Looking through Bier goggles - Durham College and UOIT

14 The Chronicle October 4, 2011 Campus
Survivors rally for photo ops
Patricia De Bres
The Chronicle
It was all smiles and laughter
as local women showed off
their personally designed bras
at Children’s Arena on Sept.
20 to show their support for
breast cancer survivors. Oshawa’s
breast cancer survivors
decorated one of their bras and
wore it above their clothing.
As the women awaited
the pictures being taken they
grouped together and admired
each other’s boas and pink
bras. Jan Richmond, a six-year
survivor, explained the bras are
a fun way to get survivors involved.
“We’ve been doing this
for six or seven years now,” she
said.
The survivors ranged from
six months to 17 years. The
“Fearless Leader” Carole Keys
is a 17-year survivor. She was
full of smiles and laughter as
she posed for the group shots.
Emily Wood
The Chronicle
The services offered on
campus at Durham College
and UOIT are numerous and
diverse, providing students
with information about a wide
variety of issues. But despite
promotion, some continue to
go unnoticed.
The Women’s Centre is one
of the four outreach services
offered on campus, dealing
with any women-related issues.
All staff members, including
volunteers, must undergo
training before starting. These
seminars provide general
knowledge about certain types
of people, understanding how
Matt McPhee
The Chronicle
There is plenty one can learn
outside of school, including the
history of the buildings where
students take their studies.
Between Sept. 24 and 25
Heritage Oshawa celebrated its
culture and history with Doors
Open 2011.
Of the buildings open for exploration,
two were UOIT’s latest
additions, Regent Theatre
and 61 Charles Street.
Regent Theatre was open for
anybody to browse, and Cathy
Clarke, chair of Heritage Oshawa,
was there to answer any
KICKING OFF BREAST CANCER MONTH: Breast cancer survivors Janice
Loucks and Carys Cao high five for life.
But what you can’t see is that
Keys has a hearing disability.
Due to her chemo treatment
she is now slightly deaf and
needs the help of a service dog
to interact with them and how
to provide the support they
need.
Fourth-year UOIT Criminology
and Forensics student
and Outreach Services volunteer,
Nicole Pitre, described
the mentality they learn in
training that staff must understand
and convey to students
in distress.
“You make them feel the
ground underneath them…to
calm them down,” said Pitre.
The aim of the Women’s
Centre is to create a safe and
open environment for women
dealing with issues such
as sexual and mental health,
pregnancy and abuse of any
kind.
Two hundred students are
questions.
During the open house, the
theatre showcased a silent film
of Oshawa in the 1920s.
Regent Theatre was constructed
by the Famous Players
theatres and bought and
reopened last September by
UOIT.
The theatre is now used as a
lecture hall for students.
The theatre is also laptopequipped,
complete with foldout
desks and wireless Internet.
“The idea is that it become
the core of the campus downtown,”
said Clarke.
“It would be expensive to
build and they were also interested
in the heritage of down-
named Binny.
After taking professional
photos in three different places
the group gathered for coffee
and cake. The hall was deco-
currently signed up to volunteer
for the DC and UOIT
Outreach Services, many of
whom were made aware of the
Women’s Centre through the
annual free spa day, Pamper
Yourself, in March of this year.
Barb Bryan has held the position
of outreach co-ordinator
since October of 2009 and
runs the Women’s Centre with
the help of student staff and
volunteers.
“We’re basically an ear to
listen, or a shoulder to cry on,
or someone to vent to about
any range of issues that can
be specific for women,” said
Bryan.
Staff are able to arrange
professional counselling for
women and find shelter for
town.”
Lectures run from 8 in
the morning until 10 at night
through the week, but finish
early Friday afternoons since
Patricia De Bres
rated with bright pink balloons
and colourful napkins. Carys
Cao and Belinda Bell became
friends during chemo. “She’s a
baby survivor,” Bell said of her
anyone in need of a safe environment.
The centre provides
resources such as books, videos,
government reports and
brochures for students which
are available on two-week
loans.
“That’s so that women can
empower themselves by being
educated about a variety of issues
that are specific to women,”
said Bryan.
The Women’s Centre hosts
a number of events throughout
the year, giving students
a way to socialize with their
peers. Major events like the
Vagina Monologues and the
Power of Pink campaign draw
in crowds, but self-esteem
workshops are also frequent.
Public events are held
the venue also hosts performances
on evenings and weekends.
Kevin Arbour, the theatre
manager and is responsible for
friend, who is a 9-month survivor.
Canadian Cancer Society has
a special program where they
drive cancer patients to Sunnybrook
hospital in Toronto for
their chemo treatments. The
patients have to stay at the hospital
all day to wait for the others
in their group to finish their
treatment. This is where Cao
and Bell became good friends.
They joked about losing their
hair and losing their eyelashes.
“I love having eyelashes,” Cao
said, no longer taking the little
things for granted.
Bell, who is a 10-month
survivor, talked about making
jokes about cancer. “You have
your down days but you have to
have fun with it,” she said.
The photos kicked off the
start of Breast Cancer Month.
Most of the women who took
pictures planned to participate
in the CIBC Run for the Cure on
Oct. 2.
Women’s Centre here to help
Regent Theatre
opens its doors
mainly for those unaware of
the centre and what it offers.
The Women’s Centre will partner
with shelters in Durham
Region for these events, held
in addition to the myriad hosted
on campus.
“We call it healthy living,”
said Bryan. “We’re not here to
focus on you going to the gym
or eating right, but we want
to make sure that your mental
and social health is just as
good as your physical health.”
The new office is located in
the Student Services building
in room 120, its doors open
from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday
to Friday. Staff can also
be found at the downtown
campus every second Monday
from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Tracey Fidler
REGENT THEATRE: Lisa Banks, Melissa Levy and Cathy Clarke enjoy a screening
of a silent film of the early days of Oshawa from 1926.
booking acts.
Upcoming events include
Matthew Good and 54-40, as
well as frequent performances
by the Ontario Philharmonic.