CAMPUS NEWS - Durham College and UOIT

Fun-ding for breast cancer
Photo by Mike Terminesi
BREAST FRIENDS: Chris Hinton, director of the Innovation Centre, gets chucked down the hall by Lisa Kerr, administrative professional. The aim
was to get the person into a little box for your chance to win a GPS system. Ticket proceeds went towards breast cancer research.
Campus tickled pink by events
By Jayme Quinn
Chronicle Staff
Power of Pink has hit Durham
College and UOIT with splashes of
pink and boobs everywhere!
On March 11, staff and faculty
on campus got up nice and early
to set up their booths to help raise
money for breast cancer research.
This is the fifth year that the
event has been held, and the Oshawa
campus, Whitby campus,
Campus Corners and staff and
students have been involved.
The event has offices competing
in three categories: most creative
display, most money raised
and most informative display.
In total, not including this year,
the campaign has raised over
$21,000, in an effort to raise awareness
for breast cancer and to help
breast cancer research.
Cancer is a disease that starts
in our cells. Our bodies are made
up of millions of cells that group
together to form tissues and organs.
Sometimes, the instructions
in some cells get mixed up, caus-
By Edith Zikmann
Chronicle Staff
VOLUME XXXV, Issue 15 March 17, 2009
The Student Association (SA)
winter election campaign is set
for this week but it looks like
there won’t be many people to
vote for.
Students were scheduled to
vote for the SA members of their
choice from 9 a.m. on March 18
Trent shows its colours Ridgebacks awarded
Story on page 10 Story on page 29
ing them to act abnormally. These
cells grow and divide uncontrollably,
and after a period of time, form
lumps or tumours.
There is no single cause of
to 5 p.m. March 20.
Students usually vote on who
will be the next president, which
is a full-time paid position that
supervises and manages all of
the executive roles of the SA. The
president also acts as the official
spokesperson of the SA. That position
has been acclaimed.
Also acclaimed is the position
of vice-president of Internal,
breast cancer, but some factors
that appear to increase the risk
of developing it are: age, personal
history of breast cancer family history
of breast cancer, never having
Your SA elections
which is also a full-time paid position
whose role is to ensure operational
policies of Your SA are
updated and implemented.
Other executive positions
were also acclaimed, except for
VP of Durham College, which
had no takers.
The SA will seek nominations
for that position again.
See No contest Page 6
given birth or giving birth for the
first time after 30, beginning menstruation
at a young age, reaching
menopause later than average,
taking hormone replacement
therapy for more than five years,
and dense breast.
The most common symptom of
breast cancer is a painless lump in
the breast or armpit.
Tammy Peacocke, a nurse at
the campus health centre, said it
is best to do a self-examination before
you get your doctor to take a
look.
“You get to know your breasts
the best, so doing the exam yourself,
you learn what to look for and
what to feel for,” said Peacocke.
The campus health centre was
one of the many offices that set up
a display around campus.
See Pink on page 2

2 The Chronicle March 17, 2009
Pink
proves
powerful
Continued from page 1
The display was set up in Vendor’s Alley,
and had pamphlets, shower hangers for
self-examinations and a “guess the number
game”. Eight jars set on the table were filled
with things like rockets, caramel candies,
licorice, gum balls, chocolate, and because
it is the health centre, there was a jar full of
condoms. It was 50 cents per guess and if
you guessed right, you won whatever is in
the jar.
Another display that was more about informing
students than making money was
from the Learner Support Centre. Right outside
their office, above the computer commons,
they had a poster board set up with
information about breast cancer and where
it comes from, how to detect it and the treatments.
Kathy Bryers said they were the only
display that had any information on male
breast cancer.
“A lot of people focus on female breast
cancer, but men can get it as well,” said Bryers.
The centre also had a candy sale, a white
elephant sale (lots of toys) and a new/used
jewelry sale for the fundraising portion of
the event.
The Career Services/Student Life office
set up one display that was mainly focused
on having fun and raising money. They had
an office fun house equipped with a clown,
piñata and a bobbing-for-fish game. They
also had candy apples and popcorn for sale.
Other events that were there to entertain
were a children’s art show done by the
Early Learning Centre, a breast cancer trivia
game done by the Provost Office/Associate
Provost, Teaching and Learning Office, and
the Chuck-a-Colleague-for-Cancer, done by
the Innovation Centre.
But the most popular event of the day
was the Jail n’ Bail, put together by the Centre
for Students with Disabilities. Teachers
Lisa’s Beads leave
a lasting legacy
By Jayme Quinn
Chronicle Staff
The Power of Pink Campaign hit campus March 11, and to
support the day, Lisa’s Beads was there to lend a helping hand.
Lisa’s Beads is a fundraising project run by Doug McBride, his
two daughters and three nieces.
In 2003, Lisa McBride passed away after a her five-year battle
with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. She left behind husband Doug,
and daughters, Spencer and Taylor.
“Within weeks of her death my niece Shannon was inspired
to make and sell bracelets to raise money for cancer research,”
said McBride.
Spencer, Taylor and two cousins, Kristine and Hannah, joined
Shannon in the endeavour.
The girls decided to name their bracelets Lisa’s Beads, in memory
of his wife, their mother and their aunt. Each bracelet carries
a tag describing the project and where the money is donated.
On Dec. 29, 2003, the girls handed over their first cheque to
the Canadian Cancer Society in Newmarket.
“The girls raised over $1,000 from their bracelets in just a few
months,” said McBride.
Lately they have slowed down in the sales and promotions
but still participate in events such as the Breast Cancer Walk and
Power of Pink.
CAMPUS NEWS
and staff from Durham College and UOIT
were “convicted” and thrown in a jail cell,
and were not allowed out until they posted
their bail.
Some of the jailbirds were John Burt,
Margaret Greenley, Jane Davis, Ralph Aprile
and Scott Barker.
Barker, the athletic co-ordinator for UOIT
and Durham College, was approached and
he was excited to participate.
“It was a fun way to get involved in a
very important campaign,” said Barker. “
The progress made over the years in raising
money for this research has been astounding,
so when I was approached to be involved
I was happy to help out.”
Barker raised just over $100 and was set
free.
At 3 p.m. there were some “special” arrests
being made. The president, Don Lovisa,
was the first to be convicted. He was
charged with many things, including overuse
of technology and loitering in the hallway
after business hours.
Lovisa had his “lawyer” present through
the proceeding, which helped him get a
lesser sentence, but in total he was to raise
$400 for his bail. To help his defence, he
raised $275 before he was even sentenced.
SA president Amy England was also
charged.
Her lawyer, a fellow student, helped her
plead her case to the judge, who was quite
fond of the students. England’s lawyer requested
the bail be set at $50.
“Because success matters here and the
students come first, I will accept your request
of a $50 bail,” said the judge.
The event gathered students from the college
and university, professors, and support
staff and raised a hefty amount of money for
the worthy cause.
“I thought it was an excellent event and
very well organized and carried out,” said
Barker.
The Power of Pink committee will be donating
half of the proceeds to the Heather
Griffith Breast Assessment Centre, which
In 2008, after slowing down, the girls raised $12,000, bringing
their total to $116,000 in five years.
“I’m quite proud of my girls,” said McBride. “They reached out
and made that difference. Not only did it affect themselves but
(they) supported others.”
Photo by Jayme Quinn
LADIES WITH HOPE AND STYLE: From left: Joyce Marshall, Patty Lea, Barb Logan and Carolyn McCutcheon
proudly wear the T-shirts they were selling in Vendor’s Alley March 11 during the Power of Pink celebrations
on campus. The money from the shirts goes towards cancer research and supporting the annual
Gala of Hope charity event.
Photo by Jayme Quinn
BEADS FOR A CAUSE: Taylor McBride with the
bracelets made in memory of her mom.
will soon be located at Lakeridge Health in
Oshawa.
The centre will provide patients with coordinated
timely access to breast assessment.
“The primary goal is to provide reassurance
as quickly as possible to those without
cancer, and to those who have been diagnosed,”
said Carolyn McCutcheon, from the
Oshawa Hospital Foundation.
The assessment centre will also bring
necessary procedures (mammography,
ultrasound and breast assessment) to one
area.
With the support of the school, the Power
of Pink committee is sure they will reach
their final goal of $25,000 to receive gold ribbon
status from the cancer society.
“I don’t know what our financial result is.
Right now it doesn’t matter,” said Liesje de
Burger, as a final thought for how the whole
day went.
“What I do know is that the campus enjoyed
the day. That’s huge!”
Brush up on your
breast cancer
knowledge
By Lauren Thomas
Chronicle Staff
Breast cancer is the most commonly
diagnosed cancer in women in Canada. It
is also found in men, but is less common.
Breast cancer can affect women of all
ages, but most cases occur in women over
the age of 50.
An estimated 170 men will be diagnosed
every year with breast cancer, 50
will die of it.
On average, 431 Canadian women will
be diagnosed with breast cancer every
week.
On average, 102 Canadian women will
die of breast cancer every week.
One in nine women is expected to develop
breast cancer in her lifetime. One in
28 women will die of it.
The percentage of women affected by
breast cancer has declined since 1969 in
women aged 20-39.
Source: Canadian Cancer Society

CAMPUS NEWS
The Chronicle March 17, 2009 3
Photo by Rachael Coombs
VOLUNTEERS LOCK IN THE NUMBERS: (From left) Kyle Hird, Taryne Haight, Kaitlin Elsmore, and Aneesa Shaik take the time out of their busy
accounting student schedule to help UOIT and Durham College students save some time off their own schedule, with a cash bonus.
It’s that time: get your tax on
By Rachael Coombs
Chronicle Staff
Tax season is here. Hooray. And
you probably already filed away
your taxes for a fee, but next year
go to the tax clinic for free.
The tax clinic is put on by the
Accounting Association, which
started about five years ago, is pri-
marily made up of students.
Unfortunately, the tax clinic is
closed for the rest of the year now,
as it was only for the two days,
March 10, 11, but if you are interested
in filing next year for free or
would like to see the process, go to
the tax clinic next March.
Trained by the Canadian Revenue
Agency, these accounting students
know how to do the process
effortlessly in 15 minutes or less,
unless faced with problems.
And not only are students saving
on accounting fees, they are
helping promote the school’s clubs
and activities.
“It’s good for the school, it’s
good for the club and it’s good for
the students,” said third-year Accounting
student Aneesa Shaik.
“We are trying to do this for the
BYOB: be your own
boss this summer
By Lynn Wayling
Chronicle Staff
Tired of working for the man? Want to be your
own boss? Well, the Business Advisory Centre of
Durham (BACD) is giving students age 15 to 29 the
chance to call the shots.
The 2009 Summer Company Program is open
for applications until April 4 and will give 15 young
entrepreneurs the chance to run their own business
over the summer months.
The program is sponsored by the Ontario government
and is co-ordinated by the BACD. Eligible
students can apply at www.ontario.ca/summercompany
and submit their business plan. Successful
candidates receive $3,000 towards their business
venture.
“We are looking for businesses, ideas that are viable
to start with $3,000 and that can actually get
up and running and produce an income for the
individual over the course of the summer months,”
says Wenda Abel, young entrepreneur program
manager at BACD. “Also we’re looking for the kind
of person who is committed to this as their summer
activity, to generate an income for themselves.”
In place since 2001, the program has seen many
different business ventures, from goaltending clin-
ics to web design businesses, swimming lessons to
sewing lessons, lawn care and even concert promotions.
“A young fellow operated a music promotions
business whereby he got the local bands, created
venues and concert gigs for them, and the proceeds
were his income,” explains Abel.
A student from a couple of years ago – Heather
Frize – managed to turn her summer business into
a full-time endeavour, selling jewelry online and at
stores in Toronto.
Given the current economic climate, Abel thinks
it’s the right time to try out the program. And considering
small businesses generate 90 per cent of
the Ontario economy, learning how to run a business
is a valuable tool.
“It’s a great time to try out the program,” says
Abel. “Students are not risking their own money,
they’re risking someone else’s. Summer jobs may
be a little difficult to come by this year. This is a
grant, so they don’t have to give the money back.
It is theirs to do the best they can with it. The other
thing is, this is a really great time to develop the
knowledge and skills of operating a business if they
have any inclination towards that in the future.”
An information session will be held March 21
at the BACD or you can email youth@bacd.ca for
more information or go to www.bossmaker.ca.
students.”
The tax clinic started when the
club began. Members of the association
saw it being done at other
schools and thought that it should
be introduced here at DC/UOIT.
All you need to do is bring in
your SIN card; some sort of identification
and, of course, your T4 slip
and school receipts, which you can
print off my campus.
If you have also given to charity
in the tax year or have rent receipts,
you can receive a portion back.
And don’t worry about confidentiality;
volunteers need to sign
a confidentiality form, to keep your
finances private.
“No matter what field you are
in, you have to file your taxes,” said
Shaik.
Help finding a job?
By Shenieka
Russell-Metcalf
Chronicle Staff
It may be only March but it’s
never too early to start your summer
job search. Job Connect resource
centre is offering a summer
job service for students aged 15 to
24 planning to return to school in
September.
“Summer jobs is a provincial
program that runs every day from
April 1 to Aug. 31 funded annually,”
said Kim Lutes-McKay, manager
of community employment
resource services at Durham College.
“The program has been running
for 11 years and there’s a
wide range of opportunities available,
from entry level jobs to sector-
specific jobs.”
Also to be eligible, you have
to not be currently employed by
the employer, eligible to work in
Canada and not related to the employer.
“They’re subsidized positions
and employers receive a $2/hour
wage subsidy for hiring a student,”
said Lutes-McKay. “Sometimes
employers save the subsidy money
and reimburse it to the student
when they are done working.”
Students can come into the
resource centre to work on their
resume, participate in workshops
and get tips from the resource coordinator
on what employers are
looking for.
“There’ll be a variety of full-time
and part-time jobs,” said Lutes-
McKay. “We really encourage employers
to give students as many
hours as possible.”
To register, students need to
come into the resource centres
at either the Port Hope, Oshawa
North or Uxbridge campus. They
are then given information about
the job postings.
As well, there’s a summer job
camp geared towards the younger
job seeker held over the span of a
week that teaches them skills they
can apply in the workplace, and
hopefully will help them find employment,
says Lutes-McKay.
Given the economic times, everyone
needs a jump start,” said
Lutes-McKay.
“The employment advisers will
help job seekers sell themselves to
employers.

4 The Chronicle March 17, 2009
Publisher: Robin Pereira
Editor-in-Chief: Gerald Rose
Ad Manager: Dawn Salter
Over 500 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer
every year and many aren’t aware of it until the later
stages. Cervical cancer is the cancer of the neck of the
uterus. Symptoms include abnormal
bleeding, unusual heavy
discharge, pelvic pain and pain
during urination.
Getting a Pap test could potentially
lower the chances of
getting the cancer, as the test
will allow doctors to detect precancerous
cells. Now ladies, pap
tests aren’t only for those that are
sexually active. It is recommended that you go for a pap
test before the age of 25.
Recently in the UK, Jade Goody was diagnosed with
Cervical Cancer. She is best known for being the outspoken
member of Big Brother 3, as well as being involved in
E ditors:
Amanda Allison, Paul Bates,, Melissa Bies, Matt
Bird, Artem Boykov, Jonnel Briscoe, Shayna Brown, Rachael
Coombs, Thomas Cranston, Robyn DePratto, Josh Dillon, Asmahan
Garrib, Andrew Huska, Jaspinder Jassal, Ryan Joseph, Didier
Kalonji, Khadija King, Beth Lafay, Nicki Lamont, Alistair Lowe, Sarah
Manns, Jamilah McCarthy, Patrick O’Connor, Tyler Olhew, Tabitha Olliffe,
Krista Paxton, Amanda Press, Jayme Quinn, Shawntee Russell,
Shenieka Russell-Metcalf, Liisa Sahamies, Krystin Spittal, Samantha
Stewart, Mike Terminesi, Lauren Thomas, Lynn Wayling, Edith Zikmann
Durham College-UOIT Chronicle
EDITORIAL
the racism controversy involving Bollywood actress, Shilpa
Shetty.
Now in it’s final stages, her cancer has officially been
diagnosed as terminal.
Goody only has a few weeks to live. She had
stated during a live interview on a British morning
news show that her cancer could have been
prevented, if only her docter had detected the
pre- cancerous cells earlier.
In the UK, women are sent letters for mandatory
Pap tests at the age of 25. It used to be 20
but had been increased.
In Canada, women have to book their own
tests and at times don’t get it done until after the age of 25.
I don’t believe this is right. Women should be sent out letters
just like those living in Britain. That way, women can
be regularly checked for pre-cancerous cells to avoid any
sort of illness.
TO CONTACT US
Newsroom: Room L-223; Ext. 3068
Advertising: Room L-220; Ext. 3069
E-mail: Chronicle.News@dc-uoit.ca
Dawn.Salter@durhamcollege.ca
Students left stranded again
As campus grows,
student housing
developers are still
held back by region
An already sticky housing situation at Durham College
and UOIT might get much worse, thanks to the Regional
Municipality of Durham.
On March 4 the Durham Region finance committee refused
to defer the development charge for the company set
to build the new student-housing village on Simcoe Street
South. Because of that refusal the company, Dundurn Edge
Developments, was unable to secure financing for the project.
So Dundurn’s owner Carlo Di Gioachhino has said that
he will start work on a project in Thorold, a job that he was
willing to put on hold if the region gave him some financial
relief.
That leaves the planned 556-unit complex on the drawing
board.
The region’s decision is disappointing to say the least.
The campus continues to grow every year, with plenty of
students coming from all over the province to enrol at two
top-notch schools, so naturally there are going to be more
students coming from communities too far away to commute
to and from.
Also, if this complex is built that means a great number
of students can move into this residence instead of moving
into rental homes in the neighbourhoods surrounding the
campus, something that local residents would be all too
happy to see. In fact, development of new residences was
something that the Student Housing Task Force has recommended.
Jaspinder
Jassal
The committee’s rationale for their decision is that if they
do it for this project they’re going to have to do it for every
project. That is a valid point for the region. As chairwoman
of the committee and Scugog mayor Marilyn Pearce told
the Oshawa This Week “How do we make the difference between
this project and another?”
However, the difference is this is a crisis; the campus
needs homes for students. It’s much different than say a
project for a big-box store development, for example.
And besides, the region would be making money
because Di Gioacchino only wants a deferment, and
that means he will repay the amount owed, which
The Chronicle is published by the School of Communication Arts of
Durham College, 2000 Simcoe Street North, Oshawa, Ontario L1H 7L7,
721-2000 Ext. 3068, as a training vehicle for students enrolled in Journalism
and Advertising courses and as a campus news medium. Opinions expressed
are not necessarily those of the college administration or the Board of
Governors. The Chronicle is a member of the Ontario Community Newspapers
Association.
would be $1.48 million plus interest. So that means the region
will be making money over five years.
Plus a project like this is going to need workers and that
means jobs, and with the economy in the state that it is jobs
are always a good thing.
So the region needs to do the right thing, they need to
give Di Gioacchino what he needs to get this building off
the drawing board and on the ground. It would help alleviate
the housing crisis and it will also to continue to show
that the college, university, city and region are top-notch.
Although the Gardasil injection has been introduced,
and girls as young as 11 can now take the injection to
avoid HPV and potentially avoid getting cervical cancer-
its not enough!
Cervical cancer once diagnosed can quickly spread.
In Goody’s case, her cancer spread to her liver, bowel and
groin within weeks and most recently it has been reported
that it has spread to her brain.
This can be avoided- if you get a Pap test. Exercising at
least 30 minutes a day, five days a week could lower the
chances of cancer.
For those that are sexually active, limit the number of
sexual partners and using condoms could lower your risks
too.
Yes, it can be extremely embarrassing and frightening
having your first Pap test. But remember those five minutes
could potentially help you avoid getting cancer.
Book your Pap test now…
A dvertising
design: Amber Bishop-Nielsen, Stefanie
Briand, Russel Cross, Kimberly D’amato, Jessica Fisher,
Kate Geddes, Kylie Goodwin, Maha Kadry, Ian Mccartney,
Meghan Mccrae, Nicole Meloff, Christopher Niejadlik, Ashleigh Paul,
Kyle Pearce, Sarah Pierson-Leonard, Christopher Roscoe, Katelyn
Rundle, Alexandra Sauder, Lisa Veitch, Samantha Wild
Advertising sales: Alexander Berube, Giles
Bridgnell, Erica Brodie, Katrina Buczynski, Jason Cameron,
Kyle Carey, Shaun Carruthers, Sarah Cesaroni, Kyna Denning,
Kristina Giorgio, Olivia Kajdaniuk, Krista Keberer, Cody Macdonald, David
Morgan, Michael Needler, Heather Peyton, Kyle Poupore, Matthew
Pozzuoli, Angela Roberts, Emiliano Serafin, Tiffany Silent, Karen Stein,
Jenna Swann, Matthew Thompson, Allison Vickers, Alicea Webster
PUBLISHER: Robin Pereira EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Gerald Rose FEATURES/OPED EDITOR: Virginia Colling AD MANAGER: Dawn Salter PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR: Al Fournier
ADVERTISING PRODUCTION MANAGER: Kevan F. Drinkwalter TECHNICAL PRODUCTION: Darren Fisher CARTOONIST: Matt Bird
Andrew Huska
Ladies: book your Pap test today

Oshawa recently came under fire when a volunteer
cameraman, Billy Steel, who worked for Rogers
Television while working at an Oshawa
General’s hockey game, approached
Don Cherry to ask him
about his tie.
This indiscretion as Rogers
called it, led to the company removing
the cameraman from his position.
Celebrities are constantly being
approached by people, whether
it be at their job or just on the street, so why should
this be any different.
The fact that makes this story even worse is that
Steel was removed from the position and is only 17.
According to his father, Billy has a learning disability
and has been in trouble with the law for many years,
that is until a year ago when Billy befriended the Generals
and turned his life around.
The company that runs the General Motors Centre,
Global Spectrum, angered Don Cherry when the
Toronto Star ran an article with his name in it that
made it seem like he agreed with what Rogers did.
Cherry said he loves it when kids come up and talk to
Durham College-UOIT Chronicle
OPINION
He just wanted to
shake his hero’s hand
him. “That is the reason that I wear these goofy ties.”
I feel if a person in the media has been approached,
it is their decision whether or not
they will answer someone’s ques-
tions.
As a result of the incident the
father of the young cameraman is
looking at the option of suing the
city as well as the General Motors
Centre for punitive damages and
any wages the youth might have
earned. I think if the case gets to court there will be
a lot of empathy for the youth, as most people would
find it hard to do what this young man did. Even I
have a couple of stories of going up to celebrities and
wanting to talk to them, not just because I am in the
field of journalism, but because it is just human nature
to want to be around successful people and for
that brief moment in time feel like we are a real somebody
to someone.
The greatest thing I can see coming from this is that
even though the youth does not get to cover the Oshawa
General’s games, no one will ever be able to take
away the feeling of meeting someone he admired.
Paul
Bates
Not all chicks like lame flicks
I don’t like chick flicks. You
would think that all women love
them, but that is just a cliché.
Why don’t I like chick flicks?
Nothing against them personally,
they usually have decent story
lines and
can get you
a little teary
eyed, but
they are just
so disgustingly
sappy
and unrealistic
when it
comes down
to it. Sometimes it makes me want
to throw up. I watched a movie
the other night called He’s Just Not
That Into You. The characters had
their rejection, one guy cheated on
his wife, and the other girl left her
boyfriend of seven years, but in the
end most of it worked out and they
were happy.
In all chick flicks, someone
usually falls in love and lives happily
ever after, blah blah blah. Well
where is my prince charming to
come sweep me off my feet so I
Shayna
Brown
Is it just me or has dating become
more impersonal in recent
years? I mean I don’t find it hard to
meet men, and I’d be lying if I said
I can’t garner
my share of
attention from
the opposite
sex, but what
I do find difficult
is dealing
with this
modern technology
that is
now dictating the happenings of
my love life. I remember being 12
years old and getting a phone call
from my first boyfriend every day.
My mom of course hated it, and
can live happily ever after?
They make it so damn believable
and put false hope in your
head. Life isn’t as sweet and dandy
as it appears on the big screen.
Sure the characters fall for each
other and realize that they want to
be together. Good
for them. But what
about five, ten years
down the road? Are
they still together?
Are they happy?
Of course they are
in Hollywood, but
what about in reality?
The opposite sex is complicated
enough without adding sex
and dating into the equation. It’s
human nature to be horny and
want to fornicate with the opposite
sex. You will find yourself attracted
to numerous people in your life.
It’s when the attraction becomes
more, that it poses a problem.
Dating is a lot more complex
than it appears in movies. There is
no script in life. It doesn’t always
work out. There is no predetermined
outcome. It is all based
I of course loved it. But ten years
later I think my mom is the one
smiling because where the boys
are concerned my phone doesn’t
ring quite as much.
Though that
doesn’t mean they
Jamilah
McCarthy
don’t contact me.
My headaches
are a result of the
constant beeping
sounds from the
hundreds of text
messages I re-
ceive a day.
I used to love bragging to my
girlfriends about how my boyfriend’s
voice sounded when he
said he loved me. Now I get excited
on the decisions you make. And
people make bad decisions all
the time: date a jerk, cheat, have
a one-night stand. Quite often
there is the one that ‘got away’ or
you find yourself wondering well
what if? So what do you do when
you find yourself questioning your
life and the decisions you’ve made,
whether you’re going in the right
direction or if you’re with the right
person? Do we always want what
we can’t have? And do we want it
simply because we can’t have it or
because we really want it?
It is after watching these movies
and seeing the characters that
you can start to question your
decisions and question the whole
dating and relationship scene. Is it
just Hollywood glam or does Mr.
Right really exist? Are we just settling
for Mr. Right-now?
The opposite sex causes so
much drama. Mix in sex, dating
and relationships and you’ve got
one hell of a concoction. Love.
Sex. Relationships. Those three
words hold so much meaning, and
power its almost scary.
if in the text message he spells love
the correct way instead of “luv”.
There was a time when guys
would ask for my phone number,
now they ask for my MSN or
even worse my Facebook. Instead
of a phone call I get a notification
from a website telling me I’ve been
poked. It’s like I’m dating a computer
screen. There is an emoticon
for every emotion. When I tell my
friends “We got into a huge argument
last night,” I don’t mean there
was a lot of yelling, what I mean is I
pressed shift, colon and @ a lot.
I used to get phone calls. Now
I’m lucky if a guy says hi to me
when I sign online. And if he says
hi to me, does he really like me
The Chronicle March 17, 2009 5
Save the
drama for
your mama
Finally. I was free of all the high school drama, all the immaturity.
I couldn’t wait to start my first year of college. I was becoming
an adult.When I walked into my first class at Durham College,
I was thrilled. No more desks with metal chairs attached. Most importantly,
no more acting like
children!
Krystie
Spittal
I couldn’t wait to see how
the next few years would unfold.My
first year of college
was spent living in residence.
I was under the impression
that residence was a good
way to meet friends, a conve-
nient place to live on campus and teaches you a sense of responsibility.
Well that all sure backfired.
Instead, I went through more drama than I can even begin to explain
because of the friends I had in residence. I began to take my
time getting to class since the school was so close, and ironically,
that usually made me late. And as for responsibility… lets just say I
was 17 and living on my own.
I did learn my lesson by my second year though. That’s when I
began to question if it was just me, or if a lot of people were still acting
as if they were in high school. That’s when I realized that college
is just the same as high school.
Since I failed four classes in my second semester of first year, I
had to retake them with a new group of first years. When I got to the
first class I couldn’t believe it. Everyone was sitting in their cliques
with no room for one more. I kept thinking to myself, this would
never happen in the “real world” that college is supposed to prepare
us for, if a new employee walks in and everyone just stares and then
looks away… how childish! To top it off, since I did not have a set
seat I sat at different tables every day listening to all the classmates
talk behind each other’s back. I could not believe I was in a college
classroom.
As I left my high school graduation, I remember talking about all
the differences between high school and college. Three years later,
in my last year of college, here I am. And if I have discovered anything
about college, it would be that college is just high school with
more comfortable chairs.
In the bathrooms, I sometimes see girls gather by the sinks and
gossip about friends and enemies, as they carefully look over their
hair and make-up. They will repeat this until perfection is achieved,
and the gossip has run dry. In the hallways as I walk past, I hear bits
and pieces of so-and-so sleeping with whoever’s boyfriend. Apparently
college does not free you from drama.
The maturity level of college students seems to be no better than
high school students. In my opinion, college is the period in a person’s
life where they should not only be shaping their future, but
growing up. Are we ready to grow up?
If you like me, don’t poke me, call me!
or is he just saying hi because
no one else is online and he’s
bored?Furthermore, I’m starting
to feel extremely weird about the
fact that I can tell what a guy is
thinking by the way he types.
It used to be that I could tell
a guy was upset if he paused
or sighed while we were on the
phone, now I know he’s upset or
confused if he takes longer than
30 seconds to type his response.
When friends ask, “How could you
tell he was mad?” my response
isn’t, “I could see it on his face,” my
response is, “Because he typed in
all caps.” The truth is you can never
really tell what a guy is doing behind
that computer screen.I’m sad
that computers now run the world
more than people do. I feel as if my
computer is the real me.
I feel like I don’t operate my
computer, my computer operates
me. I think dating would be a lot
easier if things went back to the
old days, when communication
was face-to-face or at least ear-toear.
A real relationship cannot be
based on Internet conversations
and anyone who believes it can is
living in denial.
So boys, next time you think of
approaching a girl get your phone
out, and although this is a crazy
notion, put her phone number
in it, instead of her Facebook, or
email address.

6 The Chronicle March 17, 2009
SA ELECTION 2009
No contest for new SA
President, VPs acclaimed to positions
By Sarah Manns
and Edith Zikmann
Chronicle Staff
Amy England will continue her role as
president of the Student Association because
no other nominees submitted their
By Ingrid Saravia
Chronicle Staff
Name: Amy England
Program: Women’s
Studies
Position: President
Name: Ian Ngaira
Program: Health
Science
Position: Director for
UOIT Faculty of Health
Science
Many students will soon have a few extra
dollars in their pockets.
As of March 31, the McGuinty government
is raising the minimum wage to $9.50
an hour from $8.75.
The province of Ontario started raising
minimum wage in 2004. It went from
$6.85 in 2004 to $8 in 2007. By 2010, Ontario
will further increase the minimum
wage to $10.25.
Increasing the minimum wage is part
of a program called Breaking the Cycle,
Ontario’s poverty reduction strategy. The
initiative is intended to reduce the number
of children living in poverty by 25 per cent
over five years by boosting benefits for
low-income families and enhancing publicly
funded education.
names for the position.
They didn’t have to fight for their positions
at the March 12 all candidates meeting.
Nicole Robichaud will be VP Internal
and Anthony Boland will be VP of Campus
Life.
Name: Adedoyin Odukya
Program: Mechanical Engineering
Position: Director for Graduate Studies
“I love the minimum wage increase,”
said first-year business commerce student
Danny Takla, who is a part-time sales associate
at The Bay Oshawa. “Any extra money
will be really helpful.”
However, there is a prickle of fear in
Takla because since January, sales at The
Bay have not been going well and his hours
have been drastically cut.
“My hours have gone way down,” said
Takla. There were a couple of weeks in
February when no one in his department
got any hours.
Satinder Chera, director of provincial
affairs at the Canadian Federation of Independent
Businesses, thinks that raising the
minimum wage will have a negative effect
on students.
“With the way the economy is going
right now, increasing the minimum wage
will not only make it difficult for businesses
to hang on,” said Chera. “It’s going to make
it difficult for them to hold on to their employees.”
He believes students’ jobs are some of
the most vulnerable. He said if employers
start struggling they will try to hold onto
their permanent full-time employers over
the part-timers.
“At least half of the people working at
the minimum wage level are students,” said
Valerie Naylor will also continue her
role as VP of Trent in Oshawa.
Acclaimed Board of Directors include;
Rachel Calvelli, Ian Ngaira, Adedoyin
Odukya and Scott Kelly.
As for executive positions, the role
of VP of Durham College has not been
Name: Rachel Cavelli
Program: Justice Policy
Studies
Position: Board Director
for Criminology
Name: Nicole
Robichaud
Program: Biological
Science
Position: VP Internal
Chera.
The Canadian Federation of Independent
Businesses represents more than
42,000 owners of small and medium enterprises
across all industry sectors in Ontario.
The CFIB wrote an open letter to the
Ministry of Labour objecting to the minimum
wage increase.
“Small businesses account for half the
economy,” said Chera. “They play a big part
in hiring students and giving them their
first work-place experience.”
With universities thinking about increasing
tuition and part-time jobs becoming
harder to come by, it is more difficult
for students to pay their own way to school,
he said.
Tara Blackburn, director of Hired Career
Services on campus, said that raising
the minimum wage is especially important
during times of economic hardship. She
does not think that many jobs will be lost
due to the pay increase since businesses
have had enough warning.
“It’s going to be difficult for some smaller
business but employers had enough time
to plan and budget,” said Blackburn.
The wage increase will put around
$1,300 a year in the pockets of full-time
minimum wage earners.
“Thirteen hundred dollars a year is not a
filled and the SA will be holding additional
nominations for this position in the near
future.
Melanie Barnett, a second-year office
administration student, was acclaimed the
to the board of governors for Durham College.
Name: Anthony Boland
Program: Physics
Position: VP of Campus
Life
Name: Scott Kelly
Program: Industrial
Animation and Robotics
Position: Director for
DC School of Applied
Science
Photo missing: Valerie Naylor, VP of
Trent in Oshawa
Minimum wage is going up
March 31 raise
will bring it
up to $9.50
very large amount,” said Blackburn. “People
are going to put that money back in the
economy and spend it locally.”
By 2010, raises will have totalled $3.40
since 2004.
The minimum wage remained static in
Ontario between 1995 and 2004.
“How can the price of everything go up
but not minimum wage?” said Blackburn.
“Minimum wage has to be at a decent level
so people can survive.”
According to a press release from the
Ministry of Labour, some of the major sector
industries employing minimum wage
earners are food and retail trade, the two
most common student jobs.
Gibril Sallah, vice-president of Internal
at the Student Association and fourth-year
Business student at UOIT, said it is a wise
move for the province of Ontario to raise
the minimum wage to help offset the increasing
cost of living.
“Most student jobs are low key that pay
minimum wage,” said Sallah. “ From a student
perspective, any extra money in our
pockets is a good thing and helps a lot.”
Students on work-study through the
college won’t be affected by the March
31 increase since they make $10 an hour.
However the next increase in March 31,
2010 will increase their wage to $10.25.

By Asmahan Garrib
Chronicle Staff
They shoved grass in Lumo’s
mouth and tied her with her
clothes. Afterwards, she couldn’t
walk so they used her clothes to
drag her along the ground. A hunter
found her the next day. Lumo
was hospitalized for three years.
After nine operations she still has
a fistula, a hole between her birth
passage and internal organs. Her
husband left her and got his dowry
back.
Lumo is just one of more than
200,000 women who have been
raped in the Democratic Republic
of the Congo since an ongoing
conflict started in 1996. Her story
was one of the many told during
the Women in the Congo Teach-In,
which captivated an audience of
eight who sat in to learn about the
atrocities and struggles millions of
women suffer through each day.
Approximately 40 women are
raped every day in southern Kivu,
a province in eastern Congo. Almost
50 per cent of those sexual
assault survivors are children.
“One of the ways the soldiers
maintain power is to victimize
women over and over again,” said
Allison Alexander, co-ordinator
of the Women’s Centre. “It’s a sick
sense of power that they must
maintain. It’s also a way of traumatizing
the man, having to see
his wife or mother or sister raped.
Then the man leaves the woman,
so she is victimized and victimized
again.”
In a presentation that included
a first-hand video illustrating the
horrors these women endure, a
PowerPoint presentation detailing
the history of violence and a group
discussion to find ways to help,
this year’s Women’s Centre cause
brought awareness to a topic few
people in this part of the world
know much about.
“We want people to be aware
of what’s happening to women in
the Congo,” said Stephanie Armstrong,
a first-year Human Services
Worker student and one of
the presenters of the teach-in. “We
think people know, but not to the
extent of how bad it really is.”
The Democratic Republic of the
Congo is the third largest country
in Africa, situated north of Angola
and Zambia. It has been ravaged
by conflict since the 1880s.
“Women and girls are feeling
the brunt of this war,” said Viola
Morrison, a first-year Human Services
Worker student and one of
the presenters of the teach-in. “But
the root of this conflict goes back
to the 1800s when the Democratic
Republic of the Congo was ruled
by leaders who didn’t have the
rights of the people at heart.”
Belgian King Leopold II took
control of the Congo in 1880, exploiting
its natural resources--tin
and rubber. Violence, forced labour
and starvation caused the
death of millions of people. After
gaining its independence in 1960
the Democratic Republic of the
Congo faced a nationwide army
mutiny.
Joseph Desire Mobutu took
power of the Congo in 1965 and
in 1994 provided a safe haven for
the militia that directed Rwanda’s
genocide. This provoked Rwanda
and Uganda to invade Congo in
1996 in pursuit of the Rwandan
militia, pushing out Mobutu and
allowing Congolese rebel Laurent-
CAMPUS NEWS
Desire Kabila to take power.
“Between 1996 and 2002, the
two massive wars fought in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo
were arguably the world’s deadliest
since WWII,” said Morrison.
Since the 2002 peace agreement,
conflict has erupted in eastern
Congo in a battle for control of
natural resources.
“Eastern Congo right now is the
most dangerous place in the world
to be a woman or girl,” said April
Witt, first-year Health Services student
and a presenter at the teachin.
“Doctors without Borders has
stated that 75 per cent of all the
rape cases it has treated are in the
Congo.”
The presentation started with a
YouTube video titled The Greatest
Silence: Rape in the Congo. Guests
at the teach-in watched as Congolese
women and children recounted
their stories of rape and torture.
One woman recounted being
raped in front of her children, then
the soldiers shooting her children
The Chronicle March 17, 2009 7
Congo teach-in raises awareness
By Melissa Bies
Chronicle Staff
Every year, thousands of students graduate with a business
degree or diploma in Ontario and begin searching for
a job in their field.
As resumes pour in to potential employers, what makes
one student’s credentials looks more appealing than the
others?
Jake Simmons believes that what helped him obtain an
exciting, challenging and well-paying entry-level marketing
position was the Durham College Marketing Competition
(DCMC).
Simmons graduated from Durham College’s three-year
Business – Marketing program last year. In both his second
and third years, he competed and placed in the annual
competiton.
“Competing in the DCMC is something that can really
Photo by Asmahan Garrib
WOMEN HELPING WOMEN: First-year Human Services Worker students Viola Morrison,
Ashley King, Stephanie Armstrong (back row), Sarah Ojha and April Witt (front
row) with Women’s Centre co-ordinator Allison Alexander (on right).
help you stand out in the crowd to potential employers.
You gain experience and have something for your portfolio
that looks great to pull out in an interview. It’s something
above and beyond going to class.”
The DCMC is a full-day competition that takes place
Friday, March 20. In teams of five, Marketing students
must come up with a product or service based on a chosen
industry. Teams must consist of at least one first- or
second-year student. They must create a sales pitch and
business plan and present it to a panel of judges.
The judges will have “money” to invest in products or
services, and will allocate amounts of their choice to the
teams based on the team’s pitches. At the end of the day
the team that has accumulated the most money from the
judge panels wins.
“Prizes are usually gift certificates from local businesses,
but the biggest prize is bragging rights,” said Simmons.
“You are competing against your classmates, the people
who you sit beside every day. It gets very competitive.”
and demanding she eat them.
Alexander found the story of
Eve, a six-year-old girl, especially
touching.
“She’s never even been hugged,”
said Alexander. “No one wants to
be around her because she smells
like pee.”
Eve constantly smells like pee
because she has a fistula that
causes incontinence, according to
fistulafoundation.org. It’s a common
result of rapes in the Congo.
“When the tyrants sexually assault
the women, they insert their
guns into them, which damages
their uterus, bladder and intestines,”
said Alexander.
In addition to traumatic fistulae,
the sexual violence also causes
genital lesions, unwanted pregnancies
and sexually transmitted
diseases.
PANZI, the only hospital in the
Congo able to perform an operation
to fix fistulae and vaginal reconstruction
is often a week-long
walk for many of the women in
need. After the operation, the
women are provided with only a
few days of rest in the hospital before
having to give up their bed to
another woman in need.
“They are having major surgery
and having only a few days rest
and then having to get up and walk
with nowhere to go,” said Alexander.
These women have nowhere to
go afterwards because their husbands
and families disown them,
and feel the raped women bring
bad luck, said Armstrong.
The video also showed Congolese
men explaining what they
would do if they saw their wives
or mothers being raped. Their response
was a resounding “nothing.”
“The boys are being taken out
of their homes so young and being
taught to rape and kill,” said
Armstrong. “It’s a vicious cycle and
the country’s so corrupt. Even if
the men committing these crimes
were penalized they could just
bribe their way out of it.”
The teach-in educated everyone
who attended in ways Canadians
must help.
“We want to make people aware
that they can help,” said Witt. “It
doesn’t seem like we can from so
far away, but we can.”
The Women’s Centre is calling
on all students to help. All the
proceeds from a bake sale held by
the S.A. and the proceeds from the
tickets to the Vagina Monologues
on March 11 and 12 will go to
help build hospitals and transition
houses for women in the Congo,
according to Alexander.
Students can also compel world
leaders to assist.
By sending a letter to the Canadian
Minister of Foreign Affairs,
Lawrence Cannon, writing a letter
to Durham’s MPP, Christine Elliot
or the president of the Democratic
Republic of the Congo, Joseph
Kabila, Canadians can urge them
to stop the violence against women.
Anyone interested in helping
should visit vday.org, raisehopeforcongo.org
or womenthrive.org.
“They have so much further to
come than we even realize to get
to where we are,” said Ashley King,
first-year Health Services Worker
student and a presenter at the
teach-in.
“Can you imagine if this was
happening in our country and no
one would help us?”
Marketing themselves to the top of the pack
After the teams present their work in a dragon’s den
format – just the presenter and the panel of judges – they
attend a dinner and awards banquet.
This year, Simmons was asked to be on the panel of
judges.
“I still stay in contact with some of my professors and
was honoured to be asked to come back to the competition
this year as a judge,” he said.
He said the best piece of advice for this year’s competitors
is to be prepared.
“If you’re serious about the competition, it really is quite
a lot of work,” he said. “Do your research and be ready for
any questions the judges may have for you. Make sure
you utilize each person’s strengths in your group – for
example, some people are better presenters than others,
but others may be more computer-savvy and be able to
spruce up your visual presentation. And know your stuff.
Believe in what you are presenting, be passionate, and be
professional yet personable.”

2 The Chronicle March 17, 2009
Durham
graduate
starts
her own
business
By Paul Bates
Chronicle Staff
Alexis Pastuch has faced
many barriers in her life, especially
considering she has
a physical disability, but with
all the issues she has had this
Durham College Legal Administration/Law
Clerk grad
never let it hold her back.
“I know what it feels like
to go out to a place and get
stuck, but if someone goes
there first they can check it
out and therefore inform others.”
After graduating from the
program in April 2005 she
has applied to places in Toronto
like Advocates at Law
where, “the push handle to
get into the office was so high
I could not get in myself.”
Another place Pastuch
visited also did not work. “I
went in for an interview and
the place was totally inaccessible.”
Pastuch said. “All the
tables and desks were too
high. The office equipment
was out of my reach.” She
even had issues with not being
able to get her wheelchair
into the washroom, so neither
of these two places led to
full-time employment.
These setbacks, as well as
wanting to create a business
in a unique market, were reasons
Pastuch created Alexibility.
The primary focus is to
make people aware of the
level of accessibility of buildings
in both the public and
private sector.
The website for Alexibility
was launched this year and
just recently underwent a
major change. It can be found
at http://www.alexibility.com
The company mission
statement is, “To allow people
to have the freedom and ability
to go where they wish.”
“If you wish to visit a facility
that you have never been
to before, and want to know if
you will face physical barriers
to accessibility, all you have to
do is call or send us an e-mail.
I will then go visit the facility
for you, compile my findings
and report back to you.”
The service is not just for
individuals, Pastuch is keeping
the doors open for major
businesses to call her and get
the same level of service, reporting
back to management
on issues she discovers.
While she is still waiting
for her first customers Pastuch
sees big things for this
company in years to come
as buildings and businesses
try to reach out to the physically
disabled community,
especially in a city the size of
Toronto.
CAMPUS NEWS
East meets West as students
enrol for Hong Kong adventure
By Liisa Sahamies
Chronicle Staff
For a second year the University
of Ontario Institute of Technology
is offering a summer Study
Abroad program in Hong Kong.
The Faculty of Business and
Information Technology and the
communication students at UOIT
have the chance to go to Hong
Kong to gain a comparative understanding
of Western cultures and
the traditional Chinese culture.
This includes mythical, religious,
philosophical, ethical and scientific
thinking.
All students who choose to participate
in the program enrol in at
least nine credits, including the
three-credit course titled Chinese
and Western Modes of Thought,
offered by the Chinese University
of Hong Kong School of Continuing
Studies. The other six credits
can be earned by two more courses
taken online, before and after
visiting Hong Kong.
Wilfred Fong, associate dean
of the Faculty of Business and Information
Technology, says the
students will be taking this course
along with students from the California
State University in Sacramento.
This is a good chance to
meet new people on the way to
learning about different cultures.
“It’s a great learning experience
and opportunity to explore the
outside world,” said Fong.
This is the second year the program
has been offered at UOIT
after a successful experience last
year. It’s also the first year the program
has been offered to communication
students.
“Now we can get more students
involved, and more can be educated,”
said Fong.
But Fong also said the students
will not be going all the way to
Hong Kong to sit in a classroom.
He said the accommodations
were strategically placed at the
university, a small walk or subway
ride away from where the classes
take place. Also, the students will
get the chance to visit Shanghai
and Beijing.
“There are still special tours,
sports activities and different sites
students can experience,” said
Fong.
Some popular educational
places in Hong Kong are the Science
Park, and the History and the
Heritage Museum. Students can
also visit Cheung Chau, an island
and more calm side of Hong Kong,
and the New Territories Villages,
which resemble an older Hong
Kong in Chinese style. All of these
activities support the course the
students will be taking.
For application information
students can contact Jessica Walsh
at jessica.walsh@uoit.ca.
Cinechats
to host
exclusive
showing
By Amanda Allison
Chronicle Staff
If you think your family is
dysfunctional, you’ve got to
join the Cinechats group on
March 19 for their showing of
The Art of Crying.
This 2007 Danish film will
make your family seem like
the Cleavers in comparison.
“This is a Cinechats exclusive,”
said discussion leader
and Durham College professor
John Arkelian. “We got it
directly from its producer in
Copenhagen.”
The film will run in room
C-113 on Thursday at 6:30
p.m. and admission is $2 per
person.

By Andrew Huska
Chronicle Staff
The government of Canada will
contribute $22.3 million in aid for
skills training in Africa.
International Co-operation
Minister Bev Oda made the announcement
at the Durham College
Skills Training Centre in
Whitby on March 6.
The Skills for Employment
Initiative will help developing
countries like Senegal, Tanzania,
Mozambique, Namibia, the Democratic
Republic of Congo, Niger,
Rwanda, Burkina Faso and South
Africa. The goal of the initiative,
according to a Ministry of International
Co-operation press release,
is to unite Canadian colleges with
colleges in these countries to establish
technical and vocational
training programs.
“It’s a terrific announcement,”
said Oda.
“The thing that it does that I’m
so proud of is it recognizes the
excellence of our college system
and the training we’re providing to
young people.”
The $22.3 million donation goes
along with the $95 million that will
be donated for skills training in Africa,
Asia and the Americas. It also
comes in addition to the $140 million
the Canadian International
Development Agency contributes
annually to vocational training.
Canada will be contributing approximately
$260 million in aid to
developing countries.
Oda made the announcement
at the Durham College Skills Training
Centre in Whitby on March 6.
She compared the resources
available to students at the Whitby
Campus and what is available in
many developing countries and
how those resources are not adequate
for an educated workforce.
“I’ve been to so many countries
that do not have the skills that they
need and do not have the workforce
they need,” Oda said.
Oda said after the first three
years of the program there will
be approximately 2,000 qualified
graduates ready to enter certified
trades in their countries.
“These graduates will be supporting
families, making communities
stronger, contributing
to better incomes for women and
youth, and renewing their hope for
a brighter future,” Oda said.
For this initiative the ministry
is working with the Association of
Canadian Community Colleges.
The association’s vice-president
Katrina Murray said the organization
has contributed to over 600
international aid projects for postsecondary
education along with
the federal government.
However, this program is
unique, according to Murray. This
time the recipient country drives
how the money will be used,
something that hasn’t always been
the case.
“It was designed with and will
CAMPUS NEWS
be driven by the recipient country,”
said Murray.
“It will be managed in concert
with other donors so we have a coordinated
approach.”
With that there could be concerns
over whether the money is
The Chronicle March 17, 2009 9
Africa to receive money for training
going to the right purpose. Oda
feels there’s no need to worry.
She said when the ACCC uses
the money for projects it will be
monitored by the government,
which is also the case for the recipient
countries.
Photo by Andrew Huska
SKILLS TRAINING IN AFRICA: Katrina Murray, Bev Oda, and D.C. President Don Lovisa
were present for the federal government’s announcement of new aid for Africa.
Women, unleash your inner goddess
Women’s Day
was held on
March 8
By Sarah Manns
Chronicle Staff
The “inner goddess” was the
theme of the 10 th annual International
Women’s Day held at
the McLean Community Centre
Banquet Hall in Ajax, on Sunday,
March 8.
“’We have a different theme
every year and this year we are
celebrating our inner goddess,”
said Esther Enyolu, executive director
of Women’s Multicultural
Resource and Counseling Centre.
“It’s a day to pamper and celebrate
being a woman.”
The event included manicures,
belly dancing, face painting, astrologist
Joan Ann, and much more.
“It’s all about celebrating us, our
struggles and our hard work,” said
Amanda McCafferty, guest speaker
and women’s caseworker for the
Denise House (a house for abused
women and their children). “We
often forget about ourselves and
it’s important that we don’t. I don’t
think enough women celebrate
themselves, and we need to support
each other.”
The event featured booths
where women could talk and ask
Photo by Sarah Manns
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY: Shabana Talip, dressed
up as the Green Tara Goddess, representing the theme
of International Women’s Day- “Inner Goddess.”
questions regarding everything
from fitness to financial advice.
“I am here bringing finances
to women,” said Irene Anyanwu,
financial consultant for the Investors
Group. “For a lot of women,
husbands handle the money, but
that isn’t the way it has to be,” she
said. “I am here to educate them,
and show them that there are so
many things they can do.”
For some guests it was their
first time, but they were pleased
with the results.
“It is my first year here,” said
Nawal Ammar, professor and dean
for the Faculty of Criminology Justice
and Policy studies at UOIT.
“Every year I have been away. Last
year I was in Turkey,” she said. “I
was very happy to make it here
this year. It is very interesting and
it’s great to see so many young
people here today.”
The city of Ajax also offered
their support for the event.
“We donated the space to support
them today,” said Sharlene
Melnike, community development
co-ordinator. “We support over 140
cultural community groups, and in
supporting these groups we hope
to build their capacity to do what
they do best.”
Y’s Wish, Bethesda House, Herizon
House and The Denise House
sponsored the event.
“We have to remember women
in our lives,” said Enyolu. ”Whether
they’re our grandmothers, aunts,
sisters, mothers, cousins, partners
or neighbours, women deserve to
be treated with respect.”
“The government will monitor
and visit what’s happening, and
the ACCC will provide us with audited
financial reports on progress
being made,” said Oda.
“So the accountability and
transparency is already built in.”
It’s all about
school spirit
By Jamilah
McCarthy
Chronicle Staff
If you’re outgoing and
creative with an interest in
encouraging school spirit,
Student Association brand
ambassador is the right job
for you.
Resumes and cover letters
must be sent to marketing coordinator
Autumn Tilley at
the beginning of August.
“Applying is like any other
job. There’s an interview process
and then six students are
chosen for the entire school
year,” says brand ambassador
Walia Wahid.
All of the hiring is done at
the beginning of September.
The main job of a brand
ambassador is to promote
Student Association events.
To be a brand ambassador
you must have great people
skills.
“You have to be able to go
up to people and let them
know what’s going on in the
school,” says Wahid. Brand
ambassador Graham Wilcox
says, “You have to make yourself
stand out.”
Students must be willing
to dress up in crazy costumes
to promote events. “Promoting
is a creative thing,” says
Wahid.

10 The Chronicle March 17, 2009
CAMPUS NEWS
Trent students get identified
By Robyn DePratto
Chronicle Staff
All of the green you’re sure to be
seeing around campus today isn’t
just for St. Patrick’s Day. This week
is the year’s second Trent Identity
Week, organized by Trent University’s
peer mentoring program.
On March 5, the peer mentors
met in the boardroom of the Student
Centre to create their own
Trent T-shirts to help show their
school spirit.
“One of the main critiques of
Trent identity week is that we don’t
have much merchandise here on
campus,” said Trent student and
peer mentor Amanda Daley.
She explained that she and other
peer mentors wanted to get together
and make their own shirts
to show other Trent students that
they can do the same.
Prizes are going to be given
away throughout the week to students
who display Trent spirit.
This week will be full of Trentrelated
events, including the Bingo
night held yesterday at the Student
Centre.
Tonight there will be a Trent
dance night in room G2009 from
5 to 6 p.m.
“That’s my favourite one actually”
said Daley, while gluing a
green ribbon to the bottom of her
shirt. Trent student Brianna Douglas,
who is part of the UOIT dance
team, will be teaching the Trent
students different styles of dancing,
such as salsa and hip-hop.
Wednesday, be on the lookout
for green treats, because on that
day the peer mentors are holding a
bake sale in the UA atrium from 10
a.m. to 2 p.m. “Once again the proceeds
are going to the food centre
on campus,” said Daley. “There’ll
be a box set up there for food donations
as well”.
Trent is running a food drive
throughout the week, with a donation
box set up in the main office
as well as at all the events. Students
attending them are asked to
bring a non-perishable food item
as a donation.
On Wednesday night, there will
be a student and staff mixer in the
lounge of the student centre from
5 to 7 p.m.
The first half of the event will
give professors an opportunity
to present their work to students,
such as projects they are working
on or newly released books.
“It’s going to be a way to appreciate
the Trent faculty,” said Daley.
“They’re part of Trent too.” The second
half of the event will give the
students and staff time to mingle
and talk to one another.
To cap off the week, another
Trent open house will be held on
Thursday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in
the new Trent office in the Simcoe
building. High school students will
be given the opportunity to tour
the facility and meet Trent faculty
and ask them questions about the
By Shayna Brown
Chronicle Staff
All across Durham Region there
has been an increase in awareness
for the factors that are putting
youth at risk.
On Feb. 18, Durham College
held its first-annual At Risk Youth
and the Law symposium to address
the issue.
“We were expecting about 100
people for the first year and we had
about 150,” said Jennifer Laffier, an
instructor in the School of Justice
at Durham College.
Laffier teaches the one-year
Youth Correction and Intervention
(YCI) program at the college.
t was her students’ assignment
to put together the event to get
some experience while at the same
time benefiting the community.
“It went better than I expected,”
said YCI student Duztyn Leonard.
“None of us have any experience
school.
For more information about
Trent University in Oshawa, as
setting up a conference like this
one.”
Professionals in the field were
invited out to hold workshops on
topics including cyber bullying,
youth gang exit programs, restorative
justice practices and mental
health issues.
Apart from workshops, there
were representatives from various
organizations offering information
and a breadth of knowledge.
Some of the information boards
included information about the
Durham Youth Gangs Strategy
Organization, Eastview Boys and
Girls and the Ontario Association
for Students At Risk.
According to their brochure.
“[They] provide opportunities for
information to be shared through
multiple venues so that it may assist
in improving one’s knowledge
and understanding for the advocating
of at risk youth.”
Joy Sloan, a volunteer director
for Ontario Association for Stu-
Photo by Robyn DePratto
GET GREEN: Amanda Daley, a Trent University in Oshawa student, makes her own
T-shirt for the Trent Identity week held the week of March 16 to March 20
well as the programs they offer,
visit their website at http://www.
trentu.ca/oshawa/ .
Fighting for students who are at risk
Photo by Sarah Manns
STUDENTS AT RISK: Joy Sloan, director of the Ontario
Association for Students at risk, fights for students who
are at risk with getting in trouble with the law.
By Jaspinder k Jassal
Chronicle Staff
Hindus all around the world
were drenched in coloured powder
last weekend, in celebration
of Holi – the festival of colours.
Holi is celebrated by people
throwing coloured powder and
water at each other. It’s ideal that
white clothing is worn so that the
colours can be seen.
Holi marks the end of winter
and the beginning of spring by
celebrating the triumph of good
over evil. Holi originated when
the ancient Indian king, Hiranya
Kapyapu, demanded everyone
follow his orders.
Everyone but his son Prahlada
followed his orders. His son was a
true devotee of Lord Vishnu.
King Kapyapu punished his
son by putting him through difficult
tasks such as jumping off
a steep cliff and being trampled
by an elephant. Prahlada was left
unhurt, as he would chant Lord
Vishnu’s name.
Finally, the king ordered his
son to sit on the lap of his sister
Holika in flames of fire. Holika
would not die as she would be
protected by a shawl that would
prevent her from burning to
death.
Everyone looked in amazement
and witnessed Holika burning
to death. Prahlada remained
unharmed.
“You can’t destroy something
so pure and honest,” said Shally
Saggar, who is a student at UOIT
and also a Hindu.
In celebration of the death of
the evil king, a bonfire is lit the
dents At Risk, was at the symposium
with some words of wisdom
and some stories from her experience.
“I work with students of all ages
who are at risk of not succeeding
the way they can,” she said.
Sloan has worked with a variety
of students, from kids in prison
to men and women in maximum
security. She also works with the
instructors.
“We work with teachers and
school them in better ways of catering
to these kids,” said Sloan
“Most of them just need a better
way of teaching.”
The event, sponsored by the
Whitby Mental Health Centre,
RCMP, Durham Regional Police
Services and the Durham Family
Court Council, was a huge success.
Laffier expects the symposium
to be bigger and better next year
with more people participating.
Hindus celebrate spring with colour
day before in honour of the miraculous
Prahlada.
Houses are decorated in
colour in recognition of the festival..
Children participating in the
event play pranks on their elders.
“As a kid we used to fill water
guns with coloured water and run
through houses shooting colour
at everyone,” said Sunny Sharma,
who is also a student at UOIT and
fellow Hindu.

By Shawntee Russell
Chronicle Staff
GO Transit Riders might have
to dig a little deeper into their
pockets as GO Transit has plans to
increase fares by 25 cents.
The decision to raise the GO
fares was to be approved by the
GO Board, on March 13. If approved
the increase was to take
effect on March 14.
The fares will increase by 25
cents per adult single ride regardless
of where riders will be traveling.
The fare increase is part of GO
Transit’s 2009-2010 operating
budget.
Vanessa Thomas, media relations
and issues specialist for GO
Transit, explains that this year’s
fare increase is higher than the
last increase in March 2008, which
was 15 cents per ride.
Thomas doesn’t feel that this
fare increase will detour riders
from using GO.
“Each year GO Transit reviews a
fare increase as part of our annual
budget process. Even though our
fares do increase over the years,
in line with inflation, our ridership
continues to grow,” said Thomas.
“Right now we have nearly 55 million
passengers a year.”
The fare increase would allow
GO to provide riders with improved
and expanded service, and
cover the ongoing cost of doing
business.
“The higher costs of hydro,
property taxes, 407 road tolls and
snow removal are all costs that will
be paid for. It would help cover the
costs of existing operating costs as
well as provide for additional services
for our growing ridership,”
Thomas said.
GO currently has seven lines,
59 stations and runs 183 train trips
each day.
New parking spaces and the
cost of maintaining those parking
spaces is another example of
where riders’ money will be going.
“There is such a demand for
our network. We believe that a fare
increase is necessary this year in
order to provide the best possible
service and to continue to expand
to meet the growing needs of our
riders,” said Thomas.
Over the past year GO has seen
many improvements to its servic-
CAMPUS NEWS
es, such as 12-car trains, formerly
10-car trains on the Lakeshore
line. The increase in cars allows for
more riders to fit on a train at one
time.
10-car trains can hold 1,600
people while 12-car trains can fit
1,900 people.
“ We had to expand our platforms
and fix all our infrastructure
across the entire Lakeshore line so
that we could fit 12-car trains instead
of 10-car trains so that more
The Chronicle March 17, 2009 11
Prices may GO higher
and more riders will get a seat on
the train,” said Thomas. “In the upcoming
months we will be having
more 12-car trains.”
Tariq Adam, an electric engineering
student at Durham College,
doesn’t have any problems
with the fare increase. “It’s something
that needs to be done,” he
said.
UOIT game development and
entrepreneurship student Johnathan
Lam had mixed feelings
Photo by Shawntee Russell
FARES RISING: Johnathan Lam, a GO Transit rider, stands in front of the bus that he often takes to get around.
International students win!
Photo by Sarah Manns
AWARD WINNER: Viviane Rutabingwa, the winner of The
International Student of Excellence Award for 2009.
By Sarah Manns
Chronicle Staff
For some students, winning an
award is an exciting time, but for
Health Science student Viviane
Rutabingwa it’s so much more
than excitement.
Rutabingwa is the recipient of
the International Student of Excellence
Award, given by the Student
Association, which is the first
award of it’s kind on campus. “I
have been an international student
here for four years and it’s good to
see a university is recognizing International
students. I am proud to
be a recipient.,” said Rutabingwa.
The university has really grown
when it comes to International
Students, she said. “When I first
came here all of us knew each other
name to name, but over the four
years that I have been here, it has
probably quadrupled.”
Kellie Newberry, The international
student advisor said, “We
currently have 259 international
students from 57 different countries
on UOIT’s campus,” she said.
“When we first started we only had
83 students from 38 countries,”
said Newberry.
Rutabingwa heard about the
award through word of mouth
first, and then when the award was
formalized the international students
were e-mailed encouraging
them to apply for it.
Rutabingwa said there was a
reason she applied. “I come from
Uganda.. The fact that I’m here I
feel like I have a duty for all of the
privileges that I am offered. Where
I come from, people don’t have
half the chance I do, and that really
drives me. I don’t take anything
for granted because of the fact
that some people don’t even have
drinking water or shoes.”
To be eligible for the award students
had to be actively involved
in campus life, have a GPA of at
least 2.5 or higher, and be studying
towards a bachelor degree.
“I am the VP of the Caribbean
African Student Association,
Events co-ordinator of SHARE, I
volunteer as a consultant at the
Sexual Health Resource Centre, I
am a International Student Mentor,
and a peer mentor,” said Rutabingwa.
She will receive $1,500 for the
award.
about the fare increase.
“I’m not happy about the rising
costs. I’m not sure why they are
raising the fares but if they actually
do what they say they are going to
do with the extra money, I won’t
mind,” he said.
A single ride fare from Oshawa
to Union Station will be $8, up
from $7.75.
A monthly pass will increase to
about $262, from the current price
of $250.
Pamper
yourself
By Shayna Brown
Chronicle Staff
To mark international
women’s month, the Women’s
Centre is hosting a free
event called celebrate yourself.
There will be makeovers,
manicures, pedicures, dry
haircuts, massages, as well as
food and refreshments.
“You can have your nails
done and have a glass of wine
while you’re doing it,” said
Allison Hector-Alexander,
women’s centre co-ordinator.
“We always wait for everybody
else to offer us these
great things, or someone to
buy us this, or to take us out,
but we can do that for ourselves.”
The event will take place at
the Student Centre on March
19 at 4:30 p.m.
Students can register at
SAWomencentre@dc-uoit.ca

12 The Chronicle March 17, 2009

The Chronicle March 17, 2009 13

14 The Chronicle March 17, 2009
Beware of deadly gingivitis
By Shenieka
Russell-Metcalf
Chronicle Staff
Brush your teeth twice daily,
floss every day and go to your
yearly dental appointment? Sometimes
all of this isn’t enough to improve
your teeth and gums.
Of course—flossing is important
but brushing your teeth the
right way, makes the difference.
Brushing your teeth efficiently
means pointing the bristles towards
the gum tissue at a 45 degree
angle and vibrating the bristle
slightly and sweeping up and
down. Don’t forget to brush biting
surfaces and the tongue, says Donna
Pegg, registered dental hygienist
and Durham College professor.
On average, people should visit
the dentist twice a year, but some
may need to go more frequently.
However home maintenance
helps to keep up the health of
gums and teeth.
“There’s a space between the
tooth and the gum, the deeper
the space the more unhealthy the
teeth are,” said Pegg.
Regular cleanings are key in
removing plaque in those pockets.
Many foods we eat can get stuck in
these pockets because the bristles
from our toothbrushes can only go
so far.
The foods that contribute to
cavities include granola bars,
bread, crackers and chips. These
foods stay on the teeth longer,said
Pegg.
Foods that are better for teeth
include nuts, cheese, and sugarless
gum with xylitol, like Trident.
Unlike what you’ve been told in
the past, gum is not all bad for the
teeth. Just chew sugarless gum and
you’ll be much better off, she said.
Fruits and vegetables aren’t just
good for your body; they’re good
for your gum tissue as well.
With the recent links between
gum disease and cardiovascular
disease, respiratory disease and
diabetes, caring for your gums is
just as important as for your teeth.
Many types of gum diseases
can affect us including of the most
common gingivitis. It can be found
in all ages. Around 50 per cent
of the population has gingivitis.
Another type of gum disease is
periodontitis, it affects around 36
per cent of the population. It’s a
more advanced gum disease that
increases with age.
Key indicators that you may
be suffering from gingivitis are
bad breath, pain in the mouth and
bleeding gums when flossing or
brushing your teeth, Pegg said.
Visit one of the two dental clinics
on campus, located at SW107
for adults and A250 for children, to
improve your oral health. The clinics
charge $25 for adults and $10
for children.
The clinics provide oral cancer
screenings, blood pressure testing,
gum tissue exams, cavities diagnosis,
radiographs, dental cleaning,
fluoride applications, photo
disinfection therapy, pit and tis-
sue sealings and dental nutritional
counselling.
“We offer oral hygiene instruction
specific to the needs of the pa-
tients,” says Pegg.
For more information or to
book an appointment, call 905-
721-3074.
Stop procrastinating and get it done
By Ingrid Saravia
Chronicle staff
As the end of the year draws
closer, more students show signs
of a widespread affliction described
by Urban Dictionary as
Post-All-Nighterism. Common
among students, Post-All-Nighterism
is the inevitable zombie-like
stupour that develops the day after
staying up all night to finish an assignment.
Typical symptoms include caffeine
dependency, twitchy eyes
and a vacant expression. The affliction
is generally caused by excessive
procrastination.
“I can hardly keep my eyes
open,” said Tyler Brown, a firstyear
Bachelor of Arts student
while he sipped on a Red Bull. “I
should have done the project last
week but I left it until the last minute,
I had to stay up really late to
finish it.”
Hmmm…do the math project
or check out Billy’s new pictures
on Facebook?
The choice should be obvious
but sometimes it’s though not to
get distracted, procrastinate and
leave the less enjoyable activities
for later.
“Procrastination is an avoidance
behaviour,” said Brett Clayton,
learning advisor at the Learner
Support Centre. “It is when you
do an activity that prevents you
from noticing the passage of time
so you don’t feel the weight of your
responsibilities.”
But luckily for all the students
suffering from Post-all-nightmerism,
the cure for the malady is right
on campus. Excessive procrastination
can be reduced at the Learner
Support Centre where they offer
Time Management workshops.
According to Clayton, who
teaches the Time Management
workshops, everyone is guilty of
procrastination and most of the
CAMPUS NEWS
time people don’t even realize
they are doing it.
A good way to reduce procrastination
is to do nothing.
“Don’t do anything. Don’t take
naps or go on Facebook,” said
Clayton. “Put yourself in a corner
with no music, television or roommates.
Just sit quietly and feel the
passage of time. Five minutes can
Photo by Ingrid Saravia
HAVING TROUBLE GETTING THINGS DONE?: Take the time to visit the Learner Support
Centre and sign up for a time management workshop. It could get you going.
feel like an eternity and 10 minutes
feels like a life time.”
By becoming aware of the passage
of time, people realize how
much work they could have done
in the two hours they wasted.
Time management is all about
prioritizing. Deciding which
things are the most important and
doing them first but also about
Photo by Shenieka Russell-Metcalf
BETTER KEEP YOUR MOUTH CLEAN: Dental hygienist Tanya Deman (left) works on a
patient whie dental assistant Kristin Lackey takes the notes.
balancing the time.
“Not only do students need to
make time for schoolwork. They
also need time for friends, family
and relaxation,” said Clayton.
“However school should be their
number one priority.”
Ramona Spiteri, a second-year
Business and Commerce student,
admits to pulling all-nighters all
the time.
“I end up doing other things. I
check Facebook, High Five, or talk
on the phone. Anything besides
my homework,” she said. “It happens
more often if the assignment
is difficult or boring.”
There are many reasons why
people procrastinate but among
students the most common is low
appeal.
“Anything we don’t enjoy doing
we are less likely to do,” said Clayton.
“But try to be optimistic. Your
mindset is very important in the
learning process.”
He suggests confronting the
source of most difficulty first.
“You don’t have to love everything
you study because you are not going
to enjoy everything in life,” he
said. “It’s not whether or not you
love something but whether or not
you think it is important.”
If you are tired of Post-All-
Nighterism, visit the Learner Support
Centre and sign up for a Time
Management workshop.
“Everyone can take our workshops,”
said Clayton. “We can
meet with students one on one
or as a group. Just bring a copy of
your schedule to book an appointment.”

CAMPUS NEWS
The Chronicle March 17, 2009 15
UOIT professor wins top award
By Lynn Wayling
Chronicle Staff
From Shanghai to Oshawa, with
a stop in Laval for good measure,
it’s been a journey of more than 10
years and some 7,000 miles for Dr.
Dan Zhang and his research and
development of the parallel robot.
The director of the Automotive,
Manufacturing and Mechanical
Engineering programs at UOIT
and associate professor in the Faculty
of Engineering and Applied
Science recently received a break
in his research efforts – a chair.
On Feb. 23, the government of
Canada announced its list of Canada
Research Chairs (CRC) and
Zhang was among the recipients,
receiving a $500,000 Tier 2 Canada
Research Chair in Robotics and
Automation.
The Canada Foundation for
Innovation also awarded Zhang
$87,091, to cover equipment
Get help
for your
eating
disorders
By Asmahan Garrib
Chronicle Staff
Students concerned about their
relationship with food can now
join the Durham College/UOIT
Health Centre’s eating disorder
support group.
Every Wednesday afternoon at
4 p.m. for the next four weeks, men
and women looking for help with
an eating disorder or who need an
outlet to share and receive information
can attend.
“I found that I was seeing a lot
of students with eating issues and
there wasn’t any place for them to
go,” said Sylvia Emmory, registered
holistic nutritionist at the Durham
College/UOIT Health Centre.
Emmory runs the group, which
provides guided dialogue between
the participants. anorexia nervosa,
bulimia, binge eating and excessive
exercise are some of the disorders
students can cope with using
the assistance they receive at the
support group.
“It’s a place where students can
get together and meet other students
who are having the same
struggles,” said Emmory.
To join, students must fill out
an intake form as part of the interview
process with Emmory in
which they can meet, talk about
their problem and get a feel for
what they are comfortable with.
Students can also sit in and listen
to see if the support group is something
they might enjoy.
“The group is a safe place for
students to meet, feel comfortable
and talk about their eating issues,”
said Emmory.
costs.
“It’s very exciting and very good
recognition. It’s a top award for
university professors,” says Zhang
of the award.
His research and development
of parallel robots began during his
time at Laval University where he
obtained his PhD under the guidance
of professor Clement Gosselin,
one of the leading mechanical
engineering experts in Canada.
“Dan Zhang is one of the most
dedicated students that I have supervised.
He is very determined and hard
working. I am glad that his work is
now
recognized with a CRC,” said
Gosselin.
Zhang’s project – the parallel
robot – is a tool that has the ability
to lessen production time, save
money and increase the accuracy
of manufacturing, especially in the
fields of automotive and aerospace
manufacturing.
Currently, however, most manufactures
employ serial robots
rather than the parallel model.
Zhang explains, “More than 60
per cent of the robots in manufacturing
factories are serial robots,
but the parallel robot has more ad-
‘
Its very exciting
and very good recognition.
It’s a top
award for university
professors.
Dr. Dan Zhang
’
vantages than the serial robot.
They are not widely used. Why?
Because of their performance.
So my research work is mainly
how to improve the performance
of these kind of parallel robots.”
A prototype was built by Zhang
during his time with the National
Research Council of Canada
(NRC). It has the capability to
reach five sides of an object and
can do intricate work including
contouring and surface polishing
and finishing.
Those jobs are usually performed
by labourers but at high
risk. The environment can be unhealthy
and hand injuries are easy
to come by.
The NRC will release the prototype
to Zhang and UOIT shortly so
that more research can be done.
Zhang also has some students
working on parallel robot systems
on a micro scale for use in biomedics
and fibre optics.
Parallel robots are not the only
robots on Zhang’s mind, however.
He is pursuing other areas of
research, including one project
inspired by his six-year-old son’s
love of Transformers.
Working in tandem with a university
in China, Zhang is looking
to find ways to help trapped min-
ers escape collapsed mines which
plague the Chinese mining industry.
His vision is of a groundhog-like
robot that can drill a hole into the
collapsed mine and then transform
into a human-like robot that
could take the survivors to safety.
Zhang enjoys the freedom that
UOIT gives him to pursue such
projects. In fact that is one of the
reasons that he joined the faculty
in 2004.
“Why did I choose UOIT? Because
it’s a new university. Like the
Chinese saying says, ‘On blank paper
you can draw the most beautiful
picture.’
I can do whatever I like to do.
There are no constraints.”
Zhang joins fellow UOIT professors
Shari Forbes, Douglas
Holdway, Carolyn McGregor and
Greg Naterer as a chairholder,
helping to build UOIT’s reputation
as a research university.

16 The Chronicle March 17, 2009
By Jonnel Briscoe
Chronicle Staff
Cassidy has instilled hope in the hearts
of many people around the world with epilepsy.
“I asked my mom if I can start a special
day so that people with epilepsy can
know they aren’t alone,” she said.
The bright young lady is only 10 years old
but has already accomplished a lot in her
life. And there’s no slowing her down—she
plans on becoming “an actress, a veterinarian,
an artist and a purple day person,” she
said in a phone interview from her home in
Nova Scotia.
She is the founder of Purple Day for Epilepsy
and she is having fun campaigning the
cause.
Cassidy started Purple Day last year because
she wanted other kids with epilepsy
to know that it was okay. She talked to her
friends and school for support with the huge
project she was about to tackle, and there
were no let downs, they were supportive
and onboard.
“I chose purple because it’s my favourite
colour,” said Cassidy.
“I told her that the colour for epilepsy
was lavender and she said ‘well lavender is a
shade of purple’,” said Cassidy’s mom Angela
who doesn’t want their last name printed.
Cassidy was seven years old when she
was diagnosed with epilepsy, a disorder of
the brain defined by frequent seizures.
It causes a change in function or behaviour
and can often disrupt learning. There
are different forms of seizures, some of
which include a blank stare, muscle spasms,
altered awareness or a convulsion. They
may occur multiple times a day, or rarely. It
can however, be well controlled by medication.
Epilepsy can be present at any age though
it often begins in childhood or in later years.
The disorder affects over 50 million people
worldwide.
Angela said Cassidy doesn’t have convulsions.
She zones out and her legs gave out
all the time. “She would cry for no reason,”
she said.
With medication most of the symptoms
have disappeared, even though she
CAMPUS NEWS
Little girl’s dream comes true
By Krista Paxton
Chronicle staff
Students and staff can go head
over heels this semester as Yoga
Love returns to Durham College
and UOIT.
Yoga Love was developed
by yoga instructor Niki André, and
brought to Durham by the Women’s
Centre. Its success last semester led to
André’s return, and Wednesdays at 5 p.m.
students and staff can enjoy a free lesson
in relaxation and meditation.
“It’s rewarding to have people say it
made a difference in as little as a week,”
said André. “I hear stories about how
they’re applying it to the outside
world and using the technique to
prevent injury or stay calm.”
The hour and a half class provides
exercise, breathing techniques
and flexibility training through André’s
unique blend of flow and postures.
As students work to finish final
assignments, and with exams
on the horizon, Yoga Love
provides an outlet for lowering
and maintaining stress.
“Stress is my specialty,” said
still zones out occasionally. It’s being controlled.
When Cassidy was diagnosed with epilepsy,
her mom said she and Cassidy’s dad
felt uncertainty and disbelief. “I thought,
where do we go from here?”
They didn’t change the house in anyway,
but they were more aware of her triggers,
bright flashing light.
The only change that was made was the
bath routine. For her safety, Cassidy can’t
take showers or baths alone. “One of us always
has to sit outside the bathroom door
with a book or something,”
said Angela.
She also can’t go bike
riding alone.
When she was diagnosed,
Cassidy was
afraid to tell people
about her epilepsy
because she thought
they would make fun
of her. “She didn’t
want to talk about it,”
said Angela.
She finally
opened up when the
Epilepsy Association
of Nova Scotia did a
presentation in her
class. “They asked
the class if they knew
anyone with epilepsy
and that’s when she
pulled her teacher
aside and told him
that she was ready.
She finally spoke
out about it with her
peers and teachers,”
said Angela.
When she zones
out she isn’t afraid to
let her teacher know
that she missed
what he said or ask
him for help, which helps her stay on top of
things in school.
She visits the neurologist every six
months for an Electroencephalograph
(EEG), where doctors hook electrodes up
to her head to monitor her brain activity.
LITTLE GIRL WITH BIG DREAMS:
Cassidy is the founder of Purple
Day, which is a campaign for
epilepsy awareness.
Sometimes she has a sleep deprived EEG to
see what happens in stressful situations, but
it doesn’t always trigger a seizure. “Sometimes
it does, sometimes it doesn’t,” said Angela.
“It’s not foolproof.”
There is more to Cassidy’s life, though,
than seizures and neurologist visits. She
wanted the cause to go international so that
everyone around the world would know
that they aren’t alone.
Cassidy, determined to make her dream
come true, sent out letters, made phone calls
and did multiple interviews to make Purple
Day happen.
She asked her
mother to send
emails to David
Letterman, Barack
Obama and the Canadian
government
for support.
Also with the help
of her mother she
stared a Facebook
group for Purple Day
called, PURPLE DAY
for Epilepsy.
“I have Facebook
and I am only 10,”
yelled Cassidy.
She does TV and
radio Public Service
Announcements
(PSA) to spread
the word about her
cause.
“We went to my
school where I practice
cheerleading and
at the end of the commercial
we held up a
sign that said ‘Supporting
Epilepsy Around
the World’,” she said in
excitement.
She says her friends
are helping her out
and supporting her by wearing purple on
Purple Day March 26.
Cassidy doesn’t only receive support
from her friends and teacher, but other people
across North America.
“I got a video from Sheree Fitch singing
André.
She added that her class tends to attract those who
lead fast-paced and
overactive lifestyles. Though it may seem counterintuitive
for students and staff always on the go to attend
her class, André said its gentle and restorative
atmosphere attracts people who need just that.
“Someone who’s very active both mentally and
physically can find a balance by attending
Yoga Love,” she said.
about Mable Murple and Purple Day,” said
Cassidy.
She also received a signed book from
Robert Munsch. Both Sheree Fitch and Robert
Munsch are renowned authors of children’s
books.
Cassidy also met Paul Shaffer of the David
Letterman Show and a host of celebrities,
at Dylan’s Candy Bar for a Purple New
York Party in New York City on March 10.
The New York-based Anita Kaufmann
Foundation charity is dedicated to raising
epilepsy awareness and is also working
along side Cassidy to launch Purple Day
USA.
There are many events kicking off around
the world to raise awareness and support
the cause. From Canada to the USA to the
Netherlands, multiple communities are
pitching in to raise awareness.
Melissa McBride, event co-ordinator for
the Durham Region, said she is contacting
schools and corporations within Durham
Region to join in on March 26 and wear
something purple, and so far 39 schools and
six corporations have confirmed that they
will participate.
Also, for the illumination campaign,
“I have been contacting local landmarks
across Ontario to illuminate their landmark
in purple,” said McBride.
Participants include The CN Tower in Toronto,
Niagara Falls, The Big Nickel in Sudbury
and the Pickering Town Centre and
the Oshawa Centre.
Despite the PSAs, trips and planning,
none of these activities gets in the way of
Cassidy’s schoolwork.
“We try to book activities around school
hours,” said Angela. “So either before or after
school, or during March breaks.”
Angela said she didn’t think Purple Day
would go this big. “It has built her [Cassidy]
confidence and I am very proud of her,” she
said.
Even with her busy schedule promoting
Purple Day, fun trips out of town to meet
celebrities and neurologist visits, Cassidy
leads a normal life.
“She does acting and cheerleading,” said
Angela. “Everything is normal.”
“Except for the epilepsy!” shouted Cassidy.
Lowering stress levels: Yoga Love
André began practising yoga 10 years ago. As a singer
she took voice lessons, and her vocal coach introduced her
to gentle stretches and breath work. Since then she has
become a certified instructor, is registered with the Yoga
Alliance and has been teaching for four years in schools
across Durham Region.
This semester André hopes to expand her lessons,
and bring students and staff on campus the tools needed
to find balance when their lives spin out of control.
“I also want to explore the balance between the feminine,
receptive, open side in relation to the more direct,
compact, assertive masculine side,” said André.
“It’s a dance, a balance.”
André conducts the class at a varied pace, and offers
different posture variations for those with different
levels of experience. She reminds her students
that yoga is a practice, and as such advancement
should be achieved at one’s own pace.
Yoga Love can be found in the South Village Residence
dance studio on the fifth floor, and beginners
are welcome.
Photo by Krista Paxton
YOGA LOVIN: Yoga Love instructor
Niki Andre sits in the King Pigeon
pose. Her class can be found in the
South Village Res on Wednesdays.

The Chronicle March 17, 2009 17

18 The Chronicle March 17, 2009

The Chronicle March 17, 2009 19

20 The Chronicle March 17, 2009
Insurance can help if
your pet needs a doctor
By Samantha Stewart
Chronicle Staff
Almost every pet owner at one
time in their animal’s life has faced
the problem of not having the
money to take their pet to the vet
either because of accident or illness.
The solution: animal health
insurance.
This kind of insurance has become
more popular over the last
couple of years, however the percentage
of pet owners actually using
it is still quite small.
It’s basically like having group
health benefits for pets. Each company
is different and the level of
coverage and amount of the deductible
are up to the pet owner.
Things like age and breed are
taken into consideration as some
breeds are prone to certain conditions
such as hip dysplasia and/
or cancer. Most companies have
a waiting period after sign-up before
the coverage begins, usually
24 hours for an accident claim and
about 14 days for an illness claim.
This is simply to discourage pet
owners from signing up right after
their pet has an accident or has
been diagnosed with a condition.
“I’d say between three to five per
cent of our customers actually use
pet insurance,” said Diane from
Baker Animal Clinic in Whitby,
“and most of those customers are
with Pet Secure. With Pet Secure
clients can choose if they want
accident or illness coverage, and
even get coverage for dental procedures,
chiropractic, acupuncture
and holistic medicine.
Each clinic recommends a different
insurance company based
on what they believe ensures the
best level of care.
Veterinarians from the Oshawa
Animal Hospital recommend
Medicard, as they have a high turnaround
of approval and require no
down payment or collateral.
“We do recommend animal
health insurance whether pets are
healthy or un-healthy,” said Debbie
Crossman from the Oshawa
Animal Hospital. “However, we
do find that more clients sign up if
their pet has been diagnosed with
a condition that has to be regularly
treated.”
Vet visits can quickly become
expensive and buying into pet
health insurance is a way to combat
the cost and worry of having
an animal that needs medical attention.

CAMPUS NEWS
Support epilepsy in March
By Jonnel Briscoe
Chronicle Staff
Wear purple to support Purple
Day for Epilepsy on March 26.
Epilepsy Durham Region and
other agencies across Canada will
wear purple in support of the annual
event, which was founded in
2008 by nine-year-old Cassidy of
Nova Scotia.
“I chose purple because it’s my
favourite colour and lavender is
the colour for epilepsy,” said Cassidy.
Epilepsy is a seizure disorder
and condition of the brain that is
characterized by multiple recurrent
seizures. There are different
types of seizures such as a blank
stare, muscle spasms, uncontrolled
movements or a convulsion.
E.P. Taylor’s hosted Pub Night
with a Cause in support of Purple
Day for Epilepsy on March 4.
Prizes and information was given
out to students about the disorder
and there were purple drinks and
purple fun.
Student Centre manager, Will
Ellis, said a placement student at
Epilepsy Durham Region put the
event together.
After this event Ellis was motivated
to support the worldwide
event.
“I will be wearing purple [for
By Amanda Allison
Chronicle Staff
A 2005 study showed that it
is easier not to put weight on in
the first place than it is to shed it
later on.
The lesson to be taken from
this Statistics Canada study is
that young adults need to be conscious
about healthy eating and
their nutritional practices. This
March is Nutrition Month and
these priorities are being highlighted
all month on campus.
For the past five years, the
Balanced Choices program has
helped guide students to healthier
selections. Selected menu
items with the balanced choice
blue dots direct eaters to choices
with healthy grains, vegetables,
fruit, lower fat dairy products
and/or leaner meat or meat alternatives
from Canada’s Food
Guide to Healthy Eating.
For more information, the
Chartwells Dine On Campus
website has a host of tools, including
nutritional calculators
and charts, hot topics and links to
other resources. Recently, there
has been an increase in nutrition
materials available on campus.
A display is set up in UB cafeteria,
and will be moved to the
residence cafeteria soon. Food
guides and Nutrigrams are also
available to curious customers,
and six “Food For Thought”
boards provide “Did You Know?”
tidbits, weekly menus and information
about campus food
events.
For Nutrition Month,
Purple Day],” said Ellis.
Epilepsy Durham Region will
also host its first annual Dream
Inspired Cocktail and Art Auction
at The Lake House Event Centre in
Pickering on March 26. “Local art-
Photo by Cassidy
SUPPORT EPILEPSY: Founder of purple day, Cassidy
drew this logo for her campaign to create epilepsy
awareness around the world on March 26, 2009.
Chartwells is promoting a
“Snacksmart” program.
Items like trail mixes, lowfat
yogurt with probiotics, fresh
fruit and bagged vegetables and
new dips are being introduced
this month as better grab-andgo
options for smart snackers.
Chartwells is trying to make
ists will create pieces that inspire
hope and courage,” said Melissa
McBride, event co-ordinator for
Epilepsy Durham Region.
All artists can submit an item
of their choice, which represents
these options as affordable as
possible for penny-pinching students,
said marketing manager
Mary Hopkins.
“Sometimes, healthier options
do cost a little bit more as they’re
more labour-intensive,” she
said. “But a chocolate bar versus
bagged vegetables or an apple or
The Chronicle March 17, 2009 21
hope, inspiration and courage. It
must also include shades of purple.
“The artist will get 50 per cent
of the profits and the rest will go
to Epilepsy Durham Region,” said
McBride.
Anyone who wants to attend
the event should contact Epilepsy
Durham Region for ticket information
or send their contact information
to get on a waiting list.
“I have also been contacting local
landmarks across Ontario to
join us and showcase their support
by illuminating their landmark in
purple,” said McBride.
A few of the landmarks include
The CN Tower in Toronto, Niagara
Falls, The Big Nickel in Sudbury,
and the local Pickering Town Centre.
“These events are to raise
awareness,” said McBride.
Cassidy’s mother Angela said
that she didn’t think Purple Day
for Epilepsy would go as big as it
did. “But I am very proud of [Megan],”
she said.
Everyone is encouraged to support
the cause and learn more
about the disorder.
For more information on Purple
Day and how you can show your
support contact Epilepsy Durham
Region at (905) 571- 2099 or visit
www.epilepsydurham.com and
www.purpleday.org.
Nutritional meals on campus
Photo by Amanda Allison
HEALTHY EATING: Kim Price, June Renes and Francine
Jones hard at work to provide a healthy choice
for students on the run at Upper Crust in the UB.
granola bar? It’s actually a smarter
choice both economically and
health-wise.”
Donna Bottrell, the director
of nutrition for Compass Group
Canada (which Chartwells is a
division of), believes the key is
making healthy choices accessible
to everyone.
“They need to be priced appropriately
and well promoted
to encourage students to make
better choices more often as part
of a healthy sustainable eating
pattern,” she said. She said there
are a few special challenges facing
students, including eating
snacks with very little nutritional
value and often skip entire meals,
especially breakfast, that can be
solved with better planning.
Bottrell recommended packing
whole grain cereal or breads,
nuts and seeds or dried fruit in resealable
bags to eat in the morning
or as snacks throughout the
day. Also, fruits and vegetables
are very portable and are essential
to meeting the daily serving
requirements of the food guide.
The week of the 23 rd ,
Chartwells will have the “Sides
of March” campaign, where each
day healthy and interesting sides
will be promoted over the typical
fries and gravy.
Taking these promotions and
nutritional tips into consideration
can go a long way for students
who are trying to eat better.
After all, a healthy foundation
can help you keep weight off
now, rather than fight the more
difficult battle against the pounds
later on.
Iced
capp
hunt is
on again
By Krystin Spittal
Chronicle Staff
The iced cappuccino hunt
is on again, after the Tim Hortons
in the Gordon Willey
building had its iced cappuccino
machine break for the
second time this year.
Though Chartwells staff
do their best to keep their
equipment working throughout
the year, Elizabeth Mc-
Kay, general manager for
Chartwells, says that sometimes
problems are beyond
their control.
“The issue with the machine
is the compressor and
freezing mechanism. Hopefully
the repair will fix future
problems but I cannot guarantee
this,” said McKay.
The first time the machine
broke down was Sept. 15. Students
who had classes in the
Gordon Willey building were
upset that they had to walk to
the UB building’s Tim Hortons
for their daily iced cappuccino.
In September, the machine
was expected to be broken
for two weeks, but ended
up being broken for just over
four weeks. Now the problem
seems to be reoccurring.
“Here we go again,” said
Kevin Serge, a Durham College
student. “I remember it
breaking for a few weeks last
semester. I know it doesn’t
seem like a big deal because
it is only a drink, but it’s my
morning coffee. And I love
my morning coffee.”
This time around, the
problems with the machine
are expected to be fixed
within the week, according
to McKay. The machine has
been taken off the campus
for repairs.
“I will be surprised if Tim
Hortons actually has the iced
capp machine fixed by the
time they say they will,” said
Corri Fenn, a UOIT student.
“It was broken for so long
last time, and it probably will
again. I guess we’ll have to
see.”
CORRECTION
Two cutlines in issue 14 of
The Chronicle had mispelled
names.
The student posing with
the skeleton on the first page
was Ken Ramiro.
In addition, the woman on
the far right of the picture on
page 16 is Joyce Marshall.
The Chronicle regrets the
errors.

22 The Chronicle March 17, 2009

By Lynn Wayling
Chronicle Staff
We have approximately five
litres of it in our bodies. It accounts
for seven to eight per cent of our
body weight.
Each beat of our heart sends
it travelling do wn a highway of
valves, ventricles, arteries and
veins. And approximately every
minute of every day, someone in
Canada needs a transfusion of it to
stay alive.
The demand for blood is high,
but the supply is low.
According to Canadian Blood
Services (CBS), 900,000 donations
are needed per year to meet hospital
demand for blood in Canada.
Last year demand for blood grew
by two per cent, the highest increase
in 10 years.
To keep the donor pool thriving,
CBS needs roughly 90,000 new donors.
Durham College and UOIT
students and staff have the chance
to make a dent in that number by
signing up for a donor clinic being
held on campus March 20.
While all healthy individuals
over the age of 17 are able to donate
every 56 days (barring those
who have had recent dental treatment,
tattoos or piercings), the
majority of individuals don’t donate
for a variety of reasons.
Nick Shopian, a student in automotive
engineering, reasons
that he often does not know when
the clinics are occurring.
“Recently I have been either
committed to something or have
not found out about blood donor
clinics until they have passed,” he
says.
Agreeing with this is Laura
Herdman, in legal administration.
“I never know when one is happening
and you have to call and
book appointments a while ahead,
which is kind of a hassle.”
But for Jaspinder Jassal, a journalism
student, the reason concerns
nerves and a common fear
of needles.
“I have a huge fear of needles
and a huge fear of blood. When
I see blood I feel faint and nauseous…I’d
rather donate by giving
money.”
Will she ever donate? “Maybe
one day. Though I’m not sure if I
can get over my fear.”
But Sue Harris, CBS community
development co-ordinator for
Durham Region, says nerves are
common among donors.
“Everybody is nervous donating
for the first time. Everybody.
And most people are nervous for
a few times after that. It’s the unexpected,
right?”
But Harris stresses that the
result outweighs the process, “It
CAMPUS NEWS
is Ruby Richards (centre)
from the Humane Society.
a needle. However I’m sure that
everybody knows somebody who
has had cancer.
When they are getting treatment
what they have to go through
is huge compared to what you go
through when donating blood.”
The length of time the needle is
in the arm is between five and 15
minutes and that unit of blood collected
can save three lives.
Safety and sterility is also an issue
with some people.
But Harris stresses the donation
process is completely safe
and that Canadian Blood Services
follows regulations meticulously.
The Chronicle March 17, 2009 23
Donate the best gift ever: life
“You cannot catch anything
from donating blood. Everything
is one-time use.
Everything is sterile. We follow
very strict guidelines. People
should not be afraid of donating.”
A regular blood donor since
2006, UOIT nursing student Bobbi-Lee
Lawrence agrees the donation
experience is safe and not as
scary as it can seem.
“The staff (at the clinic) is really
good about wearing gloves, and
you see them open the equipment.
You also have numerous opportunities
to change your mind about
donating.
There is no obligation, even
after you’ve signed up and been
Photo by Lynn Wayling
GIVING IT HER ALL: UOIT nursing student Bobbi-Lee Lawrence is a regular blood donor. Canadian Blood Services
will be holding a blood donor clinic on campus March 20.
Students raise huge donation
By Michael Flynn
Chronicle Staff
The Humane Society of Durham
Region got a boost of $3,664
thanks to a fundraiser by secondyear
Public Relations students at
Durham College.
Janel Haight, Iman Saad and
Olivia Harmon organized the
fundraiser as a way to raise money
for a trip to Ottawa.
It also served as an assignment
for their program.
“We chose the Humane Society
as the recipient of the
proceeds because they need a
permanent facility after the previous
one was lost in a fire,” said
Harmon.
“It’s been great, the number of
people who have been coming
forward to express their support
for everything that we’re doing,”
said Ruby Richards, manager of
the Durham Humane Society.
Originally a fundraiser for
program-related activities, the
event held at the Thirsty Monk
in downtown Oshawa aimed to
raise $825, but easily surpassed
that amount.
There was food, entertainment
and door prizes.
Guests participated in a raffle
draw, silent auction and a 50/50
draw.
“We had a lot of support of
friends, family and random businesses,”
said Haight.
“We knew we would have extra
because we sold over 200 tickets
at $10 a piece.”
The Thirsty Monk donated the
bar for the event.
Donated prizes included two
Leafs tickets, two digital cameras,
theatre tickets and a complimentary
one-week rental of an RV.
A total of $4,489 was raised.
Photo by Janel Haight
BIG BOOST FOR SOCIETY: Durham College students
present a cheque to the Humane Society. From left,
students Olivia Harmon and Janel Haight, Ruby Richards
from the Humane Society, student Iman Saad,
Thirsty Monk owners Antoine Albis and Julian Albis.
given your paper work.”
If you are hesitant about donating
blood or unsure of the process,
Lawrence suggests observing the
donors in front of you.
If it’s your first time giving blood,
the staff will usually be extra attentive
to you.
“The staffs at the clinics are really
compassionate. They make
sure you are not having any concerns
and you can ask as many
questions as you want. When it’s
your first time donating they usually
stay with you and sit on a chair
with you while you’re actually
donating. And you don’t have to
watch (the needle). You can look
away.”
So why does she donate?
“I think it’s a really rewarding experience,”
she says. “Partly because
I am in nursing, and I just like to do
things to help out. It’s only an hour
of my time every 50-some-odd
days. A little bit of my time is nothing
compared to someone being
in an accident and dying (without
blood).” she says.
“I have type O negative blood
so anyone can receive that blood
type. So if it’s an emergency, they
don’t have to cross-reference my
blood because if it’s just a transfusion
anyone can have O negative
blood.”
Those who are interested in
donating blood for the March 20
clinic in the east gym or a future
clinic in the community can call
1-888-2-DONATE or go to www.
blood.ca.
A new permanent clinic will
open in April at 1300 Harmony
Road North. The clinic will be open
Tuesday through Saturday.
Harris, however, is hoping
that the clinic on campus will be
the biggest one yet and gives her
thanks to everyone involved.
“With the growth of the school
and so many new students, I know
we can collect over 100 units. Donating
is really so easy.”

24 The Chronicle March 17, 2009
By Amanda Press
Chronicle Staff
She walks briskly through the
crowded halls, already five minutes
late for her exam. Rushing into the
class, she grabs a pencil and exam
and still can’t seem to catch her
breath. The huffing and puffing begins
to escalate. Not knowing what
is happening she starts to panic
and a teacher and a few students
come to assist her. She is having
an asthma attack. And although
at first she blames it on rushing to
make the test on
time, deep down
she know the real
reason why she is
suffering from this
is because she is a
smoker.
When someone
lights up a
cigarette they are
increasing their
chance of a heart
attack, mouth can-
cer, asthma, even death, and although
the sudden high or feeling
they get from smoking may only
last a few minutes, many smokers
feel these risks are worth it. It
is clear that many people enjoy
smoking and like the benefits and
feelings they get from it, but there
are many more pluses they could
be getting from not smoking.
Some benefits of quitting smoking
are that a person’s lungs start
to clear up, their carbon monoxide
level drops and over time, they will
save a lot of money. Within
the first 48 hours of quitting, their
chances of having a heart attack
start to decrease and their sense of
smell and taste begin to improve,
and within six months of quitting,
people will start to see improvements
in coughing, sinus congestion
and shortness of breath.
“I think one of the main rea-
sons why people
start to smoke is
due to stress, especially
students
in university and
college,” said Lindsay
Scott, program
co-ordinator for
Leave the Pack
Behind.
Students who
smoke are not
necessarily thinking about the
long-term effects it can have on
their body and are mainly thinking
about short-term effects, which is
a problem, Scott said.
“People are not thinking 50
years down the road that they
could die of lung cancer.”
One reason why people say
they want to quit is because they
are finishing up school or have just
completed exams, she said. Many
students have said that during
college or university they became
stressed and started to smoke, but
upon graduating they decide to
quit.
You would think that smokers
and non-smokers are aware
and educated about the risks and
harmful effects smoking, however
this is not the case.
“A lot of people are surprised
when they hear about all the risks
and harmful effects it has on their
body, and when we tell them
something, it is usually something
they didn’t know,” said Sayeeda
Jaweriya, team leader for Leave the
Pack Behind. For example, during
a walkabout or when booths are
set up, members hold a jeopardy
board where people can guess
trivia questions related to smoking.
Many people under guess
numbers such as the number of
people who die each
year from smoking or
under guess the effects
of smoking.
When quitting,
many people try
cold turkey, but the
method depends on
the person and their
needs. Other meth-
ods of quitting are
gradually reducing
the amount a person
smokes, using the nicotine patch,
telephone help lines and ZYBAN.
“The average person attempts
to quit five times before becoming
successful, so that could mean
five different methods of quitting
smoking, and there are so many
different options,” said Scott.
Although the process of quitting
is tough, it is important to remember
that they will be reducing the
chance of dying from a smokingrelated
disease, have more energy,
a better sex life, and will be getting
rid of foul-smelling hair, breath
and clothes.
Because smoking is shown in
movies, members of Leave the
Pack Behind believe this influences
people to smoke.
“They show cigarettes in movies
and on TV and are making it
the norm which is not right,” said
Jaweriya.
Even in Disney
movies, smoking
is promoted and is
targeting kids when
they are younger and
more vulnerable to
be influenced by society.
One example
is Captain Hook in
Peter Pan, as he is
always shown smok-
ing a pipe. Another
example is Cruella
de Ville 101 Dalmatians, with her
long cigarette holder.
“Smoking should be deemed as
bad and should be banned in these
types of movies,” Jaweriya said.
When a person approaches a
Leave the Pack Behind member
for help, the member would first
see if they have an idea of when
they want to quit. They would
then explore all the different quitting
methods and provide support
emails weekly or bi-weekly
depending on the person’s preference.
Another good way to track their
progress is by conducting a carbon
monoxide test. 0-3 parts per
million means that the person is
a non- smoker, 4-10 parts per mil-
CAMPUS NEWS
Maybe it’s time to give it up?
Cold turkey, nicotine patch or gum. It’s time to quit.
‘
They show cigarettes
in movies
and on TV and
are making it the
norm which is not
right.
‘
Sayeeda Jaweriya
’
The average
person attempts
to quit five times
before success.
There are many
different options.
Lindsay Scott
’
lion means that a person has been
exposed to carbon monoxide such
as second or third hand smoke.
Anything above 10 means they are
a smoker and anything above 20
means they are a heavy smoker.
“When we perform the carbon
monoxide test on people anywhere
from ages 19-23 they are
usually anywhere from 10-20 parts
per million,” said Jaweriya.
When thinking about the pros
and cons of quitting smoking it is
very clear there are many more
pros to quitting.

By Krista Paxton
Chronicle Staff
Spring break! It’s the perfect
escape from a typical Canadian
February whose claims to fame
are mountain-lined driveways and
skin shattering winds.
The moment I stepped off the
plane in the Dominican Republic
I peeled off my winter coat, unwrapped
my scarf and rejoiced at
the palm trees scattered about the
La Romana airport.
Viva la Dominicana!
Filled with chatter the packed
bus bounced along for an hour
through La Romana to the beaches
outside the nation’s capital of
Santo Domingo where I was to
spend a week in paradise with my
boyfriend, Mike and our friends,
Carrie and Clay.
Twisting and turning down
the narrow Dominican roads we
passed endless cement block
homes, and local motorists zipped
along on scooters.
By morning I was sprawled on
the beach gazing into the horizon
where the pristine Caribbean Sea
melted into the cloudless sky. One
hand was damp from the condensation
of a melting pina colada, the
other hung over the edge of the
beach lounger tracing doodles in
the sand.
Local merchants wandered
back and forth down the beach.
Women carried armloads of
wraps or displayed pictures of
past tourists with long strands of
beads braided into their hair, and
men hauled suitcases filled with
jewellery and intricate ornaments
carved by local artisans.
In the evenings the stone path
between the hotel and the beach
transformed into a marketplace
boasting even more local art including
key chains, statues and an
array of paintings laid out on the
grass or propped against the trunk
of a palm tree.
During the day the collection
lined the streets outside the resort,
and every day we strolled past the
rows of souvenirs on our way to
the market square.
The square was a popular hang-
Durham College-UOIT Chronicle
The Chronicle March 17, 2009 25
ENTERTAINMENT
Party hard in the Dominican
By Jamilah McCarthy
Chronicle Staff
There was once a time when
hair extensions (or weaves, as
many people call them) were
thought of as two things: very expensive
and for black girls only.
But today hair extensions can be
done in the comfort of one’s own
home, and girls of all ethnicities
can be found sporting this temporary
beauty accessory.
“Hair extensions are so common
today,” says Nicole Providence,
head hairstylist of Essence Hair
Salon in Ajax. “It’s not like 10 years
ago when women were ashamed
to tell people they were wearing
out for locals, and we frequented
the shops for souvenirs not found
on the resort such as Mamajuana,
a Dominican concoction of rum,
red wine and honey fermenting in
a bottle together with dried leaves.
Though referred to by the locals as
gasoline, Mamajuana was a popular
drink at the bar.
Our favourite market shop was
one that housed Kika, a small parakeet
that sat atop the open door
and cawed, “Hola” in greeting each
time we came or went.
But the most memorable
nights were the ones spent trading
cultures with some of the resort
workers at the Café Isla, a tiny pub
nestled amidst the marketplace
commotion.
With the end of each Presidente
bottle, the favoured beer of the Dominicans,
came the beginning of a
new story, and as dusk settled over
the island Mike, Carrie, Clay and I
came to know Ricardo, Domingo
and Luis.
The three men worked at the
resort. Ricardo ran the motorized
water sports, Domingo the ATV
tours and Luis was a jack-of-alltrades,
from selling resort tours to
nearby real estate.
“Those condos,” he said pointing
to a large and beautifully maintained
building across the street,
“They sell for $400,000 each.”
Most of Luis’s income goes to
his 7-year-old son who lives in
Santo Domingo with his mother.
Photo by Krista Paxton
PARTY IT UP: Resort worker, Ricardo and tourist Clay Westwood party at a local bar.
The Dominican Republic is a hot vacation spot for tourists on Spring break.
fake hair. Now woman brag and
boast about their weaves.”
“They see their favourite celebrities
with long hair one day and
short hair the next, and then the
notion of fake hair becomes acceptable
to them.”
Black women have been putting
hair extensions on the map for
years, but now women of all races
are finding their way to this growing
trend.
“ It’s definitely not just black
women wearing extensions,” says
Providence. “Out of all my customers
I would say almost half of them
are non-black women. The only
difference is that typically women
who are not black have naturally
long hair, so it’s harder to tell when
they are wearing hair extensions.”
A lot of women, especially students,
would love to get their extensions
put in professionally, but
can’t afford it.
Fortunately, hair extensions
and weaves are no longer a job
solely for the professionals.
If you can braid and sew then
putting extensions in this way
should be a breeze.
“Sewing is probably the most
common way of putting in extensions,”
says Providence. “This is because
it lasts very long, it’s almost
impossible to pull out, and it’s easy
to maintain. When the extensions
are sewed in women can wash
and style the hair as if it was their
own.”
Domingo, who is best described
as the gentle giant from the Green
Mile, works to support his sister,
who’s sick with cancer, and her
three children. Domingo loves
kids and told us that one day he’d
like to have 24 of his own. His own
baseball team we joked.
But despite their troubles and
the two-hour bus ride to work every
day, Luis and Domingo stay
positive and live their lives according
to the old tune of Don’t Worry
be Happy.
“I just smile and get along with
everyone,” laughs Luis. “It’s always
summertime here in the Dominican.”
They each speak four languages
including Spanish, French, Ger-
The first step to sew in weave is
making sure you have all the tools
needed, which consist of a thread
and needle, scissors to cut and
separate the hair extensions, and
of course, the most important, the
hair extensions.
“Hair extensions range in price
depending on length and brand.
They can be purchased at any
black hair store,” says Providence.
“A good and affordable brand
would be Fino or Outre, but if you
want a brand closer to what the celebrities
use, Velvet Remy is your
best bet. It’s expensive but it lasts
longer than most brands and it’s
the best quality hair.”
The second step is braiding
your natural hair in cornrows.
man and English, which allowed
the conversation to flow as freely
as the beer.
They shared stories of their
travels to Germany and Canada,
and Ricardo spoke fondly of his
brother who has since settled in
London, Ont. with a wife and three
children. Ricardo’s English was
perfect right down to his street
slang.
We laughed and joked and talked
about everything from gun laws
to immigration. Baseball was also
a hot topic, and they clapped and
cheered with each mention of an
MLB Dominican champ.
A sudden downpour ended the
evening, and the guys walked us
back to the resort. They have to
work in the morning, but laughed
when we asked at what time.
“Sometimes one o’clock, sometimes
two,” said Domingo. “We
work on Dominican time.”
Mike gives Ricardo his Detroit
Tigers baseball hat that he’s been
eyeing all evening, and is wearing
the next morning as we meet them
for an ATV tour.
The tour took us off-road and
into a village where parents sat on
the front stoops of their small cement
homes and watched their
children chase the ATVs that went
roaring past. The toddlers, naked
as newborns, smiled and waved
while the older children held out
their hands for a high five or called
out, “Dinero, dinero!”
We wished we had more to give
them especially after the kindness
given to us by our new Dominican
friends.
As the bus bounced along
the narrow roads returning us to
the airport we marveled at the
streets bustling with people, clad
in colourful costumes. Children
ran up and down the sidewalks,
and festivities were in full swing at
each bar and restaurant we passed.
They were celebrating their Independence
Day.
The moment I stepped off the
plane in Toronto I wrapped my
scarf, slid into my into my winter
coat and wondered at how quickly
I had forgotten the skin-shattering
winds.
Viva la Dominicana!
Go head girl, get yo’ weave on
The extensions are sewn onto the
braids. If you want your whole
head weaved then braid the whole
head. But if you only want a few
rows, for length or body, only braid
it where you want the extensions.
The third step is to sew the extensions
onto the braids, just as
if you were sewing a button back
onto a coat or hemming a pair of
jeans.
Once the extensions have been
sewn in the fourth and final step
is to style your new extensions as
you desire.
No longer is there a need to
stress about your hair, because its
“unbeweaveable” how simple and
affordable it is to put in your own
extensions.

26 The Chronicle March 17, 2009

By Nicki Lamont
Chronicle Staff
Awkward. Stiff. Uncomfortable. Nervous.
Four words that you wouldn’t normally
use to describe comedian Jimmy Fallon
seemed to be the most appropriate to describe
his premier in late night TV.
With big shoes to fill, Fallon took to the
30 Rockefeller Center stage on March 2 in
his debut in the 12:35 slot on NBC as host
of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, and started
the show in a way nobody expected: by not
being funny.
The eight-season Saturday Night Live vet
has plenty of live comedic experience in
front of an audience, but you’d be surprised
to know that watching the first episode.
Fallon opened his Monday night premier
with a cameo from the outgoing host
of Late Night, Conan O’Brien. Unfortunately
for Fallon, the applause the audience gave
for O’Brien was the biggest reaction of the
night.
After the images in the shows intro
(which were far to familiar for anyone who
has watched SNL in the past five years),
Fallon took a swing at his first monologue.
Every swing can’t be a homerun, but Fallon
barely made it to base.
He must have forgotten the techniques
he used to use when reading the news on
Weekend Update, because he came off stiff
ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
and unnatural while reading off his cue
cards. Understandable if this was his first
time attempting it, but Fallon has four seasons
of that under his belt from reading the
news on SNL.
It was obvious in which areas he did his
homework, and which he did not. Watching
just a few episodes of Late Night with the
past two hosts (O’Brien and David Letterman)
would have made it obvious that the
show isn’t a place for formal talk, but Fallon
chose to ignore that.
On a program that’s infamous for it’s immature
humour, Fallon sang a song with
his house band The Roots about the state
of American politics, dropping Whitehouse
names that the audience didn’t recognize,
leaving them not only confused, but bored
by the end of the number.
But not all of his ideas went straight to
a comedy wasteland. The audience was
enthusiastic about a segment called Lick It
For Ten, where audience members would
lick different items for $10. From the title of
the segment alone, the crowd was roaring in
laughter, eagerly awaiting to see what would
be licked for 10. But when Fallon revealed
the items (among them a bowl and a printer),
the audience was visually disappointed.
The best choices were evident when they
walked onto the stage: the first week’s guests
blew most late night show’s line-ups out of
the water. Big names like Robert De Niro,
Justin Timberlake, Drew Barrymore and Jon
Bon Jovi helped Fallon grab ratings and kept
viewers from turning the channel after the
mundane skits. But somehow Fallon managed
to turn even the most interesting of
The Chronicle March 17, 2009 27
Fallon fails as late night host
Violence, swearing and sex:
could we ask for any more?
By Krystin Spittal
Chronicle Staff
This 2009 dramatization of a series of comic books,
later to be released in one graphic novel, makes all
other ‘R’ rated movies look like a playschool during
recess.
The suspense, the surprise, and the action-packed
subplots are what keep viewers immersed in every
twist of the Watchmen. Of course, this comes as no
surprise with Zack Snyder directing the film. His previous
movie, 300, is only a glimpse of what his directing
abilities can do.
I must highlight one problem that I have, not
with the movie, but with the viewers who debate the
Watchmen Vs. The Dark Knight. Both films are admirably
well done for different reasons. For example,
The Dark Knight stars Heath Ledger as The Joker. In
my opinion, he alone enhances the film, whereas in
the Watchmen, the cast is composed of many unknown
actors.
It is nice to see fresh faces, a nice change from the
usual big names. It was easier to envision a particular
actor as the character, instead of remembering that
actor from a previous role. It kind of kills the authenticity
of a movie when actors are in a lot of movies be-
cause the viewer begins to picture the actor in a previous
role. Plus, not only were there fresh faces, but they
were talented actors as well.
Basically, the movie is a more grown-up version of
the typical superhero comic book. There is violence,
there is swearing, and there is sex. This is why it is
rated ‘R’. Parents should be warned that despite the
comic book, cartoony feel of the film, it is grounded
on mature themes.
Lastly, the answer to all Watchmen comic book
fans: how close is the movie to the book? Extremely.
However I must note a few changes, which differ from
the book. The scene where Rorschach is in prison has
a script change. He is asked the question from the
book; “We got a jail full of guys out here who hate
your guts. What in hell do you got?” But answers
the question “Your hands, my pleasure.” Instead of,
“Your hands, my perspective.” Which would have
made more sense considering what happens next in
the film. Another difference, which was more of a cut
than a change, was to the Black Freighter storyline.
The Black Freighter is a sort of comic within a comic.
Watching Dave Gibbon’s 2-D images from Alan
Moore’s 1986/87 comic book series go from flat and
simply coloured to vibrant real life characters was
amazing, despite the small differences between the
book and film.
By Nicki Lamont
Chronicle Staff
Millions of young girls
around the world had a dream
come true on Feb. 25 when they
got to sit front row for a 90 minute
long Jonas Brothers concert,
and the brothers didn’t even
have to perform that night.
Last Friday, the Jonas Brothers
3-D Concert premiered
around the world, and gave fans
a first-hand experience at what
it’s like to sit beside the stage
(and sometimes even on the
stage) at one of their shows. And
according to the $12.7 million
weekend box opening, there
were a lot of young girls waiting
to see what that’s like.
The movie opens with a
glimpse into the life of the band;
and for three brothers with four
world records and two platinum
albums, it’s not as glamorous as
you’d think.
You can only assume that
the best selling pop group of
2008 has a busy schedule, but
from what audiences got to see
in the movie, it’s hard to believe
that the boys have enough time
to breathe.
Between 4 a.m. wake up
calls, live TV interviews and
performances, a CD release
kick off event, and a sold out
show at New York City’s Madison
Square Garden, we get to
see just what it’s like to live the
life of a Jonas Brother for a day.
And it ain’t easy bringing in the
green.
The pre-concert footage
not only lets us see them try to
guests into awkward conversations.
De Niro is known for rarely doing television
interviews, so a big opportunity presented
itself when he agreed to be Fallon’s
first ever guest. Instead of asking questions
people would be interested in, Fallon choose
to spend his time telling stories about his
own life experiences, and showing clips of
fake movies he and De Niro never made.
It showcased Fallon’s lack of interviewing
skills, but it’s still early in his hosting career.
With any luck he’ll soon get into a groove of
good questions and interesting interviews.
But aside from his obvious mistakes,
Fallon failed to do something within his
first week that all other great talk-show
hosts have done before him: create an image.
When Letterman took over Late Night,
he was known as the ‘anti-talk show host’
because of his relaxed sports coat and tennis
shoe ensemble. O’Brien had his goofy
entrance, uncontrollable main of hair, and
witty banter with his band, The Max Weinberg
7. Fallon has his awkward pauses and
routine interview questions, which isn’t a
great thing to be known for in the late night
world.
But it’s only his first week. The public had
doubts of O’Brien taking over the show in
1993, and his reign lasted 16 years. With a
little luck, and a lot more practice, Fallon
could turn into a great host. Lets ust hope he
doesnt skip the practice.
Girls scream
for Jonas 3-D
fit 26 hours worth of work in a
24 hour day, but it gives fans a
closer look at who the trio are as
individuals.
Joe singled himself out as
the funny one, trying to crack
jokes while Kevin, the dad of the
bunch, dictated the schedule
for the day off his Blackberry
(a number which I’m sure every
girl watching was craving).
Then you have Nick, the quiet
musical prodigy of the bunch
who didn’t say much, but left
the older viewers thankful that
he’s of-age to be eye-candy.
But as unique as the three
are off-stage, they collaborate
in such unity onstage that they
seem to be one person.
When the music finally
starts, the screams and smiles of
the girls watching make it hard
to believe that you’re not at a
live concert.
The boys’ ability to work the
audience transfers well to film,
making you feel only inches
away from the action.
In reality, tickets to sit that
close to the boys can run you
upwards of $530 depending on
which venue you go to, so for a
$12.50 movie ticket and a free
pair of Real-D shades, you’re
saving yourself a pretty penny.
At the end of the movie, you
could almost hear the sound of
the tweens running home to rip
down their High School Musical
3 posters in favor of a fold
out of the Jo Bros. The 3-D Concert
Experience lets fans enjoy
a live concert whenever they
want from the best seats in the
house.

28 The Chronicle March 17, 2009
ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
Keri Hilson’s
world is perfect
R&B star
delivers
with debut
album
By Jamilah McCarthy
Chronicle Staff
What do you get when you mix
a beautiful voice with an amazing
face, figure, and fashion sense, and
songwriting skills that have garnered
hits for the likes of Britney
Spears, Mary J. Blige and Usher?
The answer is an artist with every
bit of potential to become the next
big thing. Correction.
The answer is Keri Hilson.
Hilson’s debut album
has been pushed
back many times since
its expected release
back in 2007. The first
two singles “Energy”,
and “Return the Favour”,
were both well
received by critics, but
didn’t quite take off at
radio.
Sometimes timing is everything
and it seems there is no
better time than now to release
the album since her third single
“Turning me on” featuring hip-hop
superstar Lil’ Wayne has become a
huge success, and is currently sitting
just outside of the Billboard
Hot 100 top 10. So on March 24,
the world will get to enter Hilson’s
Durham
welcomes
Canadian
Idol’s Rex
Goudie
By Shenieka
Russell-Metcalf
Chronicle Staff
‘
Canadian Idol runner up Rex
Goudie will be performing at E.P.
Taylor’s Pub on March 20 at 8 p.m.
Tickets are on sale at the tuck
shop in the student centre. Tickets
are $5 for students and $10 for the
public.
$2 of every ticket sale will go
to Skate4Cancer to help fund research
to find a cure for cancer.
For more information on Skate-
4Cancer, go to www.skate4cancer.
com.
world, as her debut album, In a
perfect World will be released.
The 26 –year- old R&B singersongwriter
began her career writing
for the Atlanta based hip-hop
production and songwriting team
The Clutch, and penned a number
of hits for several superstars,
perhaps most notably for Britney
Spears. She gained notoriety as an
artist after the massive success of
her collaboration with Timbaland,
“The way I are”. She has made a
number of celebrity friends including
Justin Timberlake and
her mentor Timbaland, who both
wrote and produced for the album.
Hilson also worked with The
Clutch, the production team she
started out with.
The Timbaland produced “Love
Ya”, is a mix of Indian and hip-hop
beats and it shows Hilson’s sexier
side. The track “Knock you down”,
featuring Ne-Yo
What do you
get when you mix
a beautiful voice
with an amazing
face, figure and
fashion sense?
Jamilah McCarthy
’
and Kanye West,
and produced
by The Clutch, is
utter brilliance.
It’s a song about
redeeming yourself
after a bad
breakup and allowing
yourself
to love again. It’s
also the smartest
choice for a
fourth single.
In a perfect world, also features
production from Polow da Don
and Danja, two of hip-hop’s hottest
producers today.
Keri Hilson is refreshing. She’s
already proven herself to be an
amazing songwriter and in a
perfect world, she will get the acknowledgement
and success she
deserves as an artist.
Anderson Council
gives students a taste
of their sound at pub
By Nicki Lamont
Chronicle Staff
Students at Durham College were left wanting
more after Anderson Council treated the Market-
Place to an acoustic sneak-peek of their new EP on
March 6.
Despite the fact that both their lead and back-up
singer talked about having to do the performance
with throat infections, the Ajax-based band impressed
audiences and proved why they were a
good choice to be Backrow Records’ first signed
band.
“They’re very professional at what
they do,” lead guitarist Jeff Robertson
said about Backrow. “It would be
very hard for us to do what we’re doing
without them.”
Backrow first set their sights on
Anderson Council after they played
a show at the Dungeon late last year.
Since then Backrow, an independent
record label run by first- and
second-year Music Business Management
students, has helped start
the road to success for the band.
Backrow has helped the band set up shows like
the one on the 6th to promote their upcoming release
of Under Auditorium, their six-song debut
release.
But this wasn’t the first time they’ve recorded in
a studio together.
The band used their talent to win them 16 hours
of free recording time at a battle of the bands, but
they quickly learned that it takes a lot longer than
that to show off their best work.
“We thought we won a lot, but 16 hours really
isn’t much to work with,” said Robertson. “It wasn’t
even enough to record three whole songs.”
But Anderson Council has come a long way
‘
Playing live is
like nothing else.
Having the crowd
there to feed
off their energy
pumps you up.
from having to win their recording time.
The band has been in the studio since November
working on their first album with the Durham
College label.
Tracks like Dreadlock Girl and Pinned and
Posted prove they’re not just another college band,
and their unique sound (think of a mix between
Pink Floyd and Straylight Run) has students interested
and wanting more.
With five days of shows scheduled around Oshawa
between March 21 and April 3, students
won’t have to go far to catch a glimpse of their intoxicating
live stage presence.
“We love doing shows,” said bassist Dave Yorke.
Dave Yorke
’
“Playing live is like nothing else. Having
the crowd there to feed off their
energy just pumps you up.”
Anderson Council’s busy schedule
is only a small indication of how
hard they’re working to promote
their album; but it’s not all serious
business with the boys. Even their album
name hints at their light-heart-
ed approach to their first record.
“The studio we recorded in was
literally under the auditorium [at
Durham College],” said lead singer Craig Robertson.
“And it goes well with the band name. Which
looks great on our T-shirts.”
For a band from such a small town, they’re
packed with talent, and students are taking notice.
Anderson Council won March’s Artist of the Month
on The Riot Radio, which is determined by votes on
the station’s website.
The band will take the stage as a part of MBM’s
Rock N’ Reel alongside Beauti, London Swagger
and others for their CD release party on April 3 at
EP Taylor’s.
Check out more from Anderson Council at
www.myspace.com/acouncilband and www.backrowrecords.ca.

Durham College-UOIT Chronicle
SPORTS
The Chronicle March 17, 2009 29
Anthony Batchelor Eric Smith Erin Emery Jessica Newton Samantha Jansen
OCAA rewards Lords basketball
By Didier Kalonji
Chronicle Staff
The hard work by the men’s and
women’s basketball teams did not
go unnoticed by the Ontario Colleges
Athletic Association. Five
Lords players received awards at
the provincial basketball banquet.
The men’s basketball banquet
was held at Algonquin College on
March 5, followed by the women’s
on the 6 th at Sheridan College.
Lady Lords guard Erin Emery
received an all-star award and
teammates Samantha Jensen and
Jessica Newton got rookie awards
for the women’s team. “It is a statement
to their work and commitment
to the program,” said women’s
basketball coach Tim Baulk.
The women did not have a great
season this year, but they played
hard in every game from the beginning
to the end.
“It is extremely difficult to earn
honours as an all-star when your
team has a losing record, and fails
to make the playoffs,” said Baulk.
Point guard Erin Emery led the
team, averaging 12.1 points per
game. She also showed her defen-
sive skills, finishing with 44 steals.
She was selected to the East Region
second all-star team. It was
her first provincial recognition.
Rookies Jessica Newton and
Samantha Jansen were selected
to the East Region all-rookie team.
As rookies they helped their team
fight each and every single game.
Newton finished behind Emery
in scoring, averaging 11.8 per
game, and led the team in blocked
shots with five. Jansen contributed
with 7.9 points per game, and six
rebounds.
Team captain Anthony Batchelor
and rookie Eric Smith received
all-star awards for the men’s team.
The men had a terrific regular season
as they went 16-4, but unfortunately
lost 91-87 to Algoma in an
overtime thriller on Feb. 21.
Freshman Eric Smith had a lot
to do with the Lords success. He
averaged 18.6 points per game,
leading all rookies in scoring.
He also finished with an impressive
10 double-doubles. He
was named an East Region second
team all-star and was selected to
the all-rookie team.
“It feels good as a rookie to be
honoured at a provincial level,”
said Smith. But regardless of his
Rookies honoured by OUA
By Lauren Thomas
Chronicle Staff
The Ontario University Athletics
(OUA) has listed two UOIT
Ridgebacks men’s hockey team
athletes as 2008-09 major award
winners.
Rookie Josh Vatri was named
the OUA West Rookie of the Year
and was also selected as a member
of the OUA West all-rookie
team. Teammate Mike Noyes also
received the honour of being selected
to the OUA West all-rookie
team.
Vatri finished his first season
as a Ridgeback with 32 points, on
15 goals and 17 assists. During the
season he also managed an exciting
five-game point streak.
“Over and above his scoring
prowess, Josh is arguably the most
exciting player in the OUA, with
exceptional explosiveness and
the ability to execute moves at top
speed,” said Ridgeback head coach
Marlin Muylaert.
Noyes led the OUA defensive
rookies in goals, with eight for the
season. With 23 points he also
ended second in the league for
overall defensive scoring.
In his first four games with
the Ridgebacks, Noyes impressed
teammates, fans and coaches
alike.
“Severely lacking in offence
from our blue line during our first
year of play, Mike was recruited
in to contribute to exactly that
shortcoming,” said Muylaert. “He
did not disappoint… Mike’s talent
lay in his awareness of where
his teammates are on the ice at all
times, and his ability to find them
with the puck.”
“It is exciting to be given an
award like this,” said Noyes. “To
have my name mentioned with
the rest of these players is awarding
enough as it is.”
Photo by Lauren Thomas
OUA AWARDS: UOIT Ridgeback Mike Noyes was selected to the OUA west allrookie
team. He led all rookie defencemen in goals with eight.
Vatri and Noyes are the first
Ridgebacks Ridgebacks to be
honoured by the OUA, in only the
teams second year in the league.
well-earned awards. Smith said he
does not think he met his goal, because
he wanted to take his team
farther in the playoffs.
Teammate Anthony Batchelor
was also named a member of the
East Region second all-star team.
Batchelor holds the all time OCAA
scoring title with 1,833 points.
He finished second in scoring
this season with 16.3 per game.
Batchelor has been contributing to
the Lords success for five seasons.
“If we realized what we can do
together earlier in the season, we
could’ve done so much damage,”
said Smith.
OCAA
all-stars
invade
Athletic
Centre
By Didier Kalonji
Chronicle Staff
The best basketball players
in Ontario, both men and
women will be showcasing
their talents on March 25,
when the 22nd annual allstar
game will be held here at
Durham College.
Basketball fans will have
the opportunity to see all the
top players in action. They
will perform in different challenges
throughout the day.
The event will kick off at
3:30 with a co-ed two-ball
competition, which will be
followed by the three-point
shootout competition for
both men and women at 4:30
p.m.
The women’s all-star game
will start at 6 p.m. At half time
the women’s shootout finals
will take place. At 7:30 the
mascot competition will take
place.
The last show of the day
will the men’s all–star game,
which kicks off at 8:15 p.m.,
followed by men’s three-point
shootout finals at halftime.

30 The Chronicle March 17, 2009
Students get the ball rolling to
balance academics and sports
By Thomas Cranston
Chronicle Staff
The Student Association Campus
Recreation Program at Durham
and UOIT encourages a
healthy and active lifestyle by offering
numerous sports and activities
to help students stay fit and get
involved with the school.
The Student Association offers
intramural and extramural sports,
which must be signed up through
the Tuck Shop, located on the second
floor of the Student Centre.
Those who wish to participate are
asked to bring their student card
with them when they sign up.
Full-time students are allowed
the opportunity to participate in
school sports without having a
high skill level. The school also has
its varsity sports but intramurals
are provided just for fun and so
students can all enjoy the year and
stay involved at the same time.
However, all participants must
be respectful and follow the school
rules. Every intramural/extramural
team must designate a captain
to look after meetings, submit their
team to the Tuck Shop and make
sure their team is informed with all
the details like schedule changes,
rules, etc.
Kelly Morrison, the campus
recreation manager who oversees
sports intramurals, among other
things, said intramurals are important
to student life and that she
was once a varsity student herself.
“As a past varsity athlete, athletics
was an important component
to my student experience at
Durham College,” Morrison said.
“Because athletics adds a balance
to one’s academics, I believe it’s
important for all students to have
an opportunity to participate in
organized leagues/tournaments.
This allows the student to stay active,
relieve stress, and make new
friends.”
The intramural program is run
by the Student Association and offers
a wide range of sports, including
badminton, hockey, basketball,
indoor soccer, jujitsu, curling and
volleyball. SA also offers slo-pitch
and tennis monthly tournaments.
“The Student Association organizes
the campus recreation
program,” Morrison said. “The SA
works closely with the athletic department,
campus tennis centre,
and campus arena booking space,
SPORTS NEWS
etc. We currently organize leagues
for hockey, basketball, volleyball,
and indoor soccer. We decide on
the leagues based on past participation
and try new leagues based
on campus-wide surveys, etc.”
While all the intramural sports
cost money (used to purchase all
the uniforms, equipment and facilities,
etc), Morrison says they
‘
This allows for
students to stay
active,relieve
stress and make
new friends.
Kelly Morrison
’
are much cheaper than if students
played in an outside league. But
not only are intramurals held on
campus, they are more affordable
and convenient than league
sports.
“The SA offsets any costs associated
with equipment and the
league,” Morrison said. “The student
pays $20 per league/semester.”
She added that money comes
from SA and these intramurals
help form a good partnership with
the Athletic Department for using
the facilities.
The Campus Recreation Office
organizes the students into teams
and makes up the schedule. The
Campus Ice Centre and the gymnasium
at the Campus Recreation
and Wellness Centre are among
the facilities used for sports intramurals
around the school.
Officials oversee games and ensure
all participants are kept safe
and that the scores and penalties
are accurate and consistent.
“We have certified basketball,
indoor soccer, and hockey officials,”
Morrison said. “We pay
students to score-keep and ref volleyball.
We also have student coordinators
that oversee the league.
I believe the students “do the job”
as it is a great way to make extra income
doing something they like.”
“Student feedback has been
relatively pretty good, seeing how
many people sign up and play,”
Morrison said. “We hand out a survey
at the end of the year to get student
thoughts for improvements
and what can be done to make the
sports better.”
Morrison added that while intramural
leagues are currently full,
any student at Durham College,
UOIT or Trent in Oshawa can play.
Alumni and staff are also eligible
but are required to pay a higher
registration fee.
Ken Crosina, the UOIT men’s
and women’s tennis coach, agrees
that intramurals play a huge role
for students trying to maintain an
active lifestyle.
“I think intramural sports are
great for kids,” Crosina said. “We
try to run a large intramural program
for tennis and I think the biggest
problem we had with that was
just timelines for students. It’s so
difficult finding the same time that
they have off of class. I think what
we’ve seen now with the increase
in student usage is that students
are more apt to play on their own
against their friends than they
were to play intramurals. But I
think that intramural sports plays
a key role for students in an active
lifestyle while attending (college
or) university.”
Check out the Student Association
website (www.your-sa.ca) for
up-to-date information regarding
upcoming intramural action.

Career block leader
By Stephanie Pollard
Chronicle Staff
In a super slow motion both
players are in the air, one ready
to make the kill… one ready to
block it. Durham fans strain their
eyes as they see one arm swooping
down and another pair rising.
The swooping hand smacks the
ball and
BOOM! The ball ricochets over
the opponent’s side of the net and
crashes to the ground, hitting the
floor before a sea of tangled desperate
hands try to save it. Durham
fans erupt in cheers and the
announcer cries: “Mandi Doris
with the kill!” Doris slaps a few of
her teammates’ hands and runs
back into position to wait for the
next serve.
Doris has done that 156 times,
making her the OCAA all-time
career block leader. She took a
moment from her intense schedule
to talk about her career, and
rest her left leg clamped safely in
a cast due to a stress fracture. If
Mandi had to pinpoint the root
of her success, it was her coachability
that brought her to her
skill level.
“My coach could tell me anything
that I need to fix and I did
it right away and then just kept
practicing and practice,” she
said. She also centres her ‘practice
makes perfect’ energy on all
aspects of her game, not just the
blocks.
“I just focus on my game in
general not just blocking, but it
just happens that I do get a lot
of blocks,” she laughed. Durham
Lords women’s volleyball head
coach Shane Christopher said
that when it comes to Doris’ work
ethic, it’s an attitude everybody
should adopt.
“She doesn’t look for excuses
but for input and feedback. She
does the little stuff that everyone
thinks insignificant and that’s
what makes her better.” But despite
her individual skills Doris
insists teamwork won Durham’s
recent accomplishments.
“You cannot win the game
with just one person, it has to be
all six, so you have to make sure
that everybody works as a team
and I think that’s why I like it,
because it’s just a team-oriented
sport,” she said. We can safely
assume that Doris has been doing
her part. Aside from holding
the OCAA record, Doris also
went down in the books for most
blocks made in a single season. In
19 games she recorded 78 blocks,
smashing the previous record of
61, held by Courtney Warren of
Mohawk College. Doris loves
playing volleyball so much she
SPORTS NEWS
looks forward to practice after
school. Even before the ferocity
of college competition she enjoyed
every aspect of the game.
“I started playing volleyball
in grade 7 of elementary school
and I played 7,8 and then all
throughout high school and was
the captain of my volleyball team
in grade 12,” she said. She also
played basketball, ran track and
field and performed gymnastics
for a while. This season offered
nothing but good things for Doris
(aside from a hurt ankle in
the first game of the season) but
there was a time volleyball wasn’t
Photo by Stephanie Pollard
ALMOST THERE: Lords captain, Mandi Doris, aims for the kill when Durham
faced Sault College on Feb. 14. Doris is the all-time career block leader with 156.
The Chronicle March 17, 2009 31
in her favour.
“I tried out for the volleyball
team that was called Durham
Attack because my teacher was
actually the coach for it, but I
went to the tryout. I guess I went
with my friend and she said that
I wasn’t ready or something and
they cut me. I never made the
team,” she said. In situations like
those her parents have always
been there as a solid support system.
Whether they are her parents,
friends or teammates Doris
has what it takes to be successful.
And she will block those who will
say otherwise.
Sad
ending
for Lords
By Andrew Huska
Chronicle Staff
The Durham Lords’ men’s
indoor soccer team had some
measure of success at the Central
East regional championships
in Oakville on March 10. Unfortunately,
it wasn’t enough to get
them into the provincial finals.
The Lords had two wins and
two losses at the tournament. It’s
more success than the team has
had at other tournaments but unfortunately
only the top two teams
in the tournament move on to the
Ontario Colleges Athletic Association’s
Provincial championships
on March 26 and 27. Durham finished
third.
Head coach Stan Bombino said
the Lords had personnel problems
that forced them to play short in
the games.
“Unfortunately, we came to the
regional finals with three regular
players out of the lineup,” Bombino
said.
The Lords were without Nick
Zdravkovski and Kyle Ryan due to
illness. Trevor Delpippo was out
because of eligibility issues.
In Durham’s first game against
George Brown they lost 4-1 to the
team that would cruise to first
place in the tournament and earn
a berth in the OCAA provincial
championships.
The Lords two wins came
against Centennial College, 3-0,
and Canadore College 1-0. Goalkeeper
Andrew Macleod picked
up both shutouts.
The final game could have given
the Lords an opportunity to finish
second and move on but in the
final game against Seneca fatigue
set in and the Lords lost 3-1.
Bombino said Durham controlled
most of the game and without
a doubt one or more substitutes
would certainly have affected
the outcome of the game.

32 The Chronicle March 17, 2009
OCAA men’s indoor
soccer Central
East Regional
championship
Game 1; Centennial defeated
Canadore 1-0
Game 2; George Brown
defeated Durham 4-1
Game 3; Seneca defeated
Canadore 7-1
Game 4; Durham defeated
Centennial 3-0
Game 5; George Brown
defeated Seneca 3-1
Game 6; Durham defeated
Canadore 1-0
Game 7; George Brown
defeated Centennial 3-2
Game 8; Seneca defeated
Durham 3-0
Game 9; George Brown
defeated Canadore 5-1
Game 10; Centennial
defeated Seneca 1-1
OCAA women’s
indoor soccer
Central East
Regional
championships
Game 1; Centennial defeated
Canadore 3-0
Game 2; Durham defeated
George Brown 3-1
Game 3; Seneca defeated
Canadore 5-0
Game 4; Durham defeated
Centennial 1-0
Game 5; Seneca defeated
George Brown 2-1
Game 6; Durham defeated
Canadore 6-0
Game 7; Centennial defeated
George Brown 3-2
Game 8; Durham defeated
Seneca 1-0
Game 9; Canadore defeated
George Brown 2-0
Game 10; Centennial defeated
Seneca 5-1
SPORTS NEWS
Stat Pack
OCAA men’s basketball East
division final standings
Schools W L T Points
Algonquin 18 2 0 36
Durham 16 4 0 32
St. Lawrence K 16 4 0 32
Fleming P 15 5 0 26
Cambrian 13 7 0 26
George Brown 10 10 0 20
Seneca 8 12 0 16
Centennial 5 15 0 10
Georgian 4 16 0 8
Loyalist 4 16 0 8
La Cite 1 19 0 2
OCAA Men’s Basketball playoff results at
Algonquin College
Semi-final #1: Humber defeated Niagara 79-62
Semi-final #2: Algonquin defeated Algoma 79-64
OCAA men’s basketball West
division final standings
School W L T Points
Humber 16 2 0 32
Fanshawe 14 4 0 28
Niagara 14 4 0 28
Sheridan 12 6 0 24
Lambton 9 9 0 18
St. Clair 9 9 0 18
Algoma 9 9 0 18
Mohawk 5 13 0 10
Redeemer 2 16 0 4
Sault 0 18 0 0
OCAA Men’s Basketball playoff results at
Algonquin College
Bronze Medal game:Niagara defeated Algoma 76-62
Gold Medal game: Humber defeated Algonquin 85-78

The Chronicle March 17, 2009 33

34 The Chronicle March 17, 2009
By Thomas Cranston
Chronicle Staff
As UOIT continues to grow in population
since opening in 2003, so does their
varsity tennis program, which started three
years later.
“We’re always on the lookout for some
17-and 18-year-olds that are looking for a
place to go to university and hopefully we
can attract them here and get them on our
team,” Crosina said. “Kane Easter and myself
will be back as the coaches of our men’s
and women’s varsity teams.”
The coaches will be back and it looks like
the majority of last year’s team will be too.
“I think we have about 75 per cent of our
team that will return with the thought of
making the team again so we hope we can
count on them for a strong foundation,” Crosina
said. “And with two or three recruits on
each team, we should have a stronger team
moving forward.”
The UOIT Ridgebacks men’s and women’s
tennis clubs are both coming off tough
seasons, finishing at the bottom of the standings,
but hope for improvement next year.
“I think it (last year) was probably our
best year yet,” Crosina exclaimed. “I think
we won the most matches yet. I think each
year as the university grows in base numbers,
it gives us a larger pool of students to
select from so it makes our team stronger.
Just the experience and the way we’ve seen
our athletes train during the off-season, I
think that our team is positioned well for
strong improvement and good results going
SPORTS NEWS
Crosina looks to next year
By Thomas Cranston
Chronicle Staff
John Tavares and his secondplace
London Knights had long
secured a playoff berth before the
season was even close to being
over while his former team, the
Oshawa Generals, were left fighting
for their lives right up to the
regular season’s final game just to
get a chance at playoff glory.
Every point mattered to the
Oshawa Generals, who were fighting
for their lives just to make the
post-season. But their road to the
playoffs didn’t get any clearer or
any better, following a 7-2 shellacking
at the hands of the visiting
Brampton Battalion in their final
home game of the season in front
of 4,850 fans at the General Motors
Centre on March 11.
The Battalion scored three
goals, two minutes and 17 seconds
apart, to stick a dagger in the Generals’
hopes. The rough and tumble
game saw a total of three fights
break out, long after the game was
out of reach.
The Generals were coming off a
3-2 shootout loss to the Peterborough
Petes on March 8 that drew
5,422 fans in Oshawa, the Petes
avenging their 5-4 overtime loss to
Oshawa in Peterborough just two
weeks earlier. Needing an extra
round of the shootout to determine
the winner, Peterborough forward
Sergey Korostin sealed the Generals’
fate in that one, scoring in the
fourth round after Oshawa’s Andy
Andreoff was stoned by Petes
goaltender Jason Missiaen to give
Peterborough the extra point.
Every late-season game came
with massive playoff implications
for Oshawa. The Generals went
into the 2009 varsity season.”
Crosina said members on last year’s
team are staying active, playing in the Tennis
Campus Centre’s house league and are
excited for the start of
next season.
“A lot of our varsity
athletes continue to play
in our house leagues, our
in-house programs that
we run,” he said. “Most
of them are usually playing
on a weekly basis. We
also have some inter-club
teams where we compete
against teams across the
GTA on Sunday nights for
our men. We have about
four of our students that
play on those teams. And
then we have one or two
of our girls that com-
pete with our club teams
for women on either a
Wednesday or Thursday
morning across the GTA.”
The Tennis Campus
Centre has a competitive
program for members of the community.
Crosina said the varsity athletes that either
have the time or the interest will tryout
for the community teams. He added that it’s
a nice way for varsity students to interact
with Campus Tennis Centre members and
for members to interact with the students
on a competitive playing level.
Even though UOIT’s tennis season was
completed months ago (the month long
against Brampton, tied with the
Peterborough Petes for the final
two playoff spots in the East Division
with 57 points apiece, just
one point ahead of the Sudbury
Wolves. Korostin’s goal gave Peterborough
the victory and that
crucial extra point. Sudbury lost
in convincing fashion March 8 to
the Ottawa 67’s, 6-2 in Ottawa, allowing
Peterborough to leap-frog
over them into the eighth and final
playoff position.
While Oshawa lost to Brampton
on March 11, Peterborough
did themselves no favours, falling
4-0 to Belleville. The loudest cheer
of the night came as the out-oftown
scoreboard announced Peterborough
had been shut out in
Belleville, leaving the Generals and
Petes tied in the standings despite
Ken Crosina
UOIT tennis coach
both teams losing badly.
Brampton captain and Canadian
world junior goal medalist
Cody Hodgson was dominant,
scoring two goals and adding two
assists as the game’s first star. Oshawa
really had no answer for
Hodgson and another member
of Brampton’s top line, Evgeny
Grachev, who combined for three
goals and seven points. Brett Parnham
scored both goals for Oshawa
to hit 50 on the year, trailing only
local hero John Tavares for the
league lead.
The game picked up intensity
as the evening went on but after the
Generals fell behind 3-0 early, they
could never recover and turned
the game into a slugfest. The active
second period recorded two separate
misconducts, two fights and
season ended in October). Some people
would assume once a season is complete,
the coaching staff would get time off. Not
Crosina.
The workload may
be less dramatic but it
doesn’t look any easier.
Crosina remains responsible
for running the Tennis
Centre during the offseason.
“My responsibility is
primarily with our membership
base,” Crosina
said. “We have about 330
members so we’re making
sure that we run programs
and keep them
busy. As well, we have a
full junior program for lessons.
We have about 200
kids a week that come
through the doors.”
He is in charge of organizing
the lessons, coaches
and putting together
the lesson plans. And of
course, dealing with any
problems that may arise.
Crosina said they are also gearing up for
the start of summer camps, hopefully in excess
of the 650 students they had last summer.
He remains optimistic about next season,
hoping the men’s and women’s teams
can both uncover a gem.
“Ideally, we’d like to find a diamond in
the rough,” he added. “We need to have one
a flurry of goals, six to be exact, in
the period alone.The score was 3-0
after the first period, and after the
second, the goal scoring was done,
Brampton leading 7-2.
Former Generals captain and
current London Knights forward
John Tavares’ three-goal night was
announced over the PA system
strong female that will join the university
varsity team and one strong male. That will
just make our team stronger throughout
and it will push our strength down a little bit.
If we can get one superstar on each squad,
I think we’re going to see a huge improvement
in how our team makes out.”
He said students may feel overwhelmed
when they’re first starting out but after a few
games, they usually find their groove and go
on to have great seasons.
“For anybody that plays a varsity sport
there’s a lot of uncertainty, so when they
first get out there, they’re not sure what to
expect,” Crosina said. “But as they get into a
comfort zone, they become more comfortable
and they’re used to the level they’re
playing at. I think our first match or two, we
were kind of shell-shocked but then they get
comfortable. Particularly on our girls team, I
think we had a couple rookies on our team
that were really unsure what to expect but
when they got out there, they were pleasantly
surprised how well they could compete.”
Crosina believes that as the season progresses,
students will find their comfort levels
and he hopes to continue helping them
do that as coach for as long as he can.
“As long as they’ll let me,” Crosina said
with a laugh. “Ideally, I’d like to be here for
probably another 20-23 years or something
like that. I’d like to go through to 65 as long
as I can keep my wits about me, and keep
my youthful exuberance, I think I should be
fine.”
The varsity tennis season starts back up
in September.
Generals in tough until the end
against Peterborough to a thunderous
ovation by Oshawa fans. Tavares
had just become the OHL’s alltime
leading goal scorer by potting
the winner as the Knights edged
the Spitfires 4-3 in Windsor. He
passed Peter Lee’s career record
of 213 set from 1971-76 when Lee
was a member of the Ottawa 67’s.

The Chronicle March 17, 2009 35

36 The Chronicle March 17, 2009