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How to b alance work with school
By TInlcia Cameron
Ch’onicio Slaff
With full-time school and
part-time work, many stu-
dents find themselves trying
to balance homework and a
part-time job.
The majority of students
with part-time jobs find it
necessary to work to cover
personal expenses, tuition
fees and books.
Kerry Doyle knows all too
well the stress of school and
part-time work that students
are going through.
Doyle is the Student
Liaison for the Design
Communication Arts depart-
ment and lias seen a decline
In academics for students
who work over IS hours per
week.
"I would say 90 per cent of
students have a part-time job
and most students have to
work to cover their personal
expenses."
Effective time manage-
ment will help students bal-
ance work and school but
sometimes students feel that
work is more important than
school, Doyle said.
Luckily, some employers
understand the importance of
schoolwork and the effect it
has on their employee’s
future.
Places such as Wendy’s and
Famous Players, recognize the
importance of schoojf and try
to work with them to make
the balance easier.
Adria Vosters, co-manager
at Wendy’s on Thickson Road
in Whitby says,
"Most students work
between two and four shifts
per week depending on what
Pholo by Tinlcia Camoron
WOULD YOU LIKE FRIES WITH YOUR EDUCATION: Wendy’s Is one of the
many workplaces helping students to balance homework and a part-time job
during the school year.
their course load is like."
Vosters has six college and
university students working
at her restaurant.
As a former college stu-
dent, she understands how
hard it is to juggle school and
work.
"Some people need a cer-
tain amount of hours, but
they can’t handle it.
If they can’t manage it
they can come back and I will
see what I can do to make it
easier for them."
Vosters does the best she
can at accommodating her
employee’s work and school
schedule, but she urges peo-
ple to tough it out and get
through it.
On nee you get to the’end
of your studies you’ll realize
that it’s worth it.
A Youth transition Survey
done by Statistics Canada in
New course promises to bring in
more students to Durham
By Cristelle Wisdom
Chronicle Staff
Are you wondering where it
went?
Well, you don’t have to sit
there and scratch your liead
anymore because Foundations
in Communication Arts is still
here, it just has a new name.
PreMedia is a one-year cer-
tificate .
preparatory-diploma
program that allows students
to discover the different elements
within Design and
Communication Arts.
After they have completed
the program they will be able
to commit to a program that
they will enjoy.
Kerry Doyle, a professor in
the Careers in
Communication Arts program,
is pleased with the feedback
she is receiving from students
in the program.
"The students are very excited
about where they want to
go, "she said.
"They are definitely settling
in to the college life and enjoying
it."
She said the program is pos-
itive for students.
The program helps make
students stronger for whatever
field they decide to pursue
after they complete the pro-
gram.
"It will bring forth a strong
crop of students," said Doyle.
The program has four core
courses:
F u n d a m e n t a l
Communication Skills,
Fundamental Computer Skills,
Creative Design and Careers in
Communication Arts. Plus,
they get two electives.
Something that’s nice for
the students is. the fact that
they are not pressured to come
to Durham after they have
completed the program.
They have the option to go
wherever they think is most
suited for them.
This gives them freedom to
make their own choices.
Donna Crome. who teaches
the Communications
Essentials course in the
PreMedia program, feels that
having a program like this is
important.
"Communication is essential
to getting the kind of jobs
and work you want," she said.
She has also noticed that
the students are happy and
appreciate the opportunity of
having a program such as
PreMedia.
. Many students don’t realize
the importance of their communication
skills.
"The communications
course will give students a
solid knowledge base of the
rules of the language," said,
Crome.
"It will help students understand
when to turn the lan-;.
guage off and on."
Although the year is just
beginning, the students seem
to acknowledge the. importance
of a program such as;
PreMedia.
"It’s pretty good so far, and
the teachers are very nice and
witty," said Stefan Schuster.
"I’m happy with the program."
.
Doyle is confident that the
students will not: only have
success In the "program’but
with their future endeavours.
Y2K, found that students who
worked moderate hours,
(between one and .twenty),
were least likely to drop out
of school.
Students who work over 20
hours tend to have lower
grades and do less homework
than those who work more
than 20 hours per week.
Sarah Cook, a second-year
ECE student, manages a
restaurant, is a single mom,
and teaches at a Montcssori
School.
Cook works an average of
25 hours throughout the
week and the weekend.
"1 work because I have to
feed my son, provide shelter
iind pay for school. Having
employment. Is a necessity of
life,"
Though tills may be true,
Cook admits that it is a strug-
gle at times deciding whether
to go to school or work.
"My son comes first, (lien
.school ;ind work. 1 try to keep
it in that order. Sometimes
it’s a game of survival and I
live it every day. You have to
balance and survive. Just con-
centrate on schooling and do
tlie best you can."
For Mike Johnsoii, his
employees don’t have to
worry about being over-
worked during the school
year.
Johnson is a theatre man-
ager for Famous Players in
Oshawa and has eight college
and university students work-
ing at Ills theatre.
"We try to accommodate
an individual’s schedule. If a
person needs less shifts It’s
not a problem; we always find
someone to fill it."
Johnson says business fluc-
tuates because the summer is
their busiest season.
During the winter it’s usu-
ally slower and most employ-
ees work an average of 15 to
25 hours per week.
"Find somewhere to work
in the mail; it’s the best idea.
The place closes at 9 p.m. and
the majority of people are out
by 10 p.m."
Loblaws hosts video
tournament October 4
By Rachel Debling
Chronicle Staff
Psychologists say that the
amount of time children
spend playing video games
can interfere with social
activities. .
Now, with the
help of the help of the South
Oshawa Teen Council, they
can put their .skills to good
use while supporting the
community and winning
prizes. . ’
The SOTC will be holding
.a kids and teens’ Sony
PlayStation 2 tournament
on Oct. 4, 2003, upstairs at
Loblaws on Gibb Street,
across from the Oshawa
Centre.
For $10, children ages 7
to 15 will be able to battle
against their peers in the
hopes of winning the tour-
nament. Included in the
..registration fee is a goody
bag courtesy of Loblaws and
a chance to win a
PlayStation 2 with a video
game library, valued at over
$500.
Money raised will go to
the Oshawa Community
Health Centre, a nonprofit
organization that con-
tributes to community
events and programs
throughout Oshawa.
"It’s a great deal," says
Ana Pacheco-Rye, Youth
Community Health Worker
for the OCHC. "All of the
funds go to service the kids
in the community."
"(The SOTC) wanted to
do a PS2 tournament for a
long time," Davis said,
adding that Loblaws has
been a big help in organiz-
ing the events.
Pacheco-Rye agrees.
"Loblaws is a great sup-
porter of the Oshawa
Community Health Centre
and the South Oshawa Teen
Council," she said. "They
give us a space to hold it,
they advertise for us in their
brochures - they are awe-
some."
For more information
about the tournament, con-
tact Loblaws’ customer ser-
vice department at 481 Gibb
St., or call (905) 743-0043;