The Legend March 2013

M A RC H 2013

|

V O L U M E 12

|

ISSUE SEVEN

Art that moves you

the UNIVERSITY OF LETHBRIDGE

Pyle brings his aquatic studies to the U of L

Supporting students a natural choice for Wieden

Senior Horns leave a lasting impression The interactive wall located just outside the University Art Gallery allows people to immerse themselves in the art.

Adams delves into the history of sport

The U of L Legend is published monthly during the academic year by the communications unit within University Advancement. Submissions, comments and story ideas are always welcome. The Legend reserves the right to refuse any submitted advertisement. The Legend can be found online at issuu.com/ulethbridge.

A DV E R T I S I N G For ad rates or other information, contact: legend@uleth.ca CREDITS Editor: Trevor Kenney Designer: Stephenie Karsten CO N T R I B U TO R S: Anne Baxter, Amanda Berg, Suzanne Bowness, Bob Cooney, Jane Edmundson, Suzanne McIntosh, Kali McKay, Leslie Ohene-Adjei, Stacy Seguin, Marika Stevenson, Emma Thompson, Katherine Wasiak and Lori Weber

University of Lethbridge 4401 University Drive Lethbridge, AB T1K 3M4 www.ulethbridge.ca

W

hat was an ordinary walk to the washroom on Level 6 of the University Centre for the Arts is now anything but mundane.

The wall flanking the entrance to the U of L Main Gallery used to house a bank of pay phones, but with the removal of this obsolete technology, a great opportunity was afforded.

“I think people can easily agree, the advent of the smart phone has been terrific for the promotion of events and cultural organizations,” says Dr. Josephine Mills, director/ curator of the U of L Art Gallery.

“For the gallery, changes in technology have meant another less obvious boon to our visibility.”

The gallery quickly called dibs on the now vacant space.

“We requested a renovation that included the gallery-standard drywall over three-quarter inch plywood backing so that the wall could support hanging objects in frames, and we had the foresight to build in electrical and Internet connections,” explains Mills. “Spurred by successful student design projects I had seen around campus, I initiated a call for proposals from new media students and faculty to create something for the new wall to raise the profile of the main art gallery.”

She assumed she would get ideas that involved applying vinyl or other traditional options to the wall.

“Instead, new media faculty members Leanne Elias, Dana Cooley and Carl Spencer, delighted and surprised me with a fabulously innovative idea to install an interactive projection, which was then developed by BFA New Media major

Brendan Matkin,” says Mills.

The playful interactive installation grabs attention as anyone walking by accidently sets the letters projected onto the wall dancing.

“With the system in place, we are looking forward to further proposals for ideas to promote the gallery.”

DR. JOSEPHINE MILLS

“With this collaborative project we wanted to try something new and different,” says Matkin. “We wanted to promote the gallery, motivate others to realize this is a creative opportunity and have some fun.”

Several people were involved with the project.

“We started planning in December and the hard work started in January,” says Matkin.

“In addition to Leanne, Dana and Carl, fellow student Alyssa Buck was an advisor on the project.”

Matkin did the actual project development and worked with the open source Processing environment.

“We used a short-throw projector and Xbox Kinect and were able to overcome a few technical glitches,” he says with a smile. “It’s been a terrific learning experience.”

Explaining how it works to a layperson, Matkin says, “Each letter interacts with the others as well as the digital shadow of people coming into the field. Gravity is used to attract the letters back to their home position; however, to make the letters behave in a convincing manner, I used about 500 times normal gravity. The physics engine is the same as for Angry Birds.”

Leanne Elias is pleased with the results of the project and its future potential.

“We are wildly excited about this project because it points towards new directions in interactive media,” she says. “And the fact that this was a student-driven project makes it just that much more exciting.”

She adds that several students, including Matkin, are going with her to the SXSW International Conference.

“Going to this interactive conference exposes our students to things we can’t even imagine – truly cutting-edge technology.”

Mills is excited about the future of the wall.

“Brendan created a superb inaugural project and, with the system in place, we are looking forward to further proposals for ideas to promote the gallery and our exhibitions and programs,” she says.

The Art Gallery would like to thank the experts in the U of L Department of Facilities (Jim Vanderzee, Bill Hudains, Mick Nutley, Al Mueller, Paul Peterson) for their work in renovating the wall and installing the technology.

the Legend

M A RC H 2013

|

UNIVERSITY OF LETHBRIDGE

OPENMike

University of Lethbridge President Dr. Mike Mahon chats about what’s happening in the University community

One of the words that often comes up when the University of Lethbridge is in conversation with our civic leaders is that of community.

The U of L plays an integral role in the Lethbridge community and it is not one I take lightly, rather it is at the heart of many of the things we do on a daily basis.

Just recently, we invited the Lethbridge community to come to us and experience the University of Lethbridge through Play Day. It was one way of giving back to the community as a whole and opening our doors to the public.

As the University looks ahead however, rather than only asking the community to come

CAMPUS

to us, we want to bring the U of L to the Lethbridge community. With the openings of the Penny Building and the new community arts centre, and subsequently a move of the U of L Music Conservatory downtown, the University is excited to be a driving force in the vitalization of the downtown core.

The Penny Building represents a new direction for the University, as it brings several key elements of the University to downtown Lethbridge. The Office of Alumni Relations, as well as members of the Development office within University Advancement, has relocated downtown.

As well, a new University gift shop and gallery space have

been constructed in the Penny, allowing an area for Fine Arts students to showcase their work to the general public.

The community arts centre promises to be an iconic representation of the artistic culture of Lethbridge, and it is only fitting that the University is playing a major role in its development. By moving the Music Conservatory to the downtown area, the U of L is helping to give arts and culture a profile in this city that it has never before experienced.

Our esteemed researchers are also looking to create more community connections through the development of the inaugural Community/University Research Exchange (CURE)

event, to be held Mar. 22.

Designed to reduce barriers that might prevent collaboration between key business interests in the city and the U of L’s research expertise, CURE promises to increase the community’s accessibility to the University’s intellectual resources in a way that’s never been done before.

One of the key points of discussion throughout the Strategic Plan consultation process was the theme of community and how the University’s contribution to Lethbridge is absolutely vital. This was further driven home during conversations with our Senate members, who expressed a great interest in furthering the University’s role in helping to support and shape

community initiatives.

To that end, I can foresee the new Strategic Plan formalizing a community engagement strategy much in the same way that the University developed a formal strategy for First Nations Métis and Inuit initiatives and is working on a similar venture regarding internationalization.

In this way, we are able to put to paper not only the University’s commitment to continuing to be a vital member of the Lethbridge community, but we recognize viable strategies to bolster our community relations activities.

kudos

Taras Polataiko (Art) has work in the 2013 Alberta Biennial of Contemporary Art, entitled The News From Here, at the Art Gallery of Alberta from January 25 to May 5.

Edmonton) hosted by Piotr Grella-Mozejko. The Edmontonbased show is also broadcast in Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, St. John’s, New York, the UK, Central Europe and Australia.

Adam Mason (Music) was in Hawaii in January to deliver an African drumming and dance presentation at Brigham Young University-Hawaii. He also researched and transcribed traditional Polynesian drumming with indigenous master drummer, Lloyd Chandler.

Corinne Thiessen Hepher (BFA ’09, MFA candidate) recently had her work published in the peer reviewed online Cultural Studies Journal Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture. Collaborative text was published as well, based on a residency she did last summer.

The Faculty of Management appointed Dr. Shamsul Alam to the role of Acting MSc Director. Alam is a professor of management with an emphasis on finance. He will serve in the new role until a formal selection process for the position has been completed.

Joe Porter (MMus candidate) presented a Middle Eastern drumming clinic at Brigham Young University-Hawaii.

Brian Parkinson (Drama) was the assistant director for the University of British Columbia Opera’s production of Dialogues des Carmélites by Francis Poulenc.

He is also involved in two plays coming up in April as part of the 2013 Brave New Playrites Festival of New Short Plays at UBC. Dr. Rolf Boon (Music) and Dr. Arlan Schultz (Music) had their compositions presented on Avant-Garde & Beyond, a CJSR Radio show (on 88.5 FM

Donna Bilyk (BFA ’11) presents her MFA Thesis Exhibition Traces at the University of Saskatchewan’s Gordon Snelgrove Gallery in March.

Matthew Jones (BFA ’12) recently had his work published in Our Canada magazine.

Makambe Simamba’s (BFA Dramatic Arts major) play MUD was part of the Fresh Cuts: Lethbridge Stage Reading Series, co-presented by Alberta Playwrights’ Network & New West Theatre. MUD won the 2012 Alberta Playwriting Competition Discovery Prize and the 2012 U of L Play Right Prize.

Royal Society executive director Darren Gilmour, left, with Dr. Susan McDaniel, Dr. Bryan Kolb and Royal Society President, Yolande Grisé.

KOLB, MCDANIEL JOIN LIST OF JUBILEE MEDALISTS In late February, Dr. Bryan Kolb (Neuroscience, Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience) and Dr. Susan McDaniel (Sociology, Director, Prentice Institute for Global Population and Economy) received Jubilee Medals awarded by the Royal Society of Canada. Both Kolb and McDaniel are Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada

2

(FRSC). This was the first visit to the U of L campus by Royal Society executive director Darren Gilmour and Royal Society President, Yolande Grisé.

In addition to Kolb and McDaniel, a number of U of L faculty members have also recently received Jubilee medals, among them Dr. Peter McCormick (Political Science), Dr. Reg Bibby (Sociology),

Dr. Dayna Daniels (Women and Gender Studies), Dr. Rick Mrazek (Education), Tanya Harnett (Fine Arts/Native American Studies) and U of L President Dr. Mike Mahon. A complete list of medal recipients to date is available on the Government of Alberta website: alberta.ca/diamondjubileemedal.cfm

M A RC H 2013

|

the Legend

UNIVERSITY OF LETHBRIDGE

Passion for fishing fuels research ambition

BY TREVOR KENNEY

M

ake no mistake, the University of Lethbridge’s new Chair in Aquatic Health, Dr. Greg Pyle, loves to dangle a line in the water. In fact, it’s that love for fishing and environment that motivated Pyle to pursue a career in aquatic studies. It is also a focus of his research program, to take what he learns in the lab and apply it to the glorious outdoors.

“I think it’s critical actually, in helping you understand it from a different perspective than just the pure academic research perspective,” says Pyle, who came to the U of L as part of the Government of Alberta’s Campus Alberta Innovation Program (CAIP) Chairs plan.

“It’s good to know how these systems work out there. It’s a real central theme in my research program, understanding how the effects that we demonstrate under controlled lab conditions translate out into the real world, that’s a really important consideration in what we do in our research.”

Pyle, originally from Sarnia, Ont., was a mortgage salesman in Mississauga, Ont. who grew tired of the “Hwy 400 parking lot every Friday” as he tried to escape the city and head to northern Ontario to fish.

“The start of my career was simply a matter of how do I find a way to make a living in a boat catching fish,” says Pyle.

So, he moved north, enrolled at Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ont., and began to study fish biology. His field study took him to the Elliot Lake Research Field Station and he began working on fish toxicity in uranium mining affected waters.

A career was born.

Dr. Greg Pyle is the University’s new Chair in Aquatic Health. He is the first of four Chairs who will join the University in 2013 as part of the Government of Alberta’s Campus Alberta Innovation Program.

G E T T H E FA C T S • Pyle’s wife Laurie is a project manager remotely building a 3G cellular network back in Ontario • Pyle has two sons who both live in Thunder Bay, Ont. Tyler is a chef and David is a recreational therapist • Pyle was able to bring a post-doctoral fellow, Bill Dew, as well as a master’s candidate, Steven Beery, with him as part of the CAIP Chairs program • Pyle’s CAIP funding is over the course of seven years and he is the first of four CAIP Chairs who will be coming to the U of L

“When you find the right student who is motivated to get the work done, I find they do an amazing job.”

DR. GREG PYLE

Pyle comes to the University after spending the previous five years as head of the Aquatic Biotechnology and Ecotoxicology Laboratory at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ont. Prior to taking up a Canada Research Chair in Environmental Biotechnology and Ecotoxicology at

Lakehead, Pyle helped establish and build the Department of Biology at Nipissing University.

He earned both his bachelor and master’s degrees from Laurentian and received his PhD from the University of Saskatchewan.

The move to Lethbridge as part of the CAIP program is a natural one for Pyle, who recognizes the strong reputation the U of L has cultivated in respect to aquatic research and sees a natural fit with the work he is doing.

Working with the FORWARD III Research Project, Pyle has been employing water quality models to areas where there have been large landscape disturbances.

“The models have been developed in a forestry context and we want to see whether or not they work with other large-scale

MENTORS GRANT PRESENTS OPPORTUNITY FOR RESEARCH AND FINE ARTS TO COME TOGETHER A new internal grant program is designed to spark creative juices in the Faculty of Fine Arts while also creating valuable mentor relationships.

The Mentors in Creative Research (MCR) project grants for Fine Arts are a one-time opportunity (with up to three grants valued at $3,000 each) for full-time faculty, universityemployed curators or full-time academic assistants to create a student-driven project that celebrates research at the University of Lethbridge.

Funded by the Office of the Vice-President (Research), the MCR program is seeking applications that must substan-

tially involve an undergraduate student, with projects designed as collaborative in nature. Priority will go to applicants who demonstrate clear opportunities for creative mentorship in undertaking the project. At least half of the grant funding should be allocated to a student stipend.

Once chosen, projects will be unveiled at an October 2013 reception and will be displayed in the Office of Research and Innovation Services. The application deadline for MCR is Apr. 1 with grant terms running from Apr. 15 through Oct. 15.

Eligible projects include but are not limited to performance arts, visual arts and technology.

Applications will be adjudicated by a committee of representatives from each department in the Fine Arts, with proposals evaluated on the clarity and scope of the project, the involvement and collaboration with student(s), the opportunity for creative mentorship during the project’s tenure, the ability of the project to reflect research excellence at the U of L and justification of the budget relative to the requirements of the proposed project.

To apply, fill out a Research Proposal Form on the Bridge and submit to the Office of Research and Innovation Services.

3

impacts at a landscape level,” says Pyle. “That means mining and bitumen extraction.”

Naturally, that brought him to Alberta and fieldwork north of Fort McMurray. This summer, Pyle will work with his master’s student, Steven Beery, on a three-way reciprocal cross transplant experiment in which they will collect invertebrate animals from one clean water source and two potentially contaminated sites. One site will contain natural bitumen and another will have potentially been contaminated by the industrial operations in Fort McMurray.

“We’ll be trying to find out whether contaminated animals rid themselves of environmental contaminants when they are put into a clean environment or are the effects more or less perma-

nent? Similarly, if we move clean animals into contaminated sites, we want to know to what extent they take up the contaminant,” he says.

A second summer project, in addition to the lab work he and his team will be leading, is a study in the Sudbury, Ont., area where they will look at yellow perch and how they respond to metal contamination, specifically how metals interfere with their sense of smell.

As he did at Laurentian, Pyle will actively engage students, both undergraduate and graduate, in his research activities.

“I have always included undergraduate students in my research program,” says Pyle.

“I’ve found that bringing them in at an early stage, sometimes as early as second year, if you give a student good guidance and the resources to do something well, you can get great results. When you find the right student who is motivated to get the work done, I find they do an amazing job.

This is how you turn them on to science and what feeds into our graduate programs.”

They also might help Pyle get a little more time on the water – as a fisherman as opposed to a researcher. And what exactly does Pyle like to fish for?

“Whatever happens to bite my line,” he laughs.

PREPARING TO BE HOMELESS

Heather Harty, Carly Takeda, Brenna Kelly, Jana Clark, Aaron Gilbert, Sean Glydon, Katie Kalmar and Felipe Ferreira will take part in this year’s 5 Days for the Homeless event in support of Wood’s Homes Emergency Youth Shelter. You can pledge to the cause Mar. 10-15 at 5days.ca/lethbridge/donate.

the Legend

M A RC H 2013

|

UNIVERSITY OF LETHBRIDGE

Paying it forward “One of the reasons I came to this university was because of the huge involvement of undergraduates in research.”

DR. HJ WIEDEN

Dr. HJ Wieden has always seen merit in the Supporting Our Students campaign.

BY SUZANNE BOWNESS

I

nspired by the professors who helped him when he was a PhD student in Germany, Dr. Hans-Joachim (HJ) Wieden decided from the moment he arrived at the University of Lethbridge, he would pay it forward by similarly helping students. Not only does he give personally to the Supporting Our Students (SOS) campaign, but he also developed a co-curricular symposium that is now supported by the campaign.

In 2007, Wieden initiated the Chinook Symposium in Chemistry and Biochemistry after realizing that students in his department had very limited opportunities to share their work with their peers.

What started as an annual poster competition now has three external judges and an $1,800 prize pool, with $300 for first-place posters and $150 for second place in four different categories. Participating in the Chinook Symposium has become a real career booster for the students.

While he facilitated the competition, Wieden credits his department colleagues for their enthusiasm and financial support.

“We raised $15,000 inside the department, so we now have money to run the contest for the next ten years,” says Wieden.

The Symposium also provides a great opportunity for scientists and students to interact with each other, helping to build a vibrant research and

training community. Now supporters of the SOS campaign can direct their money towards the initiative as well.

By now, you’ve probably heard of the SOS campaign, where faculty and staff can direct their own money to support student scholarships and bursaries.

SOS has raised more than $1.5 million since its inception in 2005.

For Wieden, the opportunity to involve undergraduate students in research projects provided a major attraction to Lethbridge.

“One of the reasons I came to this university was because of the huge involvement of undergraduates in research,” says Wieden.

If Wieden’s name seems familiar, it’s because you may have heard it often.

In 2010 he won a Distinguished Teaching Award and one of three Students’ Union Teaching Excellence Awards. He also leads the University’s busy International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) undergraduate research team, which regularly places alongside schools like Yale, Harvard and MIT in the world’s premiere syn-

Have you made your gift to SOS yet?

U of L students work an average of 21.5 hours per week. You can help them work less and study more by contributing to student awards through Supporting Our Students.

Please visit uleth.ca/giving to donate today.

thetic biology competition.

Every year, Wieden employs several students in his research lab, and says that scholarships like those supported by SOS are key to helping students acquire that often-transformative early lab experience.

“We need more scholarships

so we have students getting to choose to go into research labs in the summer instead of flipping burgers,” he says.

STEPS FOR LIFE EVENT ESPECIALLY POIGNANT AT U OF L

The walk is open to anyone from the University of Lethbridge campus community, including faculty, staff and students. Each year, a team plaque is awarded to the team that displays the most spirit during the walk.

Let’s be the team that shines and brings the most spirit to this event. Let’s get out there and show our support and help make the 2013 Steps for Life Walk the best one yet!

The event occurs in more than 30 communities across Canada as part of the North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week to help raise awareness about injury prevention and to provide assistance to families who have been seriously impacted by a workplace fatality, life-altering injury or occupational disease.

All proceeds generated from this event go directly to the Threads of Life, a registered Canadian charity dedicated to supporting families along their journey of healing who are living with the aftermath of a workplace tragedy.

Corporate sponsorship for this event is also invited and sponsors will be recognized on a banner displayed at the walk.

For more information, visit www.stepsforlife.ca To register for this walk please contact one of the following ($10 fee includes lunch and door prizes): • Anne Baxter L991A – Risk and Safety Services (403329-7176) • Suzanne McIntosh SU020E – Wellness (403-332-5217) • Dan Berte AH128 – Risk and Safety Services (403329-2190) Anne Baxter is the director of Risk and Safety Services at the U of L

BY ANNE BAXTER Last year, there were 23 reported workplace fatalities in Alberta. Unfortunately, the University of Lethbridge experienced one such tragedy at one of its construction sites this past fall. As way of honouring those whose lives were lost and to help support loved ones left behind, the University of Lethbridge is once again participating in the annual Steps for Life – Walking for Victims of Workplace Tragedy event.

Staff members from Risk and Safety Services and the wellness committee have been participating in this walk for the past four years and are now putting out the challenge for the University community to have a bigger presence and be a significant contributor to the success of the 2013 event, taking place on Saturday, May 4, 10 a.m. at the Henderson Lake Horseshoe Pit Picnic Area.

Over the last four years, the annual Steps for Life – Walking for Victims of Workplace Tragedy event has been held in Lethbridge at Henderson Lake.

The 2012 walk was an amazing success exceeding the anticipated $25,000 goal, with 647 walkers raising more than $30,400. This year, the goal has been set at $30,000 with the hope that once again Lethbridge will shine and be the number one fundraiser across Canada for this extremely important charitable event.

the Legend athletics AT T H E U Legacy of leaders will live on with Horns’ culture

M A RC H 2013

|

UNIVERSITY OF LETHBRIDGE

Derek Waldner, left, won the majority of these position battles over the course of his five-year career with the Pronghorns.

G E T T H E FA C T S

BY TREVOR KENNEY

A

thletic programs often talk about creating a culture and a unique identity that defines the ideals and goals of the organization.

In many instances, that’s all it is – talk. For the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns men’s basketball team, fifthyear seniors Derek Waldner and Julian Spear Chief-Morris embody Horns’ culture.

“They have been cornerstones of transformational change in our program,” says head coach Dave Adams. “We went from pretenders to contenders in the time that they were here, and I cannot say enough about the sacrifices that both of them made to push the program to where it is now. Anything that’s happened in the program in the last few years has been built on the backs of these guys.”

While each of them took different paths to the Horns’ program, and each battled through his own adversity, it was fitting to see them walk off the court together in triumph, checking out of their final Canada West game to a standing ovation from the home crowd, a victory well in hand.

“It’s really nice in life, because you don’t see it all the time, when people will put in the work and then get rewarded for it and that’s happened for both guys,” says Adams.

Neither of the two had an easy road to success.

Waldner, an Okotoks product, admits that the U of L was really the only Canadian Interuniversity Sport program to recruit him out of high school and that he had no promises or expectations about what his role would be when he arrived on campus.

• Both players had their parents in attendance for their final CIS game • Waldner had 252 rebounds this season to set a new Horns’ single-season record and lead all CIS players. His career total of 874 rebounds is also a Horns’ record and the fifth highest total in Canada West history • Both players credited Horns alumni for truly representing Horns culture.

“I know that I’ve played for two universities now and the support, not just from the community but from the alumni is not comparable,” says Spear Chief-Morris. “It really is a blessing to have a group of people who honestly care about who you are and your success.”

Spear Chief-Morris began his career at the University of Victoria. A local high school star at Lethbridge Collegiate Institute, he chose to head west to play for the nationally-renowned Vikes, but after two seasons in Victoria and an invitation from Adams to come back to Lethbridge in hand, he returned to his roots.

He subsequently had to sit out a transfer season and then early into his first year with the Horns, suffered a devastating knee injury. A year later he was back on the court but it really wasn’t until the last few months of his senior season that Spear Chief-Morris was able to play to his abilities.

“I didn’t really have basketball in mind when I was recover-

Julian Spear Chief-Morris was a mentor both on and off the court to the next generation of Pronghorns.

ing, I just wanted to be a healthy person again because I spent a whole summer not being able to run, not being able to jump, having to learn how to walk again,” he says. “I just decided I’d worry about getting healthy first and in the end I decided I wanted to play again.”

All the while, Waldner was emerging from obscurity to become one of the best rebounders in the country and one of Canada West’s top post threats.

A double-double machine (double figures in both points and rebounds), he would eventually set the all-time rebounding record at the U of L and lead the

5

CIS in rebounding his senior season.

“It was the goal for me when I came out of high school,” says Waldner. “My coach, Sam Aiello, when I graduated he told me to go get that record, because Nick Baldwin, who had the record before me, was his product as well.”

The Horns flourished with both Waldner and Spear ChiefMorris in the lineup, but it wasn’t only court success that defined their time in blue and gold.

Waldner, a biochemistry major, is a four-time Academic All-Canadian, while Spear Chief-Morris, studying urban and regional

studies, has achieved All-Canadian status three times.

“I’m a competitive person and anything I do I want to be the best at, so walking into the classroom is the same thing. Why not try and be the best at what you do?” asks Spear Chief-Morris.

“That’s why I push myself in the classroom, if I’m going to do something I’m going to do it well.”

While he doesn’t tout himself as a role model for First Nations teens, he recognizes that his success both on and off the court can serve as a positive motivating factor for the Aboriginal community.

“I don’t think I’ve ever looked at myself as a role model but now that I’m getting older, I’ve been put in situations where I’ve been confronted with that,” he says. “ I think I definitely do serve as a role model in some respects to some of the kids out there on the Reserve. I’m really just trying to live my life the right way, so if people look up to me, that’s great.”

For Waldner, combining the rigors of academics with athletics was never a question, it’s always been a focus.

“It just takes a little discipline, it takes staying in and studying instead of going out with your buddies some times,” he says. “Time management is the biggest aspect, and having basketball and academics at the same time has really taught me that life skill where time management will never be an issue for me.”

Both Spear Chief-Morris and Waldner have plans to pursue graduate studies, and even may look at professional basketball opportunities should it fit in with their academic ambitions. More than anything though, the two are not content to revel in their glory days as Horns basketball players, knowing this is just a stage in their life plan.

“I’m just excited for what’s next,” says Spear Chief-Morris.

“My time here was wonderful but all things pass and I’m looking ahead.”

It’s that attitude that Adams says will live on well past their time in uniform.

“What a blessing in a program when you have two guys that not only come into practice and set the work ethic example on the court, but then they back it up by what they do in the classroom as well,” says Adams. “Imagine how blessed we are to have a locker room where that is the voice of leadership.

It’s a fabulous culture that those guys will leave as a legacy in that locker room.”

the Legend

M A RC H 2013

|

UNIVERSITY OF LETHBRIDGE

Diversity celebrated with dedicated week of events

BY TREVOR KENNEY

N

ow in its third incarnation, the annual University of Lethbridge Respect and Diversity Awareness Week is an established campus event that brings to light issues related to diversity and respect both in the workplace and beyond.

Presented by the University of Lethbridge Faculty Association’s Gender, Equity and Diversity Caucus, the week runs Mar. 11-15 and features six events over the span of five days. The goal, of course, is to have the themes that are discussed throughout the week resonate long after the event spotlight has faded.

“I think it’s great to highlight the week and to bring in speakers and all the bells and whistles, but this is something that should be infused in our everyday,” says caucus member and Chair of Respect and Diversity Awareness Week, Dr. Noella Piquette.

An associate professor in the Faculty of Education, Piquette says that issues of diversity are becoming a greater part of main-

stream conversation but there is much work to be done.

‘Diversity Includes All’ is the theme to this year’s week and is designed to get faculty members to think about their own diversity as well as the student diversity that exists on campus.

“We do a fantastic job at this university talking about students and how we can support them, and while we’re not trying to shift the focus, we’re broadening the focus to include the fact that we have a huge faculty and staff component on campus, and it’s important to think about the diversity that exists within those groups,” says Piquette.

The week kicks off with a presentation from assistant professor of neuroscience Dr. Robbin Gibb as she presents Sex Differences in the Brain, Monday, Mar. 11 at noon in TH241.

Gibb will outline some of the factors influencing brain development that are mediated by sex differences. What promises to be a lively question and answer session follows her talk.

On Tuesday, the Spoken Word – Poetry Slam event is

at noon in AH176. This gives presenters a platform to speak, read, rhyme or rant their words in a two-minute window as they discuss diversity and inclusion.

“I think this will be so much fun and really puts a new slant on discussing diversity,” says Piquette, who notes that the Lethbridge Public Interest Research Group is also supporting the event.

Faculty, staff and students are all welcome to take part.

Participants just need to sign up in advance by contacting Piquette at noella.piquette@uleth.ca.

Wednesday’s event is a presentation with Jeff Meadows and Brad Reamsbottom of the Teaching Centre. They will discuss Supporting Faculty in Supporting Students with Learning Disabilities, focussing on some of the key issues that students may be experiencing within reading and writing tasks, and specific strategies that can be employed to assist them.

A pair of events takes place Thursday, beginning with a wheelchair basketball demonstration hosted by Dr. Mary Dyck

(kinesiology and physical education) and with the Lethbridge Wheelchair Basketball Association (10:45 a.m. in the 1st Choice Savings Centre gym), followed by a special film screening of Shameless: The ART of disability (7 p.m. in PE264).

“It’s a heartwarming movie, but at the same time it’s also very comical,” says Piquette. “They really try and show that disability is not all about being sad and serious, it’s a part of life and they do a great job at portraying that message.”

The week wraps up with Friday’s Strengthening Academic Capacity: Gender Dimensions presentation by Mary Butterfield of the Office of Research and Innovation Services.

Butterfield will speak to gender equality in academic research at 12:15 p.m. in TH277.

Piquette has long been involved with issues related to diversity. She was a special education teacher and guidance counsellor for 14 years at the school level and now as an associate professor, teaches courses in special education at the under-

graduate level and in counselling at the graduate level, focusing on a broader picture of diversity and mechanisms to advocate for inclusion within all community systems.

“We’ve done our best to represent as many different approaches to the discussion of diversity issues as we could with this week’s events,” she says. “I really do urge everyone to find a topic that might be of interest to them and to engage in the conversation.”

For more information on any of these events or any issues related to the Gender and Diversity Caucus, contact the following members: Chair, Dr. Carly Adams (carly.adams@uleth.ca); Sandra Cowan (sandra.cowan@ uleth.ca); Dr. Hester Jiskoot (hester.jiskoot@uleth.ca); Dr. Kevin McGeough (mcgekm@uleth. ca); Dr. Luz Ospina (luz.ospina@ uleth.ca); Dr. Noella Piquette (noella.piquette@uleth.ca); Dr. Jennifer Thannhauser (jennifer.thannhauser@uleth.ca); Dr. John Usher (john.usher@ uleth.ca); or Ilsa Wong (ilsa. wong@uleth.ca).

NOW SEEKING NOMINATIONS

NATIVE AWARENESS WEEK OFFERS UNIQUE INSIGHT INTO FNMI CULTURE The annual University of Lethbridge Native Awareness Week takes place Mar. 4-8. Always one of the most popular cultural weeks of the year, it features a variety of interactive events, including:

Wednesday, March 6 Event: Elders Presentation Hosted by FNMI Director, Roy Weasel Fat Location: Andy’s Place Time: 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Event: Recital Theatre- Art Now Hosted by Faculty of Fine Arts, Ruth Cuthand Location: W570 Time: 12 to 1 p.m.

Event: U of L FNMI Alumni Panel on Leadership Faculty of Management Location: Markin Hall Atrium Time: 1 to 3 p.m.

Thursday, March 7 Event: Seven Traditional Teachings Play (G.R. Davis School) Sponsored by Morrison & Hershfield; Hosted by Native American Studies Department & Native American Student Association Location: University Hall Atrium Time: 10 to 11 a.m.

President’s Award

Event: Performance Arts Showcase Hosted by Faculty of Fine Arts, Chris Grignard Location: University Hall Atrium Time: 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.

FOR SERVICE EXCELLENCE The President’s Award for Service Excellence is awarded annually to an

Event: Seven Traditional Teachings Play Sponsored by Morrison & Hershfield; Hosted by Native American Studies Department & Native Student Association Location: University Hall Atrium Time: 12 to 1 p.m.

administrative staff member or team in recognition of their provision of exceptional service to the University of Lethbridge and members of the University community. Award recipients will be honored at the annual Long Service Awards and Retirement Recognition Ceremony.

Deadline for nominations and supporting documents:

March 22, 2013

Event: On IDLE Hosted by the Native American Student Association Location: University Hall Atrium Time: 1 to 3 p.m.

Awarded to one APO and one AUPE/ESS staff member, the award is open to all permanent or term (part-time or full-time) AUPE Support Staff, APOs and Exempt Support Staff members who have continuous service of at least three years.

Friday, March 8

For nomination forms or for more information, contact: Office of the President, 403-329-2286

Event: Blackfoot Digital Library Presentation Location: University Hall Atrium Time: 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.

www.uleth.ca/president/awards/service-excellence

Event: Recital Theatre- Art Now Hosted by Faculty of Fine Arts, Richard William Hill Location: W570 Time: 12 to 1 p.m.

PASE_Poster.indd 4

6

13-01-21 9:13 AM

M A RC H 2013

|

the Legend

UNIVERSITY OF LETHBRIDGE

Dr. Carly Adams

Dr. Carly Adams joined the Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education in July 2007. Adams is a social and cultural historian working at the intersections of sport history and sport sociology. Her research interests lie in the study of 20th century Canadian sport, gender, regional and local history, oral history and women’s sport governance.

She is particularly drawn to research methods that allow her to talk to people about their sport and leisure experiences of the past and ask them how they make sense of and remember their experiences within the context of their lives and the world around them.

Most recently, Adams has received funding (with Dr. Hart Cantelon) through the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada Sport Participation Research Initiative to explore issues of community revitalization and rural survival in southern Alberta through a case study of the Warner Hockey School in Warner, Alta. This project looks at the social determinants that led to the establishment of the school, its purposes, both imagined and actual, and

DINING OUT FOR MS SOCIETY The University of Lethbridge community and general public are invited to visit select Lethbridge restaurants on Thursday, Mar. 7 to take part in Cuisine 4 a Cause – a project initiated by the 2013 Integrated Management Experience (IME) class. The project supports the Multiple Sclerosis Society, Lethbridge Chapter.

During this event, patrons may choose to dine at Spring Rolls Vietnamese restaurant, Streatside Eatery or Two Guys and a Pizza Place, with 100 per cent of food profits at each restaurant going directly towards

the underlying role that high performance sport might play in rural community survival.

She will present her findings at a Women Scholars Speaker Series event on Mar. 25, 12 to 2 p.m. in Andy’s Place (AH100).

Adams received her PhD in Sport History at The University of Western Ontario in 2007. A paper from her dissertation won the North American Society for Sport History Graduate Student Essay Award.

What first piqued your interest in your research discipline?

I have always loved history and learning about the past. During my undergraduate studies in human kinetics and sport management at the University of Windsor, several influential professors piqued my interest in social history, oral history and the relevance of sport, leisure and recreation to our understanding of the past.

However, I was also surprised by how few sport historians researched and wrote about gender and women’s sport/recreation experiences. In 2000, I was chosen to participate in a one-semester exchange to Deakin University in Melbourne,

funding for MS research.

The students are all members of the Integrated Management Experience class, a Faculty of Management course that focuses on integrating community and theory into practical applications. Since the launch of the program in 2000, IME students have raised over $150,000 toward Lethbridge community development.

On Mar. 7, enjoy an evening at a great, local restaurant and help take a bite out of MS! For more information about the event, check out Facebook or Twitter at Cuisine 4 a Cause, or visit the MS Society website: mssociety.ca/alberta/Chapter_Leth.htm

Australia. While in Melbourne I interned with the Melbourne Football Club. The Aussie club had a full time sport historian on staff dedicated to the team – and from there I was hooked! I attended my first North American Society for Sport History conference in 2001 and discovered that there was a group of scholars dedicated to this type of research and I knew that this is what I wanted to do. My PhD dissertation project was largely based on oral histories with women who played industrial, recreational and playground sports in London, Ont. during the 1920s, 30s and 40s. As soon as I completed my first oral history interview, I knew how important memory and voice were going to be to how I wanted to “do” history.

and make decisions about the future. I have been fortunate to collaborate with various public institutions such as sports halls of fame and I have also recently published a book, aimed at ages 12 and up, about the Preston Rivulettes, a women’s hockey team that competed in the 1930s.

I am committed to disseminating my research beyond the borders of academia.

How is your research applicable in “the real world”?

How important are students to your research endeavours?

A historical understanding is relevant to all of us – past practices in any situation are valuable and important. It doesn’t matter what career one is in, understanding experiences and happenings of the past will guide, shape and challenge how we think about the present

What is the greatest honour you have received in your career?

Every time I have an article accepted for publication, or I am asked to consult with a public institution (for example the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame and The National Commemoration Board of Parks Canada), or receive a research grant – it is an honour.

Students are central to my research. I have had many student research assistants work closely with me on various projects. I also believe it is very important that we bring our research to the classroom. My greatest challenge as an educator is to encourage students to think

critically about the world around them, to ask questions and express different perspectives.

I use many examples from my research in class and encourage students to discuss and critically engage with the projects I am working on. Some of my favourite teaching moments have been listening to students discuss and challenge something I’ve written or offer a different perspective that challenges me to rethink the direction of a project.

If you had unlimited funds, which areas of research would you invest?

If I had unlimited funds, I would invest in ALL areas of research! Related to my own field, I would invest in regional, local and oral history in rural communities. These histories tend not to get much academic attention, and we risk forgetting these important ties to our past.

Each month, the Legend will present 5 Questions With . . . one of our researchers. For a look at the entire catalog of 5 Questions With . . . features, check out the Office of Research and Innovation Services website at www. uleth.ca/research_profiles. If you’d like to be profiled, contact Penny Pickles at pickpj@uleth.ca

MS Society Development co-ordinator Jackie Stambene, students Brynne Thurston and Jordan Thomas and Streatside Eatery owner Steve Oseen are getting ready to take a bite out of MS.

7

OUR

alumni

U of L alums make big City contributions

University of Lethbridge alumni are making a big difference in the big city, with a number of alumni, such as these pictured, working for The City of Calgary.

BY STACY SEGUIN

O

ne of the greatest compliments alumni can pay to their alma mater is in how they impact their local communities. At the University of Lethbridge, such compliments keep pouring in as alumni employed by The City of Calgary display a depth of knowledge, a commitment to innovation and a dedication to improving their communities and neighbourhoods.

Lorna Wallace, (BMgt great distinction ’01) project manager for The City of Calgary, earned a business diploma from SAIT in the 1980s but she always wanted to complete a bachelor degree.

When the U of L launched its Calgary satellite campus in 1996, Wallace jumped at the chance to attend the post-diploma bachelor of management program.

“I appreciated the ability to get to know the faculty and advisors; their flexibility allowed me to do this while I was working full-time and raising a family,” says Wallace. “Having my degree reinforced the importance of teamwork and preparation; it opened up many opportunities for me. As the first executive assistant to the city manager, I led a number of projects including a royal visit, and while in the mayor’s office I am proud to have recently led the team that launched one of the most successful food truck pilot programs in North America.”

Wallace is currently working on a council innovation proj-

ect involving the Community Services and Protective Services Department and 12 pilot communities in Calgary.

“Having my degree reinforced the importance of teamwork and preparation; it opened up many opportunities for me.

LORNA WALLACE

“This project builds upon The City’s Strong Neighbourhoods Initiative and community attachment work done by Dr. Katherine Loflin and the Knight Foundation. Our goal is to make sure that communities are aware of the services available and to determine which services they need to make their community a great place to live,” explains Wallace. “It is groundbreaking; we will be the first municipality in North America to commission this work.”

Also working for the city is Glen Radway (BA ’85), development strategist - Office of Land Servicing & Housing.

“The research skills I gained at the U of L helped me at gradu-

ate school and in my career. With the lower teacher/student ratio, I gained the confidence to dig into the meat of an issue,” says Radway, who completed studies at the U of L’s Lethbridge campus before obtaining his master’s degree from the University of Waterloo in 1987. “In the work I do now, it is important to spend time really looking at a situation rather than jumping to conclusions, to understand the impacts of your decisions through the eyes of the residents, or understand what you see happening through change in a neighbourhood.”

In 2009, city council approved the Calgary Municipal Development Plan review, a project for which Radway was the land-use lead.

“We tried to figure out what we could do to sustain the city financially, environmentally and socially and present policy directions through the MDP. It now forms the basis for a lot of projects that are developed across the city,” says Radway. “One of the projects I am working on now is the Industrial Land Strategy to decide how the city will develop industrial parks. We want to support economic development in the city and incorporate more sustainable elements, like green infrastructure, with our own land development.”

Blake Kanewischer (BMgt ’06) and Matt Rockley (BA ’02) are also among the many University of Lethbridge alumni affecting positive change within The City of Calgary.

Kanewischer works as both

8

G E T T H E FA C T S • To look at Wallace’s Food Truck Pilot project, visit this site (www.transforminggov.ca/2012/02/ yyc-food-trucks.html) • To view Radway’s work on the Municipal development Plan, visit this site (www. calgary.ca/mdp) • Kanewischer’s Webwave awards included a GTEC award for Excellence in Public Service Delivery and a Digital Alberta Award for Business to Consumer Innovation • Rockley has served since 2008 as a member of the Okotoks Planning Commission a sessional instructor at the University’s Calgary satellite campus and as a team leader, Project, Processes, Staff Development and Training for the Assessment Business Unit at the city.

“As a mature and working student, I was constantly feeding material back into my working life from my classes,” says Kanewischer.

Applying the knowledge and skills he gained at the University has served Kanewischer well in his career. One of his proudest accomplishments thus far is

being a member of the team that developed the webwave program.

Webwave has won numerous international and national awards for replacing the city’s intranet and internet sites with what Kanewischer describes as, “one of the first search and citizen-centric websites for a municipal government anywhere.”

When Rockley, Okotoks town councillor and planner for The City of Calgary, entered the University of Lethbridge, he had no idea what he wanted to pursue as a career.

“One of my professors mentioned that I should consider city planning as a career. At the time I had no idea what city planning was but her advice compelled me to look into it. That turned out to be the best career advice I have ever received,” says Rockley.

That advice has had a positive impact on both Rockley and The City of Calgary. Rockley served as co-project lead on rewriting the Rockyview/Calgary Intermunicipal Development Plan, which was approved by both councils in 2012. He recently amended the Beltline Area Redevelopment Plan, allowing boutique hotels and limiting new surface parking in the city.

The contributions of these and many other alumni working at The City of Calgary stand as a tremendous tribute to the University of Lethbridge for inspiring a standard of excellence that continues to impact our communities.

M A RC H 2013

|

UNIVERSITY OF LETHBRIDGE

L I V I N G W E L L AT T H E

U of L

Whew!

Did you smell that?

BY LORI WEBER

S

ometimes odours cause illness.

Did you know that the University of Lethbridge has a policy regarding Scented Products?

In 2006, the then Department of Operational Health & Safety created this policy in order to address the potential impact of personal products on the health and well-being of the campus community, and to encourage voluntary cooperation in scent use reduction. You can read this policy at www. uleth.ca/policy/sites/policy/ files/policy/Scented%20Products%20Guidelines_July%20 19,%202006.pdf Recently the issues of personal product odours have again come to the forefront as a community issue. As we are

BY SUZANNE MCINTOSH It has been nearly a year since the first Employee Health and Wellness Survey was conducted. At a recent Wellness Committee meeting it was suggested that the timing was right to update everyone on action items gleaned as a result of the survey. We want you to know that your 20-minute participation (to complete the survey) was not in vain!

A Refresher and Survey Highlights

The Wellness Committee conducted an online survey of 1,258 employees of the U of L. A total of 704 employees responded to the survey request for a response rate of 56 per cent.

The goals of the survey were to determine employees’ perceptions regarding health and wellness, to identify gaps and target programming, to raise awareness of current wellness activities and resources and to benchmark metrics of health and wellness indicators.

Using the results, the committee will be developing health and wellness programming and plans to offer the survey every two to three years.

The Wellness Committee reviewed respondents’

Canadians who both prize our individual decision-making but also believe in protecting community, it is sometimes a difficult conversation to have.

Obnoxious odours are seldom natural body odours. In my 15year nursing career, I have only known one person who had a truly obnoxious body odour and that was due to a physical ailment. If you know someone who has body odour issues, talk to them privately and gently suggest that they see a physician. The health issue that is underlying the odour problem needs to be addressed.

Other people (including both men AND women) drown themselves in scented products.

Truly, a little goes a long way with perfume and deodorants. But the problem with overwhelming scents is not the twitching nose. It is the fact that scented products can cause seri-

ous health concerns for those in the University community with allergies and related illnesses.

As examples, some people react to strong odours with asthmatic episodes or migraine headaches, while other people who are undergoing chemotherapy or other medication therapy can become nauseated by certain smells.

comments and answers to the question about what respondents thought about health and wellness at the U of L. As a result, Living Well at the U of L was developed as a slogan and minor changes were made to the vision and mission of the Wellness Committee.

The mission statement now reads, “The U of L recognizes that our people are our greatest asset and that the balance of individual health and wellbeing is critical to overall University success. The U of L will encourage individuals to seek knowledge, create health and wellness goals and attain their highest level of lifestyle balance.”

It was suggested through respondents that we continue to provide Lunch and Learn events with recommendations to explore alternate locations for the classes on both upper and lower campus. As a result, new Lunch and Learns have alternated between Andy’s Place, University Hall, as well as Markin Hall.

Respondents also called for us to develop annual Lunch and Learn programming based on preferences and identified chronic health issues. These included asthma/allergies, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, migraines, arthritis, bowel disease and diabetes.

Stress, mental wellness and improving sleep habits were also identified as areas of high priority with employees.

As a result, a series of Mental Health in the Workplace sessions were set up, including Beyond Stigma, Mindful Meditation, Stress Busters, Talking Alzheimer’s, Building Resilience, and a two-hour workshop to address Mental Health in the Workplace, including practical tips and strategies.

In February, the Lethbridge Sleep Clinic was on campus to address Sleep Myths and made available referrals to appropriate help services. In March, department sleep health sessions are being arranged for support staff that work shifts (caretaking, security), while the Lunch and Learn event will focus on asthma and allergies.

Another topic area of interest for staff is retirement, leading the Department of Pension and Benefits to establish a number of retirement-focussed information sessions.

It was also suggested that a Living Well at U of L employee orientation package be developed and the Wellness Committee is currently curating information for the introduction of an orientation package that would include Wellness credits

What can we do as a community?

Talk to each other gently and collegially about health issues and odours. We are all human beings and yes, a commonality for all of us is our health. I would hope that private discussions between colleagues about health issues and problems with scented products is enough for us to create understanding and a voluntary reduction in the use of scented products should this be an issue

9

of health.

Some people choose to make their health issues public with the use of a discrete sign on their private office in regards to use of scented products, while some departments have a policy for the entire unit. This might be a great topic of discussion for a future team meeting, though it could create some hilarity as we discuss body odour instead of some weightier topics du jour.

Should the subject become a serious health issue and friendly discussions are not effective, then supervisors need to be made aware of the problem and address the issue in other ways.

My hope is that this article starts people talking to each other about SMELL! Lori Weber is the manager of the University of Lethbridge Health Centre

for employees that participate in health or wellness activities.

The Wellness Committee, along with various campus departments, will continue to work on the recommendations and action items identified through the survey. Benchmarking was an important aspect of the survey and we are looking forward to completing another survey in 2014 or 2015.

Did you know?

The University of Lethbridge has an Employee Fitness Policy. This policy states that employees may be granted a maximum of 15 minutes added to the lunch break in order to allow for full participation in University organized or other fitness activities on campus. Employees must still make sure they are arranging this with their supervisor and colleagues to ensure that the time does not interfere with workload or services provided by the department. See the policy (www.uleth.ca/policy/ employee-fitness-policy) for more information.

As always, I look forward to any comments, suggestions or questions! Be well.

Suzanne McIntosh is the wellness co-ordinator for the University of Lethbridge

the Legend STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES COME TO THE FOREFRONT

BY MARIKA STEVENSON All across Canada, college and university counselling services have experienced an increase in the number of students seeking assistance with mental health issues. Ranging from difficulties with stress, depression and anxiety to bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, the mental health of students has become a major focus for Canadian post-secondary institutions.

From March 11-15, the University of Lethbridge will be hosting its Mental Health Awareness Week, an event designed to raise awareness of mental health issues and break the stigma that surrounds students struggling with these issues.

According to a university health-care survey carried out in 2011, of 1,600 students surveyed, one in four showed signs of clinical depression and one in 10 admitted to having had suicidal thoughts.

“We were surprised at the rate,” says Saewyc. “That does seem rather high.”

Saewyc explains that these numbers aren’t necessarily students diagnosed with clinical depression but rather students who possess one or more symptoms suggesting depression. These indicators include feelings of extreme sadness, a sense of failure, lack of pleasure from activities that used to be enjoyed, and feeling as if you don’t like yourself.

A similar survey conducted in 2011 among University of Alberta students revealed that 51 per cent of students surveyed had “felt things were hopeless”, more than half felt “overwhelming anxiety”, seven per cent admitted they’d seriously considered committing suicide and one per cent had actually attempted to take their lives.

With such staggering statistics, it solicits the question: what can post-secondary institutions do to assist students in bettering their mental health?

Events such as Mental Health Awareness week assist in bringing mental health issues out of the shadows and aid students with possible illnesses by helping them to realize they are not alone.

CONTINUED ON PG. 10

the Legend

M A RC H 2013

events C A L E N D A R

Performances Mar. 9 | Quasar Saxophone Quartet The confluence of acoustic and electronic music, Quasar explores aspects of artistic creation from instrumental to live electronics, from improvisation to instrumental theatre 8 p.m., University Recital Hall (W570)

Mar. 8 | Department of Geography Lecture – Dr. Alwynne Beaudoin | Days of Dust and Darkness: How a 7,600-year-old volcanic ashfall affected western Canada | 7:30 p.m., PE250

Mar. 11 | Gender Equity Diversity Week Lecture – Dr. Robbin Gibb | Gibb discusses Sex Differences in the Brain Noon, TH241

Mar. 14 | Plays & Prose Competition Winner Gala | Listen to the winning entries from the Striking Prose and Play Right Prize competitions | 7 p.m., David Spinks Theatre

Mar. 11 | Dean of Arts & Science Candidate Public Presentation | Dr. David Malloy, University of Regina, discusses Opportunities and Challenges: A Broad Vision for the Faculty of Arts & Science at the University of Lethbridge | 3:30 p.m., D634

Mar. 19 | Music at Noon: Kristine Gray (saxophone) | 12:15 p.m., University Recital Hall Mar. 19-23 | Estuary | As a young man’s dreams infiltrate his waking life, he’s forced to determine what’s real and what isn’t | 8 p.m. nightly, University Theatre Mar. 26 | Music at Noon: Akiko Tominaga (piano) | 12:15 p.m., University Recital Hall (W570) Apr. 2 | Music at Noon: Tracy Thornton (steel drums) | 12:15 p.m., University Recital Hall (W570)

Lectures Mar. 6 | Art Now Speaker – Ruth Cuthand | Noon, University Recital Hall (W570) Mar. 7 | Department of Physics & Astronomy Speaker Series | Laszlo Arpad Gergely of the University of Szeged, Hungary presents Supermassive black hole binaries and their gravitational radiation 1:40 p.m., C640 Mar. 7 | Dean of Arts & Science Candidate Public Presentation | Dr. Craig Cooper, Nipissing University, discusses Opportunities and Challenges: A Broad Vision for the Faculty of Arts & Science at the University of Lethbridge | 3:30 p.m., E690 Mar. 8 | Art Now Speaker – Richard William Hill | Noon, University Recital Hall (W570)

CONTINUED FROM PG. 9 “I’ve come to realize that, as students, our mental health is a factor we often dismiss,” says event organizer, Chris Hollingsworth.

“Burying it in the back of conver-

Mar. 15 | Art Now Speaker: Karen Elaine Spencer | Noon, University Recital Hall (W570) Mar. 15 | Gender Equity Diversity Week Lecture – Strengthening Academic Capacity: Gender Dimensions | Mary Butterfield discusses gender equality in academic research | 12:15 p.m., TH277

Mar. 11 | Art Now Speaker – Beth Stuart Noon, University Recital Hall (W570)

Mar. 12 | Music at Noon: Marcia Swanston (mezzo soprano) and Dr. Deanna Oye (piano) | 12:15 p.m., University Recital Hall (W570)

STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH

|

Mar. 18 | The Heart of Teaching | Casual, confidential, drop-in peer mentoring for faculty | 9 a.m., D635 Mar. 18 | Art Now Speaker – Peter von Tiesenhausen | Noon, University Recital Hall (W570) Mar. 18 | Architecture & Design Now Speaker – Peter von Tiesenhausen 6 p.m., M1040

Mar. 11 | Political Science Public Lecture – Ron Nikkel | Do Our Justice Systems Really Do Justice | 4 p.m., AH117

Mar. 20 | Art Now Speaker – Mark Clintberg | Noon, University Recital Hall (W570)

Mar. 11 | Architecture & Design Now Speaker – hk + np | 6 p.m., M1040

Mar. 21 | The Enigma of Home – Dr. Vijay Agnew | Presented by the Department of Anthropology, Agnew discusses the home ‘here’ with the home ‘there’ to illustrate how memory connects us with our past and defines our present | 3:05 p.m., PE261

Mar. 11 | Prentice Café Conversations – Climate Change: Impacts, Risks, Solutions | Join panelists Dr. James Byrne, Gwendolyn Blue and Dr. Bryson Brown as they discuss climate change | 6:30 p.m., O-Sho Japanese Restaurant

Mar. 21 | Discovery Lecture Series – Sally Armstrong | Armstrong discusses conflict and cooperation from a financial, political and sociological point of view as it relates to women | 7 p.m., PE250

Mar. 12 | Women Scholars Speaker Series – Dr. Jennifer Shapka | Adolescent Socialization via the Internet: an Exploration of the Contextual Correlates of Online Risk Behaviour | Noon, Andy’s Place (AH100)

Mar. 21 | CIHR Café Scientifique – Use of antibiotics in agricultural practice: Implications on the health of Canadians | Join panelists Dr. H.J. Wieden, Dr. Eric Brown, Dr. Frank Schweizer and Dr. Tim McAllister as they discuss the implications of antibiotic use in livestock populations | 7 p.m., Southern Alberta Art Gallery

Mar. 12 | Gender Equity Diversity Week Spoken Word Poetry Slam | Listen to faculty, students and staff speak, read, rhyme or rant on Diversity and Inclusion | Noon, AH176 Mar. 13 | Gender Equity Diversity Week Lecture – Jeff Meadows & Brad Reamsbottom | Meadows and Reamsbottom discuss Supporting Faculty in Supporting Students with Learning Disabilities 11 a.m., L1170A

Mar. 22 | Art Now Speaker – Nick Wade Noon, University Recital Hall (W570) Mar. 25 | Art Now Speaker – Bart Willis Noon, University Recital Hall (W570)

Mar. 13 | Management Student Professional Development – Miachael Bach Bach will discuss The Changing Landscape of Canada, a talk on the business case for diversity | 7 p.m., Markin Hall Atrium

sation does each of us a disservice.

It is my hope that for all of those struggling with these issues, an open discussion and an awareness of the resources available for help might make a real difference when facing these challenges.”

Luckily, there are many resources students can utilize to help manage their mental health.

The University’s Counselling Services Office offers three differ-

UNIVERSITY OF LETHBRIDGE

Mar. 25 | Architecture & Design Now Speaker – Bart Willis | 6 p.m., M1040 Mar. 27 | Art Now Speaker – Naomi Potter | Noon, University Recital Hall (W570)

Miscellaneous Mar. 6 | New Media Film Series: Kiss Kiss Bang Bang | Free New Media Film Series focuses on new possibilities and creative currents in 21st century filmmaking Mar. 7 | Cuisine 4 a Cause | The Integrated Management Experience (IME) class, in conjunction with Spring Rolls, Streatside Eatery and Two Guys Pizza Place present a fundraising activity for the Multiple Sclerosis Society-Lethbridge Chapter | 5 to 10 p.m., all restaurant locations Mar. 8 | Annual Curated Student Exhibition | An established curator selects work by students and helps them acquire professional experience while showcasing the best of student art production | Opening Reception, 8 p.m., Main Gallery Mar. 14 | Gender Equity Diversity Week Demonstration – Wheelchair Basketball Join the Lethbridge Wheelchair Basketball Association and Dr. Mary Dyck for some hoops | 10:45 a.m., 1st Choice Savings Centre gym Mar. 14 | Gender Equity Diversity Week Film Screening – Shameless: The Art of Disability | 7 p.m., PE264 Mar. 16 | Student Leadership Conference The third annual U of L Student Leadership Conference Mar. 16 | Culture Vulture Saturday: Zentangle | 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., University Hall Atrium Mar. 19 | Disordered Eating Workshop Presented by the Wellness Committee examines what is disordered eating and presents strategies for healing | 9:15 a.m., Andy’s Place (AH100)

Mar. 25 | Women Scholars Speaker Series – Dr. Carly Adams | Adams discusses the Past, Present, and Future in Conversation: The Place of the Warner Hockey School in Canadian Women’s Hockey | Noon, Andy’s Place (AH100)

ent types of assistance: personal growth, academic support and career development. The office also provides different methods of delivering support through meditation sessions, workshops and one-on-one counselling.

There are numerous websites dedicated to supporting students who may be experiencing depression or anxiety along with other health issues, such

10

as eating disorders, sex related troubles and drug and alcohol abuse. These websites (available through counselling services) offer help lines and a support system of other students who share common problems.

Although most people agree that stresses and pressures have always been a part of post-secondary education, many agree that competition and the need

to succeed has become more intense. With counselling services dedicated to helping each student with their individual needs, these pressures can be better handled and students can get back on track.

For more information about U of L Counselling Services, please contact 403-317-2845 or e-mail counselling.services@ uleth.ca

M A RC H 2013

|

UNIVERSITY OF LETHBRIDGE

FINE ARTS

in focus

the Legend

Skinner, Cote capture writing awards Krista Cote, left, and Baz Skinner were the big winners from this year’s Striking Prose and Play Right Prize competition.

BY KELLY MORRIS Thanks to a generous University of Lethbridge alumnus, U of L students once again took advantage of the opportunity to flex their creative-writing muscles. The annual Striking Prose short story competition and Play Right Prize playwriting competition produced a number of excellent submissions, led by this year’s winning entries.

First place for the Play Right Prize went to Baz Skinner (dramatic arts major) for her play Dance Party, which creatively handles the topic of Parkinson’s disease in a serious and humorous fashion.

The competition jury consisting of Dr. Christopher Grignard (drama), Andrew Legg (MFA Dramatic Arts candidate, director of The Neverending Story) and

Natascha Hainsworth (general manager at New West Theatre, BFA ’05) commented that, “The script’s telling of this original story is touching, but far from being a pity party for the young woman who must now learn to adapt to the unexpected change in her life, which includes a saddening, yet believable shift in the relationship with her best friend.”

The first place prize in the Striking Prose category went to Krista Cote (English major) for her story Same Code.

The three-member jury of English department faculty, Dr. Wendy Faith, Dr. Maureen Hawkins and Dr. Jay Gamble says Cote’s story is, “A compelling and powerful voyage into the mind of a homeless child. The strength of this piece is its consistent narrative from the view of the child that reveals, through the child’s

innocence and ignorance, a dark tragedy.”

Both first prize winners receive $1,500 and the opportunity to share their winning entries at a public reading on Thursday, Mar. 14 at 7 p.m. in the David Spinks Theatre.

Admission is free and everyone is welcome to attend. The evening includes a reception and cash bar.

Second place in the Play Right Prize competition went to Ryan Reese (dramatic arts major) for his play Ascending the Blue, which powerfully depicts the conflicts between a major and a 19-year-old French Canadian soldier as the two endure the horrors of war in 1864.

Third place went to Makambe Simamba (dramatic arts major; 2012 first place Play Right Prize winner) for her play Catchin’

Water – Backflow, that poetically transports its audience to the Cayman Islands in 2004 when Hurricane Ivan hits. Reese and Simamba receive awards of $750 and $250 respectively.

This year’s Striking Prose jurors found it too hard to decide between second and third place, awarding second prize awards to both Karen Richardson (bachelor of arts) for her story 8932 Gregory Drive, at 6 a.m. on a Foggy Morning, and Makambe Simamba for her story The Mouth of the Walk.

Richardson and Simamba split the second and third prize awards and each receive $500.

The $5,000 in prize money is generously donated each year by U of L alumnus, Terry Whitehead (BA ’94). The competition aims to encourage excellence and development in student playwriting and creative writing.

QUASAR SAXOPHONE QUARTET PROMISES UNIQUE EVENING OUT Take part in a musical experience like none other!

The Faculty Artists and Friends Series introduces Montreal’s Quasar Saxophone Quartet for an engaging night of entertainment, Mar. 9 at 8 p.m. in the University Recital Hall.

Celebrated for its energy, audacity and exceptional technical ability, Quasar Saxophone Quartet explores different aspects of artistic creation from instrumental music to live electronics, from

improvisation to instrumental theatre.

“We haven’t ever featured an ensemble like this in our series,” says Dr. Paul Sanden, Faculty Artists and Friends co-ordinator. “We’ve been expanding our series and Quasar was a perfect fit for this season.”

According to Quasar4.com, the quartet aims to contribute to and provide a platform for new music experiments, exploration and production and has

premiered over 70 works. At the same time, Quasar constantly seeks out new works on the international scene, which are frequently integrated in its repertoire. The quartet has played throughout Canada and has also toured in several European countries including the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, UK, Spain, France, Estonia and Lithuania.

“The music featured in their performances also reflects the

ESTUARY FEATURES BIG SET, BIG ISSUES

rules of reality and captures the imaginations of its audiences.

Within the walls of an old Victorian house, a series of individual stories stretch the boundaries between reality and the dream world.

“This play is about defining reality,” says Chambers. “The characters interact in a setting where there is no fixed reality, where there are questions about what is real or what is imaginary.”

Set designer and U of L alumnus Roger Schultz (BFA ’89) created an immense set to capture the essence of the play’s themes.

“Estuary deals with a big idea, and the size of the set supports that,” says Schultz.

A fully-fashioned twostory Victorian house has been constructed for the production where the complex relationships of the characters play out.

“I took my cues from the premise of the script, blending reality and dreams, containing elements that are fragmented or odd,” he says.

For 20 years, Chambers has taught playwriting in the Department of Theatre and Dramatic Arts. Seven of his plays have been professionally produced across Canada,

An estuary is a body of water where a river’s current meets and mixes with the sea.

For acclaimed playwright and drama professor, Ron Chambers, his latest work, Estuary, features a troupe of colourful characters’ lives that mixes, turns upside down and ultimately joins beneath the roof of a fantastic frat house. Playing Mar. 19-23 at 8 p.m. nightly on the University Theatre stage, Estuary bends the

11

studies in our bachelor of music with a major in digital audio arts program, and DAA students will be involved in the technical aspects of putting the performance on when Quasar is here in March,” explains Sanden.

Tickets for this world-class ensemble are available at the University Box Office, and are priced at are $20 regular, $15 students and seniors. Regular tickets are also available online, www. uleth.ca/tickets.

the United States and in Hong Kong. He has won the Alberta Culture Playwriting Award, the Gwen Pharis Ringwood Award (Writer’s Guild of Alberta) and has been nominated for both the Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Award and Betty Mitchell Award for best new play.

As both playwright and director for Estuary, Chambers has appreciated the flexibilities of bringing the script to life onstage.

“I wrote Estuary as a big play, with a big cast and a big set,” explains Chambers.

“Often, the plays I write must be restricted to a limited cast size

GLOBAL DRUMS ARE ON FIRE Global Drums is fired up for another explosive evening of percussive entertainment.

Promising to perform like their hair is on fire, and featuring a hot lineup of exciting music with some very special guests, Global Drums takes to the University Theatre stage on Apr. 5 and 6 at 8 p.m. nightly.

“Our theme revolves around fire,” says Adam Mason, director. “Be prepared for some amazing music featuring African drumming and dancing, our Taiko ensemble and a very special performance by our master of music candidate, Joe Porter, who has written a very flashy vibraphone concerto with percussion ensemble titled Travelling Circus.”

Acclaimed professional steel drum artist and composer Tracy Thornton of Greensboro, N.C., joins the Steel Drum Ensemble.

“Global Drums has performed many pieces by Tracy Thornton over the years and it’s a pleasure to finally welcome him to perform with us,” says Mason.

The Taiko Ensemble is set to perform one of Mason’s newest compositions, The Moats of Hirosaki-jo.

“I wrote this piece after traveling to Japan last summer. The piece we are performing was inspired by the stories of a battle in the moats, and it also features our biggest and newest drum, the O Daiko,” explains Mason.

Sparks fly during the finale, a heart-stopping performance featuring the Polynesian Ensemble and fire spinner, Isaac Neufeld.

“It is going to be a fun night – don’t miss this performance,” says Mason.

Tickets are available at the University Box Office, and are priced at $15 Regular, $10 for students, seniors and children. Regular tickets are also available online: www.uleth.ca/tickets.

and to accommodate small sets, but this play is an exception.

I also wrote this for students, to allow them to be themselves and play characters that are their ages, dealing with subject matter relevant to their own lives.”

Tickets for this final production of the Mainstage Theatre season are available at the University Box Office (Monday through Friday, 12:30 to 3:30 p.m., or by calling 403329-2616). Individual tickets are priced at $15 regular, $10 seniors and students. Regular tickets are also available online, www. uleth.ca/tickets.

images L ASTING

Lisa Brawn studied at the Alberta College of Art and Design where she first began experimenting with figurative woodcuts.

Brawn draws on imagery from 20th century popular culture, including silent film stars, cowboys, 1970s television personalities, heroes and villains, international icons and symbols of Canadiana, rendering her subjects in hundreds of carved lines that are then painted.

Brawn’s work has been exhibited extensively across Canada and the United States, and was featured prominently in the University of Lethbridge Art Gallery exhibition and publication ‘Snap, Crackle, Pop’ in 2010.

She continues her prolific art practice in Calgary, Alta.

(ABOVE) Lisa Brawn, Johnny LaRue, 2009. From the University of Lethbridge Art Collection; Purchased in 2010 with the support of the Canada Council for the Arts Acquisition Assistance Program.

(TOP RIGHT) Lisa Brawn, Peter Mansbridge, 2009. From the University of Lethbridge Art Collection; Purchased in 2010 with the support of the Canada Council for the Arts Acquisition Assistance Program.

(BOTTOM RIGHT) Lisa Brawn, David Suzuki, 2009. From the University of Lethbridge Art Collection; Purchased in 2010 with the support of the Canada Council for the Arts Acquisition Assistance Program.