Faculty and students from Durham College’s (DC) Construction Carpentry – Sustainable program are excited to share the news that the first four families moved into their newly constructed homes at Centre Towne, a project in development with Habitat for Humanity in Oshawa, last week, just in time for the holidays.

DC and Habitat for Humanity have been working together since 2012 to build affordable housing for families in need within the community at 372 Centre St. S. in Oshawa. DC students have been on site from day one, with volunteer work being matched to course learning outcomes to benefit both students and the community.

“We were able to assist in framing with the first phase of construction, from the still plate, to the last piece of plywood on the roof,” said Don Fishley, professor and program co-ordinator for the Construction Carpentry – Sustainable program. “This past semester, our second-year students framed the garages on the front of the new six-plex building, and installed sheathing, SM board and Tyvex. We were also the crew that started the vinyl siding, soffit and fascia boards.”

The families were selected from a host of applicants who not only provided strong reasoning for their need but also committed approximately 500 hours of volunteer work in the construction of the homes.

With the first phase complete, Fishley, along with the college, looks forward to continue supporting Habitat for Humanity over the next four to five years as Centre Towne continues to grow.

Durham College’s (DC) Team Experience stopped by Toronto radio station 999 Virgin Radio and the Mad Dog & Maura morning show to help make the holidays a little brighter for Karley, a local mom-to-be, on December 2, in support of the station’s annual Make it Merry campaign.

Karley was nominated for Make it Merry by her friend, Mary, who submitted a list of much-needed items on behalf of her friend. In her letter, she described how Karley and her boyfriend are expecting their first child due in January, noting that money is tight. She is currently living in a basement that is under construction. “It’s basically a concrete floor and no walls. Cold,” said Mary.

“She’s doing the best she can though and would never ask for help,” she added. “She is the strongest person I know and has gone back to high school and passed with a 99 per cent average and trying to save a little here and there to go to college. She’s trying her best to get ahead but she has so many hurdles in her way.”

After hearing the story about this expectant mom’s needs and her dream of going to college, DC contacted the radio station to offer assistance. The Experience DC “elves” – Team Experience, a diverse group of amazing DC students who are sharing their college experience by offering authentic, real-time accounts of life at DC, from their own perspective, through social media and this website – arrived early in the morning in a van filled with everything from a crib, high chair, formula, clothes and diapers for the soon-to-arrive baby, to a dining room table and chairs for mom and dad.

In addition, Don Lovisa, president of DC, called into the station to give the gift of education by covering one year of tuition at DC for Karley.

“It is the season of giving and as a college, we value the importance of giving back to the community,” said Lovisa. “We’re happy to contribute this tuition and help someone in need.”

On-hand to help deliver the good news to the unsuspecting recipient were Team Experience members Heather and Matisse. For Heather this was an opportunity to help a fellow mom.

“I know first-hand what Karley is going through,” said Heather. “I am attending school full-time and am a mom to a young son. I know how life-changing an education can be, and while going back to school, especially as a new mom, can be scary, it’s also setting Karley and her new family up for success in the future.”

“I can’t even tell you how much this means to me and my future family,” said Karley. “Thank you so, so much. I’m very excited and very, very relieved. I was looking into business courses because I’m a manager right now. I’d like to look further into that, maybe some financial courses. I’m very excited for the opportunity to be able to (do that). I’m so grateful for everything. I never, in a million years, expected to have an opportunity like this.”

One hundred per cent of funds raised via Make it Merry go to families in need across the Greater Toronto Area.

As the winter season approaches, questions often arise from students, faculty and staff about Durham College (DC) remaining open or closed due to changes in the weather. As stated in the Emergency Closure procedure, “if there is no specific announcement about a closure, Durham College will remain open”, meaning during most days of the winter season, the campus remains open and all classes and activities will be held as scheduled.

To reduce this uncertainty, as of Tuesday, December 2 a campus status feature will be added to the top right corner of www.durhamcollege.ca. This indicator will advise students, faculty, staff and campus visitors of the current status of the Oshawa and Whitby campuses and the Pickering Learning Site at any given time.

If winter weather results in situations that affect the teaching or working environment (such as power outages) or situations that place members of the college community at risk, a red status alert bar containing messaging about the situation will appear throughout the Durham College website. 

Additionally, we have developed a campus status webpage that contains helpful links and information such as:

• DC’s emergency communications channels
• The inclement weather procedure
• What a closure means to me?
• Winter driving tips
• Links to public transit websites, the college’s social media accounts and a local weather report 

Watch a short video demonstrating this new feature on how we will communicate changes in the status of Durham College locations.

At all times, regardless of weather conditions, Durham College reminds you to allow for plenty of time to get to the campus, ensuring you drive with due caution and care, especially if you are in an area heavily affected by the weather. 

Durham College (DC) is pleased to join Ontario’s 23 other colleges in signing the first-ever province-wide agreement that grants recognition for entire previous years’ credits when a student in a business diploma program transfers to the same program at another college.

“Durham College is proud to be a part of this agreement,” said Don Lovisa, president, Durham College. “Our goal is to ensure a smooth learning process for our students. Any post-secondary student who transfers from another institution shouldn’t have to repeat already completed courses. This new agreement helps eliminate any duplication, cut costs for students and makes sense from an overall learning perspective.”

The agreement, announced by Colleges Ontario and the Ontario Council on Articulation and Transfer (ONCAT), applies to students in accounting, business administration, human resources and marketing programs.

This unique universal college agreement allows students to easily transfer among all college business programs across Ontario.

The agreement means that business students who transfer at the end of their first or second year will receive full credit for their completed courses. Given the high enrolment of business programs, these pathways provide additional flexibility for a significant number of students.

“Ontario’s colleges and universities continue to strengthen their systems for transferring credits among post-secondary institutions,” said Glenn Craney, the executive director of ONCAT. “We are pleased that all of the province’s 24 colleges have signed this agreement which demonstrates their high level of commitment to institutional collaboration on student mobility.”

Expanding credit-transfer options and helping students make informed decisions about their post-secondary education is a priority for the Wynne government. Ontario is investing $73.7 million toward credit-transfer improvements between 2011 and 2016.

“Our government knows a strong credit transfer system will lead to a more effective and cost-effective post-secondary education for students across the province. That’s why we continue to work with our sector partners to make Ontario’s post-secondary education system more seamless, flexible and affordable,” said Reza Moridi, Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities.

Colleges Ontario is the advocacy organization for the province’s 24 public colleges.

ONCAT was created to enhance academic pathways and reduce barriers for students looking to transfer among Ontario’s publicly funded institutions. More than 21,500 students transfer within Ontario each year. ONCAT’s support for those students includes producing the Course-to-Course Transfer Guide, which can be found at ONTransfer.ca.

Ontario’s colleges are working to develop similar province-wide agreements for other program areas.