Durham College students carve their way to victory

Two Durham College (DC) students recently took advantage of the record cold temperatures when they won the Winterloo Student Ice Carving Competition in Waterloo, Ont. on February 15. Marisa Latin, a second-year Culinary Management student, and Michael Stowell-Smith, a first-year student in the Hospitality Management – Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism program, teamed up to represent DC at the first annual event.

“We were invited to be one of three colleges (along with Conestoga and Fleming College) to participate in this event,” said Dave Hawey, professor and program co-ordinator of DC’s culinary programs. “Participating in events like this gives our students the opportunity to network as well as represent DC in an extra-curricular activity.”

The competition required students to create an ice carving from a 300-pound block of ice with basic carving tools. The carving was to be based on the competitions theme of Hearts and Dogs and was to be completed within a four-hour time limit. Carvings were then judged based on their relevance to the contest’s theme, overall impression and defined finish.

Faculty members from DC’s culinary and hospitality programs were also on hand to act as mentors for the students in the competition, assisting with larger cuts necessary in creating the sculpture. Stowell-Smith and Latin completed a beautiful swan carving that impressed the judges and pushed their effort ahead of their competitors, winning the inaugural event.

Hawey went on to mention the value for students participating in events such as Winterloo.

“Students gain the opportunity to learn a new skill which is great for their personal and professional portfolios and the support from the rest of the students and faculty showcased the tremendous pride found at DC and the Centre for Food,” said Hawey. 


Studying abroad opportunities in Ireland

The Irish Institutes of Technology visited Durham College (DC) on February 10 to showcase a new pathways agreement with DC which offers students the opportunity to complete an honours degree program in Ireland.

This initiative, led by Enterprise Ireland, aims to increase the number of Canadian students studying in Ireland to assist in the entrepreneurial growth of the island nation. As well, the agreement adds to the more than 450 pathway to degree options already offered to DC students.

Students who missed the first information session will have a second chance to learn about this exciting opportunity on Wednesday, February 26 with a free, online webinar at 4 p.m. Along with learning about the chance to study abroad, students will hear from current and recently returning Canadian students who will highlight the high quality education options and unique culture found there. As well, all students who partake in the webinar will be entered for a chance to win a trip for two to Dublin, Ireland.

Registration for the webinar is available by visiting the Education in Ireland site.


DC students donate to OneMatch

Led by a group of Durham College (DC) student volunteers, the One Match Stem Cell and Marrow Network held their annual “Get Swabbed” event at the Oshawa campus on February 13. The event is held to help recruit healthy, committed donors for patients in need of stem cells.

This year, a specific emphasis has been placed in finding more young male donors between the ages of 17 and 35 from an ethnic background to address the shortage within this category. Approximately 12 per cent of the current stem cell donor base fits into this demographic, forcing a large amount of patients to draw from a small donor base that primarily consists of donors from other countries. In 2006, 77 per cent of stem cells used by Canadian patients were provided by donors from other countries.

“I really believe in this, this saves lives,” said Angela Gillis, a second-year Library and Information Technician student volunteering with the event. “It only takes a few minutes to fill out the form, to do the swab and the college campus is a great environment to be looking for the donors needed by this OneMatch campaign.”

With fewer than 30 per cent of patients requiring stem cell transplants able to find a match within their own family a necessity exists for the generosity of others to help potentially save lives. Currently, more than 237,000 Canadians have volunteered to donate stem cells. For those that missed the on-campus event but are interested in becoming a donor, please visit the OneMatch website or call 1.888.2.DONATE (1.888.236.6283).


Health Centre continues to grow and serve students

The Health Centre is an invaluable part of the Durham College (DC) campus, providing students with numerous services to ensure their needs are met while attending college. In order to continue providing students with a great overall experience, the Health Centre has expanded its offerings to now include psychiatric nursing care, alongside its existing counselling services, to assist students dealing with mental health concerns by providing the necessary support.

“College marks the start of many new transitions in peoples’ lives; moving away from home for the first time, finding independence, new friendships and experiences, as well as a challenging new class schedule,” said Lindsey Thomas, the Health Centre’s new psychiatric nurse. “We want to make sure that we are providing early detection and prompt care to decrease the amount of disruption that this may cause to someone’s personal life. The team will help support students in whatever way they need.”

Along with psychiatric nursing care and counselling services, the Health Centre also provides students with a medical clinic, pharmacy, massage therapy, acupuncture, chiropractic therapy and a nutritionist. The medical clinic and counselling services are covered under the DC health insurance plan that is included in every students’ tuition fees while the other offerings are all available for a nominal fee.

“The Health Centre staff members are knowledgeable leaders in their fields,” said Thomas. “It is a friendly, confidential space where students’ health care needs can be assessed, treated and maintained to ensure optimal and holistic functioning.”

The Health Centre is located in the Campus Recreation and Wellness Centre and is open Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.


Student mobility enhanced and simplified

Durham College (DC) students are being provided with more opportunities to continue their post-secondary education in an enhanced and simplified way with the recent launch of a new course-to-course transfer guide developed by the Ontario Council on Articulation and Transfer (ONCAT).

With more than 21,500 post-secondary students transferring within Ontario schools each year the course-to-course transfer guide will allow them to determine what credit they can expect to receive from participating institutions prior to applying.

Currently 35 colleges and universities are taking part in the two-phase launch with more planned to join in the future. Development of this initiative began in 2012 after the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities requested a more streamlined credit transfer system across the province. Durham College currently offers more than 450 pathways to degree options

DC president Don Lovisa has made the development of transfers and pathways a priority for the college and has put himself on the forefront by serving as Co-Chair of the ONCAT’s Board.

“As someone who has been involved in the credit transfer discussions for a long period of time, I have seen first-hand how institutional collaboration is transforming the culture of credit transfer in Ontario,” said Don Lovisa. “I am proud to be a part of ONCAT, the only organization in Ontario that brings together all colleges and universities to achieve a common goal to improve student mobility.”

ONCAT was established in 2011 as part of a five-year, $73.7 million commitment from the province to support the development of post-secondary infrastructure required to promote student mobility.


Centre for Food hosts Breakfast Television

Monday morning came early at the Centre for Food (CFF) on February 3 when the college played host to Breakfast Television’s (BT) Jennifer Valentyne and the Live Eye crew as they filmed five different segments that aired throughout the morning.

Showcasing the college’s culinary, hospitality, events and horticulture students, Live Eye opened with President Don Lovisa and Valentyne surrounded by students in the building’s main atrium in front of the college’s spectacular living wall. After discussing the CFF’s field-to-fork concept Lovisa then presented Valentyne with her own chef’s jacket while setting the stage for the ‘Durham College Winter Warm Up’.

The four remaining segments saw culinary students and profs discussing how to work with local apple cider to create a classic hot and cold winter beverage; horticulture and events students and profs showing viewers how to make seasonal table centerpieces on a shoestring budget; culinary students and profs showing off how to make delicious vegetarian chilli and lamb stew and the best wines to pair them with; and lastly horticulture students showed Valentyne and viewers how to create an indoor garden designed to provide a variety of flavour-enhancing culinary herbs all winter long.

“Everyone at Durham College was thrilled to welcome Jennifer and her crew to the CFF this morning,” said Lovisa. “It was a great opportunity to have some fun with our students, professors and, of course, Jennifer, while sharing everything we love about CFF and its programs and students as well as the college’s commitment to field-to-fork. We would welcome them back anytime!”

Toronto’s number one morning show, BT airs from 5:30 to 9 a.m., Monday to Friday and offers viewers a refreshing look at the day ahead, combining the latest in local news, weather, traffic , celebrity interviews, lifestyle trends, local community events and big ticket giveaways. LiveEye sees Valentyne tour around the Greater Toronto Area and far beyond to businesses, tourist attractions, etc. 

Pictures from the day can be found on Durham College’s Facebook photo gallery and the video segments can be found on BT’s website at the following locations:


Celebrate Black History month at Durham College

February marks the observation of Black History month and Durham College (DC) is proud to showcase Canada’s multicultural heritage and history which includes several founding and pioneering experiences from Black Canadians.

“Black Canadian students need to feel affirmed; need to have role models and need to be aware of the contributions made by other Blacks in Canada,” said Allison Hector-Alexander, diversity officer at DC.

As part of the month-long celebration, DC’s Diversity office is set to host the fifth annual Professional and Mentorship event on Thursday, February 6 at the Campus Recreation and Wellness Centre from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The event provides an opportunity for students to meet and connect with a diverse group of Black professionals from the community. Students will hear about education choices, career journeys and a typical day in the life of a professional.

When asked about the event, Hector-Alexander spoke of its ability to empower students and provide a dedicated experience.

“This is a chance to connect and create mentor relationships that can be invaluable throughout a student’s education journey,” she said.” This is our way of creating connections to continue to ensure that the student experience comes first.”


DC students to shoot educational video in Caribbean

Durham College, in partnership with the Association of Canadian Community Colleges (ACCC), is pleased to announce that School of Media, Art & Design (MAD) students Chris Gauvreau and Manjula Selvarajah, along with journalism Professor Danielle Harder, have been selected to travel to Jamaica and Antigua this January with another trip to follow in February to Guyana and Barbados to produce videos documenting the CARICOM Education for Employment (C-EFE) program, part of ACCC’s overall Education for Employment (EFE) initiative. C-EFE is a seven-year initiative funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (DFATD), formerly known as CIDA.

Gauvreau, Selvarajah and Harder will produce the videos as part of the C-EFE’s marketing strategy and materials. The team will be filming and interviewing individuals working on several EFE projects currently underway in the Caribbean with a particular focus on how to engage industry in education/training while showcasing industry involvement in curriculum development. Through these partnerships, Canadian post-secondary schools can share their experience in educational programs tailored to local employers’ needs, while providing Canadian college students with learning opportunities abroad.

Gauvreau, a second-year student in the Digital Video Production program, and Selvarajah, a third-year student in the Journalism – Print and Broadcast program, were chosen to participate by a panel of professors and Greg Murphy, dean of MAD, based on their portfolio presentations and interviews.

“We are incredibly proud of the strong depth of talent at Durham College,” said Fiona Richards, executive director, International Business Development. “Being able to utilize the talents of both our students and faculty in an international setting while providing Chris and Manjula with an opportunity to obtain real-world work experience while gaining exposure to other countries and cultures continues to enhance our reputation for providing experiential learning and bringing our mission ‘the student experience comes first’ to life.”

While in the Caribbean the students will be posting updates to their personal twitter accounts about their adventures using #projectcaribbean.

In addition to what is taking place in the Caribbean, a team of MAD students based at the college will be co-ordinating and leading a one-hour live Riot radio show during each trip (two shows in total). The shows will feature interviews with Selvarajah and ACCC partners in the Caribbean. There will also be daily traveller blogs with short updates on how the team is doing on location.

The students back in Canada will also be creating a website for the project that includes more details about the trip, blogs and samples of footage shot. The site will be updated regularly while the team is away so that people may follow their adventures. Some behind-the-scenes footage may also be posted to showcase the work involved in preparing for the trip.

“This is a phenomenal opportunity for us,” said Selvarajah. “It will give us a chance to take everything we have learned in our classrooms and studios and apply it in a real-life scenario. We plan to make our client happy with the pieces we produce and our college very proud.”


First Generation initiative welcomes newcomers with open arms

At Durham College the student experience comes first and the First Generation initiative provided by the Student Life office is an excellent example of this mission. First introduced in 2009 as a pilot project, the program is designed to encourage and support incoming students whose parents or guardians did not attend a post-secondary institution by providing assistance in the form of mentoring programs, orientation events, academic workshops, student bursaries and more. On average a third of all Durham College students are considered to be first generation.

Led by Lucy Romao Vandepol, First Generation student co-ordinator, the initiative provides the opportunity for students who enter post-secondary education unfamiliar with the college environment to familiarize themselves with everything on campus at their own pace.

“The key to the First Generation program is being able to build that rapport with students and letting them feel like they have someone on campus to go to,” said Romao Vandepol.

Working directly with first generation students, Romao Vandepol acts as host of Latte’s with Lucy, a frequently occurring workshop that brings together first generation students to answer questions and provide assistance during their time at Durham College.

“I didn’t know my way around or what would be expected of me but Lucy and the first generation group really filled in all those blanks for me,” said Mechanical Engineering Technician – Non-Destructive Evaluation student Clifford Roffey when asked about the program.

First generation students are invited to attend the next Latte’s with Lucy on Thursday, January 30 from 2-3:30 p.m. in the Student Services Building to learn more. 


Durham College professor speaks at TEDx

Creativity, collaboration and engagement was the title and theme of a TEDx event that took place this past weekend and featured prominent speakers including astronaut Marc Garneau and Durham College professor Lon Appleby.

TED conferences bring together people from the worlds of technology, entertainment and design and have progressed into a global staple of education built upon a series of inspirational and enlightening TED Talks videos that are easily accessed online. TEDx are local, self-organized events that bring people together to share and learn through the combination of live speakers and TED Talks video’s.

Appleby, who teaches in the School of Interdisciplinary Studies and Employment Services, was one of eight speakers selected to present at the Oshawa event. Appleby has been a full-time professor of the general education program for five years, teaching such classes as: short history of the world; the global class; and popular culture and media. His expertise in education and global issues are what interested Durham College graduate and TEDx organizer Chris Fernlund into inviting him to be a speaker at the event.

“Chris had previously been a student of mine in my short history of the world course,” said Appleby. “After graduation Chris continued his studies and as well decided to organize the TEDx event showing him to be one of the many outstanding students I am seeing these days at Durham College who have an interest in human history and world affairs.”

Appleby’s presentation focused on the change occurring in the classroom as the world continues to become more interconnected and interdependent. When asked about Durham College’s progression in terms of this ever evolving global community, Appleby was excited by the direction the college is heading.

“From the top, Durham College is forging a culture of innovation and student success, and what I see around me, increasingly, from the new programs and growing enrolment and the kinds of courses that are being offered, is a college that is determined to become a leader in education for the twenty-first century,” said Appleby. “This is an exciting time to be a professor.”