Congratulations - Durham College and UOIT

By Eric Laganis
Chronicle Staff
In Flanders Fields the poppies
blow
Between the crosses, row on
row
Th ese are the fi rst two lines of
John McCrae’s famous poem In
Flanders Fields, one of the trademarks
for remembrance in Canada.
Another important symbol
for Remembrance Day is the red
poppy.
Th e poppy, which has been a
symbol of remembrance in Canada
since 1921, has a lot of symbolism
for many people.
“Th e poppy is a symbol of dedication
for the forces,” said Gordon
Cormie, a World War II veteran.
Nathan Smith, a Ph.D. candidate
in Canadian history at the
University of Toronto, sees the
poppy as a symbol for the forces
as well.
“People connect it to war veterans,”
he said.
Aside from its symbolism, the
poppy has an important role in
helping the Royal Canadian Legion
raise donations.
Alan MacGregor, the poppy
campaign chairman for the Sir
William Stephenson Branch of the
Canadian Legion in Oshawa, said
donations from poppy drives are
used to help people in the community.
“ [Donations are used] to improve
life in the community, including
needy ex-service members
and their dependants,” he said.
In May 2006, for example, the
Oshawa Legion, located at 1251
Simcoe St. N. near Taunton Road,
used poppy donations to buy a van
to drive cancer patients to Toronto
so they can receive treatment.
Donations from the poppy
campaign are also used to fund
housing for the elderly and to
provide medical equipment for
veterans, MacGregor said. Th is
includes purchasing new beds for
the Stacy House, a nursing home
for veterans.
Aida Kostuck, a secretary for
the Ontario Provincial Command
of the Canadian Legion, the second
highest governing body of legions
in Ontario, added that poppy
drives throughout the province
also help to raise funds for bursary
programs.
Th e Oshawa Legion gets its
poppies from the Ontario Provincial
Command, MacGregor said.
Th ey have to apply for poppies
by no later than Sept. 15 to ensure
delivery.
Th e Ontario Command, located
in Aurora, distributes poppies
to all the legions in Ontario, and
they have a company called Dominion
Regalia make the poppies,
said Kostuck.
CAMPUS NEWS
Dominion Regalia, located in
Toronto, is an embroidering company
that makes fl ags, banners
and sportswear as well as military
accessories such as ceremonial
swords, sashes and gloves.
Janine Rodway, the SA vicepresident
of Trent in Oshawa, is
organizing a poppy drive on campus
and is getting poppies from the
Legion. She said the drive would
run from Oct. 29 to Nov. 9 and will
conclude with a Remembrance
Day ceremony in the Campus
The Chronicle November 6, 2007 23
Legion poppy drive kicks off
Stuntwoman
to speak at
DC/UOIT
By Allison Bryan
Chronicle Staff
Alex Madison has literally
stared death in the face and
laughed. Madison is no stranger
to danger; and when it comes to
living life to its fullest, she knows
how to persevere. She will be lecturing
at the Durham College gym
on Nov. 14 at 12 p.m.
Madison, a stuntwoman by
profession, embarked on a career
that led her many places. Her work
includes Once Upon A Time In
Mexico, Men In Black 2, Ocean’s
13, Out Of Sight and many, many
more.
Recreation and Wellness Centre
gym from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
on Nov. 9.
Donation boxes for the drive
will be available in the SA offi ce
and the Student Centre with all
proceeds going to the Legion,
Rodway said.
Th e Legion promotes its poppy
drive by taking out ads in local
newspapers and by giving elementary
schools poppies to use to get
donations, said MacGregor.
Th e Legion has about 500 lo-
Photo by Eric Laganis
HELPING OUT: Volunteers Yvonne Woodward (left) and Elizabeth Dickinson prepare donation boxes for the Oshawa
Legion’s poppy drive. The drive runs from Oct. 26 to Nov. 11.
Game tournament coming
By Tyler Ohlew
Chronicle Staff
With everything on the line,
his hands begin to sweat. In
most cases, this perspiration
wouldn’t aff ect his performance.
But in a video game tournament,
contestants must not only hold
a fi rm grip on their confi dence,
but also on their controllers. On
Friday, Nov. 16, Durham College
students can put their skills
to the test in the school’s second
multiple Nintendo system tournament.
Responsible for last year’s
event, Steven Pitman is more
than ready to undertake another
venture into the world of competitive
gaming. After his previous
success, Pitman is primed
to make this year’s tournament
even better. Th e fi rst issue to
address was the lack of Smash
Bros. Melee, a Gamecube game
that has garnered quite a rabid
following. With a game that fi ts
so naturally into a tournament,
Pitman is excited to present the
game this time around.
Th e tournament will be composed
of six rounds. Not including
the aforementioned Smash
Bros. Melee, entrants can expect
one game from the Super Nintendo,
Nintendo 64, and Gamecube
consoles. Pitman does
drop a hint of one title that will
appear.
“Only one game from the fi rst
tournament is used again, but
it’ll be played diff erently.” Pitman
loves to keep everything a
surprise. Keeping players in the
dark about what games will be
on hand is important to him. It
allows the tournament to be as
surprising as it is fun. Last year’s
tournament ended with a game
few people in the world, let alone
the contestants present, had
actually played. Much like the
grand unveil found at the end
of video game tournament fi lm
Th e Wizard, Pitman dropped
the jaws of all present with Metal
Combat: Falcon’s Revenge. A Super
Nintendo title played with
the Super Scope, Metal Combat
was far from the tournament
norm. Pitman hopes to end this
year’s event with an even better
surprise.
Th ose looking to take part in
the tournament or simply volunteer
must email Pitman at steven.pitman@mycampus.uoit.ca.
It is important to send this email
from your school e-mail address,
with the subject “Nintendo tournament”.
Th e event is planned for
32 entrants, so the fi rst 32 to sign
up will get in. Th ere is no limit
to volunteers. Th e tournament
takes place in room SW 109 on
Nov. 16 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.
cations they use for their poppy
fundraiser. Th is includes setting
up outside liquor stores and small
stores.
MacGregor said they have
about 100 volunteers, made up of
veterans, air cadets and regular
volunteers, who help out with the
drive.
“We need volunteers to drive
cadets back and forth to locations,”
he said.
Th ey also need volunteers to
help prepare and tag donation
boxes, as well as to help set up a
Remembrance Day dinner.
Elizabeth Dickinson, a volunteer,
said she is helping with the
poppy drive to honour all the people
who fought in wars.
“It reminds of the war and what
people did for us,” she said
Th e Legion’s poppy drive runs
from Oct. 26 to Nov. 11.
Author
arriving on
the campus
By Courtney Ste-Croix
Chronicle Staff
Trent University is welcoming
author Teresa Toten to campus as
part of the Writers Reading series.
Toten will be reading from her
latest book, Better Th an Blonde.
Th e reading will take place on
Wednesday, Nov 14 from 7-9 p.m,
in room I110 in the Gordon Willey
building.