Lazy Faire April 2011

cheers!

1

Message from our Sponsor

2

Editor’s Note

a ti Lamb

Jyo

Editor

Wha t faste a quick y r when than I ear! It f e lew by w ize t I’m abou xpected a a here t t o cat nd righ yy ’s on befo t re fi c nals. ly about h up I r lazy yest . I ea er two g up is n i k week lartic day whe t felt li ic ke it s le n I w gh th for p camp on the was r you ne throu inue to k just us. H best ote my n i a az a ye ne ont Th ar n owever, places t first LF mag e will c magazi ae r ot w i o i time w a r t m f e u d a w o t O a f n a s s de on in r it. ,a fi for L writing a ted and year hard on re good ep I had nitely nd d F. H e o esign the opef a gre work resent m re, and k ood m u in G cont agazine lly all of g article at will p the futu gazine. ou next inue as m s you n a to f u i y e c n m h n e j o r ollow as ye tio ou , se us n I did an d k of ur final Sally c a e r Matt d x Crowley t o t ye Au ar!! on y Crea Creative Director luck t

As we near the end of another school year, we are no doubt struck by the various changes we see around campus and within ourselves. This year will be remembered as the year millions protested against suppression and dictatorship in Egypt, Libya, Tunisia and other countries in Northern Africa and the Middle East. It will be remembered as the year that a horrific 9.0 magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami hit Japan. It will be remembered as the year Webmail (finally!) switched to Gmail, as the year Elizabeth Taylor died and as the year Lady Gaga arrived in an egg at the Grammys.

For those of you who are graduating this year, the Lazy-Faire team wishes you the best of luck for the future and we hope to see you at the graduation banquet this weekend. For those of you who are continuing your education here at the School of Business, we leave you with a few wise words:

ive D esign

! year y Guo tor le r i Sh ive Direc t Crea

er

The year is already over, and with it, a lot of great memo ries and lessons learned! I’m looking so forward to the growth and evolutio n of Lazy-Faire over the next year!

We’ve got a whole lotta awesome comi ng your way! See you on the flip-side .

Lance Chung Senior Contributor

You have brains in your head.

You have feet in your shoes.

You can steer yourself in any direction you choose.

You’re on your own.

I would like to thank everyone And you know what you know. who picked up an issue of La You are the guy who’ll decide where to go. zy-Faire this year. Our readership is

-Dr. Seuss continually m

Breanne

Fisher

Editor

As April is our final issue of the year, I wanted to end off with a short congratulation to the magazine’s team. Lazy-Faire’s success this year was a result of the cumulative talent of an incredible team of students. From the innovative leadership and direction of co-editor Jyoti Lamba, creative expertise of the design team (Farzana Allidina, Shirley Guo, Brittanee Tomkow, and Karolina Zheng), to the dynamic written flair of senior contributors (Sally Au, Lance Chung, Matt Crowley, and Breanne Pisani), the Lazy-Faire has emerged as a fresh presence in the business undergraduate community!

Thank-you to the team, the BSA, the Edmonton business community, other business student groups, and loyal readers for your continued support. Now, please sit down and enjoy this final issue.

otivating us to work hard to reinvent the magazine, come up with creative ideas, and on pleasing ou r readers. Keep work your eyes on Lazy-Faire next year, as some great new ideas are already comin g your way!

Also, be sure to check out th e Lazy-Faire blogwww.lazy faire.tumblr.com , as there is a lot of extra content and in teresting topics that will he lp you stay up to date with more current news. See yo u next year!

Brittanee Tom kow Creativ , e Director ted reader eam for the Lazy o ev d ey H It was design t d odd e h an t rs n o ve I was stly co ash Faire exciting to year—mo have a st thi be Faire this ly ere. We al h t t o t d m an e any f s year. No a part of but we’re hat r, pages her ea r y the e to t s h fac r nex had a Tell us w es on nly did we Lazy of ideas fo us r yours. f r fo ch e t ls ca s ee ( t h h ha e h hope e you hat head over you e look to the team, we ve aybe what k out the table m e, n i s m lik also joyed sue; aga you chec ation). lways, or puttin I know we reading e zine. I in the hal for contact inform summers a g h ts fabulous on fin everythin ad a goo ch new of conten l wild and s, go d al d a g ra u time o l G y s t . o g e) ge summ and en Wishin I promis d joy yo ther! Goo e its way, world, an r al re h e o h d (it’s on t ur we lidays see you e rules in ll-des luck ! g around, n ki break som ic e st B rved u reann of yo e Pis for those r o S t e ec ir a n D n ior Co i reative next year! ntribu llidina - C tor Farzana A

3

MMHmm I’m craving Famoso’s... Anyways what a year! Thank you for picking up and flipping through issues of the Lazy Faire throughout the year. We have done a lot throughout 2010/2011 to try and reinvent the magazine and present a different feel. In the next year we will be continuously thriving to improve the magazine for the benefit of the readers... YOU!!! If you have any ideas or submissions please forward them over, but in the meantime good luck on your finals and have an awesome summer!! You know you have to make the most of your summer since there is still snow on the ground during the release of the April issue.... but hmm spring skiing perhaps??

Creative Director Karolina Zheng

Table of Contents

13

TAMMY’S ARTICLE ON RIM where one’s passion for technology will take them

15

business

INTERVIEW WITH LYNDA STEELE

in every issue

EDITOR’S NOTE + LF team messages CALENDAR

03 06

UOFA STUDIO THEATRE the gertrude stein project

23

COFFEE BREAK

16

CLUBS IN BUSINESS: a year in review

18

CLIMBING TREES AND FIVE YEAR DEGREES

BACKPACKING ACROSS CANADA 10

health and wellness

22

BSA COUNCIL 2011-2012

affordable summer project

17

T

houghts, comments, questions, threats, love letters send them all to submissions@bsaonline.ca.

Take a glance at the magazine online at: bsaonline.ca and check out our new blog: www.lazyfaire.tumblr.com.

4

student life

THE HAUTE COMMODITY fashion week profile

entertainment

20

08

Advertisement

5

Calendar

Monday

Sunday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

April 4

3

10

11

17

1

Saturday

2

Graduation Banquet

5

6

BSA Student Social Night

BSA Anti-Burnout

12

13

BSA Beer Gardens

Friday

BSA Beer Gardens Last Day of Classes

19

7

8

9

15

16

14

Final Exams Begin

21

22 Good Friday

18 20 25

26

Easter Monday

21 6

27

28

29

30 Final Exams End

Advertisement

http://www.lazyfaire.tumblr.com

Lazy Faire Magazine

7

Student Life

2011/2012 Executive Council My name is Joachim Chau and I’m a 4th year finance major. As VP Academic, my goal is to build upon the successes that we had this year. I’m excited to work with a great team to make Energize bigger and better, and continue to serve the academic needs of students.

Learn and interact with industry speakers. Gain important presentation experience. Interact and meet faculty. Those are three pinnacles to academics that I would like to build upon next year. I look forward to helping grow the BSA to new heights!

2011 Winter Gala (Left to right): Derrick Stielow, Kimberley Menard

As BSA President it is my job to keep all of the VP’s in line and to make sure that we are reaching out to you, the students in the best way possible. If you didn’t get a chance to read my introduction in last month’s Lazy-Faire, here’s a quick recap. My experience within the Alberta School of Business is as a Dean’s Ambassador, as the chair for Five Days for the Homeless 2011 and as the Director of Corporate Relations for the BSA. These roles have allowed me to gain a strong understanding of how the School of Business and the BSA conduct operations. You’ll have to excuse me for the brevity, as I am currently homeless while writing this article as a part of the “5 Days for the Homeless” campaign in support of the Youth Emergency Shelter Society. I’m looking forward to a great school year in 2011/2012 and I welcome any suggestions from you in ways that we can improve your University experience!

Kimberley Menard - President - knmenard@ualberta.ca

Joachim Chau - VP Academic - jjchau@ualberta.ca Now that spring is in the air and the freedom from finals is just on the horizon, it seems like a great time for us to get to know each other a little better. As your VP External, it is my job to develop and maintain relationships with our corporate partners. It is also my job to bring you the best possible opportunities to network with representatives from all different areas of business. This could be as simple as having our sponsors attend BSA events or as complex as Backstage Pass - an event that offers you the chance to spend an entire day examining the internal workings of what could be your future employer.

Of course you probably already had an idea about what the VP external does (right?), so let’s get a little more personal (but not in the way you’re thinking).

I have been a director on the Internal Portfolio for the last year and have had a blast planning and running some of the events that you have seen around campus. My interests include sports, small and family business, motorcycles, crosswords, coffee and pretty much anything that I can have a good time doing with friends.

If you have any questions regarding BSA events, sponsorship opportunities, how to get involved or anything else related to the BSA, give me a shout.

Derrick Stielow - VP External - derrick.stielow@gmail.com Hey everyone! My name is Joshua Sereke and I’m currently a third year business student double majoring in finance and accounting, with interests in corporate securities law, macroeconomics, and computer programming.

Currently, I am the Vice President Finance for the BSA, Research Assistant for Professor Sarah Moore, Auditor for the UADS, a member of the Jeux de Commerce (JDC) debate team, and Ambassador for the Alberta School of Business. Currently enrolled in the Chartered Financial Analyst program and CBV program, I plan on pursuing my JD/MBA in the future. Upon completion of my Bachelor of Commerce degree, I plan to gain work experience in M&A/restructuring/underwriting advisory segment of investment banking.

2010 Frosh Retreat, Clint Peter

2011 Business Week, Derrick Stielow

2011 Business Week, Nick Williams

8

My vision for the future is simple: Maintain a cyclically balanced budget, optimize the BSA’s capital to meet the needs of the student body, and leave the BSA with a self-sustaining budget and a healthy balance sheet. Please let me know if you have any questions, or would like to know more!

Josh Sereke - VP Finance - joshsereke@gmail.com

Student Life My name is Nicholas Williams, and I am the incoming VP Internal. I am originally from Edmonton, but spent 7 years living in Washington, DC. I returned from the states to go to the University of Alberta, and have loved it here ever since. This year I was a Director on the Internal Portfolio, League Operator for the Hockey Pool for Business School, and a member of 5 Days for the Homeless.

to operating events such as Business Week, the Apprentice Challenge, Frosh Retreat, and the Clubs Fair. My hope is to make these events of a higher quality, as well as available to a larger number of students. The Internal Portfolio has always been heavily focused on first years, while Events focuses on older students; I hope to mend this gap along with Clint Peter this upcoming year.

My goal for the Internal Portfolio is to create enjoyable events that will appeal to a large number of students. I have participated in and been a contributor

Thank you for your support in the elections, and I look forward to contributing to an excellent year.

Nick Williams - VP Internal - ncwillia@ualberta.ca

BSA 2011/2012 Executive Council (Left to Right): Joachim Chau, Clint Peter, Nick Williams, Kimberley Menard, Derrick Stielow, Paul Kan, Josh Sereke) Hello fellow business students.

“My philosophy is basically this. And this is something that I live by. And I always have. And I always will. Don’t ever, for any reason, do anything to anyone, for any reason, ever, no matter what. No matter ... where. Or who, or who you are with, or where you are going, or ... or where you’ve been ... ever.

For any reason, whatsoever.” Michael Scott

Hey everyone!

Over the past year, I’m sure you’ve been exposed to the Marketing team quite a few times. Whether it was passing one of our posters, picking up the Lazy-Faire, or seeing a BSA page update on your Facebook feed, IMT is a place to get the low-down on the BSA’s events and announcements. As your VP Marketing for the upcoming year, I plan on taking what you’re used to seeing from us, and bringing it to a whole new level of awesomeness. Getting together a creative and pumped street team to hit up most of the 300/ 400 level classes will be one of my main focuses. Instead of just listening to someone talk for a few minutes about things you’ll probably forget, I will be playing various vlogs/videos during classroom runs that will include advertisement for upcoming events, random facts of the day, tips, and face-time with your BSA team. I’m bringing the fun and crazy back to the Marketing team and I hope to do that through focusing more on buzz marketing and social media.

Through these methods, and our other communication tools, I look to utilize it towards giving you the latest information about the BSA and to give you a chance to interact with us on a more frequent basis. Good luck on exams and have a great summer everyone. I look forward to helping make your upcoming year a memorable and exciting one!

Clint Peter - VP Events - cpeter@ualberta.ca

Paul Kan - VP Marketing - pulcheri@ualberta.ca

My name is Clint Peter, I am a third year accounting major and I will be your VP Events for the 2011-2012 school year. I grew up in a small town 45 minutes out of Edmonton and went to Augustana for two years before I decided to come to business. When I am done at the U of A I plan to enter in to CASB and pursue a career as a CA. The Events Portfolio is responsible for planning Winter Gala, Graduation, Street Hockey, Dodgeball and most importantly, Beer Gardens. As your VP Events I will make sure that, along with my team of directors, you will find enjoyment in each of these events. If you ever have any questions about the portfolio, sports, or just life in general, feel free to find me in the business building anytime. I look forward to working for each of you and hopefully we’ll see you all around next year!

9

Health and Wellness

Backpacking Across Canada

By Sally Au

10

Health and Wellness

W

ith only about 2 weeks left of my second last year of university, I find myself exceptionally unable to focus on studying for my highly weighted final exams. With the coming summer being the last that I will spend as a student, I decided I needed to do something different. Everything just goes according to plan, and I was tired of it.

I needed a change, and it would be this summer.

Having been a hermit most of my life, I decided that a backpacking trip would be ideal. After hours of research, I’ve finally found my trip: Backpacking across Canada via train. It seemed a bit more expensive than I expected but luckily there are a lot of perks and discounts available to students.

ISIC Card The international student identity card can be used for discounts from restaurants, accommodations, tours, flights and shopping The ISIC card is available to full-time students at school, college or university, aged 12 years and above and usable in over 120 different countries including Canada. The ISIC card is only available to full-time students, so you must be able to prove you are currently studying full time at school, college or university. When you apply, be sure to bring a copy of your university or student identity card, clearly dated and indicating you are a full-time student. You will also need a proof of your date of birth and a passport-sized photograph. Several locations that offer the ISIC card are: The Adventure Travel Company University Of Alberta, Hub Mall #9006 - 112 St. Travel CUTS University of Alberta Students’ Union Building HI / YHA Card The HI / YHA Card can come in handy anywhere there’s a hostel that is part of the HI or YHA Network, which as luck has it, is just about anywhere in the world. In Canada there is over 400 different places that accept the card, including every HI Hostel in Canada.

Canrailpass The Canrailpass is the perfect choice for people who want to go a long way on a limited budget.

Travel from the Atlantic to the Pacific and even north to Hudson Bay! Or purchase a Canrailpass for travel exclusively within the Québec City Windsor corridor. The choice is up to you!

For approximately $600 depending on the season, you’ll get 7 one-way trips anywhere in Canada, in Economy class, during a 21-day period.

There are many different routes in Canada, from long coast to coast trains, to short rides between neighboring cities. The one that appealed to me the most was The Canadian. It runs three times every week and links Toronto, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Jasper, and Vancouver. If you decide to go on a straight train scenery trip from Toronto to Vancouver without stopping to visit the other cities it will take approximately 4 nights from start to finish. There are two classes to choose from on The Canadian: Economy class In the Economy Class, you are provided with a comfortable reclining seat and have access to the ‘Skyline’ car where you can visit the coffee shop, lounge and ‘vista dome’. Although sleeping in a seat may not be very comfortable, especially for four days, the seats recline to about 40 degrees which allows lots of room for your legs. Furthermore, the Economy class costs at least half as much as the price of a Sleeper Touring class sleeper, and with a coffee shop, lounge area and observation dome, the facilities in Economy class are deifnitely excellent and more comfortable than traveling by bus.

Sleeper Touring class This is the luxury option. In the Sleeper Touring class you have your own private 2-berth bedroom or 1-berth roomette or ‘section’ with comfortable beds. The fare includes all meals in the elegant Sleeper Touring class restaurant car, and also includes access to the ‘vista dome’ at the rear of the train. There are several different types of the sleeper class, all included with hot showers at the end of the corridor: Sections: the lowest priced of the sleepers, also refered to as ‘upper or lower berths’. During the day there are open-plan seats arranged in pairs facing each other. The lower berth is more expensive as that seat always faces forward. At night, the seats pull together and form the lower berth, and the upper berth folds out from the wall. There are also curtains attached to each bunk for privacy.

Roomettes or bedroom: The roomlette is for single travellers and is very compact: just big enough for a large seat with plenty of legroom, and a legrest with a toilet bowl hidden underneath. There is a washbasin in the corner. At night, a bed folds down from behind the seat, taking up almost all of the roomette. Bedrooms are larger rooms for two people, with separate washrooms and toilets in the room. An upper and lower berth convert to seats for daytime use. Bedrooms are the same price per person as a roomette.

11

The appeal of backpacking for me is having the chance to meet different people at different places, learn their culture, and just the feeling of risk and adventure; stopping at every city on the way to the final train destination and visting different places out of the blue. There’s no fun in planning every single place to visit and stay but here are several locations you can’t miss.

The Great Canadian Bungee Located at the edge of a cliff, the Great Canadian Bungee is the highest Bungee Jump in Canada. It is 200-foot high and will definitely pump your adrenaline as you drop down towards a beautiful blue lagoon. After your fall back to Earth, take a break and relax on the hidden beach in Wakefield, Quebec.

Ottawa Jail Hostel If you have a love for horror, stop by at the Jail Hostel in Ottawa, Ontario. The jail cells have been renovated into hostel rooms and is perfect if you want to see what it feels like to spend a night in a jail without actually commiting a crime. Don’t worry, you will still be able to enjoy the freedom of a TV, internet kiosks, wifi, and dining rooms. For the horror lovers, try ghost hunting around the hostel as it is apparently haunted. During day, take a tour to the many museums and parks nearby.

Chateau Bahia Located at pointe-à-la-Garde, Gaspésie, Québec, this hostel/castle will enable you to experience what it feels like to be in a fairy tale. The castle has 23 rooms, some even in the towers of the spires. Chateau Bahia has the best views of the local area and has many great hiking/biking trails. A pancake and maple syrup breakfast is served every morning and Quebecois dishs are served for dinner.

So that’s my plan this summer, an adventurous train ride across Canada.

What’s yours?

Advertisement

12

Business

For fifteen years, Lynda Steele has played a pivotal role in Edmonton’s

public spotlight. Through her extensive experience in broadcast journalism across western Canada’s newsrooms, Lynda has established a wellrecognized and reputable position. Within Edmonton, she has been honoured numerous times for her prominent place in the media and within the community. It therefore came as no surprise that after announcing her upcoming departure from Global in August 2011, a frenzy was sparked among loyal Edmontonians. For weeks after the announcement, Edmonton expressed – through blogs, letters to newspaper editors, and tweets – a genuine disappointment to see a favourite Edmonton icon move away.

Very few local leaders have achieved the calibre of trust and commitment from citizens within their city that Lynda holds.

From an early time in her life, Lynda has loved writing. She knew that she wanted to be a part of a team, do something different everyday, and tell other’s stories, so broadcasting was simply a ‘good fit’. Lynda loves being an expert on so many subjects and that she has had the opportunity to play an active role in events that helped shape Edmonton to what it is today.

Working as a journalist has allowed her to cover a spectrum of stories: from tragic events to personal accounts of profound triumph and inspiration.

lenges. One of the greatest challenges she recalls was simply differentiating herself from competitors. In her words, 75% of the people competing for the same job were young, Caucasian women. Therefore, like many new graduates just about to enter the working world, Lynda needed to set herself apart to succeed. She leveraged her strong work ethic, passion, and ability to develop good relationships, took risks where others refused and was willing to “think big”. Her dedication paid off – eventually landing her the co-anchor position she has now. Still today, Lynda attributes much of her success to hard work and creative risks.

Lynda’s prominent role within Edmonton’s community has garnered a lot of personal attention. As a local celebrity, she is often greeted by complete strangers who feel as though they know her. She even recalls intense conversations with people who she has never met before – because they immediately trusted her. Fortunately, Lynda hasn’t experienced very much negative attention directly. In public, she always considers herself to be an ambassador - both for Global News and for Edmonton.

When Lynda first entered broadcasting, she was inundated with chal-

True Success:

Lynda Steele To date, Lynda recognizes the success of her first book, “Laptop Diaries” as her greatest accomplishment. The book was a collection of columns written by Lynda for the Edmonton Journal and all of the proceeds from sales of the book went directly to Alberta’s women’s shelters. “Laptop Diaries” sold out of all 5,000 copies in only a few short weeks and raised thousands of dollars for women’s shelters. Lynda said the project was particularly gratifying because it was really all for the shelters. As she says, “no one was trying to get anything from it”.

Through her unwavering dedication, empathy and professionalism, Lynda has achieved a level in the Edmonton community that can’t easily be matched. Her daily presence within Edmontonians’ homes as a reliable and highly trusted news source will be missed, but never forgotten. To many, Lynda Steele’s empathy, professionalism, and class has become the epitome of what the City of Edmonton aspires to be.

Over the course of fifteen years, Lynda says that news has changed tremendously: there is less of a focus on community, less control over airwaves, and much greater element of big – ticket news stories. People have become more cynical about the news, but have also questioned the media more and held the government to a greater degree of accountability.

13

Advertisement

14

Business

Research In Motion -Where One’s Passion For Technology Will Take

I

t’s been half a year since I last wrote for the Lazy Faire and this time, I am writing to you from Research In Motion’s (RIM) Headquarters in Waterloo, Ontario.

Tammy Wong

I am currently the Product Marketing Coordinator on the Market Analysis Team for the BlackBerry Platform Services Group and my role involves a significant amount of interaction between several business units. I absolutely love my team, despite how spread out we are.

My supervisor works under Atlantic Time, I am in Eastern Standard Time, and my director is in Pacific Standard Time. Talk about scheduling meetings for everyone!

Technology is a huge part of my daily routine and I am always connected to my team via my BlackBerry® smartphone – be it for teleconferencing, emails, BlackBerry Messenger Groups, or scheduling a meeting using the calendar application. Luckily, I was given a brand new BlackBerry Torch to use for my term. (One of the perks of working with RIM.) The employees and Co-op students here are amazing – I’d say they are the cream of the crop when it comes to technological whizzes.

It’s been so nice to flawlessly discuss the mobile industry, marketing ideas, and use technological jargon. Simply knowing that I am a part of the global leader in mobile communications technologies is exciting enough, let alone having the opportunity to contribute my ideas for future products.

I have been in Ontario for almost 2 months and the experience has been phenomenal.

My networks have expanded significantly and I have met people from all over RIM’s campus (comprised of over 20 buildings). I am heavily involved with the Co-op Social Committee and have also volunteered on behalf of RIM for We Day, through our partnership with Free the Children. Additionally, RIM offers an abundance of opportunities to learn from industry experts and gain training from upper managers.

Love What You Do .

I have been in Ontario for almost 2 months and the experience has been phenomenal. My networks have expanded significantly and I have met people from all over RIM’s campus (comprised of over 20 buildings).

I am heavily involved with the Co-op Social Committee and have also volunteered on behalf of RIM

for We Day, through our partnership with Free the Children. Additionally, RIM offers an abundance of opportunities to learn from industry experts and gain training from upper managers.

I could sit here all day and share my experiences, but this has been a small glimpse

15

of my journey thus far. Stay posted to my weekly activities via the School of Busi-

ness Co-op Blog (http:// cesaualberta.wordpress. com/) or follow me on Twitter (tamsters368), as I venture off to Niagara Falls for a conference, attend TEDxWestern, and head to Toronto each weekend.

Student Life

2010/2011 Clubs Wrap Up AIESEC This past year, the path to success at AIESEC Edmonton led us through great landmarks!

Through our Global Internship Program we sent 24 students and recent graduates from the University of Alberta and Grant MacEwan University to: Malaysia, China, Australia, Bolivia, the Netherlands, Morocco, Kenya, and India. As well we successfully, brought 4 students from Brazil, England, Croatia and Poland to work in Edmonton and experience Canadian culture.

In addition, playing host to AIESEC Canada’s National Congress 2011, AIESEC Edmonton saw a national spotlight fall on our local committee and received 250 students from across the country, to learn functional skills, make connections with others, and help elect the next President of AIESEC Canada.

BEA CCB

The BEA has been working hard to connect you with students from across the world to help you build your international network! If you’re interested in getting closer with some really great students, applying for the Buddy Network is a great way to do this. We kicked off each semester with a “Week of Welcome”, and an exclusive party for all Buddies! Additionally we hosted the epic “Nation to Nation”, the ultimate quest for world domination where representatives from each foreign country present on why their country is the best. The competition got pretty fierce. We saw countries sing self composed songs, dance in their underwear, make intense movies, and even bring traditional food from their country for everyone to try.

This year has undoubtedly been an exciting year for the Club de Commerce Bilingue. In the fall, the club succeeded in many projects: a tutoring program for BCom students for BUS 201’s case analysis and business plan, the elimination of ETCAN 101 to the BCom program, and the launching of our first official website. In the Winter term, the club, in collaboration with the Undergrad Office, successfully organized its second annual information seminar for BCom students in their pre-professional year. And finally, the club is organizing a year-end event, which will allow BCom students from different years, as well as alumni, to network amongst each other. Needless to say, this 2010-2011 has been such a rewarding year for the CCB in so many ways—thank you to all who helped out!

If you’re interested in developing your degree and giving yourself the edge up on the competition, talk to us about why exchange will be the best part of your undergraduate experience. We do info sessions twice per year, but we are open year round for questions during our Office Hours in the Business Lounge. If you need a bit more money to make it happen, apply for the $1000 Exchange Travel Award, every student is eligible!

CESA

16

Have you wondered which fork comes first, or where to place your napkin? CESA’s Top of Class Dinner provides an excellent opportunity to refine your networking and business etiquette skills! The 6th annual dinner held in Fall 2010 drew over a hundred students and corporate representatives from seven companies including KPMG. As well, the CESA Luncheons held for Co-op students in Calgary and Edmonton were exceedingly successful! We are extremely excited to unveil the CESA Blog in Winter 2011. Follow our blogger, Tammy Wong, as she shared her amazing adventures, incredible Co-op experience and insights! Check it out today at http://cesaualberta.wordpress.com/.

EDGE

EDGE Business Competition is an interactive, multidisciplinary case competition for students who strive to challenge themselves, test their skills and expand their learning beyond the classroom.

EDGE is a twist on the static case competition, because of the added element of real time and active competitors that simulate a real business environment.

Student Life This year’s inaugural event brought 17 teams from across Canada to Edmonton to display their learned skills, while demonstrating creative and strategic competencies across several challenges.

While all teams displayed a competitive spirit and performed exceptionally well, it was Sunny Yang, Michael Fok, Rayhaan Nazarali, Samaar Haider, and Annie Nguyen from the U of A who proved they have the EDGE and took first place in the competition.

RMBS

UAAC

Wait! There is even more clubs, don’t forget to check them out!

This year, UAAC held a number of events which acted to both connect students to employers via various networking events and to allow them opportunities to apply the skills they have learned in school. UAAC’s annual Tax Clinic set new records in terms of returns processed (2,475) and refunds generated ($1,143,000). UAAC also founded and hosted the first Alberta Accounting Student Conference, an event which brought 40 representatives from the three major accounting designations (CA, CGA & CMA) together with 140 students; helping students understand what options are available to them after graduation and also to learn about relevant accounting issues.

UAHRMA

The 46th annual Rocky Mountain Business Seminar (RMBS) took place at the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge from February 21 to 25, 2011.

The conference brought together 108 Canadian business students, including 64 delegates from the Alberta School of Business. The theme for RMBS was “What is your Edge?” which allowed each delegate to discover what their own unique advantages are and to learn how to leverage their edge effectively. RMBS 2011 featured a wide range of speakers, the CA Interactive Keynote, CMA Case Competition, the Kokanee Hospitality Suite, NBF Graffiti night, Casino Night, and much more.

If you missed RMBS 2011, be sure you don’t miss RMBS 2012! Thank you for your support this year!

Toastmasters

Business & Beyond Toastmasters was formed to improve communication skills and have fun, both of which we really excelled at this year! For anyone who is familiar with toastmasters, you will know there is a well ingrained meeting structure that has made it a world wide organization. One theme we’ve seen throughout the year is a constant effort to really push this meeting structure and experiment. We’ve done so by creating complete table topics meetings, speech only contests and even an improve night. If you haven’t been to our club recently or are familiar with toastmasters, stop by and see how we’ve twisted what your use to.

UAHRMA started the semester off with their AGM, Mentorship Night and answered the question, “what is the difference between a SMO and HR major?” with their first ever HR Info Night. Their largest success is attributed to the 5th Annual HRM Student Conference that took place in March at the Mayfield Inn and Suites.

This year they decided to open it to the Western region and with “Creating Connections” as the theme, students had the opportunity to interact with industry professionals and learn the tools for a successful career.

UAMA

PRIME

The UAMA has experienced significant growth this past academic year. The club successfully ran an academic case competition, hosted a wine and cheese networking evening, threw a social mixer with over 200 business students and raised over $8000 for Prostate Cancer research! The club has achieved its overarching goal of rebranding itself within the Alberta School of Business and the Edmonton business community. This year’s executive team members are confident that their efforts enhanced the marketing student’s experience and look forward to seeing the club further develop into the future.

17

Student Life

Climbing Trees and Five Year Degrees

By Matt Russell _____

“Good morning class, welcome to the first day of lectures,” starts the professor. “Before I introduce myself, I want to go around the room and hear a little about everybody here today.”

For me, this happened in every single one of my classes in the fall semester of my fifth year.

Of all years possible. One by one, the spotlight shone on each student until I was sitting in the hot seat.

I stand and start, “My name is Matt. I enjoy dancing, cooking, and Shark Week. Pleasure to meet you.” Being incredibly traditional in my old age, I give a polite curtsey, but then immediately realize I am neither wearing a dress or am I a woman. I don’t care.

“And your major?” The professor caught me.

“I am an accounting major in my *ahem*fifth year.” Other fifth years might try to keep it light by slyly referring to it as a victory lap and acting like it is a joke, but I take the brunt of the force head on by stating it coldly and hanging my head in shame.

“He probably failed a course,” they say. “His grades were probably too low to get in the program.” NO actually. I took five years to finish my degree because I made the most out of my time at University. Everyone else treats school like a transaction. You pay tuition, endure pain and suffering for four years and then you obtain a degree. That wasn’t for me. I took the scenic route. By pushing my graduation date back a year, I allowed myself to get the experiences I wanted, and I want to share some important ones with you.

Experience teaches you something even more important – things that you hate. It is not that common to get the opportunity to walk into a job with the expectation that you will be leaving in two to twelve months. This offers an unrivalled opportunity to try something and then walk away with no strings attached. If you finish school and then start a career oriented job and find out that you hate it, and then suddenly quit in a year or less, you can be sure your next interviewers will ask “what happened?”And put a big question mark next to your name. If you are really adventurous, you could have up to a year of “experiments” under work experience on your resume because you wanted to try different things and no recruiter will even bat an eye. And if you absolutely cannot live without that internship you just tried, you can always come back.

combined with my work experience, inspired me to make the most of everyday and always take advantage of new opportunities whether or not they sounded appealing at first. What? Potential danger and unlimited uncertainty around the corner? Let’s see what it has to offer.

Maybe the most valuable thing I learned from work was the realization of how precious your time in school is. Only in University do I get to visit with my best friends every day and have three fun things to do every weekend. It also doesn’t hurt that you make bank *cash register sounds.* I spent a full year doing internships and I’ll never regret it. Still, my bank balance inexplicably hit zero the other day though *scratches head*.

I am guessing this experience is one that will feel more valuable down the road; in ten years it will be the type of thing you look back and really appreciate the things you achieved with your club and what you learned from it. I don’t believe in thinking about the future too much though. In the meantime, you can take pleasure in bossing people around. You can take the skills you learned at work like saying “no eye contact rookie,” and “I asked for a latte with no foam you imbecile,” to your subordinates. I for one, developed a proficiency at throwing others under the bus at work and clubs were a great, safe environment to hone my skills.

Did I mention I was never selected to be president of a club?

International Exchanges University to me is the chance to explore the world from a classroom. Every day you explore new ideas about people, societies, and systems from around the world. But you’re doing it wrong. You should go on an international exchange and actually see what the world is like with your own eyes.

A couple years ago, I went on an exchange to Hong Kong. I lived on a mountain overlooking the ocean with a beach at the bottom of the campus and a stunning view of Clearwater Bay. It was pretty cool. When talking to other former exchange students, the common theme is that their time abroad was the best time of their lives. Not only was it the most fun they had ever had, but they learned a lot about their values and deeper developed their interests.

Work Experience Most university classes areheavily weighted with theory. Work is next to zero theory, so why not supplement your education with the good stuff – real experience. With an internship or two you learn how the theory works in practice and earn a deeper understanding of what you learned in the classroom and earn reference points to enhance your understanding of the concepts you learn as you complete your degree.

I can’t think of many things that were as memorable as my time abroad.I developed an insatiable curiosity about everything I come across. I am more willing to take risks. I remain more calm in stressful and unfamiliar situations. My exchange,

18

President of a Club Generally, clubs are great because you get to mingle with a lot of friends with similar interests and I would highly recommend it for just this reason alone. However,when you become president you have to take a group of people and organize them towards goals on a regular basis. It is incredibly valuable to be able to take a group of people and inspire them to work towards something you envisioned. This is the one thing I never accomplished in school which I will regret.

Being Impressive The final point is that an extended degree often gives you a little more free time because of your reduced course load or an extra summer or two.

With this time, you can do whatever you want.

Hopefully you spend it doing the thing you love because that is what you are going to be best at. If you love snowboarding, organize twenty ski trips and go skiing for free all season. When genius strikes, use your extra time to start that business you dream about.

Unfortunately, I never had a reduced course load because of my internship schedules, but damn did I have fun cramming in the stuff I love to do anyways. I participated in a competition called NESTEA® The Recruit™ and it has been a blast completing all the challenges. Along the way

Student Life

I have obtained signed Eberle and Hall jerseys, modeled in a photo shoot as my alter ego Matt James, given away sixty t-shirts with my face on them, looked like an ass on the internet, and made $1,500 along the way. Awesome. If I am not editing video or planning strategies for The Recruit™, then you can find me working on my ad agency that I started with a couple friends. When midterms are over and I have a little more time, I am hoping to start my SEO consulting company. Will any of this stuff actually work out? I don’t know, I just wanna climb trees and drink Kool-Aid. This is your opportunity to focus on those one or two things that will make people go “aww… nice.” It doesn’t even matter what it is. It could be incredibly fruitful now, or not at all. It could be unbelievably lucrative twenty years from now - you never know. Whatever the case, today you enjoy doing it and you are showing your commitment and passion for what you do and it is truly impressive.

“

“

“And your major?” The professor caught me.

“I am an accounting major in my *ahem* fifth year”.....

“He probably failed a course”...

19

Entertainment

The Haute Commodity

By Lance Chung

Fashion is a word that is often synonymous with glamour and luxury. But what is often swept aside is the amount of hard work and drive required to give of such grandeur depictions. We recently sat down with Western Canada Fashion Week founder and director, Sandra Sing Fernandes, to talk about her work here in Canada’s fashion capital… Edmonton. Undoubtedly, a difficult market that Sandra has been able to work like Naomi Campbell on the runway. What we discovered was a very passionate woman, driven by her love of the arts and her community.

Thank you so much for sitting down with us Sandra! o Oh, it’s my pleasure! I love what you guys are doing!

How did you start Western Canada Fashion Week (WCFW)? o I got back from New York City, and there was nothing in Edmonton for young designers. There were no collaborative possibilities for people in the industry to work and come together. There were other avenues of the artistic community that were quite active, but they weren’t focused on fashion. So it was a natural fit for me!

As a businesswoman, how have you branded WCFW? o Well, originally we started off as Edmonton Fashion Week (EFW). Our focus has always been on local involvement and getting the community working together. Our branding is very much an evolution of how we’ve grown

20

through the years. We have some great professionals, working together and growing together. We try to think locally and work towards a more global concept – creating and developing more opportunities along the way. And a lot of people from the outside have taken notice! Currently, we’re the 3rd largest fashion week in Canada!

Why the change from EFW? o We were getting designers from Calgary and Vancouver showing their collections here, so it was a natural progression that we decided to make. We branded our business to encompass all of Western Canada because we wanted to show support for those designers and photographers and graphic artists and the others in the industry that weren’t necessarily just from Edmonton.

You also have a magazine called Phabrik. Could you tell us a little more about this? o Well Phabrik is very much a part of our evolution as well. It gives us an opportunity to look at the Canadian fashion industry as a whole, and also facilitate opportunities by profiling local artists. Because, again, our focus is really on supporting our community and informing our audience of what and who they are buying. It’s also been great because I’ve been able to bring in international friends from all over the world to collaborate and contribute in providing some insight from the industry.

Entertainment What other resources, aside from the magazine, do you use to operate your business? How do they work together in your business model? o Fashion week isn’t the only time of the year that we’re active. We’re working 24/7 and never stop! We work a lot with the artistic community and the different organizations, from the Edmonton Opera to the City Ballet. We participate with most of the art organizations by either offering our support, or cross promoting in order to facilitate different opportunities across the artistic spectrum. We cross-pollinate!

What are the biggest challenges that you have had to overcome in your career? o My career in NYC was great.

Working in Edmonton has been very difficult. It’s not like you’re coming to a place with an existing industry. This process does not come without a lot of sacrifices and hard work. You must continually push yourself. If you’re a designer, you don’t have fabric wholesalers here. We did not have a garment industry, and in some ways, we still don’t. We don’t have factories and wholesalers necessary to produce with. And sometimes, that makes it tough. But the talent here is just amazing. And what keeps us going is that we’ve been able to accomplish so much. Even though we know we have so far to go, we’ve come a long way and have seen a lot of progress.

What are your thoughts on the Canadian fashion industry? o The Canadian fashion industry is absolutely great, and definitely developing a name for itself. But it’s difficult. Part of it is education. If you’re starting a handbag company, for instance, it’s definitely not easy. Most Canadian designers are unknown and we have few publications to support them. And they can’t afford to generate these massive advertising campaigns that you see with some companies, like Louis Vuitton, to gain some visibility and awareness.

We’re a much smaller country, and the marketing wheel is not the same. It can be a little discouraging sometimes because you have to try to convince consumers to invest in a designer that is Canadian over one that is, for example, Italian. But, we’re growing and getting there!

Now, Edmonton is not really considered a hub for fashion in the Canadian market, itself. How have you managed to address and deal with this hurdle? o It’s definitely a major obstacle. But we have this spirit of collaboration and generosity. We’re in it for the right reasons – support. So because of those things, we’re getting the response back that we want to have, which is pushing us forward. We have a lot of talent; it’s just a matter of showcasing. You have to develop this “never die” outlook. We’re very stubborn! The way we’re approaching it may be seen by some major cities as silly, because we have a very local approach. That community involvement is very important to us. We have contests, which are very uncommon for fashion weeks. Anyone can show a collection, but what takes energy and drive and commitment is supporting the growth of an industry, which we try to do with things like the contests. We use these to support individuals in their evolution as artists. We’re trying to help them develop a name and get their products into stores.

What is the feedback that you’ve received on WCFW, on a local and national/international level? o We’re constantly receiving feedback. Locally, we’ve had skeptics… But 12 seasons later, people have congratulated us and really developed a respect for us. Local support has been amazing. We’ve also received some eastern support as well. A lot of things during WCFW have been covered in newspapers and publications like FLARE and FASHION magazine. There is a definite interest in what we’re doing.

How have you grown, as a person and as a businesswoman, since you started WCFW? o I’ve learned an awful lot. It’s interesting because we are a smaller place that sometimes has the, “prove it to me first” mentality. It’s hard to face that on a personal level at times, but we’ve been really persistent and have gone the full route. At the same time, we’ve also had a lot of support from the community.

But it’s a relationship that has taken time and a lot of hard work to build. It takes passion and heart and drive. Do I necessarily consider myself a businesswoman in this project? Not really, because I don’t look at the bottom line. With these things, you can’t develop a business focused solely on that bottom line because it is one that is based on support. In a way, our “business model” is different because it’s all based on that – support and compassion. Everything we do goes toward facilitating new opportunities for growth and development within the community.

What are some success stories that have come out of WCFW? o Local designers have gone off now to sell in stores across Canada, which is absolutely great! Others are doing runway shows in other places, like Syd Neigum, who has shown in Vancouver and, soon, in Toronto as well. We’ve heard through the grapevine that MTV has shown some interest in him as well!

Linsay Williard, a model that we discovered at West Edmonton Mall, has also been a rising star. She competed in Canada’s Next Top Model and placed second, which is huge!

Do you have any advice for business students? o If you want a business, don’t start fashion week haha. It’s not easy. It takes a lot of passion and drive. But, I guess in anything that you do, you must do your research! Research, research, research! You need to know and understand what’s out there and know your business. With fashion, it’s a very multi-faceted business that involves everything from design to production to distribution. It’s also a business that is constantly changing, several times throughout the year.

You need to understand the full scope. It is not enough to just have a unique idea; you must understand the industry that you are in. Most of all, do what you love. I’ve worked in all aspects of creativity. That is my love.

My career has been based on that. I LOVE the arts. I can be working 14 hours for the arts, and it won’t be a problem. That’s the key. You must LOVE what you do. If you’re going to be a businessperson, you have to have that kind of passion. If not, don’t start your own business.

For more information on Sandra and Western Canada Fashion Week, visit www.westerncanadafashionweek.com!

21

Entertainment

Check out this month’s performance!

Audience: General Public Cost: $20 Adult, $10 Student, $18 Senior Location: Timms Centre for Arts Contact: Timms Box Office 780.492.2495 uofastudiotheatre@gmail.com

Check out http://www.drama.ualberta.ca for more details!

22

Entertainment

Beer. Good.

Jyoti Lamba

Here’s a puzzle which will take you back to the origins of the world’s oldest alcoholic beverage.

Did You Know?

Germany serves beer ice cream in popsicle form.

Its alcoholic content is less than that found in “classic” beer.

23

24