CAMPUS NEWS - Durham College and UOIT

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