Tutoring the talent

Men’s basketball coach in second year as academic adviser to students who need direction in their studies

James Sturgeon
Sports Reporter

There was a point last year when Chris Thompson, then in his rookie season as a forward for the Humber Hawks men’s basketball team, was on the brink of failing a course.

A philosophy class had got the better of him and it was clear to Thompson he was in trouble. Fortunately for the health and fitness student, head coach Darrell Glenn was in his corner. The third-year coach arranged for a tutor to get Thompson through the rough patch and back on track.

“He’s school first,” Thompson said, while doing schoolwork in the coach’s office last week. “We’re always in here doing our homework,” referring to the many student athletes found in the office on any given day.

Along with his bench boss duties for the Hawks, Glenn is Humber’s only academic adviser for varsity athletes, a job he relishes as much – if not more – than coaching basketball.

“As much as I’ve coached, for me, it’s more about teaching. I look at myself as a teacher first, because that’s what I am. That kind of transfers itself into me as a coach,” he said.

Glenn, also a teacher at Oakwood Collegiate secondary school in Toronto, is working through his second-year as an academic adviser at Humber. It’s a role he assumed after former men’s basketball coach and academic adviser Mike Katz left to coach at the University of Toronto in 2004.

Choosing the right support system

Suzan Park
Life Reporter

Ever since Oprah Winfrey revealed that 85 per cent of women are wearing the wrong bra size, women are becoming more aware of their breasts.

Nancy Stinson, a salesperson who specializes in bra fittings at Hers in Bloor West Village has seen it all in her 13 years of experience.

“I can put my hands on six 34 B’s and every one will fit differently,” she said.

Stinson said she sees too many women coming into her boutique wearing the wrong size bra.

“You see women wear bras that are too tight through the back,” Stinson said. “It causes rolls and red marks.”

She said about 100 pieces make up a well-constructed bra and that every woman needs to consider her body shape and that she is likely to have asymmetrical breasts.

“So you need to establish a rapport with customers to discuss their needs,” she said.

Bras have two main components: cup size and band size.

Cup sizes range from small A cups to G’s, and many women guess their size incorrectly.

“Go into a small, private boutique and get fitted,” Stinson said.

Not only do women have to consider size, but make, colour, style and general sex appeal is also important.

“Women should own about six bras,” she said. “You need two nude bras, at least one black, a strapless and a couple lacy bras.”

Stinson said what is known as the softly padded, “everyday bra” should not be worn every day.
“There will be too much wear on the bra.”

Emanjit Singh, a first-year ECE student said she has never been properly fitted.

She said she tries bras on at popular lingerie boutiques and, “takes bra shopping seriously.

“I have three different sizes (of bras) in my drawer,” Singh said. “It depends on the company.”

Nancy Stinson’s tips for buying the best bra

1. Get measured frequently since a few extra pounds make a huge difference.
2. Wash your bras in a mesh laundry bag and never machine dry.
3. Cleavage can be created naturally for the petite lady by wearing a demi cup bra, which supports the lower and exposes the upper breast.
4. If your bra band rides up in the back, then go a size smaller.
5. The centre of your bra should fit flatly between your breasts.

Whisk: Spring butternut squash gnocchi

Spring butternut squash gnocchi
Chef Eric Ricatti

Approx. cost: $30 to $35
Prep time: 10 to 20 minutes.

Ingredients:
1 medium butternut squash,
peeled, seeds removed, cubed
2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
350 g all-purpose flour
200 g freshly grated parmigiano.
2 egg yolks
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
6 ounces unsalted butter
5 sage leaves
Salt and ground pepper to taste

Directons:
1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Place squash on a baking sheet,
drizzle with oil, season with salt.
3. Roast for 35 minutes, turn once.
4. Remove from oven and set aside to cool. Transfer to food processor and pulse.
5. In a bowl, combine the squash puree, flour, parmigiano, egg yolks and nutmeg. Mix to form dough.
6. On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough into a ball then divide the ball into 10 pieces.
7. Roll each piece into a 1-inch thick rope. Cut ropes into 1-inch pieces then roll into barrel-shaped gnocchi. Cover gnocchi with a cloth and set aside.
8. Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the sage leaves and stir. Keep warm set aside.
9. Boil a pot of water, add salt and gnocchi. Cook until the gnocchi rise to the surface (3 minutes).
10. Remove the gnocchi using a slotted spoon. Add butter.

New programs send off first graduates

Jef Catapang
Life Reporter

The end of the school year will mark the first graduating class from Humber’s Paralegal Studies, e-Business and Industrial Design bachelor’s degree programs, all of which were approved in 2002 and launched in 2003.

Each program now faces the challenge of extension at the end of their initial five-year contract.

As this first batch of graduates leaves Humber, they will play a key part in keeping their programs going, said program co-ordinators.

Student Bodies: Resisting Temptation

Suzan Park
Life Reporter

With all the temptations on campus, it’s a wonder how anyone can stay in shape. But after receiving nutritional guidance from Athletics Trainer Monique Haan, our Student Bodies are finding ways to resist.

Priscilla Daviau

Weight:

• Start – 310 lbs

• Now – 298 lbs

Smart Eating
“I have definitely been eating better. I am eating fewer fried foods and more fruits and vegetables.”
“The most difficult change in my diet has been snacking. I have a big salty tooth and so I love to eat things like popcorn and chips. I have been trying to cut those down a lot.”
Great Temptations
“My weakness is McDonalds. I love BigMacs.”
“But I find that my diet is important because if I don’t take in quality calories then I don’t have the energy for my workouts.”

Michael Michell

Weight:

• Start – 148 lbs

• Now – 154 lbs

Smart Eating
“Replacing fatty foods, with lighter meals like salads and soups. Most importantly, through training and understanding how hard it is to achieve rock solid abs.
“Even though I do limit my alcohol consumption, drinking for me is truly a part of college life, and I love it.”
Great Temptations
“Pizza, and hamburgers are my weaknesses since they are so tasty and found everywhere. Since my goal of the program was to bulk up, just eating more, but eating right is key to my success.”

Cancer funds bloom

Natasha Fall
Senior Reporter

The Canadian Cancer Society’s Daffodil Month bloomed this weekend, marking the beginning of the annual event with the Daffodil Days Campaign.

Volunteers were stationed around the country selling daffodils to raise money for cancer research.

Volunteer Audrey Schaub, 80, of Etobicoke, has been donating her time for over 10 years and said she’ll continue to do so for as long as she can.

“We all have people in our family and friends that have had cancer and it’s nice to be able to do something for someone else,” she said. “The more research, the more we can get, the better it’s going to be for the people who get the cancer.”

According to Angela Zin, community services co-ordinator for the Toronto West unit of the Canadian Cancer Society, Daffodil Days originally began in the mid 1950s.

Giving fashion a chance

Avril Sequeira
Life Reporter

The Transitions Runway Show, held last Tuesday at Capitol Events theatre in downtown Toronto, was not only great publicity for up-and-coming designers, but also a chance for Humber College students to get a taste of the demands of real-life fashion event planning.

“It’s been pretty crazy,” said Emily Edwards, a second-year fashion arts student who was running the staging area for the night.

“Trying to get everybody to get together at one time, organize everything, get everybody on the same page. I mean, we covered everything from staging, lighting, sound, advertising . . . absolutely everything.”

Forty-five fashion arts students from North Campus participated in the show, which is offered as an option to final year students who can choose between photo styling and event planning.

The show was a tremendous success, selling out tickets, and raising money for Sketch, a non-profit organization that offers homeless and street-involved youth a chance to get involved in the arts. Paintings produced by artists helped by Sketch were also sold throughout the night in an attempt to raise awareness as well as funds.

College looks at egg options

Jordana Stier
Life Reporter

Food Services manager Don Henriques said he would consider finding out where the eggs served on campus come from, after the University of Guelph became the first school in Canada to stop serving eggs laid by caged hens.

“Humber is in partnership with many Canadian universities and shares similar concerns and information,” he said. “Their student concerns are our student concerns.”

Henriques said if Humber identifies it’s purchasing eggs from battery farms, it will consider alternate options.

Misha Buob, a member of Guelph University’s Hospitality Services Advisory Committee and supporter of the initiative, said the committee decided to stop purchasing caged-hen eggs due to evidence that birds suffer in battery cages.

Printing price tag

Stephanie Sherr
Business Reporter

Students who exceed their allotted number of printing credits before the end of the semester will have to pay extra to use school printers, said Humber’s information technology service support manager Ryan Burton.

“What we’re trying to offer,” Burton said, “is a convenient way to print information of a relatively non-sensitive nature at a cost-effective rate to students that may or may not have other means of doing printing.

University and college offer plenty of learning experiences

Different kinds of education make each program unique

Andrew Stewart
Senior Reporter

With my time in college drawing to a close, I can’t help but draw some comparisons to the four years of university I did before coming here.

Many people argue the merits of attending college over university, or vice versa, but in my experience both have a great amount to offer.

In four years at Wilfrid Laurier University, I was able to learn a great deal and earn a degree in English with a minor in geography and classics.