Humber College’s student newspaper The Et Cetera took top honours last night as the Canadian Community Newspapers Association announced its national award winners for 2012 at a ceremony held at Toronto’s Fairmont Royal York Hotel.

The publication, produced weekly in print and online editions during each semester as part of the journalism program at Humber’s School of Media Studies and Information Technology, led all Canadian college and university newspapers in the Outstanding Campus Newspaper category. Second-place honours were awarded to the University of Toronto Varsity and third place went to Alberta’s Mount Royal College Reflector.

“I have always told our journalism students that their careers begin with the print and online publications and broadcasts they produce as part of their school program, as it did for me and many other Canadian journalists,” said Prof. Salem Alaton, faculty advisor for The Et Cetera.

“For this award, we had an excellent and motivated student team working within one of the strongest and best-respected media programs in the country. The students and everyone associated with the program, particularly our outgoing Dean, William Hanna, rightly share the honour.”

Partnered with Newspapers Canada, the Canadian Community Newspapers Association is the country’s leading trade association for the newspaper industry.

Hanna, who has been with Humber College over 36 years and served as dean the last 15, will remain in his position as associate vice-president, academic.

Basil Guinane, associate dean, SMSIT, said, Hanna is “a very hard act to follow. He brought a sparkling sense of humour, strong leadership and ability to work well with others. He was the consummate people person.”

A portion of Hanna’s communication:

“Longer term planning and operations, new program development, ongoing leadership and the building and sharing of a common vision for the school requires a full time Dean. I am unable to fill that role at this time and, therefore, have decided to step down from my role as Dean, School of Media Studies & IT…

“This decision has been a difficult one for me to reach. For fifteen years we have shared a journey of building what I believe to be the finest media training centres in the country. I am extremely proud of what we have accomplished together and I value the relationships I have built with you during this time.

“As a new leader moves into the Dean’s role with a fresh perspective and vision, I can rest assured knowing that he or she will have the support of the finest faculty and staff in the industry. It has been a privilege to have been your dean.”

Canadian Forces members are using yoga to combat PTSD. PHOTO BY GIULIA FRISINA

Giulia Frisina
Life Reporter

It is difficult for Bill Thompson to talk about his 35 years of service with the Canadian Armed Forces.

“One of the reasons I left the military was because I was diagnosed with depression and post-traumatic stress disorder,” said Thompson.

Thanks to his daughter, Thompson – who has been retired for five years – started doing yoga in January with a Barrie organization called Yoga Warriors Canada, which helps soldiers as well as first responders deal with post-traumatic stress disorder and depression.

In the beginning, Thompson said he was apprehensive about trying yoga.

“My initial perception of yoga was that I wasn’t into all the touchy feely stuff. It wasn’t manly, it wasn’t a soldier thing to do,” said Thompson. “I guess my perception to life is somewhat antiquated.”

In 2011, the Canadian Forces released a study noting that of 2,045 randomly chosen personnel who served in Afghanistan between 2001 and 2008, eight per cent were diagnosed with mission-related PTSD. An additional 5.2 per cent were diagnosed with Afghanistan-related mental health disorders other than PTSD, like depression.

Nicole Taylor, nurse practitioner at Southlake Regional Hospital in Newmarket, and the founder of Yoga Warriors Canada, said the Yoga Warriors regime is based on a study conducted by the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Army in 2009 that examined the effects of yoga and symptoms of combat stress among those returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

“We focus on slowing down, because most people in that population are in a constant state of hyper-arousal,” said Taylor. “So what we do at Yoga Warrior is bring them back, slow their mind and body right down by slowing the postures.”

“We also focus a lot on back and knees, because many of these soldiers and first responders, with the work they do, have issues in these areas,” she said.

Taylor, who teaches in Barrie at Ann Green’s Studio Bliss on Wednesdays and Thursdays at Canadian Forces Base Borden, said that she must pay attention to her body language around PTSD sufferers. For example, approaching someone with this disorder from behind can trigger an unintended reaction. Instead, Taylor said she tries to create a safe environment.

“I’ve also come to realize what a huge support system my classes have been,” said Taylor. “My students keep coming earlier and then once the class is over they stay later and hang out on their mats and talk.”

Maureen Martin, a yoga instructor at Humber, said she thinks Yoga Warriors is a great concept.

“I can see how this can be beneficial for the soldiers,” said Martin. “In my practice, I see students who are always stressed and it helps them become more calm with things in the external world.”

According to Thompson, the anxiety he feels subsides after each yoga class.

“I look at it as a coping mechanism,” he said. “To embrace it is a matter of education.”

An apple a day may keep the doctor away, but it could be better to dip that apple in chocolate first, according to a new study from the University of California at San Diego.

Involving 1,000 volunteers, the study noted that lowering one’s body mass index is easier for people who eat chocolate on a daily basis compared to people who avoid it altogether, due to the discovery of a new antioxidant called epicatechin, found in chocolate.

“It has shown to boost metabolism, increase energy and reduce weight,” said Marilyn Temple, a registered dietitian at Eat Right Ontario, of epicatechin.

What Temple found interesting about the study was that the participant’s lifestyle had no impact on the results.

“The chocolate had more effect than the exercise and consumptions of fruits and vegetables,” she said.

She said the study also showed that it is not the quantity of chocolate that plays a role on your health, but the amount of cocoa, going back to the long held theory that dark chocolate is better for you than milk or white.

The study does not make mention to the amount of chocolate that should be consumed.

Beth Washburn, professor of sociology of sport and food at Humber College, is skeptical of the findings.

“Yes, there is something healthy in chocolate,” she said. “But you need to have a healthy diet otherwise. I don’t believe in these quick-fix kinds of findings – one little molecule, one little nutrient, or one little antioxidant that’s all of a sudden going to solve all your problems and make you healthy, or skinny.”

Though cautious, Washburn said there may be a positive aspect to the study.

“Whether we know it or not, there is a ton of emotional relationships with food, and chocolate is a particularly powerful one,” said Washburn. “If people believe that they can have chocolate and lose weight, it is the best of both worlds for most people.”

Chef Erich Naus, a culinary arts professor at Humber, advises students to stick to molded chocolate figurines when choosing which chocolate delicacy to eat.

“Usually the pure chocolate or the molded chocolates would be better for you than a chocolate truffle or candy bar,” he said, because chocolate in the pure or molded state contains higher amounts of cocoa mass and cocoa butter and is healthier than their vegetable fat substitutes.

He also advised that even though the study said daily chocolate is healthy, to stay away from chocolate cakes or cupcakes, leaving those as a luxury for once every other week.

“It all goes back to what dietitians repeat,” said Temple. “Eat treats in moderation. People who eat chocolate in moderation are better off than those who do not.”

As graduation approaches, it’s time for students to spruce up their resumes and put their best foot forward to make an impression on potential employers. But what does one wear?

“If you can see up it, down it or through it, it’s not appropriate for the interview,” said Karen Fast, manager at Humber’s career centre and career advancement services.

To help, the Humber Students’ Federation is giving a Humber graduate a $1,000 gift certificate to The Bay and a day with a personal shopper to buy a new wardrobe.

“If you look around campus, half the people here are wearing sweat pants to school every day,” said Stephen Wong, HSF communications co-ordinator. “So we thought graduating students could probably use some help getting a wardrobe that is appropriate for the work world.”

Wong said to win the contest, graduating students must submit a 500 word essay or two minute video explaining why they deserve a new wardrobe.

Fast said there are positions that have a casual approach, but it’s always best to dress conservatively for an interview.

“Stay away from things like the big hoop earrings and bangle bracelets,” she said. “There’s a certain image that we want to portray of being professional and making yourself look like you’re ready for the workforce.”

“Students should consider the age or generation of the person doing the hiring,” Fast said, noting that although attitudes toward tattoos and face piercings have softened over the years, they could still play a role in landing the job.

“I would say if you can take piercings out or play them down, I think that’s appropriate,” she said. “I’ve seen people with tongue piercings and it impairs their speech, so if you’re going to be on the phone all day, you’d better be able to speak clearly.”

Cosmetic management student, Sarah West, 18, said appearance plays a large role, especially in her industry.

“We have to look a certain way, dress in all black and wear fancy clothes,” said West. “It’s about our skill, but it’s also about how we look.”

Amateurs and professionals are getting ready to run alongside Canadian Olympic team runners Reid Coolsaet and Eric Gillis at the annual Yonge Street 10K on Sunday.

The run organized by Canada Running Series is in its 15th year.

Coolsaet and Gillis will both be taking part in the Olympic games in London this summer.

Kathryn Handford, marketing and promotions director at CRS, said the run is good for amateurs because most of the course is slightly downhill.

The course extends from north of Eglinton Avenue to just west of Bathurst Street.

“The race starts early Sunday morning at 9 a.m., so businesses won’t be affected,” said Handford.

CRS invited 10 charities to organize people for the run and use the event as a fundraiser, said Handford. Some of the official charities include Sunnybrook Hospital Foundation and the Canadian Cancer Society.

Monique Haan, cross country coach and varsity academic co-ordinator at Humber, said having two Olympic runners in the event should be motivation enough to get people to participate.

“Some people may find it intimidating, but if you’re a real avid runner, then seeing these Olympic runners who’ve been putting in all the training and the hard work is really encouraging,” said Haan.

Haan said everyone is in the same boat once the race starts and even elite runners get nervous.

But Haan said it is important to train well in advance.

“It’d be a matter of gradually building up your endurance,” Haan said. “You start running for one or two kilometres, then walk, and then do a run again until you get to 10 kilometres without stopping all the time.”

Darren Mancini, 20, second-year fitness and health promotion student and cross-country varsity runner, said it is hard being a runner.

“You have to always be fit and always be eating properly,” Mancini said. “A runner needs to get a notebook and write down not only how far they ran, but how they felt and what they ate.”

Mancini knew running was for him back in elementary school when he discovered he could run that extra mile.

He said the hardest thing for runners is to know when to take a day off from training.

Mancini said he would love to race in the 10K, but he prefers running off the road in cross-country events.

Haan said buying the right kind of footwear for running is essential.

“You really need to go to a shoe specialist who would know the type of running shoe that would support your feet,” she said.

Handford said 8,000 people are expected to participate in the 10K this year.

“With the spring weather, you see many more people coming out,” Haan said. “It’s nice to see a healthy Toronto.”

Bryan Tran, 27, will conclude his role as HSF president on May 1. PHOTO BY ERIN EATON

Erin Eaton
HSF Reporter

In the Humber hallways, he is known as “King of the HSF.” But buried beneath Robert’s Rules of Order and mounds of paperwork is a complex, determined individual with a story that may surprise.

A target of childhood bullying, depression and academic shame, Byran Tran, 27, shared his experiences before closing the book on his two-year run as president of the Humber Students’ Federation.

“I was really bullied and teased when I was a kid. Every day I would go home and cry. It took me a long time to develop social skills,” he said.

“I’ve been dealing with depression for most of my adult life and adolescence, and have been seeing a counselor … talking about these things and exploring them at this point of my life has really helped me get over it,” he added.

The combination of family pressure and social woes led the adolescent Tran to rebel – behaviour that pushed him into Robert Land Academy military school in Wellandport, Ontario, where he attempted to regain a sense of discipline and structure.

“My parents gave me an ultimatum – military school or the streets,” he said. 
“It was hardcore. All of the kids there were either court ordered there for drugs or violence or were kicked out from other military schools in the [United] States.”

The self-discipline that was instilled at military school helped him earn an academic scholarship to the University of Waterloo, but Tran never truly felt at home there.

“I flunked out first semester because I went from a very strict environment—every moment of our lives planned out to complete freedom, so the transition was tough,” he said.

He fluttered between arts, accounting and engineering before dropping out of university to spend some time working, eventually heading to Humber. “I didn’t really have a lot of direction, so deciding to come to school was a catalyst for these important changes.”

After a productive first year studying business at Lakeshore, Tran decided to apply for the HSF on a whim. He then participated as lead events assistant and VP campus life at Lakeshore before serving for two years as HSF president.

“It’s kind of lonely at the top – you make all the hard decisions and get all the flack,” he said. 
“But generally, it’s been great. I’ve had a great opportunity to make some important changes.”

Tran said he was most proud of initiating a new governance structure.

“I thought our board structure was kind of off. We never had the representation that we felt we should have had. And, I don’t think it was any fault of us, it’s just that the structure wasn’t conducive of that,” said Tran.

“So, we’re moving toward a representation by population model in which each campus will have a certain number of directors that are elected at large. The process by which students get elected has improved with this new structure. It’s going to be a huge change, and I’m really excited to see how successful it is.”

“I think he’s a leader who wants to make sure the organization was leading in the right direction, and has strategic goals and plans – he does have that ability to lead,” said Sieu Moi Ly, the services director at HSF.

After Humber, Tran intends to pursue business leadership professionally, though he admits to some hesitation about becoming a “corporate wage slave.”

“There is a deep part inside of me that’s like ‘don’t do it,’ and another part that’s like ‘but what other choice do I have?’” he said.

No matter what path Tran follows, executive director Ercole Perrone said his ability to lead and create change is very impressive.

“The impact and large-scale changed initiated by Bryan are so fundamental—they are not comparable to his predecessors.”

Orville Getz is president of OPSEU local 562, Humber’s faculty union. PHOTO BY RUSSELL PIFFER

By Russell Piffer
News Reporter

Three years after part-time and sessional faculty at Ontario colleges took a vote on unionizing with the Ontario Public Service Employees Union, the campaign is still before the labour board because of challenges from college management.

For a union drive to go to vote, 40 per cent of the workforce needs to sign a union card, according to the province’s Labour Relations Act.

The College Employer Council, the top managing body of Ontario colleges, has requested that the Labour Board review every signature to ensure it belongs to an eligible employee, said Orville Getz, president of OPSEU local 562, Humber’s faculty union.

“The colleges are challenging every name on the voters’ list,” said Getz.  “They don’t want the part-timers to have a union – that’s what it’s all about – because it would be a lot more costly.”

Getz said there are about 450 to 500 part-time and about 30 sessional faculty at Humber alone.

Part-time faculty teach one to six hours a week and sessionals teach 13 to 18.

Faculty that put in seven to 12 classroom hours per week are classified as partial load and are already included in the collective agreement, he said.

“They have a lot higher rate of pay than the part timers or the sessionals and they have some benefits,” Getz said.  “Part time and sessional get nothing and technically they can buy into nothing. If they want to buy into the drug plan or dental plan, they can’t.”

The continuing drive to improve conditions for part-time and sessional faculty comes as OPSEU gears up to negotiate a new contract for full-time college faculty, with an initial notice to bargain scheduled for early June and negotiations anticipated through the summer.

While full-time faculty have attained many key objectives in years past, part-time and sessional teachers remain unprotected. Getz said a successful unionization would mean a big increase in pay and benefits.

“It would cost the colleges millions of dollars,” he said. “And the government isn’t prepared to give them the money.”

The results of the union vote have been sealed and won’t be opened until the Labour Board rules that OPSEU collected enough signatures, said Don Sinclair, CEO of the College Employer Council.

“As the employer we have the ability to challenge the number of cards that got signed,” Sinclair said.  “We do not believe that they have the numbers.”

Sinclair said the Council is not trying to stonewall the union drive, but is making sure OPSEU follows proper
procedure.

“We’re not anti-union, because, obviously, we’ve got two unions already in the college system,” he said. “We just want to ensure that [the union] is going to represent the will of the majority of those people that are working.”

He said the benefit of the current arrangement is that each college can “set the terms and conditions” of its own part-time staff.

Tracy MacMaster, a library technician at Seneca College representing Local 561 who worked on the campaign, said part-timers and sessionals are “completely at the goodwill of the employer.”

She said they work on a contract basis and if a college decides not to renew a contract they don’t need to give just cause or pay severance. Employees, she said, are “completely disposable.”

MacMaster said the Labour Board reviewed the signatures at one mid-sized college and the process took several weeks.

“If you multiply that by 24 colleges, and if the employer made the union go through that procedure for every single college, you can imagine that you and I will be very old and grey before they’re finished,” she said.  “Clearly, their goal is to tie up the process indefinitely.”

MacMaster said the easiest solution would be for the Council to withdraw their objection.

Part-timers and sessionals should have the right to collective bargaining, “just like every other public service worker in Ontario,” she said.

An adult peregrine falcon. The peregrine is well-known for its speed. PHOTO COURTESY CANADIAN PEREGRINE FOUNDATION

Kaitie Fraser
Environment Reporter

Hundreds of thousands of migrants are flocking to Toronto and its surrounding area – some for a visit, others returning to their summer abodes.

“Toronto is a leader in bird conservation and does a lot to help birds during migration,” said Melanie Sifton, Humber Arboretum director. “Toronto is like a bird motel.”

Several peregrine falcon couples are nesting on downtown skyscrapers, and webcams have been set up by the Canadian Peregrine Foundation so bird watchers can follow live on its website.

Peregrines are closely monitored in the GTA because they were on the verge of extinction about 40 years ago after the pesticide DDT killed off massive amounts of the population, said foundation director Mark Nash.

“Peregrines are the ‘canary in the mine’ for environmentalists. They accumulate more toxins being at the top of the food chain and they were the first to tell us that DDT was dangerous,” Nash said.

Once again, peregrines are warning environmentalists about a new chemical, he said.

“Studies in Europe, the U.S., and Canada have shown extremely high levels of flame retardants in peregrines,” said Nash.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers or PDBEs are used in any appliance or electronic device that has a circuit board. Many of these products end up in dumps, Nash said, allowing the chemicals to work their way up the food chain.

“This is an important observation because, like peregrines, humans are at the top of the food chain and what hurts them could hurt us,” he said.

Nash said the peregrine is currently a threatened species but could be demoted to a vulnerable species, which would give it less protection in North America.

“The peregrine is being downgraded because of money and not because of biological reasons. But more needs to be done to preserve this species,” said Nash.

Peregrines have been sighted in the Arboretum along with Humber’s mascot, the red-tailed hawk, said Taurean Linton, nature interpreter at the Arboretum.

“A red-tailed hawk nested here last year, and she might be back to nest again this year,” Linton said.

While visitors to the Arb may not be able to see the red-tail’s nesting areas they can hear its recognizable screech, which is frequently used in the media as a generic cry for falcons.

Toronto Police officers, including Constable Richard Cashmore of 22 Division, are encouraged to reach out to their communities via social media platforms such as Twitter. SCREEN CAPTURE BY PATRICIA BROTZEL

Patricia Brotzel
News Reporter

Toronto Police 22 Division gathered at the Etobicoke Olypium last week to host a town hall for concerned citizens.

Members of the community came to address issues in their neighbourhood, while others came to thank 22 Division officers and Police Chief Bill Blair for their service.

Chief Blair said he often comes out to these neighbourhood events. “People come not to talk about murder and mayhem, but to talk about things that are important to them,” he said, such as parking problems, traffic problems, or disorderly conduct in their parks.

The April 11 gathering also provided an opportunity for police to introduce themselves to their community.

Toronto Police superintendent James Ramer said he took over 22 Division last year, and he is “just getting used to the division, and it is these kind of partnerships that we want to build in the community.”

With the police working on a continually tightening budget, social media officers promoted the use of services like Facebook and Twitter as a cost effective way to contact police about smaller issues.

“It is the way we are moving forward. It’s a free service for us, it’s a free service for you and it’s where we are heading,” said 22 Division Constable Richard Cashmore.

Const. Cashmore said platforms such as Facebook are helpful to police because of the real-time element.

“Social media is global– it’s live, it’s active, and we want you to participate with us in getting information though,” he said.

In many ways, police can use social media to communicate with the public on their own terms, said Henri Berube, co-ordinator of police foundations at Humber.

“The police need to be aware … of how people are communicating. You have a whole generation of people getting their information from the Internet,” he said.

Chief Blair said the decision to look toward the Internet to assist policing is about progressing in a fiscally responsible way.

“We are working very hard for ways that we can maintain the high level of service but make it efficient and economical,” Blair said.