft green with flower arrangements and soft music playing
in the background, each focused on
different treatments.
The lab is unique in many ways.
During class time it is used to teach
esthetics students the proper procedures for a variety of treatments using industry-approved equipment.
However, from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30
p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and 11:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
on Fridays, Waters Spa is a fully
operational spa.
Second-year students in the twoyear Esthetician diploma program
are required to complete 45 clinical
hours.
Program Co-ordinator Lisa
Maurice says the spa is a great addition to the program because “[in]
this day and age there is no human
contact, and going to the spa is a
stress reliever.”
Maurice says they are firm in
what they do and what the students
are taught.
“There is a public interest in our
spa because the girls are good and
the price is right.”
The services reflect what the students are taught during class time.
These include facial treatments,
clinical treatments (such as microdermabrasion), lash and brow tinting, hair removal, hand treatments,
foot treatments, and artificial nail
applications. Spa packages are also
available.
Debra Gavard-Haycox, of St.
Catharines, a Niagara College
employee, says she has been going
to the NOTL spa for roughly three
years.
“The spa is comparable to others in the area and has reasonable
rates. I like the spa because you
need to treat yourself and you are
entrusting yourself to someone
else to take care of you.”
The spa is a win-win for the
Esthetics program because it gives
students a chance to practice professionalism and use proper techniques on clients.
Daniela Morocco, 23, of Niagara
Falls, says she enjoys being able to
work with different people before
getting into the industry. Morocco
is a graduate of the Graphic Design
program at the Welland campus
but chose “to pursue a more artistic
career.”
“The turnover of clients and getting into routine was difficult at the
beginning,” says Morocco.
Waxing and manicures are her
favourite treatments to do. This
semester Morocco works the Friday evening shift. “It’s picking up
a bit.”
For other students such as Kailee
Brusdeilins, 21, of Niagara Falls,
the spa is a relaxing atmosphere for
clients and for herself.
“I heard good things about the
program and wanted to stay close
to home.” Brusdeilins says she is
“really interested” in doing nails
and hopes to work in the Greater
Toronto Area after graduation.
Lab Technologist Lorraine MacDonald has been in the esthetics
industry for nine years and got
involved in the spa after being con-
The Esthettician program at Niagara-on-the-Lake teaches students the latest procedures for health and
wellness. Instructor Susan Paone shows students how to apply artificial nails in the Niagara Waters Spa.
Photo by Kimberly Smith
tacted by a former teacher. MacDonald’s role at Waters Spa is to
supervise students “and make sure
everything is being done properly.”
MacDonald says the spa is popu-
lar with students and members of
the community because of the topnotch services.
“The girls are taught how to be
professional, trained as profes-
sionals and taught how to act a
certain way.”
Information on services and
prices is available at www. NiagaraWaters.ca
It’s time to get your flu vaccination again
By EDEN ARMSTRONG
Staff Writer
A highly contagious infection of
the throat, nose and lungs, the flu
can be a serious illness for some
people. The infection caused by the
influenza virus can spread rapidly
through germs.
The most effective way to prevent the flu from spreading is by
covering your cough and washing your hands thoroughly and
frequently. Alcohol-based hand
sanitizers are also a great way to
stop the spread of germs.
Symptoms of the flu range from
fever and headaches to the chills,
nausea and dry coughs. Muscle
aches, extreme tiredness and a
runny noise can also be an indication you are getting the flu.
This year’s flu vaccination will
provide protection against the
H1N1 flu virus, in addition to two
other common flu strains.
Registered nurse Christine Philbrick, who runs the Niagara-onthe-Lake campus health services,
says the college will offer clinics
for students and staff. All three
campuses are offering flu vaccination clinics during November. The
Niagara-on-the-Lake campus will
hold a clinic Nov. 3 between 9
a.m. and 4 p.m. while the Welland
campus will offer the shots on both
Nov. 4 and Nov. 9 from 9 a.m.
until 4 p.m. The Maid of the Mist
campus in Niagara Falls clinic will
follow on Nov. 10 from 11 a.m.
until 1 p.m.
Sara Petriello, 20, a student
in the Business Administration
(Co-op) program, says it would
be “convenient” to get the flu shot
while at school.
“I don’t normally get the shot,
but if it was offered while I was
already on campus, it would certainly be easier than going to the
doctor.”
Student Administrative Council
(SAC) President Brian Costantini,
24, says SAC understands the “importance of healthy living.”
“We encourage that all students
make a conscious choice when
considering the flu shot and other
health-promoting initiatives.”
Last year when the World Health
Organization declared a pandemic
of the H1N1 flu virus, the number
of flu shots given increased for
the general public and health care
professionals.
Dr. Jane Nassif is manager of
medical informatics for the Niagara Regional Public Health department who dealt with the H1N1
pandemic last year for the region.
She says, “In a typical seasonal influenza seasonal clinic, we [public
health] administer about 8,000 to
10,000 vaccines.”
Niagara Regional Public Health
administered 4,918 seasonal influenza vaccines during the 2009/2010
season; 52,289 H1N1 vaccinations
were also administered as a result
of the pandemic.
The Public Health website for
the Niagara Region says the vaccine is “safe.” Everyone six months
or older can benefit from getting
the flu shot. Clinics will also be
held throughout the Niagara Region from Nov. 1to Nov. 17. No
appointments are necessary. You
must have your Ontario health
card or your driver’s license with
you. See the full clinic schedule at
www.niagararegion.ca
The important thing to remember is that, if you are feeling ill, the
best way to stop the spread is to
stay at home.
Health Services at both campuses provides many services for
students including healthy sexuality, body image issues, lifestyle
choices and health resources.
NOTL Office W105
Extension 4449
Welland Office L20
Extension 7635
NIAGARA NEWS
Oct. 22, 2010
Page 7
OFF CAMPUS
Helping others means helping yourself
Steven Bewley peaks about yoga, travel, volunteering and living life freely
By CAROLYN GOARD
Staff Writer
Steven Bewley is living his life
flying by the seat of his pants.
“Accepting and appreciating
things as they come” has certainly
enriched Bewley’s life.
As a result, Bewley is very intuitive about what he needs and gives
himself that gift every day.
There is no doubt that the
34-year-old has had his share of
challenges.
In fact, the struggles have
framed his progression through
life and shaped him into the passionate, spiritual and spontaneous
individual he is.
One trait that has truly benefitted
his life is Bewley’s open-mindedness toward new things and new
experiences.
As a result, Bewley has a storybook full of inspirational life experiences to share with the world, and
he is about to embark upon a new
life-changing journey.
Bewley grew up in Georgetown,
Ont.,and developed a love for
hockey at age four.
While working towards his business degree at Ryerson University
in Toronto, Ont., he played on the
hockey team for four years.
He was given the “greatest contribution in athletics” award while
at Ryerson. Bewley says he was
excited to have that experience
because at the time the hockey program had not quite taken off.
“It was difficult and it required
a lot of sacrifice and time to make
the team what it was.”
Following university, Bewley
moved to the United States to pursue a hockey career in Mississippi.
He signed a contract as a “walkon tryout” in Mississippi and made
the team, despite an injury.
Hockey is one of Bewley’s
greatest accomplishments because
he was the first player to sign a professional contract as a goaltender
and defenseman at different points
of his career. This is what drove his
passion for hockey, he says.
A difficult period arose after he
was forced to stop playing because
his injury had become very painful.
For quite some time, Bewley found
it challenging to overcome the sorrowful emotions this caused.
Bewley says that he never really
got over hockey.
“It’s just the way life goes.”
“Hockey will still be a large part
of my life. It has opened so many
other doors for me.”
Channeling his energies elsewhere, Bewley began writing and
performing music at the age of 26.
Music and the guitar worked as
healing and therapy, Bewley says.
His first musical performance was
at the Hospital for Sick Children on
Herbie Day.
Bewley has enjoyed writing
music and performing as a hobby
ever since.
Hockey also sparked Bewley’s
career in acting, which began at
age 27, because he often portrayed
athletic characters.
Bewley also performed stunt
work and worked on the TV show,
The Playmakers.
He scored his big break as a
hockey player in his first Hollywood film, The Tooth Fairy, in
2010, filmed in Vancouver.
Bewley has now developed a
love for yoga.
He has looked to yoga to help
him in times of struggle and to
shape new views on life.
“Yoga has been a mechanism
that has empowered, inspired and
enriched my life in many ways,”
Bewley says. His acting coach inspired him to try yoga.
In 2007 Bewley reached a point
where he started to feel stuck.
“I used yoga with the hopes that
it would be an impetus for a new
change in my life.”
Bewley wanted to begin living
life spontaneously and began doing
yoga intensely for six months.
He says his yoga experience
affected his mind and body differently than weight lifting did, a pastime he enjoyed for several years.
The yoga student wanted to become a yoga teacher.
Bewley received his yoga certification in Power Vinyasa, a specific
fast-paced type of yoga after 200
hours of training in Hawaii in February of 2008. “It was a good way
to start a nice journey.”
Steven Bewley helped out with an organization “Volunteer Builders” at
the Ontario Camp for the Deaf in May of 2007. Bewley has volunteered
with the organization every spring for the past five years.
Submitted photo
Bewley enjoys an early morning yoga session in the Open Air Theatre behind the main village in Ios, Greece,
during his journey through the Greek Islands in 2008.
Submitted photo
He has used this experience
to teach yoga all over the world,
including introducing yoga to children in Vancouver.
Bewley says yoga has been
extremely beneficial to his body
because “one begins to form their
own practice, develop their own
unique meaning of yoga, and learn
what each individual wants to get
out of their own practice.”
It is a special experience Bewley
describes because it is different for
everyone. He compares the yoga
experience to a painting.
“No two pictures are going to be
the same.”
One of Bewley’s greatest accomplishments was giving himself
the gift to take time and energy to
travel for a year. He says it was a
great lesson because he could have
shied away from his own desire to
experience travelling.
Bewley began his travels in Hawaii after he completed his yoga
teacher training.
He moved westward and travelled through Japan, Singapore,
Thailand, Laos, Hong Kong and
Macau, where he experienced the
tallest bungee jump in the world.
Bewley then flew to Jordan
and travelled through Israel, back
through Jordan to Egypt. He flew
to Turkey and stayed there for five
weeks teaching yoga and performing music.
Bewley explored the Greek
Islands and flew to the United
Kingdom, where he was also able
to teach yoga.
At that point, Bewley had
planned to travel Europe, but was
offered a role in the movie The
Tooth Fairy, so he travelled to Vancouver instead.
“My travels were a beautiful life
adventure,” Bewley says.
Bewley is planning to embark
upon a new experience.
Travelling to Mozambique one
month from now for two weeks,
Bewley is volunteering with Habitat for Humanity building houses
with a team of 14 other Canadians.
“I felt I was reaching another
point in my life where I wanted
to experience new growth,” says
Bewley Excitedly.
The opportunity to live life spontaneously is one of the reasons he
got involved in the entertainment
industry, as well as the ability to
have a flexible schedule.
He began planning this new opportunity when a friend of his, who
belongs to a group called Volunteer
Builders, told him they needed another team member to join them on
their trip to Mozambique.
Bewley impulsively said yes
because he did not have anything
planned for the future. He was
taught by his acting instructor to
make compelling choices and to do
things for the sake of doing them.
He felt that this gives your life a
unique “spark.”
Bewley felt this was another
opportunity to explore life without
knowing what would come of it.
Just weeks ago, Bewley held a
fundraiser and raised $2,000 for
Habitat for Humanity and his trip.
Bewley says it was the result of a
few key people who were helpful.
“Watching people step up to the
plate and help me put the fundraiser together has helped me and has
enriched my life in so many ways.”
Bewley says his dad played a
crucial role in helping put together
silent auction items. A friend’s husband’s band played throughout the
night, and the event hosted some
other performers.
He says, “It was a kick-ass time.”
Although the fundraiser has been
extremely gratifying, the planning
and execution of the event have
been overwhelming and exhausting, says Bewley.
Bewley hopes to learn more
about life from the experience, and
to be enlightened about the human
experience in a different part of the
world.
He says he is interested in connecting people from Canada with
those in Mozambique to gather
new knowledge.
Following his volunteer work,
he will stay to travel the coastline.
NIAGARA NEWS
Page 8
Oct. 22, 2010
ON CAMPUS
GradSmart networking builds success
Student representatives from this year’s GradSmart committee during their first meeting at Niagara-on-the-Lake campus.
Photo by Shaylene Abbey
Graduating students help you find your way into the working field
By SHAYLENE ABBEY
Staff Writer
Graduation, for many college
students, is the reward for years
of hard work. However, once the
ceremony is over, graduates must
decide to go into their profession
or continue their education.
In its second year and run
through the Alumni Relations
department of Niagara College,
the GradSmart program involves
a committee of about 15 graduating students who meet monthly to
develop and co-ordinate initiatives
that will help other graduating students make choices to further their
education or transition to employ-
ment. To be a committee member,
one needs to be graduating student
from any program.
Catherine Rice, a student in the
one-year Public Relations graduate
certificate program, says she is a
part of the GradSmart committee
because she “really likes helping
other people.”
“I wanted to gain experience
working with other people.”
Amanda Lepkyj is in her final
year of the four-year International
Commerce and Global Development Bachelor Degree program.
She is on the committee and says
students who are graduating can
benefit from GradSmart’s ini-
tiatives.
“[GradSmart] is providing the
tools students need to help them
transition into the workforce.”
Kayci Priddle is in the one-year
Event Management graduate certificate program. Her reasons for
being part of GradSmart were put
simply: “I want to help graduates
succeed.”
The committee is developing
a student survey to determine the
needs of this year’s graduating students. It will be available online by
November.
Elise Auger, a 2009 graduate of
the Public Relations graduate certificate program, is the GradSmart
liaison and runs the program.
She says last year’s committee helped design the Are You
Graduating? webpage on the Niagara College website and created
a GradSmart Facebook group and a
Linkedin networking group.
She adds that the student survey
had over 100 responses last year
and there was “great participation” in the events, which included
GradSmart vendor fairs at both the
Niagara-on-the-Lake and Welland
campuses, a bus trip to the National
Job Fair in Toronto to help students
network and meet employers and
workshops provided by campus
departments such as the Job Centre
and the Business Development
Centre to help students build resumés and portfolios.
“GradSmart was a huge success,” Auger says.
This year’s events are in the
process of being planned by the
committee and will include similar
initiatives and one big event.
For more information about the
GradSmart program or its committee, visit http://www.niagaracollege.ca/Gradsmart/initiatives.htm,
or contact Auger at the Alumni
Relations office at 905-735-2211
ext. 7841 or by email eauger@
niagaracollege.ca.
A strong reputation brings Niagara College a bigger community
By YUKI KAJI
Staff Writer
The college is getting bigger and
bigger.
About 4,500 new students
walked through the doors at Niagara College this September.
Dan Patterson, president of
Niagara College, says, “I’m very
pleased that with our new facilities coming online. Through our
$90-million redevelopment project, we are able to serve more
students.”
Bob Hann, the college’s registrar, says there are 300 more firstyear students compared with last
year, a seven per cent increase.
“It’s exciting to see the number.”
Some reasons for the increase, he
says, are that more post-secondary
students applied to the college,
and the college’s reputation has
gone up in the community, the
region, the province and the rest
of Canada.
He says Niagara College has
received No. 1 student satisfaction
ranking for six years in a row, there
are better facilities and “students
are looking forward to the finish
of the new academic wings.” One
more big reason is graduates are
coming back for new skills, he
adds.
Patterson says with 70 per cent
of future jobs requiring post-secondary education, “It is important
for Niagara College to be able to
support the economic redevelopment of the region and provide the
skills and training needed for the
jobs of tomorrow,” he says.
“Our strong reputation for student success and student satisfaction and the growing recognition
of the value of a college credential
in today’s rapidly changing econ-
omy are making Niagara College
a school of choice for students,”
he says.
For international students, it
is also the biggest enrolment on
record. Shawna Luey, an international student adviser, says more
than 300 new students arrived
‘ One more big
reason is graduates are coming
back for new
skills.’
— Bob Hann
from about 60 countries.
She says one reason for this success is that “our recruiting team
does a good job.” It visited foreign
countries last summer and winter,
adding another reason is that more
visas were opened to Canada.
Patterson says, “Last year we
reached capacity in most of our
programs because of physical
space limitations.”
“With our exciting new learning facilities open this fall and the
launch of five new programs, we
were able to accommodate more
students into our classrooms,” he
says.
Five new programs also boosted
enrolment: Welding Technician,
Brewmaster and Brewery Operation Management, Recreation
Therapy, Digital Photography, and
Computer Systems Technician.
Enrolments were 25 students in
Welding Technician, 24 students in
Brewmaster and Brewery Operation Management, 55 students in
Recreation Therapy, 40 students
in Digital Photography and 20 in
Computer Systems Technician.
Hann says the college had 8,000
students on Day 10 of the term.
Hann says, “Full-time students
enrolled at Niagara College’s four
campuses as of the tenth day of
classes for 2010 fall is 7950. We
also have 247 English as a Second Language students enrolled in
2010 fall and expect to have 700
students in this program in January
2011.”
He expects the total of student
number to be more than 9,000 next
semester.
Patterson says, “With the
Applied Health Institute opening
next year, we plan to continue
to expand our programming and
grow enrolment to meet the future
economic needs of the region and
the province.”
NIAGARA NEWS
Oct. 22, 2010
Page 9
ON CAMPUS
Money for educational fund
Facilities Management Services rally in honour of colleague
By LINDSAY COSTELLO
Staff Writer
Through tragedy comes a sense
of community.
Facilities Management Services
(FMS) held fundraisers Oct. 6 at
Niagara College’s Niagara-on-theLake (NOTL) campus and Oct.
7 at the Welland campus to raise
money for the Frank Rubino Educational Fund.
Rubino was a part-time general
maintenance worker for FMS who
died while working at the NOTL
campus on Aug. 12.
The proceeds from the fundraisers
will go into a trust fund established
for Rubino’s children to help cover
the cost of their post-secondary
education.
Rubino left behind a wife and
three children.
Ange Bruni, operations manager
for FMS, says the fundraisers were
organized by a FMS committee to
assist Rubino’s family as he was
a part-time employee and did not
have benefits.
“He [Rubino] was one of our
boys. We decided to spearhead the
thing.”
Bruni says although Rubino was
only employed since April, he made
an impact on others.
“It’s amazing what a lot of people
do in a short time.”
He says the NOTL fundraiser
“went really well” and it was “quite
pleasing” to see people donate and
support the cause.
He says there was no fundraising
goal, only a hope to raise as much
money as possible for the Rubino
family.
Bruni says the barbeque was
chosen because of the nice weather
and because people would be likely
to buy a meal for a reasonable price.
A $5 donation provided supporters with a hamburger or a hotdog,
chips and a drink. Raffle tickets
Facilities Management Services Planning and Development Technologist Bart Lanni serves a barbeque
lunch to Jaclyn Bentley, an alumnus of Niagara College’s Paramedic program, during a fundraiser for the
Frank Rubino Educational Fund on Oct. 7.
Photo by Lindsay Costello
were also on sale with more than the fundraiser. “It went better than I Uncle Frank who could do pretty
$10,000 worth of prizes to be won think we all expected.”
much anything.”
including two separate one-week
She says it is “very nice to see” so
He says he would see Rubino
stays at a condominium in Florida many people support the fundraiser. around the college but never said
and two sets of Jim Kelly Club seats “He was a really, really nice man anything to him. He recalls his
for a Buffalo Bills football game.
and he helped a lot of people. It’s friend telling him that his uncle
The raffle ended following the nice to see people doing something asked why he had ignored him.
fundraiser on Oct. 7, winners were for his family.”
Folinazzo didn’t formally introselected that day and the names
Giacomo Folinazzo, an English duce himself to Rubino until a few
were posted on Blackboard.
as a Second Language professor, days before his death and says he is
Alicia Esposito, a student in the performed at both fundraisers.
“honoured” to be a part of the fundPublic Relations graduate certificate
He has been singing profession- raising efforts.
program, attended the NOTL fund- ally for five years and as an amateur
Anyone wishing to donate to the
raiser with Rubino’s son, Talon, prior to that.
Frank Rubino Educational Fund
whom she is dating.
Folinazzo says he knew Rubino should contact Cathy Desimone,
She says the Rubino family is as one of his good friend’s uncles.
secretary for FMS, by calling 905“very happy” with the outcome of
“I always heard about this famous 735-2211 Ext. 7503.
Pool expert amazes students at NC Core
Gerry “The Ghost” Watson plays a game of pool against Niagara College
student Stan Savoia in The Core.
Photo by Toni Karan
By TONI KARAN
Staff Writer
The eight-ball banks and rolls
into the corner pocket.
This was the case when pool
expert Gerry “The Ghost” Watson
came to The Core at the Welland
campus Oct. 4 at 12:30 p.m.
Watson says he enjoys coming to
Niagara College every year.
The hour-long performance consists of him demonstrating his billiards knowledge and doing tricks.
Afterwards, students lined up to
compete against Watson and, in the
end, he remained undefeated.
“It was really nerve-racking.
He’s just way too good,” says
Stan Savoia, 18, a first-year Police
Foundations program student, after
playing a game of pool against
Watson.
Watson has done over 4,000 billiard shows. He says he has gone
all over the place doing shows,
wand this will be one of the 4, 000
memorable for him.
Nick Christmas, 19, a student in
the Police Foundations program,
says, “I need to step my game up.”
He says playing against Watson
was “pretty amazing,” and Watson
let him know he did well.
Robert Perron, Student Administrative Council director of social
programming at the Welland campus, says the college brings Watson
every year because a lot of people
like to play pool in The Student
Centre.
Watson had to rush to the Niagara-on-the-Lake campus after this
show to entertain more Niagara
College students.
He says his favourite part about
playing pool for a living is “fooling
around.”
“I don’t know why more girls
aren’t playing pool,” he says with
a laugh.
Enriching
your college
experience
through SAC
By KAYLA CABRAL
Staff Writer
Join a club, volunteer or come to
an event. Be SAC Aware.
Oct. 4 was SAC Awareness Day
at the Welland campus. SAC stands
for Student Administrative Council.
Booths were set up outside the
cafeteria near the library for people
who wanted to see what events were
coming up in the next few months.
Club booths and info packages were
also available to students who were
interested.
David Miller, 20, director of
clubs and volunteers at the Welland
campus, says the point of SAC
Awareness Day was to “try and get
all our events out there for the next
few months.”
October brings a lot of festivities
for the college. Robert Perron, director of social programming at the
Welland campus, listed some events
happening in October.
Oct. 15 was a trip to Canada
Wonderland’s Halloween Haunt,
followed by a pumpkin-carving
contest on Oct. 25 in The Core and a
Halloween-themed day on Oct. 27.
It will be a full day of events, free
BBQ, prizes and a pub night to end
the festivities.
Nick Bedard, 20, director of
student and community relations at
the Welland campus mentions a free
trip to Toronto on Dec. 11.
“We do it every year and it is huge
among the international students.”
Sabine Dunac, 22, a volunteer
for SAC, says she loves helping out
during events.
“I was a volunteer for frosh week
and I had great time. I met really
great people who are now my good
friends.”
Dunac says for awareness day
she informed people of events and
handed out raffle tickets and other
free things.
“SAC Awareness Day is about
informing students about the great
events SAC has put together for
the student body. We just want to
let students know there are actually
things to do in Welland.”
Miller says that although the
deadline to make a club was Oct. 8,
anyone can join a club at any time.
The day was a success and Miller
says, “ A lot of people were coming
up and giving us suggestions.”
Robert Perron and Sabine Dunac
Photo by Kayla Cabral
NIAGARA NEWS
Page 10
Oct. 22, 2010
NEWS
Service sector
Firefighters make it hot
now powering
Niagara economy
By SAM VANDENBERG
Staff Writer
Manufacturing used to be the
heart and soul of the Niagara
region, but trends now show that
this once labour-driven community
is turning a new page into retail/
wholesale trade, health care and
social assistance.
On Sept. 21 the Niagara community observatory and Niagara
workplace planning board met
at the Legends of Niagara Golf
Complex to discuss the future of
Niagara’s workforce.
Dave Siegel, director of the
Niagara Community Observatory
and a professor of political science at Brock University, said,
“The change is good. We used to
be purely industrial. Diversity is
good; that way we don’t have all
our eggs in one basket.”
“In the past five years the
manufacturing industry has seen a
decline of $1.5 billion. During this
same time period, construction,
retail and wholesale trade have seen
a significant growth,” according to
the Niagara Workforce Planning
Board brief.
The night was based on the first
of three briefs done on the changing
economic structure of Niagara.
The first brief showed Niagara’s
diversity in its economy. It has
proven that Niagara is changing,
not only in its economic base but
also in its businesses. Niagara is
seeing more employment opportunities in smaller and medium-sized
businesses rather than big companies.
Statistics show that half of all
businesses in Niagara are owner
operated, and more than 97 per
cent have fewer than 50 employees.
“We have traditionally thought of
Niagara’s economy as dominated
by relatively small number of large
businesses: this is no longer the
case,” say data provided by the Niagara Workforce Planning Board.
The electronic version of this brief
can be found at www.brocku.ca/
nco/pb05.
Lauren Miller, president of the
Economic Developers Council of
Ontario, said, “This isn’t unique
to Niagara. It’s a trend across the
country.”
With this major shift in industry
comes a great deal of change. “The
demand for higher quality jobs is
going up and a lot of “McJobs” are
no more,” said Paul Castel, director
of the regional commercialization
group.
The change hasn’t been good
for everyone in the region. “As
the dollar goes up, the competitive edge goes away,” said Miller
“A lot of people have been hurting. The government could have
looked at the numbers five to eight
years ago. We need to be better at
crystal-balling. The government
is reacting now, rather than being
proactive.”
“The changing labour market
has become a significant challenge facing many communities across Ontario and beyond.
The Niagara Workforce Planning Board (NWPB) works at
the grassroots level to identify
workforce issues relating to the
local economy and provides collaborative solutions by engaging
stakeholders and working with
partners,” said Employment Ontario.
NWPB is an unbiased and neutral organization. The local boards
are funded through the Ministry of
Training, College and Universities.
PR students conduct survey
about Niagara News
By LINDSAY COSTELLO
Staff Writer
Survey says…
Students of the Public Relations
Graduate Certificate program are
conducting a survey as part of their
marketing research class.
This year’s survey is centred on
Niagara News and the best method
of delivering the news. The aim is
to answer the question, “What do
readers’ want?”
A survey is part of the curriculum
and is done each year. Previous
survey topics include the cafeteria
and the gym facilities.
Linda Camus, who teaches the
class, says there are five surveys
being conducted.
One version will be distributed
to first-year students and another
will be given to returning students.
Niagara College staff and faculty
will receive a survey via email.
There will also be several focus
groups and an opportunity to take
the survey online. A face-to-face
one will also be conducted in common areas of the college for those
who missed out.
She says the survey is a “great
learning tool” for Niagara News
and the marketing research class.
Area newspapers will also look
at the compiled data.
Camus says the survey is “so
important.”
She says methods of news delivery should be considered because
this generation is the “web generation” and is likely to get their
news from the Internet or from
social media.
“The whole landscape of newspapers has changed.”
Camus says the biggest obstacle
is getting participation from the
students. She says the surveys are
short and will only take a few minutes to complete.
To take the online survey, visit
www.niagaracollege.ca/survey.
By EMMA RUSSELL
Staff Writer
The ladies of Welland felt the
heat on Oct. 9 as the Welland Professional Firefighters Association(
WPFFA) had its 2011 calendar
kickoff party.
The outdoor event took place at
Club Richeilieu in Welland. Admission fee was $5 to get in and $6
for 20 tickets to spend on food or
drinks.
This was the fourth year for the
event. An expected 850 to 1,000
people were to show up, says
Laura Infantino and Cheryl Marr,
wives of the firemen.
“Other cities did it, like Toronto,
and it turned out well, so Welland
started,” says Infanino and Marr.
The band 351 Cleveland entertained the crowd of women while
they anxiously waited in line to get
the man of each month to sign their
calendar, which were being sold
for $15. Marr and Infantine say
all the proceeds go to the Welland
Hospital Foundation.
A fire truck arrived with the
sirens blaring, and moments
later smoke appeared all over the
stage. The ladies quickly crowded
around. The firemen then entered
the stage to show off their choreographed dance moves to a mix of
songs.
Women from ages 20 to 40
screamed and took pictures of the
firemen as the gents ripped their
T-shirts off. Jacqueline Shaver
of St. Catharines and Tia Cinello
Mr. June, Mr. November, Mr. October, Mr. December and Mr. March of
the calendar pose for the ladies after showing off their moves.
Photo by Emma Russell
of Welland agreed they like the
firemen because they are “heroic,
brave and manly.”
“Firemen are sexy, and we are
definitely getting a calendar.”
Karen Burger says her favourite
firefighter of the calendar is December, better known as Adam,
while others say they can’t decide
on just one guy.
Greg Dempster, firefighter and
Mr. June, says the best part of the
show was the energetic crowd.
“They are what make this possible.” This is Dempster’s second
year participating in the calendar
event.
“The best part of being a fireman is the guys you work with. We
are really close. We all have each
other’s back.”
Marr says even the wives are
close. She says whenever they see
each other, they all give each other
hugs and kisses.
“We are one big happy family.”
Dempster says part of being a
fireman is putting his life on the
line to save people he doesn’t
know.
“We risk a lot.”
The night ended with several
happy women dancing together
enjoying the sounds 351 Cleveland
covering many popular songs.
Janna Postill says, “Every girl
has that firefighter fantasy and, tonight everyone got a preview of it.”
First and second chance for students
By KRISTEN SPRUIT
Staff Writer
Not everyone gets a second
chance, but a regional alternative
education program is giving high
school students a first and second
one.
The First and Second Chance
program, operated and funded by
the District School Board of Niagara, provides an alternate learning environment for high school
students at risk of disengagement
from school.
Ania Jesionka, a teacher at the
First Chance program at Centennial High School in Welland, works
with youths aged 14 and 15 in an
effort to eventually integrate them
back into a regular high school setting. Students with less than four
credits are referred to this program
from their regular high school.
“This program provides kids that
have attendance issues, medical
issues or need an alternate setting
a comfortable environment to learn
in.”
Jesionka says the program is selfdriven as students work at their
own pace in subjects for which
they risk not receiving credits.
“There is such a diversity in the
program. There is a small number
of students but a high level of
need.”
Brittany Stanton, 21, a third-year
Child and Youth Worker student,
is completing her field placement
at the First Chance program in
Welland.
Stanton says she helps the students with their schoolwork and
supports them if they need to talk.
“We provide them with a safe
environment. The students may
have problems with kids in school
or have family issues. Drugs, alcohol and sex are common problems.
“The students need 100 per cent
structure, which they don’t have at
home.”
Stanton says the students can
benefit greatly from the program,
but attendance and tardiness are
huge issues.
“A challenge working with older
students is they are not as open
as younger students,” says Stanton. “You need to have a good
rapport and to be able to relate to
them.”
Kathie LeBlanc, program assistant
for the Child and Youth Worker
program here, says she places college students in field placements at
agencies where the students will
experience children at risk.
“The students get experience w
orking with youth … and can apply
the theories they have learned in
the classroom.
“Having the [First Chance] kids
look at the [college] students with
authority is a challenge because
they don’t really like or trust anyone anyways, so it can be hard to
maintain a level of respect due to
the closeness in age.”
Stanton says she chose to become
a child and youth worker because
of a sometimes troubled past.
“I have been through a lot of hard
times in my life and I had a lot of
people who were there to help me,
so I want to be there to help kids
through hard situations.”
Brittany
Stanton,
21,
of
Gananoque is a third-year
student in the Child and Youth
Worker program. She is doing her
placement with the First Chance
program at Centennial High
School in Welland.
Photo by Kristen Spruit
NIAGARA NEWS
Oct. 22, 2010
Page 11
OFF CAMPUS
A Wonderland staff member terrifies passersby during the Halloween Haunt. The event is held during October at Canada’s Wonderland in Toronto.
Photo by Sabine Dunac
NC students terrified at Halloween Haunt
By SABINE DUNAC
Staff Writer
Students endured a night of terror at Canada’s Wonderland Haunt
in Toronto recently, all at the invitation of the Student Administrative Council.
Samantha Roth, 19, SAC director of campaigns and trip supervisor, checked off 56 students on the
list as the bus left Niagara College
at 4:30 p.m. last Friday. Shortly
afterwards, it picked up more students and Lindsay Maki, another
supervisor and SAC member, at
the Niagara-on-the-Lake campus.
The full busload of students was
chatting away in excitement about
Wonderland’s rides.
Dakota Magdish, 19, who is in
Police Foundations, says students
were excited as evidenced by the
chorus of “Yeah!” when the bus hit
Wonderland’s parking lot.
Wonderland’s staff, dressed as
night creatures, frightened students. Roth says the actors were
scary when they would “come up
to you and creep you out.
“I love being scared and I just
had a great time.”
Magdish says, “I don’t even
know where to begin. A vampire
and a crazy woman cornered me
and I got attacked.”
Roth says it was her first time
going to the haunted wonderland.
“I love any kind of ride. I will go
on anything.”
Magdish and Mark Horrell, 22,
in his last year of the Broadcasting – Radio, Television and Film
program, agreed their favourite
was the Behemoth.
“You go up and you’re all excited. You’re, like, “Yeah, yeah, this
is awesome.” You get to the top
and then you go down and you’re,
like, ‘Why did I get on here? Oh
my God.’”
“It’s such a adrenaline rush,”
says Roth.
“It was awesome. I would do it a
million times again,” says Horrell.
Roth says she received positive
feedback from students. She says
students “met up with people from
different schools and different cities. They had an all-around good
time.”
“I wanted to go every year but
I just hadn’t gotten around to it,
and now I feel good about it,” says
Magdish.
“I was definitely the first one to
raise my hand to supervise this trip.
It was me against another member
on SAC and I just really felt that I
needed to go on this trip because I
love amusement parks,” says Roth.
Students paid $20 for the trip,
which is a “really good deal,” says
Glenn Murray, logistics manager
of SAC. SAC funded the other half
of the trip for about $1,080. SAC
funding went towards the bus for
students going to Wonderland and
Wonderland passes. SAC funding
is the reason students receive such
a great deal on the tickets.
Roth says she would “definitely recommend” another trip
to the amusement park next
year when it reopens for a new
season.
Dawn of the Dead meets the Exorcist.
Photo by Sabine Dunac
Haunted houses in Niagara region de-spooked
By SARAH FERGUSON
Staff Writer
We’ve all likely had feelings of
uneasiness, or our hair has stood
up on the back of our necks.
From Fort Erie to Welland and
across the rest of the Niagara
region, there are places allegedly
haunted by ghosts. The question
to ask is “Is it real?”
Elvis Podvorac works with
a group called The Shadows
Project based in the Thorold and
Hamilton area. Podvorac says he
became interested in investigating paranormal activity five years
ago when he came across a group
that later “folded.” He wanted to
continue investigating and that
is when The Shadows Project
began.
There are two types of investigations, says Podvorac. The
Shadows Project investigates
locations, like the Screaming
Tunnel, and the members also go
into private homes.
Podvorac says they “try to help
anyone who is concerned,” but
there are no real ghost experts.
“There is so much unknown. The
biggest problem is fear drives
[people] to do silly things.”
The Shadows Project members
will go into a home and “experience what the homeowners experience,” and they tell them what
they think it might be, even if it
just a draft from a window.
If there is something there,
Podvorac advises treating the
spirit as any other person, even
by giving it a name “to help remove the fear.”
Podvorac says he has never encountered a malicious or demonic
spirit, but he can sense how the
spirit might be feeling.
“It’s like when you walk up to
a person. You can sense if they
are angry, sad or depressed. You
just treat [the ghost] like a normal
person, with respect.”
“We go in with a ton of equipment. A lot of the times the equipment is ridiculous. We don’t know
if it works. We try to use as much
common sense as possible.”
“A lot of it is trial and error.”
Podvorac uses voice recorders
to capture what he says might be
evidence. “Even this is not 100
per cent concrete.”
“You have to be your own biggest sceptic. A lot of it you can’t
trust and you have to look at
everything rationally. You can’t
impose and you can’t go in with a
preconception.”
Podvorac says he can sense
a presence or have feelings that
someone is there.
“We’re capable of picking up
on ghost energy. We trust our gut
more than most people.”
Podvorac says the point of his
group is to help people, not to
take advantage.
“Charging money is a complete
scam. If someone charges you
100 dollars to walk through your
house, and then another 100 to
make [the spirit] go away, they
are lying to you.”
Podvorac does not want to be
confused with a psychic. “We are
not psychics. They’re very bogus
and it brings out bad imagery.”
A local psychic medium (who
does not want her name known)
says that spirits do exist, good
and evil. “Psychic mediums act
as the intermediary between the
spirit world and ours.”
The psychic describes what she
does as having an openness to let
spirits in.
“During a psychic reading, by
raising our vibrations we are able
to channel their energy.”
The psychic says there have
been a few instances where she
has “coached ghosts over to the
light,” but has never encountered
anything “too bad.”
One thing the psychic medium
and Podvorac agree on is that
there is a lot of local history in
the Niagara region, making it a
prime spot for possible haunting.
“Historically, [the Niagara region] is quite a battlefield.” The
psychic says some ghosts haven’t
fully transitioned yet, and some
of them are happy just being here.
“A lot of times, hauntings are
exaggerated. It’s not enough someone is murdered. That makes a
great ghost story.” Podvorac says
people just don’t know what is really there.
For more information on The
Shadows Project and their investigations, visit http://theshadowsproject.com.
Page 12
NIAGARA NEWS - OCT. 22, 2010
Culinary
Instutute hosts
student dinners
By KIMBERLY SMITH
Staff Writer
As you stroll the hallways of the hospitality building at the Niagara-on-the-Lake
campus, your nose instantly recognizes
where you are: the Culinary Institute.
The busy labs are filled with students
in matching white chef jackets, which
are now laundered for them giving them
one less thing to worry about. They are
learning the proper techniques to use in
the industry.
New this year is an all stainless steel
multi-purpose lab that features a fridge
and oven at each station, a food dryer and
temperature control for the room. The lab
was built to keep moving forward with
industry.
The dining room was also revamped
and has been renamed Benchmark.
Each Tuesday night they will be offering
a $10 student dinner where a new theme is
chosen weekly for the three-course meal.
Pasta and Mexican were used in the past
weeks and the third in the series will be
Tuesday, Oct. 26, with a country chicken
barbeque theme.
ABOVE: Chef professor Kyle Landry demonstrates for students how to cook that week’s assignment. Students
follow along by watching him and the TV screens mounted on the front wall.
BOTTOM RIGHT: First-year students work at two-person stations to complete their dish. Other than the food
being cooked properly, presentation also plays an important role in grading.
TOP RIGHT: Chef professor David Gibson samples his student's rice dishes. Grades are presented based on
timing, taste and presentation.
Photos by Kimberly Smith
Page 13
Page 14
NIAGARA NEWS
Oct. 22, 2010
OFF CAMPUS
Volunteers
celebrate
their work
By KRISTEN SPRUIT
Staff Writer
Mayor Brian McMullan, Mason Homes owner Gord Mason,
company sponsors and more than
70 volunteers attended the Sponsor and Volunteer Recognition
event Oct. 15 in celebration of the
completion of the Build for Kids
Sake home.
The sales proceeds of this fundraising project will benefit the Big
Brothers Big Sisters agencies of
the Niagara region.
On Chicory Crescent in St.
Catharines, the house is a threebedroom, three-bathroom, Green
for Life – Energy Star home with
hardwood floors, a gas fireplace
and a maple kitchen with granite
countertops.
The Build for Kids Sake Home, on Chicory Crescent in St. Catharines, held its Volunteer and Sponsor Appreciation event Oct. 15 and showcased
the recently completed house.
Photos by Kristen Spruit
A house built full of love
New home to benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters
By KRISTEN SPRUIT
Staff Writer
Build for Kids Sake would make
Ty Pennington proud.
A project initiated by Mason
Homes, Build for Kids Sake will
benefit the three Big Brother Big
Sisters agencies of South Niagara:
St. Catharines-Thorold and district;
Greater Fort Erie; and Grimsby,
Lincoln and West Lincoln.
Mike Leone, chair of Build for
Kids Sake and board director of
the South Niagara Big Brother Big
Sisters agency, says the project
can be compared with the popular
Extreme Make-over Home Edition
TV show.
Instead of renovating a home,
a new 2,200-square-foot Energy
Star, two-storey home will be built
in 10 days with 100 per cent of the
proceeds of the sale going to ben-
efit the Niagara-region agencies.
The lot, on Chicory Crescent
in St. Catharines, was donated
by Mason Homes, along with the
plans. The foundation was poured
and the building began on Sept. 24,
and work continued around-theclock until Oct. 3.
“Without people’s time and services and companies donating materials and supplies, this would not
have been possible,” says Leone.
“The goal was to have the home
built as close to completely donated as possible.”
The construction is being done
by trained professionals who are
volunteering their time and by
more than 100 volunteers from
the community who have worked
in registration, construction cleanup, security and provision of food
services.
Volunteers at the Build for Kids Sake project work at the site on Oct.
3 doing construction clean-up. From left to right are Margaret Ridler,
Pauline Wilts and Sarah Stone.
Sarah Stone, a first-year Police
Foundations student at Niagara
College, has volunteered more than
18 hours at the home in the past
week and says she helps wherever
she is needed.
“I figured it [the project] is something to be a part of because you
don’t usually get the opportunity to
build a house in 10 days.
“I like getting involved with the
community and having the opportunity to meet new people. And
I guess I like giving back to your
community and teaching the next
generation how important it is.”
Pauline Wilts is a fund-developer
at the Grimsby Big Brothers Big
Sisters agency. She says everyone
on the project has been really good
about providing his or her different
talents and services.
“At first the task seemed daunt-
ing because there was so much
work to be done in such a short
time, but it’s been incredible seeing
the whole thing come together.”
Margaret Ridler is the board
director for the St. Catharines’ Big
Brothers Big Sisters agency and
she is also a volunteer at the building site.
“It’s terrific to see walls go up
and roofs go on. And, of course, it’s
for the community and to see this
all go back to the kids is amazing.”
The funds raised will support
youth mentoring programs, either
to maintain existing relationships
between “Bigs” and “Littles,” or to
recruit and form new ones.
“Our biggest thing is we want to
give back to the community.
“We are expecting this to be a
good fundraiser for us,” says Leone.
Volunteers and Big Brothers Big Sisters board members are excited
about the completion of the Build for Kids Sake house in St. Catharines
and the prospect of selling it.
‘It feels
great to
have the
house
finished.’
— Frank VanDerHeyden
Frank VanDerHeyden, a site superintendent with Mason Holmes
who oversaw the site and construction, says 96 per cent of the house
was donated, including the lot,
which is the most expensive piece
of property in the subdivision.
“It feels great to have the house
finished. I’m tired. It is an exhausting procedure. For the time and the
calibre of this project, it’s a first.”
Mike Leone, chair member for
the Build For Kids Sake project
and Big Brothers Big Sisters board
member, says open houses will
begin soon as they expect a 30- to
60-day closing on the sale.
“We want to sell it at a fair market value.”
The house, being sold by the
Mason Home sales office, is worth
well over $360,000, but is priced
to sell at $320,000. Leone says the
project had about $15,000 worth
of out-of-pocket costs, including
about $11,000 worth of lumber,
which will be deducted from sale
monies. The rest of the proceeds
will go to the Big Brothers Big
Sisters agencies of Niagara.
“I’m ecstatic as to what has been
accomplished. Everyone who has
been part of this project has made
it possible and has benefited children in ways they don’t know they
have.
“It’s not just a house, it’s a
home,” says Leone.
Oct. 22, 2010
NIAGARA NEWS
Page 15
NEWS
Flea market art comes to St. Catharines
By SARAH FERGUSON
Staff Writer
On a cold, rainy Sunday,
a mirror glance into a fancy
European art gallery opened
in the least likely of places.
Lights, cameras and two artists
make it seem like a real art gallery
experience.
In a little corner in the Factory Outlet Flea Market at 46
Turner Cres. sits the Niagara
Hermitage, which opened Oct. 3.
Rob Elliott and Christine Cosby,
of Toronto, have set up a little art
gallery with yellow wallpaper,
lights and cameras to resemble
the St. Petersburg Hermitage art
gallery.
The artwork on display is things
they have gathered through their
travels or used in other art projects, such as needlepoint, serving
trays and even a singing bass head.
The point of the art gallery, according to the pair, is
so people don’t have to travel
to big fancy art galleries to
have an appreciation for art.
Cosby says the gallery is
meant
“to
explore
everyday art people can afford.”
People were very interested in the
art in the Niagara Hermitage.
“Is that for sale?” one of the flea
market goers asks, referring to a
large needlepoint poster of dogs
playing poker.
“No,” says Elliott and Cosby,
Christine Cosby and Rob Elliott are the first artists to display their work in a flea market in St. Catharines. The
art display is modeled after a famous museum in Russia.
Photo by Sarah Ferguson
but they are quick to reassure
the fellow that he can find something similar in the flea market.
“You can experience the art
galleries of Europe by simply
walking into the flea market,”
says Elliott because “anything
you see here you could prob-
ably find in the flea market.”
There was a lot of needlework
display by Cosby and Elliott.
Needlepoint is a fine art that takes
a lot of work, says Cosby. “The
women who did needlepoint were
not given enough recognition.”
She says there is a lot of textiles
used today, such as in T-shirts or
punk rock that stem from needlepoint.”
“Art can be viewed as clutter,”
says Elliott.
“Art’s usefulness is only useful
in the eyes of the beholder.” He
says art doesn’t need to be created by a famous artist, but rather
it can be done by an average Joe
and still have the same effect on
a person.
Established by the Niagara Artists Centre, the little art gallery in
the flea market will feature other
local artists from the Niagara Region.
“Rob and Christine were gracious enough to be the first guinea
pigs,” says Stephen Remus,
NAC’s minister of energy, minds
and resources.The space for the
Niagara Hermitage was donated
by the flea market owners, Kelly
Foote and Scott Sweitzer.
The exhibit will run every
Sunday from 9 a.m to 4 p.m. until
Christmas.
Visit Cosby and Elliott’s website at swzzlefoundations.ca/ to
see the artwork that was on display or visit The NAC at nac.org
to find out more information on
the artists who will display their
work in the flea market.
It’s never too late to go back Health programs most popular
College is always there for those who need it
By KRISTEN SPRUIT
Staff Writer
As the saying goes, it is never
too late to learn something new.
The Literacy and Basic Skills
program, offered at both of Niagara College’s campuses, is free
for adults who do not have a high
school diploma or who have been
out of school for a long time and
would like to upgrade their skills or
learn new ones.
Nancy Mozina, an instructor at
the college, says the program allows for students to gain entrance
into post-secondary school in a
program of their choice, or to train
for a new job.
Tuition fees and material costs
are paid for the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities, and
support allowances can be made
for adults needing assistance with
transportation and child care costs.
Students in the program also have
access to textbooks and to the college library and gym.
“It’s a really beneficial [program]
because it gets students who’ve
been out of school back into school
routines.
“And it’s free – that’s the magic
word.”
Jeffery Powe, 20, of Oakville,
says he is taking the course to get
credits in math and English so he
can take the Landscape and Design
program.
“It is a great program for upgrading in a non-threatening environment.”
Nancy Mozina, an instructor in the
Literacy and Basic Skills program,
has been teaching at the college
since 1988.
Photo by Kristen Spruit
Jessi Kovats, 28, of Fort Erie,
worked as a Personal Support
Worker for eight years and says
she is hoping to upgrade to either
a registered nurse or a paramedic.
“I have my Grade 12 but my
marks are poor, so I’m bringing my
marks up so I have a better chance
at entering school.”
Kovats says she wants to switch
trades because she is curious about
learning more in a new field.
Carol Sider, 35, of Wainfleet,
works at a factory (Casco) in Port
Colborne and says she is upgrading
her courses because she would like
to become an educational assistant
in recreational therapy.
“I just want a different job because it’s [my current job] hard on
your body and to be able do something different.”
“I enjoy learning different things
I haven’t done since high school in
‘93.”
The program is based on nine essential skills developed by Human
Resources Development Canada
in conjunction with the business
community.
The list includes nine skills
employees must have in order to
be successful in the workplace:
problem solving, reading, writing,
thinking, communication, math,
computer and document use skills,
and the ability to work with others.
Mozina says one of the great
things about the program is there
are different levels, so students
don’t need to learn things they
already know or feel intimidated
because they are behind.
Adults can enrol at any time as
the program is based on a continuous intake. Students can therefore
take only courses they need and
work in a supportive environment
at their own pace.
Applicants interested in the
program can contact the Literacy
and Basic Skills reception. Call
905-641-2252 ext. 4418 for more
information.
By GENESIS FALCON
Staff Writer
Bob Hann, director of enrolment
and registration services knows
which are the most demanding
programs at Niagara College.
Hann says most of the programs that began in fall are full
with the most demand being the
ones that have to do with health,
in this case, Dental Hygiene
and Paramedic. Other programs
that have high demand are all
those that have to do with media
studies, such as Broadcasting —
Radio, Television and Film and
Journalism. “Those are popular,”
says Hann.
He says business graduate certificates are popular, too. Hann says
there are programs that fit people
who want to return to school – in
many cases, parents – and those are
pretty popular too.
As to why he thinks these programs are so attractive, he says
that health involves an aging
population so health services and
prevention services are always
needed. The media studies are
traditionally popular.
“Programs like Journalism
have a public value,” says Hann.
“The programs that have to
do with environment are also
popular and get full, as do the
programs that have to do with
technology.”
Heading up the newer offerings,
he says is the Brewmaster and
Brewery Operations Management.
“It has high demand,” says Hann.
Academic requirements influence the higher demand. Hann
says, “That is difficult to predict.
We are strict with all the programs
because sometimes some programs
have other requirements like interviews or other tests. It depends on
the program. Admissions are really
competitive in programs like Paramedic and Dental Hygiene.
Hann says that having good
facilities is important because
it builds a good reputation for
the college, which he hopes will
bring more attention for the future
students. The college receives
25,000 applications and 13,708
applicants, although students can
apply for more than one program
during the admission process.
Emmanuel Songue, 20, from
Toronto, is taking Business – Sales
and Marketing at the Niagara-onthe-Lake (NOTL) campus. He says
he always wanted to work in the
business field and have his own
business.
Songue chose Niagara College
because he wanted to find a place
away from his hometown. He says
he likes his program.
“Yes, it gives me many perspectives on what is expected in the
business field.” Songue adds that
it teaches him about other things
that would put him ahead of the
curve.
Songue says the admission process was pretty easy.
“My program is not so competitive, compared to others like
Journalism.”
As for his program, he says, “Yes,
I would definitely recommend it.
It’s a great thing to learn and be
aware of how business works.”
NIAGARA NEWS
Page 16
Oct. 22, 2010
ON-CAMPUS
You should care about the Board of Governors
By JESSE CARTER
Staff Writer
Who are the Niagara College
board of governors? What do they
do? How can they affect you? And,
most important, why should you
care?
“The board is made up of individuals who are responsible for
defining the role and mission of
the college and thereby setting the
strategic directions for the college
to achieve,” says Dan Patterson,
Niagara College President.
According to the Ontario Ministry of Training, Universities
and Colleges, this role includes
approval of the plans for the new
developments around campus and
what goes in to filling the facilities.
It states the board is a governing
board, not a management board.
This means the board leaves the
“day-to-day” to Patterson and only
focuses on the overall operation,
just as a corporation leaves the
president to run the company, while
the chief executive officer follows
up on the direction the company is
heading in.
The board of governors is a
group of individuals, unpaid, who
devote their “time, knowledge and
expertise” says Kim Rose, executive assistant to the president and
board of governors.
Just as the board establishes the
goals for the college, its criteria are
set by the province in the ministry’s
governance and accountability
framework legislation. The legislation also states: “Governance may
be defined as the laws under which
an organization is governed and
the decision-making structures it
employs.
“The authority to establish colleges of applied arts and technology is set out in the Ontario Colleges
of Applied Arts and Technology
Act, 2002. The Act identifies each
college as a corporation without
share capital and with a board of
governors under the authority of
the Corporations Act. The board of
governors governs each college on
behalf of the public.”
The province of Ontario says the
board is set at no less than 12 and
no more than 20 members to be appointed and the college president is
still a voting member. The Niagara
College Board was established in
1967 and is made up of 17 members, which includes three internal
staff members and student Grant
Dalton, 28, of the Niagara-on-theLake campus, as the only student
representative.
External governors are appointed, whereas the internal governors are elected by their peers.
A support staff rep is elected by
all members of the support staff
group. The academic staff rep is
elected by all members of the academic staff group. The admin staff
rep is elected by all members of the
admin staff group, and the student
rep is elected by students during
the student administrative council
elections each year.
The process for appointing external governors changed on Oct.
1, 2010. Until recently, external
During the first board meeting on Oct. 17 topics ranging from the Master Plan update to new funding
Photo by Jesse Carter
formulas were discussed. All took place after a tour of the new grounds.
board members were nominated to the board is a positive guide for the and Salon Studies or Digital Phothe college for approval. Now, one- school.
tography program, be sure to pass
third of external Governors will be
“[The board is the] overarching on thanks through your president.
appointed and two-thirds by each body for good governance,” says
Patterson, says that the key for
college board of governors. The Len Crispino, chairman of Niagara students to understand is the board
term for both external and internal College’s board of governors.
assigns the staff of the college with
is three years.
Crispino also says the interests the jobs of ensuring quality of the
Each board will establish by- of the students are served even
programs and services that are
laws setting out the total members though governors are not a dayof governors to be appointed. to-day force at the school. He says delivered to the students. He says
Roles in Ontario include approving they are totally committed to “ap- in this way the “main interface” is
policy directions, hiring the presi- plied dreams” and that the needs of still between students and staff.
The board meets six times a
dent, evaluating the president, col- the students are met.
year,
including a two-day retreat.
lege budgets and representing the
According to Rose, all programs
college to the community with a go through the board’s choice. The The meetings range from one hour
single and united voice; in a sense, next time you are enjoying the Spa to three, depending on the agenda.
Civilian hopes to turn sheep into sheepdogs
By SAM CINO
Staff Writer
What is in your pockets right
now to help you survive?
Billy Dungey is looking to address that question with his new
website
www.civiliansheepdog.
com. It is aimed at helping the
everyday person with survivability
topics. Those topics include CPR
and first aid, building a “bug-out”
bag which would be used if you
have an extended power outage
and need your own supplies for
a few days, among various other
topics.
“I personally carry a small
200-lumen [very bright] flashlight
all the time and I’m always looking
for more. I think it’s turning into a
sickness,” he says jokingly.
Dungey, 24, of Brantford, Ont.,
wants to bring the average person a
degree of readiness in their lives, to
become “sheepdogs.”
Sheepdog is defined thus on
the website: “The sheep [general
people] generally do not like the
sheepdog. He looks a lot like the
wolf [evil person]. He has fangs
and the capacity for evil. The difference, though, is that the sheepdog will not ever harm the sheep.
Any sheepdog that intentionally
harms the lowliest little lamb will
be punished and removed. The
world cannot work any other way,
at least not in a representative de-
mocracy or a republic such as ours.
“Still, the sheepdog disturbs the
sheep. He is a constant reminder
that there are wolves in the land.
They would prefer that he didn’t
tell them where to go, or give them
traffic tickets. The sheep would
much rather have the sheepdog
cash in his fangs, spray paint
himself white, and go, ‘Baa’ until
the wolf shows up. Then the entire
flock tries desperately to hide behind one lonely sheepdog.”
Dungey says civilian sheepdogs (CS) aren’t trouble seekers.
They’re only there to help.
“I think of it like a ‘prepared
helper’ or those people who choose
to help those in need. I hope to
never be confronted with a violent
situation, local or regional disaster or the like. However, I’m not
so jaded as to believe that these
issues will never affect me. If it
‘I think of it like a
‘prepared helper’
or those people
who choose to
help those in
need.’
-Bill Dungey
He says he has some T-shirts
and Velcro patches coming in the
near future and will possibly have
a free item giveaway once the site
reaches 100 members.
Photo courtesy of
civiliansheepdog.com
does, I hope to be prepared, and if
it affects someone else, as long as
it is ethically, professionally and
legally right for me to do so, I hope
I can help. There is a difference between preparedness and paranoia.”
His wife, Amy, has been supportive through her husband’s new
project.
“She’s a big fan. We went to get
our first aid certifications together.
She’s a lot like me. ‘Be the change
you want to see in the world’ kind
of stuff.”
On the business end of the website, he says it’s been very low cost.
“The web hosting will only
cost me $20 per year since I’m
just starting out, which is great.
I also do my own web design so
I don’t need to hire anyone, and
I’m working on my own graphic
design as well.”
THANK
THANK
THANK
THANK
THANK
THANK
THANK
THANK
THANK
THANK
THANK
THANK
THANK
THANK
THANK
THANK
THANK
THANK
THANK
THANK
THANK
THANK
THANK
THANK
You can find Dungey on www.
civiliansheepdog.com under the
username “youonlywish.”
“Preparation leads to preservation.”
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NIAGARA NEWS
Oct. 22, 2010
Page 17
LIFESTYLE
Chandler collects faculty award of excellence
By ANTON MWEWA
Staff Writer
Meeting someone truly remarkable doesn’t happen very
often. Meeting Betty Ann Chandler from the English as a Second
Language (ESL) department at
Niagara College is one of those
rare cases.
Finding a place to start describing Chandler is a daunting task. For
those who may not know, Chandler
is a professor of ESL at Niagara
College’s Welland campus.
She is the winner of this year’s
faculty Award of Excellence,
which is no mere feat.
Chandler, 61, grew up on a farm
near the town of Jarvis, Ont.
She has been married to her husband, Ricky, a paramedic, for 39
years, and together they have two
children and four grandchildren.
Had Chandler been just another
person here at the college, her description would end there, but she
is hardly “just another person.”
In contrast to what she does today, Chandler started her career as
a nurse at an intensive care unit in
St. Catharines.
It was during this period of
her life that she came to Niagara
College and taught nursing for 13
years.
When the nursing program that
employed her was shut down,
Chandler found herself out of luck
and out of a job.
“The closing of my nursing
program was a bad thing for me,”
she says of the experience. “I was
really sad about that.”
However, Chandler didn’t give
up. She says she had only two
options: to go into the “depths of
depression” or look for another opportunity.
She had been hosting international students through the homestay program, and she says it was
only fitting that she move to the
International Department.
“When one door closes, watch
for another one to open, and when
it does, walk through it,” she says.
Betty Ann Chandler poses with her reserved parking sign outside the International Department. She then
auctioned off the sign and all of the proceeds went the United Way.
Photo by Anton Mwewa
Staying true to that sentiment, the Middle East where she taught only ones who feel that way. EarChandler went back to school at a program at a Saudi hospital; Tai- lier last year, two other ESL profesHumber College in Toronto and wan, where she went on recruiting sors put in their nomination for the
earned the Teaching English as a trips; and Germany and Korea, college’s Award of Excellence.
Susan Vandenboom and Lynn
Second Language (TESL) certifi- where she visited her past homeOtto wrote a nomination letter
cation, a prerequisite to teach ESL. stay students.
“Students whom I’ve taught putting forth Chandler’s name and
She says the entire process wasn’t
here helped me over there,” says outlining the reasons they felt she
easy.
“It was not easy to walk through Chandler, showing just how many deserved the award.
“Betty Ann is the kind of perthat door, but I’m really, really glad friends she has made in her 13
son you’d want to have on your
years as an ESL professor.
that I did.”
Joy Jia, 29, a former student of island,” they said in the letter.
Upon acquiring her TESL certification, Chandler returned to Chandler and now in the employ “She is genuine and sincere in her
Niagara College’s International of the International Department, praise of others and never lets the
Department as a professor of ESL, says her experiences with Chandler accomplishments of her colleagues
a move that has clearly done her a were nothing but fun and interest- go unrecognized.”
After 13 years of giving to her
ing.
lot of good.
“As soon as she walked in the community, her students, and her
In her time teaching ESL, Chandler has had the chance to not only classroom it was like, wow,” says college, Chandler received this
interact with several students from Jia, recalling the first time she met year’s Award of Excellence in recall around the world, but also visit Chandler. “She brightened every- ognition of her hard work.
She compares it to the likes of
thing up right away.”
some of their countries.
Chandler’s students are not the winning an Academy Award.
She has visited Saudi Arabia in
“I could cry at the thoughts of
getting it,” she says, tearing up
slightly.
“It’s such a nice feeling … I
don’t know how they choose one
person because there are so many
who deserve this.”
Vandeboom says she was thrilled
about Chandler’s win.
“She is so deserving of this
award, and we are all so pleased
for her.”
Along with a plaque to commemorate her achievement, Chandler received a reserved parking
spot for an entire year, a valuable
commodity in the midst of the college’s parking crisis.
However, Chandler auctioned
off the parking space and donated
the proceeds to the United Way,
just another way she is helping the
community.
Chandler says the award has
been a crowning moment in her
life and emphasizes how much her
nominators and the entire International Department mean to her.
“They are all so special to me –
with or without the award!”
With all she has achieved so far,
one would assume there is only
more to come, and Chandler shows
no outward signs of slowing down.
In reality, though, she and her husband have begun contemplating
the possibility of retiring.
“We haven’t made the definite
decision to retire but we have to at
some point,” she says. “I’d hate to
leave but I have to make room for
the young people to come in.”
Even if she retires, Chandler
doesn’t plan to do nothing. She
says she hopes to get into volunteer
work in the community and overseas and to do some travelling.
Much has happened during
Chandler’s time at here. Nothing
has stayed constant except change,
and Chandler says she is confident
the change will always be positive.
“Under the direction of Sean
Coote [director of the International
Department], I’m sure the department will flourish.”
Teenage pregnancies draw several different reactions
By BREANNE VARDY
Staff Writer
With shows on MTV such as 16
& pregnant and Teen Mom, teenagers may get the courage to have
a child while they are still children
themselves.
Over the past six years, teen
pregnancy in the Niagara region
has consistently shown a higher
rate than the rest of the province.
Between 2002 and 2005, Niagara’s teen pregnancy rate decreased.
In 2002, 34.5 teen p regnancies occured per 1000 females from 15 to
19. In 2005 it was to 29.7.
The slight increase was to 30.6
from 2005 to 2007. This is followed by a slight decrease in
2008 to 29.7. On the other hand,
Ontario rates had a steady decline
from 2002 to 2008, from 30.6 to
24.5 teen pregnancies per 1000
females in the range are 15-19.
Tamika Wisdom, 18, of Welland,
Ont., says for teen moms the big-
gest struggle must be their education and planning for their futures.
“If you find out you’re pregnant
without planning it’s a different
situation, but I don’t approve of
teenagers trying to get pregnant
at a young age,” says Wisdom.
She says young women need to
be financially stable and be able to
provide a stable home for a baby,
and at such a young age it’s very
rare you will have that.
Wisdom says if a women
were pregnant at 18 she would
be very upset because it would
destroy her plans and goals.
“I would have to have the child
because it is against my religion
to have an abortion. The majority
of my friends are teen mothers.”
“In 2009-2010 teen pregnancy
rates are high, and it seems they
continue to rise,” says Wisdom.
Although
teen
pregnancy
in the community seems to be
accepted now, Wisdom says,
the right time for children is
when you’re stable, financially,
mentally, and in a relationship.
Freda Agyekum,
18,
of
Thorold, Ont., says teen pregnancy should not be something a teenager goes through.
“At that point in life they should
be focused on school and building a future for themselves,” says
Agyekum adding that someday she
would like to have children.
However if she had them
at this age she would have
no choice but to take full responsibility for her actions.
“I don’t think teen pregnancy
should be considered normal,
because it isn’t something society
has accepted and it’s not sending
a good message to the younger
population,” says Agyekum.
She hopes that teen mothers can
stay focused, finish their education,
and be responsible because they
have another life to look out for now.
Bethany Broadbridge, 19, of Brantford, Ont., had her baby boy at age
19. Broadbridge says being pregnant as a teenager wasn’t that bad.
“I had graduated high school
and I felt like I had a good head
on my shoulders. I felt responsible
enough to become a mother.”
She was in her first semester of
college when she got pregnant. “It
was one of the hardest things to
deal with because I was pursuing
my dreams and taking theatre in
college.”
“But I realized that my life
path had changed and I needed to
take responsibility of my actions
and work to support my baby.”
Broadbridge says, surprisingly,
her aunts were the only people
to tell her that it wasn’t a good
idea to have a child at her age.
“Close friends and family friends
and everyone else I had talked to
were very supportive.”
Continued on page 18
Callan Kivell, 19, poses with her
baby belly at seven months
pregnant.
Submitted photo
NIAGARA NEWS
Page 18
Oct. 22, 2010
LIFESTYLES
Teenage moms
face challenges
day to day
What is a sexual health worker?
Continuted from page 17
Teen mothers can face a number
of issues throughout pregnancy
making it hard to feel like they
made the right decision. For
Broadbridge the hardest part was
not during the pregnancy but after
the child was born.
“The hardest thing was enduring the 35 days that my baby was
in the NICU (Neonatal Intensive
Care Unit) after he was born, but
that would be difficult for a parent
at any age,” says Broadbridge.
Although she is a single mom
it’s difficult to think that the father
does not want to be in his life. “I
took the time to work full time
before I gave birth so I’ve been
able to take care of myself and my
child.”
“I feel better about doing it on
my own because the other parent
might not have the same views
and I know that myself and my son
have a great support system behind
us,” she says.
Broadbridge says she plans to
return to college to study television
broadcast or become a child and
youth worker.
“I look forward to sending my
son off to school, him living a
happy life and him one day saying
that he is proud of his mom,” says
Broadbridge.
Callan Kivell, 19, of Barrie,
Ont., says it was very hard to be a
teen mother. “I was constantly being judged and I had to work extra
hard,” says Kivell. “But people are
always judging everything, so at a
point I just stopped caring,” says
Kivell. She says she was 19 when
she had her baby, just out of high
school and working.
“It was good to see that certain
people accepted I was pregnant
and were nice to me,” says Kivell.
“Teen pregnancy groups were nice
because everyone there could relate to each other.” She says she
“got lucky” because she is not a
single mom.
“I have a wonderful fiancé; I
can’t imagine how hard it would be
without him.”
“My whole world could be
crashing down, but the minute I
see my daughter smile all the bad
things and worrying go away.”
By BREANNE VARDY
Staff Writer
“Sexual health can be a controversial topic, so my biggest challenge is trying to break down barriers and make it something people
feel comfortable talking about. It is
happening: people are having sex.
As much as we don’t want to admit that, it’s important to see it as
something that is happening,” says
Chrissy Diadamo, a sexual health
promoter for the Niagara Region.
“I want to make it an OK thing to
talk about, and help people protect
themselves.”
Diadamo, 30, of Beamsville,
Ont., was born in Niagara Falls
where she attended St. Paul’s High
School.
Diadamo says she attended
Brock University for her bachelor of arts degree in Community
Health Science.
She says she went to Australia
to do her master’s degree in Public
Health and Tropical Medicine.
While there she tried to contact
Public Health to see if they wanted
any students for placements.
Diadamo got a reply saying the
infectious disease program was
interested in having students.
She worked for that program
with the health promoter at the
time and they worked on a project
together.
While she was in student placement, a position came up in the
Sexual Health program.
“What’s ironic about it all is I
took human sexuality while I was
at Brock,” says Diadamo.
“I was a teaching assistant so
I had the background for human
sexuality.”
She says she didn’t always want
to be in sexual health. When she
finished her degree, she was not
sure what she wanted to do.
“I was just trying to get my foot
in the door of public health and
understand what public health was
at the time.”
“I just knew I loved health. I
loved promoting people to live a
healthy lifestyle, so it came down
to fitting in, even though I wasn’t a
nurse or a doctor. How else can I fit
into the health field?”
She says when the opportunity
‘I have a passion for public health and I really enjoy being a part of it’
Chrissy Diadamo, sexual health promoter for the Niagara Region, speaks out about her career.
Submitted photo
“I love what I am doing now, so
came to apply for this position, she ted infections.”
“I participate in developing se- no regrets but, truthfully, I wanted
just jumped on it.
When asked who influenced her rious campaigns for HPV and the to be a doctor.”
Diadamo describes herself as
childhood, she says she does not vaccines that are now available,
so pamphlet creation, posters, fact passionate.
think it was anyone in particular.
“When I commit to something,
“Throughout my childhood sheets, gathering the right inforand adolescence, I got tapped mation for the community to be I try to follow through with it as
strongly as I can.”
on the shoulder by a number of aware.”
“I also establish a target audience
She says it makes her love her
adults who engaged me in various
for a particular subject and develop job because she loves what she is
things,” says Diadamo.
She was involved in many sports information that is relevant to that trying to teach and promote.
In five years, she says she hopes
camps and leadership camps and audience.”
She says if her audience is at she is still working within public
“that really helped me find out
who I was, along with my beliefs the university level, she partners health.
“I have a passion for public
and my values. I have a wonderful with another health promoter and
family, a great upbringing. I am they work on a sex and alcohol health and I really enjoy being a
campaign.
part of it,” says Diadamo.
very lucky.”
“Oh gosh, my life. It’s not that
“Don’t wake up with more than a
She says she would like to have
exciting. I wake up. I walk my hangover” was one campaign that some kids and move ahead if the
dog,” says Diadamo, laughing. was really fun.
opportunity arises within public
She adds that work varies and ev“We know that university stu- health.
ery day is a little bit different.
dents are going to participate in
“It’s hard to think that far ahead
“Certain days I could be at a drinking and they are going to par- when I am thinking about what
community organization doing a ticipate in sex. We just want them I want to do in the next eight
presentation on sexually transmit- to be responsible,” says Diadamo.
months.”
Don’t let yourself go because of the sleet and snow
By TONY ALTOMARE
Staff Writer
It’s that time of year again. The
leaves are beginning to turn, the
days are shorter, the wind is colder
and snow is on its way. It’s the perfect weather to just grab a blanket,
a few of your favourite snacks and
a movie or two and pack on some
pounds while you hibernate on the
couch.
This season you might want
to consider avoiding those extra
unwanted Thanksgiving and other
holiday dinner pounds by getting
off the couch and staying active.
Chris Ghaly, 22, of Niagara Falls,
a Fitness and Health Promotion
student, says the winter months
can be “cold and discouraging” for
many students who become less
active once the weather starts to
change.
‘Now that winter
is coming it’s even
harder to stay in
shape ...’
— Chris Ghaly
Now that winter is coming, it
is even harder to stay in shape so
students need to focus on their
diets. It’s time to lay off the barbecue food and start thinking about
everyday food decisions. Students
should start a meal plan that is high
in protein, high in fibre and low in
fat. The most important thing is
staying active. It’s always tough
in winter, but you can’t stay on the
couch. You need to hit the gym and
keep moving.”
Students attending the Welland
campus have a new and improved
facility to use during the winter
months.
The fitness facility and workout
area of the new athletic centre
provides free access to enrolled
students.
The new fitness room is nearly
triple the size of the last and contains all new equipment readily
available to students.
“There are all sorts of new
equipment that is up to date in the
new fitness centre. Everything is
very brand new and state of the
art and very professional,” says
Vincent Filice, 22, also a student of
the Fitness and Health Promotion
program.
“They have everything from
cardio machines such as ellipticals,
bikes and treadmills for those people looking to shed some pounds,
to weights for those students who
hope to tone up before the next
beach season,” says Ghaly.
For those who can’t make it to
the gym on a regular basis, there
are always fitness routines to do at
home.
Ghaly and Filice recommend doing pushups, sit-ups and chin-ups if
possible. Cardiovascular exercises
are important to keep the heart
healthy, so going for a walk or light
jog, weather permitting, will do the
body good. Just remember to always bundle up and layer clothing.
Ghaly and Filice say students
should take advantage of the new
centre.
“It is a lot tougher to focus on
working out when the weather
starts getting colder. Students at the
college should really take advantage of everything the new fitness
room offers.
“It’s free, so if you’re in between
classes and just sitting around,
don’t hesitate to head over and
use the equipment instead of just
lounging around.”
NIAGARA NEWS
Oct. 22, 2010
Page 19
SPORTS
Controversy rose when the referee called a questionable free kick from inside the six-yard box. The Knights’ defence was confused allowing the Mohawk Mountaineers to tie the game.
The Mountaineers would go on to win by a score of 6-4 in extra time.
Photos by Nick Bedard
Knights sent home from playoffs
Lady
Knights
ousted
in
Mohawk steals tense game in overtime
first round of qualifier
By NICK BEDARD
Staff Writer
It was a rich start that eventually
elapsed into a poor ending for the
Niagara Knights men’s soccer team
Tuesday. The Knights squared off
against the Mohawk Mountaineers
of Hamilton, in the first round of
the Ontario College Athletic Association (OCAA) Western Conference playoffs.
After finishing regular time at a
4-4 draw, the game proceeded into
silver goal that allows two extra
15-minute periods. Mohawk would
capitalize twice in the extra frame,
eliminating the Knights from the
OCAA playoffs with a 6-4 victory.
“We let this game get away from
us. It was a case where if we didn’t
have bad luck, we’d have no luck
at all,” says Knights head coach
Anthony Ventresca.
Bad luck was the case for
the Knights once again on
Tuesday afternoon, as they had one
unfortunate score on their own
goal and a disallowed goal involving a suspected offside call made
by linesman John Zetkic.
As the opening kick-off took
place, it didn’t take long for the
Mountaineers to find the back of
the net. The Mountaineers took a
1-0 lead within three minutes of
play. Ten minutes later, the Knights
were awarded a free kick 25 yards
out. Derek Paterson, eager for
redemption after a two game
suspension, stepped up and deliv-
ered a dazzling shot that found the
inside corner of the net.
Paterson says, “I wanted to come
out strong, I felt like I owed the
team something for getting that red
card two weeks ago.”
Another tough break occurred
as a Knights defender attempted to
clear the ball out of the penalty box
using his head but it ricocheted off
his hand resulting in a Mountaineers goal via penalty kick. At the
28-minute mark Jordan Arnott was
in the right place at the right time
for the Knights as he buried a goal
to even the score. Back from injury, Knights captain Matt Miedema
made his presence felt by serving a
splendid ball to Paterson allowing
him to score his second goal of the
night. A late own-goal in the dying
seconds of the first half allowed the
Mountaineers to go into the half at
three goals a-piece.
Knights keeper James Draper
rushes a Mountaineer forward to
make a save.
In the second half, Niagara
wasted no time getting the
go-ahead goal when a Patterson
cross found Komar Irandost for a
hard strike to the back of the net.
Controversy arose mid-way
through the second half when
Knights keeper James Draper
appeared to have controlled the
ball, then tried to pick it up but was
stopped by referee Mike Winstanly.
“I went to block the ball with my
hands and then played it with my
feet then picked it up,” says Draper.
“I have been doing this all
season and apparently now it’s not
allowed If I got away with it all
year, I don’t know why they would
wait until the second half of the last
game to call it. There is nothing we
can do about it now.”
Winstanly awarded Mohawk
with an in-direct free kick six
yards away from Draper’s goal. A
shocked and un-organized Knights’
defence watched the ball go past
them and into the goal tying the
game. The remainder of regular
time solved nothing.
In overtime Adam Bond and
Adam Petrina of the Mountaineers
each had a goal to ensure the home
team a victory.
Petrina finished the game with
three goals, Bond with two and
Sirwan Irandost chipped in with
one goal for the Mountaineers.
They now move on to play Algonquin College of Ottawa in the
next round of the OCAA playoffs.
By NICK BEDARD
Staff Writer
It was a match that could have
gone any way for the Niagara
Knights women’s soccer team.
The Mohawk Mountaineers
hosted the Knights Ontario
Colleges Athlectic Association
soccer first round playoff action,
Tuesday. The Mountaineers edged
out the Knights by a 2-1 score.
The Knights got off to a great
start. Knights forward Erin
Jennison broke her scoring draught
by sniping a shot from just inside
the 18-yard mark that found the
bottom left corner of the goal.
It took only two minutes of play
for the Mountaineers to answer
back as Ashley Haden evened
things up.
‘Without goals
you can’t really
win games.’
— Brittany Russell
Late in the first half, the Knights
defenders were caught off guard
by a bouncing ball that travelled
through four Knights defenders and passed keeper Brittany
Russell, allowing Haden to score
her second goal of the night.
“We had three players on one
of their players and she (Haden)
got a foot on it, but I was going in
the opposite way as she was,” says
Russell.
Russell, 20, of the Tourism
Management – Business Development program, says the team had
a good start to the season but fell
apart a little over the mid-way
point of the season.
“Our problem was that we
couldn’t finish. We couldn’t score
goals. Without goals you can’t really win games. Now I will look
keep the cardio up for the indoor
soccer season.”
Scoring was the big issue all
season for the Knights; in fact, in
eight games the Knights found the
back of the net six times.
First-year player Erin Jennison,
18, of the Horticultural and Landscape Technician program, says
despite the loss, she had a lot of fun
with her new teammates throughout the year.
“Tonight we played very well,
but there were times where we
broke down a little bit and should
have picked ourselves up. Other
than that, we should have shot
more on net but, really, what can
you do?”
After starting the season with
three wins and no losses, the
Knights took a turn for the worse
dropping four of their next five
games. The Knights close out the
2010 season with a record of three
wins, five losses and one draw.
Disappointing end to regular season of soccer
By BEN CLARKE
Staff Writer
The Niagara Knights women’s
soccer team hit a rough patch as
it concluded its regular season on
Oct. 7 at Plymouth Park in Welland.
The Knights, who were facing
the Mohawk Mountaineers of
Hamilton, found themselves on the
wrong side of a 3-1 score.
“It’s frustrating we gave away
six points in the last two games,”
said head coach Frank DeChellis.
“We need to play a full game the
way we did in the first 25 minutes.”
Things looked promising for
the Knights in the early going as
they gave an offensive push to
the Mountaineers. Niagara was
playing a faster pace of soccer in
the first half, which led to a goal
by midfielder Alexandra Knox.
Strong play by forward Erin Jennison gave Niagara several chances
to increase their lead.
The Knights played a conservative game in the first half, not
allowing the Mountaineers any
quality opportunities to score.
They took a 1-0 lead into halftime.
The second half, however,
was a different story. Lack of
communication gave Mohawk
an early equalizer. A free kick by
defenceman Somer Tambeau gave
Niagara a chance to take the lead,
but the shot went over the crossbar.
Mohawk would then score on a
controversial offside play before
adding another to seal the game
3-1.
“We stopped pressuring and let
them get the ball,” says DeChellis.
“Only having two substitutes also
hurt us.”
The Niagara Knights men’s
soccer team found itself in an
emotional battle to close out the
regular season.
The Knights played to a 1-1 tie
against Mohawk College Mountaineers of Hamilton on the afternoon of Oct. 7 at Plymouth Park in
Welland.
In the first few minutes a Mohawk player collided with Knights
goalkeeper Mike Norsworthy, but
there was no foul on the play.
“He was trying to get the ball,
and I thought our goalie could have
come out harder. Mohawk was
actually asking for a penalty shot
while we were asking for a free
kick the other way,” says Knights
head coach Anthony Ventresca. “I
think the ref made the right call in
letting the play carry out with no
advantage either way.”
In a back and forth game,
Niagara had key opportunities to
get on the scoreboard early with
two free kicks that sailed over the
Mohawk crossbar.
With no score at halftime, the
Knights and Mountaineers would
exchange goals in the second half.
Niagara’s goal came from defenseman Anthony Pesco.
In a game that saw a lot of
emotion and trash talk from the
Mohawk team, the Knights head
coach was glad to see his team
didn’t take part in that style of play.
“I’m not a fan of verbal banter. I
always stress to our players to have
short-term memory when it comes
to frustration and officiating on the
field. Concentrate on what you’re
going to do next, rather than what
has just happened.”
NIAGARA NEWS
Page 20
Oct. 22, 2010
SPORTS
Going all the way to the NHL
Welland’s own hockey star playing in the major league
By MATT GIBSON
Staff Writer
For two promising 18-yearolds, this year’s National Hockey
League (NHL) entry draft may
have seemed like a fairytale.
Being drafted into the NHL is a
dream millions of kids across the
globe dream of achieving. The culture of hockey in Canada is rich but
rarely do we see a race to the top as
we did this summer.
“Taylor or Tyler” is the slogan
that defined the NHL this summer.
Oilers President Daryl Katz may
admit to the Taylor versus Tyler
saga as a gift from God in relation
to marketing. For a team that had
one of their worst seasons in franchise history, nothing could pick
this team up more than the number
1 pick in the entry draft.
“This rebuilding team needs an
enthusiastic poster boy as much
as it does a purging of the veteran
core. They don’t want him up there
on stage at the Staples Center in Los
Angeles, towering over diminutive
owner Daryl Katz, wearing a smile
so transparent you can see clear
through it to the Bobby Orr posters
in his bedroom,” says Vancouver
Sun reporter Dan Barnes before
Hall was selected by the Edmonton
Oilers in the 2010 NHL entry draft.
Those who follow hockey know
how the draft turned out. Hall was
selected first overall by one of
hockey’s most legendary teams,
the Edmonton Oilers. Seguin was
selected second overall by one of
the original six teams, the Boston
Bruins.
To get an idea of how important
Hall is to the Oilers, Hall was presented with an Oilers jersey with
No. 4 on the back. In a report done
by edmontonoilers.com writer, Jen
Sharpe, Hall’s introduction was a
first.
“For the first time in team history, someone other than Kevin
Lowe will wear No. 4.”
Lowe has been an essential
part of the Oilers organization.
He spent 13 seasons with the club
combining for five Stanley Cup
victories. Lowe also brought the
Oilers to the Stanley Cup finals
in 2005 as the general manager of
the team against the Carolina Hurricanes. The Oilers went on to lose
the Stanley Cup in Game 7. Lowe
has since stepped down from that
position.
For Hall and Seguin, this year is
a tryout. Every single eye across
the league, whether it is management, players or fans are locked in.
Hall and Seguin are not from the
Niagara region, but Welland, Ont.,
has produced some NHL calibre
hockey players. Daniel Girardi
of the New York Rangers, Daniel
Paille of the Boston Bruins, Nathan
Horton of the Boston Bruins and
Matt Ellis of the Buffalo Sabres
are all active NHL players who call
Welland their hometown.
Despite this, the list of active
NHL players from Welland is in-
Paul Bissonnette is shown in action on the ice against the Edmonton Oilers.
Submitted photo
‘It felt awesome. A
good start to life, it
was a lot of money
up front.’
— Paul Bissonnette
complete. Paul Bissonntte of the
Phoenix Coyotes is also a Wellandborn NHL player. Drafted by the
Pittsburgh Penguins in the fourth
round (121st overall) in 2003, Bissonnette, 25, is above the others for
one reason: No other NHL player
has a stronger Niagara College
connection.
Bissonnette’s mother, Yolande,
is a Niagara College professor
currently on leave. She has been
teaching for over 30 years.
“I was teaching at Niagara College for 30 years and received my
30-year service award at Niagara
Day. The college is the best place to
work. I taught in the Office Administration Department and taught
Ethics and Customer Service,
Customer Relation Management,
Document Formatting and Office
Environment.” Most parents get a
small taste, a sense of what their
children would like to do with their
careers. This case is no different.
“Paul was in hockey at age six
and played single A until 11.”
Yolande says that soon afterwards
Paul was selected to Play “AAA”
for the Welland Tigers.
“He was 11 and that is when he
became serious and focused.”
A draft day at any level representing any sport is an emotional
roller coaster, a waiting game, and
to top that all off, a huge sense of
relief.
“The first day of the draft was so
exciting. We had lots of family and
friends there as well as his agent.”
According to The Hockey News,
Bissonnette was projected to be
taken on the first day of the draft
in the second round, says Yolande.
“However that did not happen.
That was a disappointment. It
made day two a bit more stressful.
He got picked 121 overall in the
fourth round. How do you spell
relief hearing his name called?”
Unlike this year’s No. 1 and
No. 2 overall NHL draft picks,
Bissonnette will not be aiming for
any scoring titles soon. The record
Bissonnette is chasing is a personal
one. The Coyotes’ tough guy is approaching 1,000 penalty minutes in
his playing career.
“Bissonnette had over 175 penalty minutes in Wilkes Barrie [Pittsburgh Penguins American Hockey
League Affiliate] so he knows how
to do this stuff,” says TSN colour
analyst Pierre McGuire.
Any player who receives 175
penalty minutes throughout one
season is nothing shy of a classic
tough guy, although fighting is not
always appealing to everyone.
“I am hoping that Paul fights
less this year, a mother’s wish, and
shows the type of hockey player he
is. Personally I do not like to see
him fight as I am always worried
he will get hurt,” Yolande says.
‘Paul was in
hockey at age six
... ’
— Yolande Bissonnette
Paul plays professionally in what
may be the worst hockey market in
North America, Phoenix. The team
has gone bankrupt and been sold to
the NHL.
The bid to buy the Coyotes by
“BlackBerry Billionaire” Jim Balsillie was shut down by the NHL
because of Balsillie’s dedication to
moving the team to Hamilton, Ont.
Since the rejection of the proposal,
the Coyotes remain in major financial trouble.
Paul doesn’t seem concerned
about the Coyotes’ financial issues.
Paul says he doesn’t seem to think
it has much of an impact on any of
the players or the team itself.
“We don’t care. It doesn’t affect
us. It’s not out money and it’s not
our problem. It’s an excuse for the
team to not do well.”
Despite being an active member
of the Phoenix Coyotes’ roster,
Paul was drafted 121 overall by the
Pittsburgh Penguins.
“It was exciting, it was a big
moment, and it’s the first step to
your career. At the time Pittsburgh
had a very young team and I felt I
had a really good chance.” He says
signing his first contract made him
realize how short life really is.
“It felt awesome. A good start to
life, it was a lot of money up front.
It forces you to grow up faster.”
One thing he is not planning on
growing out of anytime soon is
fighting. His mother’s comment
about her concern for her son’s
on-ice fighting was brought to his
attention. For him the role of the
enforcer is nothing more than a
support mechanism for him and his
teammates.
“I embrace the role. I like sticking up for teammates and I got to
pay the bills.”
Paul has not always been a tough
guy. In junior he played defence.
When asked if he had a hockey
hero, he says, “I didn’t really have
one.” Despite not having a favourite player, all-star defencemen
Chris Pronger and Adam Foote
were two players he always had
his eye on. Not Tiger Williams, Tie
Domi, or Claude Lemieux?
“I was a defenceman back then.”
Many players have defining moments in their junior careers. Paul
is no different. “I won a gold medal
with Team Canada at the Under
18 World Hockey Championship
in Russia.” He mentioned how
Chicago Blackhawks defenceman
Brent Seabrook was on the team,
now an Olympic gold medalist.
Paul did not go No.1 in the entry
draft but he understands the hype
behind the Hall versus Seguin saga
that took place this summer.
“There is not much to talk about
so we’ve got to create drama.”
He says the NHL has been trying
to improve the public relations
department and this type of promotion and hype assists with that.
He has a Twitter account under
the name BizNasty2pointO. A
teammate is responsible for him
joining Twitter.
“Scotty Upshall [Coyotes teammate] told me it was cool, a lot
of fun and to check it out. I promoted it on Facebook. I have 4,000
Facebook friends so a bunch of
them ended up following. It just
kinda caught on fire. Within a few
weeks I had 6,000 followers. I have
10,000 now.”
Many people around the league
have been surprised with the popularity of BizNasty on Twitter. He
says he admits to not expecting the
support and reception.
Yahoo sports writer Sean Leahy
recently conducted an interview
with Paul. The lead is where one
may begin to realize He is not
your regular money making NHL
player.
“It’s been a frustrating hockey
summer for several reasons; but
the bright, shining distraction from
it all was the Twitter rambling of
Paul Bissonnnette of the Phoenix
Coyotes.”
The Coyotes enforcer made
some comments regarding the
massive Ilya Kovalchuck contract
rejection via Twitter.
Continued on page 21
NIAGARA NEWS
Oct. 22, 2010
Page 21
SPORTS
Knights’
golf success
continues
By NICK BEDARD
Staff Writer
Niagara Knights player Lamar Grant goes hard into contact for a basket against Centennial College of Scarborough.
Photo by Kristen Spruit
Knights heading into season opener
By NICK BEDARD
Staff Writer
The Niagara Knights men’s
basketball team will wrap up its
pre-season schedule this weekend at an invitational exhibition tournament hosted by St.
Lawrence College of Kingston.
The Knights have six pre-season
games under their belt, having
won three games and lost three.
Five of the six games have been
played against opponents that are
outside of the Knights’ Western
Conference.
St. Clair College, of Windsor,
who finished last season with a
record of six wins and 12 losses,
upset the Knights 75-59 at the
Seneca Sting Invitational earlier
this month.
Head Coach Steve Atkin has
indicated early who his starters
will be; however, he’s allowing
his rookies to see some significant
floor time off the bench.
Atkin says, “They [rookies]
seem to be making progress every
day. I think we have to be patient
and support these fellows. They
are learning a brand new system at
a faster pace than they are used to
seeing in high school.”
The starting lineup of Alex
Shah, Matt Thomas, C.J. Smith,
captain Lamar Grant and the 6’8”
freshman centre Dylan Pelissero
have caused matchup nightmares
for opposing teams. Atkin also
showed glimpses of a run ‘n’ gun
style where four guards are on
the floor at the same time running
opposing teams from baseline to
baseline.
With different players trying
different things, Captain Grant
says trust is a big thing for the
Knights.
Grant, 26, a student of the Customs and Immigration program,
says, “We have been struggling
with turnovers, but coach is letting
us learn from our mistakes. If we
make a mistake, coach is putting
trust into us that we know what
our mistake is and to play through
them, for now.”
The issue for the Knights has
been ball security. Turnovers have
allowed opposing teams to go
on key runs. If the Knights can
establish a solid backcourt press
break, it will eventually turn into
easy buckets and frustrate other
teams.
Physicality is most certainly
not an issue this year. If the duo
of Pelissero and Shah can stay out
of foul trouble, they could be the
most dominant post players in the
Western Conference. Veteran Jake
Parents backed enforcer all the way
Continued from page 20
“An Ilya Kovalchuk joke gone
wrong, after the Russian forward
had his original contract with the
New Jersey Devils rejected by
the NHL, prompted Bissonnette
to shut things down on his Twitter
feed,” says Leahy.
Paul had some words of his own
regarding the comments on Twitter.” He said his agent thought it
would be best if he shut down the
account after he became aware of
the comments. His agent protecting him from any penalty or fine
distributed by the league, Paul
says.
Paul says the whole thing was
handled poorly. “People are looking to screw up something ‘cause
they’re bored. Everyone else took
it as a joke because that is exactly
what it was, a joke” He says if
you have seen his tweets then you
know he is only out to make people
laugh and to have a good time. Paul
says he has re-opened his Twitter
account.
Paul is clearly not your stereotypical NHL player. He has a
unique personality and his Twitter account reflects that. Some of
his wall postings include: “Oh,
remember this name. Oliver
Ekman-Larson. This kid is a stud.
A Swedish d-man. Makes hockey
look easier than minute rice.”
“Out to eat with @WojtekWolski
and Taylor Pyatt aka soup of panty.
Pyatt got a veal chop the size of my
head. Biggie.”
If the previous tweets do not
confirm Paul’s individuality not
only in the Coyotes’ locker room
but throughout the league, then his
stab at the Coyotes’ financial situation should confirm that he likes
to keep things on the lighter side
of life.
“I know we are having money
problems, but how are we all going to fit on that plane.” Almost
every professional hockey player
has something to say to those who
have helped them achieve success.
If you could say one thing to all
the people who have contributed
to your success as a hockey player
what would it be?
“I know it’s clichéd but I have
to thank my parents. It isn’t cheap
putting a kid through hockey. It’s a
lot of money, it’s a lot of time and
it’s a lot of effort.
They have probably spent anywhere from $60,000 to $80,000
on me just for hockey. They could
have retired a lot earlier but they
didn’t. They didn’t do it because
they wanted me to make the NHL.
They did it because they knew it’s
what I wanted to do.”
Sitka and the 6’5” first-year player
Kahame Msiska, out of Zambia,
will be ready to bump bodies
down low when their names are
called upon to do so.
The Hamilton trio of Jimmy
Bilenga, Elvis Momat and Dan
MacAlonan showed a promising
pre-season when they were on the
court together. Bilenga and Momat are still in the mix of adapting
to a new team and style of play,
however there has been some
progress made in the last few preseason games.
If MacAlonan can stay consistent with his three-point shot, he
could become the go-to guy for
Niagara.
The Knights open their regular
season Oct. 27 against the Redeemer Royals. Tip-off for that
game is at 8 p.m. at Welland campus’ new athletic centre.
It’s another hole-in-one season
for the Niagara Knights golf team.
The Knights championship
golf team took the cross-country
flight to Kamloops, B.C. for the
2010 Canadian Colleges Athletic
Association Ping National Championships. The CCAA tournament
put a cap to the 2010 golf season
with 105 of Canada’s top collegiate
golfers. The dunes of Kamloops
was the host site for the event.
Niagara Knights golfer Chad
Currie finished his third and final
round at 76 (+4), earning him a
fourth place rank at the national
level. In his first two rounds, Currie shot consecutive rounds of 70
(-2). Going into the final round,
Currie was only two strokes back
of leader David Lang of Humber
College of Toronto, who earned the
gold medal.
It was a podium sweep for the
Humber Hawks team of Lang,
Mark Hoffman and Adrian Cord,
finishing first, second and third
respectively.
Last year’s CCAA Men’s Golf
Champion, Knights’ Chris Hargest
finished tied for 26th place after
shooting three consecutive rounds
of 74 (+4).
Niagara’s Ryan Curran finished
third at the OCAA Golf Championships in early October. He shot
rounds of 74 (+2), 77 (+5) and 78
(+6) earning him a tie for 26th spot.
Also placing for the Knights
was Chris Gardner of the Business
Administration – Professional Golf
Management program. Gardner
finished the tournament tied for
56th place shooting a 78 (+6), 77
(+5) and 80 (+8).
The Niagara Knights finished
fifth in the country as a team.
NIAGARA NEWS
Page 22
Oct. 22, 2010
ENTERTAINMENT
The Imax experience Theatre group
ready to stage
Tony winner
Projectionist Ivan Plamondon cleans out the Imax projector in preparation for another show.
Photo by Christopher Fortier
The reason people prefer Imax
By CHRISTOPHER FORTIER
Staff Writer
Since the first Imax opened at
Ontario Place in 1971 hundreds of
Imax features have been played in
the over 500 theatres worldwide.
But what is it about “the Imax experience” that makes it so popular?
“The image is so large you get
lost in it,” says Chris Ellis, 59, of
Niagara Falls, chief projectionist at
the Imax Theatre in Niagara Falls.
“You are literally surrounded by
the whole image.”
The Imax format differs from
standard 35mm film used in traditional movie theatres.
Ellis says one second of film in
Imax is six feet in length. This allows the image to be transferred to
a larger screen with more clarity.
Imax Niagara Falls’ film, Niagara: Miracles, Myths and Magic,
from end to end, has a film length
of about six kilometres.
“The film is so large, that if you
were to fit just the picture portion
of a 35mm film strip on to an Imax
film, you can place nine images
into the space that one Imax image
would fit,” says Ellis.
“The reason why the Imax picture is so much better is there is
twice the amount of light getting
through, which makes for a better
picture,” says Ivan Plamondon, 52,
of Welland, another projectionist at
Imax Niagara Falls. “The way the
projector is set up, you essentially
see the same frame twice with more
light, and because of that more light,
you get a much clearer picture.”
The screen at a typical Imax
theatre is about 80 feet by 60 feet.
There are over 40 speakers within
the theatre, powered by over 12,000
watts of digital surround sound.
“The audio experience is way
better. It’s louder and clearer,” says
Cameron Anderson, 17, an usher at
the Niagara Falls Imax.
The screen at a typical Imax is
also filled with millions of tiny
holes, which allow the sound the
sub-bass to travel through the
screen without interfering with the
picture. With all of the speakers
in the theatre, and the amount of
power used to generate the sound,
you are literally surrounded by
sound, and the demo played before the film demonstrates that
definitively.
But it’s the films which make
the Imax experience so popular.
“The reason why Imax films
are superior is that they’ve taken
the cameras to places that you
can never been, and places you
wouldn’t want to go. This way,
you can experience it, and it’s
much safer,” says Plamondon.
By CHRISTOPHER FORTIER
Staff Writer
For 34 years, Niagara Falls has
been home to one of the world’s
500 Imax theatres.
Built in 1976, the Niagara Falls
Imax was the 15th to be constructed, showcasing documentary films
shot in the Imax format until 1987,
when the film Niagara: Miracles,
Myths and Magic debuted.
Since then, the film has played
every day the theatre has operated
and has become the most-watched
Imax film in Canada. It has been
seen by over 16 million viewers
worldwide.
“The film is unique, and most
people are drawn to learn about
the history of the falls,” says Irene
Dumele, 60, of Niagara Falls, who
has worked in the National Geographic Store at the Imax for the
Photo by Christopher Fortier
People learn the magic of Niagara Falls
IRENE DUMELE
past nine years.
Dumele also has reason to be
proud of the film. She was an extra
for one of the movie’s key scenes,
featuring daredevil
“The Great Blondin,” who was
the first to tightrope over the Niagara Gorge.
“It’s absolutely amazing. Gosh,
I’m on that screen every hour, on
the most-watched Imax movie in
Canada.”
Niagara isn’t the only film the
Imax plays. During the Christmas
holidays, the theatre features the
computer-generated Imax movie
Santa vs. The Snowman, and from
time to time other Imax films are
featured. Nevertheless, it’s Niagara
that people come to see.
“It’s the only place in Niagara
Falls people can be both entertained
and educated,” says Manager of
Guest Services Clayton Doner, 25,
of Niagara Falls.
“People want to know about the
history of Niagara Falls and about
the daredevils.”
For more information on Imax
Niagara Falls, visit www.Imaxniagara.com or phone 1-866-405Imax.
By CHRISTOPHER FORTIER
Staff Writer
Auditioning for a theatrical
production can be a nerve-racking
experience.
How about acting in a production about auditioning for a theatrical production?
That’s the premise of the Tony
award-winning production of A
Chorus Line, presented by Garden
City Productions (GCP). It starts
a limited engagement of nine
performances at Ridley College’s
Mandeville Theatre in St. Catharines from Oct. 23 to Nov. 7.
Directed and choreographed by
Brian Vogt, himself an actor of
many of Garden City Productions
previous casts, is at the helm of
one of their productions for the
first time.
This is not Vogt’s first foray into
directing, though, and he has held
many roles, including a professional singer, dancer as well as an
actor for many years.
“It’s [directing] different stress
because I get to paint, and it’s up
for me to convey what I am saying
and for them to do it.
Coming on the other side as an actor, it’s a challenge to figure out what
the director is saying,” says Vogt.
The process to bring A Chorus
Line to GCP took a little over a
year, with the casting process
having been completed in August. Vogt says that he chose the
actors.
“It was the hardest thing to do.
Over three days, we casted in
August.Usually you’d book an appointment to do a singing audition
for the director and the musical
director.
“Well, I said that the show could
not be done that way. I need to see
dancers first. So, we did two what
we call cattle calls on a Friday
night and immediately after each
one I cut from the get-go whether
or not you’d be called back to sing.
And after singing, you’d be called
back to read to see who was right
for what part. It was brutal.”
The story, which follows a line of
17 actors who are all auditioning to
be part of the chorus line, has one
major change from the original.
The character of Richie, an African-American male, was changed
to Ricki, a Caucasian female, because no African-American men
auditioned, but the story remains
true to its original premise.
“The only thing that I wanted
to stay true to was the opening
number because that was a classic.
A lot of the stories [in A Chorus
Line] are true. It’s brutal, honest
and right to the point. It’s a little
blue once in a while, very different
for our audiences.”
Vogt says that he’s not nervous
about the production itself.
“I’m nervous for the kids [the
cast]. I really want them to do well.
The show is brilliant, I am really
happy with what’s happening, and
I think that the audience is going to
go crazy. I really do. Their vocals
are through the roof.”
Vogt is confident people who
come to see his show are not going
to be disappointed.
“They’re going to be pleasantly
surprised at how professional our
shows are. For those who have
never come out before, I want
them to walk out of there and understand that they’ve seen a really
great show.”
A preview performance of A
Chorus Line will be shown on
Oct. 22. Tickets are $20 or $15 for
students.
Performances are running Friday
to Sunday, from Oct. 23 to Nov. 7.
Tickets are $25 or $15 for students
for all shows.
For more information or to order
tickets visit gcp.tix.com or call
905-682-1353.
Some of the stars of A Chorus Line are from left at front, Alicia
Arcangeletti, Rob Burke; at back, Charles Morris, Director Brian Vogt,
Carrie Kirkpatrick, Georgia Schultz, Brady VanVaerenbergh and Stacie
Primeau.
Photo by Christopher Fortier
NIAGARA NEWS
Oct. 22, 2010
Page 23
ENTERTAINMENT
Reba proves she’s still No. 1
By TONI KARAN
Staff Writer
Reba McEntire, singer, actress
and Broadway performer, showed
the fans at the HSBC Arena, in
Buffalo, N.Y., why she is the ultimate queen of country music.
Lee Ann Womack kicked the
show off on Oct. 16 with a halfhour performance of No. 1 hits
from her albums Last Call and
Call Me Crazy. Her signature
song I Hope You Dance was a
beautiful ballad that had everyone
singing along.
McEntire’s 90-minute performance was undoubtedly the most
memorable part of the evening.
With her use of the entire stage and
her wide vocal range, McEntire got
everyone out of their seats at one
point or another.
She kept the audience entertained by performing more than
three decades’ worth of crowdpleasers. While singing I Want a
Cowboy, all of the ladies in the audience got a kick out of the display
of good-looking southern men on
the screens above the stage.
To slow things down McEntire
sang The Greatest Man I Never
Knew, a hit song about her relationship with her father. This tearjerker brought out her softer side
and ended with her wiping the tears
from her face with a tissue.
McEntire started her line-up of
duets by bringing Womack back to
the stage with Does He Love You.
The tension-building song about
a woman confronting her man’s
mistress created a sing-off between
the two.
For some comic relief, Melissa
Peterman, co-star of the Reba sitcom, came to the stage acting as
if she had one too many drinks.
She kept the audience laughing
by somewhat singing along with
McEntire in the show’s theme song
Survivor.
She ended the duet segment with
surprise guest Kelly Clarkson. The
two ladies did a couple of duets
including Because Of You and Why
Haven’t I Heard From You.
Just when you thought McEntire’s performance was over, she
came back to the stage riding in
a miniature yellow taxi. Now
wearing a sparkling red dress, she
belts out an encore performance of
Fancy.
The acclaimed king of country,
George Strait, ended the show
with a mellower hour and a half
performance. Delivering multiple
hits, Strait made sure to use the
corners of the square stage while
showing the audience the meaning
of honky-tonk.
Strait’s classic cowboy hat and
Wrangler jeans and his Ace in
the Hole Band had the audience
stomping their feet to the rhythm.
Strait performed both old and
new songs including Run, Check
Yes Or No and The Breath You
Take.
Although all three performers sounded amazing, the night
belongs to the reigning queen of
country music.
Reba McEntire came back to the stage to sing Fancy as an encore
performance at the HSBC Arena in Buffalo, N.Y.
Photo by Toni Karan
Canadian rock band Niagara-based hip-hop trio
tours across the border brings fresh beats to the table
By LINDSAY COSTELLO
Staff Writer
The Show Must Go … to Buffalo.
Vancouver-based band Hedley is
headed south of the border in support of its latest release, The Show
Must Go.
Hedley, which consists of Jacob
Hoggard (vocals), Dave Rosin
(lead guitar), Tom MacDonald
(bass) and Chris Crippin (drums)
has been touring Canada off and on
for the past five years and is bringing its high-energy live show south
of the border.
The band drew more than 400
fans when it performed at the Town
Ballroom in Buffalo, N.Y., Oct. 8
as part of its The Show Must Go
On The Road tour.
Although the venue was packed,
there were considerably fewer
bodies present compared with
the thousands of fans that packed
stadiums across the country on the
spring and fall legs of the tour.
Fans began lining up as early as
noon for the 8 p.m. general admission show.
New York natives Colors in the
Air opened the show, performing
a handful of songs before the main
attraction hit the stage.
The band members brought the
crowd to life with their on-stage
antics and ability to interact with
the audience. Fans eagerly clapped
and sang along during the hourlong set.
Hedley’s set consisted mainly of
songs from the 2009 release, The
Show Must Go, but also included
familiar favourites such as On My
Own and Never Too Late.
Absent were hit singles Trip,
Gunnin’ and 321, but the blend
of piano ballads, rock-influenced
Hedley front man Jacob Hoggard
rocks out during the band’s Oct.
8 show at the Town Ballroom in
Buffalo. The band is touring the
U.S in support of its most recent
album, The Show Must Go.
Photo by Lindsay Costello
songs and acoustic songs pleased
fans of all ages.
Although the show lacked the
usual set and wardrobe changes
that fans are accustomed to, the
audience didn’t seem to mind and
the show ran smoothly.
The group surprised the audience
when it sang a new song, Colour
Outside the Lines, which will be
included on the U.S. version of The
Show Must Go, to be released on
Dec. 7 on Island Def Jam Records.
The fan-friendly band took time
after the show to sign autographs
and pose for pictures with fans who
patiently waited.
Hedley will take the tour further
south when the band makes stops
in Nevada, Washington, Oregon,
Utah, Colorado and California.
By CHRISTOPHER FORTIER
Staff Writer
The rapids of Niagara Falls are
known for fast-moving waters.
Unbeknownst to most, Niagara
Falls has something else that moves
rapidly, but it’s lyrical.
Kris “KaC Himself” Collver,
33, of Niagara Falls, Luke “ProDeuce” Archibald, 25, from
Niagara Falls and John “K-Flip”
Kirby, 31, of Welland, make up the
hip-hop group The Rapidities.
“We didn’t even think about the
meaning behind the name until we
got a lot of play,” says Archibald.
The pair of Collver and Archibald ended up together after
Collver “purchased three beats,”
from Archibald after Collver said,
“I loved what I heard.” They
started a dialogue.
At the time, Archibald was in
another group, Sound Syndicates,
but they started to do shows alongside each another. After Collver’s
partner at the time, Souljan, left to
pursue other interests, Archibald
filled in a few times.
“The vibe we had together was
incredible. After all the shows, the
fans would approach us and be,
like, ‘Wow, you guys really feed
off each other, eh?’” says Collver.
“I just started doing his backups,
people recognized it as something
good, and we just started going
from there,” says Archibald.
Shortly afterwards they began
to write and perform as a duo, and
Kirby later joined as their DJ.
Since then, the group has done
over 150 shows, 30 of them during
the summer of 2010.
“We were doing at least four
shows a week for the longest time,
some of them two a day,” says
Collver.
In this time, the group has developed a following for its style of
music, which the members say is
about everyday life and problems
or, as Collver says, “stuff that
people can relate to.”
“We take ourselves 100 per cent
seriously, but serious in what we
do, as opposed to people who rap
about money they want to spend.
We rap about everyday things,”
says Collver.
“To describe ourselves would
be like a really fast Bone Thugs
[n-Harmony] type thing. We do everything. It’s hard to put a finger on
it,” says Archibald. “We rap really
fast. Kris [Collver] has the fastest rhymes in the Niagara region.
He goes really fast, no egotistical
sense about it. You can put any fast
person beside him and then listen
Kris “Kac Himself” Collver, of The
Rapidities, performs during a
recent concert in Niagara Falls.
Photo by Christopher Fortier
to his stuff and you can clearly tell
the difference.”
“It’s crazy breath control. It’s
insane,” says Kirby.
The group is quite relaxed on
stage, and, in person, all are passionate about their craft.
They credit sites like Facebook
as being one of the reasons for their
success.
“Facebook is the reason we’ve
done at least 100 shows,” says
Collver.
All three members use the social media site to plug upcoming
shows, but the shows they put the
most into are charity ones.
“At least once or twice a month
we do a charity show. People respect that. The charity ones are fun.
No one expects rappers at a charity
event,” says Archibald.
The band prides itself on giving
a full effort in every show, especially for charity shows.
“People ask us to be there, and
we’re there for a reason. So many
bands will come in 10 minutes
before their set, do their set, wait
10 minutes then have a [bottle of]
water and then leave. It sucks,”
says Collver.
What’s next for the Rapidities?
As they gain more of a following,
Archibald says the band plans
on moving outward, doing more
shows in larger areas.
Collver says that it would be
“cool” if they were able to expand
into the U.S.
“We would love to go out to the
States, but we would watch who
we handed deals to. We wouldn’t
want to go for something that won’t
work for us,” says Archibald.
“We just don’t want to get
stranded in somewhere like Arizona,” says Kirby.
Page 24
NIAGARA NEWS
Oct. 22, 2010
ENTERTAINMENT
Yelawolf’s unique style and flow
Up-and-coming Alabama artist hits Toronto
By SABINE DUNAC
Staff Writer
Yelawolf, an up-and-coming
Alabama rapper, is living under the
stage lights.
Yelawolf, whose birth name is
Michael Wayne, performed at the
Sound Academy on Sept. 26 in
Toronto.
After reaching over one million
views on Youtube.com from his hit
track Pop the Truck, he received a
deal with Interscope.
“Some videos just really click.
That was one video that changed
my life. We did something that
was from the heart, real and raw
and people was really diggin’ that
shit. G-a-d-s-d-e-n, Alabama—it’s
a small town and it’s comin’ up.”
Zach Quillen and Joshua Dick
at The Agency Group have been
booking shows and tours for many
years and teamed up Yelawolf and
Wiz Khalifa for the Waken and
Baken tour.
Yelawolf opened up for Wiz
Khalifa, who is also a known up
and coming rapper in hip-hop.
“Wiz spent years building up this
fan base. I’m just happy to be a part
of it. I thank him for life. I give it
up for dude for the hard work he
put in. It’s an honour.”
He says the tours are about learning how to be better and by the end
of the tour he will know much more
about performing. “It‘s turning me
into a beast.”
The artist carries a unique style
both through his clothes and his
tattoos.
“This is just the evolution of me.
You know, I didn’t always dress
like this or look like this. This is
who I’ve grown to be.” Wayne says
two years ago he had his hair down
to his waist and he decided to cut
his hair into a mullet hawk.
“I was just over it and I wanted
to do something else.”
Growing up, he was raised by a
16-year-old single mother. He says
it was a “long long road, she was
real rock ‘n’ roll so it took us to a
lot of different places. There were
a lot of different dudes playing
daddy and shit.”
Yelawolf says that living a lifestyle of sex drugs and rock ‘n’ roll
at a young age created who he is as
a person.
“Even though it was really hard
[and] it was really fucked up times,
there was a lot of good. It helped
mould who I am now and created
the artist that I am.”
His tattoos represent a piece of
his culture and his story. His box
Chevy tattoo on his stomach is
his “all time favourite vehicle”
representing the first serious car
accident he experienced when he
was five years old.
Currently he owns two Chevy
vehicles and is going to purchase
another one.
“Chevrolet, in general, is an
American, hard-working, 9-5 hustler’s car. Chevy has been in my
family my whole life. My parents
[and] grandparents own Chevys, so
it’s been, like, passed down.”
The rapper says he’s inspired by
artists who were inspired by their
own life. “They have a personal
story that they share with people.”
“Everything that I do is just inspired by life.”
He says the way an individual
dresses is a reflection of how a
person was raised.
“It tells a story about where you
been, who you hang with, what kind
of people you were surrounded by,
what kind of music you listen to.
You kinda see all of that.
“I’ll always be a skateboarder. I
love it. It’s what I do.”
Yelawolf says he is thankful to
his fans. “My crew has kept faith
in me. We all worked really hard
Yelawolf posing in a photo shoot with Will Power.
to get where we’re at. We just
keep focus[ed] and keep this shit
in-line.”
He says his fans really stick.
“People don’t just like my music
just because someone else does.
My fans, at this point, are, like,
Nah, you don’t know about this
Yelawolf shit, I’m telling you.’”
“They’re tryin’ to put people up
on it and that’s what’s so dope.”
Noah Goodbam, 22, of Toronto,
a fan of Yelawolf, says, “He’s killin’ it. He’s utterly unique. He has
ownership of the beat.”
Photo courtesy of GoodFellaMedia.com
Chris ‘Linx’ Gutierrez, an artist Yelawolf says that there has been
and producer in Toronto, says, “He no such collaboration between the
controlled the crowd, kept his vo- two artists.
cals clean, [and has a] unique flow.
“If it happens, it will happen, but
After checking him out live I defi- I’m really focused on what’s hapnitely became a fan of his music. pening right now. We’ll see where
He was dope. He [got] the crowd destiny takes us.”
hype before Wiz came out.”
After finishing the tour, YelaAs for the haters, Yelawolf says, wolf is releasing his album Trunk
“They get no energy. I don’t enter- Muzik 0-60 and after that he says
tain my haters. I’m busy. Call me he is releasing another one in
later.”
March.
Rumours on the Internet have
Check the artist on Yelfwolf.net
sufaced that Yelawolf and Eminem or to follow Yelawolf on Twitter go
will be working on a track together. to twitter.com/yelawolf.
Student finds creative outlet through hip-hop
Derek Veenhof’s design of the
Deekcomposed CD cover.
Submitted by Derek Veenhof
By JEFF BLAY
Staff Writer
Third-year Niagara College
student Derek Veenhof doesn’t
limit his creative outlet to graphic
design.
The 22-year-old St. Catharines
native, otherwise known as Deek
on the Beat on stage, is set to
release a 19-song collection of
hip-hop beats/collaborations that
he has produced over the past few
years. It’s called Deekcomposed.
As Veenhof enters his third and
final year of Graphic Design at the
Welland campus, what started as
“a kid on a personal PC making
beats” has turned into an adult with
a full-fledged studio of musical innovation.
“I started making beats using
a program called Free Loops on
my personal PC,” says Veenhof.
“Eventually I added more equipment and got some friends to
contribute either with vocals or
instruments, and it kind of turned
into studio.”
The album is primarily instrumental, with a few tracks featuring local hip-hop artists such as
Moofeek, Stakes High, Ayedruw,
Ill Bread Versifier and many more.
Veenhof has always been into art
and music, and since entering theGraphic Design program, he gets
the best of both worlds.
“I’m basically a computer nerd,
so I have always messed around
with different programs and liked
drawing and doing graffiti. Graphic
Design seemed like a practical use
for all my different art skills,” says
Veenhof.
“As far as connecting that with
my music, I think art and hip-hop
go hand in hand because your
creativity is limitless, and the flow
and rhythm used for both skills is
similar.”
Earlier this year, Deek on the
Beat was named winner of one
of the 2010 Rap Battle TV Producer Battles held in downtown St.
Catharines. The style of music, as
described by Veenhof, is “glitchhop, electronical, hip-hop with a
spacy, bass heavy, up-tempo sound
blending various musical genres.”
“Deek’s beats are dope. He has
a whole different sound, and it’s
right up my alley,” says local hiphop artist Moofeek, 24. “He sent
me some tracks and the one we
did together, Hell’s Yeah, was just
a banger right off the top, just an
ill track and I knew right away it
would be a great beat to write to.”
Influenced by artists such as Q-
Tip, Busta Rhymes, J Dilla, and
others from the East Coast hip-hop
scene, Deek provides a unique, inventive sound that stays true to the
underground artistic values.
Deek lends his beat production
skills to a local hip-hop live band
called Grizzley Planet, also featuring Moofeek.
He performs live at local hip-hop
shows around the Niagara region.
His music has been featured on
and can be heard on Brock University’s radio station, CFBU 103.7 FM.
The Deekcompsed CD release
party is set for Saturday, Nov. 20,
at 8 p.m. at City Lights, 67 St. Paul
St., in downtown St. Catharines.
Tickets are $4 in advance and $6
at the door.
For more information, visit Deek
at www.facebook.com/deekmusic
or www.twitter.com/deekmusic.