It’s not every day a 12-year-old boy plays ambassador for a high-profile charity event, but March 12 will be Landon Gillard’s time to shine at the Between Friends Club’s 18th Annual Skate, Walk or Wheel a-Kid-to-Camp event. Gillard’s adventure began last summer when he decided to spend his time as a volunteer at Camp Bonaventure, Calgary’s only outdoor summer day camp for youth up to 17 years old with or without disabilities. While his peers pursued other activities, Gillard made a positive ..read more

SAIT students with high grades may have noticed over the reading break that Phi Theta Kappa, an American honours society, began a recruitment drive on campus, or at least to inboxes. Over the break, students with a 3.8 GPA or higher who had completed at least four courses at SAIT between January and May of 2010, received an email inviting them to join Phi Theta Kappa, (PTK). The email was sent from the registrar at SAIT and gave potential students a congratulatory ..read more

On March 2, members of SAIT’s applied research and innovation services (ARIS) team presented their findings on a recent project called the “Trauma Resilience Web for First Responders.” Paramedics, police officers, firefighters, and RCMP continually put their physical and mental health in danger, yet the psychological aspects of their jobs’ demands can fall by the wayside, with potentially devastating post-traumatic effects. “Typically the research on trauma resiliency has been more reactive and carried out after the fact,” said Sonja Chamberlin, principal investigator ..read more

On Feb. 24, more than 300 junior and senior high First Nations students from communities across southern Alberta came to SAIT for the eighth annual Aboriginal Students Symposium. The symposium is a one-day career and education event aimed at inspiring and educating aboriginal students to participate in the post-secondary experience. This year’s event featured an interactive play by the Antyx theatre group, followed by a career expo with 38 various employers, industry partners, community resources and Aboriginal support services from other post-secondaries. “It’s ..read more

Facing an audience as stage actors isn’t what first-year Radio Television and Broadcast News students had in mind when they enrolled in their program last fall, but it’s exactly what many of them will be doing next week. “I’m really nervous. I’ve got a lot of lines,” said first-year RTBN student and lead actress Jennifer Inman. Having practiced twice a week for the last seven weeks is paying off. In rehearsal, these students look and sound more like actors than pupils earning ..read more

ST. JOHN’S (CUP) — Memorial University of Newfoundland has launched an online comprehensive assessment to identify and curtail students’ binge-drinking habits. The idea for the assessment came out of a 2008 comprehensive health survey conducted by the university’s counselling centre. The survey studies information provided by students and gives feedback on alcohol use, associate health risks, and calculate how much money a student is spending on booze. “We had over 800 participants from MUN — students from MUN. We found that 56 ..read more

Whether it’s a shoving match or something more serious like a stabbing, bar violence in and around Calgary clubs and pubs is a serious concern for SAIT students and other young Calgarians when they make weekend plans. Jasmin Tolentino, 25, says she stopped going to a particular Calgary nightclub after a disturbing experience in 2005. “There was a shooting outside,” she said. “It was the end of the night and people were talking and standing around outside waiting for cabs, and this ..read more

Time to nominate your favourite instructor for SAIT’s teacher of the year award. Not sure how to pick? Here’s our handy guide to sifting through the dead weight. 1. What does he/she teach? A:  Something boring I don’t care about. B:  His/her subject has changed my perceptions on my future career. C:  I don’t know. I’ve never been to his/her class. D:  Robotics.

2. What do you think about his/her methods? A:  I like the way his/her monotone voice puts me to sleep. B:  He’s/she’s really dynamic and ..read more

The results are in, and the SAIT student body has elected an entirely new Students’ Executive Council (SEC).

Student government hopefuls and SAIT students gathered at the Gateway on Feb. 17 to find out who would be leading the SA next year.

Steven Hildebrand, who came out ahead of Eddie Hernandez in the race for president, said he’s happy for the chance to put his ideas into action. His main goal for next year revolves around U-Pass negotiations.

Matthew Armstrong, the new VP ..read more

Left > VP Student Life candidate Sahil Chhabra makes his political plea to the students in the Heart Atrium on Thursday, Feb. 10. Four Students’ Executive Council members are voted in every year and serve a one-year term. above > Caroline MacKenzie, also running for VP Student Life takes a turn at the podium. Both Chhabra and MacKenzie are running against incumbent Dan McIntyre. There’s still a chance to mark your ballot. Voting wraps up Feb.17 ..read more

SAIT unveiled its newest degree program at Open House on Feb 4. VP Academic Gord Nixon announced that as of September 2011, the polytechnic will begin offering a Bachelor of Science in Construction Project Management (BSc-CPM). The first of its kind in Canada, the industry-driven BSc-CPM program will prepare graduates to accelerate their entry into project management within Canada’s construction sector. “If industry said we didn’t need this, then we wouldn’t have done it,” Nixon said. In Alberta alone, there are more than 900 ..read more

If results from a January competition are any indication of the future, there’s a good chance SAIT will have a starring role in the 2014 Winter Olympics. On Jan. 13 and 14, men’s skeleton athlete Greg Maidment raced his SAIT-made sled to first and second place at the Federation Internationale de Bobsleigh et de Tobogganing (FIBT), America’s Cup event in Lake Placid, NY. On Jan. 25 at Canada Olympic Park, athletes on SAIT-made sleds beat out competition from Japan, U.S., Korea, and ..read more

Each year Canadians and Australians make a reciprocal pilgrimage across the Pacific by the thousands. With cultures so similar and climates so utterly dissimilar, when it comes to the love between us and our Common Wealth sister the proverbial grass does indeed seem greener. In 2010, 9,808 Australians passed through Canadian Customs.  In turn 8,217 Canadians entered Australia. Although these numbers are down from 2009, these two countries continue to exchange citizens for as long as planes fly through the sky. My ..read more

SAIT designs chair for gamers

It’s sleek, black with silver trim and the 15.5 inch subs mounted under the leg rest can pound out whopping bass. Connect it to a gaming system, and the sub-powered explosions will knock the player’s socks off. The Subsonic Chair – designed by SAIT instructor Greg Ball and his mechanical engineering students – is here to rock campus and fulfill anyone’s desire for the ultimate music and gaming throne. “It’s not something you need. It’s something you want,” ..read more

Two Architectural Technologies students are traveling to Guatemala this week to help design and build a sustainable school. Jude Polsky and Christine Zevnik, along with AT instructor Marc Bussiere, are leaving for  Panajachel, Guatemala on Feb. 19 for two weeks. Polsky and Zevnik approached Bussiere last summer about finding a humanitarian project for their residential option in the fourth term of their studies. After researching worldwide non-governmental organizations, they settled on building a school in Panajachel, a project that they now affectionately refer ..read more

Each year, the month of February serves to remind people of the devastating impact eating disorders have on people in our weight-obsessed culture. In recent years, eating disorders have become more common in males and young people, and the range of ways people experience them is also increasing. National Eating Disorder Information Centre (NEDIC) spokesperson Emily Thompson says for every 10 women in Canada with an eating disorder, there is now one man. And in children and youth, for every six girls ..read more

While many Canadians are fleeing Egypt, SAIT photojournalism grad Alex Ramadan is booking a flight to Cairo later this week to work on a documentary he started in 2009. Born and raised in Calgary, Ramadan travelled to Egypt two years ago to explore his family’s heritage. “There was a lot of frustration (then),” said Ramadan. “But nothing compared to what is happening now.” “It is outstanding to see how it started.” Outraged Egyptians flocked to Facebook in the days that followed Khalid Saeed’s murder ..read more

Hey, all blasé kids in your hipster gear with your cigarette dangling from your lips and the ironic expression on your face. We know you may be too cool for school elections.  But did you know that $150,000 of your student fees go towards paying wages for Students’ Executive Council members. If you want your money well spent, you’d better cast your vote. What’s that? You don’t know anything about the elections or the candidates. Read these platforms submitted by each ..read more

The president of the national alliance that SAITSA belongs to recommends students involve themselves with upcoming elections. “The more involved an individual is in college, the more likely they are to make a change in the community once they leave,” says Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA) president Zachary Dayler. Charged with representing more than 20,000 students, Students’ Executive Council (SEC) members are employed to make decisions and changes on behalf of the student body. They attend SAITSA gatherings and council meetings, ..read more

SAITSA’s next step to make SAIT a more sustainable campus will be to introduce glass mugs in the Odyssey. The idea is a collaborative SLC brainchild born during last semester’s SLC retreat. The move will be an indication that SLC members elected based on their environmental platforms have kept their promise. Students running for SLC usually have big ideas, but they often lack a sense of what is and isn’t tangible as a goal for the year. “They usually have these grand ideas ..read more

When 92 Angolan students first stepped off the plane in Calgary last August, most didn’t know what to expect.

But after an intense six months of learning a new language and studying engineering, the largest group ever accommodated by SAIT as part of its Workforce Nationalization Training Program graduated Jan. 29.

The Weal’s Christine Bassit caught up with four of the grads in the days before they flew back to Angola.

Alfredo Miguel Lelo

What will you tell your family about Canada?

I will tell ..read more

Each semester, SAIT students are asked to fill out Student Instructional Reports (SIR II) to give feedback on their instructors. But recent debates about how the reports are processed have led some to believe the evaluation deserves a failing grade. The SIR II evaluation form is handed to students who have completed at least 60 per cent of their course, and consists of 45 questions concerning their instructor’s performance. Question 40 pertains to a student’s overall feelings about their instructor. In recent ..read more

Who needs Facebook? LikeALittle.com is the newest way to procrastinate at SAIT, and everybody’s doin’ it. SAITSA’s Research & Communications Coordinator Kristin Eberth says a number of SAIT students have joined the voyeuristic flirting forum in the last month. “I noticed from my SAIT Facebook connections that people were talking about this ‘LikeALittle’ thing a lot last week, so I linked it to the SAITSA website,” she says. The website’s homepage tells users to “flirt anonymously with students on your campus!” Perusing the site ..read more

For those feeling unsure about their chosen program or post-secondary career path, fear not. You’re definitely not alone. According to a 2008 StatsCan report, Canadian students tend to be all over the map when it comes to committing to their post-secondary choices. Of the 956,000 individuals surveyed, over 21 per cent reported episodes of failed attempts at completing their studies. By Dec. 2005, almost two thirds of post-secondary students surveyed had participated in multiple programs. Whether the changes were made from program to ..read more

SAIT’s team Voyageur Boggan gave a solid showing at this year’s annual Great Northern Concrete Toboggan Race, placing seventh in the race event. The team placed fifth in the overall competition, which included a number of categories. Of the 19 competitors, Voyageur Boggan’s sled, named Nonsuch, took home awards for Most Spectacular Run and the Best Toboggan Aesthetics. “This is SAIT’s best showing in probably a decade,” said Doug Braden, the co-captain of team Voyageur Boggan, adding that SAIT placed 10 spots ..read more

The Green Buildings Technologies (GBT) program is putting SAIT on the map as a leader in eco-friendly living with a partnership to construct net-zero homes. It’s cutting-edge technology, and that means setting trends instead of following them. “With green building technologies, there is a lack of a constant set of standards to rely on as a benchmark,” said Ryan Amies, a graduate of SAIT’s Architectural Technologies program who is one of the growing number of people responsible for SAIT’s GBT program. “Everything we ..read more

Chinese New Year is Feb. 3, and it might be difficult to decide what you’re going to prepare for the celebration. Since it’s the year of the rabbit, may we suggest a nice rabbit stew? If you’ve never eaten hare, academic chair of SAIT’s Culinary Programs Rupert Kaupp says it’s hard to compare to other meats. Don’t expect it to taste like chicken or any other white meat. “It tastes like rabbit. At the end of the day it’s different.” Wild rabbit is a ..read more

Twelve students from SAIT’s Recreational Vehicle Service apprenticeship program in Edmonton had the opportunity to display the fruits of their labour at the Calgary RV show last weekend. The SAIT Teardrop trailer attracted ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’ from show attendees, and that means it’s doing its job. “A lot of people stop by and say ‘It’s cute’,” said SAIT instructor Wes Hammermeister. The tiny silver Teardrop is sure to attract attention among the 21 to 45ft RVs on display. Hammermeister first imagined the Teardrop ..read more

Calgary Zoo resident Spike the elephant was recently featured on the Discovery Channel. And with his appearance, SAIT’s School of Manufacturing and Automation also took to the small screen. Employees in the school built an artificial tusk for Spike to replace a broken one, and he’s been wearing it since August 2010. Spike’s cap, the second cap he’s received from SAIT in the last decade, was created to prevent root infections and complications that occur in broken tusks. “Creating enormous artificial tusk caps ..read more

SAIT’s head of campus security says locker break-ins on campus are “like mosquitoes, a constant nuisance.” Barry Cochran, manager of security and emergency services, said the biggest challenge is that the lockers are easy to break into. The lockers in the Thomas Riley building can be pried open without tools.  People can slip their fingers behind the corner of the door and bend it outwards against the lock. Cochran said culprits usually destroy either the lock or the locker door, but break-ins in ..read more

With spring break rapidly approaching, students nationwide will be heading to warmer climates. Many students will have booked their hotel rooms by now. Others are still looking for a last minute deal, and the rest will just fly by the seat of their pants. While each option has its benefits, sound pre-trip research is key to a good spring break travel experience. Most all-inclusives abide by a five-star travel rating, and a failure to prepare adequately beforehand could mean the difference between sleeping in ..read more

Black History Month has been celebrated every February in Canada since 1976. Its purpose is to educate black Canadians about their cultural background and instill a sense of pride in their race. But every year, Black History Month sparks a debate about the continued usefulness of a month dedicated to the history of only one race. As a writer for the Weal, I wanted to write a story about my boyfriend, who is half black, half white. White washed. Not black enough. Hide ..read more