The Art of Reconciliation Easy as 1, 2, 3 “Jo2”: The Name in the Sportscasting Game SO YOU WANT TO BE AN ASTR NAUT TRU MBA On-campus, Online, Blended and Part-time Residential School Series, Detail (2013) by Adrian Stimson. rMOOC.ca. 6 18 9 Campus Commons Interior Settings 4 Breaking Ground at Wells Gray 22 Featuring Brian Heise 6 So You Want to Be an Astronaut Track the 'Pack Student Street 24 Score! A win for community 8 9 Alma Matters Paris, Beirut, Kamloops Inspiration at Every Turn 11 A Heritage of Discovery Research Review 12 The Art of Reconciliation 14 The Case for Curiosity 25 Bill O'Donovan 26 "Jo2"—The Name in the Sportscasting Game 28 Class Notes 30 Clear Sailing 16 Inside the Box TRU Historical Inside TRU 35 A Browser History 18 Easy as 1, 2, 3 36 President's Message On the cover: Students Justin Erickson, Jackie Rechenmacher, Nic Zdunich, and Heather Pratt-Johnson celebrate TRU as a pride positive space with a stroll across the permanent rainbow crosswalk installed on September 16 at the junction between the Gym (background), BC Centre for Open Learning, House of Learning, and Old Main buildings. Photo by Bart Cummins. 26 Bridges Publisher: Lucille Gnanasihamany Office of Marketing and Communications Associate Publisher: Christopher Séguin Office of University Advancement Student & Alumni Contributors Heather Osborne is in her final year of Bachelor of Business Administration. She has enjoyed sharing her Study Abroad experiences as an Ambassador, and working during a co-op term at Grande Cache Coal, Alberta, where she will return after graduation. Editor Diana Skoglund (’90, ’04) Managing Editor Anita Rathje Contributing Editors Sherry Bennett (’04) Fearon Blair Bart Cummins (’07) Elise Fenwick Linda Komori (’01) Photography Bart Cummins (’07) Tony Puerzer Larry Read (‘93) Diana Skoglund (’90, ’04) Hugo Yuen (‘13) Graphic Design Amanda Blyth (’08) Larkin Schmiedl ('12) is a journalist who graduated from TRU's program and started work for the local daily paper. His main areas of interest are food systems and environmental and social justice. He plans to write and live on the land. Karlene Skretting ('13) is a graduate of TRU’s Journalism program. She has returned home to Alberta and is working with a not-for-profit organization in Lethbridge. As project coordinator she is working to help rebrand the organization and expand its reach. Jessica Wallace ('12) is a graduate of TRU’s Journalism program and works as a full-time mobile journalist for InfoTel.ca, an online news publication. Journalism is her way to learn about the world and explore creativity in writing. Distribution TRU Alumni & Friends Association Contact Us Class Notes: Email alumni@tru.ca Phone 250.828.5264 tru.ca/alumni/updates Comments/Contributions: Diana Skoglund Email bridges@tru.ca Phone 250.371.5897 Advertising: Karen Gamracy Email kgamracy@tru.ca Phone 250.371.5715 Mail: Bridges Magazine TRU Marketing and Communications 900 McGill Road Kamloops, BC V2C 0C8 Interested in receiving Bridges? MC118168 Update your information www.tru.ca/alumni/updates you What's new? Do you have a new job? Are you married? Do you have children? Have you moved? Send us your update in 160 characters or less. Your classmates would like to know! It's simple. Go to www.tru.ca/alumni/updates and fill out our form. Photos are welcome and must be high resolution (300dpi). It would be great to hear from you. Throughout Bridges magazine, former iterations of the institution including UCC, Cariboo and Open Learning Agency are assumed in use of “TRU”. This Thompson Rivers University magazine is issued twice a year in May and November and distributed free of charge to approximately 22,000 alumni and friends. The views and opinions expressed in the magazine are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of Thompson Rivers University or the TRU Alumni and Friends Association. All material copyright ©. Bridges cannot be held responsible for unsolicited manuscripts or photographs. The TRU Alumni and Friends office is now on the first floor of the Clocktower in room CT140. Welcome T his time of year as the light dwindles and the quiet of winter approaches, many of us find an opportunity for introspection. It is the season to look within, expand our minds, learn a new skill, or give something of ourselves to others. The activities, initiatives and research projects we highlight in this issue of Bridges show TRU’s alumni, students, staff and faculty at their most creative, compassionate, determined, and inspired. Researchers at TRU are exploring the nature of creativity with a look back at history and across the boundaries of art and science (Inspiration, page 9, Inside the Box, page 16). Canada Research Chair Ashok Mathur coordinates a national artistic inquiry into Reconciliation (Art, page 12) with the help of modern technology. Astronaut Chris Hadfield delivered the President’s Lecture to a rapt audience on October 4. Bridges shares his question period with students earlier in the day (So You Want to Be Call 250.828.5264, email alumni@tru.ca or stop by and say hello. an Astronaut, page 6), and this issue includes many other stories that reveal how a little travel—or a lot—can broaden our understanding of society and culture or give us a new perspective on life (Heritage, page 11, Curiosity, page 14, Clear Sailing, page 30). Learn about: • Upcoming events • Guest speakers • Alumni and Friends cards • Affinity partner discounts • Volunteering and mentoring • Distinguished Alumni nominations tru.ca/alumni Bridges also showcases the diverse ways that the TRU community is making the world a better place at home and abroad (Breaking Ground, page 4, Score!, page 24, Gringos, page 28), and fostering community on campus (Instrument of Learning, page 10). Alumni Board of Directors: As in past issues, we also turn our introspection on TRU itself: our photographic feature, Interior Settings, introduces the unique world of Natural Resource Science (Heise, page 22), and Inside TRU gives you the big picture on the three-year process of creating the new and improved tru.ca (Easy as 1, 2, 3, page 20, A Browser History, page 35). Rob Wycherley ('99), Treasurer Niki Remesz, Chair Rob Williamson ('00), Vice-Chair Christine Anderson ('05) Ryan Scorgie ('07) Melissa Baker ('09) Dino Bernardo ('97) Marty Hastings ('09) Wendy Heshka ('13) And finally, don’t miss our Alma Matters feature on Journalism and Performing Arts alumnus Joseph Otoo, putting all his passion into a chance at his dream job on reality TV show Drafted (Jo2, page 26). Go online with all our WebExtras to watch how this budding sportscaster fares, see the work of artists as they reconsider reconciliation, and read more of Hadfield’s Q & A. Adil Hosenbocus ('11) The days will lengthen again soon and we’ll begin thinking about growth, renewal and reconnecting. If you have a story or idea you’d like to share in Bridges, contact us at bridges@tru.ca. Larissa Pepper, Student Rep Hoberly Hove Bill Jaswal ('91) Jacquie Johnston ('11) Prabhjot Kaur, Student Rep Krishna Lakkineni Dusan Magdolen ('07) Janice Otremba Lindsay Wilk ('11) Ray Saunders, Ex-officio – Williams Lake Christopher Séguin, Ex-officio Staff Arlene Olynyk, Alumni Officer Chair, TRU Alumni and Friends Association Kelley O'Grady ('09), TRU Network Liaison Bridges Magazine • Fall 2013 3 Campus Commons Contact the Alumni & Friends Office Campus Commons BREAKING GROUND at Wells Gray By Larkin Schmiedl W ells Gray Park is shaped like a leaf. That's because it was designed to encompass an entire watershed, its boundaries drawn connecting the tops of surrounding mountains. That's significant, according to Dr. Tom Dickinson, TRU's Dean of Science. “The Clearwater River from its origins is one that's absolutely pristine. Nobody's had permanent settlement in this area that we know of. It's one of the last places you can actually see a viable population of mountain caribou.” Wells Gray’s wilderness diversity is why Dickinson is working with renowned naturalist Trevor Goward to make the park a UNESCO World Heritage Site. “It's probably a 15-year process,” says Dickinson. “We began by coordinating a number of courses, special lectures and other events to specifically draw attention to Wells Gray and its current situation and importance.” Acclaimed writer and filmmaker Wade Davis spoke in May, some of Canada's most noteworthy authors gathered in September for “Speak to the Wild”, on the value of wilderness, and some of BC's foremost bird experts visited to talk birds. “It’s an important thing to do for the park, and an important thing to do for the university.” Immediately impressed with the half-million hectare wilderness of Wells Gray when he arrived at TRU in 1990, Dickinson accepted the Clearwater school board’s offer of an unused one-room schoolhouse bordering the park for a research station, and worked to make TRU’s Wells Gray Wilderness Research Centre a reality. Since 1994, when the Centre ran its first three-week field course in ecology, students in biology, natural resource 4 Thompson Rivers University • tru.ca Painter Robert Bateman breaks ground for a new facility at the Research Centre. science and other programs from TRU and other universities have attended courses at Wells Gray annually. Researchers visit from all over the world to study the park’s diverse and pristine habitats. Now the Centre is getting an update. Well-known naturalist and painter Robert Bateman was on hand with Dickinson and Goward on October 5 to officially launch TRU’s new 2,100-square-foot research station with a lecture, hike, and ground-breaking ceremony. The new building, scheduled for completion in the spring, will add accommodations for 20 and include a modern kitchen, dining room and living room/seminar area for staging workshops, conferences, research activities and field schools. Its design originated from a competition between TRU's architectural engineering students. “It's a good building with good bones in it that will be able to withstand a lot of weathering over a long period of time,” says Dickinson. Campus Commons Wells Gray Park is shaped like a leaf. Field School: Students and faculty study and experience the biological diversity of Wells Gray Park. He emphasizes many faculty members are involved in making this happen, because of the value they place on being able to practice science outside. Model of the Centre's new building, designed in 2012 by Architecture and Engineering student Blake St. Peter ('13). “Hands-on experiences are irreplaceable in terms of learning,” he says. “You can know the theory, but sometimes it just makes more sense when you can touch it, taste it, smell it and feel it. At the Centre, instead of talking about birds and their distributions, you could walk out at five in the morning and listen to about 30 different species singing.” wellsgrayworldheritage.ca Bridges Magazine • Fall 2013 5 Campus Commons SO YOU WANT TO BE AN ASTR NAUT Q & A with Chris Hadfield C hris Hadfield is back on Earth after five months commanding the International Space Station. The retired astronaut shared his insights from life in space with students of all ages at TRU’s Alumni Theatre on October 4, prior to delivering the President’s Lecture to an audience of over 1,300 people. The following is a brief excerpt—see the Web Extra to read more. Q: What made you want to be an astronaut? When I was just about to turn 10, on the news was the very first three astronauts to go to the moon. Mike, Neil, and Buzz. … I thought Neil was the coolest guy in the world, for having been able to do that, and Buzz also. I knew I was going to grow up to be something, why don’t I grow up to be that? … At the time, it wasn’t just hard, it was impossible. There was no Canadian astronaut program… But I figured I’m 9, what do I know … until this morning, it was impossible to walk on the moon. Things change. So I’m just going to start getting myself ready, and see what happens. … You are the product of your decision-making, to a very large degree, and what you decide to do today helps shape what you’re going to wake up as tomorrow. If you decided, today I’m going to eat 15 pounds of ice cream, you would have to deal with the consequences of that tomorrow, or maybe slightly sooner. Or if you said, today I’m going to do a hundred push ups. ... This week I’m going to learn that. At the end of the week, you would have slightly changed who you are, even if you don’t mean to. So I just decided I was going to slightly change myself into an astronaut. And maybe someday 6 Thompson Rivers University • tru.ca Canada would say, “Hey, we’re looking for someone who we think would be a good astronaut, let’s pick from whoever’s ready.” And that’s how it worked for me. Q: What kind of personality traits make a good leader? ... Personality traits I think are very specific to the task you’re trying to lead the people to do. I was the leader of the group of people living on the space station. …At any given moment, the space station—if we got hit by a little meteorite—would have a leak. Or, if our cooling system failed, we could have an ammonia breakthrough and contaminate the atmosphere, where you’ve got to get on masks within a breath. Or we could have a fire, and because it’s a closed environment, fire will kill you right away. So at any given moment I had to be ready to be that leader… there’s no discussion going on, we are all going to do these things right now to stay alive… we know I’m making the decisions and you’re going to do what I say. … You need that type of leadership sometimes. But I was on the station with five incredibly competent people. For normal times all I had to do was watch…and make sure we knew what we were all doing, and that we were all sort of headed the same direction with our plan, and let people buy into it… When you’re in a leadership position I would recommend this as well. As soon as you are given the task of leading another human being to do something, or a group of people, do your best to build a basis of experience with them, as early and as deep and as broad as you can. …It’s sort of like a pyramid. If things go badly, it all comes to a point all of a sudden, and you don’t have time to discuss everything. Right: Inspired by Hadfield’s mission, retired faculty member David Charbonneau (left) painted Floating in a Tin Can (acrylic, 2013). Hadfield signed it, "Boldly into the unknown". Charbonneau donated it to the Faculty of Science—see it in the Bean Me Up café. You have to do things right as a group, so the broader you can make the base of your pyramid, the better your chances of succeeding when problems go badly. And that’s why the shared experience. Sometimes you’ve got 10 minutes to do it. Like if you and I were in an elevator, and the elevator failed—or a group of any random citizens—you might have few minutes to talk with the other people around you… see who has a certain skill base, look at people’s personalities, recognize everybody’s strengths, weaknesses… and then make a plan and go forwards. Or you can all just scream and panic and do whatever you like. But if a leader is in that group, they will try and do those things. … Get a common agreed-to goal, and then establish roles within the group that will get you to that goal. And get people to buy into the common goal as your fundamental precept of leadership. … Q: How has your body changed being in space for that long? [Hadfield asks the speaker, Arisson, to come up front as a model] … There’s Arisson, tens of thousands, millions of years on Earth, beautifully evolved and now suddenly—[lifts Arisson off the ground and upside down]—he’s weightless, floating around. … His head doesn’t need to be on top, there is no on top, there’s no up or down… His body has to make almost no effort at all to move the blood from his feet to his head. … He’s got this beautifully regulated balance system that uses gravity to tell him where he is… You take away gravity and that’s completely wrong, useless information from his balance system. So, all these systems stop working. … The first time Arisson pees in space, into that nice collection tube, his pee is actually full of his skeleton. Because by the first time you pee in space, your body has already said, “forget the last million years, I’m now weightless, I don’t need that calcium and minerals, I don’t need to hold my head up any more, so I’m going to start getting rid of my skeleton,” and it starts to evolve you to space flight immediately. His heart will start to shrink, because it doesn’t have to work nearly as hard. After six months in space, his heart will be smaller like the Grinch. … He’s going to start turning into a Spaceling immediately, and after five months in space, he’s well on his way to adapting to a creature that doesn’t need gravity—which is fine if he never comes back. But, now he comes home, and it’s a disaster. All the blood goes down to his feet, and his body has forgotten how to pump it up to his head. … His balance system has completely forgotten what to do with gravity, so now he’s getting these horrible, dizzy, spinning conflicting messages from his balance system. And he’s got a weak skeleton, which is really fragile when he comes home. So then he has to completely readapt… So we’ve learned this over the last fifty years and we fight almost all of those things. … We can maintain everything except the density of the bones in the hips and upper femur, and I lost about eight percent of that. … I’ve got advanced osteoporosis in the lower part of my body, but it’s growing back. My body is reversing osteoporosis as I’m standing here crooked, it’s going “oh, you need bone, ok, I’ll grow bone for you”… About a year after you get back, your bones are back to normal and you’re completely adapted, and you’re back to being an Earthling again. A recording of the President’s Lecture by Chris Hadfield is available from the TRU Library. His new book, An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth, will be released in November. http://inside.tru.ca/hadfield-q-a/ Bridges Magazine • Fall 2013 7 Campus Commons Left: Chris Hadfield visits the TRU observatory. Student Street Paris, Beirut, Kamloops By Jessica Wallace A Kamloops-born chef who has travelled around the world learning the art of cuisine has come full circle— back to the university at which he studied—to help students begin their own paths in culinary arts. As executive chef, White moved to the 3,500 year-old Mediterranean port city of Beirut in 2009, to build the foundation of Burgundy restaurant, known for its contemporary French cuisine and international inspiration. Brody White started his food journey at TRU in 2003, completing his professional cook level one certificate. After finishing his apprenticeship and Red Seal trade certification, he moved to Paris to learn in one of the best-known culinary cities in the world. “As a young man with no ties, I gladly accepted the position,” White says. “The restaurant was the best in Lebanon.” “When you want to learn how to cook, Paris seems like a good place to do it,” says White with a chuckle. However, the journey didn’t start as planned. The opportunity he had lined up prior to his overseas move fell through when the chef who had hired him over the phone realized he was not fluent in French. White was undaunted. Determined to gain the Paris experience he sought, White earned a place at one of its best culinary establishments: L’Atalier de Joel Robuchon in the St. Germain district. After a year, just as his work visa ran out, the restaurant’s owners asked him to relocate to Lebanon and a new restaurant, where a dream job awaited him. 8 Thompson Rivers University • tru.ca a minimum-wage job. “You have to help each individual,” he says. “There is opportunity for more than you'd expect.” He says students will have questions for him that he can't answer, but he continues to learn with them. “It's a truly rewarding experience.” He spent three years working and learning in Beirut, but on a visit to Kamloops last year, his path shifted again. White joined TRU as chef instructor and chef at Accolades Dining Room, and this January he returned to the place where it all began. White finds significant contrasts between working in the industry and teaching the trade. The chef is using his experiences abroad and as a TRU student to guide him through a new and different adventure, his first year of teaching. “After a life of working extremely hard and focusing on my career and path as a chef, it has been a great experience watching students hold a knife for the first time,” he says. “Coming back, it's a completely different world.” White wants to show students that there is more to the industry than Brody White at the Kamloops Tomato Festival. Photo by Diana Skoglund. Student Street Inspiration at Every Turn By Anita Rathje N ina Johnson’s creative writing students often complain of writer’s block. From the distractions of mobile devices to the pressures of deadlines and grade point averages, mental static can get in the way when students try to put ideas into words. In a new research project, Johnson hopes to help them past the block with a unique mindfulness exercise: the finger labyrinth. “When we’re blocked, it begins with anxiety,” says Johnson, a lecturer in the English and Modern Languages department and a Labyrinth Facilitator. “The labyrinth asks you to slow down and experience the moment, which then opens up opportunities to reflect in a very deep way and make connections.” Unlike a maze, which has dead ends and visual obstructions to make you lose your way and induce excitement or panic, a labyrinth has a single, non-linear path to its centre and out again, providing a sense of security even though you may not know how close you are to the end as the path twists and turns. In the tradition of other contemplative practices like meditation, yoga, or tai chi, walking a labyrinth cultivates relaxation, lessens anxiety and improves focus. Research has shown that such practices create both physical calm and mental alertness, which Johnson believes enhance creative inspiration. “A mindfulness practice like the labyrinth enables you to enter a relaxed, receptive state where metaphoric and associative thinking can flourish.” — Nina Johnson. Her research project, Labyrinths and Student Learning: the Effects of Contemplative Practices on Anxiety, Concentration, and Creativity, will investigate whether students can not only get past their writer’s block, but find greater creativity. “A mindfulness practice like the labyrinth enables you to enter a relaxed, receptive state where metaphoric and associative thinking can flourish,” says Johnson. Above: Finger labyrinth design based on the Chartres Cathedral labyrinth. For this project, her participating ENGL 2060 students trace a finger labyrinth prior to writing a journaling exercise each day, and complete a survey on their anxiety and creativity levels at two-week intervals. Johnson has also proposed installing a full-sized walking labyrinth on campus. “There are so many benefits to walking a labyrinth,” she says. “They’re being used institutionally in hospitals, prisons, art centres and university campuses, for treating stress, ADHD, trauma and autism. There’s a huge application for wellness and quality of life.” She hopes her research will show it is also a valuable practice to support student learning. “It’s an experiential, transformational way of learning.” In her own discovery of the labyrinth, Johnson has found the changing directions of the path very much a metaphor for life, and at each turn, she says, come moments of creative insight. Bridges Magazine • Fall 2013 9 Story and Photo by Bart Cummins Student Street I n eye-catching chartreuse, finished with fuchsia, white and blue polka dots, Jody Wells’ piano was an intriguing sight for students crossing the campus grounds this summer. Inspired by a Speech 1500 assignment, and borrowing the idea of a piano in a public space from projects in Vancouver and Toronto, the first year Arts student transformed an old upright and placed it in Visual Arts’ outdoor installation space to create a venue for students to interact with each other and the campus. Written across the lid is “Play”, and the bench reads, “Sit”. Over the course of the summer installation, the piano drew curious onlookers to tentatively 10 Thompson Rivers University • tru.ca explore, find that it worked, and play. Wells hoped it would appeal to both seasoned performers and those who have never played a note. “The first thing I thought was, 'Wow, I wish that was real,' and then it turned out to be real,” says Kuziva Mujakachi. “I've never played outside in such a serene environment. This was a very creative idea.” Wells persevered through various hurdles to place the piano outside. “It was a risk worth taking,” she says. “I believe the world is a better place when people engage with music.” Her employer, Pan West Contracting, donated the bright body shop paint job. The installation ran until August 31, and Wells has begun discussions to make the outdoor piano a permanent part of the TRU community. A Heritage of Discovery Study abroad kindles quest for world culture By Heather Osborne largest city in s the sun rose over the t push of a las the world, I made the the summit of Mt. Fuji. 14-hour climb to reach Bunkyo ning to my semester at It was a majestic begin of two years of Study rt sta , Japan, and the yo Tok in ty rsi ive Un in Gaku Heritage. d my passion for World Abroad experiences an courses, and international business , ns so les ese an Jap in Immersed om dancing, in brass band and ballro extracurricular classes w confidence tional skills and found ne I improved my organiza ESCO’s World sor gave a lecture on UN in myself. Then a profes tural na anization that protects Heritage Center, an org world. es like Mt. Fuji around the and cultural heritage sit mountaintop, I felt like I was back on the I had to see more. above the clouds. I knew ms 09, during two more ter for That chance came in 20 s I continued my quest n , Kyoto. Betwee classe art he ral ltu from , cu ’s ion an reg Jap es in the abroad in many World Heritage sit the ing lor exp g, where din , an me nbaku Do cultural underst morial at Hiroshima’s Ge me the d an ra Na of s Kyoto to the temple that moment in history. I could feel the weight of n my Global onal Business, and obtai ati ern Int in jor ma to d ’t nte and Cultures, but I hadn Home again, I knew I wa cate in World Languages rtifi Ce d an n on nji cti Tia tin h Dis wit Competency U’s accredited program road. I signed up for TR had enough of Study Ab . and embarked for China University of Technology gree program s within my Business de rse cou me sa the e tak t I struggled In Tianjin I was able to same TRU professors. Bu the h wit n eve , me ho at , even my health. that I would have taken the cultural differences y, rac uc rea bu the e, ag with the langu g, another World Summer Palace in Beijin the gh ou thr g rin de an k a deep Then as I was me 00-year-old artifact. I too 5,0 a of nt fro in f sel my Heritage site, I found flow. t needed to go with the breath and realized I jus e visited 58 World other travels abroad, I’v d an ia As in e tim my n Betwee road has given me to see them all. Study Ab is am dre my d an , es outside of Heritage sit even a co-op work term s, ge en all ch w ne on e the courage to tak offer after graduation, home. Now, with a job m fro ay aw d an ld fie my ce, and an mination, more confiden ter de re mo h wit f sel I find my ok on life. t has changed my outlo tha res ltu cu rld wo for n appreciatio Bridges Magazine • Fall 2013 Student Street A 11 The Art of Reconciliation By Larkin Schmiedl O Research Review ne of the questions at the very heart of Canada is its relationship with Indigenous people. When the Truth and Reconciliation Commission was created in 2008, it began a five-year process to learn the truth about what happened in residential schools, and inform all Canadians about it. The question of reconciliation between Indigenous and settler Canadians is one with a burning need for answers and new ways forward. Dr. Ashok Mathur, director at the Centre for Innovation in Culture and the Arts in Canada at TRU, has taken this up in the arts. “Art production helps us to vision our histories. As soon as you have a sense of your history, you have a better idea of where it can go,” says Mathur. “How can we as non-Aboriginal Canadians, for instance, have productive and proactive relationships with Aboriginal Canadians? There is a legacy from contact to colonialism to residential schools. How do we develop beyond that?” To tackle this question from an artistic perspective, Mathur put together a national project that ran throughout summer 2013. A free not-for-credit online course called Art + Reconciliation, or rMOOC, provided an online learning space for artists and the general public to contribute art, reflection, commentary and more. A 12-artist residency, Reconsidering Reconciliation, contributed video, images and documentation of their ongoing The Kamloops Residential School in 1923, www.secwepemc.com 12 Thompson Rivers University • tru.ca creations to the site, and university classes could draw on rMOOC's resources, all addressing the complicated issue of reconciliation. “We can address it through artistic practice in a way that exceeds what we can do through policy or through simply reading that history… seeing it in a new way,” says Mathur. He facilitated the residency and rMOOC with a wide range of collaborators, including artists Tania Willard, Secwepemc, Chris Bose, N’laka’pamux and Secwepemc, and Adrian Stimson, Siksika (Blackfoot), who all contributed art, helped coordinate, and offered guidance. “The artists aren't producing work that guilts people into feeling bad about their history,” says Mathur. “What Métis new media artist Cheryl L'Hirondelle helps women in prison write songs. She brought this project to the residency, and since prison rules prevented the women from recording their songs themselves, solicited participation from all the women at the residency. “Cheryl said she wanted all the women to help her with this, using the technical skills of residency videographer and Secwepemc artist Gabe Archie to record the women while they were singing the song,” says Mathur. L’Hirondelle combined the results into a video installation, which opened as part of Mohawk curator Steve Loft’s “Ghost Dance” exhibition at Ryerson University’s Ryerson Image Gallery in Toronto in September, reflecting the voices, many of them Aboriginal, who wrote the songs. “It's like this solidarity sisterhood from inside and outside the walls.” The TRU Art Gallery showcased the breadth of the residency in August, leading up to Truth and Reconciliation Week September 16 to 22, when the Truth and Reconciliation Commission held the sixth of seven national gatherings. The artistic inquiry hopes to examine the history of residential schools, increase awareness of histories from Indigenous perspectives, critically inquire about the commission itself and ask, fundamentally, how art can be a driving force in moving forward. The collaborators hope to build the art of reconciliation over the next year or two. The potential ways in which it could manifest are virtually limitless, as inspired participants continue to network online, gaining ideas and perspectives from one another. “What we have to do as a collective of people working together from whatever position, is to first find new ways of thinking about and taking responsibility for our histories and deciding what to make of those histories,” says Mathur. Earlier work by Mathur, TRU’s Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Cultural and Artistic Inquiry, includes editing the Aboriginal Healing Foundation's book, Cultivating Canada, on how non-white settlers deal with the question of reconciliation, and helping to coordinate Shelagh Rogers’ 2012 visit TRU to talk about reconciliation. rMOOC.ca Focus on Aboriginal health Mathur is also excited about TRU's newest research chair, Dr. Rod McCormick, who was appointed BC Regional Innovation Chair in Aboriginal Early Childhood Development in July. “Dr. McCormick’s projects will be much more based in the community, in health sciences,” says Mathur. “I'm very keen to work with him because all our disciplines need to come together.” McCormick, a national expert in First Nations mental health, will lead teams of researchers who will work with Aboriginal communities directly on maternal and child health. The new Chair position, based in TRU’s Faculty of Human, Social, and Educational Development, was funded by the Province through the Leading Edge Endowment Fund (LEEF). “He's doing remarkable work,” says Mathur, “and he's very much embraced by the community, so that's a very good thing.” Rod McCormick, new Chair in Aboriginal Early Childhood Development, receives a traditional gift from Elder Estella Patrick Moller of TRU’s Elder In the House program. Bridges Magazine • Fall 2013 13 Research Review they're trying to do is get people to see it, so the next steps can be more progressive.” THE CASE FOR Curiosity Research Review “My teaching is part of the reason I got interested in my topic.” – Dr. Christopher Walmsley Child welfare questions inspire international research By Jessica Wallace E ven after 17 years of opening the eyes and minds of Social Work students at TRU, Dr. Christopher Walmsley is still inspired by his students’ curiosity. Walmsley has spent his career exploring issues such as child welfare and social policy in interdisciplinary, collaborative ways that bring new knowledge to the field and larger community, and new perspectives to his students. While he explores child welfare throughout his curriculum in discussion with students, he’s always looking for opportunities to bring first-hand knowledge back into the classroom. "My teaching is part of the reason I got interested in my topic," Walmsley says of his newest project. The Social Work professor and 2013 TRU Master Scholar is planning to travel to Scandinavia in the spring. His project, “Supporting the Families of Child Welfare Involved Children in Nordic Countries: Policies, Programs and Practices”, is a topic both he and his students are curious about. 14 Thompson Rivers University • tru.ca “I want to look at what these countries do,” he says, noting that BC has one of the highest numbers of children per population living in poverty out of the Canadian provinces, and the Nordic countries are comparatively much lower. “One of my hunches is that it is lower because of the Nordic countries’ more generous child benefit policies, as well as their universal daycare and social housing policies.” With support from TRU’s Internal Research Fund, Walmsley will travel to Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland to interview practitioners, academics and policy leaders. He says access to research on Nordic practices is limited as most is written in the researcher's first language, such as Swedish. “Only a fraction of their research material is available in English.” Walmsley intends to share the findings from his research trip in peer-reviewed journal articles, a paper for the Research to Practice Network of the Federation of Community Social Services of BC, as well as through articles and workshops for provincial and local organizations involved in child welfare. He also looks forward to bringing his findings back to the classroom with revisions to the curriculum in his Family and Child Welfare Policy course, which compares child welfare in 10 developed nations. "My students are interested in the Nordic countries; they can see the differences between how they approach child welfare and how we do,” he says. "When we get into discussion, there are always unanswered questions.” When he completes his research, Walmsley will have first-hand information to enrich class discussions, quench his students’ curiosities, and continue learning with them. Difference-Makers Undergraduate Research By Linda Komori Bridging generations Before she started studying social work at TRU, Jessica Gates was a filmmaker. “The things that interest me in film are the same things that interest me in social work,” she says. “I used film as a tool to advocate for people, and as a way to understand other people from their own perspectives.” Gates’ interests led her to research by Social Work professor Dr. Wendy Hulko, focused on understanding the way dementia is experienced in Indigenous communities. As an undergraduate student research assistant, Gates was involved in collaborative work with First Nations Elders to improve the cultural safety of health care, and development of a children’s book intended to help Aboriginal children understand and support Elders with memory loss. A parallel video project, created for teenagers in First Nations communities, gave Gates a chance to apply her film-making skills and earn a co-producer credit. Research Review Jessica Gates displays a book resulting from Hulko’s project. Protecting BC’s bats Several common species of hibernating bats are now endangered due to a fungus that causes White Nose Syndrome. With the help of an Undergraduate Research Experience Award Program (UREAP) grant, microbiology student Baylee Out spent her summer working collaboratively with Parks Canada in Glacier National Park to determine whether the fungus has arrived in BC caves used by hibernating bats. Out collected samples in the Nakimu caves and is now doing preparatory work in order to run DNA tests on the samples. Parks Canada will use the results of Out’s research to determine best measures for protecting hibernating bats in the park. Out will present her work at the BC Parks and Protected Areas Research Forum in December. A little perspective on science Biology student Spencer Morran spent her summer at science camp—but not as a student. Morran used her UREAP grant to study student experiences at The BIG Little Science Centre in Kamloops, which runs summer science camps for elementary school students. Morran wanted to find out which mechanisms of learning were used at the camp, the extent to which students increased their knowledge of science, and how student attitudes toward science changed as a result of attending camp. Morran is currently analyzing her data and plans to develop her research into an Honours thesis. She will also present her work at TRU’s annual Undergraduate Research Conference. Bridges Magazine • Fall 2013 15 Inside the Box Don Lawrence shares the magic of the camera obscura By Linda Komori D igital images. They’re on our smartphones, computer monitors, digital cameras and webcams. We make and view photographic images all the time, without much effort. So why, with all these sophisticated and easy-to-use imaging technologies, is Don Lawrence using the camera obscura, a technology from the Middle Ages? “Despite the antiquity of the technology, the experience of a camera obscura image continues to be magical and captivating.” – Don Lawrence “Despite the antiquity of the technology, the experience of a camera obscura image continues to be magical and captivating,” says Lawrence, an associate professor in Visual and Performing Arts. “People immediately see a magical transformation of the space they’re viewing.” He adds that, with its otherworldly quality, a camera obscura image pushes the viewer to look at things in a different way. “When I’m seeing through its lens, my sensory perceptions become more highly attuned,” he explains. In its simplest form, a camera obscura is a pinhole camera. Light passes through a hole into a box, projecting an image from outside the box onto an interior surface. Used for everything from safely viewing solar eclipses to projecting images for tracing, the camera obscura served for centuries as a scientific aid and artist’s tool. With the advent of modern photographic techniques, 16 Thompson Rivers University • tru.ca however, the camera obscura—which can range in size from a small box to a large room—has become a rare curiosity. It is the curious nature of the camera obscura that attracts Lawrence. As with his work designing and constructing cameras for underwater pinhole photography, Lawrence’s work with the camera Lawrence displays his model of a portable large-scale camera obscura obscura lives at the intersection of art The various strands of research will be and science. “It’s half practical and half brought together during the Midnight fictional,” he explains. “It goes back and Sun Camera Obscura Festival, planned forth between these two realms.” for the summer of 2015 in Dawson Since first exploring its potential as an City, Yukon. The festival will involve artistic tool during graduate studies, a symposium, seminars, workshops, Lawrence has undertaken a number of gallery exhibits, and a portable camera projects involving the camera obscura. obscura for the public to experience. In 2011, during a residency in Tasmania, Lawrence will also draw on TRU’s Lawrence used a camera obscura relationship with the Yukon School of mounted on his kayak to navigate the Tamar River and to experience the “It’s half practical and half ancient optical technology in a new way. This fall, in a series of projects supported by a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Insight grant of $296,700, Lawrence is bringing together historians, scientists, and artists for explorations of the historical use and current artistic practice of the camera obscura, art-making in wilderness settings, and other themes that run through his work. fictional,” he explains. “It goes back and forth between these two realms.” – Don Lawrence Visual Arts and hopes to involve students of that institution in projects related to the festival. Exhibits and workshops at the Yukon Art Centre and Ontario’s Tom Thompson Art Gallery are planned for the two years following the festival. Lawrence has also begun work on a portable, walk-in camera obscura, one of only a handful around the world. It’s a technology few people have had a chance to experience. By allowing the viewer to see an image projected on a table, his portable camera obscura will give Lawrence a chance to introduce the technology to a wider audience—and to see their wonder at the way the ordinary can be transformed. How to create a Camera Obscura – from the Paul J. Getty Museum http://bit.ly/HrwHRk Lawrence pilots his floating camera obscura kayak. Bridges Magazine • Fall 2013 17 Easy As 1 2 By Anita Rathje A modern design and improved navigation may be the first features to grab the attention of visitors to TRU’s new website. But the tru.ca homepage and new top-level pages launched this August are the first examples of a comprehensive reimagining of TRU’s web properties that began three years ago. Beyond the new look, the redesign strives to achieve two main goals: to better recruit and serve students, and to represent TRU as a whole. “Our website was far past its expiration date,” says web redesign project manager Matthew Tarzwell. “This is the first time we have taken a serious look at the site architecture, design, and features since UCC merged with BC Open University in 2004/2005.” The interdisciplinary project team started in November of 2010, by consulting with stakeholders representing every division and department on campus and engaging the services of Dare, an external agency. “There are about 6,000 pages in our content management system, and over 10,000 total documents that make up our online presence,” says Tarzwell. “For a project of this scope, it’s good to get an outside view and expertise we may not have had—project managers, information architecture experts, web designers, and developers to code it all.” InsideTRU Find what you’re looking for with three bars of menus that appear on every page: the Search bar, main menu, and footer. Click the green “Learn about our new website” button for a tour of new features. Take the tour of the new site’s features and send us your feedback, at tru.ca. 18 Thompson Rivers University • tru.ca 3 From an inventory of the existing site architecture to the final stages of template design, the team and Dare worked back and forth with multiple drafts of navigation menus, layouts, and features like Quicklinks, refining the look and feel of the site as well as dramatically changing the structure to separate student content from staff and faculty pages. One of the main goals was to ensure the public face of the site is directed at students. “Our website has historically been very departmentalized, reflecting the structure of TRU,” says Tarzwell. “But this doesn’t make sense to students.” The new site separates student tasks, such as how to pay tuition or where to find the Campus Cashier, from a department site like Finance. “We reorganized our content based on our audiences and the tasks they want to complete when they visit our site.” continued > Key actions for students appear in three blue buttons on the homepage and in subpages like Admissions. The menus in this section are customized to various student groups. Consultations and updates to the Admissions site continue as we enter Phase II of migration, to offer students the simplest, most efficient routes to the information they need for applications, registration, fee payments and other processes. Web Redesign Project Management Team Formed RFP for External Vendor Concludes June November 2010 2011 continued > Project Charter January Bridges Magazine • Fall 2013 19 InsideTRU The flexibility and modern design of the new site templates enable more consistency in the look of various departments, such as the Research and Graduate Studies office, while feeds from the TRU Newsroom, Events, blogs, and social media are customized for the department. continued > With the traffic from mobile devices growing each semester, the redesign team also took on a new goal midway through the project: one site, many devices. “We went from designing a single layout to designing three, to specify how the site looked on a desktop computer, a tablet and a smartphone.” The results are worth the extra effort: regardless of the size of your screen, the new site adapts automatically to your device for easy reading and navigation. While the layouts tripled, the team began integrating the university’s three former sites—tru.ca, truopen.ca, and truworld.ca—into one unified website so all students can see everything TRU has to offer. The majority of TRU Open Learning pages are now a seamless part of the new site, with TRU World’s content migration in progress. One goal of blending the three websites is that prospective and current students— onStatement campus, of Workonline, Signed offdomestic, international—can see all of the approximately 600 Web Inventory and Audience courses and 200 programs TRU has to offer in this easy-to-navigate section. Needs Assessment Development of Information Architecture Phase one of content migration, though the most complicated logistically, was the tip of the iceberg at around 870 pages. The team has about five more phases to go, starting with the migration of TRU World and faculty and school sites—each with 200 to 300 pages—to complete the transformation of all pages on the site by the end of 2014. March RFP for External Vendor Concludes June continued > arter The project site has kept the TRU community informed on the process and timelines, at tru.ca/redesign InsideTRU ary Wireframing Completed Web Template Design Begins In About Us you’ll find an overview of TRU, from history to governance, basic facts and figures to questions like, “How does TRU embrace diversity?”. May User Experience Testing DARE Hired August April Final Site Map v13 September 2012 continued Consultations Begin September 2013 Statement of Work Signed off Web Inventory and Audience Needs Assessment Development of Information Architecture March 20 Thompson Rivers University • tru.ca Template Coding Begins October Migration Phase I Begins February Site Launched August Migration Phase III Begins January 2014 Tentative Completion Fall 2014 Arguably the best feature, the new site responds to the device used to view it with three different layouts for desktop, tablet or cell phone. See how it works from your desktop by making your browser window narrower. Migration Phase II Begins September Bridges Magazine • Fall 2013 21 InsideTRU TRU has a new emergency notification system, which will rapidly display alerts on the website in addition to alerting by e-mail and text message. Interior Settings Brian Heise 1 Brian Heise is an associate professor and chair of Natural Resource Sciences. His NRS students enjoy getting their feet wet—literally—in his courses on aquatic ecology and fisheries, and participating in his research on the effects of land use practices like logging, fishing and cattle grazing on freshwater ecosystems. A water sampler is a critical tool in his research on fish and aquatic insects. The green netting nearby is a gill net; Brian and his Fisheries Management students catch fish to provide stock data to the provincial government. 2. Souvenirs from an exchange to the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) balance out the wet and fishy with wood samples from forest management, a mushroom harvester’s utility knife, and an SLU Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies department mug. 3. The Pacific Salmon Foundation, one of the sponsors of Brian’s research, presented TRU with this painting at the Adams River Sockeye Run in 2010 in honour of TRU’s 40th anniversary. 22 4. Hiding in the corner of the fish tank, ‘Scar’ is a plecostomus, an algae eater. He’s also a rescue fish: one of Brian’s students spotted a fish in a plastic bag lying in a snowbank and called Brian, who nursed Scar back to health. 5. Life jackets, hip waders and a D-frame net are a must for Brian and his students. In the winter, snowshoes help them reach lakes and streams covered in ice and snow. He brings bear spray and a radio when research takes him to headwater streams in logging areas. Thompson Rivers University • tru.ca 6. Among books on ichthyology (pronounced “ick”, the study of fishes), limnology (lakes and rivers) and fisheries management, is a copy of British Columbia’s Inland Rainforest, to which he contributed sections on aquatic environments. 6 7. Invasive species such as yellow perch (large jar) threaten salmon and other indigenous fish species in the Interior. Brian’s research explores ways to control perch populations and keep them out of other lakes. He leant his expertise on destructive species like zebra mussels (small jar) and the algae known as “rock snot” to the development of BC’s Invasive Species Strategy. 7 8. When he’s not looking at wetland bugs under a microscope, he reaches the general public through classes for the Wetland Institute and Wetlandkeepers and columns for popular press like BC Sports Fishing Magazine. Photo by Hugo Yuen 1. 2 3 8 4 5 Bridges Magazine • Fall 2013 23 Track the 'Pack SCORE! A win for community By Karlene Skretting C onspicuous in their bright orange team gear, WolfPack athletes have become a symbol of community service in Kamloops. “When a student athlete comes to TRU, we offer them an opportunity to develop in terms of athletics, leadership and academics, but we also try to develop their sense of community,” says Scott Clark, head coach of the men’s basketball team. All the teams get out into the community to assist at or organize at least three events, and many athletes take part in eight or nine activities a year. This September marked the third year of a rivalry between the men’s volleyball and basketball teams to raise the most funds for the Postmedia/Kamloops Daily News Raise-a-Reader Day. “The event is an early wake-up day so it is always a bit of a struggle getting up and out the door, but it just makes it that much better,” says basketball player Kevin Pribilsky. The two teams are out at dawn selling copies of a special Raise-a-Reader edition of the Kamloops Daily News for donations to local literacy programs. WolfPack basketball raised just over $1,000, but volleyball outdid them for the third year in a row with $1,493. The friendly competition to make a difference has proven to be a good bonding exercise within and between teams, and the support lasts all season long. Tom McManus, head coach of women’s soccer, recalls watching WolfPack athletes assist at one of the Terry Fox Runs organized every September at local elementary schools. One of the biggest contributions by the athletes is running alongside the kids to keep them motivated. 24 Thompson Rivers University • tru.ca "A youngster was straggling behind, tired and unable to keep going during one of the runs,” says McManus. “One of our players picked the child up to ride on the player’s shoulders to the finish.” The coaches at the event still remember the big smile on the child’s face and attachment to the athlete after the run ended. “The kids will recognize players walking down the street. Their smiles and enthusiasm mean so much to the athletes.” Every April the women’s soccer team runs a soccer skills clinic for girls age 5 to 18. Admission is by donation, and all funds go to local charities. The young players often come out to WolfPack games and show their support. “I have learned to give back as much as possible because it will always come back to you,” says team member Kelsey Martin. Being an athlete at TRU is much more than just winning trophies and scoring points. Making a difference through community service is the number one goal. Extra, extra—Mike Zayas sells another paper at Raise the Reader September 28. Photo by Larry Read. Bill O’Donovan Finding his calling play-by-play By Bart Cummins rowing up in Williams Lake, CFJC TV 7 news anchor and producer Bill O'Donovan (‘76) was a sports fan: a regular at Stampeders' hockey and other sporting events, a loyal viewer of Hockey Night in Canada, and avid listener to Vancouver Canucks games on the radio. During epic bubble hockey games in the basement of the family home, he called the play-by-play. O’Donovan knew he would make his living through sports. He just didn't know how. In the Winter semester of 1975, when O’Donovan was enrolled in general studies at Cariboo College, a professor by the name of Dr. Les Koritz asked him what he wanted to do. Surprised by the question, O’Donovan replied, “I'm really interested in journalism and broadcasting,” though he hadn’t given it much thought. Koritz suggested he apply to the communications media program, a decision that would pave a career path that's nearing 40 years. “Once the program got underway, I realized this is what I want to do.” After graduating, O'Donovan landed a broadcasting position in Dawson Creek, followed by stints in Williams Lake, Penticton, Kamloops—where among other things, he did play-by-play for the Kamloops Jr. Oilers in their final year before the team was sold and renamed the Kamloops Blazers—and Regina, where he moved from sports to news in 1999. He returned to Kamloops to join CFJC in 2001. Attending TRU has become something of a family tradition. Inheriting his passion for sports, his son Patrick (‘10) is a Bachelor of Tourism Management graduate and works at Tourism Kamloops, helping bring tournaments to town, and Tim (‘09), Bachelor of Business Administration, joined the Kamloops Blazers as Director of Hockey/ Media Administration. His wife Audry (‘03) and daughter Sinéad (‘12) are also TRU graduates. O'Donovan still has his hands in sports, working the public address at Blazers home games. Despite the uncertainty of the business, he thinks his dream of broadcast journalism is still a viable one today. “I think the biggest thing is your passion and commitment... you have to pay your dues, you have to put your time in, you have to be prepared to put in a lot of hours,” he says. “But if you really enjoy it, you'll realize it's well worth the effort.” Bridges Magazine • Fall 2013 25 AlmaMatters G “ Jo2 ”: The Name in the Sportscasting Game By Karlene Skretting is how Joseph Otoo (’11) described his sportscasting style in his online audition for the chance to be heard in more than 6.8 million homes across Canada. His three-minute video won the Journalism alumnus a spot on Sportsnet’s reality TV show, Gillette Drafted, vying for the job of a lifetime—a one-year contract as the newest sportscaster on Sportsnet, plus a one-year term as a spokesperson for Gillette. “When you allow yourself to be quirky and be you, the passion almost emanates from your pores,” says Otoo. He has drawn on that passion and on the journalism and theatre skills learned at TRU throughout the competition. Otoo says he maximized his learning opportunities outside the classroom. He hosted a weekly sports talk show on The X campus radio, did commentary play-by-play for WolfPack basketball and volleyball game webcasts, and wrote for the Omega, TRU’s student newspaper. As part of his Theatre minor, he took on a starring role in the TRU Actors Workshop Theatre production of Antigone. His experience helped him edge his way to the top of the popular vote during Boot Camp—pitting his sports knowledge and broadcasting skills against 24 other competitors—to win one of six finalist spots on the show airing this fall. AlmaMatters “Finishing first in the popular online vote was no accident, Joseph touches everyone he comes across,” says Heidi Verwey, a Visual and Performing Arts faculty member and Otoo’s director for Antigone. “Theatre is about observation, looking deeper than the surface, seeing differently and reacting quickly with empathy. I think these skills are indispensible for a sportscaster.” Otoo says the role of King Creon gave him confidence and taught him how to carry himself as a leader, one of the biggest building blocks to his success. “The Actors Workshop Theatre taught me some fantastic techniques to get myself ready to perform.” Otoo has high hopes he’ll come one step closer to his dream of being the voice Canadians hear at the Stanley Cup, World Cup and Olympics. The winner will be announced in the Gillette Drafted finale on November 22 on Sportsnet. His formal journalism classes also instilled him with assurance. He says it all comes down to writing. “If you can put words on a piece of paper you are capable of speaking those words.” The competition has also required him to think on his feet. “On this Gillette Drafted journey, I learned that I'm adaptable, and my potential outweighs my mistakes,” he says. “In fact when I make a mistake, I use it as growth, it becomes a life lesson. Learning never stops for me.” On the half-hour season five premiere of Gillette Drafted on Sportsnet 360 on October 4, “Jo2” was the second of six finalists chosen from the 25 Boot Camp contestants. Winning the press conference assignment on the second episode gave him the opportunity to interview former NHL player Matthew Barnaby one-on-one, and his Get Your Start profile in episode five aired on Sportsnet for a week. Otoo remains a fan favourite going into the final episodes. “I am ready to work, to do whatever it takes,” says Otoo. “I know I am capable. I just need to be given the stage to perform.” Visit Drafted.ca to watch episodes of the show and find Otoo on Facebook. 26 Thompson Rivers University • tru.ca C M Y CM MY CY CMY K Photo courtesy of Sportsnet “Creative. Passionate. “Creative. Passionate. Fresh,” Fresh,” A 22 day challenge to BE KINDER By Diana Skoglund E xcessive media use can be linked to obesity, lack of sleep, school problems, aggression and other behaviour issues among children, according to new research in the US. What the Researchers of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) could not have considered is the social benefits of a new app that encourages kids to do a good deed a day for 22 days. The Club Kindness app, developed by Natalie Peace (’13) and Carrie Neal takes the virtues of helpfulness, friendliness, gratitude, generosity, thoughtfulness, leadership and courage and delivers them to children under the age of 12. Building on the 21-days-to-change-your- habit theory, the app encourages users to complete one act of kindness each day for 22 days and join other kids from around the world as a member of the Club. Peace, a Master of Business Administration alumna, is no stranger to random acts of kindness. While she was the franchise owner of the Kamloops’ Booster Juice, she paid her staff to wash windows of neighbouring businesses and to hand out flowers to strangers. The app is available in Apple's App Store as well as in Google Play. Selling for $3.99, it’s already generating revenue. There have been downloads from as far away as Australia, and many more in Canada and the US. The Club Kindness app for iPhone and iPad inspires kids to perform daily good deeds and share their stories. Oct-29-Bridges-Ad.pdf 1 10/30/2013 7:26:33 AM Doing well in school matters. It’s why United Way funds in-school mentoring programs for children like Seth. Learn more about our work and donate to a child’s bright future: Bridges Magazine • Fall 2013 27 AlmaMatters unitedwaytnc.ca/give-now Class Notes ’80 Annette Glover, Kamloops, BC, was a Medical Laboratory Technologist for over 33 great years at Royal Inland Hospital laboratory. In 2012 she left RIH to pursue her passion for quality management systems, as a QMS coach for businesses interested in increasing their productivity and efficiency. She enjoys contributing to the quality of life in the Kamloops region. GRINGOS in the Garbage By Diana Skoglund A fter Hurricane Mitch devastated Nicaragua in 1998, thousands of displaced villagers were temporarily relocated to live on the margins of the city of Chinandega, Nicaragua in the ‘circle of death’ between a garbage dump, a cemetery and a sewage plant. AlmaMatters Dozens of charitable projects have tried to help improve the health care and education of the community of El Limonal. Fifteen years later, the people stay, making a living from what they can scavenge from the dump. In an effort to find out what the community really needs, gringos and fellow Master of Business Administration alumni Jess Rothenburger (’05) and filmmaker Douglas Barill (’05) have teamed up with British author Warren Fitzgerald to make Gringos in the Garbage. They will spend two weeks in El Limonal with the locals, climbing mountains of burning trash amid toxic fumes, human waste, body parts and collapsing walls of garbage, in search of recyclables to sell to earn enough to eat as they capture their experience on video. “The first time Douglas and I worked together with video was for a business project during our MBA at TRU,” says 28 Thompson Rivers University • tru.ca Jess Rothenburger and Warren Fitzgerald with residents of El Limonal. Rothenburger. “And here we are, years later, leveraging not only our education, but the connection we made at school.” Rothenburger met Fitzgerald while leading volunteers in Rwanda, as Fitzgerald was researching his first book, The Go-Away Bird. They volunteer as a way to more authentically experience living in developing nations. With this project, they hope to truly consult the El Limonal community themselves about what they want, if anything, in the way of outside help. Scheduled for independent production in Feb 2014, the film will be available for network distribution in August 2014. “An equal share of earnings from the film’s distribution will go back to the community, but this isn’t about charity, it’s about making compelling film,” says Rothenburger. “We believe the people’s story, and our challenge, can serve to inform, enlighten and entertain viewers.” gringosinthegarbage.com ’89 & ’97 Yanni Giftakis, Kamloops, BC, completed a Computer Systems: Operations and Management diploma, followed by a Bachelor of Science in Math and Computing. He taught in Singapore and then joined the Computing faculty at TRU. In 2006 he completed his master’s in computing and is now a senior systems analyst at BC Lottery Corporation. He feels fortunate to have been able to learn and work in his home town. ’96 Derek Rein, Kamloops, BC, followed his Bachelor of Arts with a career in insurance. He is also co-founder and artistic '96 Derek Rein producer of Project X Theatre Productions, the host of Kamloops’ “X Fest”, and enjoys working with TRU theatre students and faculty at the festival every summer in various roles, including directors, actors, stage managers, technicians, and designers. ’96 Cindy Trarup, Vancouver, BC, followed her Bachelor of Arts with law school at UBC, and went on to get her dream articling position. From there, she attained the goal she started out with; she is now Crown Counsel for the Province of British Columbia. ’01 Sylvia Gropp, Kamloops, BC, obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree with concentrations in Archaeology and Geology and has just '01 Sylvia Gropp published a book in collaboration with the Thompson Rivers History and Heritage Society and the Kamloops Museum and Archives. She continues her research on historic brothels and women of the night while also documenting homestead cemeteries in the Kamloops area. Let's Remember ’05 Melissa Thomas, Kamloops, BC, went on to obtain her Master of Fine Arts in directing after graduation. Active as a director and performer in Kamloops’ theatre '05 Melissa Thomas community, she most recently directed Fantastic Mr. Fox for Project X Theatre Productions. Passionate about teaching performance skills to young people, she is a sessional theatre instructor at TRU and has been a Stage One Theatre School instructor since 2010. ’06 Ryan Kerr, Kamloops, BC, graduated with a Social Work degree and was immediately hired by Big Brothers Big Sisters of Kamloops. After a great experience there, he went on '06 Ryan Kerr Brad Anthony ('01) and rescued baby Chacma Baboon "Bella" go adventuring in the Western Cape, South Africa. to found Solutions for Life – Coaching and Consulting, combining his passions for entrepreneurship, basketball, and working with youth. He and his wife recently began a rewarding role as foster parents. ’09 Bronwyn Hall, Salmon Arm, BC, has been teaching grade one/two in Salmon Arm for the past four years since obtaining her Bachelor of Education. To Bronwyn, teaching '09 Bronwyn Hall is a passion; a desire to love, nurture, and inspire children. She plans to continue teaching at the elementary level and one day obtain her master’s degree. Family is an important part of her life: her husband, baby daughter, two cats, and a horse. ’10 Lucy Pratt-Johnson travelled to Europe after graduation on a Contiki tour of England, Ireland and Scotland before becoming a stage manager in professional theatre. Her work for Western Canada Theatre, BellaLuna, Bard on the Beach, Theatre Melee, Arts Club Theatre, Theatre Northwest and the Kelowna Summer Theatre Festival continues her travels, between Kamloops, Vancouver, Prince George and Kelowna. She joined the Canadian Actors Equity Association in January 2013. ’11 Angela Adigo Achoba, Kamloops, BC, was interested in geriatrics when she graduated from Nursing, but ended up in the mental health field and has been enjoying her work at Hillside Centre since 2011. She also works at the Phoenix Center as a casual Detox Nurse. She married in 2011 and had a baby in 2012, and is now back to school this fall to take an online substance use certificate course. TRU community passings since May 2013. Kimberly Hiebert was a Bachelor of Arts student who overcame tremendous obstacles to pursue her educational goals. Despite many challenges as a result of her health, she remained positive and persevered to enroll at TRU Open Learning. She had just begun a major in English in 2013. She will be remembered by her family, friends, faculty and fellow students for her strength, courage and optimism. Carol Kerr became TRU’s first full-time international admissions officer in 1991, developing the role into a pivotal aspect of the International division. Students quickly began to rely on her as a resource as they adjusted to study in a new country, and post-admissions support became a hallmark of Carol’s work. To her colleagues she was an invaluable mentor. She and her husband George were also a host family; after her retirement in 2001 they took the opportunity to visit their former students overseas. She will be remembered for her expertise, passion and generous spirit. Michaline Novak (’98) returned to the Faculty of Arts about three years ago to work directly with students as the Bachelor of Arts program advisor, following roles in institutional research, enrolment management, institutional planning and analysis, Open Learning curriculum services, and as faculty in the Sociology department. As an advisor her door was always open. Described by colleagues and students as selfless and compassionate, Michaline always went above and beyond the call of duty to improve the student experience. ’01 Brad Anthony, Bali, Indonesia, wrote 25 strategy books for Random House and worked in environmental consulting after obtaining his Bachelor of Natural Resource Science degree. He recently founded a non-profit organization, Global Animal Welfare Development Society (GAWDS), and travels the world donating his skills to animal sanctuaries while creating innovative high-tech solutions for raising cause awareness worldwide. Brad was recently in South Africa, helping run a private nature reserve and primate sanctuary, and is now in Southeast Asia monitoring the illegal wildlife trade. Bridges Magazine • Fall 2013 29 AlmaMatters ‘02 Manoj Jasra, Sr., Calgary, AB, graduated from the Computer Systems Operations, Management program and began a career in digital marketing, specializing in digital/ mobile strategy, web analytics, and online marketing. From Enquiro Search Solutions he moved to Shaw Communications as a senior strategist in 2008, and has been with WestJet since 2011. He is currently the airline’s Director of Digital Strategy. Mariah McCooey CLE AR SAIL ING Story by Elise Fenwick. Photo by Tony Puerzer L maritime policy or operations position,” Lacking a couple of prerequisites required for acceptance into the program, she explains. In order to get there, she returned to TRU-OL to work on the McCooey enrolled in Open Learning prerequisites she needed for Memorial again. “The process was easy, fluid and University of Newfoundland’s Master’s flexible,” she says of her engagement in Maritime Management program. with online and distance studies through “I decided to take correspondence courses TRU. “Student services was amazing and “Every step of the way, Open Learning that interested me, while working, has made my next move possible,” says until I really knew what I wanted to go for,” the course formats and delivery were simple and uncomplicated.” McCooey, adding that one Open Learning she says. From Mass Communication to Faculty Member took the time to write “I finished them in a matter of weeks and Macroeconomics, she has been taking her an academic reference that she gained acceptance into the four-year online and distance courses through TRU is certain was a big part of her successful bachelor’s degree and Watchkeeping Open Learning for the past ten years. acceptance into the graduate program. certification program.” Her rule? Follow your interests and go “Looking back over the past decade with your instincts. After graduating in 2011, McCooey of my life, I have to say TRU has been enjoyed working as a Navigation Officer McCooey’s original intention was to enroll hugely instrumental in bringing me in the Canadian Coast Guard aboard in a Communications program through to the position I am in today, both a 200-foot Fisheries Patrol/Search and Royal Roads University, but her interests educationally and professionally.” Rescue Vessel, but once again found and instincts soon landed her a job herself following her interests and on a sail-training ship. She developed instincts back to the virtual classroom. a love of the sea, and applied to the Coast Guard Officer Training program “I felt like I would only find the challenge based out of Sydney, Nova Scotia. I was looking for in a shore-side, ike many other students, Mariah McCooey began university fresh out of high school. After a semester, however, she realized that the bricks-and-mortar experience was not for her. 30 Thompson Rivers University • tru.ca The Blairs’Bequest By Fearon Blair S ince moving to Kamloops in 1974, we have been regular contributors to TRU. More recently, we decided to assist the TRU Foundation in the form of a bequest from our estates. financial means whereby we can support TRU. In a sense, we feel we are returning to our community some of what we have gained from it, as a result of our own university educations. We view TRU and the TRU Foundation as important assets to the Kamloops community. With its large student body, faculty and staff, TRU plays an increasingly significant role in our community’s economic well-being. It also enriches our city’s culture with the diversity of the student population from across Canada and around the globe. Growth and change in our society depend largely on the education of our younger generations. Education is what will allow them to contribute in a meaningful manner to all aspects of our society, responding to needs in fields as varied as education, nursing, environmental studies, law, journalism, and heavy-duty mechanics—to name but a few. We recognize that some students struggle with the costs of attending university. We believe the TRU Foundation is crucial in helping students overcome these kinds of financial difficulties. We have both spent years at university obtaining various degrees, education that has helped us acquire the We are pleased to support the TRU Foundation as a means of ensuring that TRU remains able to assist its students, expand its programs, and play a significant role in enriching the Kamloops community. We encourage others in our community to make a similar commitment. Richard and Fearon Blair Leave a legacy to TRU Giving to others is a natural impulse, and many of us are moved to help family and friends. But we may also want to give to people we have never met, knowing that what we give can make a real difference in their lives. This is the power of a legacy. A legacy gift is a simple and thoughtful way to give something back to the community for the benefit of future generations while realizing tax savings for your estate. Gifts to TRU can be designated for student assistance, or be directed to infrastructure or research initiatives. 3 Easy Ways • Leave a gift to TRU in your will • Donate stocks and avoid capital gains tax • Name TRU as the beneficiary of a life insurance policy To find out more about legacy giving, contact: Karen Gamracy, Director, Advancement Tel: 250.371.5715 | Email: kgamracy@tru.ca | Web: tru.ca/foundation Make a difference for future generations *Donors are encouraged to contact their legal and financial advisor with regard to any estate or planned gift decision Bridges Magazine • Fall 2013 31 Donor List Visionaries (Lifetime gifts 500,000+) Irving K. Barber Beef Cattle Industry Development Fund Mark & Ellen Brown Domtar Inc. Great West Equipment The Estate of Alvin Grunert Ministry of Water, Land & Air Protection Southern Interior Development Initiative Trust Tech Highland Valley Copper Vancouver Foundation Pacesetters $100,000+ Ron & Rae Fawcett Great West Equipment Law Foundation of British Columbia Guy Mercier & Family The Stollery Charitable Foundation Champions $50,000+ Fiona Chan Southern Interior Development Initiative Trust Partners $10,000+ City of Kamloops Domtar Pulp & Paper Products Inc. Estate of Jean Baird Bamford Fulton & Company LLP Gateway Casinos & Entertainment Ltd. Jack & Pam Hole Dr. Douglas & Elizabeth Hunter Indo-Can Links KGHM Ajax Mining Inc. KPMG Foundation KPMG LLP Kamloops Blazers Education Society Kamloops Blazers Sports Society Legacy Fund Kamloops Daily News Jean Kingsbury Tom LaFreniere & Donna Mellquist Kenneth & Maureen Lepin Dr. Duncan & Marie MacRae McDonald's Restaurant Brian Mitchell Roland & Anne Neave and Family Charleen Proznick RBC Royal Bank TB Vets Charitable Foundation TRU Students' Union The Sprott Foundation Thomson Reuters Vancouver Foundation Contributors $5,000+ Aberdeen Lions Club ARAMARK Canada Ltd. BMO Financial Group British Columbia Lottery Corporation CIBC Cardinal Mining Equipment & Supply Ltd. Cariboo Chilcotin Child Development Centre Daley & Co Chartered Accountants LLP Duncanby Lodge Kelly Dutchak Evening Auxiliary to Royal Inland Hospital Rick & Sandra Heney Mary Hole Kamloops Collegiate Baseball Society Kamloops Honda Lafarge Canada Inc. Lebeau Bros Logging Ronald MacIsaac Minerva Foundation for BC Women Dr. Lloyd & Rae Nixon Yoshie Ozawa Pacific Veterinary Sales Ltd. Pronto Enterprises Ltd. Running Room Canada Dr. Alan Shaver Sony Canada Charitable Foundation TD Canada Trust TRU Faculty Association Urban Systems Ltd. Valley First Credit Union Ronald Watson Supporters $1,000+ 0520132 BC Ltd Alberta Group Ltd. ALS Canada Ltd. ASTTBC Foundation Peter & Barbara Aarestad Carl & Karen Abbott Accent Inns – Kamloops Dr. Dennis Acreman & Evangelista Pappas Acres Enterprises Ltd. Mark & Christine Adam Thomas Cook Travelwise Charanjit Ahuja Steve & Connie Alger Allteck Amsterdam Restaurant Renee Anderson Andrew Sheret Ltd. Dr. Donald Andrews Animal Health Technologists Association of BC Henry Appleton Argo Road Maintenance Romi Arora Sherilynn Ash Brent & Kari Ashby Associated Independent Adjusters At Your Service Catering Kris Austin Ayres Fencing Installations Daniel Azagra BC Northern Real Estate Board Retired Teachers Association BC Society of Respiratory Therapists BC Water & Waste Association BDO Dunwoody LLP BMO Nesbitt Burns – Kelly Shantz & Harvey Comazzetto Dr. Marie-Claire Baril & Andre Larouche Ed & Dianne Barker Tom Barley Barry J. Walker Professional Corporation Jim & Joanne Baskerville Bayer Inc. Arthur Beaumont Chad Belbin Lorianna & Sean Bennett Dino Bernardo Beta Sigma Phi Ron Betker Dr. James Bilbey & Marie Christine Rey-Bilbey Biology Undergraduate Student Club Frederick Cunningham & Helen Birdsall Dr. Stella Black Bliss-Stick Kayaks Scott Bollefer Carolyn Bostock James & Evelyn Bowersock Paul & Laurie Bregoliss Dr. Sharon Brewer & Kevin O'Neil British Columbia Lung Association John & Judy Brunette Benjamin Bula Bruce Bunko CBS Parts Ltd. Christian Labour Association of Canada CUPE Local 4306 Chris & Angela Cameron Mary Cameron Larry Campbell CUPE Local 3500 Canadian Western Bank Canfor Cansleep Services Inc. Odette & Franco Caputo Starr & Gayle Carson Phyllis Catalano Cedar Dental Centre Central Interior Rebuilders Ltd. Sherry Chamberlain Chartered Accountants Education Foundation of BC Jo Dobson & Naowarat Cheeptham ChemoRV Bruce Chernoff Shawn Chisholm Cloverdale Paint Best Western Kamloops Towne Lodge Coca-Cola Refreshments Canada Co. college pro PAINTERS Harvey & Barbara Comazzetto Commodore Ventures Ltd CFDC of Thompson Country Concord Security Corp. Convocation Flowers Inc. CORIX Water Products LP Council for Exceptional Children Credit Union Central of BC Cullen Diesel Power Ltd Culture Care Landscaping Dr. Paul Dagg & Carol Ward Donna Daines Daniel & Catherine Dallaire Dawson Construction Ltd. Lori & Robert De Frias Dave's Cleaning Service Dearborn Ford David Delong Delta Hotels & Resorts Delta Sun Peaks Resort Sandra Dever Devon Transport Ltd. Ambo Dhaliwal Diamond Lil's Trucking Ltd Drs. Tom Dickinson & Nancy Flood Dave Dillon & Janice Ireland Discovery Glass & Aluminum Inc. Mark & Susan Dixon Dr. Annette Dominik John Dormer Susan Douglas Lorraine Drdul Kory Dresler Petr Duda Dr. Susan Duncan & Richard Hunter The Dunes at Kamloops Larry & Cheryl Dyck Eagle Point Golf & Country Club Edmonton Community Foundation Estate of Errol Wild Excelsior Rebekah Lodge No. 23 Carolynne Fardy Jason & Pamela Fawcett Kevin & Sandra Fertile Robert & Barbara Finley Finning Canada Ltd. First Nations Tax Commission Fiscal Realities Economists Ltd. Samuel Flanagan Murray Foubister Fraser Valley Bar Association Robert & Pauline Fry Bill & Alana Frymire GCIC Ltd. Dr. Will Garrett-Petts Don Garrish Greg Garrish Cameron & Lori Gatey Byron Gayfer Robert Genn Gary Gervais Gibraltar Mines Ltd. Gift Funds Canada Gillespie Renkema Barnett Broadway Carol Gillis Jeff & Jane Glaicar Glover Prescriptions Ltd. Al & Dawn Gozda Graycon Group Elizabeth Greene Mayor Al Raine & Senator Nancy Greene Raine Ian Gregson H.Hook Contracting Ltd. H. Silvey Distributing Ltd. HMZ Law Thank you to the following donors who made contributions this past fiscal year (April 1, 2012 – March 31, 2013). Their generosity has helped many TRU students and made TRU a better place. HSBC Bank Canada Hub International Barton Insurance Brokers Cathy Hall-Patch Hands on Health Corp. Margarete Hanna Ian Hanomansingh LeRae Haynes Anissa Hendley Heritage Office Furnishings High Country Healthcare Inc. Karen Hofmann Holiday Inn Express (Kamloops) Jamie Hooker Horst Precision Machine Hot Nite in the City Society Jana Howardson Dr. Anthony & Patricia Human David Hunter & Bev Wassen-Hunter Dr. Susan Duncan & Richard Hunter IA Clarington Investments Inc. IBEW Local 258 iConoclast Developments Ltd. Independent Contractors & Business Association – ICBA IJ Windows & Doors IRL Idealease Ltd. Interior Savings Credit Union Invesco Canada Ltd. Investors Group Financial Services Inc. Karen & James Irving Debra Jackson Dr. Colin & Kathryn James James Western Star Sterling Ltd. Scott Janzen Sydney Johnsen Robert Johnson Johnson Controls Joanne Jones Doug Jontz & Nancy Plett K & P Construction Ltd. Subway Kamloops Kal Tire Kamloops & District Kennel Club Kamloops Art Gallery Kamloops Basketball Academy Kamloops Chartered Accountants Association Kamloops Council of Canadians Kamloops Exploration Group Society Kamloops Farmers Market Society Kamloops Ford Lincoln Ltd. Kamloops Harley Owners Group Tk'emlups Indian Band Kiwanis Club of Kamloops BC Kamloops Symphony Society Kamloops Youth Soccer Association Kemp Concrete Products Ken J. Finnie Kinder Morgan Canada Inc. Dr. Sven Kip Ron Kole Ernest Kroeger LMG Finance Inc. The Honourable Dr. Terry & Lisa Lake Gwyneth Lamperson Lani Laviolette Linda Turner Personal Real Estate Corporation London Drugs Ltd. Joshua MacDonald Bruno Mailloux & Judy Guichon Shane Mainprize Gary & Diana Major Paul & Monna Manhas Perry Martin Nan McBlane James McCreath Matthew McCurrach Robert McDiarmid John & Sylvie McIntosh Tom & Bonnie McInulty Matthew McKay Peter McKenna Dr. Alex & Lynn McLean Christina McLennan McMillan LLP Dr. Kathryn McNaughton Allan & Cathy McNeely Carol McNeil Merial Canada Methanex Corp. Lisa Michaels Rod Michell Middleton Petroleum Services Ltd. Dr. Jack & Verna Miller Miller Electric Mfg. Co. MINI Yaletown Drs. Gilles & Carmen Molgat Moly-Cop Canada Jeff Mooney Morelli Chertkow Lawyers LLP Patricia Morris Jonathan Moynes Brenda Muliner Peter Mullins & Paula Presta Brian & Janet Munro Jeanette Murray NRI Distribution Inc. Mark Nairn Nature's Fare Diane Nielsen Kevin & Diane Nielson Nihal Labour Contracting Ltd. Norgaard Ready-Mix Ltd. Northern Development Initiative Trust Heather Noyes Pat & Evelyn O'Brien John & Daniela O'Fee Dr. Sharon Brewer & Kevin O'Neil O.A.P.O. Branch 93 Okanagan Valley West Zone Schools Athletic Association Tarnjit & Simritpal Ollek Alison Olmsted Ken & Arlene Olynyk The Honorable Wally Oppal, QC Chancelor Oronge Board Shop PCL Constructors Westcoast Inc. Pacific Rim Veterinary Clinic Ltd. Warren Palmer Melanie & Michael Parker Dr. Barbara Paterson Margaret Patten Dennis Patterson David & Arlene Paul Luc Pellerin & Nadine Girouard Picton Mahoney Asset Mgmt. Mario & Sara Piroddi Praxair Canada Inc. Aberdeen Mall Ltd. Progressive Step Orthotics & Bracing Ltd. Dr. Barbara Prystawa & Richard Vander Mey RBC Royal Bank Raymond James Ltd. Dr. Russ Reid Elizabeth Rennie TRU Residence & Conference Centre Nick & Linda Rinaldi Rivershore Estates & Golf Links Rivershore Ram Chrysler Dodge Jeep Riversyde Auto Repair Shane Rollans & Christine Davis-Rollan Cody Rose Brian & Anne Ross Rotary Club of Williams Lake Daybreak Royal Canin Claude & Carolyn Royer Robert & Patricia Ryan S. Tupper Inc. SMS Equipment Inc Sage Sport Institute Lorne Sandstrom Dr. Wendy & Dan Sanford Robin Schoebel School District No. 73 Derek & Lynn Schreurs Don & Carman-Anne Schulz Schultz Motorsports Inc. Christopher Seguin Ken Serink Michael & Karen Shelton John & Sheri Sheppard Evan Sherwood Shuswap Naturalist Club Siwash Lake Ranch Mirko & Karen Slivar South Central Laser South Thompson Motors & RV Southwest Glass Ltd. Sparkling Hill Resort Spectra Energy Donnelle Stagg Stantec Architecture Ltd. Stenner Photography The Honourable Todd & Chantelle Stone Dan Sulz Sun Country Toyota Sun Life Financial Sunrise Vehicle Sales Ltd. dba Rivershore Chrysler Dr. Katherine & John Sutherland Doug Swaine William Swaine Meloche Monnex Inc. TRU Association of Professional Administrators Tulo Centre of Indigenous Economics Mark Tabor Sarang Enterprises Corporation Kim Tamas Murray Tamas Dr. Gordon Tarzwell Teck Highland Valley Copper David & Candace Thatcher The Kelson Group The Mutual Fire Insurance Co. of BC Steve Thomas Eleanor Thompson Greg & Valerie Thompson Debbie Thomson John Thwaites Tolko Industries Ltd. Alessio Tomassetti Robyn Tonello Lynne Totten The Art Store Scott & Kathryn Tupper Twin Anchors Manufacturing United Way Upper College Heights Jordan Urban VanAsep Training Society VERICO Integra Mortgage Corp. John Van Steinberg Vancity Community Foundation Case Vandiemen Jeff & Lynn Vanjoff Doreen Veale Debra Vey-Lourens Victoria Foundation – Raymond & Marigold Patterson Denise Vieira Eric & Hilary Villeneuve VitalAire Nels Vollo Wesco Distribution-Canada Inc. Dr. Kenneth & Charlotte Wagner Alice Wale Adrian Wall Riley Wall Sean & Lynn Wallace Drs. Robert Walter & Jill Calder Wastech Services Ltd. Diane & Christopher Wells WestJet Airlines Westkey Graphics Dave & Terry Wharf White Spot Curtis & Brandy Wilkinson Williams Lake Lions Club Gregor Wishart Woodlands Equipment Inc. Wrabel Brothers Construction Ltd. Brennan Wright Peter Young The Zawaduk Family Cheryl Zawaduk Zoetis All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy in this list. If an error or omission has occurred, please call the Foundation office at 250.828.5264. 34% did it at work. Do it your way. Do it online. Upgrade your education anytime, anywhere and advance in your career. Access over 590 courses and 52 programs offered online and by distance. 34 Thompson Rivers University • tru.ca MC118188 1.888.434.OPEN | truopen.ca A Browser History By Sherry Bennett 1999 UCC Home Page In what was still an emerging medium, websites of the 1990s were nothing more than glorified search engines, though they did provide people with an ease they had never experienced before. While UCC’s minimal home page—suited to downloading over those old dial-up modems—would offer little appeal to today’s viewer, it provided an effective platform to communicate important information and highlight events. In this screen shot from 1999, the site highlights the Biology and Management of Species and Habitats at Risk Conference, which featured papers on over 60 different species and Bear Brewery’s special run of Northern Spotted Ale. 2000 UCC Home Page On the eve of the new millennium, a cross-campus web committee worked with web design contractor McAlpine and Associates to create a functional and engaging website. In these days before active content management, new webmaster Ruth Hughes and web assistants Lois Rugg and Brant Leigh maintained the site, working with 31,000 files and directing 24,000 requests per day. Working with new technologies like cascading style sheets and broadband connections, UCC entered the 21st century with a vibrant new look that showcased the institution’s unique brand. UCC + BCOU = TRU In the fall of 2004, the Province announced UCC would be given a new mandate as Thompson Rivers University, and assume the responsibilities of the BC Open University (BCOU)—presenting UCC and BCOU’s web designers with the herculean task of merging the two sites into a new TRU website in time for a March 2005 launch. Designers developed a new look for tru.ca, with a plan to move UCC pages into BCOU’s active content management (ACM) system, but in January 2005 they still needed templates to house 6,300 pages of content. The task was split into two phases, with 2,200 pages modified and moved by March, and the rest as OL merged with the TRU template, during the summer of 2006. “The BCOU/UCC merge to tru.ca was an exciting web launch with very complex logistical details,” says Hughes, who is part of the web redesign management team that has just launched the first phase of TRU’s brand new site. Read about the current project on page 18. Bridges Magazine • Fall 2013 35 Message from Alan Shaver President and Vice-Chancellor S ince we began the consultation process to determine TRU’s Strategic Priorities for the next five years, almost 3,000 people have accepted our invitation to provide their input. Through emails, social media posts, responses to two online surveys, verbal comments and hundreds of handwritten notes from our Town Halls, one message is coming through loud and clear: this university means a lot to a lot of people. And with good reason. At Thompson Rivers University, we accept students for who they are, and work hard to get them where they want to go through access to a variety of innovative learning paths, services and opportunities. In fact, I think we’re experts at it. I was reminded of this at the recent launch of a new pilot program at TRU connected to the BC government’s Skills and Training Plan. This “Front End Loaded” accelerated diploma program offers apprentice Commercial Transport Mechanics an opportunity to maximize their skills while minimizing time away from the workplace. For 16 students with dreams to move ahead and the drive to work hard—and for the four employer partners providing new vehicles and equipment for the training period—this program just makes sense. It’s an example of what can happen when good ideas and good people come Web extra: tru.ca/trupriorities | #trupriorities 36 Thompson Rivers University • tru.ca together. At TRU, this has led to initiatives as wide-ranging as the establishment of an Endowed Chair in Aboriginal Early Childhood Development, and a rainbow crosswalk to celebrate our commitment to diversity, and even the recent national medal wins by our WolfPack soccer teams. I think it also explains why this Strategic Priorities consultation is not some dry, intellectual exercise but a very human and hands-on endeavor. On January 15 and 16, there will be two more Town Halls to review the draft Strategic Priorities document. I invite you to participate and be part of shaping the future of our university for the important years ahead. president@tru.ca PAINT THE TOWN ORANGE Support TRU Student Athletes Join us in: Become an Honourary Pack Member: • The establishment of a legacy fund designed to support the TRU student athletes in all sport disciplines represented at TRU. • Individual Club Member $100 • Providing options to high level student athletes to pursue higher education in conjunction with their preferred sport. • WolfPack Partner Member (Advertising package) • The effective recruitment of student athletes to TRU / Kamloops. • Business Club Member $250 • WolfPack Varsity Member $1,000 • WolfPack Champion Member (Advertising package) • Keeping our hometown student athletes in Kamloops! Get involved — get in touch today. For more information contact Camilla Dahl at 250.828.5009 or email cdahl@tru.ca VOLLEYBALL GOLF HOCKEY BASKETBALL BADMINTON SOCCER XCOUNTRY RUNNING BASEBALL CHEERLEADING MC118326 gowolfpack.tru.ca Distinguished Alumni Awards Know of a TRU, UCC, or Cariboo College graduate who is doing amazing things to make the world a better place? Nomination deadline December 13, 2013 Awards dinner April 11, 2014 For more information contact: 250.828.5264 tru.ca/alumni James McCreath BJour 2002 – Community Service Award 2012 An Ironman athlete, journalist, and businessman, James McCreath devotes much of his time to youth, whether bringing affordable organized sports to kids, speaking at youth groups, or raising funds for school programs. His mantra: “If you give, you begin to live”. Publication Agreement #40040090 Return Undeliverable address to: Thompson Rivers University 900 McGill Road, Kamloops, BC V2C 0C8