Many of us have heard the rumors, we knew it was coming, and for years Canadians have perceived that the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) might run out before we do.

Like many Canadians, you may be counting on the CPP as a key part of your retirement income and even though government officials maintain that the plan has enough assets to provide benefits, they are making some changes, reported by the Globe and Mail in June, 2011.

Financial planner Valerie Harty stressed ..read more

Third time’s a charm. Only, this will be the fourth attempt at retirement for SAIT president and CEO Irene Lewis.

Lewis announced her retirement to begin the end of December 2012. She has served as SAIT’s president since 1998, when she was approached by a search company and snatched up before she could fully retire as president of Edmonton’s Norquest College. Her plans to retire in 2008 were also foiled, and then again in 2010.

“I think my philosophy is – opportunities ..read more

February 18 to 26 is Reading Week, and with a week to kill many students will break up winter with some tropical travel.

With a bit of careful planning, Reading Week is arguably one of the best times for students to shelve their books and enjoy some relaxation.

“Instead of sitting at home reading that text book, get out there and do some travel,” said Travel and Tourism instructor Mary-Ann Hummel. “You bring back that experience and that knowledge.”

According to Hummel, travel ..read more

According to the Royal Bank of Canada the Alberta housing market is the most affordable in the country and for many that’s reason enough to consider home ownership after graduation.

The RBC study showed that home ownership costs (represented as a per cent of household income) was a mere 20 per cent for condo owners in 2011, almost half of the over 40 per cent cost in British Columbia.

This means that you’ll have to spend less to own the house of ..read more

The iBooks 2 app has just been released by Apple for use with Apple’s iPads to allow teachers and students alike to utilize a new digital textbook collection.

The iBooks system can liberate students across the globe, from bulky, heavy and expensive textbooks with a modern and easy-to-use iPad textbook, that is if schools and publishing houses use the technology.

SAIT dean of information and communication technology Rand Ayres said SAIT plans to eventually use the iBooks system to replace traditional textbooks.

“The ..read more

The Model S roadster from Tesla Motors is an impressive all-electric vehicle that has pushed modern day engineering limits far beyond any other fully electric car on the road today.

But will society accept a fully electric car and more importantly, is an electric vehicle practical for every day usage?

The Tesla Model S has several battery load-out options to choose from: 40, 60 and 85 kilowatt batteries as well as an 85 kilowatt performance battery.

The top range of 480 kilometers would ..read more

The term “New Year’s Resolution”, has created a proverbial feeling of dread for SAIT students, many of whom are already inundated with homework and stress this semester. However, making this time around more successful is not as hard as one might think.

If not approached sensibly, those who gather up willpower for a new set of resolutions to lose weight or incorporate better health may be adding to a long list of previous resolutions which were probably broken in weeks, days, ..read more

The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is now in full swing in Las Vegas and with it comes a wave of new products for students to look forward to.

SAIT students on campus expressed a desire to attend the CES and see emerging technologies like Ultrabooks and how they could take advantage of them to benefit their daily lives.

James Hill, who is studying Broadcast Systems Technology, said, “The CES has many technologies that could ease the stress in your life.”

“I really like ..read more

There are dozens of hyped-up marketing words making their rounds these days, but perhaps none of them are more tangible, and more relevant, than crowdsourcing.

SAIT students might want to be particularly intrigued by the concept of crowdsourcing, which is defined as “the act of taking a job traditionally performed by a designated agent and outsourcing it to an undefined, generally large group of people in the form of an open call,” by Jeff Howe, author of a book called Crowdsourcing.

“Crowdsourcing ..read more

If you’re a gay or lesbian individual chances are you’ve seen your fair share of difficult situations, especially when it comes to “coming out.” Coming out to family and friends is one thing, but have you come out at work?

A 2011 study by Angus-Reid showed that 55 per cent of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered individuals (commonly abbreviated as LGBT) have not informed the people they work with.

While experts and LGBT individuals agree that workplace tolerance has risen significantly in ..read more

Sex can be dangerous, for you and for your furniture.

“They just don’t make beds like they used to. Just love it when the earth moves. The bed just couldn’t handle the pressure,” stated RainbowSlider, a participant in one of connectingsingles.com’s online forums.

Other users claim to have damaged everything from couches, kitchen tables, fridges and lamps to bones, muscles, toes and their pride.

“They’ll tell their doctors they actually hurt themselves doing something else, but where else do you do something so ..read more

Not everyone ends up in what they went to school for, and even those that do may find a greater passion in another field.

Vivian Lee, a graduate from the glass program at ACAD is one such person.

Lee is currently a first-year administrative information management (AIM) student at SAIT.

Lee developed an interest in business after working in an office environment for the past five years.

“I found I was drawn to the foundations that made up a company, [such as] marketing strategies, ..read more

Is your holiday season looking bleak and boring? Are you looking for a way to earn some cash or just keep yourself busy?

You can volunteer, work a seasonal sales job, or even head down to a local temp agency and find yourself some work.

But which is best for you?

Take a look at some of the pros and cons of winter time-killers before you make a choice.

Volunteering

Pay scale: Giving is it’s own reward, right?

Hours: Anywhere from an hour to a full ..read more

You can fight Russians, terrorism, dragons, templars or wind resistance from the seat of a Lotus Esprit this holiday season, but it will cost around $300.

That’s what SAIT millwright apprentice Josh Wyman spent on this season’s hottest games.

With balancing the cost of entertainment, presents and all the other costs associated with being a student, the holidays can be a tough time.

While there are some like Wyman who can afford all the new games without a problem, others might be driven ..read more

Is your desk cluttered with last month’s assignments? Or perhaps last Wednesday’s ramen noodles still remain on your kitchen counter? If so, you’re not alone.

Students often face hectic schedules. Managing to balance work, school, and a social life will leave little room for cleaning and meticulous organizing which leaves our spaces dirty and often cluttered.

The good news is that being a little messy or even a pack rat does not make you a hoarder.

With the recent success of A&E’s show ..read more

With the holiday season approaching, a spirit of charity is descending on the minds of Canadians and there are many ways to translate that into helping others.

United Way Calgary president Ruth Ramsden-Wood didn’t mince words about the need to help vulnerable youth in Alberta and in the city.

“We have a job to do.  We have 9000 kids in Alberta dropping out of school, 3000 of them in Calgary,” said Ramsden-Wood. “It only takes one friend, one supportive person, one loving ..read more

Following the departure of longtime SAITSA publications manager Suzanne Trudel at the end of October, there have been a lot of changes here at the Weal.

One of them is the addition of Brent Constantin to our editorial team, serving as our new publications editor.

Constantin is a graduate of the Broadcast Journalism program at NAIT and went on to get his degree in communications from the University of Calgary.

During his time at the U of C Constantin served as news editor ..read more

Do your shoulders hurt? How about your lower back?

According to Dovepress, a leading medical and scientific research company, lower back pain is one of the principal causes of disability in the Canadian workplace.

One of the major sources of strain for students is the necessary evil known as a backpack.

Owner of Anderson Ergonomics Shona Anderson said backpacks can cause serious problems for the average student.

“It causes muscle tightness and it can cause discomfort and pain,” Anderson said. “Have a hip strap ..read more

Trojan athletes work hard balancing their academic and athletic lives and somehow manage to maintain strong grade point averages in the process.

Student athletes are used to busy schedules, many have been participating in both academics and athletics since a young age.

Twenty-one year-old business administration student Avalon Bastin plays defence on the Trojans soccer team. She has been playing soccer since the age of six and time management is not new to her.

“It’s a lot. You get used to reading on ..read more

Two SAIT graduates have been named finalists in this year’s YOU Innovate Canada tournament.

First-year business administration students Dinara Yanbaeva and Leighton Kiriachuk entered the competition with the Canadian Youth Business Foundation as part of Global Entrepreneur Week.

The YOU Innovate Canada tournament challenges participants to create value from an everyday object. This year’s event asked participants to use a coffee cup.

Yanbaeva came up with the idea to create hanging bird feeders out of the many paper coffee cups she saw being ..read more

It was Halloween night in 2010 when young SAIT graduate Ben and his friends were getting ready to hit the town.

Ben was scantily clad in his effeminate pirate costume, based on a certain famous movie character. He said goodbye to his live-in girlfriend and set off to his destination, a party bus that would take him and his friends from bar to bar.

But what Ben didn’t realize was that the bus… was haunted! Haunted by the bad decisions of Halloweens ..read more

Recent surveys conducted by Ipsos-Reid suggest most young people don’t have a landline, or use it rarely and have adopted smart phones almost exclusively.

Most young people use their smart phone for non-voice related tasks like texting, app usage and games.

Ashleigh Williams, a student in the academic upgrading program, said texting on her smart phone has been a huge part of her life.

“I’ve sent around 4,000 text messages a month, it’s been a really important way for me to connect ..read more

Is your weekly haunt the nearest casino or VLT equipped sports bar?

A recent study by Ipsos-Reid shows the number of people answering yes to that question has fallen since 2010.

The report, released earlier this month, shows a significant drop in the amount of young people who risk their money to try to win big.

The study covers the 18 to 34-year-old demographic and shows a decrease in gambling habits regardless of what people bet on.

Casinos saw a ..read more

It’s a quarter to eight in the morning, and the sidewalk outside the Heart building is slick from rain. In the past 10 minutes, three women in mini-skirts, low cut tops and sky-high heels have tottered up the steps into the building. This seems a stark contrast to only a few decades ago, when first and second wave feminist movements had women on North American campuses rebelling against overt sexualization – burning bras and marching against oppression in the name of female ..read more

As the semester drudges on, you may find yourself overwhelmed by the stress you face as a student. You may be finding it increasingly hard to play the role, but do we all cope in the same manner? A recent study shows men and women may be handling stress in very different ways. A 2011 survey reveals men are overall happier than women with their work-life balance. The survey reveals men are nearly 25 per cent happier when working than women and eight percent ..read more

How much money do you have put away for the future? Nothing? Nada? Zip? Who thinks about putting money away when you need to put food in your stomach? Don’t feel bad about it, you’re one of thousands of students who could stand to learn a little about finance and begin investing for your future. Russell Todd, an independent financial planner based in Calgary, says the importance of investing when you’re young is two fold. “(Once) you’ve disciplined yourself to do it, you raise your ..read more

Entrepreneurs Daniel Chow and Jaspreet Mehdwan have proven even when times are tough small business owners can still turn a profit. Chow and Mehdwan are owners of a lucrative company called The Secret Sauce Factory, an interactive marketing company. Their growth supports a September study by the Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses (CFIB) that shows small business are actually growing amidst the global recession fears. Both graduates from SAIT’s Computer Technology Information Systems (Chow in 2006 and Mehdwan in 2008), they started up ..read more

Q: How do you like your program so far? A: It’s a really good program. It’s so hands-on and practical. Q: What is the best part? A: I don’t have to lift anything. Q: What’s your dream job? A: Working for ESPN in San Diego. They have warm weather. Q: Do you have a nickname? A: The other people in my program call me “man-pretty.” Q: What makes your perfect girl? A: Someone who makes me smile just by thinking about her. Someone who makes me want to spend ..read more

What are we going to do next year? That’s the question that started a unique presence in Alberta. Jump Studios is sought out for it’s ability to turn wildest dreams into full-fledged cinematic productions. Now, over five years after Jeff August and Brian Vos hashed out that question, Jump Studios continues to grow following a recent move to Kensington. “It’s like Photoshop,” Vos said in way of an analogy to what Jump does. “On steroids,” August added. The recent move marks the return to familiar ..read more

Did you have problems finding a job last summer? Did you have to settle for a part-time job just to make rent? If so, you’re not alone. A recent study by Statistics Canada indicates many students are in a tense fiscal situation for 2011/2012, following a rise in summer unemployment to 17.2 per cent from 16.9 per cent in 2010. The same survey found students were working slightly longer hours rising from 23.7 hours per week up to 24. What costs ..read more

SAIT’s business plan competition will officially launch with a kick-off event on Sept. 26. The LAUNCH program encourages students to become entrepreneurs, challenging competitors to create innovative new companies within their community. Last year’s winners were Michael Hwang and Ryan Hemarson, School of Information and Communication Technology. The duo won for creating an online advertising platform. This year’s grand prize includes $20,000 to help turn the winning business plan into a reality and a year’s worth of office space on SAIT campus. The kick-off ..read more

SAIT Graduate Employment Survey results are in, and there is an increase in the number of SAIT grads who are employed and working in their program’s industry. Surveying over 3,000 SAIT graduates from 2010, the numbers show 93 per cent have found jobs, up two per cent from last year’s survey. Eighty-three per cent have found a job in the industry they went to school for, up 12 per cent from last year. Vice President Academic Gordon Nixon says the results are important “to prove ..read more