In an effort to bring the political process to students and the wider community, Durham College (DC), Trent University Durham and the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) co-hosted two federal candidates’ debates on DC and UOIT’s shared campus, on September 30. A candidate and networking exposition was also offered.

Candidates running to become a federal Member of Parliament, representing the Oshawa and Durham ridings, engaged in separate 60-minute debates while the networking expo gave students and community members the opportunity to discuss issues and speak with the candidates representing the Conservative, Green, Liberal and New Democratic parties.

“Providing opportunities for our students to become engaged, politically savvy citizens is very important,” said Tony Doyle, chief of staff, Durham College. “For many, this is the first time they are old enough to vote; we want to provide a venue for all students to learn as much as possible about the candidates, the parties and the election process. We hope these efforts will result in a very large student turnout on election day.”

In addition to the debates and networking showcase, there is broad interest both on- and off-campus in connecting students to the election. A number of DC professors have established election-specific assignments within courses, student clubs have arranged sessions on campus with local candidates, and the college worked with Elections Canada to set-up information booths at its Oshawa and Whitby campuses.

The federal election will be held on Monday, October 19.

On Thursday, September 24 Durham College (DC) hosted its first-ever Harvest Dinner at the Centre for Food, in celebration of the fall season. One hundred members of the community gathered to enjoy a meal featuring a variety of food, including produce and herbs that were planted, picked and prepared by DC students and to celebrate the college’s first crop yield.

The multi-course meal, served family style, was inspired by the CFF’s field-to-fork vision, which is based on the harvesting, storage, processing, packaging, sale and consumption of food – in particular the production of local food for local consumers. CFF ambassador and celebrity chef Jamie Kennedy was on-hand to assist with menu planning and worked with the culinary students in the kitchen while guests dined under the stars, surrounded by the CFF’s fields and greenhouses.

“Not only was the Harvest Dinner an excellent opportunity to celebrate the fall season with the community, it was also the culmination of several years of hard work on the part of Durham College employees and students,” said Don Lovisa, president, Durham College. “The vision has also come together through the generosity of the broader community. We now have the dedicated resources and energy to bring the field-to-fork vision to life and it’s thrilling to see it all coming together.”

Highlights from the dinner included smoked loin of Ontario pork (beef and chicken were also available) with a beet and apple chutney, Linwood Acres trout with lemon geranium and chili peppers and a harvest vegetable medley consisting of carrots, cauliflower, roasted baby corn, Brussels sprouts, green beans and onions. Dessert consisted of several tarts, pumpkin cheesecake and strawberry rhubarb mini pies.

“As the ambassador for the Centre for Food, I was very excited to be part of this harvest celebration,” said Chef Jamie Kennedy. “Celebrating fresh, seasonal and local food is at the heart of my culinary philosophy and fall is a one of my favourite times of the year. It was great to be able to share the season with the students and wider community.”

For anyone who missed out on the Harvest Dinner, they can stop by Bistro ’67, the CFF’s green-certified, teaching-inspired restaurant, to enjoy more of the centre’s produce yields. Chef Kennedy will be onsite on select Thursdays throughout the year for a special dining experience. These evenings will feature great food, inspired by Chef Kennedy and the CFF’s philosophy, served in a creative learning environment that represents what happens when communities, local farmers and education work together. Upcoming dates include Thursday, October 22 and Thursday, November 19.

On Tuesday, August 25, representatives from the 100 Men of Scugog group were on-hand at Durham College’s (DC) Centre for Food at the Whitby campus to present President Don Lovisa with a cheque for $4,400. The funds, to be administered over four years, will be used to support a new bursary for DC students from the Scugog region who are in financial need.

“We are honoured that 100 Men of Scugog has chosen the Durham College Foundation for one of its annual donations,” said Lovisa. “The establishment of this bursary will support Scugog students in their post-secondary studies, making a college education available to those who may not otherwise have the financial resources. This bursary will help support students as they develop the skills needed to be successful in their future careers.”

Each year the 100 Men of Scugog nominates community institutions and organizations to receive funding. Members of the group commit to donating $100 four times per year and together decide where those funds go.

“We know how important Durham College is to our community and were moved by the fact that many students struggle to pay,” said Richard Gauder, one of the founding members of 100 Men of Scugog. “We also heard that 60 per cent of students aren’t coming to the college from high school. There are single moms, people who need to retrain after losing a job and others. We thought, why not lend a helping hand? By helping these students, we’re in turn supporting the township of Scugog, which is the reason we started the 100 Men group. We know this bursary will provide assistance to the recipients and help them achieve their dreams.”

100 Men of Scugog joins many businesses, service clubs, associations, foundations and individuals who have donated to DC. In 2015, $267,950 in bursaries which were awarded to 220 students and $105,390 in scholarships which were presented to 115 students. For more information regarding bursaries and scholarships, please visit http://www.durhamcollege.ca/admissions/general-information/scholarships-bursaries-and-awards.

For more information on 100 Men go to www.100men.ca.

 

Michael Halse, a recent graduate of Durham College’s (DC) Digital Photography program won an award recently after submitting a photo to Applied Arts Magazine’s annual Student Awards contest.

The piece Halse submitted, titled “Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird,” is a reinterpretation of a painting by Frida Kahlo, and began as an in-class assignment in the final year of his two-year program. Students were tasked with choosing one of their photos and going through the process of following formatting, resizing and tagging instructions as if they were submitting the piece for different contests.

Following the assignment, the instructors went over the submissions and offered Halse the opportunity for the college to pay for his submission to Applied Arts Magazine’s Student Awards.

“It is a huge honour to have been chosen as a winner for the Student Awards contest and to have my work recognized by a national publication,” said Halse. “DC’s Digital Photography program allowed me to explore the different areas of photography that many might not realize even exist. This is where, with the support of the instructors, I was able to explore and develop my love for fine-art photography.”

Applied Arts is a Canadian magazine that showcases various forms of visual communication, which includes photography, design, advertising and illustration. The student awards program accepts entries world-wide, providing emerging artists the opportunity to promote their work to industry professionals, potential clients and to gain national exposure.

Beyond graduation Halse continues to develop his photography and creative skills through working on a fine-art/fantasy series, a more dramatic still-life series and working through the process of publishing his first fantasy-based novel.

Winners will be published in Applied Arts Magazine’s November/December Student Awards annual, as well as in the Winner’s Gallery and Awards Archive sections on their website. Halse, along with other winners will also have their work displayed at the Winner’s Exhibit during the Creative Futures Expo, which runs from November 17 to 18 at the Ontario Science Centre in Toronto, Ont.

To view more of Halse’s work, like him on Facebook, follow him on Instagram or visit his website.

A partnership between The Rotary Club of Whitby, The Rotary Club of Whitby Sunrise and Durham College (DC) – facilitated by snapd Whitby – has opened doors for journalism students to gain hands-on experience while sharing stories about the great work local agencies are doing for the community.

After joining the Rotary Club several years ago, Danielle Harder, journalism professor at DC, formed a public relations committee with fellow Rotarian and former long-time director of sales and marketing at Hertz Rent-A-Car, Geno Diraddo. She began writing monthly features for snapd in hopes of extending the Rotary Club’s awareness in the community and furthering the reach of their fundraising efforts.

Recognizing an opportunity to benefit both the community and DC journalism students, the Rotary Clubs began compiling a yearly list of stories they wished to highlight. Harder then assigns the stories to her students, helping them to find contacts and gain experience through the writing process.

“Writing for snapd gives many students their first byline outside of The Chronicle, DC’s student-run newspaper,” said Danielle Harder, professor of the Journalism – Web and Print and Journalism – Broadcast and Electronic Media programs. “It gives them the opportunity to strengthen their portfolio which means they are better prepared for the job market and it allows them to develop real world connections before they even graduate.”

This agreement between the Rotary Clubs, snapd – both located in Whitby, Ont., and DC has been ongoing providing numerous students with valuable hands-on experience and even presenting a former DC journalism student the opportunity to attend a Rotary youth leadership event.

Durham College’s (DC) Communicative Disorders Assistant (CDA) graduate certificate program has once again received a generous $2,500 donation, as well as a serenade from The Oshawa Horseless Carriagemen, on behalf of the Barbershop Harmony Society’s Harmonize for Speech fund.

Items purchased using the annual donation include The Baby Signing Book, authored by former CDA professor Sara Bingham and received by all students in the program; a GoTalk 9+ portable, programmable communication device, used to teach young children to communicate using a customizable picture overlay, which students will learn to program and use when working with clients. A one-day workshop for the students was also sponsored using the donation funds; this year’s speaker will be Debra Goshulak from The Speech and Stuttering Institute to speak about motor speech disorders and therapy in preschool children.

“This donation has and continues to help in providing our students with additional learning opportunities and materials while in the program,” said Sherry Hinman, professor and interim program coordinator of the CDA program. “The items we are able to purchase using the donation allow current, as well as future students the opportunity to excel during their time at the college and succeed in the field following their graduation.”

The CDA program is a one-year, three-semester graduate certificate program that prepares students for work, under the guidance of qualified speech-language pathologists and/or audiologists, providing speech and language therapy to children and adults.

The Harmonize for Speech fund was established nearly 40 years ago as a fundraising project of the Barbershop Harmony Society and continues to provide support for various organizations and projects. This is the tenth year the Barbershop Harmony Society has supported the growth and success of the CDA program, but the first year the students were lucky enough to receive a barbershop-style performance.

TripAdvisor, the largest travel website in the world, honoured Durham College’s (DC’s) Bistro ’67 with a Certificate of Excellence recently. This achievement was a result of the consistently high reviews the restaurant receives on the travel website. With a 101 reviews to date, Bistro ’67 is ranked as the second-most popular restaurant in Whitby, Ont., out of 235. The restaurant also proudly maintains a four-and-a-half out of five star rating.

More than 90 per cent of reviews on the website feature positive comments, complimenting everything from the food, the wait staff, to the field-to-fork philosophy. Bistro ’67 is truly a one-of-a-kind in Durham Region.

The restaurant features an open concept with modern design. The menu is constantly changing, keeping up with homegrown ingredients from across the Durham Region to bring fresh and inspiring dishes to the table. As an added bonus, a television is featured in the dining area, allowing patrons to watch as DC’s skilled culinary students carefully prepare diners’ selections.

Bistro ’67 lives within DC’s Centre for Food (CFF), Durham Region’s first-ever post-secondary presence focused on the field-to-fork concept. This process is based on the harvesting, storage, processing, packaging, sale and consumption of local, home-grown food. Since the CFF opened, DC has taken this concept and applied it to a diverse range of culinary and hospitality programs.

CFF recently announced the renewal of its partnership with celebrity chef Jamie Kennedy. Kennedy is a pioneer in farm-to-field practices and has helped students in various programs at the CFF since 2012. With this commitment, he will interact with students in the classroom, labs and fields; work with employees; and participate in student-run special events.

To learn more about Bistro ’67, including menu, pricing or booking reservations, visit www.bistro67.ca. To read excellent reviews about the restaurant, visit the Bistro ’67 page on TripAdvisor.

Anna Chase, a third-year student in Durham College (DC)’s Graphic Design program, has made her mark on Oshawa’s downtown core with her art piece “The Games”. Featured on the crosswalk at the intersections of Athol and Mary Street and Athol and Albert Street, Chase’s art piece was selected during a Call for Artwork, as part of the City of Oshawa’s Public Art Program.

Created with the theme of Pan American culture, sport, teamwork and collaboration in mind, Chase designed an illustration of a boxer and weightlifter in poses representing strength and athleticism.

“I’m thrilled to have my work showcased for everyone to see as they attend the Pan Am games,” said Chase. “It’s great to have this kind of exposure and another piece to add to my portfolio as I enter my final year at DC.”

The piece is located at the intersections connected to the General Motors (GM) Centre, which will be hosting both the boxing and weightlifting events during the games.

Once again students in Durham College’s (DC) School-College-Work Initiative (SCWI) have achieved academic excellence. The most recent term saw a success rate of 90 per cent, a four per cent increase over last year for the more than 1300 secondary school students who completed a dual-credit program with DC.

“It was another outstanding year for our School-College-Work Initiative students,” said Don Lovisa, president, Durham College. “The opportunity to complete college credits while also working towards their Ontario Secondary School Diploma sets students up for success. This year’s results demonstrate what happens when great educators come together and students show a passion for learning.”

The SCWI program focuses on helping at-risk secondary school students receive their diploma while completing college credits at the same time. Dual credit courses are a great choice for students who are at risk of not graduating; enrolled in a Specialist High Skills Major; enrolled in an Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program; or are under 21 years old and out of school, but close to earning their OSSD.

More than 100 dual credit courses are offered at DC on a variety of subjects, including but not limited to, skilled trades, apprenticeship, health, art, science and business. Students from secondary schools in the Durham Catholic District School Board; Durham District School Board; Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board; Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington Catholic District School Board; and Trillium Lakelands District School Board are eligible to participate.

“This initiative has one of the highest success rates among students I’ve ever seen,” said Gail MacKenzie, manager, Strategic Initiatives, School of Interdisciplinary Studies. “The dual credit program allows students to achieve their potential and really motivates students to achieve their best.”

For more information regarding the dual credit program, visit the DC Centre for Success website or contact the School-College-Work Initiative coordinator.

Building on a long-standing partnership of offering pathway programs to assist students in making the transition from diploma to degree, Durham College (DC) and Trent University have signed a new agreement that will fast-track students to a college diploma in Journalism and a university degree in Media Studies in only a four-year timeframe.

The new pathways program agreement was signed July 8, 2015 at Trent University Durham by Don Lovisa, president of Durham College and Dr. Leo Groarke, Trent University president and vice-chancellor. It will allow graduates of DC’s two-year Journalism – Web and Print and Journalism – Broadcast and Electronic Media programs to pursue a Bachelor of Arts degree in Media Studies at Trent University in Peterborough or at Trent University Durham, where the Media Studies degree is being offered for the first time in fall 2015.

“This is another example of our progressive and long-standing partnership with Trent University,” said President Lovisa. “Developing new pathway programs for our students ensures they get the best of both a college and university education – technical, professional and theoretical training along the way to earning a diploma and degree. That means when they graduate they are better-positioned with employers and for finding professional success.”

This agreement marks the first partnership between Trent and DC’s School of Media, Art and Design. There are now more than 14 diploma-to-degree pathways in place between DC and Trent University, providing degree completion opportunities for graduates of the college’s business, General Arts and Science, computing, Environmental Technology, Police Foundations and Pharmaceutical and Food Science Technology programs. The two institutions are also currently working on two additional pathways from the School of Media, Art and Design at DC into Media Studies at Trent University, to be finalized in fall 2015.