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.

Information Evening at Vanier College If you know of any students who would like to volunteer to work at our Information Evening on Tuesday, February 6, 2018, please have them sign up online at the following link: http://www.vaniercollege.qc.ca/visiting-vanier/information-evening-volunteer.php. Please note that students can use the volunteer hours to apply to the S.T.A.R. Program (Student Transcript Activity Record).

Thank you.

Lora Terlizzese, Vanier Communications

SEMAINE DE LA FRANCOPHONIE 2018 26 FÉVRIER AU 2 MARS FOR ALL TEACHERS Would you like to invite a guest speaker, give a conference yourself, show a film, a documentary or organize any other activity in French, in the Auditorium or in your classroom, during the Semaine de la francophonie, from February 26 to March 2? Your students will certainly appreciate to have one of their classes related to their program in French. I am waiting for your suggestions! Happy New Year! AVIS À TOUS LES PROFESSEURS Vous aimeriez inviter un conférencier, animer vous-même une conférence, projeter un film ou organiser toute autre activité en français, à l’auditorium ou dans votre salle de classe, lors de la Semaine de la francophonie, du 26 février au 2 mars? Contactez-moi avec vos suggestions! Bonne année!

Catherine Duranleau, Département de français duranlec@vaniercollege.qc.ca

Successful Swim-a-thon

We would like to thank our students, pledgers and volunteers that

helped us raise $992, which will go towards the Belize Study Trip.

Jessica Braul, Myriam Mansour and Brandee Diner

Meg Sircom Memorial Scholarship Winner and Awards Ceremony The English Department is very pleased to announce that the Meg Sircom Memorial Scholarship, a recognition of student achievement in English and creative writing, has been awarded to NICHOLAS DUGUAY, a Liberal Arts student. Honourable Mentions have been awarded to GEORGIA BERTHOLET, RUCHAMA BOTAT and MORGANNE CARROLL. A brief awards ceremony will be held on WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 24, in the Theatre Room (B-325) at 12 noon. All Vanier students, staff and faculty are invited to attend. A small scholarship donation at the door ($2-$5) would be appreciated but is not required.

Volume M20, Issue No. 1, January 22, 2018

2017

http://www.vaniercollege.qc.ca/administration/intercom.htmlmailto:intercom@vaniercollege.qc.cahttp://www.vaniercollege.qc.ca/visiting-vanier/information-evening-volunteer.phphttp://www.vaniercollege.qc.ca/visiting-vanier/information-evening-volunteer.phpmailto:duranlec@vaniercollege.qc.ca

Copies of Meg Sircom’s short story collection Cutting Clear will also be on sale for $15, with proceeds going to the scholarship. Congratulations to Nicholas, Georgia, Ruchama and Morganne!

Dana Bath, English Department

High School Outreach Project The high school outreach project consists of a series of videoconference sessions where Vanier students and teachers meet up online with students from high schools throughout Quebec! Vanier student mentors get the opportunity to share their thoughts on a range of topics from academic skills to urban survival skills and the day in the life of a college student. We need Vanier students for these sessions to work. The atmosphere is fun and casual, and lunch is provided! The videoconferences take place at Vanier on Wednesday, February 7th and Wednesday February 21st. Participation can also use this project to accumulate volunteer hours for the STAR program. We will also be having a parent session on the evening of February 20th involving Facebook Live. Watch for more details!

We need to get student volunteers of all programs so that the high school students can hear how varied cégep life can be. Please spread the word to your students and ask them to Mio me as soon as possible. Thank you in advance.

Marlene Grossman, Psychology Department

SCC Students' ASL Workshop a Success At the request of students in the department, the Special Care Counseling Department in collaboration with the MAB-Mackay Rehabilitation Centre offered a workshop in American Sign Language (ASL) and Deaf Culture to its students on January 17th, 2018. From the moment she entered the room, Susanna Oppedisano, a Deaf teacher, only signed with the participants--no voices allowed! In the highly interactive workshop, students learned some basic ASL including the alphabet and some key phrases. They also learned some of the history of Deaf culture in Montreal. Students said they found the workshop "useful and beneficial" and "wished we had more classes"!

Colleen Leonard, Special Care Counseling

Global Citizenship Trip to Greece, May 2018 After a successful trip to Austria and Italy last May, we are pleased to announce that the planning for another global citizenship trip is now underway – this time to Greece. We are asking teachers to please spread the word to students! The trip is being organized in conjunction with the Vanier College Symposium on the Holocaust and Genocide and will take place from May 31st, 2018 to June 11th, 2018. Students will have the opportunity to develop a global perspective by visiting what is considered to be the cradle of Western civilization and the birthplace of democracy. The history of Athens, Greece is one of the longest of any city in the world and proclaims many cultural achievements. Students will become more aware of their civic and moral responsibility (ethics, tolerance, and respect) as members of the global community as the trip will also include visits to Jewish museums and memorial sites. The itinerary includes 5 nights in Athens with visits to the Acropolis, the Parthenon, the Jewish Museum of Greece, a Saronic Island day cruise (and more!). The remaining time will include visits to Chalkida (a city by the sea with a unique tidal phenomenon), Kalabaka, the Meteora Monasteries (which perch 1200 feet over the town!), Delphi, and Thessaloniki (the 2nd largest city in Greece).

For students who want to learn more, an Information Session will be held at UB on Wednesday, February 14th in room A-320. Students can also MIO, email, or call one of the following teachers (who are also available for classroom visits upon request): Marlene Grossman (grossmam@vaniercollege.qc.ca); 514-744-7500 (x7483) Miles DeNora (denoram@vaniercollege.qc.ca); 514-744-7500 (x7521) Kelly Purdy (purdyk@vaniercollege.qc.ca); 514-744-7500 (x7242)

Kelly Purdy, Psychology Department

mailto:grossmam@vaniercollege.qc.camailto:denoram@vaniercollege.qc.camailto:purdyk@vaniercollege.qc.ca

New digital screens on campus

As some of you may have noticed over the holiday break two digital screens were installed at Vanier. Both are 3 ft. by 6 ft. One is located in Jake’s Mall and the other near the men’s and women’s locker rooms in the Sports Complex. The screens were installed by NEWAD and while they feature college-approved advertisements they also allow for the posting of internal content for Vanier-related events and announcements. Therefore if there are any events/activities that you would like to promote on the screens please contact me at beckerd@vaniercollege.qc.ca and I will be glad to post the ads on the screens. All we need are: 1) Name of the event;

2) Date, time location;

3) Any other specific details that are deemed to be relevant.

The ads can run for as long as you like and can be a maximum of 20 seconds long. The screens are a quick and easy way to inform the Vanier community about different events that are taking place across campus.

Darren Becker, Communications, Corporate Affairs

Religious Holy Days

The Office of the Academic Dean would like to remind faculty members of the College's policy and procedures regarding religious holy days. The only holidays formally recognized by Vanier's Academic Calendar are those set by law or by the collective agreements. These holidays are Labour Day, Thanksgiving, the Christmas break, Good Friday, Easter Monday and Victoria Day. Other religious holy days, such as Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Passover (Jewish) and Id al-Fitr (Islamic) amongst others, are not recognized in the Academic Calendar. On such days, College proceedings and classes take place as usual. Students who are absent for religious reasons should not suffer a penalty related only to their absence. They are responsible for the material covered in the classes and labs that they miss, same as with other absences. Faculty, however, should avoid giving examinations on these days, or should provide a suitable alternative to the students who will be fulfilling their religious obligations. Faculty should realize that Jewish Holidays begin at sundown on the evening before the holiday. Late afternoon exams should be avoided on these days, if possible, in order to permit students to be at home by sundown. Faculty should inform students who wish to observe religious holy days during regularly scheduled class time that they must submit to their attention a completed Religious Holy Days Absence Form http://www.vaniercollege.qc.ca/registrars/request-forms/religious-holy-days within the first week of classes specifying particular date(s), time(s) and name(s) of the religious holy day(s) on which they will be absent. Alternative arrangements convenient to both students and faculty can then be made. Information on Student Absences for Religious Holy Days can be found in section 2.2.6 of the IPESA http://www.vaniercollege.qc.ca/bylaws-policies-procedures/files/2016/08/IPESA-Approved-by-Board-June-2016-2.pdf In order to provide the full class time for the students, faculty who are absent for religious holy days should make every effort to see that their classes meet as usual. There are two ways to provide substitute teachers for your classes:

1. Find a teacher qualified to teach in your discipline that would be willing to "swap" classes with you, at no cost to the College, and inform the Faculty Dean in writing prior to the absence. This notification must include the name of the religious holy day(s) and the date(s) of absence, the scheduled classes for these days and the name of the substitute teacher(s).

2. Notify the College as per the normal absence reporting procedures. Since you are officially absent, the College will apply the

Substitute Teachers Policy. Absences on religious holy days should be reported by clicking on Teachers on the College’s home page (http://www.vaniercollege.qc.ca) then on Omnivox; log in on Omnivox and then click on Teachers Absences.

Office of the Academic Dean

mailto:beckerd@vaniercollege.qc.cahttp://www.vaniercollege.qc.ca/registrars/request-forms/religious-holy-dayshttp://www.vaniercollege.qc.ca/bylaws-policies-procedures/files/2016/08/IPESA-Approved-by-Board-June-2016-2.pdfhttp://www.vaniercollege.qc.ca/bylaws-policies-procedures/files/2016/08/IPESA-Approved-by-Board-June-2016-2.pdf

Vanier College Launches Vanier Academic Voices Magazine

Annie Claude Banville, Academic Dean of Vanier College, is pleased to announce the official launch of the Vanier Academic Voices magazine. The magazine will be published once a semester and will feature diverse content including recent publications by Vanier faculty members, pedagogical book reviews, and researcher profiles. The magazine is also designed to showcase what is happening at Vanier in terms of ongoing projects, partnerships and multidisciplinary collaborations. “What a pleasure it has been to discover such curious, engaged, and devoted faculty and staff, and how impressive it has been to discover the engagement in research, innovation and partnerships! We are very fortunate because Vanier College has so many different programs and departments and there is so much pedagogical activity taking place. One of the goals of Vanier Academic Voices is to allow faculty and staff members to share ideas from their respective areas and discover what’s being done by their peers. We are always trying to improve, offer the best quality of education and will always be working for student success, amongst other things. We hope this will be a tool people want to keep for future reference and we will gladly share with other Cegeps,” said Annie Claude Banville. Some of the content included in the inaugural edition will feature articles on topics such as peer tutoring, active learning, Indigenous Education and the role of contributing disciplines in programs.

The magazine is also designed to encourage academic sector engagement throughout Vanier by publishing articles submitted by individuals who work in different capacities at the College, including teachers, pedagogical counselors, academic advisors and managers. As well, the publication’s design was conceptualized by students studying in Vanier College’s Office Systems Technology: Micropublishing and Hypermedia program. “I have often said that it’s extremely important to Celebrate What’s Right at Vanier and this new magazine is definitely an excellent forum to highlight and recognize the passion, energy and quality of pedagogical initiatives at our College. At the same time it will stimulate debate on issues, encourage team work and collaboration and promote student oriented initiatives as well as individual projects,” said Vanier College’s Director General John McMahon.

Marguerite Corriveau, Vanier Communications

IN-CLASS PEDAGOGICAL INTERVENTIONS AND WORKSHOPS The Tutoring and Academic Success Centre (TASC) has developed pedagogical workshops on a variety of topics relating to the development of soft skills. The workshops can be as brief as 15 minutes, or take as long as an hour. It is possible to custom-tailor elements of any workshop to better suit your specific class or assignment(s). It is also possible to combine workshops or elements from several workshops. If there is something you see your class struggling with, and it’s not on this list, I am happy to design something specific for your class’s needs. Please note that these workshops are also available for Continuing Education classes. Workshop topics include:

Avoiding Plagiarism / MLA and APA Referencing Time Management and Avoiding Procrastination Study Skills Essay Writing Oral Presentations Note-Taking Reading Brainstorming Setting S.M.A.R.T. Goals Writing Better Sentences

If you would like to book or discuss a workshop, or a list with the workshop descriptions, please contact me (munceyk@vaniercollege.qc.ca or x7891)

Kim Muncey, Tutoring and Academic Success Centre (TASC)

mailto:munceyk@vaniercollege.qc.ca

Tutor Excellence Award Winners

At our Tutor Appreciation Event held in E-303 on December 6th 2017, two TASC tutors received a Tutor Excellence Award. The award was

based on tutee nominations and the winners were chosen based on the following eight criteria: Patience, Caring, Tutoring Strategies, Study

Skills, Active Tutoring, Boosting Confidence, Self-Regulation, and Creating a Positive Space.

Congratulations to winners Constantinos Mavroeidis (Pure & Applied Science) and Rémie Bittar (Social Science with Math). They each

received a certificate of excellence and gift card to Jake’s Co-op.

Ashley Rankin & Joshua Berman, TASC

The Vanier College Learning Commons groups together three key academic student-oriented services, the Library, the Tutoring & Academic Success Centre (TASC), and the Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) Centre. Happy New Year! Here’s what we have for you to kick off the new semester: Vanier College Library – F-300 Reminders: To place material for Course Reserves: http://www.vaniercollege.qc.ca/library/files/2017/01/reserves-request-form.pdf To reserve a film / DVD: http://www.vaniercollege.qc.ca/library/video-bookings-request-form/ To order new material for the Library: http://www.vaniercollege.qc.ca/vc-library/faculty/collections-form.php

To schedule a Library Classroom (E-303) session: http://www.vaniercollege.qc.ca/vc-library/faculty/session-request.php - Nina Arabian will contact you to confirm a date and time with you.

The forms are available on the Library’s Web page under Faculty. Please send them at least two weeks in advance. Requests that come to us through normal email may get lost.

http://www.vaniercollege.qc.ca/library/files/2017/01/reserves-request-form.pdfhttp://www.vaniercollege.qc.ca/library/video-bookings-request-form/http://www.vaniercollege.qc.ca/vc-library/faculty/collections-form.phphttp://www.vaniercollege.qc.ca/vc-library/faculty/session-request.php

Films / DVDs: If you show a feature film in your classroom that is not available through the library or the “Criterion on Demand” database, please report the title and the date to Jean Gibson (gibsonj@vaniercollege.qc.ca). If you would like to review films from the database, the library can give you the username and password. The films are for educational use only and not available to students off-campus. All documentary films must be purchased through the Library, except if you have a Netflix account. You can show their original films for educational use. You cannot show a complete documentary, video clip, or feature film through YouTube that was not placed there by the original copyright owner. Please note: Some documentaries available through the Internet such as by PBS are unfortunately not permitted in Canada. If you have any questions related to copyright and permissions, contact Susan Bissonnette (bissonns@vaniercollege.qc.ca).

Haritos Kavallos, Learning Commons

Tutoring Services Free drop-in peer tutoring for English, math, science, and computer science (starts January 29th) Monday-Thursday, 10am-4pm Friday, 10am-1pm Private tutoring (starts January 29th) Free one-on-one tutoring is available for 10 hours per student per semester. Science Teacher Drop-In hours (starts January 29th) If you would like to volunteer up to 1.5 hours per week in the Tutoring and Academic Success Centre (TASC) to assist students, please send a message to rankina@vaniercollege.qc.ca

Joshua Berman & Ashley Rankin, Tutoring & Academic Success Centre (TASC)

Canadian Senior Mathematics Contest Results On November 22nd 12 students participated in the Canadian Senior Mathematics Contest. I am pleased to announce that Vanier shared 4th rank in Quebec with Marianopolis College. Congratulations to Konstantinos Tsiolis and Russell Valerio who both ranked 6th overall and made it on the Student Honour Roll. UB Science Review Sessions A reminder that review sessions for Math, Physics, Chemistry and Biology will again take place almost every universal break and are open to all students. Science Week 2018: March 26-29: Save the date! Our annual Science Week will take place March 26th to 29th. Events will include science talks and activities. More information about Science Week to come!

mailto:gibsonj@vaniercollege.qc.camailto:bissonns@vaniercollege.qc.camailto:rankina@vaniercollege.qc.ca

Students Bringing Innovation to Vanier College

Vanier LaunchBox is an initiative that gives students the opportunity to pitch ideas to bring about innovation or to join in on existing projects. Students who take part will not only have a chance to win prizes, but may even be funded to bring their idea to life thanks to the Government of Québec that has made $50,000 available this year for student projects. How It Works Students should express their interest in joining by submitting a short letter of intent: http://vaniercollege.qc.ca/msc/pdf/launchbox/letter-of-intent.pdf Students can get involved in projects that fit one of the following three project categories:

Making Vanier better;

Improving the local community;

Adding value or solving a problem for a particular industry or discipline;

1) Once students have an idea, their team (yes, we would prefer team projects!) can begin developing the proposal which asks them

to consider who it’s for, budget, resources, scope, and goals.

2) With their proposal written and polished, the team is ready to pitch! From here, the successful pitches will be funded so that

students can bring their idea to life.

3) Come Demo Day (in May), teams will be expected to showcase their work and will have the chance to win prizes.

To help students along the way, we will offer workshops, mentors, access to resources, and spaces to work in. How Teachers (You) Can Help Faculty at Vanier are perfectly suited to help students throughout the life of their project. More specifically, you can…

Share this with your classes and especially with students who might be interested in innovation;

Use your subject matter expertise to mentor students;

Offer workshops in areas related to your expertise;

Encourage students to get involved or help them with brainstorming possible ideas to explore;

Sit on judging committees later on in the year;

For more information visit: http://vaniercollege.qc.ca/msc/launchbox/ There is an info session for students on February 7th in E-303 @ 12pm. Students can sign up online at http://vaniercollege.qc.ca/msc/event-registration.php or drop in. Students can also direct their questions to Ashley Rankin, STEM Centre & LaunchBox Coordinator (via MIO or by visiting her in E-302). Thank you for passing on the information to your students.

Ashley Rankin, STEM Centre

http://vaniercollege.qc.ca/msc/pdf/launchbox/letter-of-intent.pdfhttp://vaniercollege.qc.ca/msc/launchbox/http://vaniercollege.qc.ca/msc/event-registration.php

PSI News Applications for release time under the Development and Support Opportunities projects are now open. Teachers are invited to submit proposals for Research, Pedagogical Innovation, or Student Success Projects. More details, along with the application forms, are available on the PSI website: http://www.vaniercollege.qc.ca/psi/innovation/development-and-support-opportunities/. If you have any questions about the applications or if you would like feedback on your application, please contact Krista Riley at rileyk@vaniercollege.qc.ca or at extension 8241. Krista will also be running a workshop on how to prepare a DSO proposal during UB on Wednesday, January 31, 2018. More details will be available on the PSI websites in the coming days.

The Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (STLHE) Conference.

STLHE is holding its annual conference June 19th to 22nd in Sherbrooke. This year’s theme is “Pedagogical Innovation:

Adapting Practice to Evolving Cultures.” Click here for more details.

Conference: Online Security, Plagiarism and Cyberbullying: Challenges in Distance Learning

Le Réseau d’enseignement francophone à distance du Canada (REFAD) is holding its annual conference (in

French) in Quebec City the 24th and 25th of May, 2018. This year’s theme is Online Security, Plagiarism and

Cyberbullying: Challenges in Distance Learning (Sécurité en ligne, plagiat et cyberintimidation: les défis en

formation à distance). Participation can be on site (for a fee) or online (free but without interactivity).

For a detailed program and other information visit: www.refad.ca/colloque_2018.html To register visit: www.refad.ca/echanges_2018_formulaire.html For details, see their website.

Elana Cooperberg, Pedagogical Support and Innovation

Save the Date: International Women’s Week, March 5 – 9 Vanier will again be commemorating International Women’s Day (March 8) with a week’s worth of speakers and events inspired by the theme of “gender and media. To date, confirmed speakers include:

Aurelie Lechevalier, Game Play Programmer at Ubisoft, http://montreal.ubisoft.com/en/women-at-ubisoft/

Andree Cazabon, filmmaker, http://www.productionscazabon.com/the-filmmaker/

Skawennati Fragnito, artist, http://www.skawennati.com/bio/bio.html

Hannah Wakeling, Women in Physics Outreach Project Co-ordinator, Particle Physics PhD student at McGill, on representation in

media in STEM subjects, http://www.physics.mcgill.ca/outreach/

Miles de Nora, History, Vanier College, on the New York Times war against Hillary Clinton: How the “Newspaper of Record” made

Donald Trump President

Krista Riley, Pedagogical Support and Innovation, Vanier College, on Muslim Feminist Bloggers

Robyn Diner, English, Vanier College, with student panelists Brigitte Kang-Pappadakis (Communications) and Sierra Gazin (Nursing),

on 13 Reasons Why You Should Watch 13 Reasons Why With Us

Representatives from Imago Theatre, http://www.imagotheatre.ca/home-2/

http://www.vaniercollege.qc.ca/psi/innovation/development-and-support-opportunities/mailto:rileyk@vaniercollege.qc.cahttps://www.stlhe2018sapes.ca/en/http://www.vaniercollege.qc.ca/psi/conference-online-security-plagiarism-and-cyberbullying-challenges-in-distance-learning/http://www.refad.ca/colloque_2018.htmlhttp://www.refad.ca/colloque_2018.htmlhttp://www.refad.ca/echanges_2018_formulaire.htmlhttp://www.refad.ca/colloque_2018.html?utm_source=Thot+Cursus+-+Bulletins+hebdomadaires&utm_campaign=6e54e5b916-UA-5755289-1&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_3ba118524c-6e54e5b916-13531865http://montreal.ubisoft.com/en/women-at-ubisoft/http://www.productionscazabon.com/the-filmmaker/http://www.skawennati.com/bio/bio.htmlhttp://www.physics.mcgill.ca/outreach/http://www.imagotheatre.ca/home-2/http://www.vaniercollege.qc.ca/psi/conference-online-security-plagiarism-and-cyberbullying-challenges-in-distance-learning/

Teachers and students from the Sustainability program, on media and gender representation and its influence on male student

engagement in environmental issues

Media professionals Robyn Flynn (CJAD), Jessica Rusnak (CBC daybreak), columnist Toula Drimonis, (and maybe more!) on sexual

harassment in the media

A full list of speakers will be available soon. In the meantime, save the week!

Maggie Kathwaroon, Women’s and Gender Studies, kathwarm@vaniercollege.qc.ca

Critters in the Cold

Arctic Fox- (Vulpes lagopus) The arctic fox inhabits the arctic tundra across Canada, Alaska, Greenland, Russia, Norway, Scandinavia and Iceland. In Canada, the arctic fox lives above the northern tree line where weather reaches extreme frigid temperatures and minimal occupancy by humans. They prefer regions with shallow snow levels or compacted snow and ice as well as open regions that have minimal to no trees. The typical habitat range is between 32 km and 252 km although some travel much further distances. One arctic fox was recorded only 61km away from the North Pole. Due to their habitat niche, arctic foxes cannot be found near the island of Montreal, unless visiting the Eco museum in St. Anne de Belleview. They typically occupy regions from the high arctic at the tip of Ellesmere Island to the tip of James Bay. The arctic fox utilises a diverse diet of small mammals, including voles, snowshoe hares and arctic squirrels with a preference for lemmings, bird eggs, fish, berries and vegetation. They often hunt by their keen sense of hearing, which allows them to locate prey underneath the snow. The arctic fox then jumps into the air to pounce and break through the snow to the prey below. They will also scavenge leftovers from polar bears, indulging in seal carcases left behind by the bears. Their variable diet makes them highly adaptable in their harsh surroundings, especially during the winter months when food quantities become scarce. Artic foxes are monogamous and therefore breed for life, can recognize their mates through scent and the same pair will continue to mate until one dies, in which the remaining fox may take some time before finding a new mate. Breeding season is long and occurs between September and May. The pregnancy will last between 51-57 days and average 6-8 pups per litter. Litter size is dependent on food availability and litters can increase if food is abundant. Once the offspring are born, both parents will care for the young. The mother provides the warmth and milk while the father typically will protect the young and search for food. The young are very demanding for food, and although the arctic fox is typically a nocturnal animal, it can be seen during the day in search of food. There is an extremely high mortality rate among babies due to their extremely fragile state when born, weighing less than one pound and living within the extreme conditions of the arctic tundra. If the mother cannot keep her young sufficiently warm, the young risk death.

The arctic fox has adapted several ways of maintaining their internal body temperature in their extreme environment. They possess short limbs and ears, which help decrease the surface area to volume ratio, minimizing the amount of heat loss. The feet are covered in fur which helps protect their feet from snow and ice as well as providing grip to avoid slipping. The highly thick fur on the tail provides the arctic fox with extra insulation so they have the habit of curling up with their tail covering their face. The tail also aids in balance. The thick and dense fur on the body as well as thick layers of fat provide the arctic fox with insulation. Fat layers also aid in energy storage during times of minimal food sources. The arctic fox also has a counter current heat exchange method in its legs, where the blood entering the paws is used to heat up the blood returning to the heart from the paws, therefore minimizing the amount of heat lost with the paws in contact with the frozen surface. When temperatures get too extreme, the arctic fox can increase its metabolism to produce more warmth or the animal will burrow beneath the snow. They can create complex tunnels under the snow which acts as insulation and protection from the harsh environment. All these adaptations allow the arctic fox to endure temperatures as low as -70oC. Arctic foxes range in length from 2.3 to 3.5 feet and 9 to 12 inches at shoulder height, with at weight range from 6.5 to 17 lbs. It is the smallest wild canine species found in Canada. Males are typically larger than females, though diet is a factor. The estimated world population is approximately a few hundred thousand, which lists it at least concern for extinction. They have a lifespan of 3 to 6 years in the wild. The arctic fox does not hibernate and its fur changes with the seasons. During the winter, the fur is white, whereas in summer it becomes either brown or greyish allowing them to remain camouflaged all year round. Predators include polar bears, wolves and golden eagles. Humans will hunt arctic foxes for sport as well as their thick fur. Their large fluffy tail, with its main purpose being for added insulation also aids in balance. After maturing enough to head out on their own, offspring will return now and again to visit the mother recognizing each other based on scent. After this holiday season, we probably all wish we had the adaptations of an arctic fox!

Shawna Champagne, student of the Environmental and Wildlife Management program

New revised Profession of Electrical Engineering Technology (EET) course

This is the first year that the revised Industrial Electronics program has been implemented. Since the 2005, this is the third revision of the Industrial Electronics program and to me the most successful one because the department worked closely with the PSI office to follow their formal program evaluation and implementation process. During the H17 semester, Louise Robinson and I worked on creating and getting approval for course frameworks for semesters 1 and 2 of the revised program. A first semester course called the Profession of Electrical Engineering Technology (EET), which I taught during the A17 semester, turned out to be particularly successful from both the teaching aspect as well as the students’ points of view. The decision was made for the design of the Profession of EET course framework to have the first 10 weeks of the semester dedicated to specific course objectives while the remaining five weeks to be more open-ended. This decision turned out a great idea. For the first 10 weeks of the Profession of EET course, the students learned about the EET profession through the examination of occupations and professions in the field, products and services in the field, workplace knowledge and skills for EETs, typical company rules, and Quebec employment laws. For the remaining five weeks, the students explored the EET profession through experiential learning activities. The experiential learning activities consisted of brief presentations followed by a Q&A session with five guest speakers. The guest speakers were Steve Kosturik from Capmatic, Sgt Sanchez from the Canadian Forces, Hervé-Gérard Bitoribe from Hydro-Quebec (a 2010 Vanier Industrial Electronics graduate), David-John Palazzo and Walter Waverchuck from CDS Machines, and Paul Benavides from AESUS Packaging Systems (a 2015 graduate). Each guest speaker offered interesting career advice to the students. Steve Kosturik from Capmatic, advised students to learn about every aspect of their job including not only technical and business aspects, but most importantly, aspects of client relations and interactions. Sgt Sanchez emphasized the importance of being dedicated and punctual explaining that his definition of being on time for an appointment was

to be there 15 minutes early. Hervé-Gérard Bitoribe from Hydro-Quebec told students to never stop learning because if you can’t do a specific job you will eventually be replaced by someone else. David-John Palazzo from CDS Machines, described how to act professionally when you get the job, when you stay at a job, and mostly importantly when you want to leave your job. And, Paul Benavides from AESUS Packaging Machines, told students to continuously think of your current job as a stepping stone to your next job, indicating that he had already been promoted twice in two years. From the advice offered by the guest speakers, one might wonder what does dealing with clients, being 15 minutes ahead of your appointment, leaving a job, and looking for your next challenge have to do with the Profession of EET course. It does not directly, but getting, staying, and being productive at your job is an important life skill that students learned from the Q&A sessions with the guest speakers. The photo of the class presentations can be found at https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholasrudi/detail/recent-activity/shares/

Nicholas Rudi, Industrial Electronics

https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholasrudi/detail/recent-activity/shares/

Staffing Announcements for January 2018 NEW PROFESSIONALS TITLE DEPARTMENT BEGINNING ON Kristina Lamarre Archivist Communications & January 15, 2018 Corporate Affairs NEW SUPPORT TITLE DEPARTMENT BEGINNING ON RECENT APPOINTED SUPPORT TITLE DEPARTMENT BEGINNING ON Trisha Chan-Yu-Tin Finance Technician Financial Services December 11, 2017 Qah-Har Ali Ullah I.T. Services Support for Information Technology Services January 2, 2018 Information Systems Heather Eason Service Department Office Agent Administrative Services January 8, 2018 Carmen Fiorino Service Department Office Agent Administrative Services January 8, 2018 (Replacement) PROFESSIONALS TITLE DEPARTMENT BEGINNING ON

Stephanie Too, Human Resources