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Thomas Mulcair, NDP and Official Opposition leader, hosts round table at DC

Durham College (DC) welcomed Thomas Mulcair, leader of the New Democratic Party (NDP) and Official Opposition, on Wednesday, August 20. Mulcair visited the college’s Oshawa campus to host a discussion on a series of issues affecting Canadian families in need of childcare with local politicians and members of the community.

Susan Sproul, dean of the college’s School of Health & Community Services, was part of the group invited by Mulcair to be a part of the round table. President Don Lovisa also had the opportunity to meet with Mulcair as DC always welcomes opportunities to advance issues of importance to the college’s students.

DC grad attracts attention with Robin Williams tribute

Tyler Boyco, a 2014 graduate of the Digital Video Production program in Durham College’s School of Media, Art & Design, recently drew attention from celebrities and media alike with a specially designed graphic tribute to Robin Williams. In an unexpected turn of events the image has gone viral, with Rosie O’Donnell retweeting it from her Twitter account and several media outlets reporting on it.

Depicting several of Williams’ beloved characters from Mrs. Doubtfire to Peter Pan to Patch Adams and more, the image has appeared on the Huffington Post, USAtoday.com, PtboCanada.com, Q107.com and more since Boyco tweeted it out from his Twitter account on Thursday, August 14. Boyco was also interviewed by CBC’s Ontario Morning and CHEX TV.

“I’m blown away by it to be honest,” said Boyco. “I was practicing minimalism style of art for the movie I’m trying to make and I decided I’d try it on Robin’s characters. I posted it on Facebook for feedback from friends and on Reddit for artists to let me know how I’m doing and BOOM. Rosie O’Donnell retweeted it and it went crazy.”

The recent grad who hails from Peterborough, Ontario is currently working to secure funding for his first full-length movie and has begun commissioning his artwork. A musician at heart, he’s also releasing a new solo album this year.

During his time on campus, Boyco won Best Video at the Reel Film Festival for his short film titled Sassquatch. Sassquatch and its sequel, Sassquatch 2: The Search, both screened at Toronto Digifest 2014 and XCON in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

“My experience at Durham College was great,” added Boyco. “I met a ton of great people; the professors were good, some of which I call friends now. I made some short films that won awards, which I’m now turning into a full-length musical. Riot Radio interviewed me and my band. I felt like my talents were being appreciated there. It was good!” 

Prints of Boyco’s Robin Williams tribute, as well as pillows, T-shirts and cell phone cases, are now available at redbubble.com, with all proceeds going to charity. 

DC launches crowdfunding campaign

Durham College (DC) is excited to announce the launch of Field to Fork: Sowing the Seeds of our Community, it’s first-ever crowdfunding campaign. Inspired by the college’s commitment  to bring field to fork, the vision of bringing locally sourced, quality produce from field to table, to Durham Region, the online campaign aims to garner support from the community for the completion of the landscaping and planting needed at the Centre for Food (CFF). A new learning facility created in direct response to the demand of the local culinary, hospitality, tourism, agriculture and horticulture sectors that opened to students in September 2013, the CFF houses both Bistro ’67, a teaching-inspired restaurant, and Pantry, a unique retail store that brings student-created goods straight from the culinary classroom to the community.

Field to Fork: Sowing the Seeds of our Community offers a unique opportunity to support many aspects of the CFF’s landscaping including the planting of trees, shrubs, fruits, vegetables and arboretum; garden tools; a walking path; new soil; and more, all of which will be used by the college’s CFF students, engaging them in the growing, harvesting, storing, processing, packaging and selling of delicious food.

Crowdfunding works by identifying a specific initiative(s) or project(s) online and making its intended purpose and details available and accessible to prospective donors.  Interested individuals have the option to choose any project(s) they would like to support.

Supported by ambassador and celebrity chef Jamie Kennedy, the CFF can accommodate approximately 900 students studying in programs based on the field-to-fork concept, completing the full cycle of farming to the preparation, serving and celebration of food. This includes:

“From a philanthropic perspective it is our hope that Field to Fork: Sowing the Seeds of our Community will support the link between the college and our community by offering donors an opportunity to provide financial assistance to any project where they have a special interest,” said David Chambers, associate vice-president, Office of Development, DC.

Officially launching today, the campaign is being rolled out to alumni, donors, faculty, staff, students, community members and the general public. For more information on how the college is changing the way our local communities eat and grow food, please visit the Field to Fork: Sowing the Seeds of our Community website.

“There are 15 landscaping projects to choose from including a Culinary Herb Garden, Kitchen Garden, Arboretum, Pollinator Garden and more,” added Chambers. “By helping to support the completion of the landscaping at the Centre for Food, donors will help us strengthen field to fork in Durham Region including providing our students with first-hand experience in the planting, growing and cultivating of plants, fruits and vegetables via enriched, real-world curriculum and an outdoor extension to the indoor classroom.”

What you should know about Ebola

Although there have been no reported cases of the Ebola Virus in Canada, the Campus Health Centre is taking this opportunity to inform everyone about the signs and symptoms, as well as the possible methods of transmission of this viral disease.

The Ebola Virus is a viral illness primarily transmitted through direct contact with blood and body fluids/excretions of infected people, as well as contact with environmental surfaces contaminated with these fluids.

Symptoms are similar to most other viral infections such as: fever, weakness, muscle pain, headache and sore throat associated with recent travel to and from endemic areas. Symptoms usually occur within two to 21 days of being infected.

Please be mindful that the Public Health Agency of Canada has issued a Travel Health Notice advising Canadians to avoid all non-essential travel to Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.

We encourage all members of the Durham College community to continue to exercise good hygiene and remember that close observation is essential in detecting this virus.

Please refer to the Durham Region Health Department for more information.

Experience DC reveals first member of student team – meet James

On July 30, Durham College (DC) announced its new Experience DC campaign, a progressive marketing campaign launching Tuesday, September 2 and running through August 2015.  Featuring a unique group of DC students who share their college experience through a website, personal interaction and a variety of social media platforms including blogs, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, Experience DC is designed to bring the college experience to current and prospective students; parents; teachers; and the community.

Beginning today, Experience DC is introducing its team of students starting with James, known for his quirky and fun-loving nature and fondness for being behind or in front of the camera.

A new team member will be revealed every weekday until Friday, August 29 so be sure to visit the Experience DC website to get to know James and the rest of this incredible group of students to follow and share in their experience over the coming year. 

Experience DC coming this fall

At Durham College (DC), the student experience comes first, a mission that we are taking to heart with the introduction of the Experience DC campaign this fall!

Launching Tuesday, September 2 and running through August 2015, Experience DC will feature a unique group of DC students, each with their own perspective, who will be sharing their college experience through a variety of media platforms and personal interaction including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

This includes the new DC Experience website where current and prospective students; parents; teachers; and the community can connect with these amazing students – representing a wide cross-section of programs, personal interests and personalities – and share in their experiences over the coming year.

Please visit the Experience DC website to meet this dynamic group and follow and enjoy their stories this fall.

In the meantime, check out the site for a sneak peek at what Experience DC is all about!

DC furthers commitment to field to fork with construction of first greenhouse at CFF

Durham College (DC) announced today that construction on the first-ever greenhouse at its Centre for Food (CFF), a new learning facility created in direct response to the demand of the local culinary, hospitality, tourism, agriculture and horticulture sectors, has begun. This build marks a significant milestone in the college’s commitment to field to fork, which is the vision of bringing locally sourced, quality produce from field to table.

Being built for use by students in the college’s horticulture programs, the greenhouse is designed to accommodate multi-laboratory classes and provide students with a better understanding of the full potential of growing plants and produce all year long.

A major donation by the Alger family contributed immensely to the remarkable learning centre becoming a reality. DC President Don Lovisa, and the entire college community, is very grateful to the Alger family for its continued stalwart support of opportunity, accessibility and excellence to the benefit of DC students who primarily live in Durham Region.

Part of the college’s ongoing landscaping at the CFF, the greenhouse is located to the south of the 36,000-sq.-ft. CFF and will accommodate students studying in both the Horticulture – Food and Farming and Horticulture – Technician programs.

The two-year Horticulture – Food and Farming program offers students a hands-on opportunity to become familiar with the concepts of food production including plant propagation; soil and plant nutrition; fruit and vegetable production under field, greenhouse, garden and container conditions; food and agriculture regulations; and more. The two-year Horticulture Technician program focuses on the art, science and business of horticulture with students studying arboriculture; aspects of growing plants outdoors, indoors and in a greenhouse environment; landscape construction and design fundamentals; nursery management; and more

“The construction of the greenhouse at the CFF symbolizes an exciting new phase of learning for our horticulture students here at the Whitby campus,” said Susan Todd, dean of the School of Science & Engineering Technology. “In addition to the theory of horticulture learned in the classroom, the new greenhouse will provide students with a unique opportunity to gain a hands-on understanding of greenhouse design, required control measures, energy consumption and how to work in a controlled environment in both operational and plant production modes.”

The CFF, which opened to students in September 2013, houses both Bistro ’67, a teaching-inspired restaurant, and Pantry, a unique retail store that brings student-created goods straight from the culinary classroom to the community. The greenhouses will be used to grow vegetables such as tomatoes and cucumbers for use by the college’s culinary students at both locations, helping the college solidify its commitment to the field-to-fork concept, which is based on the harvesting, storage, processing, packaging, sale and consumption of food – in particular the production of local food for local consumers, a concept that has been adopted and applied to a diverse range of programs.

The comprehensive development of the CFF vision, such as the addition of the greenhouse, is continually underway and includes extensive landscaping of the grounds surrounding the building. This will strengthen the link between the college and the community and provide students with an outdoor extension to the indoor classroom, connecting them to sustainable practices; enriching their curriculum; and enhancing their environmental consciousness.

Future expansion plans at the CFF include agricultural fields, a pollinator garden, an arboretum and much more.

 

Orientation events prepare students for success

The end of summer is just around the corner and for new college students, embracing fall’s arrival can mean embracing a whole new world come September. In an effort to help ease the transition from summer relaxation to school concentration for its thousands of new first-year students, Durham College (DC) offers a variety of different orientation programs, including an online orientation section of its website at www.durhamcollege.ca/orientation.

DC’s annual orientation program features events including Get Prepared for Success, Program Orientation, the DC first-year Fun Fair; the annual CampusFest Concert and much, much more.

“There are many advantages to attending orientation activities! Our programming helps first-year students to find their way around campus, meet new friends, learn about the many campus services, and feel prepared for their first day of classes.” said Krista Watson, student development co-ordinator.

First-year students can visit the orientation website mentioned above to learn more about the many exciting activities going on around campus during orientation. Students can enjoy a movie night under the stars; come out and support the Durham Lords men’s and women’s soccer teams in the annual Campus Cup soccer match against the University of Ontario Institute of Technology; or bring their resumé and speak to employers who are recruiting students at the Part-time Job Fair.

Pantry products now available at Oshawa campus

Pantry, a retail food store featuring fresh-baked items, meals-to-go, preserved foods and ready-to-cook meals prepared in house at the Whitby campus’ Centre for Food, is now offering a variety of its delicious specialty products at the Oshawa campus bookstore.
Items available this week include:
  • Cabbage rolls (package of four), $10.50
  • Barbecue chicken dinner, $10
  • Cornish pasties, $6 each, in three different flavours: Moroccan lamb, beef and chicken; pork apple; and jerk chicken.
  • Barbecue rib dinner, $12
  • Tomato sauce: one litre, $5
Customized tote bags are also available for $2 each or free if your purchase is more than $25.
Located in the Gordon Willey building, the bookstore is open Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, please visit www.bistro67.ca/pantry and support our students by shopping at Pantry today!

DC Architectural students to contribute to new vision for downtown Cobourg

Durham College (DC) Architectural Technician and Architectural Technology students will get the opportunity to put the skills they are learning in the classroom to use in the field as they contribute to Cobourg’s downtown vitalization initiative.

A partnership between the Town of Cobourg and DC has been struck to showcase conceptual design work complementary of the character and heritage of Cobourg’s downtown district. Beginning in the upcoming fall semester, students will be asked to come up with innovative and creative design concepts for five locations within Downtown Cobourg. The project is an opportunity for the students to gain practical and relevant experience in land use, site analysis and planning.

“We are thrilled to be working with the students and instructors in Durham College’s Architectural Technician and Architectural Technology programs,” said Alison Torrie-Lapaire, Heritage Planner for The Town of Cobourg. “It is my hope that the students will gain an appreciation for the potential that heritage properties hold, and that the final designs will provide us with some new ideas as to how these properties can accommodate the needs of the community, building owners and occupants while respecting and enhancing the character of the heritage district.”

Working in small groups students will analyze building codes and draft construction and design plans taking into account both urban design and the compatibility of new development in the heritage district, along with the potential for retrofitting existing historical structures. A half-day field trip is being planned so the Architectural students can visit Cobourg in September.

“On behalf of Durham College, I would like to express how pleased we are to be working in partnership with the Town of Cobourg on their downtown revitalization project,” said Sue Todd, dean of the School of Science & Engineering Technology. “Our Architectural Technician and Technology programs are focused on sustainable design and provide the practical and design knowledge required to succeed in this exciting field. We can’t think of a better project for our highly skilled students to demonstrate their talents in. Thank you to the Town of Cobourg for their confidence and support of Durham College and its students.”

By the end of the semester students will present their final design plans. The concepts that come out of these plans will be integrated into the existing sketch of Cobourg’s downtown and will help to illustrate a new vision and a fresh perspective while maximizing the potential of these select downtown properties.