November 19, 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
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November 19, 2010
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Photos by Sam Cino
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Movember facial hair growth
supports cancer research
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First yea
r
For more on Movember, see page 2.
International
department
welcomes a
new face »
More than 500 students received
diplomas during the Oct. 27 and
28 convocation ceremonies.
A new international adviser has
been hired after 29 per cent growth
in the international student body.
While some parking issues have
been resolved, handicapped spots
remain rare.
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NIAGARA NEWS
Page 2
Nov. 19, 2010
NEWS
Support a bro and grow a mo
SAC members
raising cancer
awareness
By TONI KARAN
Staff Writer
I moustache you a question, but
I’ll shave it for later.
This month, members of Niagara
College’s Student Administrative
Council (SAC) have donated their
faces and time to participate in
Movember.
According to the Movember
website (http://ca.movember.com),
Glenn Murray’s motivation is “to
bring attention to this terrible affliction (prostate cancer) by growing the
most awesomest mo in the world.”
Murray, team captain and SAC’s
logistics manager, created the team
name, The Niagara Mo-Trotters.
The other team members include
Paul Savoy, bar supervisor at the
Welland campus; Tom Anello, the
director of student and community
relations at the Niagara-on-theLake campus; Shannon Hulley, the
director of clubs and volunteers at
the NOTL campus; Brian Costantini, SAC president; Kim Fretz,
SAC’s office administrator at the
NOTL campus; Lindsey Maki,
the director of media at the NOTL
campus; and Garrett Lehman, the
executive vice-president at the
NOTL campus.
On Nov. 22 SAC is having a
“Moday” at the NOTL campus to
support Movember.
Costantini says, “It wasn’t hard
to get everyone on board.”
The name Movember is a combination of the words moustache, the
“Mo,” and November. Movember
challenges men to grow a moustache during November to raise
awareness of men’s health issues,
and funds are raised for prostate
cancer research.
Costantini says the team goal is
$400. As of Nov. 12 the Niagara
Mo-Trotters have raised $325.
There is a display of the team’s
moustaches in The Armoury at the
NOTL campus and in The Core at
the Welland campus.
Students are eligible to make
ßdonations to the team either online or in the SAC office.
Hulley says, “I have really high
hopes to reach our goal.”
Fretz, who is a cancer survivor
herself, says she will do anything she can to promote cancer
awareness.
Each year about 4,400 men die
of prostate cancer in Canada, and
one in six men will be diagnosed
with it during his lifetime.
Hulley says her dad had prostate
cancer last summer and beat it with
“a lot” of treatment.
“It wouldn’t have been possible
without this awareness.”
Men growing moustaches during November are known as Mo
Bros. They have become human
billboards for raising awareness for
men’s health, and they also collect
donations from friends and family.
Mo Sistas (women who support
‘I have really high
hopes to reach our
goal.’
— Shannon Hulley
the cause) get involved by registering online, organizing events,
making donations and supporting
the men in Movember.
The money raised in Canada
as a result of Movember benefits
Prostate Cancer Canada by allowing the organization to fund vital
research that improves screening
tests and treatment options and to
run support services for men surviving prostate cancer.
Last year’s Canadian campaign,
which was the second largest in
the world, raised $7.8 million for
Prostate Cancer Canada.
Although there is not a specific
cut-off date, donations should be
received before Dec. 10, when the
judging takes place and the prizes
are given out.
For more information on
Movember or to donate to the
Niagara Mo-Trotters visit the
website http://ca.movember.com/
mospace/561436/index/tp/2.
Illustration by Toni Karan
17 new scholarships for post-secondary students
CSA searching
for outstanding
students across
Ontario
By KAYLA CABRAL
Staff Writer
The College Student Alliance
(CSA) is offering 17 new annual
scholarships recognizing outstanding college/university student leaders across Ontario.
The CSA was founded in 1975
and is a “member-driven advocacy
and student leadership organization” as stated on the application
form. Students who demonstrate
involvement within their college/
university as well as in their community, and have the ability to
motivate and show leadership to
improve the lives of other people
while attending a post-secondary
institution in Ontario, are eligible
to apply for the scholarship.
They must be full-time students
and be in good academic standing.
Brian Costantini, Student Administrative Council president,
says, “Each school is eligible for
one scholarship,” and it’s the “first
year” for these awards. The awards
are funded by the CSA. Application deadline is Dec. 17.
Costantini says there will be a
‘It’s a great
opportunity for
students.’
— Brian Costantini
“committee who chooses the top
three applicants” from each college
and then the finalists are passed on
to the CSA for the final decision.
“It’s a great opportunity for students. I know some students need
financial support and it’s another
chance for them to get their hands
on some cash.”
Cindy Karikari, director of social programming at the Niagaraon-the-Lake campus, says she
hasn’t heard too much about the
scholarship yet and is always “really busy.”
She says she doesn’t “have the
patience to fill out forms for scholarships” but she would apply for
the CSA scholarship if it “weren’t
too time consuming.”
Lindsey Maki, director of media
at the NOTL campus, says she has
“already won a lot of scholarships”
for this year and would be “taking
away from other students” if she
were to apply.
She is graduating this year and
says her tuition “is already paid.”
Lesa Holmes, chair of the Many
Hands Project, says the scholarship
is a “great idea.”
“It is always fantastic when
leaders within the college community are given the opportunity to be
recognized by the College Student
Alliance and other student leaders.
This scholarship will definitely be
an asset to any winner’s resumé as
well as a wonderful acknowledgement of their personal commitment
to their community.”
Holmes says the students involved in the Many Hands Project
are responsible for the planning and
completion of a renovation project
for a non-profit organization.
Both the Event Management
graduate certificate students and
Construction Studies program
students are responsible for selecting a renovation project for a nonprofit organization in Niagara.
For more information regarding
the CSA and application criteria
visit
www.collegestudentalliance.ca or contact Costantini at
[email protected].
Women’s
Day Festival
celebrates arts
By EDEN ARMSTRONG
Staff Writer
Female musicians, performers
and artists are needed.
Gillian’s Place and Women’s
Place South are inviting females
from the Niagara region to perform
at the 1st Annual International
Women’s Day Festival: Celebrating Women in Arts.
The day-long festivities will take
place at the Greg Frewin Theatre
on Sunday, March 6, 2011, in Niagara Falls.
The event will be raising funds
for Gillian’s Place and Women’s
Place South, both of which support women’s rights through
empowerment.
Joanne Doyley, fundraising
events co-ordinator for Gillian’s
Place, says the proceeds from the
event will fund programs run by
the safe haven.
“There are 35 beds in the shelter,
and the average stay for a woman
is 35 days. We have been at maximum capacity since January.”
Local professionals will form
the panel of judges and will select
the performers for the event.
“Deadline for applications is
Nov. 30,” says Doyley.
For registration and information
on the festival, contact Doyley at
905-684-4000 ext. 235.
NIAGARA NEWS
Nov. 19, 2010
Page 3
NEWS
Mondays
Camp Hour presentations
S202 (Welland) 12:30 – 1:30 p.m.
W14 (NOTL) 1:30 – 2:20 p.m.
-The Core Monday Night football
Tuesdays
Employer in the Hall
(outside the cafeteria)
11 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Nov. 17
Haim Goldenberg
@ The Core 7 p.m.
Nov. 18
Women’s Volleyball vs Fanshawe
College 6 p.m., Men’s 8 p.m.
Nov. 19
Latin Party @ The Core
8 p.m. – 12 a.m.
Nov. 20
SAC Ice Dogs Trip 7 p.m.
-Women’s Volleyball vs Canadore
College 4 p.m., Men’s 6 p.m.
Jill English and her daughter Rachel participated in Take Our Kids to Work Day at Niagara College on Nov. 3.
Photo by Kristen Spruit
Watch and learn:
Take Our Kids To Work Day
By KRISTEN SPRUIT
Staff Writer
We’ve all been there, the first
year of high school. Not one year
in and you’re already being bombarded with the infamous question,
“What do you want to do with the
rest of your life?” The infamous
response, “I’m not sure yet.”
Take Our Kids to Work Day, an
annual program across Canada,
sees that over 200,000 Grade 9
students are connected with the
workforce through various businesses and organizations.
Niagara College participated in
the event Nov. 3, hosting about 40
high school students between the
Welland and Niagara-on-the-Lake
campuses. Students from Catholic
and public school boards participated, shadowing either full-time
or part-time faculty members.
Mark Silvestri, who works at the
Info Centre at the Welland campus,
says the purpose of the day is to
introduce high school students to
not only the college’s programs,
services and environment but also
to their parent’s workplace.
The program, now in its 16th
year, was designed to give students
a chance to explore their future, to
understand the importance of staying in school and to appreciate their
parent’s role in earning an income
to support their family.
“It’s also great at an early age to be
able to tell Grade 9 students overall
what a college experience can offer
them in the future, but the primary
intent is for them to have some fun,”
says Carly Root, campus recruitment co-ordinator at the Welland
campus. Scheduled events were held
in the morning, including a campus
tour, a presentation about college life
and a trivia game.
At the Welland campus, students
participated in a demonstration by
the Niagara Regional Police Centre for Policing and Community
Studies, where they were shown
the facilities and various training exercises. Since high school
students have limited access to the
workplace, the program was created through the philosophy that
awareness leads to knowledge.
Mickey Calder, 14, of Sir
Nov. 21
Women’s Volleyball vs
Nipissing College 1p.m.,
Men’s 3 p.m.
Winston Secondary School in St.
Catharines, shadowed his mom,
Lynn Calder, in the scheduling office, a division of the Information
Technology Services department,
in the afternoon. Calder says it’s
interesting to see subjects learned
in school being used in a realworld setting.
Rachel English, 14, a special
needs student at Eden High School
in St. Catharines, shadowed her
mom, Jill English, who is an enrolment and graduate adviser at the
Welland campus. She helped with
mailing, filing and emails.
“That’s what’s so great about
having an internship, co-op or a
program like this. You get an insight into a job,” says Jill English.
Nov. 22
Career Decision Making
Workshop 12:30 p.m. -1:30 p.m.
Lundy 3 (Welland)
Nov. 26
Women’s Basketball
vs St. Clair 6 p.m., Men’s 8 p.m.
Nov. 27
International
Canada One Outlet Mall trip,
Depart noon return 4:30 p.m.
-Men’s Basketball
vs Lambton 4 p.m.
Nov. 29
Pursuing a Degree Workshop
Lundy 3 (Welland)
12:30 p.m. -1:30 p.m.
For more information, visit the
SAC office, the Info Centre and
the International Department.
Psychic mystifies both campuses
Comedian humours students with predictions
Dan Valkos, psychic, answered Courtney Cooke’s three questions in
The Armoury on Nov. 9. Cooke, 19, is a first-year student in the Tourism
Management – Business Development program.
Photo by Toni Karan
By TONI KARAN
Staff Writer
He’s looking insightfully into the
minds of students and seeing their
futures.
Dan Valkos, psychic entertainer,
visited the Niagara-on-the-Lake
(NOTL) campus on Nov. 9 from
11 a.m. to noon in The Armoury
and the Welland campus on Nov.
10 from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.,
in The Core.
Cindy Karikari, the Student Administrative Council’s director of
social programming at the NOTL
campus, says Valkos is a comedian
and a psychic because of the way
he jokes around with people.
Students wanting to participate
lined up in front of the stage. When
it was their turn, they were able to
ask Valkos any three questions of
their choice.
Karikari says the budget for the
event was between $1,000 and
$2,000 for one to two hours.
Valkos says he started as a skeptic and thought the psychic world
was “garbage.”
After learning more about the
psychic profession in 1969, Valkos
has now performed at about 40
other schools in the past 17 years.
He teaches psychic devolvement
and re-incarnation workshops at
the NOTL campus.
When asked why he does these
events, Valkos says, “They pay me
to be here. [He laughs]. I also like
the students.”
Robert Perron, SAC’s director of
social programming at the Welland
campus, says the event went well
with over 100 people participating.
“The students would like to see
him back [next year].”
Courtney Cooke, 19, a first-year
student in the Tourism Management – Business Development
program, says the event was “cool”
and that Valkos was “really funny.”
Valkos told Cooke she would
marry once and have two children.
Cooke says, “It was shocking
to find out that I’m going to have
kids and get married. I don’t want
either.”
NIAGARA NEWS
Page 4
Nov. 19, 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: Eden Armstrong
Associate Editor: Kristen Spruit
Assistant Editor: Anton Mwewa
Photo Editor: Kimberly Smith
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
B2, 300 Woodlawn Rd.,
BNC2009
Welland, Ont. L3C 7L3
Telephone: (905) 735-2211
Fax: (905) 736-6003
Editorial email: [email protected]
Advertising email: [email protected]
2006 WINNER
It’s never too late
to think about
your health
So
many
people
are
succumbing to illness today –
heart disease, cancer, obesity
– why not listen to your body
and do something to avoid
becoming a statistic?
In some cases cancer is not
preventable because it could
be hereditary. Smoking for 20
years and getting lung cancer is
something that you can control.
Some diseases can be treated.
Diabetes can be controlled
with insulin and a managed
diet. Cancer can be treated
with various forms of surgery,
chemotherapy and radiation.
Heart disease can lead to
extensive medications and
surgery.
If people start taking care of
their bodies now, these diseases
and these treatment plans could
be avoided.
People who are at high risk
because of thier family history
should take the initiative and
be screened early for diseases
known to affect their relatives.
The
Childhood
Obesity
Foundation estimates that
in Canada over 26 per cent
of children and youth are
considered overweight and
obese. It advocates eating
five servings of fruits and
vegetables a day, viewing fewer
than two hours of television and
computer time a day, doing
daily physical activity and
consuming zero sweetened
beverages.
We all should pay attention
to what they are eating. Foods
with preservatives and high in
hydrogenated oils should be
avoided along with processed
foods.
High blood pressure, physical
inactivity, excessive alcohol
consumption, obesity and
diabetes are taking over, but
what can we do to stop it?
There are more than nine
million Canadians living with
diabetes and for some, the
condition could have been
prevented. A meal plan, weight
control and moderate physical
activity are important steps in
the prevention process.
Exercising daily, consuming
water, and nutricious food are
some ways to stay in good
physical shape and fight off
diseases, but there are also extra
precautionary steps one can
take to ensure good health.
See a doctor once in a while.
Go for regular physicals. If you
are not feeling like your normal
self, go to the doctor. You are
the only person who can tell
when your body isn’t doing
what it is supposed to do. You
are the only one in control.
It is not too late to start
caring about what happens to
your body. Pay attention to
how you feel.
Eat with a mindset that
everything that goes into
your body is fuel. The idea of
everything in moderation –
alcohol, sugar, fat – is what
everyone should strive for.
EDEN ARMSTRONG
Getting out from between
a rock and a hard place
Whoever said nothing is
impossible really knew what
they were talking about.
The age-old tale of rags to
riches happens to be one of the
biggest motivations for those at
the bottom, and for those at the
top, one of their best claims to
fame.
Take for example TV host
Oprah
Winfrey,
inventor
Benjamin Franklin, performer
Elvis Presley singer Dolly
Parton and fashion designer
Ralph Lauren.
What more is the epitome of
success than to defy all odds
and obtain what everyone says
can’t be done?
In this 21st century, a sad but
true reality is that money and
fame tend to be the standard
measure of success. Achieving
this is not the only definition
for defying the impossible.
Two weeks ago I was on
my way to an apple orchard
outside Welland, when I passed
something that caught my eye.
It was a rock. Possibly the
biggest rock I’ve ever seen.
Growing out of the side of this
rock was a tree. Not a big tree,
but still a tree.
I could only wonder how it
was possible a tree, an organism
that needs water, minerals,
carbon dioxide, oxygen and
Photo by Kristen Spruit
light, could be growing out of a
big, solid rock?
How did the seed get there?
Where did the roots plant
themselves? And what is the
tree using to sustain itself?
Impossible. But not.
American boxer Muhammad
Ali summarized it well.
“Impossible is just a big word
thrown around by small men
who find it easier to live the
world they’ve been given than
to explore the power they have
to change it. Impossible is not a
fact. It’s an opinion. Impossible
is not a declaration. It’s a
dare. Impossible is potential.
Impossible
is
temporary.
Impossible is nothing.”
KRISTEN SPRUIT
Gone, but never forgotten
CHRIS
FORTIER
Columnist
Recently, I had a lucid dream so
real I awoke in tears.
It involved my maternal grandfather, Oreste “Rusty” Chindemi.
In my dream, I travelled to 1976,
12 months before I was born.
I took a job at his bar, Rusty’s
Steakhouse and Tavern now
called Trappers, on King Street in
Welland,
I spent the next year getting to
know my grandfather in a way I
never had in my first 25 years of
life.
I was much more appreciative of
the chance to get to know him in
this way. Every day felt very real.
When it came time for me to
leave, he told me something he
said many times before.
“Just remember to be who you
are supposed to be, and not what
others want you to be.”
I awoke immediately. It was 3
a.m. I was in tears.
Rusty died on Sept. 1, 2002.
Not a day has passed in the eight
years since since he died when I
haven’t thought about how much I
miss him.
He was also one of my best
friends growing up.
When I was 14, he and I drove
to Florida for two weeks. We were
just two guys heading down to the
Sunshine State.
He always drove straight through
to Florida, stopping only for food
or gas.
I remember when my ex-wife,
and I drove home from Florida in
2003.
We too drove straight through in
his 2001 Dodge Caravan, which I
still drive: 20 hours, 57 minutes.
I remember telling my grandmother about the drive and her
saying
“Jesus Christ, Chris. You’re just
like your grandfather.”
Nothing makes me prouder than
when someone says that to me.
If I needed advice or someone
to talk to, he was the first person I
would want to turn to.
He always seemed to know exactly what to say to motivate me.
Maybe it’s all those years of being a bartender that just gave him a
sage-like ability to dispense advice
to me.
I remember breaking down and
crying at my wedding, one year
later. I wish more than anything he
had been there.
I wish he were around to see the
birth of my daughter, Chloe.
His funeral was one of the hardest days of my life.
Some people referred to Rusty as
my dad at the funeral because we
spent so much time together. That
at least in part, it was true.
Nothing makes me happier than
to see that same relationship developing between my father and my
daughter.
I hope I’m making you proud,
Grandpa, because I have always
tried my best to be who I am supposed to be, and not what others
want me to be.
NIAGARA NEWS
Nov. 19, 2010
Page 5
OPINION
Apathy breeds contempt
KRISTA
ASHFORD
Columnist
Young people are
not being given
a good enough
reason to vote
Watching our wallets
ANTON
MWEWA
Columnist
Greed makes the world go
round? False.
Love makes the world go round?
Maybe.
Money makes the world go
round? True.
It’s a well-known fact but I’ll
reiterate. No matter how smart,
good-looking or innovative you
may be, you’ll never amount to a
single thing without money. Disagree? Try living without it.
As a college student, I, like
many others like me, feel the pressure when it comes to money. The
concept is ironic.
Today’s college students are probably the country’s biggest spenders:
we buy the latest technologies and
the nicest clothes, and we hunger
for the best foods and restaurants.
Ironically, however, we are the
ones who make the least amount of
money, if any at all. Besides that,
college students probably have the
worst budgeting skills.
This may not be true for many,
but my budgeting skills are abysmal. My futile attempts at drawing
up a budget, or following one, have
been miserable.
What is it that compels us to live
beyond our means? If one were as
impressionable as I am, the answer
would be some kind of juvenile
spontaneity. Similar to children
with uncontrollable impulses,
many college students are probably
compulsive and spontaneous buyers, particularly when it comes to
smaller items.
Spending opportunities such as
random snacks between classes,
unnecessary trips to McDonald’s
and unplanned bar nights may
seem trivial in the beginning. In the
end they add up.
Most people eventually grow
out of their spontaneous spending,
while others don’t. For those of us
burdened with the problem for extended periods of time, we should
adhere to some form of money
management program.
As you may have guessed, I am
a person with considerable money
management difficulties. I spend
more than I have and run short of
money before the middle of the
month.
If you are like me, I wish I could
tell you I have had an epiphany and
discovered a solution. I haven’t.
I hope this is merely a phase in
my life and I will soon get back on
track with my ability to manage
my finances because money really
does make the world go round, and
if you’re short on it, your world
might just stop spinning.
I’m guessing there are many college students in the same situation
as I am.
If any of you have a solution to
the crazy spending habits of our
generation, I hope you will come
forward soon – or at least, before
we spend ourselves onto the streets.
Has the media gone too far?
STEPH
NIKITA
Columnist
It’s not a matter of simply stepping on toes. Rather, it is a matter
of embarrassing victims, families
and emphasizing the wrong points.
I’m talking about the now infamous Col. Russell Williams murder case.
It’s true, society has become
more jaded toward television violence, and more open-minded to
the idea that mental illness is often
a factor in horrendous crimes such
as this.
What do we need to know about
this case, and what could we have
done without?
The Toronto Star stirred up controversy regarding its front-page
photo of Williams dressed in a
victim’s underwear.
What is more, the paper offered
a slide-show image gallery of Williams in women’s bathing suits
and underwear, and photos of the
neatly arranged undergarments he
stole from victims.
This goes above and beyond the
call for truth in reporting.
Williams deserves to be embarrassed by what he’s done, just as
all wrongdoers deserve to be. But
haven’t the victims and their families have suffered enough?
The public doesn’t need to know
what the murdered girls wore
under their clothes while they
were alive nor photos of Williams
wearing them splashed on pages of
newspapers.
The public does not need to
know, in every gory detail, what
Williams did while he stalked his
prey or what he did in the over 80
bedrooms he was reported to have
broken into.
The photos of Williams crossdressing send the wrong message.
The point is not that he is a crossdresser; the point is he invaded
the privacy of over 80 people and
murdered two young women.
The records he kept could be put
to use through proper channels to
help professionals in criminal psychology understand his illness and
perhaps create new ways to screen
for this particular disorder in the
future.
They serve little purpose, however, in public view other than to
create controversy and to make
people afraid.
Just because the information is
readily available doesn’t necessarily mean it needs to be printed.
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• BEAMSVILLE • GRIMSBY
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Photo by Anton Mwewa
Another election has come and
gone.
Once again we hear how young
people did not vote. The turnout
among youth ages 18 to 25 is atrociously low.
After seeing the low level
maintained year after year, I begin
asking myself why young people
aren’t voting. Laziness? Apathy?
Xbox addiction?
Possibly it is a combination of
all those things.
I think the issue lies with whom
young people are supposed to be
voting for.
I was having a conversation with
a friend recently about the political
structure in Canada and the U.S.
He mentioned a clever political
cartoon he’d seen, in which a man
wearing a cap saying “Capitalism” was driving a cab that said
“Democracy,” the message being
“democracy is the vehicle for capitalism.”
When the Greek philosopher
Plato thought up the noble idea of
“rule of the people,” did he realize
it would transform into a powerdriven, money-fueled system ruled
by personal ambition?
I’m thinking no.
That is what our political system
has become though.
These days, every politician
is in the pocket of some corpora-
tion, making deals and filling their
pockets with taxpayers’ money.
It reminds me of the medieval
feudal system, in which the nobility made all the money and the
servants toiled and worked in the
fields to make them that money,
whilst they saw none of it themselves.
These people in government collect their ridiculously huge salaries
and are entrusted to act on behalf
of the people.
I fail to see how this can happen
while these men and women are
trying to push their own agendas
in Parliament and Congress, or
sometimes pushing agendas given
to them by the highest bidder.
Young people are apathetic when
it comes to government and voting.
The reason for the apathy is the
lack of change young people are
seeing in government.
It is a vicious cycle.
The Conservatives screwed it up
last time.
So let’s vote Liberal.
The Liberals manage to screw it
up, so in come the Conservatives.
The dilemma is young people
aren’t voting, so for now we’re
stuck in this stalemate where the
only people benefiting are the
crooks that are running the country
… into the ground.
If the government wants young
people to get out and vote, give us
someone worth voting for.
Young people, if you really
want to see change, put aside your
apathy and reconnect with your
parents’ passion that fueled the
protests for change of the 1960s.
I highly doubt those hippies
didn’t care about voting because
they were getting high and playing Xbox, though they were most
certainly high.
The cynic in me thinks the
system is too far gone and we are
doomed to live under the government until human beings are no
more.
The idealist in me hopes I’m
wrong.
NIAGARA NEWS
Page 6
Nov.19, 2010
NEWS
Alumni excellence celebrated at Niagara
By SHAYLENE ABBEY
Staff Writer
It was a night of excellence.
The Alumni Circle of Excellence
Awards were held in the college’s
new Learning Commons at the
Welland campus last Saturday in
recognition of Premier’s Award
nominees, past and present.
Since 1992 Niagara College has
nominated 57 graduates for Premier’s Awards. The graduates are
nominated in one of four categories
Darryl Culley and his wife, Cheryl,
attended the Alumni Circle of
Excellence Awards at Niagara
College on Nov. 13. Culley is
nominated at this year’s Premier’s
Awards being held in Toronto on
Nov. 22.
Photo by Shaylene Abbey
based on exemplary career success and community involvement
related to their college experience.
The evening started with a tour
of the new campus facilities followed by a cheese and wine reception. Presentations and speeches
were made throughout the dinner
service.
A Premier’s Award nominee in
2006 and a part of Niagara’s first
graduating class in the Journalism,
Advertising and Public Relations
program in 1970, Ken Cherney
says he hasn’t been to the campus
since the 1970s.
“It’s absolutely amazing,” Cherney says regarding the campus’s
new facilities.
He says students spent most of
their time in portables when he was
a student here.
Cherney is from Welland and
now resides in Grimsby, where he
runs a corporate communications
business. He has been married to
his wife, Jan, for 12 years.
2010 Premier’s Award nominee
Darryl Culley, of Beamsville,
graduated from the Ambulance and
Emergency Care program in 1981.
The last time he visited the campus
was in 1984.
The Learning Commons at the Welland campus was transformed to accommodate the attendees of the
Alumni Circle of Excellence Awards on Nov. 13.
Photo by Shaylene Abbey
He described the look of the
Learning Commons as “amazing”
and says that it’s a big difference
from temporary buildings the students of 30 years ago were taught
in.
“We didn’t have much of anything,” he says, with a smile. “We
used to hang out in our cars.”
As for his participation in the
evening, he says it’s “very exciting
and a real privilege” to be a part of
the awards event.
“It demonstrates the leading
edge, the advantage that Niagara
College gave us [students] in life.”
Culley says the faculty was essential in his college experience.
“We had opportunities to excel
right from the beginning.”
He and his wife Cheryl have
been married for 28 years. They
live in Barrie, Ont., where Culley
is president of an emergency management company.
Niagara College will be represented by six nominees at the
Premier’s Awards.
The awards take place on Nov.
22 in Toronto.
College, Brock each receive $750,000 funding
Dr. Ian Brindle, vice-president of research at Brock University, St.
Catharines MP Rick Dykstra and Steve Hudson, vice-president of
academics at Niagara College, were on-hand for the announcement.
Photo by Christopher Fortier
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By CHRISTOPHER FORTIER
Staff Writer
The development prospects of
the Niagara region have taken a
turn for the better.
Last Friday, Niagara College
and Brock University each received $750,000 in federal funding
as part of the Applied Research
and Commercialization Program
(ARC) in an announcement at the
Niagara Interactive Media Generator (nGen) in St. Catharines.
Support by the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario), will
allow Niagara College and Brock
University to work with small- and
medium-sized companies (SMEs)
and provide funding to help get
ideas to market.
“The ability to take your idea
and get it out into the market is
the biggest limitation factor and
that is often a limit of money and
time. Hopefully, this program
will give those resources to small
companies,” says Steve Hudson,
vice-president academic at Niagara
College.
Hudson says the college hopes to
work with 15 to 20 companies in
the region.
The project is open to almost all
SMEs from Southwestern Ontario,
identified as having less than 1,000
employees.
“SMEs are the backbone of
the Canadian economy. SMEs
comprise 98 per cent of Canada’s
business,” says Dr. Ian Brindle,
vice-president of research at Brock
University. “Experience has taught
us time and time again when SMEs
are a component of the communities, the future prospects of those
communities improve significantly.”
Niagara and Brock got the maxi-
mum $750,000 ARC funding.
“This investment is another way
of our government partnering with
education and business to help our
economy make the transition from
traditional manufacturing to one
that is knowledge-based,” says St.
Catharines MP Rick Dykstra.
‘Hopefully, this
program will give
those resources to
small companies.’
—Steve Hudson
“As someone who works with
a lot of startup and small businesses in Niagara, this definitely
impacts what we have going on
here [nGen], so it’s great to hear,”
says Jeff Chesebrough, executive
director at nGen.
Companies that have a project
selected for funding will be given
$25,000 and FedDev will provide
$50,000. Niagara College and
Brock will each be working with a
committee of business and industry
leaders to review proposals. The
projects must be identified, approved and initiated by March 31,
2011, and be completed by March
31, 2012.
“Programs like these [ARC]
are critical to building a more innovative and versatile economy in
Canada and Niagara. It speaks well
to the future,” says Brindle.
“I think that it’s a great collaboration where the base research and
the pure research that is done at
Brock is highly complemented by
the applied industry-led research
that is done historically at Niagara
College,” says Hudson.
Dykstra supports the collaboration, saying that in three to four
years the success will be visible.
“We’re very fortunate here in Niagara to have two post-secondary
institutions that realize the value
of working hard at hand with local businesses,” says Dykstra.
“They understand the importance
of nurturing growth in high-tech
industries and creating successful
ventures that will not only help
to retain our young people to the
area but attract new businesses and
investment. I think this is a great
opportunity.”
Prime Minister Stephen Harper
created FedDev Ontario in August
2009 to help businesses, workers
and communities take advantage of
opportunities for economic growth.
FedDev funded about $206 million
to support economic and community development.
Launched as a part of Canada’s
Economic Action Plan, FedDev
was started as a five-year, $1-billion plan.
ARC is a pilot initiative created
by FedDev Ontario to address the
gap between research and commercialization in southern Ontario.
It has been started with the idea of
encouraging collaboration between
SMEs and post-secondary institutions like Niagara College and
Brock University.
By encouraging greater collaboration, ARC has as its goal the
acceleration of innovation and improvement productivity in SMEs in
southern Ontario.
For more information on the ARC
initiative, call 1-866-593-5505 or
email [email protected].
NIAGARA NEWS
Nov. 19, 2010
Page 7
NEWS
Graduation signals new beginning
By YUKI KAJI
Staff Writer
Niagara College held two fall
convocation ceremonies at the
Niagara-on-the-Lake campus on
Oct. 27 and 28. More than 500
students received diplomas and
certificates and left a familiar college life behind for a new life.
On Oct. 27, graduates were
from the Community and Health
Studies division, the Environment,
Media and Technology division,
and the Workforce and Business
Development divisions. On Oct.
28, students from the Business,
Hospitality and Tourism divisions,
Canadian Food and Wine Institute,
Academic and Liberal Studies division and Continuing Education
division graduated.
President Dan Patterson extended his congratulations to
graduates. “Your success is our
success.”
David Gracia, 26, a graduate of Geographic Information
Systems—Geospatial
Management, says, “I feel good. It’s our
graduation.” He says the happiest
memory is “friendship.”
“At the beginning, nobody
knew each other at the class and
then we made good groups, working together. Now we are almost
a family.”
Many international students
also graduated.
Singam Prem Anand Rajasekaran, 27, from India, a graduate
‘I wanted to
change my life ...
Canada taught me
many things.’
— Singam Prem Anand
Rajasekaran
of the Human Resources Management program, says he had
worked in India for three years.
He decided to study abroad and
quit his job because, he says, “I
wanted to change my life.”
He says studying abroad is an
enriching experience for students.
“Canada taught me many things.
I’m going to find a good job here
because I want to stay more in
Canada.”
After the convocation, the college held a reception, and culinary
students served.
Rich Storin, 23, a first-year
student of Culinary Management,
says the students started to prepare
food two days before and on the
convocation days there are night
and day shifts. Twenty-five people
worked that night.
“It takes a lot of time, but we
enjoy this time. Graduates say [the
food was] delicious.”
Grant Keep, 21, a graduate in
the Automotive Service Technician program, says, “The economy
is bad. It’s very, very hard to find a
job, but I want to find a job in the
field I studied.”
In addition, on Oct. 27, Mike
Trojan, a chief administrative officer of the Regional Municipality
of Niagara, received the Niagara
Award. Cheryl Reid, a student
of Dental Hygiene, received the
Dean’s Academic Award, which
is presented to the graduates in
each division with the highest
cumulative grade point average in
a program of at least two years in
duration.
Lloyd Schmidt, the president of
International Viticulture Service
Inc, received an honorary diploma
in Winery and Viticulture. Mackenzie Brisbois, a graduate in the
Winery and Viticulture Technician
program, received the Dean’s
Academic Award on Oct. 28.
Niagara College President Dan Patterson and Satbir Singh, a graduate
of General Arts and Science, pose for a picture after the convocation
Oct. 28.
Photo by Yuki Kaji
Don’t miss
“SNOWBASH”
#1
in Student
Satisfaction
AROUND THE WORLD
Join us Thursday, December 2, 2010
for Niagara College’s 16th annual
Student Appreciation Day
Throughout the College, students
will find treats, giveaways, prize
draws, food & campus store specials
and many other surprises.
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DV\RXUSODFHWRVWXG\ZRUNOLYHDQGSOD\%URXJKWWR\RXE\
1LDJDUD&ROOHJHVWDIIZKRZLVKWRDFNQRZOHGJHZLWKPXFK
DSSUHFLDWLRQ\RXUFRQWULEXWLRQWRRXU&ROOHJHFRPPXQLW\
SNOWBALL HUNT
225 Snowballs will
be hidden throughout
the college.
Find one & win a
PRIZE
NIAGARA NEWS
Page 8
Nov. 19, 2010
NEWS
Avoid being a couch potato
Students helping students eat right and stay active
Jeremy Whitakel tells students his group is giving away healthful snacks and drinks, such as Cheerios, granola
bars and water.
Photo by Sarah Ferguson
By SARAH FERGUSON
Staff Writer
Forget the sugar-filled and
calorie-loaded snacks and jump off
the couch.
Health-conscious students were
warmed up and ready to tell you
about what’s good for you and
your body.
On Nov. 8, students from the
Health Promotions program greeted
students outside the Welland campus cafeteria with information
about eating right and being active.
Students in the program were
asked to create a project related to
health, fitness or nutrition.
The goal was for “students to
educate students about health, fitness and living an active lifestyle,”
says Melanie Sequin, an instructor
for the program. From 11 a.m. until
2 p.m., a Twister game, exercise
balls and endurance testing games
demonstrated ways to keep people
healthy.
Marieka Ouimette, a student
in the program, says flexibility
is something everyone should be
concerned about, “it’s the most
important part [of physical activity]
because it reduces injury.”
Ouimette says people often forget
to stretch before taking part in a
physical activity.
A surprising fact, says Ouimette,
is flexibility helps you sleep better.
Being more flexible “helps your
muscles relax and it gives you a
wider range of motion.”
Ouimette says the more a person
stretches before physical activity,
the greater the benefits. “You will
be more mobile and flexible at an
older age.”
Courtney LeGood, student,
talked to students about endurance
testing and says endurance testing
is important.
“It shows you how fit you are
compared to other people.” LeGood
adds this can help by giving your
body fat percentage so you can
compare it to other people’s, giving you an idea of an appropriate
weight based on your height.
Alison Wiseman presented students with information about yoga.
Wiseman says yoga helps to improve your posture and works every
muscle in your body “without overworking it.”
“Yoga brings your mind, body
and soul together.”
Jeremy Whitakel talked about nutrition, as he gave away free water
bottles, Cheerios and granola bars.
Whitakel had all the nutritional
information about places students
might like to eat, such as Tim Hortons, McDonald’s and Subway.
“We’re trying to attract people
to make healthier choices than just
fast food.”
Getting a taste of culture, one plate at a time
By KIMBERLY SMITH
Staff Writer
On Nov. 15 the international
flavour of Niagara College was
showcased with food, costumes and
cultural items at Benchmark restaurant at the Niagara-on-the-Lake
campus.
Marking International Education
Week, students and staff were invited to sample food from six countries served mostly by Bachelor of
Applied Business — Hospitality
Operations Management (BABH)
students.
Tables were set up in the circular
dining room by country: China,
Ghana/Nigeria, Jamaica, Japan,
Mexico and Russia. Served at
China’s table were pot stickers and
sweet and sour spare ribs.
Jacy Lu, 24, of Shanghai, China,
says she is “proud to represent her
country.” Lu, a third-year BABH
student, says she chose to come
to Niagara College because she
wanted the opportunity to travel.
“I think we have [the] most popular food here,” Lu says with a smile
on her face.
The Jamaican table had jerk
chicken and fried plantain. Iam
Gooden, 30, of Kingston, Jamaica,
says the food at his station was as
good as if it was made in his home
country. Gooden says he chose to
come here because he read it was
rated No. 1 in student satisfaction.
At the Japanese table tempura
shrimp and sushi were offered. The
students also demonstrated how to
make origami.
Melissa Mallari, 20, of Fort Erie,
Ont., and Christine Moore, 20, of
Sauble Beach, Ont., both students
of the BABH program, were making tacos on the spot for students at
the table representing Mexico. The
tacos were made of a flour tortilla,
pulled pork, salsa verde, pico de
gallo and guacamole.
Moore says, “It’s been a great
learning experience.”
The four women representing
Russia were clad in red, white and
blue, the colours of the Russian flag.
Smoked salmon blinis and sweet
cheese fritters with cherries were
served to represent Russia.
From 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. students filled the restaurant, walking
around with plates full of food.
Marketing student, Jared Legere,
19, of St. Catharines, says he is a
member of the International Club
and figured he would “drop by” the
event. Legere says, “I think the college needs to be more vocal about
international events on campus.”
Anna Yadigarova, Maya Tremeeva, Svetlana Volkova and Viktoriya
Polyanskikh served smoked salmon blinis and sweet cheese fritters
with cherries at their table representing Russia.
Photo by Kimberly Smith
NIAGARA NEWS
Nov. 19, 2010
Page 9
NEWS
New adviser hired
Tibor Toka joins team to help with
international-enrolment growth
The view of St. Peter’s Basilica dome in Vatican City from the Ponte
Umberto Bridge in Rome.
Submitted photo
Students get chance
to capture Italy
By LINDSAY COSTELLO
Staff Writer
It’s a chance to capture the world
through your viewfinder.
Stephen Dominick, professional
photographer and co-ordinator of
the Digital Photography program
at Niagara College, is organizing a
photo tour of Italy.
The trip, scheduled for mid-May,
is being directed by Education
First (EF) Educational Tours. The
10-day excursion includes guided
tours of Florence, Siena, Cortona and Rome with visits to The
Vatican, the Sistine Chapel and the
Colosseum.
Dominick says he has been travelling to Italy for years and wanted
to bring a group of photography
students to share the “visual experience of a lifetime.”
“Everywhere the eye turns, there
is a photograph,” he says.
Although the trip has been arranged for photography students,
being a photography expert is not
required. Students and faculty of
all programs and experience levels
are welcome to join.
Dominick says the trip will
change one’s perspective by helping to “develop a better appreciation of literal and visual beauty”
while offering “fabulous opportunities to capture it with a camera.”
“You can’t help wanting to bring
a piece of this home with you.”
Simone Tessitore, tour direc-
tor for EF Educational Tours, has
directed more than 40 tours. He
has been working with EF for five
years and has directed tours in
Italy, France, Spain, Switzerland
and the United Kingdom.
Tessitore, originally from Torino,
Italy, says he became interested
in tourism early in his life. With a
degree in tourism business, he has
spent 14 years in the tourism industry working at resorts, as a tour representative and now as a director.
He says travelling is a good experience because it allows you to
“challenge yourself” with different
cultures and people. He says for
most, it is the first time they leave
their home country.
“Travelling to me is a life-changing experience,” he says. “Travelling is learning.”
The trip to Tuscany is not a brochure trip and has been specifically
designed for Niagara College.
The cost is estimated at $3,616
and includes airfare from Toronto
to Rome, accommodations, daily
breakfast and dinner, guided tours,
admission and a dinner in Rome.
The combination of guided sightseeing and free time will also
include a wine tour and pizzamaking demonstration.
Dominick is hoping to have 25
to 30 participants.
Those interested should contact
Dominick by emailing sdominick@
niagaracollege.ca.
Facts about Italy
Official name: The Italian
Republic
Capital: Rome
Population: Estimated at 58
million
Size: 301,338 km
Currency: Euro
Language: Italian
By ANTON MWEWA
Staff Writer
Those who frequent the college’s International Department
are in for a surprise: there’s new
blood in the team.
Recognizing the 29 per cent
growth the college’s international
student body has seen this year, the
International Department has taken
on another team member to better
cater to student needs.
Few people are as heavily relied
on as the international student
advisers. They assist students with
anything from academic advisement, to housing and immigration.
They are, in essence, an international student’s link to all the services the college provides.
Until a few weeks ago, the college managed with two advisers
for a population of about 800 international students. Now that has
changed.
Tibor Toka, 41, is the new addition who will join the current staff
of Shawna Luey and Laura Fakla,
the college’s well-known international student advisers. Toka,
who is a Hungarian native, began
his duties as a part-time adviser
on Oct. 14 and has been learning
about, and adapting to the position.
“What I like about this job is you
have to deal with people,” he says.
“You can change people’s lives not
only directly, but indirectly.”
A holder of a Master of Arts
degree in sociology, Toka moved
to Canada from Hungary early last
year when his Canadian wife decided she wanted to come back to
her home country. He and his wife
now reside in Welland, a location
that is one of the reasons he took
on the job.
Sean Coote, director of International Services and Recruitment,
says Toka fits the bill and standard
set by the International Department
for hiring new staff.
“We look for somebody who
has cross-cultural experience and
knowledge,” says Coote, “hopefully, someone who has lived
overseas and has foreign language
skills and abilities.”
Coote says social background is
important for an international student adviser as it allows him or her
to empathize with students better.
Toka is no stranger to a strong
social background. Besides his
degree, he has worked at institutions of higher learning for the
last nine years in Europe and the
United States and dealt with “50
different students from 50 different
countries.”
His presence will ease the
workload of Luey and Fakla, the
college’s international advisers
from the Welland and Niagaraon-the-Lake (NOTL) campuses
respectively. With a focus on
international student housing and
‘It is important
for us to be able
to not only meet
students’ needs,
but exceed them.’
— Sean Coote
immigration, Toka’s part-time
position allows him to work four
days a week – two at the Welland
campus, and two at the NOTL
campus.
Luey says that while she and
Fakla were able to meet the current needs of the students, they had
difficulty in finding time to plan
future events.
“This addition to our team will
allow us to try to be more proactive
with our planning and be able to
have one more person here to keep
our service levels up as our [international student] numbers grow,”
she says. “Am I feeling the benefits
yet? Yes, already.”
Although his position is parttime for now, Toka hopes it will
grow into a full-time one.
“I look at this position as a starting point. … You have to pick up
on things and then move in and up
inside of the organization.”
The one thing international
students can be assured of is consistent service, according to Coote.
He says if students demand more
or better service, his department
will make sure it can accommodate them.
“It is important for us to be able
to not only meet students’ needs,
but exceed them.”
The latest addition to the International Department, Tibor Toka, joined
the team in October as the college’s newest international student
adviser.
Photo by Anton Mwewa
NIAGARA NEWS - Nov. 19, 2010
Page 10
Niagara Region fighters make their mark
Local fighters trained, bled and sweat for MMA in N.Y.
By SHAWN SMITH
Staff Writer
The Niagara area is known for many assets. Grapes,
wine, and, of course, Niagara Falls are the aspects usually used to describe the region. However, after the recent
Raging Wolf mixed martial arts event, at the Seneca Niagara Casino and Hotel in Niagara Falls, N.Y., there may
be soething else to add to that list.
Two combatants from Welland’s Modern Vision Mixed
Martial Arts and one from Port Colborne’s Dayboll JiuJitsu participated.
The highlight was Top 10 in the world-ranked Port Colborne native and Raging Wolf Bantamweight Champion
Alexis Davis defending her title against Tonya Evinger.
The fight began as a competitive standing exchange with
both fighters throwing strikes. Davis quickly took control of
the bout by putting it on the mat. Less than two minutes
later, Davis was able to submit Evinger with a rear naked
choke for the victory.
“We knew her submissions were her weak spot,” says
Davis.
“We worked a lot on striking and avoiding her jab,”
says Davis. "It felt good [to beat her] because I
know she’s a good fighter.”
“The first time we fought her we didn’t have
any film. This time we really figured out her mechanics. Yes, fighters improve, but they have
the same movements and mechanics,” says
Dave Dayboll, head trainer at Dayboll Jiu-Jitsu
in Port Colborne.
Matthew DiMarcantonio, of Modern Vision
Mixed Martial Arts, won a unanimous decision against Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu purple belt
Kevin Cummings. “The triangle choke he
locked in early in the third round was pretty
tight,” says DiMarcantonio. The Welland
fighter dominated the first two rounds before facing a more evenly contested round
in the third.
“We’ve trained the triangle choke many
times, and I can’t submit Matt with it so I knew
he’d be fine,” says Chris Bonfoco, Modern Vision head trainer. “We have a philosophy of no
tapping.”
In one of the three professional bouts of the evening,
Welland’s Eric Attard took on former UFC fighter Tom
Egan in an entertaining bout. The first round was close
as Attard used his kicks to keep Egan at bay. Eventually,
Egan’s advanced wrestling and groundwork put him in a
dominant position as he was able to finish Attard in the
second round by punches.
“He [Attard] had many opportunities in this fight,” says
Bonfoco.
"This is just part of the process for getting better. This
is just a stepping-stone against someone who less than
two years ago fought in the UFC. I’m not doing my job as
a coach if they are not learning from their losses. I train,
bleed and sweat with these guys on the mat.”
Left: Raging Wolf Bantamweight Champion Alexis Davis talks about her
victory.
Clockwise from top left: Matthew DiMarcantonio of Modern Vision MMA
and trainer Chris Bonfoco; Eric Attard of Welland; Rashad Evans, UFC
fighter, being interviewed during the intermission; DiMarcanontio again;
Matt McCook trying to submit John Franchi in a triangle choke.
Photos by Shawn Smith
Page 11
NIAGARA NEWS
Page 12
Nov. 19, 2010
NEWS
Praising autumn in musical form
College
Children’s choir performing thoughout the holiday season afterlife blues
By GENESIS FALCON
Staff Writer
A season ends and a new one
begins for the Chorus Niagara
Children’s Choir (CNCC).
On Nov. 9 the CNCC’s first performance was at St. Barnabas Anglican Church, in St. Catharines.
Melanie Marlin, choir director,
says it’s the end of autumn and it’s
getting cold, but it’s not winter yet.
With the beautiful blue sky, this is
the perfect time of the year.
“We want to bring that to you
guys tonight,” she says during the
performance.
The CNCC is a choir of 32 children from around Niagara, says
Lyn Hibbitt, CNCC manager. She
says the children are from Grimsby, Niagara Falls, St. Catharines
and Thorold.
Hibbitt says the choir is for
children between the ages of seven
and 17. She has been working with
the choir since it was formed four
years ago. When the new choir
season started in September, they
began practicing for this benefit
concert, called Radiance.
The choir has two groups, which
practise every Tuesday. One is for
training young and less experienced singers who are just starting
out. The concert group is for more
experienced singers.
The concert was a thank-you
to the church, and the money collected by the admission tickets will
go back to it.
This is the second season for
The Chorus Niagara Children’s Choir in performed its first concert of the season at the St. Barnabas Anglican
Church in St. Catharines.
Photo by Genesis Falcon
choir director Marlin.
Marlin describes the choir as a events. The next concert is for
Marlin is originally from Nova group of enthusiastic singers.
the Christmas season, on Dec.
Scotia, where she was raised and
“We have kids from all over the 11 and Dec. 12 with the Niagara
earned a Bachelor of Music in Niagara region, from all the little Symphony Orchestra at Brock
voice and conducting. She went communities.” For Marlin, music University, where Honsberger will
to the University of Alberta for a has always been part of her life, so also perform.
Master of Music program in choral she decided to now not only do it
There will be another concert
conducting, after which she came but also teach it.
Feb. 26, 2011.
to Niagara.
Lynne Honsberger will be the
Auditions will be held in January
“I started with these guys right pianist accompanying the choir.
for the second part of the season,
away,” she says.
The choir has some upcoming says Hibbitt.
By SAM CINO
Staff Writer
Life after college doesn’t always
“come up roses.”
Mike McCormick graduated
from Niagara College’s Business
– Accounting program in 2008, but
since then he has had his share of
bad luck. A severely broken wrist,
not being able to find a job, and his
wife leaving him are just a few of
the main things.
“I basically Superman-dove into
the pavement,” he says about his
broken wrist.
“I was working at Wal-Mart
while going to school. I crossed a
big patch of ice, and my feet came
out from under me.”
With a broken wrist, McCormick
had a harder time with his studies
and was put on light maintenance
duty at work.
After his recovery and graduation, he and his wife moved to
London, Ont., to seek jobs.
“I worked at the Wal-Mart there,
which was OK, for a bit, but I
wanted to find an actual accounting
job, which didn’t exist out there.”
After a timeout in London, the
couple moved back to Niagara and
decided to go their separate ways.
“It’s a good thing we are still
civil with each other. We are still
friends.We didn’t have any kids,
just a cat and a big screen TV. I got
the TV,” he says, smiling.
He is still pursuing his goal
of becoming a Certified General
Accountant and plans to take the
courses in the future.
International sale intriging to students
By ALANNAH CAMPBELL
Staff Writer
This week, the fourth annual
Intrigue Sale raised money and
awareness for International Edu-
cation Week.
Dr. Mary Kilmer-Tchalekian,
manager, international projects
— Latin America, solicited donations of funds and internation-
Saundra Patterson, left, wife of college President Dan Patterson, and
Dr. Mary Kilmer-Tchalekian sell internationally sourced items at the
Intrigue Sale.
Photo by Alannah Campbell
ally sourced items such as textiles,
handcrafts, books and various
other items.
The sale proceeds went toward
bursaries for students who will be
studying or working abroad and
toward a tourism and hospitality
training centre in Yryatu, Argentina.
“The main point [of the sale] is
to get money to pass on to other
deserving individuals.”
Kilmer-Tchalekian says the sale
has “always been relatively successful but it is hard to put an exact
qualifier on it.”
The sale brought in about $800
the first year, about $1,000 the next
and about $1,200 last year. Final
numbers from this year are not yet
available but, she says, the more
people hear about the sale and
donate items each year the success
will increase.
Tom Dwyer, third-year student
in the Bachelor of Applied Business – International Commerce and
Global Development at Niagara
College, sold items at the Intrigue
Sale on Monday. He said it would
be “great” if they could reach last
year’s numbers.
“It’s a really good cause and
it gives people an opportunity
to buy merchandise from around
the world.”
Next to the tables of items was
a booth to raise awareness about
fair trade. Students from the Ni-
From left, volunteers Adam Gaudet, Andrés Valencia, Cassandra
Musungayi and Derek Gaudet, provide information about fair trade
practices at the launch of International Education Week.
Photo by Alannah Campbell
agara College International Club people “work toward a sustainable
(NCIC) offered certified fair trade economy, they are able to do this
coffee along with flyers provid- [make items] and survive.”
ing information about fair trade
The event ran from 10 a.m. to
practices and certified fair trade 3 p.m. on Monday at the Niagaraorganizations.
on-the-Lake campus, in conjuncThey also sold a few handcrafts tion with an international culinary
that workers were paid fair wages taste testing, and Wednesday at the
to make “which helps them be Welland campus.
able to develop their community,”
The rest of the week was celesays Andrés Valencia, another brated with guest speakers, talking
third-year student in the Niagara about their international travels,
College program.
and a lecture series, Promoting
Valencia, active in the NCIC for Global Citizenship.
three years, is vice-president of
For more information about
fair trade. He volunteered at the fair trade visit http://www.
booth and says fair trade items help fairtrade.org.uk.
NIAGARA NEWS
Nov. 19, 2010
Page 13
NEWS
Fire safety a hot issue for students
By NATE POORTINGA
Staff Writer
In 2008, the month of October
saw two notorious campus fires
in Ontario, which stunned fire and
campus officials.
On Halloween night, an offcampus house fire involving Brock
University students precipitated
the need for a program to prevent
this from happening again.
“It was at that scene a fire prevention officer said to a colleague,
‘It’s only a matter of time.’ A fire
chief overheard this and knew
what they meant; it’s only a matter
of time before we have a multi-fatality fire involving young people,”
says Niagara College’s Director of
Student Services Brigitte Chiki.
The fire chief, she says, then approached Brock to try to look for
a “better way to educate students.”
Niagara College’s solution: the
knowfire.ca campaign.
Chiki says when Brad Clark,
director of student life and community experience at Brock University, asked her to participate
in the knowfire.ca campaign, she
didn’t hesitate in agreeing.
One of the reasons, she says, is
because the Niagara-on-the-Lake
campus residence experienced a
fire within the first six months of
being open.
Knowfire.ca became an onlinevideo campaign after the founding
members were able to recognize
that students spend more time
online than they do watching TV,
says Chiki.
“We know that students are different these days, so we engaged a
company made up of Brock grads
Fourgrounds Media, who produced
the films ... and we learned through
them that students are more oriented to electronic media.”
Adrian Thiessen, 24, president
of Fourgrounds Media Inc., of
St. Catharines, says reaching the
18-24-year-old demographic was a
“no-brainer” for his company.
Photo illustration by Stephanie Nikita
They used a student focus group
who suggested the campaign be
“really edgy and really powerful”
in terms of its message and media
use. Thiessen says this was integral
in communication with a “critical
group of consumers.”
“They recommended the shockand-awe technique,” says Chiki.
The end result is a series of one
to two minute “commercial-size”
videos containing powerful messages and images.
This included burning a real
dorm room for the filming.
“We wanted to bring in a tangible presentation of inward thinking and logic to make them see
how this would affect them,” says
Thiessen.
He explains the focus group was
sometimes pitched alternate endings, and they’d use the one the
group found more effective.
“We even asked the students,
‘What’s the right ending? Does the
person die or not?’ and students
gave us the ideas and we went with
them,” says Chiki.
The knowfire.ca campaign comprises members solely from the
Niagara region.
“What is especially thrilling for
us, and we’re so proud, in many
videos are Niagara College acting
students. Niagara College broadcasting students were involved
as videographers. Those are real
fire-fighters, and the other actors
are from the Niagara community...
Those are local scenes. Those are
real fire trucks.”
“It’s definitely something that
doesn’t happen too often as far
post-secondary education [programs] getting together with even
the region itself,” says Thiessen.
“It’s great to see all of the departments come together with the
school to form one voice.”
Shaun Ferguson, a recent graduate of Niagara College’s acting
program, played a role in one of the
videos as a second-year student.
He was part of a clip where a
careless group of students throw a
Family will benefit from college fund
A committee from Facilities Management Services at Niagara College held two fundraisers last month for
an educational fund to support the children of Frank Rubino, a part-time general maintenance worker
who died suddenly on Aug. 12 while working at the Niagara-on-the-Lake campus. On Nov. 11, Rubino’s
children and his wife, Barbara, were presented with a cheque for $13,071.25. From left: Brad Barnhart,
supervisor; Mal Woodhouse, Director; Tanera DeBeau, project planner & coordinator for planning and
development; Ange Bruni, operations manager; Cathy Disomone, secretary and Mike Czerleau, general
maintenance worker at the Welland campus present a cheque to Trina, Barbara, Jairus and Talon Rubino.
Photo by Lindsay Costello
party, unknowingly trapping their
roommate in the basement.
While dancing, Ferguson stumbles back and knocks over a group
of candles.
“I was responsible for setting the
house on fire,” he says.
Ferguson says, although the
work on set was “laid back” he
found himself constantly learning
new information and lessons.
“In the scene that I shot with
the candle, they wanted me to sort
of stumble back but not actually
knock the candle over. I think it
was the first or second take that I
did and I actually did knock them
over, which worked great for the
scene, but it just sort of reinforced
how accidents can happen like
that.”
Since the website went live,
knowfire.ca has received recognition on provincial and national
levels.
Chiki says they immediately
started getting requests from fire
departments and schools across
North America.
“It was wonderful. No pun intended but it literally spread like
fire, the knowfire message.”
In April 2010, the campaign received one of 12 honourable mentions for an international award
in the partnership category by
the Conference Board of Canada,
which accepts worldwide applications and is presided over by an
international panel of judges.
In June, the presidents of Brock
University and Niagara College
were recognized at a St. Catharines
city council meeting and presented
with a certificate.
Firefighters and other representatives of the campaign also travelled to Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., as part of a conference
for Fire Safety Month in the U.S.
They were invited by Campus
Fire Watch, an organization that
has recorded 134 campus firerelated deaths in the United States
since 2000.
“It’s been such a feel-good thing
in that it’s made entirely in Niagara, and that it’s being recognized
certainly in North America but really around the world,” says Chiki.
Most recently, knowfire.ca
received the Bernard A. Moyle
Public Education Award by the
Fire Marshall’s Public Fire Safety
Council.
Part of the award is a $5,000
credit note for products from the
Fire Safety Council’s distribution
centre.
Chiki says she there has been
talk of spreading awareness by
trying to get the videos shown as
previews at local cinemas and is
planning for more videos to be
made in the near future.
Similarly, Thiessen says, “Given
the success of the campaign, there
has been mention of producing
more videos. This is not a one-time
campaign.”
The six Niagara written and
directed clips and other fire safety
information are available at the
campaign site: www.knowfire.ca.
NIAGARA NEWS
Page 14
Nov. 19, 2010
NEWS
Enviromentalist,
engineer to visit
Niagara campus
By KRISTA ASHFORD
Staff Writer
For many years, human beings
have been addicted to fossil fuels.
The hunt for oil resulted in one of
the most disastrous spills the world
has ever seen. The BP oil spill off
the Gulf of Mexico’s coast will
have long-lasting effects on the environment. Politicians debate endlessly over what the best options
are to sustain the human need for
these diminishing resources.
Tom Rand, a venture capitalist,
philosopher and engineer, hopes to
find the answer.
Rand will be visiting the Niagara-on-the-Lake campus on Nov.
25 to promote his book, Kick the
Fossil Fuel Habit: 10 Clean Technologies to Save our World.
Rand, a Niagara-on-the-Lake native who now lives in Toronto, believes he has solutions to displace
or even replace fossil fuels.
“I’m really just a guy trying to
slow our gallop toward an overheated climate. [I’m] doing the
best I can with what I’ve got,” says
Rand on his website.
Rand is involved with the Clean-
tech venture capital and the MaRS
Discovery District and is the founder of VCi Green Funds. In 2008,
Rand and a partner converted an
abandoned building in downtown
Toronto into a low-carbon hotel
called The Planet Traveler Hotel.
It boasts high-efficiency lighting,
drain water heat recapture and solar thermal power.
His book documents different
methods Rand believes should be
the next step toward a green future.
He addresses the benefits of solar,
wind and geothermal power, biofuels, smart buildings, transportation
and conservation in an easy-tounderstand way that makes these
ideas accessible to the public.
On Nov. 25 at 7 p.m., Rand will
be speaking in the Yerich Auditorium. Staff, students and members
of the community are welcome to
attend. The event is free. There
will be a reception in The Armoury
after the presentation, the college’s
first-ever Green Drinks event.
For more information, contact
Krystle Grimaldi, Niagara Environmental Corps co-ordinator, at
[email protected].
Tom Rand’s new book, Kick the Fossil Fuel Habit: 10 Clean Technologies To Save Our World.
Submitted photo
Unproportional representation?
Canadian women need a stronger role in politics
By SHAWN SMITH
Staff Writer
As a First World country, Canada
is considered to be a modernized
and progressive state. Most homes
have running water, and people
have food on their plates. However,
Canada is not without problems.
One of the key political issues is
the lack of female representation.
Only 21 per cent of elected politicians in Canada are women. Add
to that the fact that 52 per cent of
eligible voters are women.
Why are so few women involved
in politics?
Livianna Tossutti, associate professor of political science at Brock
University in St. Catharines, offers
a few reasons. Some of these include the adversarial style of politics practiced in Canada, attitudinal
factors such as women being less
interested than men, the “first past
the post” electoral system in which
only first place is elected, and media that ignore female politicians
or judge them based on looks.
“It’s difficult to pull the double
duty that women play in terms of
holding down a job and raising a
family,” says Tossutti. “It’s difficult for a woman to raise a child
when they are in a demanding profession such as politics. That’s why
you see that many of the women
who do enter into politics are often
older women who have already
raised their family.”
These are major problems for
women to overcome, but there are
solutions.
“Countries that use proportional
representation often get 30 to 40
per cent female representation
compared to Canada and the U.S.
that get far lower female representation. Sweden used proportional
representation and has 47 per cent
female representation. France and
Belgium have laws requiring parties to run equal numbers of female
and male candidates. If they do not,
they are penalized from the state.
In Canada we don’t have any such
laws.”
This idea is generally not practised in North America, but one
Canadian party has taken the initiative.
“The NDP [New Democratic
Party] are the only Canadian political party that has set internal party
quotas and require the party to
have women run in 60 per cent of
ridings that have a shot at winning.
Conservatives reject the idea of
affirmative action, and the Liberals have adopted a more voluntary
initiative,” says Tossutti.
Martha Hall Findlay, 51, of
Willowdale, Ont., is a member of
parliament with the Liberal Party
of Ontario, says there is a strong
need for more women in Canadian
politics.
“I don’t subscribe to one gender
being better than another at being
a politician. You cannot vote for
women if they aren’t running,” she
says.
Findlay agrees with Tossutti
there is a media slant that needs to
be addressed. “No one asks what a
male politician does with his children when he is running for office.
It is not the same with women.”
How can Canada get more women to become politically active?
“Institutions can make politics
more female friendly by offering
onsite services such as daycare
facilities or support for child care
expenses. Anything they can do
to help support child care would
go a long way to encourage young
women to get into politics,” says
Tossutti.
Another option suggested was
to get Canadian youth interested in
politics through a proper political
education.
“We need to reach young women
at the high school age with better
civic education classes – and they
will benefit young men too – better civics classes that are serious
about the importance of politics
in people’s lives just to get young
Canadians interested in it,” says
Tossutti.
NIAGARA NEWS
Nov. 19, 2010
Page 15
NEWS
Handicapped parking a problem
Students upset over the lack of designated spaces
parking passes like everyone else
or their vehicle will be ticketed,”
adding he has personally seen
automobiles without a parking
permit or a handicapped parking
permit in the handicapped parking
spots.
This could contribute to the unavailable areas for those who are
required to use them.
‘It can take up to
20 minutes to find
a spot.’
— Wendy Boardman
Wendy Boardman stands outside the Technology Centre beside some
crooked handicapped parking signs.
Photo by Noknoy Xayanase
times I have been late to class because of the parking issue.”
Mike Wales, communications
officer in the college’s marketing and communications department, says the demolition of the
Mackenzie building, in spring
2011, will create more accessible
parking spots.
Mal Woodhouse, director of
facilities management services,
says, “All staff must purchase
Those vehicles, without a permit, are reported and ticketed.
Niagara College meets and exceeds the Ontario Building Code
and Municipal Bylaws standards.
These codes and bylaws determine the minimum handicapped
parking spaces in any given lot.
Woodhouse says 19 handicapped parking spaces will be
created although 16 are required.
These numbers are not confirmed
as construction is ongoing.
“We try to facilitate and ac-
Get writing this November
By STEPH AZEVEDO
Staff Writer
NaNoWriMo
means
many
things to those who participate. For
some, it is a way to breathe life into
the ideas that float around in their
heads. For others, it means testing
their limits and trying something
they have never done before.
For many, it will become a
means of producing a novel.
The literal meaning is National
Novel Writing Month, November.
Self-entitled “wrimos” (participants in NaNoWriMo) all over the
globe sit down at their laptop or
grab a pen and paper to begin writing down 50,000 words within a
deadline of 30 days.
Is pen-to-paper or fingers-to-laptop the best way to go? Melody E.
McIntyre enjoys writing by hand at
first, but finds that “the computer
is just faster. My hand can smash
through my writing block better.”
On the other hand, there is Eleanor MacVeigh, who has been a
wrimo for eight years. She prefers
to use the computer. “My shorthand
isn’t nearly fast enough to keep up
with the ideas in my brain.”
“I’m also very particular on the
computer,” MacVeigh says. “The
font cannot be larger then a size 10,
and it has to be Arial. It makes me
feel like I’ve done a lot when I format it for the CreateSpace freebie
at the end of June.”
Tyler Meehan, a first-time
wrimo, says he finds “writing on a
computer to be too distracting.”
“You can easily put on a movie
and use Facebook. It keeps you
from achieving your goal.”
“I prefer writing with pen and
paper,” says Meehan. “Each page
is like a blank slate. I can write a
short story, the beginnings of a
new script, a journal entry, or even
a drawing. I find it’s just so much
more versatile.”
Some remain alone as they work
on this journey, while others get
together with other wrimos in their
region for “write-ins.”
“Write-ins are amazing,” says
MacVeigh, who is the municipal
liaison for the Niagara region.
“People have mentioned to me
that their most productive days
wordcount-wise is when they’re
surrounded by everyone else
struggling to survive the month
together. When we have word
wars, there’s the sound of everyone
typing madly away, and it brings
out your inner competitiveness.
… I normally write between 800
and 1,000 words an hour, but on a
30-minute word war I clear 1,000
words easily.”
The opposite is true for Tawnya
Jackson, who started NaNoWrimo
in 2004. Jackson found she “had the
night off” when attending the writeins. “I’m one of the unlucky few that
don’t have a [laptop]. … Whatever
I wrote never made it to the actual
document once I got home.”
One person who knows the dif-
ficulty of meeting a word count is
Meehan, who is in China teaching
children English.
“Every morning and night I sit at
the computer, put on some TV in
the background and write as much
as I can. I do my best to reach the
word count and try not to lose too
many hours of sleep.” He advises
wrimos to “set aside a few hours
every morning and night for writing.”
Donna Blake, a wrimo for three
years, says her biggest hint for
reaching the 50,000 word count
is to “make a NaNo commitment
in advance and make it stand the
tallest among the other chores and
duties. Carve out the time and then
stick to it with a vengeance! Be
selfish about it.”
Benjamin Pratt, a first-year wrimo, suggests some less life-changing solutions: “Trim the fat off
life, cancel subscriptions to email
newsletters or YouTube channels,
tell friends you’ll be busy, [and] if
you have a break in the middle of
the day, work!”
There are always new friends
to be made through NaNoWriMo.
One of the biggest joys is “everyone pulling together to make sure
we all get our ideas down, even
if we don’t make the word count
at the end of the month,” says
MacVeigh. “It’s amazing the camaraderie NaNo creates.”
For the official NaNo website,
visit www.nanowrimo.org.
commodate to every student’s and
faculty member’s needs,” says
Woodhouse. When his staff hears
of issues, they try to the best of
their abilities to provide a solution.
“There was a complaint about
the roads behind the old Student
Administrative Council building
and we paved it.”
In addition to new parking areas
being made, construction workers
are building new paved crosswalks, which are slightly elevated.
They will act as a walking path as
well as speed bumps. This will
be beneficial to those with difficulty walking because the speed
bump will be the same height as
the curb.
Boardman received her General
Arts diploma on Oct. 28 and will
be completing her final year at Niagara College in April. She says
she hopes to see immediate progression in the parking matter, but
if she doesn’t see change, she’s
just glad to get the ball rolling.
“I hope I can make a difference
through my efforts because I am
not the only one having difficulty.”
Woodhouse says that within
the next two weeks the college will have new paved areas
for new parking lots. The lines
will be painted once paving is
done, but weather can delay the
finished product.
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By NOKNOY XAYASANE
Staff Writer
“I like to call it disadvantage,
not disability.”
Wendy Boardman, a third-year
Broadcasting – Radio, Television and Film student at Niagara
College, like many others, has
had trouble with parking on the
Welland campus. Since the construction here has made for difficult parking, there is another, but
similar issue. There are not enough
handicapped parking spaces.
Boardman was injured while
on the job and had surgery
on Oct. 18.
“I park wherever I can. I can
come in at any time of the day and
there won’t be any parking,” says
Boardman, adding, “It can take up
to 20 minutes to find a spot.”
This issue doesn’t simply affect
Boardman. She has written many
letters and made many phone calls
to the parking department of the
college.
“It turns out I wasn’t the only
one doing it. Others are also in my
position. It took about a month to
gain momentum.”
Boardman has been determined
in achieving her goal of having
more available and accessible
parking spots.
“I didn’t give up. I documented
everything: the days I couldn’t
find parking to the number of
E/:3BB7<5/1/;>CA7<5@/<2@/>72A
NIAGARA NEWS
Page 16
Nov. 19, 2010
NEWS
First-year winery and viticulture technician students Lisa Indras and Justin Grendel are learning hands-on
how to make their own wine. Currently they are in the process of making a cabernet franc.
Students crush grapes picked from the Teaching Winery to make their
own wine. First-year students are holding their grapes that will be
made into a cabernet franc wine.
Photos by Kimberly Smith
Students producing award-winning wines
By KIMBERLY SMITH
Staff Writer
On Nov. 5 the Niagara College
Wine and Visitor Centre will be a
year old, but don’t expect a birthday party the likes of the grand
opening.
Last November, Niagara College welcomed His Royal Highness, the Prince of Wales, Prince
Charles for a historic visit to open
the $3.6-million facility.
The new building is the only oncampus vineyard and commercial
teaching winery in Canada.
In just a year, the centre personnel and students have been keeping
busy producing award-winning
wines, participating in wine festivals, hosting educational seminars
and providing the highest quality
hands-on education for students.
Upon entering the centre, visitors are greeted with a wine-tasting
bar in the middle of the circular
hall and a backdrop of glass doors
leading to the patio overlooking
the vineyard. The wooden shelves
display the three levels of wines
produced on campus: college series, street scenes and the premium
dean’s list.
“Because of the proximity to
the Queen Elizabeth Highway, the
centre is hoped to be thought of as
a ‘hub’ where visitors can stop in
and find about all wineries in the
region,” says Lorraine Snihur, the
wine and visitor centre’s event
planner.
Snihur, a graduate of the Wine
Business Management program,
was one of the students who took
the Prince of Wales on his tour of
the vineyard.
Now as event planner, Snihur
says she is “proud to be a part of
this place” and enjoys meeting the
guests, whether dignitaries or visitors from out of town.
The lower level of the building
is where the magic takes place. It’s
home to a wine barrel cellar, wine
production cellar, crush area, oenology and fermentation lab, wine
library, three viticulture labs and a
terroir classroom.
Although the upper level’s activity has slowed because of the season, the lower level is a different
story.
With a successful harvest recently completed, excitement fills
the air as students and professional
Winemaker Terence Van Rooyen
work hard to make potential
award-winning wines.
Gavin Robertson, a student completing his second-year practicum
with the winery, says the weather
this year was “ideal” and the fruit
was picked properly giving it
“great fruit condition.”
With the last of the grapes
picked on Nov. 2, the winery is at
capacity. Robertson has been using
picking bins for fermentation.
This year the winery had an
early harvest, but the 2009 yield
was late, meaning more time was
needed in the barrels for the wine.
Although the college has a fulltime professional winemaker, the
students are involved with the process from start to finish. From putting on rubber boots and going into
the vineyard to crushing the grapes
and bottling, they learn first-hand
what it takes to perfect the craft of
wine making.
Adding to the buzz of excitement, first-year Winery and
Viticulture Technician diploma
students are learning to make a
table wine, red or white, in their
first semester.
Lisa Indras, 19, of Toronto, currently making a cabernet franc,
says so far they have “been really
involved. We started in the middle
of harvest so we just show up and
help.”
“The easiest way to learn is in
the winery. It just sticks.”
A student coming to the program
with a winery apprenticeship under
his belt says he likes the hands-on
involvement. Justin Grendel, 18,
of Warkworth, Ont., says the class
was taught proper procedure and
then were sent out to make their
first wine.
The visitor centre is looking
forward to another successful year,
adding more exciting events and
improving the current space.
With the recent addition on campus of a brewery, Snihur says they
will have beer on tap at their tasting bar and will have the product
available for sale in the near future.
On Dec. 5 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.,
the teaching winery will be hosting
its annual open house. New wines
will be released and hors d’oeuvres
from the Canadian Food and Wine
Institute will be served.
Visit the centre’s website,
www.nctwinery.ca, for more details.
Town and Gown initiative keeps off-campus students safe
By JESSE CARTER
Staff Writer
There’s a saying that says it
takes a village to raise a child.
What if that village was putting
that child through college?
Between Brock University and
Niagara College, probably 10,000
students are living off campus
throughout the Niagara region,
and there are town-and-gown
committees being put together to
deal with them.
Since about 2003, Niagara College has been involved in local
town-and-gown initiatives.
The first was with the City of St.
Catharines. The Mayor’s Student
Housing Advisory Committee
is made up of representatives
from city hall staff, councillors,
the police department, the fire
department, Niagara College and
Brock University, as well as local
residents, students and landlords.
When the committee would
meet every two months or so to
discuss issues associated with
students living off campus, the issues typically focused on disruptive behaviour such as vandalism,
theft, rowdiness, parking, property
standards and fire safety.
Around 2005, the City of
Welland formed an ad hoc committee similar in structure to St.
Catharines’. An ad hoc committee
is one formed for a specific task
or objective and then dissolved
after the completion of the task or
achievement of the objective. The
police and college co-facilitated
those meetings.
In 2009, the City of Thorold
formed an official Town and
Gown Committee to deal with
the growing number of college
and university students living in
Thorold.
Brigitte Chiki, the college’s
director of student services and
community relations division,
says the college also has faced
challenges associated with students living in the Niagara on the
Green subdivision across from
the Niagara-on-the-Lake campus
because no formal committee is
in place there. However, the college attends meetings as called by
town officials, police or others.
In Welland, more recently,
elected councillors had moved to
introduce a system of licensing
for rental properties. Any property
owner would have been required
to register with the city and meet
certain property standards before
renting out units. There are problems because if it only applies to
student housing, it could be considered discrimination. Oshawa
was successful in passing a bylaw
that allows the city to control rental units within a certain number of
kilometres.
In Chiki’s opinion, the city
should be able to handle this without bylaws.
“In my view, the city is in the
best position to manage this committee, as they do in St. Catharines
and Thorold. The city has access
to and authority for many of the
standards and issues that apply,
such as parking, property standards, noise, nuisance and waste
management.”
The status of the initiative is
on hold because of the municipal
election on Oct. 25.
For now, Niagara College has
partnered with Brock University
to offer a joint off-campus housing listing service.
Information can be found on the
website www.niagaracollege.ca/
ocl.
Provided there are the listings
and descriptions of off campus
accommodations, but also lots
of helpful information, tips, and
links for students, parents and
landlords. Also featured is the
award-winning knowfire.ca link,
which contains a series of fire
safety videos.
As members of the provincial
Town and Gown Association of
Ontario, Brock University and
Niagara College set up information booths at first-year orientation events and spring open house
events.
For further information, visit the
website or contact any Town and
Gown Committee in Thorold and
St. Catharines or Chiki at Niagara
College. She can be reached by
calling 905-735-2211 ext. 7783.
NIAGARA NEWS
Nov. 19, 2010
Page 17
ENTERTAINMENT
NC professor set for singing, teaching
Barbara Mantini ready for the classroom and the stage
Barbara Mantini’s life, from her
family, to her job, to her hobbies,
completely revolves around music.
Your Actor’s Voice Through Singing. The class involves learning
how the voice works by examining
the anatomy and the respiratory
system and by practicing diction
through singing.
In addition to teaching at home,
for the past five years, Mantini
has been a teaching artist through
the Learning Through the Arts
program.
“We go into elementary schools
and teach arts using our art form.
There are different artist’s disciplines that are involved. So I would
go into the classrooms and we’ll
either write songs to whatever it is
that they’re focusing on in class.”
Mantini says she would consider
teaching as a full-time career when
she stops singing, but would she
ever stop singing?
“I hope not, because I love it.
I’m sure there will be a day where
I am too old to do it, the voice isn’t
there anymore and, hopefully, it’s
not for a long time. But I do enjoy
the teaching. I enjoy working with
the students.”
Music seems to be in almost every facet of Mantini’s life.
Her husband of 18 years, Dave
Colonico, is a music teacher at
Centennial Secondary School in
Welland. He also plays saxophone
in the band Introduction, featuring
Mantini as a vocalist. Together
they have two sons, Andrew, 15,
and Robert, 16. Mantini says both
sons are musically inclined.
“We’ve always supported them
in their music lessons, and there
has always been music around,”
says Mantini. “In fact, I was singing when I was expecting. I was
almost full-term and I would be in
the band singing. They heard it in
the womb.”
Since she herself has a career in
music, teaches music, married a
musician and is raising two aspiring musicians, what would she advise to anyone considering a career
in music?
“I would say get as much training as you can,” says Mantini. “Get
a degree because it does allow you
to do other things later on perhaps
when your career is slowing down.
You have to keep performing
because you need the experience.
And experiment. Just keep learning
Photo by Sarah Ferguson
Photo courtesy of
Helen Tansey
By CHRISTOPHER FORTIER
Staff Writer
For Barbara Mantini, music is
her life.
Mantini, 49, has been singing
professionally since 21, most notably with her sisters Sandra and Ann
as The Mantini Sisters.
“I’ve been singing since I was
a little girl. It’s the only thing I’ve
ever wanted to be,” says Mantini.
Growing up in Niagara-on-theLake, Mantini is the fifth of seven
children, which includes two boys
and five girls, and is the middle
child in the Mantini Sisters trio.
“[Musically] we all have different tastes. We have different voices,
and in our productions we kind of
play that up: who’s the youngest,
who’s the prettiest, who’s mama’s
favourite and all of that stuff.”
Mantini’s studies in music were
all private, studying with a bassbaritone in Toronto as well as
studying opera. She now plays the
role of teacher herself.
For the past three years, Mantini
has been on the faculty in the Acting for Film and Television program, teaching the course Finding
Brock film series widely viewed
Weekly movie
showings entertain
St. Catharines with
new releases
By SARAH FERGUSON
Staff Writer
Sometimes you might not be in
the mood for a blockbuster movie.
However, you can jazz up
your movie-going experience on
Wednesday nights with something
less mainstream.
On Nov. 3, The Brock University
Film Series (BUFS) showed the
film Nowhere Boy, a biographical
film about Beatle John Lennon. It’s
one of 10 films in the fall season
running until Nov. 24 in St. Catharines.
Amanda Bishop, operations
manager for BUFS, says films are
chosen for various reasons.
“Patrons aren’t shy about asking
for things they’d like to see, so we
try to accommodate them.”
“We like to get a wide variety of
films in order to appeal to different
tastes. In November, we’re doing
a music biopic, a street art documentary, a French historical film
and a drama based on a popular
novel that already has Oscar buzz.”
Bishop adds, “It’s something for
everyone.”
Bishop says BUFS has “been
through a few incarnations” since
its inception over 35 years ago.
She adds there was a film society that held regular screenings at
Town Cinemas in downtown St.
Catharines. Later, the screenings
were held on campus on Sunday
nights.
As of January 2009, the program
“re-launched as BUFS, running
weekly screenings.”
BUFS is able to show films
because it is a Film Circuit group.
The Film Circuit is “a division of
the Toronto International Film
Festival. [It] co-ordinates distribution of films for groups like ours all
over Canada.”
Many factors determine which
film BUFS will get each week. It
depends on “critical response to
the film, availability of a copy of
the film for us to screen, whether
the film has played in the area,
when the DVD release is due, and
audience interest,” says Bishop.
The Film Circuit helped BUFS
arrange theatre rentals to play
films, says Bishop. “We chose to
move to the Pen Centre to make
BUFS more accessible to the public.”
Janessa Snippe, Vincent Tremblay, Tony Larocca and Mizuho
Nakai, all volunteers for BUFS,
say they enjoy doing it because
they see movies they would never
get a chance to see otherwise.
Snippe says a variety of people
come to screenings. “There are 120
to 140 people. Usually it’s a majority of adults, but it depends on the
film.”
“It’s a great opportunity,” says
Nakai, who has been volunteering
for four years
“These showings are not for people who just want to watch blockbuster films … most of the films I
want to see don’t come here.”
Bishop says there is one multiplex “in each Niagara city,” a situation that does not leave room for
much variation in what films are
playing. She says BUFS gives the
opportunity to check out the award
buzz around films. “Last year we
opened the series in September
with The Hurt Locker. It was a
little-known film at the time, but
it went on to sweep during award
season, and our patrons were lucky
enough to see it on the big screen.”
The final film for the season is
Never Let Me Go on Nov. 24. The
winter season continues on Jan. 12
running until April 6 with 12 films.
Tickets are $10 each with the
proceeds going to cover the cost of
screening the films.
For more information on what’s
playing, visit www.brocku.ca/bufs.
always. I’m always learning. As a
vocalist, styles have changed so
much, especially for stage.”
Mantini says after years of performing, she only gets nervous
when trying something new on
stage.
“You always get butterflies and
you always get nervous, but it’s
that initial doing it for the first time,
that’s when I feel it the most,” says
Mantini. “I think that nerves are
what help get you through it. It
gives you energy, but the more you
do it, the more you can handle it.”
The Mantini Sisters have an
upcoming show at Centennial Secondary School in Welland on Dec.
10 at 7:30 p.m.
The show will feature songs
from their Christmas CD and utilizes elements from their Christmas
production. The concert will also
feature French-Canadian recording
artist Michel Berube, local artist
Mark Lalama and former Canadian
national fiddle champion Frank
Leahy.
Tickets are available at www.
ticketpro.ca or by calling 1-888655-9090.
NIAGARA NEWS
Page 18
Nov. 19, 2010
ENTERTAINMENT
Professor jumps into
the film industry
Billy Pettinger singing a song from her new The Lost Cause CD.
Photo by Emma Russell
Billy the Kid
serenades The Core
‘At what point do you stop? I’ll
just stop when I’m over it’
By EMMA RUSSELL
Staff Writer
She was playing piano at 8,
guitar at 12, drums at 15 and the
harmonica at 18, and she is a successful and talented Canadian.
Niagara College’s pub, The
Core, welcomed Billy the Kid, also
known as Billy Pettinger, to the
stage on Oct. 20. Pettinger is on a
tour that started in her hometown,
Vancouver. Joining her is Canadian
Idol’s Rex Goudie.
“I’ve been all over the country
40 times,” she says.
Pettinger says music saved her
when life was rough at first. When
she was 18, she and a group of
friends got together and created
Billy the Kid and The Lost Boys.
Pettinger says even if the band
couldn’t make it, she would still
play. They travelled around in her
van, which became her home.
“It is the most fun job in the
world. Not every girl can do makeup in their car like I can.”
The band started a manifesto or
a code of conduct, she says, called
the Lost Cause. Children world-
wide have joined in Pettinger’s
Lost Cause, many getting the same
tattoo she has across her forearm
reading ‘Lost!’
Pettinger’s MySpace page defines the cause as “conventional
lifestyle.”
“With music I didn’t have a
choice. It was already decided for
me, and it is in my DNA.”
Pettinger says her music is inspired by real life, hard times, and
her daily grind. Raine Maida, the
lead singer of Our Lady Peace,
produced her CD, The Lost Cause.
Pettinger jokes and says in 25
years she sees herself much older.
“At what point do you stop? I’ll
just stop when I’m over it.”
Between songs, Pettinger told
the crowd you have to do something you don’t love so you can do
something you do love. It is easy
to tell while she plays that music is
what she loves.
“I love the quote she said. It’s
so true. She has a really beautiful
voice,” says Alison Montoux, a
Niagara College student.
Pettinger is a gifted artist and
a genuinely nice person. While
snacking on strawberries, she
laughs about a story over how a fan
started crying the second the met.
“It was weird at first.”
In a few words, Pettinger describes herself as “completely
independent.” She says she used
to think of herself as “one of the
boys” growing up, but realizes she
is actually “super girly.”
“I love dresses: vintage dresses
and tights.”
The show went on till 11 p.m.
Goudie and Pettinger did a duet at
the beginning.
“My favourite song to play tonight will be Recovery because I
can’t wait to scream, ‘This is my
recovery.’”
The advice she gives to all college students is to “never listen
to anyone but yourself. Listen to
others’ advice, but in the end, you
know what you want.”
For more information on the
band, visit www.myspace.com/
billythekid and follow Pettinger’s
Twitter www.twitter.com/billypettinger.com
By LINDSAY COSTELLO
Staff Writer
It’s all about the details.
This was made clear when
Maggie Craig, a Niagara College
graduate and script supervisor,
conducted workshops for secondyear Acting for Television and
Film students on Nov. 12.
Craig spoke to students about her
experience as a script supervisor
and offered advice on how actors
should present themselves on set.
While working as a script supervisor, Craig’s job was to be the
final set of eyes for every craftsperson on set to maintain accuracy and
continuity within scenes.
She was able to simulate her
work through an interactive demonstration in which a group of
students acted out a scene while
another group watched the action
on a monitor and checked for continuity.
According to Craig, it is important for actors to have a good relationship with their script supervisor
because they are “there to help.”
Despite the script supervisor’s
duty, Craig says actors should be
responsible for their own actions
and must be aware of what they are
doing at all times.
A former teacher in the Broadcasting — Radio, Television and
Film program at Niagara College,
Craig taught second-year film production and third-year documentary filmmaking before pursuing a
career in the industry.
Although she pictured herself in
front of the camera, her interest in
film production began when a professor brought her along to a film
shoot.
“I was hooked,” she says.
Having studied theatre during
university, Craig says she liked
the permanent nature of film and
how it can be shared with everyone
rather than one audience.
Her most recent project was
working on a television series directed by Steven Spielberg.
She says she had a great time
working on the project and with an
“amazing cast.”
Stacy Scalisi, a third-year broadcasting student, was able to work
with Craig on the Spielberg project
as an intern.
Scalisi described her internship
as an “incredible experience”, adding the cast and crew were “wonderful” and “accepting.”
Despite the hours of a script
supervisor, she says she realized
the importance of organization and
having a wealth of knowledge of
the project.
Scalisi says she hopes to continue with this line of work.
Although Craig would like to
pursue directing in the future, she
says she is happy with the way her
career is going.
“I hope to continue to work with
great talent and be lucky enough
to maintain a career in the film
industry.”
Craig says she likes the opportunity to travel and meet new people
while working.
She says Niagara College has a
“huge place” in her heart and is a
“big part” of her life.
It was Craig who came up with
the concept of starting an acting
program at the college. She says it
was an “honour” to visit the and see
success within the program, adding that Martin Doyle, Acting for
Television and Film co-ordinator,
is “making it a success.”
She says there is a “great symbiotic relationship” between the
broadcasting and acting programs
adding it gives students an opportunity to develop talent while
practicing their craft.
Doyle says bringing in guest
speakers has been “incredible” and
students are still talking about the
experiences weeks after they occur.
He says it is “wonderful” to see
graduates attain success in the industry.
Although major acting jobs can
be found in larger cities, Doyle
says Niagara College is a place
where students can receive the
“best education” in order to succeed in the industry.
Maggie Craig, a Niagara College graduate and former faculty member
who now works as a script supervisor, demonstrates her job to a group
of Acting for Television and Film students. Craig (standing) walked
students (clockwise from left) Amera Atiyeh, Erik Bahm and Samantha
Barber through a scene while Liam Corkal filmed the action for another
group of students watching it on a monitor tracking accuracy and
continuity.
Photo by Lindsay Costello
NIAGARA NEWS
Nov. 19, 2010
Page 19
SPORTS
Knights remain unbeaten
‘A win like this shows that we belong in the CCAAs,’ says Lemon
By NICK BEDARD
Staff Writer
The Niagara Knights women’s
basketball team capped off Remembrance Day with a win they
will never forget.
The Knights engaged in an upand-down battle in Welland against
the rival Humber College Hawks,
of Toronto, finally winning by a
score of 70-63.
“It’s probably one of the toughest defensive teams that we played
against,” says Knights head coach
Ron Lemon. “We had a 15-point
lead but we let it go because we
got sloppy. Fortunately, our girls
played good enough to come back.
They are playing better and better
each game, so I am pleased.”
A key factor for the Knights was
hitting free-throws when it counts.
The Knights went to the free-throw
line a total of 41 times, hitting 65
per cent of their shots for a total of
29 points.
First-year player Anita Newton,
19, is a student in the General Arts
and Science program. She has provided a much-needed spark in her
role as a guard. Newton had a great
performance last Thursday night,
scoring a game-high 17 points.
Niagara Knights point guard Allana Arundell attempts to get past Humber Hawks guard Sainney Caravery as
the Knights bench looks on. Arundell helped lead the Knights to a 70-63 win over the Hawks.
Photo by Sam Cino
Newton says, “At halftime,
we talked about recognizing our
defence. Coach Lemon noted key
words such as ‘hustle’ and ‘getting
stronger,’ so that really motivated
us. I’m really liking the team this
year. We are starting to come
around as strong contenders.”
Niagara Knights captain Kaitlyn Mckenna had her usual fine
night offensivly. She elevated her
game at both ends of the floor.
Mckenna finished with yet another
double-double and went six for six
from the free-throw line. She finished the game with 16 points and
12 rebounds.
The play of point guard Allana Arundell, 22, of the Child and
Youth Worker program, is really
starting to show for the Knights.
Arundell had a statistical stuffing game. She ended the night with
seven points, four rebounds, two
assists and four steals. Arundell
showed some aggression during the second half, getting into
a physical confrontation with a
Humber player.
Arundell says she is normally
one of the calmest players on the
team.
“They are a scrappy team [and
there is] a lot of pushing and reaching. I don’t like that. I am a calm
player, but she grabbed my shirt so
I had to let my emotions out. After
that, I relaxed.”
The Knights hold a 3-0 conference record thus far this season.
The Knights will faced another
tough challenge as they toke to the
road to tp-off against Fanshaw College in London, Ont., on Wednesday Nov. 17.
Niagara gets outworked on home court
Humber shines while Knights get sloppy in athletic battle
By NICK BEDARD
Staff Writer
Defeat can really weigh on a
team’s chemistry. Being blown
out on your home court by your
conference rival is nothing short of
pitiful.
The Niagara Knights men’s
basketball team suffered their first
loss of the season at the hands of
the Humber College Hawks, of
Toronto, by a score of 92-72.
The Hawks beat Niagara at their
own game, keeping a high tempo
style of play throughout the match.
“We started out with an early
lead,” says Humber Hawks head
coach Shawn Collins. “I think we
executed well on both ends of the
floor and we were able to maintain
it for the 40 minutes. That’s what
it takes to win tough road games.”
Hawks point guard Mark Perrin
proved to be a major factor off
the bench for the Hawks. He led
the team in scoring with 17 points
while guard Michael Acheampong
chipped in with 16 points.
The Knights had trouble keeping
up to the aggressive tempo displayed by Humber. From running
the uptempo break to getting back
on defence, it was a tough night all
around for Niagara.
Inside scoring was a key factor
for the Hawks, most of which came
on second chance opportunities.
Both teams shot well from the
field, the Hawks shot 53 per cent
from the field while Niagara shot
45 per cent.
The Knights saw solid play from
freshman shooting guard Elvis
Momat. He finished with a gamehigh 18 points off the bench.
The injury bug continues to
strike the Knights. Starter Matt
Thomas was held off the stat sheet
as he continues to nurse a sore
ankle. Dylan Pilasssero has lost his
starting role, he has also seen a decline in minutes due to a sore knee.
Knights captain Lamar Grant
says, “They were very fast and
athletic, better than any team that
we have played so far. I think in the
first half they jumped on us and we
couldn’t really recover. As a team,
we were not ready for this.”
Attendance has dropped dramatically for the Knights as approximately 150 fans showed up to
the new athletic facility that seats a
little over 1,000.
For Humber, this marks its first
week of regular season action
coming out victorious against Redeemer College, of Ancaster, Ont.,
on Nov. 9.
The Knights held a 3-1 record
going into this week when they
travelled to London, Ont., to face
off against Fanshaw College.
You can check out video highlights
of the Niagara vs. Humber game at
www.niagara-news.com.
Humber Hawks forward Raymon Rumier elevates past Niagara Knight defenders during the first half of
Humber’s 92-72 win over the Knights.
Photo by Sam Cino
NIAGARA NEWS
Page 20
Nov.19, 2010
SPORTS
Fighters never stop believing
By JEFF BLAY
Staff Writer
Long-time Welland resident,
frequent guest of TSN’s Off the
Record (OTR) and professional
hockey scout Ed Burkholder has
plenty of motivation to get involved with Mustache November,
otherwise known as Movember.
“It’s important for people to get
involved in causes such as Movember, and I think it’s catching
on,” says Burkholder. “It’s making
people more aware of men’s health,
and it has to become one of those
things that is just as important to be
aware of as breast cancer.”
Burkholder not only lost his
father to liver cancer, but also
survived a battle of his own with
testicular cancer.
“With the type of cancer I had, if
it had got to me 10 years earlier, I
wouldn’t be around,” he explains.
“The advances they’ve made with
research were instrumental in saving my life, so I am a huge believer
in raising awareness to get more
research done so hopefully we can
save more lives.”
After battling through a tough
seven-month bout with testicular
cancer, Burkholder wasted no time
in getting involved with raising
awareness while also offering his
words of wisdom to men who are
going through a similar battle.
“I think they’ve done a great job
with breast cancer and the awareness they’ve created,” he says.
“We’ve got to do the same thing
with prostate cancer and testicular
cancer because those are subjects
that can be embarrassing for men
to talk about, and they need to be
addressed.”
Luckily for Burkholder, he was
able to beat the cancer after reaching stage two of three, and has now
been cancer free for over 14 years.
“When I first was in pain with
it, I kept it to myself for a while
because I was embarrassed of it,
but it’s so important to get it out
there to make sure men know to
get checked,” says Burkholder. “I
always tell guys, ‘Check your nuts
all the time,’ and to the average
person it sounds like a joke, but it’s
a serious thing.
“You have to be aware of it and
know the symptoms because if you
catch the cancer early enough, you
could beat it.”
Although Burkholder has been
through some tough times, he
hasn’t let that get in the way of his
successful career.
Born in Stratford, Ont., Burkholder moved to Welland at a
young age. He has always been involved with local hockey, whether
it was playing as a kid or coaching
as an adult.
Burkholder grew up in a hockey
family and played three years of
Junior B hockey with the Thorold
Blackhawks before moving on to
coach minor hockey.
After gaining experience while
coaching, Burkholder was ready to
take his involvement in hockey to
the next step.
A close friend of Burkholder,
Nick Vitucci, hired him on as a
scout for the East Coast Hockey
League’s (ECHL) Greenville Grr-
Ed Burkholder and Michael Landsberg on the set of TSN’s Off the Record.
rowl (once an affiliate of the Boston Bruins), giving him his first opportunity in professional scouting.
Within two years of accepting
his first scouting position with the
Grrrowl, the team won a Kelly
Cup Championship, so Burkholder
received a Kelly Cup ring, which
he still wears proudly today.
“The night the Grrrowl won the
Kelly Cup, I was scouting in Erie
[Pennsylvania], and a close friend
of mine worked for the Erie Otters
Burkholder’s Thorold Jr. B
Blackhawks hockey card.
Submitted photo
who were about to win the Ontario
Hockey League’s Memorial Cup,”
says Burkholder. “That night we
both knew we were getting rings,
so it was a really neat experience
and a very special time for me.”
After working with the Grrrowl,
Burkholder took a job as the head
scout and director of player personnel with the ECHL’s Toledo
Walleye, a farm team of the Detroit
Redwings and Chicago Blackhawks, a position he still holds
today.
“With Toledo, it’s great. Nick
[Vitucci] is now the head coach
of the Walleye, so we have stuck
together over the years, and there
is a lot of respect there,” says Burkholder. “We’ve had a lot of success
together, and I’ve really enjoyed
my time working with Toledo.”
In 2005, Burkholder became
involved in the media aspect of
hockey by pitching an idea to The
Welland Tribune about getting
more coverage on the successful
hockey personalities that have
come out of Welland. Tribune
sports editor Bernd Franke suggested Burkholder freelance the
articles himself.
Burkholder gladly accepted the
offer and wrote over 20 articles
for the Tribune from 2005-2006.
The articles, along with more of
Burkholder’s memorabilia, can be
found in a showcase in the main
entrance of the Welland Arena.
That same year also marked
Burkholder’s first appearance on
OTR with Michael Landsberg.
Burkholder and Landsberg hit it
off right away. Since then Burkholder has been asked back to the
show many times and still making
regular appearances. On Oct. 12,
2010, Burkholder would appear in
his 50th show on OTR.
“Just to go do the show once, I
mean, not a lot of people can’t say
that,” he says. “When they asked
me to go back the second time and
third, as it went on an on, to now
have done my 50th show is just unbelievable, and I have a blast there.
“To meet all kinds of different
people in different circles on the
show was really humbling, and
I can honestly say I didn’t do the
show with one person I didn’t
like.”
In 2007, Burkholder accepted a
position as a part-time scout wwith
the National Hockey League’s Detroit Redwings.
“It was a thrill getting hired by
Detroit, and I will always remember working with the team,” he
says. “I met lots of great people
and learned a lot about hockey.”
With Burkholder also running
a local business in Welland called
Submitted photo
Burkholder Auto Network, the position with Detroit was quite time
consuming because of the frequent
travel demands of the job, and it
became tough to balance the job
with his business and family.
“I bit off more than I could chew
with my business and scouting,”
Burkholder explains. “With Detroit
I was on the road all the time, and it
just became very busy.”
Around the time Burkholder
decided not to continue with the
Redwings, he was contacted by
TVCogeco, who offered him a
colour commentating position covering the Niagara IceDogs for The
OHL Tonight.
“I started thinking about the possibilities with The OHL Tonight,
and I really did enjoy doing Off the
Record, so I ended up taking the
job with TVCogeco,” he explains.
“It was a great decision for me, and
I’m really having fun with that.”
Burkholder is also active within
the community through his business. A Burkholder Auto Network
Citizenship of the Month award
is presented to elementary school
students who are displaying good
behaviour and treating their teachers with respect. The winners get
tickets to an IceDogs game and a
behind-the-scenes tour of the rink
prior to game time.
After experiencing all the trials
and tribulations and highs and lows
of a battle with cancer, the healthy
Burkholder now relishes his happy
family life and a successful career
in the hockey industry, and he
looks forward to what the future
brings.
“It sounds clichéd, but if you
want something bad enough, you
can get it, and I firmly believe in
that,” he says. “From when I was
a kid I wanted to be in the NHL.
I wasn’t good enough as a player,
so I had to figure out a way to get
there, and scouting was my way.
Everyone can find their way if they
work hard enough at what they are
passionate about.”
College
joins a
tradition
By TONY ALTOMARE
Staff Writer
The Welland Tribune Basketball Tournament has a new major
sponsor.
Niagara College is the newest
sponsor for the oldest high school
basketball tournament in Ontario.
The college has agreed to sponsor the tournament for the next
five years, with an annual financial
contribution of $5,000.
The Welland Tribune newspaper
will still be involved as the main
media sponsor and the tournament
will keep the original name.
The tournament will run from
Jan. 12 to 15 in 2011, and the
new athletic centre at the Welland
campus will play host to the
games on the Thursday night.
The centre features seating for up
to 1,000 spectators to watch the
exciting high school basketball
action.
Ray Sarkis, co-ordinator of athletics and recreation at the Welland
campus, says it is “fantastic” the
college has become part of the
tournament.
Sarkis says Niagara has been
involved in the tournament in
the past with full-page ads in the
tournament programs and “player
of the game” T-shirts. It will now
be hosting some of these exciting
games.
“This is a major step for the college as we move forward and see
the championships of both tournaments [boys and girls] coming to
Niagara college in the next couple
of years,” says Sarkis.
At a press conference at the
Welland campus, tournament cochair Bob Muir said he was “really
pleased” about the college coming
on board.
Sean Kennedy, vice-president of
the college’s student and external
relations, was also at the press conference and said that the college
was “thrilled to be involved with
such a great local sporting tradition, and to host games in our new
facility.”
Sarkis also views the tournament
as a way to potentially showcase the
college and the new athletic centre
to prospective students.
“We hope that the new athletic
centre will be an attraction for
some of the top athletes in the
province when it comes down to
making a decision as to where
they will go to continue their academic and athletic career.”
The Tribune tournament was
established in 1955. Every year the
tournament includes 16 teams from
Ont. Other schools hosting the
tournament in 2011 include Eastdale Secondary school in Welland,
Notre Dame College School in
Welland, Centennial Secondary
school and Ecole Secondaire
Catholique Jean Vanier also in
Welland. Notre Dame will host the
championship games of the tournament on Saturday, Jan. 16.