Read about some of Sheridan’s inspirational people, places, programs and ideas in the latest posts from Curiosities – the official blog of Sheridan College.

80 Faces – What started as a self-imposed exercise in portraiture for fourth-year Bachelor of Illustration student Dominic Laporte turned into an exhibition in a gallery in Ottawa.

Making Suds with the Chemistry Club –At its inaugural event, twenty chemistry enthusiasts from the Sheridan Chemistry Club spent a Saturday in the lab getting their hands dirty with saponification: the making of soap.

A Colourful Display of School Spirit - When Art Fundamentals Professor Leslie Sasaki challenged his class to create a collective piece of art for their ‘found colour’ assignment, little did he know that the result would be a beautiful reflection of school spirit.

Students Line Up for ‘Paw’sitive Reinforcement – Second-year Journalism student Michael Rodrigues on the visit from local therapy dogs as a welcome distraction for students during a busy exam time.

It is my pleasure to announce the appointment of Dean Langan as the new Course Evaluation Research Analyst in the Office of Institutional Research & Planning.

Dean has worked professionally in market and applied social research and consulting for 15 years. He has designed and implemented a variety of research projects with organizations across a range of public and private sector industries, with a particular focus on combining quantitative and qualitative techniques to provide a holistic perspective on business and research problems. Dean holds a Master’s degree in cultural anthropology and is committed to continuous, lifelong learning.

In this new role, Dean will be leading the implementation of Sheridan’s new course evaluation framework and system.

Please join me in welcoming Dean to Sheridan.

Mark Chapman

Director, Institutional Research and Planning

Following the retirement of Cathi Berge, Sheridan’s Vice President, Human Resources and Organizational Development, a new reporting structure has been implemented for the three centres that constitute this important portfolio.

The Centre for Organizational and People Development, under the direction of Amanda Pike, will now report to Dr. Melanie Spence-Ariemma, Associate Vice President Academic Quality. The Centre for Teaching and Learning, which falls under the direction of Melanie, shares a common goal of the Centre for Organizational and People Development – to enrich professional development and deliver on the commitments made in the People Plan.

The Centre for Respectful and Healthy Workplaces, under the direction of Lynn Rutherford, will now report to Steven Parfeniuk, Vice President, Finance and Administration. This area will continue to deliver a full range of initiatives aimed at supporting human rights, diversity, inclusiveness and occupational health and safety at Sheridan, while procedurally upholding both the privacy and confidentiality of individuals at Sheridan.

The Human Resources Service Centre, under the direction of Megan Mascarin, will also now report to Steven Parfeniuk, Vice President, Finance and Administration. This area will continue to be responsible for HR partnership services, labour relations, talent acquisition, total compensation services, job evaluation, pension and benefits, and HR information systems/data management services.

During Megan’s maternity leave, effective January 26, the Human Resources Service Centre will be co-managed by Ryan Piper, who will assume the role of Senior Manager, Labour Relations and Talent Acquisition and Rebecca Sprague, who will become Senior Manager, Client Services. Recruitment is underway for an additional HR Portfolio Manager (contract position) to help fulfill the duties previously held by Ryan and Rebecca.

The core of the Sheridan Peer Mentor program is students helping students and Peer Mentors play a pivotal role in providing this assistance.

Do you know students who would thrive in a student leadership role at Sheridan?
Applications are now being accepted for 2015-2016 Peer Mentor positions at Sheridan.

The benefits of working as a Peer Mentor include:

• Peer Mentors have the opportunity to develop a variety of employability skills that will assist them while at Sheridan and beyond
• Peer Mentoring provides a rewarding experience assisting fellow students
• Peer Mentors enjoy paid employment that is flexible and works around their class schedule
• Peer Mentors have the opportunity to earn Sheridan Co-Curricular Record recognition

Students are eligible for consideration if they:

• Have a 3.0 GPA or higher
• Will be in their 2^nd year of studies (or higher) at Sheridan by September 2015
• Are available for training in late August 2015
• Complete a Peer Mentor job description and include their resume at the time of application

Many positions are available at all campuses.
To learn more about the Peer Mentor program and to apply for a position, please visit peermentor.sheridancollege.ca

Applications must be in by March 6, 2015.

Before the holidays, 279 pairs of mittens, 30 hats, 20 scarves, 1 knitted blanket and 1 pair of slippers were pinned to or placed under the trees around campus.

The items were divided equally and dropped off at Kerr Street Ministries in Oakville and The Salvation Army, Family Life Resource Centre in Brampton.

A big thank you to the Sheridan community for your generosity!

Sheridan Reads Story Swap:

As a part of Sheridan Reads 2015, we are seeking your submissions for our first ever “5-Minute Story Swap,” to be held on Tuesday, February 24, from 7-9 pm, on the bookstore steps at the Davis campus.

Storytelling is one of the world’s oldest methods of communication, and as a story like the one Lawrence Hill tells in The Book of Negroes demonstrates, it’s instrumental to our ability to understand ourselves and each other. One of the clearest demonstrations of the diversity of Sheridan’s community is the wide variety of stories we have to tell. In this evening of performance and exchange, Sheridan students and community members will share some of the personal, touching, hilarious, and strange stories that make up the fabric of their lives. Any medium is welcome: performance poetry, creative non-fiction, animation, illustration, vocal performance, photography, etc.

Do you have a story you’d like to share? For more detailed submission guidelines, or to submit work, please see sheridanreads.sheridancollege.ca Please submit your ideas by Monday, February 9.

Free and open to the public, this will be an exciting evening of storytelling by and for the Sheridan community – we hope you can join us!

Sheridan Reads Book Club Conversations:

We invite you to visit our Sheridan Reads Book Club Conversations: informal, open conversations where participants can exchange opinions and share perspectives on the novel from a variety of personal, cultural, and disciplinary backgrounds. Students, faculty, staff, and the larger community are all welcome!

Davis Book Club Conversation

February 10, 2015 (5:30 pm – 7:30 pm at the Davis Library)

HMC Book Club Conversation

February 11, 2015 (5:30 pm – 7:30 pm in the Atrium at HMC)

Trafalgar Book Club Conversation

February 12, 2015 (5:30 pm – 7:30 pm at the Trafalgar Library)

If you are considering renovating your house in the near future, this information might be of interest to you.

I am currently teaching the “Residential Building Renovations” course to students in their final year of the Architectural Technology Program. My students need some ‘real’ renovation projects to work on as part of the semester’s coursework. If you are contemplating renovations to your house and are willing to work with Sheridan students, they might be able to assist you in the development of some design ideas and the provision of architectural design drawings.

Given the time our students have to work on this project, we are looking for projects that are neither too large nor too small. The ideal renovation project could involve some interior changes to the layout of an existing house, or the construction of a small addition. However, there are many types of renovation projects that could be suitable – so please do not hesitate to get in touch with me to describe your project and discuss if it might be appropriate.

Q: What would you have to do?

A: – Meet with a small group of students (2-4) in your home to discuss your design needs.

– Provide the student team with a copy of a property survey plan (if available, but not mandatory).

– Provide access to your house for the students to undertake a general architectural survey of the existing house and lot (with your presence)

– Meet with students in your home to review their design ideas and provide them with feedback.

– Complete a form that evaluates the success of the design and the professionalism of the students.

Q: What will you gain from this?

A:- A set of “as-is” drawings illustrating the existing house configuration.

– A series of concept design proposals for a renovation to your house usually including floor plans, elevations, sections and 3-D drawings.

Q: What will you not gain from this?

A: – The drawings will illustrate conceptual design information only. If you decide to proceed with the renovation, detailed design and construction drawings would have to be prepared by others.

Q: Will this cost me anything?

A: No. Students will be undertaking the work as part of their course of study.

Q: Will Sheridan guarantee the work?

A:   No. It must be recognized that students are undertaking the work as part of a course of study. While every effort will be made to ensure that the resulting concept design meets all of the appropriate building codes and zoning by-laws, Sheridan cannot take responsibility for the design work. If you decide to proceed with the renovation, it is recommended that a design professional be engaged to verify compliance of the design with all applicable codes and by-laws and to prepare permit drawings.

If you are interested in finding out more, please email me using the contact information below. I look forward to hearing from you.

Dan Acimovic

Licensed Technologist OAA

Instructor of Architectural Technology, Faculty of Architectural Technology

School of Applied Computing and Engineering Sciences

email: dragan.acimovic@sheridanc.on.ca

Sheridan Student Union is getting ready to launch the Winter 2015 Board of Directors Election for all three campuses: Davis, HMC, and TRC.  The Board consists of 12 elected members who are responsible for maintaining continuous contact with the students at their campus, and bringing student issues, concerns, and feedback to Board level. Full-time or part-time day time activity fee-paying students with a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher are eligible to stand for election to the Board.

Students and staff can participate by casting their votes for their preferred candidates. Professors are encouraged to bring the election process to their students’ attention. Students can nominate themselves by picking up a nomination package from Student Union Offices. Being a board member will be a positive addition to a student’s future resume.

Key Dates:

Nomination Packages out January 26 – February 6

Voting Days March 11, 12, & 13

All students who are seeking more information are asked to direct their questions to the CRO by emailing cro.ssui@sheridancollege.ca or calling 905.845.9430 ext. 5373

Sheridan Reads Story Swap:

As a part of Sheridan Reads 2015, we are seeking your submissions for our first ever “5-Minute Story Swap,” to be held on Tuesday, February 24, from 7-9 pm, on the bookstore steps at the Davis campus.

Storytelling is one of the world’s oldest methods of communication, and as a story like the one Lawrence Hill tells in The Book of Negroes demonstrates, it’s instrumental to our ability to understand ourselves and each other. One of the clearest demonstrations of the diversity of Sheridan’s community is the wide variety of stories we have to tell. In this evening of performance and exchange, Sheridan students and community members will share some of the personal, touching, hilarious, and strange stories that make up the fabric of their lives. Any medium is welcome: performance poetry, creative non-fiction, animation, illustration, vocal performance, photography, etc. The evening will feature a guest appearance by acclaimed Canadian poet, Daniel Scott Tysdal.

Do you have a story you’d like to share? For more detailed submission guidelines, or to submit work, please see sheridanreads.sheridancollege.ca Please submit your ideas by Monday, February 9.

Free and open to the public, this will be an exciting evening of storytelling by and for the Sheridan community – we hope you can join us!

Sheridan Reads Book Club Conversations:

We invite you to visit our Sheridan Reads Book Club Conversations: informal, open conversations where participants can exchange opinions and share perspectives on the novel from a variety of personal, cultural, and disciplinary backgrounds. Students, faculty, staff, and the larger community are all welcome!

Davis Book Club Conversation

February 10, 2015 (5:30 pm – 7:30 pm at the Davis Library)

HMC Book Club Conversation

February 11, 2015 (5:30 pm – 7:30 pm in the Atrium at HMC)

Trafalgar Book Club Conversation

February 12, 2015 (5:30 pm – 7:30 pm at the Trafalgar Library)

Over the last two weeks Professor Craig Brazil of the Industrial Mechanic Millwright program at Sheridan’s Skills Training Centre has been in São Paulo, Brazil as the guest of Senai, the Vocational and Apprenticeship Training arm of the Brazilian government and the Worldskills organization.

During the first week of his stay he was one of three judges in the Senai Brazilian Trials for the Industrial Mechanic Millwright competition to decide the Brazilian representative at the Worldskills competition in August. The competitors were challenged in four separate disciplines over 18 hours of competition. At the end of the three days of competition the two competitors were separated by the tiniest of margins: 0.5 of one percent. “The level of competition and the effort put out by the two competitors was a sight to behold”, said Brazil.

The second week of Brazil’s stay was taken up with more than 400 participants from around the world attending the Worldskills 2015 Competition Preparation Week (CPW). The Chief and Deputy Chief Experts, Workshop Managers, Sector Managers and Jury Presidents were present to plan and prepare the last details in their specific disciplines for this year’s competition. The CPW is the official launch of the countdown towards the 43rd Worldskills Competition to be held from the August 11 to 16 of this year at the Anhembi Park complex in São Paulo, Brazil. “This was the meeting of the minds that are putting together this year’s Worldskills competition. It was a real privilege to be in their midst; this is a very select fraternity that I am very proud to be part of,” he said.

Craig (fourth from the left, back row) with the team of Senai Officials, Experts, Competitors, Workshop Managers, Assistants & Senai School support staff that made up the Industrial Mechanic Millwright Trial Competition.

The two competitors working on two of the challenges they had over the three days:

Read about some of Sheridan’s inspirational people, places, programs and ideas in the latest posts from Curiosities – the official blog of Sheridan College.

The Curiosities blog has some new art by Sheridan Illustration student Linda Yan. Click on the banner above to visit her website.

Embracing Differences – An international student in the English Language Training program, Vinaya Gopaal reflects on embracing differences as a newcomer to Canada

Sheridan professor and Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences member: Nancy Beiman – As Oscar season heats up, Sheridan Animation faculty member Nancy Beiman prepares to cast a vote on the nominated films

Mining Creativity: One Writer’s Perspective – A look back at author Lawrence Hill’s talk at Sheridan as part of Sheridan Reads

Building a Multicultural Mosaic – The Sheridan International Student Association or SISA is a growing effort by international students that aims to build a strong multicultural family within Sheridan. They work on bridging the gap that sometimes can exist between expectations of students and the Canadian reality

It is with very warm wishes that we announce the retirement of Golda Morrison, whose last day in Community Employment Services will be Friday, February 27, 2015.

After a successful career in the insurance business she decided to return to school. It was then, Golda’s relationship with Sheridan started as a student in the Library & Info Techniques program. She graduated with High Honours in 1991!

Since 1991, Golda has been actively involved in Sheridan’s Alumni Association. She started her term as Director (1991-1998), President (1998-2001), Past-President (2001-2002) and continues to serve as an Honourary Member. Golda’s employment began with Sheridan in 1998 and over the span of her 17 years she has worked in Student Services, the Development Office, and her last 14 years at STC, with Sheridan Employment Services (Placements Plus, Job Connect to present day CES) . Her incredible knowledge of Labour Market Information, Second Career, and everything in between, not to mention her attention to detail and ‘eagle-eye’ editing skills, will be greatly missed. No matter what was going on we could always count on Golda to interject a humourous comment or story in her unique delivery style, that would bring tears of laughter in our office and throughout the halls of STC! The lunch table will never be the same!

We will be honouring Golda for her contributions to the  college in a Farewell Get-Together to be held at STC on February 26, 2015. We wish Golda all the best in her next adventure!

Your Colleagues,
Sheridan CES Team

Sheridan would like to acknowledge the tremendous contribution of Linda Nelson, who has led the Corporate Records department at Sheridan since 2000 and been a valued employee for over twenty years.

Linda has been integral to Sheridan over two decades of dedicated service; her historical knowledge of our institution is unparalleled.  Linda’s energy and enthusiasm will be greatly missed.  Please take some time to wish Linda well this week before she enters retirement.  Her last day at Sheridan will be this Friday.

All of Sheridan wishes Linda the best.  We are sure she will stay in touch and look forward to hearing about her crafting and other adventures!

Alexa Abiscott

General Counsel and Information and Privacy Officer

The First Year Library Team is hosting an Exam Jam on Wednesday, April 8 at the Trafalgar Campus Library from 10-4:00pm.

What is an Exam Jam?

An Exam Jam is an event that combines academic study sessions with fun, stress-relieving activities for students. We launched Sheridan’s first Exam Jam in December of last year with great success. Click here for a recap of the event.

We’re looking for faculty help.

The First Year Library Team wants to engage our first-year students as they enter into exams by providing academic support via course study sessions. We are looking for faculty volunteers to run study sessions for any course at the Trafalgar campus.

The courses we have on the agenda so far include:

1. PROG 10082 – Object Oriented Programming 1 – Java
2. PROG 24178 – Object Oriented Programming 2 – Java
3. MATH 14998 – Computer Math 1
4. MATH 24376 – Applied Calculus

These sessions will serve as a general exam-prep for students. If you teach a first-year course and think your students would benefit from a general study session, please volunteer.

If you can’t volunteer your time, you can still help by promoting this event to all your first-year students. Can we visit your class to promote the event? Please send us an email.

Sheridan’s Exam Jam

In addition to study sessions, the opportunity for students to have some fun through the creation of appreciation cards, some short physical exercise activities, healthy snacks and more will be available. There will also be workshops on taking multiple choice and long/short answer exams, as well as citation and APA Style. If you have ideas for an activity or want to help out in some way, please get in touch.

For more information, to volunteer or to suggest a study session, please call x5676 or email Jamie Goodfellow at jamie.goodfellow@sheridancollege.ca. Please respond by March 25.

Our sponsor, Film.ca, and the Sheridan Film and TV Club are pleased to host the first-ever Sheridan Student-Wide Screening

Location: 171 Speers Rd. Oakville at Film.ca

Any student can submit.

Do you or someone you know have an interest in making films or tv?

Let them know about this event and they can see their work in a real movie theatre. Everyone is welcome so bring out friends and family for a night at the movies.

$5 Entrance fee to the theatre. No cost to submit. Deadline to submit is March 16. Please see the poster for further details.

All proceeds go to the year-end Screen Arts Awards in May to celebrate Media Arts and Bachelor of Film and Television students.

If you have any questions, please contact lisa.dermentjian@sheridancollege.ca

I am delighted to announce that Tina Moscato has accepted the role of Operations Manager in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, and will start in her new role effective March 9.  Tina most recently held the position of Office Manager and Executive Assistant to the V.P. of HR & Organizational Development at Sheridan, and brings with her extensive experience in human resources management, budget development and tracking, and project management.

Prior to joining Sheridan, Tina was the Executive Assistant to the Vice President of HR / HR Coordinator at Trader Media Corporation/Yellow Pages, Project Manager /Executive Assistant to the President at Movie Experts Inc., and Legal Executive Assistant for Various Partners at Baker & McKenzie LLP / Blaney McMurtry LLP.

Tina holds an Honours Human Resources Management Certification from Humber College, an Honours Law Enforcement Diploma from Seneca College, and is currently completing the Project Management Certification at Sheridan.

Please join me in congratulating Tina on her new role.

Has Malik

Dean, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

Sheridan Community Employment Services invites you to make a difference in the life of a skilled immigrant by becoming a Mentor through the Mentoring Partnership.   The program connects job-ready newcomers with established professionals in the same occupation. Mentors share industry knowledge, insight, advice and networks to help their mentee reconnect with their career.

Though the program works with a range of professions, our biggest current need is in the following careers:

• Post-Secondary Teaching (Health Sciences)
• Engineering

If you’re a professional with at least 3 years of experience in your field we hope you’ll consider becoming involved.

For more information:

Janet Gaffney ext. 8134

janet.gaffney@sheridancollege.ca

www.thementoringpartnership.com

The Sheridan/Sheridan Student Union Gender & Sexual Diversity Survey closed on February 6, 2015. The purpose of the survey was to assist Sheridan to:

• Identify gaps that may exist related to gender and sexual diversity initiatives
• Inform and build our continued efforts to create an inclusive, respectful, learning and working environment

We want to thank the Sheridan community, especially those students and employees who took the time to participate in the online survey. Thank you!

Over 2400 responses were received and we now begin the work of analysing the responses and preparing a summary of the survey findings in order to share with the Sheridan community.

Sincerely,
Joe Henry – Associate Dean, Student Success
Margaret Sanderson – Manager, Diversity and Inclusion, Centre
for Respectful and Healthy Workplaces

Read about some of Sheridan’s inspirational people, places, programs and ideas in the latest posts from Curiosities – the official blog of Sheridan College.

Curiosities’ Everyday Hero series continues with new stories about Sheridan people who contribute to student success featuring photography by Sheridan technologist Owen Colborne.

Winning in Sport and Life – Study. Compete. Graduate. Succeed. This is the Sheridan Way according to Bruins Men’s Basketball team head coach and Athletics Director Jim Flack. He recently achieved a major milestone with his 600th coaching win.

Marathon Man – Bill Tkach has been a friendly face at Sheridan for 37 years, logging an inestimable number of kilometres making deliveries around campus. He is retiring later this year and reflects on his nearly four decades with the college.

Xi Nian Kuai Le – Happy New Year – The cafeteria at Trafalgar was recently transformed for a festive Chinese New Year’s celebration hosting more than 200 staff, students and alumni.

For the Record – Recent retiree Linda Nelson was Sheridan’s Corporate Records Officer for more than a decade. In addition to managing five thousand boxes of documents she took it upon herself to find a home for Sheridan artifacts that otherwise would be lost.

A Marauder in our Midst – The imagination of fourth-year animation student Kunli Zhan was captured by J.K. Rowling’s world of Harry Potter. He digitized his own version of Marauder’s map as an app.

It is with mixed feelings that I announce the resignation of John McCormick from his position as Director, Information & Communication Technology at Sheridan, effective the end of March. John is taking on the role of Associate CIO with the Upper Grand District School Board in Guelph where he lives.  I’m very sad to see John go, yet happy to see him advance his career through this new opportunity that is much closer to his home.

John has been with Sheridan for 4 1/2 years and throughout his tenure he has helped strengthen and improve infrastructure at Sheridan, championed and supported the move to a project management culture, and has been a strong mentor and advocate for his staff.  John will be sorely missed by everyone he has worked with.

Please join me in congratulating John and wishing him the very best of luck and the greatest of success with his new position.

Desmond Irvine

Chief Information Officer (A)