Volume M15, Issue No. 9, October 19, 2015

Intercom is published regularly and serves to inform Vanier staff and teachers of notices and special events. It is posted on the Vanier College Website and distributed electronically. Submissions should be sent to intercom@vaniercollege.qc.ca. Submissions should be in WORD, and sent as an attachment. No formatting or bullets. Deadline: 4:00 p.m. on the Wednesday preceding publication.

October 19-23 – Social Science Festival 2015

This is it! This is the week of the annual Social Science Festival! Our theme this year is Complex Diversities – Diverse Complexities. Please visit the webpage for more information, including the schedule: http://www.vaniercollege.qc.ca/social-science-festival/. here are many interesting presentations to choose from, with topics such as racism in schools, the atomic bomb, the Oka crisis, Canadian residential schools, creativity among LGBTQ People of Colour and Indigenous people, animals and the law, physical and invisible disabilities, the Armenian genocide, student engagement, anthropological fieldwork in Papua New Guinea, procrastination, and even vampires! Furthermore, students have several other activities to choose from such as the Ask a Psychologist panel and 3 workshops from the Commerce department on creativity, the stock market, and legal advice for future entrepreneurs. Last but not least, we will have our annual zany tradition of the Social Science Quiz show in the auditorium during UB! Please come support the students as they compete for the grand prize! Widespread participation is crucial to the success of these events. All members of the Vanier community and of the general public are welcome! Please spread the word by sharing the web page above as well as joining and inviting people to the Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/723946881042791/. For information contact: Jacky Vallée, Social Science Festival Coordinator; valleej@vaniercollege.qc.ca

Jacky Vallée, Anthropology Department

Vanier Science student Andrei Lupu inspired by the Perimeter Institute

For young people who love science, being chosen to attend the International Summer School for Young Physicists (ISSYP) at the Perimeter Institute (PI) for Theoretical Physics in Waterloo, Ontario, is a thrill and a unique privilege. This past summer, Vanier Honours Science student, Andrei Lupu, competed against hundreds of students from all over the world, to be one of 40 chosen to live an unforgettable experience during two weeks at the institute. Meeting like-minded students While at PI for two weeks in July, Andrei participated in small group mentoring sessions led by international theoretical physicists, attended presentations on string theory, quantum computing and black holes, and took physics courses to deepen insight into Einstein's ideas and quantum theory. Above all, he made friends with some of the brightest young physics minds from around the world. “I met students who are more involved than most – some were already doing research at different levels. It was very

inspiring and motivating. We’ve already formed a Facebook group and some of us are going to build a team to compete in a Princeton online Physics competition.” SNOLAB One of the highlights of the summer school was a visit to SNOLAB - the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory Lab. “It was a really amazing experience,” exclaims Andrei. “We went down an elevator for 15 minutes to two kilometers under the earth then through a working mine to reach the lab. Once there we had to shower and change into sterile clothing and then go through a super clean room. It was impressive: all the rooms were painted with special paint to black out any radioactivity which could interfere with the readings being taken by the lab.” Read the full news release on the Newsroom site: http://www.vaniercollege.qc.ca/newsroom/2015/10/vanier-science-student-andrei-lupu-inspired-by-the-perimeter-institute/

Marguerite Corriveau, Communications and Corporate Affairs

Mathematics & Science Centre

PASS Day: Event for Science Students As part of the PASS day initiative, on Thursday, October 22nd, Science students will be taking a day trip to Concordia University in order to explore their downtown campus and take part in several events. Interested science students are highly encouraged to attend and are welcomed to find out more as well as sign up online at: http://www.vaniercollege.qc.ca/msc/pass-day/ Vanier Science and Technology Fair For students who are interested in getting involved in the annual science and technology fair for their chance at competing in the Hydro-Québec Regional Science Fair, the first deadline to submit an initial proposal is October 28th. More information can be found here:

http://www.vaniercollege.qc.ca/msc/science-fair.php

MatLab Tutorials with Prof. Newbigging

During UB (12:30pm) on October 28th and November 4th, Prof. Newbigging will be running two introduction tutorials on how to use MatLab in B-429. Students who are looking to gain some experience with the software are welcomed to attend one or both sessions. They can sign up at: http://bit.ly/hVuZ4y

Science Lecture: Search for the Source of Extra-Galactic High-Energy Neutrinos Students and faculty are welcomed to join Physics Professor Nikolai Starinski from Université de Montréal on Friday, October 23rd at 1pm in B-429 where he will present his research on studying neutrinos at the South Pole. Biology 1 and 2 Mini-Tutorials Throughout the fall semester, Professor Stephanie Felkai will be offering topic based Biology 1 and Biology 2 tutorials in the Math & Science Centre (F-540). The following sessions are taking place shortly: Cell Signaling, DNA Replication, Transcription & Translation, Mutations (Biology 2) - Monday, October 19, 13h-14h - Tuesday, October 20, 13h-14h UB Reviews for Math & Science Teacher run reviews will take place during most universal breaks. The following will take place during the coming weeks in early October. Oct. 21st – NYA/B Chemistry (D-505) with Prof. Mauro Di Renzo Oct. 21st – Cal 2 (D-508) with Prof. Ellen Cooper Interested students can sign up at: http://bit.ly/hVuZ4y Thank you for passing on the information to your students.

Haritos Kavallos, Mathematics & Science Centre

University visits at Vanier

Please note that University Representatives will be at Vanier College to answer questions about university programs and entrance requirements.

• McGill University on Tuesday, October 20 from 11:00 am to 2:.00 pm. Carrefour 2nd

floor F-Wing

• Bishop’s University on October 21 from 11:00-2:00 pm. Metro Area (During Universal Break)

• Atlantic Universities on Monday, November 2nd from 9:00 to 11:00 pm. Student Mall

• French Universities (Tournée) will be here on Wednesday, November 18 from 9:00-11:00. Student Mall

For more information go to: http://www.vaniercollege.qc.ca/advising/universities-visiting-vanier/

Marc Passucci, Academic Advising

Call for Applications: Meg Sircom Memorial Scholarship 2015

Please encourage students who like to write fiction, poetry, personal essays or other creative work, and who have good grades in English, to apply for the Meg Sircom Memorial Scholarship. Meg Sircom was a Vanier English teacher from 2001-2011. She was a fiction writer, and valued both academic and creative writing.

Scholarship amount: $500 Requirements: -The student has received final grades of 80%+ in at least two English classes (101, 102, 103, HS) -The student will submit a portfolio of 5-15 double-spaced pages of creative literary work (poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction, graphic storytelling, or other) To apply, students should contact -their English teachers, or -Dana Bath (A513, 514-744-7500 x 7814, or through MIO) Deadline for applications: November 9, 2015

Dana Bath, English Department

Faculty Representatives on the Board of Directors Election Results

I am writing to inform the community about the results of the election for the two faculty member positions on the Vanier College Board of Directors. There were a total of seven candidates. There were 171 ballots cast. The winners are: Mark Prentice Mark Longpré I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for participating in the election. Mark and Mark, who are both elected to three-year mandates, will be participating in the next Vanier College Board of Directors meeting, which is taking place on October 27th 2015.

Darren Becker, Communications and Corporate Affairs

UBZEN for Everyone

Just a reminder to everyone that UBZEN will be running every Universal Break until the end of semester. We are in the Sports Complex at the top of the stairs in room G-232. 12:30-1:30 every Wednesday. Students and staff are welcome to come in and relax in a space which is free from the demands of your day. People basically come in, lie down on a matt, close their eyes and listen to the music. Please don’t be shy to come for only 10 minutes, to come in at any time during the hour, and to leave when you feel best. Relaxing music is played for the first 15 minutes of the hour … followed by a 20 minute audio meditation by Christopher Germer …. And then music again until the end of the hour.

Thanks very much for forwarding this to your students and for attending as well yourself. Here is a link for the mediations we use if you would like to listen to them yourselves or give them to your students during this soon-to-stressful time of year: http://www.mindfulselfcompassion.org/meditations_downloads.php Don’t hesitate to contact me for any questions.

Leanne Rondeau, Counselling Centre

News from the Research Office

Upcoming Deadlines

SSHRC Community and College Social Innovation Fund Program page: http://www.sshrc-crsh.gc.ca/funding-financement/programs-programmes/social_innovation-innovation_sociale-fra.aspx From the program description: Social innovation refers to the development of new ideas or the use of existing ideas to find solutions to social challenges. Proposals to the Community and College Social Innovation Fund (CCSIF) are expected to: foster social innovation by connecting the talent, facilities and capabilities of Canada’s colleges and polytechnics with the research needs of local community organizations; and facilitate the development of collaborative social innovation research that brings together researchers, students and partners to address research challenges pertaining to social innovation. Funding agency deadline: Nov. 30th Internal deadline: Nov. 16th

Entente Canada-Québec Entente Canada-Québec relative à l'enseignement dans la langue de la minorité et à l'enseignement des langues secondes (ECQ) Program page: http://www.education.gouv.qc.ca/le-ministere/programmes-de-soutien-financier/entente-canada-quebec-relative-a-lenseignement-dans-la-langue-de-la-minorite-et-a-lenseignement-des-langues-secondes/ From the program description: Dans le cadre de l'Entente Canada-Québec relative à l'enseignement dans la langue de la minorité et à l'enseignement des langues secondes, des ressources financières sont mises à la disposition des établissements d'enseignement collégial pour soutenir des mesures visant la qualité de l'enseignement aux étudiants de minorité linguistique et l'amélioration des conditions d'apprentissage des langues secondes. Ministry deadline: Nov. 30th Internal deadline: Nov. 16th

For more INFORMATION: Isabelle Delisle, delislei@vaniercollege.qc.ca, B-228D, extension: 7903

Isabelle Delisle, Institutional Development

Password Update Reminder

Please remember to take note of the updated password policy going into effect tomorrow, October 20th for all employees. Your VanierPass password must be changed every 90 days. This is to ensure compliance with industry best-practices and to better protect your account and college resources. Your VanierPass is what you use to log into College computers, Wi-Fi, email, Omnivox, VPN, and other network resources. Please proceed to change your password immediately if you have not in the past 90 days to ensure that your password does not expire causing your account to be locked. Your password must meet the following requirements: • be a minimum of 9 characters; • must not contain your account name; • must contain uppercase and lowercase characters; • must contain non-alphabetic characters (0-9 or characters e.g.: !, $, #, % etc.); • and cannot be a password you have used before. Additionally, ensure that you have two security questions set and that they are up-to-date. If your password has not been changed within 90 days when this policy goes into effect, your account will immediately be locked, and your password must be reset at reset.vaniercollege.qc.ca Don’t forget to update your account password on your mobile devices for Wi-Fi and email as soon as you change it to ensure that it doesn’t use the old password and lock your account. Ensure that if you have additional Vanier accounts that you repeat the process for each one. For more information about your account and security questions, resources are available on the VanierPass page.

Chris Amos, I.T. Support Services

Fundraising Event: Contributions Urgently Needed

Benefitting the new complementary course:

The Tropics: Opportunities and Challenges in Belize and the Malawi Nursing Exchange.

Myriam Mansour and Melodie Hicks are joining forces to raise funds for their study abroad programs taking place in March 2016. A Silent Auction Wine & Cheese will be held on November 11th at 3:00 pm in Boardroom (F-217) and we are currently seeking items for our event. The generosity of the Vanier Community is what helps us to defray the costs of these experiential learning opportunities and makes it possible for all students to participate regardless of their socio-economic status. Please contact Jennifer Joseph at josephj@vaniercollege.qc.ca if you would like to contribute to our event.

Jennifer Joseph, International Education

Fee Waivers

The International Education would like to congratulate our international students who will be receiving fee waivers from the Fédération des cégeps for the 2015-2016 academic year:

Mathson Browne, Building Systems Engineering

Technology

Yi Shan Kong, Computer Science Technology

Nita Ly, Accounting & Management Technology

Cristhian Nicolas Romero Castillo, Building Systems

Engineering Technology

Quang Minh Pham, Accounting & Management

Technology

Ermine Paronyan, Office System Technology:

Micropublishing & Hypermedia

Oleskii Nezhynskyi, Computer Science Technology

We wish them all a successful semester.

Jennifer Joseph, International Education Office

Capsule de français

Bonjour à tous et à toutes! Vous désirez vérifier vos connaissances en français? Rien de plus facile avec les capsules linguistiques. Voici l’erreur incluse dans la phrase de la semaine dernière : « Je te croyais parti. Et bien, quelle a été ma surprise de te trouver encore ici! » Il fallait plutôt écrire : « Je te croyais parti. Eh bien, quelle a été ma surprise de te trouver encore ici! » L’interjection « eh » est généralement utilisée pour interpeller quelqu’un ou pour exprimer une émotion, comme la surprise, l’admiration ou l’indignation. Par exemple : « Eh! Pourriez-vous baisser le ton s’il vous plaît! » Le mot « et » est une conjonction de coordination. Il permet une liaison entre deux mots ou deux groupes de mots. Par exemple : « Il faut agir vite et bien. » « C’est fini, et bien fini! » « Elle est agréable et bien gentille. » Voici la phrase à corriger de la semaine : Niveau de difficulté : intermédiaire "Josée a retrouvé ses amies après un mois de vacances. Elle leurs a raconté toutes ses aventures." Vous devez trouver et corriger la faute contenue dans cette phrase. La semaine prochaine, vous obtiendrez la réponse ainsi qu’une brève explication. Bonne chance!

Isabelle Rivest, département de français

French Conversation Workshop

Autumn 2015 For all Vanier College employees

Have you lived in Quebec for a while, but you still don’t really feel comfortable in French? Here’s a fun way to improve your language skill offered by Vanier’s French Department. Once a month, on Wednesdays during UB, you can come and meet your favorite French teachers to practice speaking in French in a fun and welcoming atmosphere! Various subject and activities will be proposed depending on the interests of the group. Here are the dates for the Fall, 2015 meet-ups:

Wednesday, November 4 Wednesday, December 2

From 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.

In room C-418

So don’t miss out on these great events held in C-418 from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Bring your lunch and let the fun begin! For more information, please contact Isabelle Rivest, French Department, at extension # 7853

Isabelle Rivest, département de français

French Writing Clinics

For all Vanier College employees

Fall, 2015

Monday and Thursday from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

in room K 307

Does sending a letter, a memo or an e-mail in French makes you a little nervous? Well, you don’t have to worry anymore! That’s right. You can now use the services of a professional French teacher to help make your French writing a perfect piece of art! Come to our French Writing Clinics, where a Vanier French teacher will help you write the professional business correspondences you have been dreaming of! These clinics will be held every Monday and Thursday from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. in room K 307. For more information, please contact: Isabelle Rivest, French Department, K 307, at extension 7853.

Isabelle Rivest, département de français.

Teaching Tip: Balancing Content and Learning

“Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.” – William Butler Yeats Every course and every teacher seems to struggle with the reality of there being too much content to cover in the semester. How do some of our best teachers tackle this common concern and find a balance between the Content and Learning? The Big Three One way for us to plan our courses and classes, is to answer the following question. What are the most important ideas and concepts that I hope my students will remember, long after they have completed my course? Several teachers really try to focus on The Big Three (or Four or Five). By making these key concepts and ideas a focal point throughout the semester, students are more likely to remember them, and not get so bogged down with all the smaller details. Deep versus Surface Learning Of course we all want our students to be deep learners, so that they will understand the course material in similar ways to how we understand the key concepts and ideas of our courses. However, do we teach and encourage our students to think, consider, and learn in deep ways? For students to become deep learners they need time and practice – and a focus on something specific.

Image courtesy of Kittisak at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Offering lectures that cover many different topics, with no guidance to what areas are more important than others, leaves students feeling overwhelmed and confused. Focusing a class or classes, and perhaps an assignment, on one or several important aspects of the course competencies, can really enrich the learning experiences of our students and help them to become deeper thinkers and learners. Skill Development In every discipline, students need to develop certain skills. Our best teachers are always considering ways of offering students the opportunities to practice and develop those skills during class or lab time, as well as on assignments and tests, which is when we can best observe and guide our students’ progress. Facilitate Learning By focusing not so much on what to teach, but on how to teach the course competencies that we need our students to attain, we can discover ways that enable our students to have the time and practice they need to learn and attain those course competencies. We need to remember that our main role as educators is to facilitate learning. More Content ≠ More Learning In a recent Faculty Focus article, More Content Doesn’t Equal More Learning, we are reminded about the pitfalls of teaching too much content. Our students need opportunities to practice and delve into some specific ideas and concepts, often in order to learn more deeply about and appreciate the larger aspects of our disciplines.

The William Butler Yeats quotation at the top of this teaching tip reminds us of our potential to incite excitement in our students about our subject. Let’s try to not only teach the content details, but let’s try to help our students find the balance to learn and discover our courses and disciplines, in deep and memorable ways.

For this or other pedagogical support and ideas, please contact Wilma Brown, or view other Teaching Tips online at the PDO web page.

Wilma Brown, Pedagogical Development Office (PDO)

Vanier Indigenous Circle

Integrating Aboriginal Teaching and Values in the Classroom: Seven Learning Principles Principle #1: Respect This principle is central to the success of the Aboriginal student: it is crucial that Aboriginal students feel they have a place in our schools and that teachers have high expectations of their potential. This can be achieved by ensuring that our own belief in the Aboriginal student is one of utmost respect. Educators can promote a positive learning experience for Aboriginal students by ensuring that their culture is represented in the classroom. It is also key that these students know that their teachers care about them and have the highest regard for their learning. Respect (in Ojibwe terms) means knowing that we are sacred and that we have a place

in this world. This is how we need to foster and support our Aboriginal students. Classroom applications may include:

- Aboriginal cultures are celebrated throughout the school

program

- Teachers are encouraged to incorporate the diversity of

Aboriginal peoples through the curriculum and

acknowledge the uniqueness of Aboriginal cultures

- Acknowledging the Aboriginal territory on which the

school is located.

These strategies show respect for Aboriginal people and ensure that Aboriginal students feel they are part of the school. For more information, please visit: https://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/literacynumeracy/inspire/research/Toulouse.pdf Baamaapii (bah-mah-pee) Later, as in see you later One of the mandates of the Vanier Indigenous Circle is to promote awareness of indigenous cultures, realities, and languages on campus. Should you have Indigenous students in your class and are unsure of how to make meaningful connections between Indigenous cultures and the curriculum, please contact us.

Vanier Indigenous Circle Steering Committee Marya Grant, David Piercey, Lisa Sparkes, Jacky Vallée

A concert, dedicated to Russian poet Sergey Yesenin

A concert, dedicated to the renowned Russian poet Sergey Yesenin's 150th birthday anniversary, and organized by East European and the Slavic Studies Major, will take place on Wednesday, October 21, 2015 at 1 p.m. in the Amphitheatre.

Natalia Pakhomova, East European and Slavic Studies

Board Meeting Cancellation

Please note that the Vanier College Board of Directors meeting scheduled for Tuesday October 27th has been cancelled. The next Board meeting will be held Tuesday November 24th 2015 at 6:30 p.m.

Darren Becker, Communications and Corporate Affairs

Are you looking for help in Biology? Professor Stephanie Felkai will be offering several topic based tutorials in the Math & Science Centre (F-540) on the following dates from 1:00pm - 2:00pm:

BIOMOLECULES• Tuesday, September 15• Friday, September 18

CELLS AND CELL DIVISION• Monday, September 21• Tuesday, September 22• Friday, September 25

GENETICS• Monday, October 5• Tuesday, October 6• Friday, October 9

EVOLUTION• Monday, October 26• Tuesday, October 27• Friday, October 30

DIVERSITY OF LIFE• Monday, November 16• Tuesday, November 17• Friday, November 20

ECOLOGY• Monday, November 30• Tuesday, December 1• Friday, December 4

MACROMOLECULES, CELL MEMBRANES, ENERGY-ENZYMES-METABOLISM, CELL RESPIRATION & PHOTOSYNTHESIS• Monday, September 21• Tuesday, September 22• Friday, September 25

CELL SIGNALLING, DNA REPLICATION, TRANSCRIPTION & TRANSLATION, MUTATIONS• Friday, October 6• Monday, October 19• Tuesday, October 20

PROKARYOTIC AND EUKARYOTIC GENE REGULATION, RECOMBINANT DNA TECHNOLOGY• Monday, October 26• Tuesday, October 27• Friday, October 30

HOMEOSTASIS, NERVOUS SYSTEM, IMMUNE SYSTEM, ENDOCRINE SYSTEM• Monday, November 30• Tuesday, December 1• Friday, December 4

STAY UP-TO-DATE BY FOLLOWING US ON: