Robots are taking over SAIT, if what is transpiring in the Thomas Riley building is any indication.

Local high school robot gurus have been using SAIT as a training ground as they prepare for the World Robotic Championships, better known as FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) robotics competition.

SAIT machinist instructor Jeff MacaRoy said that students, predominantly from Bishop Caroll High School, have practiced to run computer numerical control machines, computerized mills, print reading and a number of ..read more

This provincial election is going to be one of the closest elections in Alberta history. The different political parties are looking for the support of the youth vote, and The Weal has interviewed candidates from across the province to know the position of each party.

ROB ANDERSON, Wildrose Party Candidate for Airdrie

The Wildrose Party considers that an expansion in post-secondary education access is needed especially in the trades, “to help to fulfill the need of trade workers on the oil ..read more

As the days get longer and beach season starts to enter the minds of Calgarians, many look for a head start on the sun. Sweetan employee Jess Hosfield said spring is the busiest time for their salon.

“Clients say they just don’t feel good when they’re white and pale. Getting a nice base (tan) gets them excited for summer!”

SAIT Radio, Television and Broadcast News student Haley Jarmain can relate.

“I’ll go every day for a week, then take a couple months off,” ..read more

Imagine that instead of eating lunch or doing homework during your last class break, you were hooking up with a hot, anonymous stranger.

For a lot of SAIT students, that sounds like something out of a daydream. For SAIT’s gay men, it can very much be a reality.

Gay students are connecting online through websites, apps and social media in big numbers, and many of the networks are dedicated solely to hooking up. The popularity of social media hookups has grown so ..read more

Sebastian Rodas’ aggressive campaign strategy paid off this past Tuesday when he was declared the new SAIT Students’ Association president at the Gateway.

Rodas earned 64 per cent or 409 votes, defeating Zaheed Khan (aka Big Z) who took in 232 votes or 36 per cent.

“At the end of the day it is about letting the students know that we are here. It is always good to remind them that we will fight for anything that we need to,” said the ..read more

SAIT will replace all laptops used by first year Information and Communications Technology students after almost half of the school-assigned computers experienced malfunctions.

Information and communications technology is an e-learning faculty, meaning students are assigned laptops with software required to complete coursework. The vast majority of e-learning programs are a resounding success but this year’s ICT program hasn’t seen the same performance.

Approximately 40 per cent of the SAIT-issued laptops have failed so far this year, causing enormous headaches for students and ..read more

With the next contract negotiation of the U-Pass swiftly approaching this summer, the question has been raised as to what the future of the pass will look like.

The U-Pass agreement between SAIT and the City of Calgary is negotiated every two years, with the next round scheduled for June 2012.

The SAIT Students’ Association made contact with Mayor Naheed Nenshi earlier this year, when they sent him a proposal of the changes they would like to see made to the U-Pass ..read more

SAIT’S pathways to and from buildings have been bombarded with Sebastian Rodas’ presidential ambitions for the past week as the SAIT Students’ Association nominee looks to convince his peers that he’s worthy of their vote.

Yet, many are concerned about the graffiti-style approach that Rodas has taken.

“My initial reaction is that if all the candidates start chalking up everything, what will this place look like in a few years?” questioned SAIT construction instructor Duane Anderson.

Anderson said he supports any student running ..read more

Chinook Lodge Aboriginal Resource Centre is bringing SAIT students the third-annual Taste of Aboriginal Cultures event, which will give attendees the chance to have first-hand experience with Aboriginal culture.

The event will be held at the Chinook Lodge Aboriginal Resource Centre, room NN108 in the Senator Burns building March 26 to 30. It will give students, staff and their families the chance to participate in a fun-filled and informative week.

“It is a week-long celebration of Aboriginal cultures,” said Chinook Lodge student ..read more

On March 21, Minister of State for Western Economic Diversification Lynne Yelich announced a federal funding investment of over $712,000 to expand SAIT’s applied research and development services.

SAIT Polytechnic will receive a $512,170 investment for the Sports and Wellness Engineering Technology Institute (SWETI) in addition to $200,000 that is being providedthrough the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.

“Our government is committed to supporting Alberta’s growing strengths in developing innovative new products and technologies for ..read more

Running March 22 – 26 the SAIT Students’ Association elections will decide which candidates will represent students for 2012/2013. The Weal spoke with the candidates running for both the Student Executive Council (four, full-time positions with different portfolios) and Student Legislative Council (five, part-time board members who oversee the operations of the SEC). For more information visit saitsa.com.

Student Executive Council President

Zaheed Khan, aka “Big Z”

Big Z has set his sights on the presidential spot after claiming victory in this ..read more

SAIT Students’ Association president Steven Hildebrand will not be seeking re-election this year after serving a one-year term.

Hildebrand plans on graduating from the mechanical engineering program this spring and looks forward to supporting his significant other as she attends to her studies in medicine.

She has yet to discover whether she will be attending school in Calgary or B.C., which was the main factor in Hildebrand’s decision to not run for a second term.

Prior to serving as president, he served on ..read more

Of all the causes and charities constantly vying for the attention of the public, one organization called Invisible Children has found a new way of conveying their message.

Invisible Children released a video March 5 and since then has become a viral sensation.

As of Mar 20 the video has had over 83 million views on YouTube.

The 30-minute video outlines what has happened in Uganda and other African countries over the past 26 years, concentrating heavily on the recruitment and use of ..read more

Candidates vying for a position in the SAIT Students’ Association (SA) had one last chance to convince potential voters of their worth with a brief speech in the Heart Atrium on March 22.

The candidate who earned the loudest roar from the audience was controversial presidential nominee, Chris Leeson.

From recommending that SAIT students be armed with destructive weapons to promising to abolish basic human rights, Leeson was a spectacle to be seen.

“Nothing gets people aware like ..read more

Across the internet, on YouTube videos or on small media outlets, people have been talking about strange noises heard across the globe beginning January 2012.

The noises that began in January are merely the grand finale to the way we’ve treated our planet. Spreading from Edmonton to Banff to Conklin and many other Alberta locations, the videos of the noises began appearing online as early as Jan. 12.

People began posting their findings through video cameras, audio recorders and even their handy ..read more

In order to gauge public opinion about where SAIT should find its next leader, a confidential survey has been created to allow the public some influence in decision regarding the next school president.

SAIT has invited its general community to offer their thoughts and opinions in the selection of its next president and CEO. “SAIT is one of the world’s top polytechnics and that is in part due to our strong industry partnerships and community connections. So it is important ..read more

SAIT wellness team helps friend pay for cancer treatment

Danielle Hurtig thought the battle was over. She successfully defeated cancer and was now living in Kelowna, B.C, blissfully in love. The former SAIT athletic department swim instructor and wellness and fitness monitor had been in remission for the past two years until she went for a routine check-up this past fall. She was informed that the rare cancer had returned to her lungs and would now have to endure yet another ..read more

Calgary restaurateur Patricia Koyich is dealing with a different sort of challenge these days.

Rather than trying to run a business—in her case the award winning Italian restaurant Il Sogno—Koyich has spent the last few weeks training students for the fast-paced world of the restaurant and hospitality industry.

Koyich graduated from SAIT’s Hotel and Restaurant Management program in 1998, and shortly after opened PMK Consulting, working with a number of fine dining restaurants in Calgary.

Now, Koyich is back at SAIT, as the ..read more

SAIT architectural technologies students can call themselves humanitarians after they put their hearts and skills to the test in a two-week practicum and volunteer work program in Guatemala.

From Feb. 19 to Mar. 3, 13 architectural technologies students, one electrical apprentice, four instructors and one alumnus were sent to Guatemala to utilize their education to help improve life in the Central American nation.

This now annual tradition began in 2010 with the launch of the Pana Project, a architectural technologies student initiative. ..read more

2012 provincial budget promises relief for post-secondary institutes and students alike

According to the Alberta government, things may start looking up where SAIT student finances are concerned.

The future looks promising for post-secondary students after details of the Progressive Conservatives’ 2012 Alberta Budget were released Feb. 9.

Some highlights include a two per cent increase in operating grants for post-secondary institutions in each of the next three years beginning with $2.2 billion in 2012-13 and $274 million in student loans for more than ..read more

Radio/Television broadcast student Benjamin Thorgeirson was globally recognized this past month when Radio and Television Magazine named his latest project top in the world.

The magazine receives submissions from across the planet, yet Thorgeirson and his class group’s production of a campaign for AIDS Calgary was the top public service announcement for the month of December 2011.

Thorgeirson shared the award with fellow second-year Radio students Fraser Manning, Jennifer Dalen and Teagan Monaghan.

The advertising slogan was a not-so-discreet sexual innuendo that went ..read more

For years, SAIT students have wished for parking alternatives, and with the new Trades and Technology Complex nearing completion, several thousand new students will soon be doing the same.

SAIT students across campus were all too eager to comment on the “touchy subject,” as SAIT legal assistant student Amanda Janzen put it.

“Parking should be free for students,” she said. “We’re already paying huge amounts of money to be here so we should get a break on parking fees.”

Other students complained that ..read more

This year, zombies are getting serious and will be making an appearance at SAIT’s Administrative Information Management (AIM) program’s annual showcase Mar. 19.

For the past five years, graduates of the SAIT AIM program have hosted an annual event to demonstrate the valuable skills they have gained.

This year’s event will revolve around the theme of “Super-humans vs. Zombies.”

The title “Super-humans vs. Zombies” is more about conveying a message rather than a game involving human vs. zombie fights.

The message their theme hopes ..read more

With so much evil and destruction existing in the world, can there really be a God? For Christians, why is the path to eternity only accessed through Jesus Christ and is one allowed to have doubts?

These are profound questions that Chaplain Deborah Oggy, a non-denominational Christian, discusses on a weekly basis with curious students on SAIT campus.

“People have spiritual questions and this is an easy and non-threatening way to find answers—my programs are always geared to make sure people feel comfortable ..read more

In an effort that would make former Waterboy Adam Sandler cry with happiness, SAITSA introduced two new water dispensers on campus earlier this year. The kiosks are both placed in the Campus Centre building as part of a pilot project to gauge student response.

Thus far, SAITSA has been flooded with positive reviews. Students’ Association president Steve Hildebrand said the two machines are well used and that students are thirsty for more.

“We’re actually surprised at how much they’re being used,” said ..read more

In May 2011, SAIT joined Canadian Blood Services Partners for Life and, by the end of 2011, helped save over 1272 lives.

SAIT made a goal with Partners for Life to make 300 blood donations in 2011 as an organization. That goal was exceeded by 124 units.

With 424 units of whole blood donated SAIT has placed eighth overall in Calgary as a Partner for Life, behind some of the big oil companies, Canadian Pacific Rail, and the University of Calgary, according ..read more

Senator Burns, John Ware, E.H. Crandell—to many SAIT students these are just everyday names that appear on class schedules, but the buildings’ namesakes were people that played an integral part in SAIT and Alberta history.

“We have a long and interesting story that deserves to be recognized, remembered, and celebrated,” said SAIT archivist Karly Sawatzky.

Many of the names were added to SAIT buildings in 1985, when SAIT’s Main Building was officially recognized as a Provincial Historical Resource and renamed Heritage Hall.

Without ..read more

Would it be fair to say that one’s own mortality is never analyzed more closely than after the death of a loved one?

The SAIT Begin Tower is filled with drunken shenanigans, popcorn Fridays and the occasional student meltdown. But the death of resident Cody Gorlick made those delinquencies seem trivial as the loss of a fellow student forced each to contemplate when death will come knockin’ on their door.

ACAD digital media student Noor Sayadi was seven-years old when she came ..read more

The Calgary Public Library, which celebrates its 100th anniversary this year, reached a record 17 million items loaned in 2011.

Likewise, use of SAIT’s library continues to grow as well. In the past twelve months, staff and students accessed over 750,000 items.

Such growth shows that, despite the convenience and increasing accessibility of free digital content, public libraries remain relevant.

“Whether it’s the internet or whether it’s e-books, everything that comes along that’s supposed to kill public libraries ends up making us busier ..read more

More than a month past SAIT’s winter tuition deadline, some students are still trying to get their government loan money.

Although first-year business administration student Sinith Luk believes he has completed all the necessary steps for loans, he still hasn’t received the deposit into his bank account.

“I gave [the government] a void cheque,” he said. “I did the last step and I was supposed to receive it, but I didn’t get it yet. I’m still waiting.”

Second-year business administration student Nilofar Souri ..read more

This spring, SAIT students may see greater changes than just new members in the Students’ Association governing bodies.

The current SAITSA council is discussing modifications to its election model. A new spring voting process and council setup for the Student Legislative Council (SLC) has been discussed as well as a replacement of the Student Executive Council (SEC) vice-president finance position with a vice-president external.

The executive council is currently comprised of the student president and three vice-presidents who serve throughout the year ..read more

SAIT alumnus Mecoh Bain hopes to make random acts of kindness trendy.

Named one of the six finalists in this year’s Start Something with Alesse contest, she has a chance to win $5000 and access to a mentor to help make it happen.

From Jan. 4 – Feb. 13, startsomethingwithalesse.ca will accept public votes to determine the two projects or ideas, submitted by young women from across Canada, that will be funded.

Bain’s concept, Love Floats: Random Acts of Kindness, was developed long ..read more