Gradzette December 2014 by The Gradzette

GRADZETTE THE UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA’S GRADUATE STUDENT MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2014

U of M #Weekofthanks campaign highlights donor efforts Pages 3-5

GRADZETTE THE UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA’S GRADUATE STUDENT MAGAZINE

DECEMBER 2014

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Gradzette c/o The Manitoban Newspaper Publications Corporation 105 University Centre University of Manitoba Winnipeg, MB, R3T 2N2 General inquiries and advertising Phone: (204) 474.6535 Fax: (204) 474.7651 Email: editor@gradzette.com Editor: Ryan Harby Copy Editor: Bryce Hoye Designer: Marc Lagace Contributors: Philma Scheepers, Marc Lagace, Rachel Ward Cover: Ryan Harby

The Gradzette is the official student magazine of the University of Manitoba’s graduate student community and is published on the first Monday of each month by the Manitoban Newspaper Publications Corporation.

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FREELANCE

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DECEMBER 2014

President Barnard serves up pancakes at University Centre on the final day of the #WeekOfThanks campaign. Via @umanitoba Instagram account

Week of Thanks

U of M campaign highlights contributions made by donors Marc Lagace f you’ve been on a University of Manitoba campus in the past month, you’ve undoubtedly seen yellow tags posted everywhere offering some sort of fact related to donations collected by the university.

The tags were a part of the first annual ‘#WeekOfThanks’ social media campaign, organized by the university’s donor relations departent over the week of Nov. 10-14. The campaign was developed to show the University’s appreciation for the generosity shown by donors to the U of M community. Beyond being eye-catching splashes of colour around campus, the yellow tags were part of a contest run through the UManitoba Instagram account. People were encouraged to follow @umanitoba on Instagram, take photos of the tags they found around campus, then post

them with the hashtag #WeekOfThanks to be entered to win prizes. Campaign organizers also set up photo booths in University Centre at the Fort Garry campus and Brodie Centre at Bannatyne, Nov. 12-14. Students were encouraged to write notes of thanks to donors, with some students choosing to thank specific donors with their notes. The photos have been posted to the University of Manitoba Facebook page. The whole week was capped off with a free pancake breakfast on Friday morning, where U of M president David Barnard made an appearance to flip some flapjacks. Lisa Thomson Stifora is one of the organizers behind the donor relations campaign. She says it’s important that the university receives gifts from a wide array of sources.

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DECEMBER 2014

“Our alumni and students and faculty are certainly huge supporters, but we are also supported by organizations, foundations,” said Thomson Stifora.

The scholarship provides a renewable source of funding for worthy graduate students of $10,000 annually over a maximum of four years, funded through a $1 million donation from Sir Gordon Wu and a $500,000 contribution from the university. The scholarship was awarded to five graduate students in 2013, with 10 more recipients announced in 2014.

Thomson Stifora explained that donations have helped to fund major projects for the University, such as the Apotex Centre on Bannatyne campus. They also help create scholarship support for students, with over Warren Blunt, a PhD candidate in biosystems 7,000 donor-funded awards and bursaries engineering, was one of five graduate students handed out last year alone. who received the first round of scholarships. “Just recently we had a significant gift from Sir Gordon Wu to create the Sir Gordon Wu Graduate Studies Scholarship program. The Wu scholarship provides (up to) $40,000 in funding for outstanding graduate students,” said Stifora.

“The end of my master’s is, obviously, a crossroads. You can either leave school and try and get a job, or continue on in school,” said Blunt in a video posted on the U of M website. “I think for a lot of students, at that point the finances are a point of stress.”

Tags like this one were placed in locations across both Fort Garry and Bannatyne campuses for the Instagram conttest. Via @umanitoba Instagram account

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One focus of the # We e k O f T h a n k s campaign was to highlight the contributions made to the university by the student body, a tradition that has existed for nearly three decades. Engineering students introduced the idea of students contributing donations to the university back in 1987. The engineering student council at the time held referenda to create a mandatory donation to be included with student tuitions as a new form of fundraising support the financial needs of the faculty and to create scholarship Colby Robertson poses at one of the #WeekOfThanks photo booths with his prize. funds and bursaries Via @umanitoba Instagram account for their fellow students. “Instead of throwing a social or holding a “Our students and alumni are doing bake sale — which are deliciously great — absolutely incredible things that are the council at that time decided that they were happening in this province right now going to go to their student body and propose […] our researchers are experts making that everybody make a donation of $50 per contributions to global mysteries and finding student, and for that to go towards the faculty,” new ways to fight global infectious diseases.” said Sana Mahboob, annual giving officer with “They’re investing in their future, our students’ U of M donor relations. future and the health and wellbeing and future Set for renewal after three years, the prosperity of Manitoba, Canada and the engineering student body came back and world.” agreed to continue the program. Since then, 21 faculties, schools and colleges at the U of The Donor Relations campaign coincided with M have held referendum on the issue, raising another major campaign announcement by the a combined sum of over $40 million from University — a goal to raise $500 million of students to date. Undergraduate students from public capital in 2015. If successful, the U of the Asper School of Business have given over M’s Front and Centre campaign would be the largest public capital campaign in Manitoba $14 million alone since 1989. history, more than doubling the $237 million Thomson Stifora believes that donors should raised by the U of M during the Building on see their contribution as an investment in the Strengths campaign which wrapped up in future success of our province and nation. 2004.

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DECEMBER 2014

Peter Bjornson, minister of education and advanced learning, (middle) with student leaders from UWSA and CFS-MB

Province vows to eliminate student loan interest Throne speech offers students succor Philma Scheepers, The Manitoban (University of Maniotba)

n Nov. 20, the reigning provincial New Democratic Party (NDP) government announced that the government would move to eliminate interest rates on all provincial government-issued post-secondary student loans.

student is going to pay interest on their student loans,” University of Winnipeg Students’ Association (UWSA) president, Rorie Mcleod Arnould, told the Manitoban.

“It’s going to be putting money back into the pockets of recent graduates, who are trying The throne speech signalled the opening of a to start families trying to start businesses and new legislative session, assessing policies of trying to form the backbone of our economy.” the previous decade from a period of “cuts and “I’m so excited,” said Alexandria Levandoski, underfunding to investment” for the future and a first-year nursing student at the University of defining the provincial caucus’s obligations to Manitoba. “It’s a step in the right direction, and students at every level. it will be such a great relief for students across In particular, students across the province Manitoba.” celebrated the government’s announcement of The process of elimination the elimination of interest on student loans. Earlier this year, students and supporters of the Premier Greg Selinger said in an official Education for All campaign, spearheaded by announcement released on Monday about the the Canadian Federation of Students-Manitoba changes to Manitoba financial student aid: “Our (CFS-MB), lobbied the provincial government government is continuing to ensure that post- to eliminate interest rates on student loans. secondary education in Manitoba is accessible, affordable and of a high quality by helping Students at the U of M, University of Winnipeg, Brandon University, and Université de Saintstudents keep more money in their pocket.” Boniface raised concerns about student “Any student with Manitoba student loans that debt, calling on members of the provincial they are currently paying off, or any outstanding government to eliminate student loan interest student loans, are going to have the interest rates. portion of that removed, so moving forward no 6

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Over 6,000 postcards were signed by students in support of the campaign, including thousands collected from U of M students. In April, participating students and student leaders met with and delivered the postcards to the former minister of education and advanced learning, James Allum.

“Thank you so much to all the students who put in such hard work representing all of us because it has definitely made a difference and it will make a difference for students in the years to come,” said Levandoski in response to the recent political move to eliminate interest rates.

“Last winter we launched—on the University of Winnipeg campus—the Education for All campaign, where we were able to get over 1,000 of our students to sign postcards calling on the government to eliminate the provincial portion of interest rates on student loans,” said Peyton Veitch, UWSA vice-president advocate.

“This was the product of an initiative—42,000 students strong—many of whom played a part, large or small, in making this a reality,” said Veitch, who said he believed this victory really underscores what is possible when students in Manitoba come together.

Interest rates on Manitoba student loans are set at prime rate, which works out to about three per cent. Veitch told the Manitoban that this change is estimated to save students in total just over $1.3 million.

Student movement movers claim victory

Hannah James, one of the core organizers of the Education for All campaign last year, and a third-year family social sciences student, is thrilled about the government’s decision.

“It’s a huge step in the right direction for accessible and affordable post-secondary “Especially with being an independent and education in Manitoba.” having to pay rent, pay for car insurance, pay for your own personal matters on top of school James also told the Manitoban she is surprised and tuition, it ends up being so much money and that the decision was not made sooner. this is such a big deal for me,” Levandoski said. “We also lobbied with the Liberals and they “I still have debt from the first couple of years were already pledging to eliminate interest [of university],” she continued. “Money is rates on student loans in order to try and gain always a struggle for me, and I’m working a the student vote.” couple of jobs and going to school so to hear James said that this should have provided even [about the interest rates] is a bit of a relief off more incentive for Selinger’s government to my shoulders.” step up to the issue much sooner than it did. Peter Bjornson, the new minister of education “Based on the political environment right now I and advanced learning, said that the government think it’s important for students to be supported would not confirm the cost to them until it by our government,” said James. finalizes its budget in the spring. Christian Pierce, UMSU vice-president The premier projected the cost at about one external, said that UMSU is “pleased with the million dollars per year, according to Mcleod new initiatives announced in the throne speech Arnould. which included eliminating interest rates on As for when the elimination of student loan student loans.” interest rates will be implemented, Bjornson told Canadian Federation of Students-Manitoba the Manitoban that this would also be worked chairperson Zach Fleisher said that CFSout later in the year. Bjornson is “looking MB will be working with the department of forward to having those details released to the education over the next year to finalize the public.” elimination.

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Internships could be replacing entry-level positions, on-the-job training: report Rachel Ward — CUP Labour Bureau Chief HALIFAX (CUP) — At this point his words are almost famous among young people. “If your parents are letting you live in the basement,” said Bank of Canada Governor Stephen Poloz on Nov. 3, “you might as well go out and do something for free to put the experience on your CV.” He was speaking about unpaid internships students and recent graduates take on when they’re unable to find work. He defended his opinion the next day to a House of Commons finance committee when questioned about how poorer graduates could afford to work unpaid internships. “I still think that when there are those opportunities,” said Poloz, “one should grab them.” Similar placements are sometimes mandated by university or college program for educational work experience. Currently the exact number of people doing such work is unknown, as Statistics Canada doesn’t collect that information in its Labour Force Survey. In October, youth unemployment was 12.6 per cent, down slightly as fewer young people look for work, said Statistics Canada. According to a recent Conference Board of Canada survey, employers said applicants and new hires lack essential skills, such as communication, critical thinking and teamwork. That same report shows companies invested 40 per cent less money in on-the-job training from 1993 to 2010. Current opportunities, it says, for “workplace training … are limited, declining and of questionable impact.” Karen Foster, a sociology professor at Dalhousie University, said unpaid internships have become a replacement for that training. “Over the last decade employers are reaching for the unpaid internship first as a way of getting recent graduates and not having to pay anything to train them,” said Foster, who studies economics and youth. “They’re essentially putting all their risk on young, recent graduates.” Advocates say unpaid internships are unfair and illegal. Courts seem to agree. Recently in the U.S. major media company Condé Nast agreed to pay $5.8 million to settle a class-action lawsuit by 7,500 former interns. Condé

Nast owns several media brands, including magazines the New Yorker and GQ. Canadian unpaid internship programs have taken a hit, too. Just this summer in Canada Bell Aliant shut down its unpaid internship program following court action from ex-interns. The matter has reached Parliament. In June, NDP MPs Laurin Liu and Andrew Nash proposed an amendment to the Labour Act to include unpaid interns as employees. That means interns would be, for example, covered by workplace safety laws and protected from sexual harassment. Liu said the bill is inspired by Andrew Ferguson, an intern who died in 2011. He fell asleep at the wheel after working an overnight shift at an Edmonton radio station. “I believe that interns need to benefit from at least basic protections,” said Liu, 24. “Most of my friends, most of my peers, have recently graduated from university and many of them are working in unpaid internships. I’ve seen how they themselves are vulnerable.” The bill goes to second reading in early February. To raise awareness, Alex Dawson, a English and theatre graduate, is using her own interning experience to produce a comedic web series called Turning Intern. Her group of former interns just raised over $3,000 to professionally produce the videos. Dawson did her first internship after completing a copywriting certificate, and has since left the field. “The foundation of this industry, the copywriting industry, relies on the unpaid work of talented young people,” she said. “That really made me mad.” Dawson, 25, now works in marketing and accounts management at a job which, she said, combines skills from herprevious internships and contract work. She’s paid and puts in reasonable hours. At her unpaid internship, Dawson said she worked long days. Government has “no shortage of policy solutions,” said Foster, to improve working conditions for interns. “But they have to be enacted,” said Foster, “instead of just saying, ‘Well, it’s up to the individual to fight over the very last low paid job or unpaid internship.’”

THE GRADZETTE BULLETIN BOARD

TEDxUMANITOBA On Tuesday, Nov. 4 the University of Manitoba’s Fort Gary campus was host to the first U of M research-themed TED talk, entitled TEDxUmanitoba. Nine speakers presented at the event, including: Ahmad Byagowi, electrical engineering PhD candidate; Debbie Kelly, Canada research chair for comparative cognition; assistant professor of pharmacy Emmanuel Ho; English PhD candidate Jeremy Strong; Michael Paterson, chief research scientist at the International Institute for Sustainable Development - Experimental Lakes Area; and David Barber, Canada research chair in arctic system science and director of the Centre for Earth Observation Science. The TEDxUmanitoba talk was live-streamed online, though the in-person audience was limited to a select group of 100 from a pool of more than 400 applicants. The original TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) event was held in 1984, with an annual conference that began in 1990. Unlike the annual TED conference, which recently relocated its yearly event to British Columbia, the TEDx events are independently organized for those who obtain a free license from TED, agreeing to follow certain principles.

Get your research featured in the GRADZETTE Are you a graduate student eager to promote your research and provide exposure for your work in the master’s or doctoral program? The Gradzette is looking for individuals interested in participating in our ongoing “Researcher Profile” column, which seeks to showcase important and exciting U of M research for a larger audience. If you would like to be featured in an upcoming “Researcher Profile,” please contact editor@gradzette.com with details regarding your field of study, a short blurb about your current research, and any pertinent contact information for interview purposes.