More than 375 students in the School of Media, Art & Design (MAD) started their new academic year off with a friendly creative competition earlier this month during the fourth annual 48-Hour Film Challenge. Beginning September 4, 40 teams of students with participants spanning four MAD programs, were assigned a genre, character type, line of dialogue, and a prop. They were then tasked with writing, shooting and editing a short film in only two days.

Second-year and graduate-program students participating as veterans were also required to take on the role of producer or director to make the competition more challenging for them. On September 7, the films were screened at the Cineplex Odeon Theatre in Oshawa and judged by a panel of industry professionals.

Members of the film crew for this year’s best picture winner, The Box, which included David Foote, Milan Seratlic, Justin Chisholm, Anurag Parteek Singh, Sri Chilkamarri, Evan Cane, Anfernee Robinson, Wang Mengheng, Shayne Hamilton and Cameron Burns, will now have their names engraved on the prestigious Deanie Award, a trophy featuring a miniature likeness of MAD executive dean Greg Murphy. The team also won first place in the Best Adventure category.

The following films were also honoured at the screening:

• The Exhibition – Best Mystery
• Gory Gloves – Best Horror
• The Furry Foot Bandit – Best Western

“This competition underscores the challenge of working within real deadlines and highlights the importance of developing strong communication and collaboration skills,” said Jennifer Bedford, a professor in both the Photography and Video Production programs for MAD. “While we typically hold this event mid-semester, this year we ran the challenge during the first week of school to give our students a taste of the industry right off the bat, while also introducing them to the School of Media, Art and Design and the supportive faculty and employees who will guide them through their program over the next semester.”

The following industry professionals and DC employees comprised the jury which chose the winners in all categories: Eileen Kennedy, liaison, Durham Region Film Office; Sami Jewer, DC alumna and independent filmmaker; Lisa Shepard, dean, International Education at DC; Greg Murphy, dean, MAD at DC; Andy Malcolm, foley artist, Footsteps Studios; and Peter Garrett, manager, Strategic Reporting and Government Relations, DC.

The film challenge brought together students from DC’s programs in Broadcasting for Radio & Contemporary Media, Media Fundamentals, Photography and Video Production, along with mentoring staff and faculty.

The largest competition of its kind in Canada, the event is designed to help students meet and collaborate across program boundaries and form a community of emerging content creators. It also provides students with an opportunity to flex their creativity and develop soft skills, such as communication, teamwork and problem solving, which are vital to achieving success after graduation.

This fall, more than 13,400 full-time and apprenticeship students have chosen Durham College (DC) to help them build the foundation they need for successful, meaningful careers. Included in that number are more than 7,700 first-year students, more than 1,900 new and returning international students from 72 countries and 543 students who have attended university and are now pursuing greater applied learning and experience. Another 6,000 students are also gaining new skills and knowledge via part-time studies.

“Students across the region, province and well beyond recognize DC as an educational leader,” says Dr. Elaine Popp, vice president, Academic. “This is why they continue to entrust us with their post-secondary experience. Students want to graduate career-ready and the multidisciplinary, experiential and applied learning offered at DC helps them do exactly that.”

Within the new student body, DC is welcoming the inaugural class of the Artificial Intelligence Analysis, Design and Implementation (AIDI) graduate certificate program. The first graduate certificate of its kind in Canada, AIDI focuses on enterprise AI, including both off-the-shelf solutions and proprietary AI.

The program is a natural extension of and complement to DC’s AI Hub that launched in 2018. The AI Hub provides students with opportunities to gain client-centric, real-work experience through applied research projects focused on AI in connection with education, manufacturing and healthcare in particular.

The college is also expanding its skilled trades offerings with the new Carpentry and Renovation Technician (RENO) program. RENO graduates enter the work force with a competitive edge thanks to a strong knowledge and understanding of structural renovations, sustainable construction theory and energy-wise construction techniques, as well as foundational business theories and strategies to complement their technical training. The program also offers students two options for gaining valuable hands-on experience through either a field placement or co-operative education work term.

Additional new offerings for the 2019-2020 academic year include Police Foundations (fast-track) and Protection, Security and Investigation (fast-track), each of which allows students who have a diploma to earn a second credential in only one additional year of study.

“All of the activity on campus – from new programs to applied research to increased opportunities for experiential learning – reflect the ways in which the college is listening and responding to both industry and our students,” says DC president Don Lovisa. “This energetic start to the new academic year is a clear indication of all that’s to come in the months ahead as DC continues to lead the way for our students, employees, industry partners and community.”

Durham College Spa (DC Spa) is pleased to announce new esthetic and cosmetic services are now available for booking in addition to the popular massage therapy treatments launched last year.

Following a summer hiatus, the spa is now open again for student massage therapy appointments.

Esthetic and cosmetic services will launch Tuesday, September 17.

Community members, students and employees are encouraged to book now to enjoy therapeutic treatments, quality products and services at affordable prices:

See complete service menus.

Located on the second floor of the Centre for Collaborative Education, Oshawa campus, DC Spa is open to the public and provides an inclusive space committed to making holistic beauty, health and wellness accessible and more affordable for all.

Delivered under the guidance of expert faculty, including Registered Massage Therapists, DC Spa treatments and services support the intensive training and learning of our esthetician, beauty advisor and massage therapy student practitioners.

Support students’ success – book your appointments today!

Learn more at www.durhamcollegespa.ca.

On September 12, Durham College’s (DC) Enactus DC team was presented with a cheque for $3000 from Town of Whitby Mayor Don Mitchell as part of the Mayor’s Community Development Fund (MCDF). The grant will go towards the team’s True Grit project, an interactive mental health initiative that sees student leaders working closely with their peers on campus to develop experiential wellness workshops. The team hopes to eventually expand the workshops, offering them to at-risk youth across Whitby, Oshawa and the Durham Region.

“This grant from the Town of Whitby will allow our Enactus DC team to assist their peers in accessing fundamental wellness services needed to succeed both personally and professionally,” said Dr. Elaine Popp, vice president, Academic at DC. “We are always grateful when our community rallies behind our students by supporting real-world learning initiatives where they have the opportunity to apply the skills learned in the classroom.”

“We are proud to support the Durham College Enactus team through funds for their True Grit project,” said Don Mitchell, mayor, Town of Whitby. “Through student-led initiatives, True Grit will bring added mental health supports to at-risk youth in our community and beyond. We are pleased to be a part of this important project.”

The MCDF utilizes net revenue from the Mayor’s Golf Tournament and the Mayor’s Fundraiser to provide financial support to community groups, events and initiatives that will benefit the community.

The True Grit project is led by Heather Brown, a student in DC’s Social Service Worker program and vice-president of the Enactus DC team.

Enactus is an international non-profit organization dedicated to creating social change through entrepreneurship. DC’s chapter launched in 2016 through FastStartDC, the college’s entrepreneurship centre, and focuses on making positive economic and social impacts in Durham Region.

For more information on the projects or how to get involved with Enactus DC, visit www.enactusdc.com.

The Durham College (DC) Oshawa and Whitby campuses were abuzz with activity last week as the college kicked off the 2019-2020 academic year, welcoming first-year students to campus during its annual Orientation from September 3 to 6.

Designed to help first-year students acclimatize to college life, meet staff and faculty, explore student services and explore the college’s Oshawa and Whitby campuses, Orientation also provides students with an opportunity to learn more about program expectations and student clubs, all while developing new friendships.

“Orientation is such an exciting time for our new first-year students! We work diligently with our campus and community partners to ensure that a wide variety of programming is available to all students so that everyone feels home here at Durham College,” said Krista Licsi, student development manager, Office of Student Diversity, Inclusion and Transitions.

After the official welcome ceremony and program orientation sessions on September 3, students were invited to a country-themed barbecue hosted by Durham College Students Inc. at the Whitby campus, which featured live music, lunch and a mechanical bull. At the Oshawa campus students enjoyed the first-ever DC Street Festival with live music, games, a clubs and services fair and access to a variety of food trucks and local vendors.

New this year, students were welcomed into the Student Centre on September 5 for an Open House and Gaming Day, allowing them to check out the new Esports Gaming Arena, whose consoles and computers were available for free for the day. Other Orientation events included Flamingle, hosted by the DC Pride Collective, the Part-time Job Fair, the Get Involved Fair and Movie Under the Stars.

As the college’s strategic plan approaches its three-year renewal, Durham College (DC) is engaging students to provide input on DC’s strategic direction for the next three years.

The involvement of all key stakeholder groups is vital to creating a plan that is reflective of the shared values and goals the college strives to uphold every day.

All DC students are invited to participate in a student-focused strategic planning session where they will have the opportunity to network and provide input on where the college is headed and how it should inform the strategic plan.

Students can choose one of the following dates:

Monday, September 16
2 to 4 p.m.

OR

Wednesday, September 18
10 a.m. to noon

Both sessions will be held at the Oshawa campus in the Campus Recreation and Wellness Centre, Room G213. Snacks and refreshments will be on hand along with fun giveaways.

Interested students should RSVP by Thursday, September 12, stating their preferred session, by emailing the Office of the President or calling 905.721.2000 ext. 2252.

Durham College is pleased to announce the expansion of core business hours for its academic school offices and student support services. These changes will help match access to resources with the level of evening activity on campus and further enhance students’ experience.

The new hours of operation for the fall and winter semesters at the Oshawa and Whitby campuses are:

• Monday to Thursday
  8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• Friday
  8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Updated hours are also posted on individual student service and support area web pages.