For The Alumni And Friends Of Vancouver Island University And Malaspina University-College

2010 DistinguisheD Alumni AwArD winner wArren erhArt hAs his hAnDs full with white spot

Viu reseArchers DelVe

into the murky worlD

of seA lice

AlumnA builDing AlliAnces

with guAtemAlA’s mAyA

communities

volume 3 | issue 2 | fall / winter 2010

Pub. agreement no. 40063601

Rediscover Your School Spirit

Keep in touch with your fellow VIU graduates and rediscover the spirit of living and learning on the west coast. Update your contact information at

www.viu.ca/alumni and stay informed about VIU news, reunions, and events.

Have you purchased your Alumni Privilege Card?

VIU alumni can purchase an Alumni Privilege Card for an annual fee of $10 and receive discounts from:

Purchase your Alumni Privilege Card from the Development and Alumni Office, 114-59 Wharf Street, Nanaimo, or the VIU Welcome Centre, Nanaimo campus.

VIU Alumni RelationsPhone: 250 · 740 · 6215

Fax: 250 · 740 · 6491E-mail: alumni@viu.ca

www.viu.ca/alumni

The success of any school is determined by the strength of its graduates.

VIU LibraryVIU Gymnasium

VIU TheatreDiscovery Room

VIU ResidencesVIU Bookstore (Nanaimo Campus)

Milner GardensFairwinds Golf Course

features Studying the Secrets of Sea Lice . . 11-13 VIU researchers delve deep into the relationship between sea lice and salmon . View from the Top Spot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-17

Warren Erhart (Hotel and Restaurant Management ’76), president of White Spot Restaurant, on life, laughter and the real meaning of success . Found in Translation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18-20 VIU nursing alumna Rebekah Shoop (BSc Nursing with Distinction ’02) is helping Guatemala’s impoverished Maya communities build a better life .

departments Messages & Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5

Campus News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-10

Alumni in View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21-23

Class Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24-28

Alumni Association . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29

Home Stretch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

Calendar of Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31

VIU researchers explore the pros and cons of creating protected areas . . . page 6

llustration by Alex Tirabasso, reproduced courtesy of the Canadian Museum of Nature, Ottawa, Canada .

Volume 3 | Issue 2 | Fall/Winter 2010

FALL/WINTER 2010 3

PublisherOffice of Development & Alumni,Vancouver Island University

Executive EditorDirector, Development & AlumniTeresa Moore

Managing EditorManager, Alumni RelationsDavid Forrester (Phys Ed ’02, Rec & Sport ’02)

Editor & Feature WriterJanina Stajic

ContributorsRachelle Stein-WottenMark Hill (Cook Training ’72)Pip Knott

Graphic Design Nancy Pagé www.nancypagedesign.com

Cover Photo Lance Sullivan, Concept Photography Inc. www.conceptphoto.ca

Journey is published in the spring and fall by VIU’s Office of Development & Alumni and is distributed free of charge to alumni and friends. All material is copyright © 2010, Van-couver Island University Development & Alumni, and may be reprinted with writ-ten permission. Opinions expressed in the magazine do not necessarily reflect the views of Vancouver Island University.

The Vancouver Island University community acknowledges and thanks the Tla’Amin, Quali-cum, Snaw Naw As, Snuneymuxw, Quw’utsun, Halalt, Penelakut, Lyackson, Chemainus, and Lake Cowichan First Nations on whose tradi-tional lands we teach, learn, research, live, and share knowledge.

We welcome letters to the editor .Please address all correspondence to:Editor, Journey114 – 59 Wharf StreetNanaimo, British ColumbiaCanada, V9R 2X3journey@viu.ca

Advertising InquiriesDavid ForresterManager, Alumni Relations114 – 59 Wharf StreetNanaimo, British ColumbiaCanada, V9R 2X3250 · 740 · 6214 david.forrester@viu.ca

Canadian Publications Mail Agreement #40063601

4

le

tter

s

Celebrating 75 years of history The first classes at what is now Vancouver Island University were held in an old stable in downtown Nanaimo that had neither heat nor plumbing. A burning drum filled with donated wood was the only heat source for the students of Nanaimo’s first post-secondary institution in the region, the Dominion-Provincial Youth Training School founded in 1936.

Spearheaded by Jack Macready, a local garage operator, the school had three employees. Students enrolled in an 11-month Automotive Mechanics

or Building Construction program. From these modest beginnings the school has seen tremendous growth and now, 74 years later, more than 18,000 students study in more than 120 programs on four regional campuses.

In recognition of its past achievements, we will be celebrating VIU’s 75th anniversary with special events throughout 2011. The alumni office is planning a special issue of Journey to coincide with this milestone anniversary. I encourage all alumni to share with us their stories, pictures and memorabilia from their days at the Vocational Training School, the Kennedy Street Hospital campus where Malaspina College began, or at any of the four regional campuses.

We are also encouraging all alumni to consider a class reunion during this year. VIU’s business program has already booked June 11 and 12, 2011 to host a reunion and it is sure to be a great time. Please contact us if you would like to organize an event and get together with your classmates.

I look forward to hearing your stories and encourage you to keep in touch. I can be reached at alumni@viu.ca.

David ForresterManager, Alumni RelationsVancouver Island University

I was given a copy of Journey magazine

and I had to write to say what a

great magazine! Please pass on my

appreciation and congratulations to

those who are behind the magazine,

as it’s one fine piece of work .

I may not be a true alum of VIU as I

was never a student, but I do feel very

connected because of my board and

volunteer association with the institution

since 1990 . Reading the articles makes

me so proud to be a part of it all .

Great work has been done and

will continue to be done “on the

hill” . Congratulations are in order for

everyone . VTS - MC - MU-C - VIU just

keeps getting better and better .

Best regards,

Jane gregoryFormer member VIU Board of Governors

Honorary Doctorate of Letters ’99Board Member Malaspina

International High School

It was great to see the article “From

Kenya to Canada” published in

the Spring/Summer 2010 issue

about VIU’s refugee sponsorship

program, but I would like to make

sure everyone who was involved in

the project receives recognition .

The initiative first began under the

guidance of Dr . Catherine Schittecatte,

chair of the Global Studies program

and Dr . Harry Janzen, dean of

Education . It was further fostered by

the Faculty of International Education .

The refugee sponsorship program

was embraced by VIU’s World University

Service of Canada (WUSC) local student

committee, notably Laura Albion,

Celia White, Katie Durvin, Matt Cella,

Lindsay Kruit, Yasmin Abdi, Andrew

Boogaards and Anas Ibrahim . Global

Studies students have also shown

particular enthusiasm for WUSC

projects as a means to enrich their

academic learning and gain experience

related to their future career paths .

The Students’ Union supported WUSC

and played a key role in facilitating

the 2010 referendum which resulted

in the student body voting in favor of

a monthly levy to be applied to the

refugee sponsorship program . The

campaign was led by the current WUSC

committee chaired by Laura Albion

and Katie Durvin, and board members

Celia White, Kegan Pepper-Smith, Tony

Sorchy, Richard Chisholm, Anas Ibrahim,

Cheymus McNulty and Andrew Boogaards .

This group is now organizing for the

arrival of a second sponsored student

from Dadaab camp, also in Kenya .

I would also like to thank all the

community members who supported

the program, including the Mid-Island

Rotaract Club, the surrounding Rotary

Clubs of Nanaimo, Parksville and

Ladysmith, the Zonta club and many

generous individuals . Many community

members also participated in our

fundraiser, Harambee, held annually

in April . Harambee is named after

the Kenyan tradition of community

development activities and means

literally “all pull together” .

The collaborative efforts put forth

by students, faculty and our community

are commendable and reaffirm that

together we can change our world .

My gratitude to all,

kalila wilkinson Former VIU - WUSC chair

and Global Studies student

manager’s message

FALL/WINTER 2010 5

president’s message

Moving towards sustainability

In 2007, B.C.’s provincial government passed Bill 44, which states that all government and public sector organizations must be carbon neutral by the end of 2010 or purchase carbon credits to offset emissions. Since then, VIU has been implementing sustainability initiatives to reduce our footprint, researching new technology such as sustainable building and energy consumption techniques and continuing to support tried and true methods like recycling and composting, introduced to VIU by forward-thinking students more than a decade ago.

Last year we hired our first-ever environment and sustainability manager, Michele Patterson, who is creating a five-year sustainability plan for our campuses. To avoid the prolonged purchase of carbon credits, she’s focusing on long-term initiatives. The new Cowichan campus and the Deep Bay Field Station are being built to LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards, an internationally recognized third-party sustainable building certification system.

The Cowichan campus will meet gold-level certification; the Deep Bay Field Station is designed to meet platinum.

We’re also searching for alternative energy sources to power the buildings and facilities that cost us millions to operate. Recently, a 60-metre test well was drilled into an abandoned mineshaft running underneath the Nanaimo campus. A feasibility study has determined the 850 million litres of water in the mineshaft can be used to create a geo-exchange system, which uses heat pumps to concentrate low-levels of heat in water and turn them into energy that is used to heat or cool buildings. A pilot project is now being designed to test the system in one or two campus facilities. Early indications show that we could reduce our natural gas consumption by 75 percent and our hydro by 25 percent. The system might even have the potential to provide energy to neighbouring facilities, such as the Nanaimo District Secondary School and the Nanaimo Aquatic Centre.

We will continue to explore new and creative ways to reach carbon neutrality and welcome ideas from alumni on how we can further our sustainability goals. Has your company implemented new energy-saving technology? Does your community have a unique recycling program? Please let me know at viewpoint@viu.ca.

Ralph Nilson, PhDPresident and Vice-ChancellorVancouver Island University

“WE WILL CONTINUE TO ExPLORE

NEW AND CREATIVE WAYS TO REACH CARBON

NEUTRALITY AND WELCOME IDEAS FROM

ALUMNI ON HOW WE CAN FURTHER OUR

SUSTAINABILITY GOALS .”

Engineers from JDQ Engineering drill a test well into an abandoned, flooded mineshaft on VIU’s Nanaimo campus to see if the water can be used to create a geo-exchange system.

PHOTO: JDQ ENGINEERING

6

campusnews WHAT’S NEW AT VIU?

However, researchers at VIU are learning there are sometimes negative consequences involved in creating these protected wilderness areas, consequences most keenly felt at the local level. For example, indigenous populations can lose access to traditional fishing, hunting, and agriculture land. And, when a protected area attracts rampant tourism development, the cost of living can sky-rocket, as happened in Tofino, B.C.

Other countries experience different challenges. In Ghana, elephant populations in one park have increased so dramatically, animals are wandering outside park boundaries in search of more habitats. In the process, they’re destroying subsistence farms in villages that surround the park.

To learn how to mitigate these negative consequences, while retaining the benefits of creating protected areas, researchers from Canada, Ghana and Tanzania are

working together on the Protected Areas and Poverty Reduction project. Over the course of five years, they’ll explore comparative approaches for managing protected areas. VIU’s Dr. Grant Murray, head of the Canadian research team, believes working with people from other countries is key to the project’s success.

“They have different ways of managing their protected areas. In Ghana and Tanzania, parks are managed by local populations rather than by the central government as is the case in Canada. It could be an approach we want to incorporate here.”

In the end, they hope to develop a greater understanding of how protected areas and surrounding communities are connected and find a new way to manage protected areas, one that balances all of the social, environmental and economic factors that are intricately linked to the creation of these precious natural reserves. www.papr.co.ca

the problem with nAtionAl pArks

In 1885, Canada established its first national park in Banff . Today, 125 years later, there are 42 national parks and hundreds of provincial parks across the nation .

Then tune in to VIU’s weekly science radio program, Not Rocket Science, which was recently recognized by the National Campus Community Radio Association for its Outstanding Achievement in Current Affairs. Run by a group of VIU science professors, alumni and current students, the show covers topics that range from astronomy to the chemistry of food. It was set up in part to demonstrate the broad range of research being conducted at the university. The group running the program is also out to prove anyone can understand science, that it’s a lot of fun and, that it has relevance outside the lab.

“Science can help you make decisions about your everyday life,” explains Todd

here comes the AwArD-winning

science bit

VIU professor Rick Rollins, member of the PAPR project management team, pushes a traditional canoe through Ghana’s Avu Lagoon CommunityProtected Area, accom-panied by a tour guide and colleague.

PHOTO: DR . GRANT MURRAY

Ever wonder why Rudolph the reindeer’s nose is really red? Or how much science is actually in fiction like Star Trek?

FALL/WINTER 2010 7

Barsby, a VIU chemistry professor who’s been involved with the show since its inception in 2007. “For example, we recently did a show called the World of Plastics. We looked at how our society uses plastic, covering topics such as how Canadian money might one day be printed on thin plastic bills, how plastic affects people’s health, why plastic doesn’t break down like other materials, and why there are beaches around the world that are basically made of plastic garbage that has washed up on shore.”

The show also has a series of regular segments, including one that looks at the science of climate change and another that examines human DNA and, says Barsby, asks the question, “Just how mutant are you?”

Not Rocket Science can be heard on CHLY 101.7 and live-streamed through their website www.chly.ca, every Saturday from 1-1:30pm and repeats every Wednesday at the same time.

As to Rudolph’s nose, the show’s hosts are almost convinced he was suffering from a parasitic infection that could have been cured if one of the elves had had medical training.

What started as a small student project has blossomed into a huge research initiative that has garnered inter-departmental collaboration, interest from the public, scientists and industry, and could potentially help shape the future of the west coast’s aquaculture industries .

Welcome to VIU’s aquaponics project, a method of growing food that combines aquaculture (growing fish) with hydroponics (growing plants) to create a productive agriculture system that’s virtually waste free.

“It’s a cyclical system,” says Daniel Fox, a technician in VIU’s Fisheries and Aquaculture department, who

manages the system with VIU Fisheries and Aquaculture students. “Fish tanks are linked by a series of pipes. As waste products accumulate, water is funnelled through the pipes to a holding tank. There, plants, secured in foam trays, soak up the water, turning the fish waste into nutrients and cleaning the water. It’s then recycled back into the fish tanks. The only thing we really need to do is feed the fish and occasionally top up the water.”

Originally, VIU’s system used a tropical fish, tilapia, and heat-loving plants like basil. Now, the team is experimenting with trout and, on the advice of VIU’s Horticulture department, vegetables and herbs that thrive in a colder, wetter climate. They’ve also been collaborating with Culinary Arts students who are using the herbs and vegetables in dishes served on campus.

Aquaponics is also making waves commercially, as VIU alumnus Bruce Swift (Fisheries and Aquaculture Dipl. ’93), is demonstrating. He runs Swift Aquaculture in Agassiz B.C., and the coho and watercress from his aquaponics system are used by some of Vancouver’s top chefs, keen to use a product that is local, sustainable, and free of pesticides and antibiotics.

“It’s a great example of the potential for aquaponics,” says Fox. “The system is environmentally sound, results in two commercially viable products, fish and vegetables, and recycles a large percentage of its water. It shows that aquaponics could potentially be the aquaculture of the future.”

For more information go to YouTube and search “VIU” and “aquaponics”.

AquAponics system thriVing At Viu

VIU technician Daniel Fox and VIU Fisheries and Aquaculture student Sarah Gordon check out the fish in VIU’s aquaponics system.

campusnews

campusnews

VIU’s library is the home of a First Nations totem pole carved by James Johnny Sr, of the Snuneymuxw. The bottom half of the totem pole, an Orca, represents the Snuneymuxw people, while the Thunderbird stretching its wings, welcomes people from around the world to the Snuneymuxw traditional territory.

chAnging liVes one

book At A time Take 20 people living at or below the poverty line and a VIU professor, stick them in a classroom to debate the ideas in some of the greatest books ever written, and what do you get?

VIU’s Clemente course, a program started in New York City in 1995 by American social critic Earl Shorris. He believed that skills-based training could only do so much to help marginalized populations break out of the cycle of poverty. What they also needed was an introduction to the humanities, specifically the opportunity to engage with others, discussing society’s great moral and ethical issues as raised in works like Plato’s Apology. This, Shorris argued, would teach them to think reflectively, and in turn, give them the ability to critically examine their lives, open up a sense of their own capacities, and understand how to make concrete changes to break the cycle of their negative circumstances.

Fifteen years later, the Clemente course is now taught in more than 60 different countries and the majority of participants

credit it with helping them make positive changes in their lives. Thanks to the efforts of VIU faculty and local organizations, VIU’s Clemente course has just entered its fourth year. For 10 months, students who fulfill course criteria – that they can read a newspaper article, are not current students, can commit to attending class, and are living at or below the poverty level – meet twice a week for two hours at a Nanaimo community centre. There, under the guidance of VIU faculty, they debate ideas raised in texts such as William Blake’s Songs of Innocence, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, and Aristotle’s Nichomachean.

The effects of the course on the students have been profound, says Anne Leavitt, VIU’s dean of Social Sciences, who was instrumental in bringing the program to Nanaimo.

“Many of the students tell me this course saved their lives and they mean that in the most literal sense possible. There’s just something about engaging in the great conversations of one’s culture that has the capacity to reengage people with society in marvelous and unparalleled ways.”

For more information please contact Andrew Scott, Clemente Coordinator, at ascott17@me.com.

At the end of VIU’s 2010 Clemente course, Karen Van Eijk was awarded a scholarship for showing enthusiasm in her studies and an intent to go on to further education. In September 2010 she will be starting VIU’s Community and School Support Worker Program and has plans to move into First Nations studies with a focus on Social Work.

8

totem finDs home in

Viu’s librAry

FALL/WINTER 2010 9

The body of a young, malnourished grey whale washed up on the shores of southern Vancouver Island last spring, and its skeleton will one day take pride of place in VIU’s Deep Bay Field Station, thanks to a co-operative effort between the Scia’new First Nations, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, VIU and volunteers.

In a carefully planned procedure, the carcass of the whale was towed to a sacred site on Scia’new land, then ceremonially buried with cedar boughs as Scia’new Elders looked on. In two years, when the mammal’s flesh has decomposed, the skeleton will be exhumed and, with the help of VIU scientists and students, rearticulated so it can be exhibited at the Deep Bay Field Station.

Waste Management’s (WM) district fleet manager and VIU alumnus John Crabb (Human Resources Associate of Commerce Dipl. ’95) said he was delighted his company was giving students at his alma mater the opportunity to gain hands-on experience with the donation of a WM truck to VIU’s Heavy Duty/Commercial Transport Mechanics program. It’s the fifth truck WM has donated to the program.

Showcasing the truck with John are from (L) to (R) Glenn Tulloch, WM’s district operations manager; VIU instructor Joe Skipsey; John Crabb; VIU instructor Paul Mottershead; and Randy Neufeldt, WM’s district manager.

skeleton of young grey whAle

to become A Viu exhibit

wAste mAnAgement DonAtes truck

for Viu trADes stuDents

PHOTO: BRIAN KINGZETT

campusnews

10

On April 8, 2010, Bob DeBuysscher, seen above holding his Wall of Fame banner, became the fifth person to be inducted into VIU’s Wall of Fame.

DeBuysscher was instrumental in developing Mariner athletics and started the physical education program at Malaspina in 1974. He also coached the Mariner golf team to three provincial titles in 1986, 1988, and 1989.

Future VIU students can look forward to strolling around a campus that was built to an award-winning master plan.

Members of the Society of College and University Planning chose VIU’s innovative campus plan, which includes restoring natural features on campus, promoting environmental stewardship, and creating an academic core easily accessed by surrounding student and market housing, for the 2010 award for Institutional Innovation and Integration.

The judges were also impressed with the extensive consultation process planners carried out with the campus community, the First Nations community, the City of Nanaimo, local businesses and residents in adjacent neighborhoods.

new wAll of fAme mAriner inDuctee

cAmpus mAster plAn wins AwArD

for innoVAtion AnD integrAtion

$1.3 million inVestment

in sturgeon stuDies new mAsters of eDucAtion

in speciAl eDucAtion

This innovative program challenges students to study current research and historical and contemporary special education policies and approaches, and then use them as a foundation to formulate a new approach to special education that best meets the needs of individuals. www.viu.ca/education/programs/m_ed_spec_ed/index.asp

PH

OTO

: B

REN

T D

UN

LOP

VIU’s International Centre for Sturgeon Studies got an economic boost last spring, with a $1.3 million commitment from the Island Coastal Economic Trust. The centre, which is expected to open this fall, will be the only international research centre in North America dedicated to studying this ancient fish.

campusnews

feature Viu reseArchers DelVe into the murkyworlD of seA lice

STUDYING THE SECRETS OF SEA LICE

How sea lice interact with wild and farmed salmon

is one of the most controversial subjects in

fish-farming nations around the world .

In the Pacific Nor thwest, the current debate

concerns whether or not sea lice from farmed

salmon negatively impact B .C .’s wild salmon .

At VIU, student researchers are looking into the world of sea lice, not to address the controversy directly, but to examine the unique role sea lice may play in spreading diseases among both farmed and wild fish populations.

The two main species of lice in B.C.’s waters – Lepeophtheirus salmonis and Caligus clemensi – have nothing in common with the bugs found in children’s hair. Those are insects – arthropods

with three body parts and three pairs of legs. Sea lice are copepods, small tear-shaped aquatic crustaceans, related to shrimp, and often found among plankton. Like mosquitoes they’re also parasites, feeding off live hosts in order to survive, and they have occurred naturally in oceans worldwide for thousands of years.

FALL/WINTER 2010 11PHOTO: DR . SIMON JONES . PHOTO COLLAGE: NANCY PAGé

12

In 2009, VIU professor, Dr. Duane Barker, a fish health parasitologist and marine ecologist, was awarded a $413,000, three-year grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, to examine the lice species most commonly found on salmon, Lepeophtheirus salmonis. He is studying what role the lice play in transmitting diseases to salmon. “No one has demonstrated that sea lice can carry and transmit diseases,” says Barker,

who has studied fish diseases in B.C. and Atlantic Canada for more than 20 years.

He’ll be determining if sea lice are to salmon what mosquitoes

are to humans: Can lice on one salmon

transport pathogens or disease agents, like bacteria or viruses, from one salmon to another one and infect it?

The research could help

scientists in myriad ways: give them a

better understanding of how wild and farmed salmon

interact, clarify which salmon species are most vulnerable to sea lice and diseases, demonstrate when and where potentially dangerous pathogens can be found in the waters surrounding Vancouver Island, and help fish farm managers to best maintain the health of their stock.

VIU student researchers are also involved in the project. “So far we’ve had seven VIU biology undergrads, one who will be continuing grad studies

through UBC with us in the fall; two grad students and one post-doc,” says Barker.

The students are studying two pathogens: a bacterium (Aeromonas) that infects fish worldwide, causing blisters on their skin and sometimes death, and the IHN (Infectious Hematopoietic Necrosis) virus that can also be fatal. The first questions they asked were: Can lice carry these pathogens and, if so, do they acquire them indirectly, simply picking them up from contaminated water, or, directly, from feeding on infected salmon? So far their research shows that sea lice can carry pathogens and can acquire them both from the water and from feeding directly on salmon. However, it’s also showing lice can only retain a virus from the water for a short period of time, no longer than 48 hours, and that to acquire the bacteria or virus from the water it must be in concentrations that far exceed what is normally found in nature. In contrast, the students are finding lice acquire both pathogens at much higher levels when they feed directly on experimentally infected salmon.

The next stage of the research will try to determine if sea lice are true vectors or ‘carriers’ of the pathogens. “To be a true vector, a cyclical relationship must exist between salmon and lice: lice feed on salmon infected with a pathogen and acquire the pathogen; the lice swim to other salmon, feed on them, and transmit the pathogen to that salmon,” explains Barker. This stage is critical: true vectors have the potential to spread pathogens among a fish population, while accidental vectors – lice that pick up pathogens just from the water – may not, because they carry pathogens at very low levels.

Several different trials are being

WHILE THE CONTROVERSY RAGES, ONE THING

IS CLEAR: MORE RESEARCH IS NEEDED

BEFORE THE COMPLEx RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN

SEA LICE AND SALMON CAN BE FULLY

UNDERSTOOD .

Laura Braden (BSc in Biology ’07, BSc in Psychology ’09) at a fish farm on B.C.’s west coast, gathering lice samples for her graduate research, being done through UVic.

This Aeromonas bacteria colony, containing millions of individual bacteria cells, was cultivated in the lab by VIU researchers to use in their experiments.

feature

FALL/WINTER 2010 13

conducted. Students will take lice infected from feeding on salmon, and lice infected by pathogens in water, then put them on separate groups of healthy Atlantic and pink salmon. They’ll then examine where the infection occurs in the salmon – externally or in the tissues – and how long it takes to develop. The results will help show whether lice, like mosquitoes that carry and transmit malaria, are true vectors, feeding on an infected host, then feeding on other hosts and infecting them. “If we show lice are true vectors,” explains Barker, “it’s not a matter of whether pathogens come from wild or farmed fish but that they could both potentially infect each other.”

At the same time researchers will examine what’s happening to different species of salmon – the Atlantic farmed salmon, as well as the native pink and chum – at the lice feeding site. They’ll be asking a series of questions: Are lice suppressing the salmon’s immune system? Does the lice feeding site act as a portal for pathogens to infect salmon? Do different salmon species react differently to lice? Graduate student, Laura Braden, explains: “Past research indicates sea lice secrete a compound that regulates the salmon’s immune system. It makes sense because parasites such as sea lice, want to stay on their hosts. If their hosts exhibit a massive inflammatory response they’ll shed their parasites. Parasites don’t want that – without their host they’d die. So they’ve come up with ways to hide from their host’s immune system.”

So far they’ve found a drastic difference between the reactions of the native pink and Atlantic farmed salmon—the pink vigorously fight back sea lice infestations, the Atlantic put up limited resistance.

Industry Implications“Once we’ve determined if lice are true

vectors for both pathogens, we’ll look at another type of bacteria to demonstrate the research is repeatable,” says Barker.

questions are surfacing: Are male or female lice better carriers? Can female lice pass pathogens to their offspring? Do pathogens affect the behavior of sea lice? What methods are best used for detecting pathogens in and/or on sea lice? Questions such as these and the implications for such an important part of the Pacific Northwest’s environment and industry could attract more funding, keeping VIU and its students involved in this vital research for many years. By adding to existing research, Barker and his team might also help mitigate some of the controversy that continues to swirl around these ancient ocean creatures, and contribute to an understanding of how to best maintain the health of the west coast’s ecosystems.

The researchers involved in the project include from (L) to (R) back row: Colin Novak (BSc in Biology ‘09) graduate student at UBC; Dr. Duane Barker, VIU professor; Dr. Eva Jakob, a visiting post-doctoral fellow from Kiel University in Germany; Danielle Lewis (BSc in Biology ’10) who is continuing her graduate studies on the project through UBC. Front row: VIU Biology undergrads T.J. Bickerton, Brenna Collicutt and Katie Verkaik. Missing: Amanda Stull (BSc in Biology ’10), Marie Sandeman-Allen (BSc in Biology ’10) and Remylee Martin (BSc in Biology ’10).

The team will later move into field studies. “If lice are true vectors, it would be great to know what time of year they are potentially carrying something dangerous and if there are certain areas where pathogens are more prevalent,” explains Barker, “That will have implications for fish farm health management.” For example, if the research shows certain pathogens are common in lice in the summer, fish farms may want to do a seasonal lice treatment, to prevent infected lice from potentially harming their stock. It will also lead to a better understanding of the interactions between parasite and host which is crucial, says Braden, if other issues, such as whether wild or farmed salmon are more at risk of acquiring pathogens, are going to be addressed.

As the research continues more

feature

“IT’S NOT A MATTER OF WHETHER PATHOGENS COME FROM WILD OR FARMED FISH BUT THAT

THEY COULD BOTH POTENTIALLY INFECT EACH OTHER .”

14

VIEW FROM THE TOP SPOT

DEDICATION AND BUSINESS SMARTS HELPED WARREN ERHART (HOTEL

AND RESTAURANT MANAGEMENT ’76) INTO THE PRESIDENT’S CHAIR

AT WHITE SPOT, BUT HE ATTRIBUTES MUCH OF HIS SUCCESS TO SOME

SIMPLE ADVICE HIS MOTHER GAVE HIM: LEAVE THINGS BETTER THAN

YOU FOUND THEM .

feature 2010 DistinguisheD Alumni AwArD winner wArren erhArt hAs his hAnDs fullwith white spot

PHOTO: LANCE SULLIVAN

FALL/WINTER 2010 15

feature

Hanging in a door frame at White Spot’s head office is a sign that

reads, on one side, “What are you going to do today to make a difference?” On the other it asks, “Did you give it your best shot?” These are two of Erhart’s

“Warrenisms” – small reminders we have limited time and should use it to do something we’re proud of. They are questions Erhart asks himself every day, whether he’s working or indulging in his favourite pastime, watching hockey.

Like many Canadians, Erhart developed a passion for hockey at an early age, loyally following the Canucks and, while studying at Malaspina, donning a goalie mask for the college team. Later he warmed many an arena seat, cheering on his son, Matt, who played Division 1 hockey at Quinnipiac University in Connecticut. When Erhart was given two tickets to the gold-medal final in the 2010 Winter Olympics, he called Matt to see where he was going to watch the game.

His reply? “‘At a bar’.” Erhart flashes a mischievous grin. “So I said, oh, then I’ll just give these tickets to someone else.” Later, when they arrived at the rink, Matt wouldn’t let go of the tickets. “He was like an eight-year-old,” says Erhart. Watching his face, it’s hard to tell whether Erhart was more excited about the game or that he’d made Matt’s day, surprising him with tickets to one of the greatest games in Canadian hockey history.

“That’s just who he is,” explains Jennifer Moyou, general manager of the North Nanaimo White Spot, “always stepping out of the box, doing something special, encouraging and motivating you.”

Peter Toigo, whose family owns White Spot, agrees. “Nothing is too big as far as he’s concerned.” He recalls a woman who called White Spot to say her friend, who was from B.C. but lived in California, was dying of emphysema and

desperately wanted a White Spot burger. Erhart heard the story and suddenly a planned California business trip took on a new meaning. “Warren packed pickles, Triple O’s sauce and buns,” says Toigo, “and we paid this lady a visit.”

“There we were, flipping burgers in her kitchen,” Erhart recalls, smiling.

“You should’ve seen her face as she wolfed them back.”

Stories like this are commonplace among White Spot employees, too. When Moyou was promoted into management at a new restaurant, she couldn’t accept the raise – it would mean losing her childcare subsidy. “Then, I got a message to stop by our home office.” Waiting for her was a new computer. Now she could work, part of the time, from home. For the single mom it meant a lot more than a raise.

“THIS JOB IS A PERSONAL COMMITMENT . I WORK FOR

WARREN . SOMEONE COULD OFFER ME THREE TIMES

THE SALARY . I WOULDN’T BUDGE .”

PHOTO: LANCE SULLIVAN

A lifelong hockey fan, Erhart played goalie for the Malaspina Mariners in Nanaimo’s old Civic Arena.

16

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Erhart started his career at 15, serving Big Macs at McDonald’s in Nanaimo’s Terminal Park Mall. When George Tidball, who owned the rights to the McDonald’s franchise in Western Canada, started the Keg, he took his brightest McDonald’s staff with him. That included Erhart. “Even then I could see his leadership qualities. He was bright, wasn’t abrasive and knew how to train staff,” says Tidball.

He was also dedicated: “People make choices about what they do with their time. While a lot of my buddies were out socializing, I was building a career,” Erhart says, sharing hard-earned advice for today’s graduates: “Your piece of paper is one step on your road to success. Don’t expect to walk out of VIU into a high-paying career job.”

Erhart worked his way through the ranks at the Keg, starting as a bus boy and finishing as district manager for Ontario’s largest Keg operation. In 1990 he joined White Spot as division general manager

– four years later he was president. He’s now held that position longer than anyone, barring founder Nat Bailey. During his tenure White Spot has introduced Triple O’s – smaller quick-service versions of

the restaurant – grown from 23 locations to 118, expanded into Asia and, in 2007, received the prestigious BCAMA (British Columbia American Marketing Association) “Marketer of the Year” designation, for successfully revitalizing its 80-year-old brand. “When you have a concept as old as White Spot you have to turn the ship carefully so you don’t lose the passengers you have, yet you want to pick up new customers. Erhart’s done a remarkable job achieving that,” says Toigo.

One way he did that was by adding a contemporary twist to White Spot’s traditional values of great food, service and prices. “I noticed chefs with television shows, cookbooks, some even appearing on Oprah,” explains Erhart, “and I thought, ‘today’s sex symbol is the chef.’ Then I discovered two of Vancouver’s top chefs, John Bishop and Rob Feenie, regularly go to White Spot.” It was all he needed to spearhead the celebrity chefs campaign featuring Bishop, Feenie and VIU alumna Melissa Craig. It was a huge success: People’s perceptions of the brand changed; a younger market started digging into celebrity-chef-inspired dishes, but long-term customers still relished traditional favourites like the legendary burger. “Last year,” says Erhart, “was the most profitable year in White Spot history.”

For Erhart, profits are just one part of the picture. He’s also dedicated to making White Spot as a better place for staff and customers, whether that means helping staff open restaurants on Christmas Day to raise funds for charity or personally planning an unforgettable wedding anniversary for two long-time customers.

“I feel an enormous responsibility…it keeps me up sometimes. I’ve been entrusted with this wonderful thing called White Spot – I can’t screw it up. It’s not just the 4,000 employees. It’s that 16 million guests came here last year.” That level

“I NOTICED THESE CHEFS WITH TELEVISION SHOWS, COOKBOOKS, EVEN APPEARING ON OPRAH,” ExPLAINS ERHART, “AND I THOUGHT, ‘TODAY’S SEx SYMBOL IS THE CHEF .’”

The first White Spot drive-in, which Nat Bailey, founder of the restaurant, opened in 1928 on the corner of Granville Street and 67th Avenue in Vancouver.

PHOTO: COURTESY OF WHITE SPOT LIMITED

FALL/WINTER 2010 17

feature

feature

red seal certification program

Since 2008, White Spot and

VIU have been developing an

innovative partnership that

allows talented Vancouver

Island White Spot employees

the opportunity to gain their

Red Seal Certification while still

working at the restaurant . The

certification is a prestigious,

nationally recognized

certification that acknowledges

broad culinary knowledge and

skill . The partnership allows VIU

to build its relationships within

the restaurant industry, while

giving White Spot employees

the opportunity to meet once

a week with White Spot’s

corporate training chef, James

Kennedy, and VIU’s world class

instructors to learn advanced

culinary arts skills in VIU’s

classroom facilities and state-

of-the-art training kitchen .

of commitment can be overwhelming. “I can’t go through a restaurant without being positive. Everyone’s watching; you gotta be ‘the guy’. Sometimes you might not feel like it, but you’re expected to be a role model and you have to do it.”

Erhart relieves some of the pressure with laughter. “He’s constantly chuckling and laughing, always seconds away from telling a joke. It’s a very endearing quality,” says Denise Buchanan, White Spot’s vice-president of human resources.

He also likes travelling to hot spots like Mexico, relaxing with his wife, four children and seven grandchildren, and taking photos. “His portfolio would make a professional jealous,” says Buchanan. “People are always asking him to take wedding photos; his landscapes are beautiful.”

Erhart’s business smarts and uncanny ability to lead, inspire, and share a laugh, have earned him something that can’t be measured by awards or market forces: invaluable staff loyalty. “This job is a personal commitment. I work for Warren. Someone could offer me three

“I FEEL AN ENORMOUS RESPONSIBILITY…IT KEEPS ME UP SOMETIMES . I’VE BEEN ENTRUSTED WITH THIS WONDERFUL THING CALLED WHITE SPOT – I CAN’T SCREW IT UP .”

*Authorization from the CCDA to use the

Red Seal logo does not necessarily infer its

endorsement of the document content.

times the salary. I wouldn’t budge,” says Moyou. “They say everyone’s replaceable. He’s not. He’s an amazing man with an amazing vision.”

Buchanan has a different take. “If he left he’d be unbelievably missed. But Warren has a saying: ‘It’s how things run when you aren’t there that’s a real measure of your leadership calibre.’ He’d leave a powerful legacy to guide people for a long time.”

Soon Erhart, who was inducted into B.C.’s Restaurant Hall of Fame in September 2010, will take on a new challenge: chair of the 11,000-member Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association. “That a kid from Nanaimo can run the biggest hospitality association in Canada is a pretty amazing thing.” He grins as though surprised he’s been given the opportunity. In the end, everyone knows he’ll leave it a better place than he found it.

Employees at a Triple O’s in Hong Kong, gather for a group shot before serving hungry guests at one of the busiest locations in the world.

PHOTO: COURTESY OF WHITE SPOT LIMITED

18

feature AlumnA builDing AlliAnces with guAtemAlA’s

mAyA communities

THE MAYA OF GUATEMALA, DECIMATED BY LATIN AMERICA’S LONGEST CIVIL WAR

WHICH RAGED FROM 1960 TO 1996, ARE REBUILDING IN THE FACE OF SYSTEMIC

PREJUDICE AND ABJECT POVERTY . VIU ALUMNA AND 2010 HORIZON AWARD

WINNER, rebekAh shoop (BSC NURSING WITH DISTINCTION ’02), HAS FOUND

HER PURPOSE WORKING WITH THEM TO CREATE A BRIGHTER FUTURE .

FOUND IN TRANSLATION

PHOTO: LESLIE SUNDBY

*The Alumni horizon AwArd is given To A grAduATe for ouTsTAnding AchievemenT wiThin 10 yeArs of obTAining A credenTiAl from viu.

feature

Shoop hugs two of Alianza’s local staff members, Sofia Salvador Garcia (L) and Magnolia Matias Orozco

(R). Standing behind her are Alianza board

members, Celia White, Bob Wilson, Craig McGuigan

and Ali Sundby.

FALL/WINTER 2010 19

In 1998, in Guatemala’s highlands, a young Maya woman goes into labour in her mountainside hut. A local woman hovers nearby with words of comfort, but no skills if anything goes wrong. The baby is born safely but underweight. Soon he develops pneumonia and a few days later, dies. This is Comitancillo, one of Guatemala’s poorest municipalities, where 98 percent of the population is indigenous Maya. Rates of malnutrition, infant mortality and unemployment soar above an already high national average.

Thousands of kilometres away, at the University of Victoria, Rebekah Shoop has just finished a BSc in Biology. Although she’s excited to be done, her focus has already shifted to a country that’s fascinated her since she tutored Guatemalan refugees during university. She heard horror stories about the 36-year civil war, the 200,000 murdered, mostly Maya, the unspeakable atrocities. She’s drawn there, so skipping convocation, she boards a plane and heads south. When she arrives she’s surprised by what she finds. “Despite the horrible, deadly history, a history that’s filled with terrible racism and human rights abuses, the Maya were courteous, philosophical and resilient. I also couldn’t believe how strong they were. This conflict was backed by the U.S. government – and the Maya resisted for 36 years.”

Intent on hearing their stories first hand, she weaves her way through rural communities and discovers that, two years after the peace accords were signed to end the war, the Maya are still taking stock of what happened. They have limited resources, namely their independent spirit and dignity. Many of their leaders were murdered; others, still in exile. Ladinos, people of Spanish descent, still tightly control access to power and resources, despite peace accord promises to be more inclusive.

Rebekah begins to understand that if you truly want to work with the community, there’s a place for you. So she starts asking, “What can I do if I want to come back and help?”

The answer is always the same: “We need healthcare.”

“I took those words to heart,” explains Shoop, “and applied for nursing at Malaspina-University College.” Her plan was to complete nursing; go to medical school; return to Guatemala and put her skills to work.

The plan seemed sound: At Malaspina, Shoop was an excellent student and, after graduation, took a staff position at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital before applying for medical school at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. A year later, in 2003, she received a life-changing letter – a rejection notice from McMaster. Suddenly her goal to provide medical expertise to the Maya seemed unattainable. Waves of frustration washed over her; her confidence ebbed away. “The letter took away a sense of hope and purpose,” she says, “it felt like, ‘So, now what? In the end it forced me to make a decision to go anyway, see what I could do as a nurse.”

A few months later she was in Comitancillo, struggling with the contrast between the beauty of the environment and people, and the harsh realities of life.

“You sit on the hillside and feel like magical

Shoop gives Belarmino Temaj a hug. She first met Belarmino, a Mayan boy, when he came to the clinic as a patient.

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20

things are happening,” says Shoop, “but I saw things where I didn’t know what to do or say. I couldn’t believe the misfortune, the cruelty, the inequities I was seeing.”

She heard heartbreaking tales of men who worked on farms for Ladinos, returning home with a pittance in their pocket and pesticide burns on their bodies; pregnant women travelling hours to hospital, giving birth without pain medication, and 18-year-old Ladina nurses, who were often hostile to Maya patients, repairing tears and episiotomies.

Shoop was again inspired by the Maya’s dignity, intact in the face of such difficulties. So, she put her nursing skills to work, conducted a needs assessment, talked with community leaders, government and non-governmental organizations and created a community health care proposal. In April 2004 she returned to Canada.

“She had a photograph album of the area and people, and a letter with signatures from community leaders saying this is what we need, a nursing clinic,” says Robert Pepper-Smith, Shoop’s ethics professor at VIU. “She’d done the work and knew what the community wanted.” She’d also started a non-profit called Alianza.

“Alianza means ‘alliance’ in Spanish,” explains Shoop. She chose the name with care, wanting to be clear she wouldn’t dictate to the Maya how they should help themselves. “I wanted to help from the inside, wanted to do something without being disempowering.” For six months she stayed in Canada and, with the help of others, including Pepper-Smith, raised $30,000, before returning to Guatemala in September 2004. Seven months later, in collaboration with Comitancillo’s Maya community, she opened the doors of Alianza’s first nursing clinic. But Shoop wasn’t satisfied. She kept thinking of Justo, a four-year-old boy, who had come to the clinic with a life-threatening condition: a kidney stone was blocking urine flow from his bladder, and had caused a severe urinary tract infection.

Dr. Roland Procter, a retired Canadian doctor, who was volunteering at the clinic for three months, quickly diagnosed him, and sent him to hospital. “I witnessed Dr. Procter saving lives with his diagnostic and emergency management skills,” says Shoop. She again applied to medical school. This time, McMaster accepted her.

In 2010, though the Maya are still Guatemala’s most impoverished population, life is better in Comitancillo. Shoop is now a doctor doing her residency, part of which will be in Comitancillo. Alianza will soon break ground on a community health centre and the non-profit’s programs are making a difference:

“Mothers are learning basic hygiene and nutrition and babies are leaving the clinic with healthy birth weights, not dying of pneumonia. Children are being educated so they can maybe move out of the poverty cycle,” says Pepper-Smith.

Rebekah has truly allied herself with the community – four years ago, dressed in colourful, traditional dress and surrounded by Maya, she became a godmother to one of the local children. That deep, personal connection is still at the heart of Shoop’s work: “I need the people of Comitancillo much more than they need me. When I first went there, I had been turned down for medical school. I went feeling lost and…I found myself. I came out much stronger than when I went in and that’s continued. By giving back I see people at their best, in Comitancillo and in Canada, and that’s the biggest reward of this whole Alianza project.”

As well as a walk-in health clinic, Alianza organizes the following community programs:

women’s HealtH Program: Promotes women’s health and self-

esteem by teaching them how to keep

themselves and their families healthy .

Provides nutritional information,

supplements and medications and

also promotes the development

of artisanal skills so women can

achieve economic independence .

Prenatal Program: Helps decrease the levels of maternal

and infant mortality by teaching

women how to care for themselves

and their babies during pregnancy and

post-delivery . Emphasis is placed on

hygiene, diet, what to expect during

delivery, how to care for a newborn,

and family planning . It also includes

access to funds if extra care, such

as an ultrasound, medications or

hospital delivery, is required .

Program for senior women: Fosters a sense of community

and support among Comitancillo’s

elder Maya women with regular

meetings, discussions about

their culture, history, and current

lives . Also provides extra food

and nutritional supplements .

DisPensary: Provides affordable medications to

participants of the other programs .

youtH taking resPonsibility: Classes teach local youth about

birth control, gender equality, social

rights, poverty, alcohol abuse,

and how education can help them

break out of the cycle of poverty .

If you’d like to help please contact Alianza at t: (250) 753-1124

Toll Free: 1-800-982-7761

e: alianza .email@gmail .com

w: alianza .kics .bc .ca

“I WANTED TO HELP FROM THE INSIDE, WANTED TO DO SOMETHING WITHOUT BEING DISEMPOWERING .”

Shoop smiles alongside her husband Fernando Polanco and two-year old daughter Marissa Polanco.

20

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FALL/WINTER 2010 21

alumniin view GRADUATES ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE HERE,

THERE AND EVERYWHERE .

success squAreD

The resumes of twin brothers Doug (BBA ’07 with Distinction) and Terry (completed two years of BBA ’02) Beech would impress many a prospective employer .

After winning enough scholarships and grants to put themselves through university debt free, they quickly climbed the career ladder, achieving executive positions two short years after graduation. Last year they started their own online company – hiretheworld.com, a crowd-sourcing marketplace – that is attracting international venture funding and piqued the interest of CBC’s The Dragon’s Den. (Crowd-sourcing is a system that allows individuals and organizations to outsource work to a large, and often international, online network of professionals.) The duo has also spent time sky-diving, skiing and travelling the world.

When you consider their childhoods included foster homes, impoverished circumstances and no support or encouragement to pursue higher education, the level of success they’ve achieved is quite simply, remarkable.

“When we were kids we didn’t have much money but we had a lot of ambition so we improvised,” explains Terry. “We had puppet shows in the backyard that we charged for; collected bottles; had three paper routes.” That ambition, combined with encouragement from a high school teacher, saw Terry running for and winning a seat on Nanaimo’s City Council when he was just 18 years old, making him Canada’s youngest elected politician and opening his eyes to the benefits of higher education.

“I knew I couldn’t run for office and say I worked in a doughnut shop,” says Terry. “So I signed up for classes at VIU.” With no monetary support or encouragement from home, Terry had to fund his studies himself. So, he started applying for scholarships. Over the course of his university career,

which included two years at VIU, a BA from Simon Fraser University (SFU) and an MBA from Oxford University in England, he won more than $85,000 in scholarships and grants.

Doug, inspired by his brother’s success, followed his example, also putting himself though university debt free, supported by scholarships. “Because I had no financial worries, I was able to seek out really interesting volunteer opportunities and great internships. So, when I graduated, I had this amazing resume.”

Today, the brothers are clearly delighted with their achievements. Terry is an instructor of entrepreneurship and strategy at SFU and both brothers are working hard, along with their partner Arash Afrooze, to promote and expand hiretheworld.com. They’ve even found time to establish and run a successful non-profit called Twinbro (www.twinbro.com) with the aim of sharing the secret of their success with as many students as possible.

“You don’t have to settle for a dead- end job just because you’re from a poor family,” says Doug.

Terry agrees. “Sometimes kids just need to be encouraged,” he says. “They could be huge contributors to the Canadian economy, solving cancer or flying to the moon, and just need someone to give them the tools to do it.” And that’s where Twinbro comes in. The brothers travel to high schools across Canada, giving workshops to students on the benefits of higher education, and tips on how to apply for scholarships and grants. So far, according to the brothers, more than 100 students have applied for, earned scholarships and gone on to higher education because of these workshops.

Next up, the brothers are publishing a book to support their non-profit work. In the meantime, they’ll continue to live by and share their own hard-earned advice: You have the resources at your fingertips to do great things. Harness them to do something you’re passionate about and you’ll be surprised at how amazing your life can be.

Doug and Terry Beech with business partner Arash Afrooze.

22

Viu’s top gun

Greg Harris’ (BA in Psychology with Distinction ’02) ‘to do’ list at work includes administration work, teaching, and flying $900 million aircraft that travel at Mach 2 – twice the speed of sound (or approximately 2,100 km/hour) .

Harris, who is based in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, trains fighter pilots for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), through the NATO Flying Training in Canada program (NFTC). “I’ve always loved flying,” says Harris. “I was one of those kids who, at five years old, sat at the airport screaming as the big airplanes landed and took off. I took private flying lessons as soon as I was old enough. I actually thought I’d be a commercial pilot.” His plans shifted when he graduated from VIU and found out the Canadian military was hiring pilots.

“I had applied to do an MBA at VIU, but when I saw the military needed pilots

I thought ‘this could be kind of cool’.” He applied at the base in Victoria, along with 400 others from across western Canada. Four were chosen to enter the next training stage, including Harris.

“They sent the four of us to Toronto where we met up with 11 others from across Canada. Then all of us were put through flight simulator training. It wasn’t about our flying experience, they were basically testing us to see how fast we reacted mentally and physically to different situations,” explains Harris. The group was also put through stringent medical tests. A few months later, Harris found out he

and three others had made the final cut.“Before we could start flight training

though, we had 12 weeks of basic officer training, and five weeks of leadership exercises that included outdoor courses, the kind where they leave you in the

woods for a few days with only matches, a sleeping bag and four jujubes.”

In January 2005, Harris finally began the intense fighter pilot training he’d been dreaming about since signing up. For more than a year he was put through his flying paces, learning complicated aerobatics and turns, low level navigation (500 feet above the ground) and advanced double attack formation flying. In June 2007, after successfully completing all four phases of the training, he was awarded his military wings on the Hawk, a jet that’s second only to the powerful F-18 Hornet, in terms of speed.

“It’s a really smooth ride,” says Harris describing what it feels like to fly in one of the elite machines. Today, as an instructor for the NFTC, he teaches prospective NATO fighter pilots how to control and maneouvre these specialized aircraft.

“Because it’s a NATO program, I get to work with people from all over the world, places like Singapore, Australia, Hungary, Denmark, and Italy,” he says. Of course, he also understands there are complex moral issues that come with a job that entails training men and women to go into combat. “I do sometimes wrestle with this, and I’ve seen others struggle, too. But, I really, truly believe what we are doing is for the greater good.”

He also loves his job despite the grueling schedule of non-stop 12-hour days. “I get to fly in some of the fastest, most advanced jets in the world,” smiles Harris. For a kid who’s wanted to fly since he was five, he doesn’t feel his career is really ‘work’, but more like a dream come true.

“I GET TO FLY IN SOME OF THE FASTEST, MOST ADVANCED JETS IN THE WORLD .”

alumniin view

PHOTO: ZACHARIE CHARBONNEAU (WWW .DIGITALZ .CA)

FALL/WINTER 2010 23

Viu AlumnAe step into the coAch’s corner For players who were at the top of their respective games as students – Danielle (Gaudet) Hyde (BA in Tourism Management ’03) won numerous honours as one of B.C.’s top volleyball players while Maria Kirkbride (BA in Physical Education ’09) did the same with basketball – it would seem moving into coaching after graduation would be a logical next step. And, it might have been if they were men. Unfortunately the number of women who go on to become coaches is very small. According to Canada’s National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) only 29 percent of coaches who gain Level 1

NCCP coaching certification are women, and only 11 percent gain Level 5, the organization’s highest certification.

Fortunately, both Hyde and Kirkbride had mentors at VIU who encouraged them to pursue their coaching aspirations by taking advantage of the Canadian Colleges Athletic Association (CCAA) Female Apprentice Coaching Program. The program provides funds to qualifying colleges and universities to create an apprentice coaching position for exceptional female athletes. In 2005, under the mentorship of Bruce Hunter (Leisure Services ’81), VIU’s director of athletics, Hyde was accepted into the program as an apprentice coach to VIU’s women’s volleyball team. “Being a part of this program made a huge difference. It allowed me to pursue an MSc in Sports Management and get my Level 2 coaching certification.”

Kirkbride started the program in September 2009, as apprentice coach to former VIU Mariner, Bill McWhinnie, head coach of the women’s basketball team. She has now completed Level 1 and 2 coaching certifications and hopes to take her new skills along a career path that will help address those dismal female coaching statistics. “I’d like to complete more coaching levels and work as a head coach in high school.” In the meantime, both Hyde and Kirkbride will be on the court, honing their coaching skills and encouraging VIU’s female players to follow their sporting passion as far as they want it to take them.

For more information on the program go to the CCAA website, www.ccaa.ca, and click on ‘Coaching Development’ under the ‘Members Area’ tab.

PHOTO: BRENT DUNLOP

alumniin view

24

In 2008, after spending fifteen years working for the RCMP in the Yukon, Scott Wessell (above) (Forestry Technology ’86; Resource Management Officer Technology ’90) accepted a promotion to collision reconstructionist in Dawson Creek. He now evaluates the scene of severe and fatal crashes to determine the cause of the crash. Using forensic science techniques he gathers and evaluates roadway evidence and hair and blood samples, performs injury analysis, and looks at how the vehicle was damaged. The information he collects is used by various parties – lawyers, ICBC, engineers – to help solve criminal and civil cases. Because of his background, Wessell is also asked to do forensic surveying for murders, attempted murders, serious assaults and plane crashes.

1990s

Sheri Bakes’ (Dipl. of Fine Arts ’95) oil paintings are in galleries throughout North America including the Bau-Xi Gallery in Vancouver and Toronto, the Foster White Gallery in Seattle and the Cella Gallery in Los Angeles. Her work is also in private and permanent collections around the world.

Katharine Holmes (Graphic Arts ’96) is an associate member of the Society of Graphic Designers of Canada and is the senior creative director for ideazone.ca, a web and graphic design company in Victoria, B.C.

classnotes

LET US KNOW ABOUT YOUR NEW JOB, PROMOTION, WEDDING, FAMILY ADDITION, TRAVELS, OR FURTHER ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENTS AT ALUMNI@VIU .CA .

1970s Bernard Casavant (Culinary Arts ’76) was one of the first chefs in Canada to receive the esteemed “Chef de Cuisine” certification and in 2008 was inducted into the B.C. Restaurant Hall of Fame. He’s worked at some of B.C.’s finest dining establishments, started his own restaurant and today is executive chef at the Manteo Resort in Kelowna.

1980s

Walter Martella (Associate in Music Dipl. ’88) studied at UVic and the Banff school of Fine Arts before returning to his hometown of Powell River in 1993. He now works for the internationally acclaimed Powell River Academy of Music, conducting choirs and teaching piano, trumpet and music theory. He’s also released two CDs and performs in various concerts and jazz festivals throughout the year.

For 11 years, Peg Montgomery (Culinary Arts ’84) honed her cooking and martini mixing skills as executive chef at Delilah’s in Vancouver. In 2000, she headed to Melaque, Mexico where she was owner and chef of the popular beachside café, Restaurante Maya, for ten years. Today, she spends half the year in Melaque at her new restaurant, Maya’s Tapas Bar, and half the year in Secret Cove B.C., as executive chef at the Upper Deck Café.

Sheri Bakes’ Sugar Loaf Mountain.

FALL/WINTER 2010 25

Brent Jarvis (Associate in Jazz Music ’98) founded his own music school, The Brent Jarvis Academy of Music, in Victoria. He recently released his third album with the Brent Jarvis Quartet, entitled Daedalus, and frequently performs in venues around Vancouver Island. www.bjamusic.ca

Kerri Tuggle (Office Administration ’93) is the secretary of the administration division at the Saanich Police Department. She has two children and lives in Victoria B.C.

Mitch Wright (Associate in Physical Education Dipl. ’96, UVic BA in Liberal Studies ’97) has won both provincial and national awards for his newspaper reporting and editing skills and is currently the managing editor of the Nanaimo News Bulletin. Trudy Wynans (Associate in Commerce Diploma ’95) is the creator of a hand-crafted jewellry line called TOODLEBUNNY Designs. Her work has been featured in Flare, Metro, Elle and Lou Lou, and is in boutiques across Canada. www.toodlebunny.com

2000s

Melanie Bennett (BA in Education ’04) is a Grade 2 teacher in Whitehorse and also works with a group of young Yukon singers and drummers who make up the Takhini Dunena Ali group. They perform traditional Yukon First Nation songs and dances.

Karen Berry (BTM ’02) is the founder of KMOTION dance in Calgary where she teaches dance to adults and children. She’s also a choreographer and performer, and works with Footprints Dance Project, an organization that creates opportunities for disadvantaged children to participate in the arts.

Carol Bob (above) (BSc in Fisheries and Aquaculture ’09) is a research assistant in the Applied Environmental Research Lab at VIU. Currently she’s studying the water quality in some of Vancouver Island’s rivers that are infested with algae commonly known as ‘rock snot’ and scientifically known as Didymosphenia geminata. She’s also the project co-coordinator for the Awareness of Climate Change through Education and Research team, a group of VIU students and faculty whose goal is to increase understanding of the science behind climate change. One way they’re doing that is through a presentation the team developed for Grade 10 students called Introduction to the Science of Climate Change. So far they’ve visited schools across B.C and shown it to more than 3,000 students.

Rodger Cartegena (Culinary Arts ’05) has been a cook in the Navy for five years and is currently cooking at Work Point in Esquimalt, B.C. He’s also completed one tour of duty with the HMCS Toronto which included circumnavigating Africa. Next up is a tour to Afghanistan or Camp Mirage, in Dubai.

classnotes

26

classnotes

Tisha Cobey (BA in Criminology ’07) is a staff member at the Carmichael Enterprises Youth Residential Program in Nanaimo, teaching disabled youth life and vocational skills with the goal of improving their quality of life and fostering their independence.

Tracy Dixon (BA in Liberal Studies ’07) was a yoga teacher and massage practitioner for 12 years. Her work took her into the Himalayas where she taught yoga to alpine enthusiasts. Today she’s switched gears to work for Mastermynde Mediaworks, an internet marketing and web design company.

Julia Donaldson (BTM ’03) moved to Ottawa in 2005 to take on the role of tour and travel sales manager for Ottawa Tourism. Today she’s a sales executive for Ottawa’s Holiday Inn, and looks after government, diplomatic and large group tour markets.

Renee Farquhar (Licensed Practical Nurse ’03) was part of the first LPN class to graduate from the Cowichan Campus in 2003. She’s now married, has three boys and is currently a fourth year BSc Nursing student at UVic doing a practicum at Cowichan District Hospital.

After graduation, Simon Fudge (BA in Creative Writing ’01), headed to Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England to join the editorial staff of planetfootball.com, a British-based soccer website. When the company became part of skyports.com, he began reporting on English soccer leagues and was given the opportunity to cover two World Cups and two European Championships. In 2007, Fudge moved back to Canada to join the marketing and communications department at the Vancouver Whitecaps Football Club. There he writes content for the club’s website, including game previews and reports, feature stories, player bios and press releases.

Lions and tigers are part and parcel of Chris Green’s (above) (BA in History ’09) everyday working life. After graduation he returned to his roots in South Africa where he earned qualifications in advanced rifle training and advanced snake handling, skills he now uses as Activities and Training Manager for two exclusive lodges in Tanzania’s Selous Game Reserve. His main responsibilities are to train new guides in the ways of the bush and teach them the proper etiquette to use with the lodge’s high-profile clients. He’s also responsible for creating new resort activities such as game drives, bush walks and dinner and riverboat safaris and mapping out new roads so clients can take in the elephants, lions, leopards, African hunting dogs and rhinos that live in the 55,000 sq/kilometre reserve.

Jesse Kienlen (BA in Tourism Management ’05) is a lieutenant in the Canadian army and was recently working in partnership with Danish infantry to patrol the northern ice shelf. In August 2010 Kienlan married his childhood sweetheart Tracy Erdman.

FALL/WINTER 2010 27

classnotes

After finishing her studies at VIU, Michelle Lamarche (above) (BSc in Biology with distinction ’09), was awarded a Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada Graduate Scholarship to pursue graduate studies at a Canadian university of her choosing. She’s now at McGill, studying melanoma, a cancer that, if malignant, has a five percent, five-year survival rate, and a treatment procedure that has seen little advancement in the last 25 years. Using mouse models, Lamarche, is trying to determine how different gene mutations affect the speed of melanoma’s tumor progression. Her research could lead to the development of more tumour-specific treatments for this deadly form of cancer.

Simon Lazarus (Cook Training ’93; Hospitality Management Diploma ’08) has recently been promoted to senior director in charge of food and beverage for Hilton Worldwide, Middle East and Africa. He’s responsible for 43 hotels in 16 different countries and is working on plans to open more than 120 hotels in 25 countries over the next three years.

Rochelle Lewis (Tourism and Recreation ’04) was running her own planning consulting company, Plan B Consulting, when a life-changing accident inspired her to pursue a new career path in the healing arts. Now she’s a bioenergy therapist in Whistler B.C., a practice that uses Qi (the life sustaining energy of the Universe) to create healing in the body by jump-starting the immune system. www.therapybioenergy.com

Donovan Lynch (BSc in Biology ’00) is acting facility manager for the Pacific Biological Station in Nanaimo, B.C. He credits his work as a student researcher in VIU’s Applied Environmental Research Laboratory for starting him on his career path.

Craig McLeod (BA in Liberal Studies and Philosophy ’00; BEd ’00) is a professional educator and currently teaches at Taylor Park Elementary School in Burnaby, B.C. He is also owner of CM Consulting Group, which provides educational technology consulting services.

Luis Gutierrez Muñoz (Post Degree Dipl. in Business Studies ’07) is the marketing and sales support manager of bonds and mutual funds at Grupo Financiero Interacciones in Mexico City, Mexico.

Katie Norman (BA in History and Physical Education ’07) travelled through Thailand after graduation, before returning to Nanaimo in 2007 where she joined the Tourism Vancouver Island team as marketing coordinator.

28

classnotes

Emily Phillips (BA in English ’09) is the outreach coordinator for Body Talk Cru, a young adult leadership group in Nanaimo. Philips mentors student participants, encouraging them to develop event, program planning, and peer leadership skills.

Wendy Pollock (BA in English ’01) is writing a book about her battle with breast cancer. She’s also the founder of the Fort St. John branch of The Pink Ribbon Breast Cancer Foundation, which aims to help cancer patients alleviate financial stress.

Mariska Richters (Dipl. in Business Administration ’02) is the operations manager for Raincity Studios, an award-winning, web development and marketing agency. She was a photo blogger and shoot and event coordinator for VancouverAccess 2010, a website that archives photos, video and blog footage from the Olympic Games.

Erik Shoquist (BA in Criminology ’09) is currently studying at Queen’s University in Belfast, Northern Ireland, for an MA in Violence, Terrorism and Security Studies.

Fei Xu (below) (Post-degree Dipl. in Business Studies ’07) lives in Wuhan, China and, on November 25, 2009, he and his wife celebrated the arrival of a baby girl named Xu Siyao which means ‘always happy’.

FALL/WINTER 2010 29

alumniassociation

I attribute a large part of my success to my time spent at Malaspina, now

Vancouver Island University. As a student, I always felt like more than just a number or a name so when I graduated I wanted to give back to the school and volunteered with alumni advisory boards and worked to establish the Alumni 100 Club that raised funds to support students. When I was asked to chair the inaugural Alumni Association at VIU I accepted whole-heartedly as I felt that it was my best chance to make a difference at VIU.

I have had many alumni approach me to talk about ways they can give back to VIU. They too want to make a difference.

I tell them how they can mentor a current student, share real world experiences by speaking to a class, hire an intern or summer student, recruit a future student or network with soon-to-be-graduates.

I have also heard from alumni who want to give back financially to support current students. As the cost of education continues to rise there has never been a greater need for financial support for our students. In fact, in a recent survey of more than 1,200 current students, 79 per cent indicated the best thing VIU can do to help students is increase scholarships and bursaries.

Those of you who received financial assistance during your time at VIU are probably not surprised by this statistic. You experienced first-hand the impact a scholarship or grant had on your ability to enjoy and benefit from your educational experience.

So, at the request of alumni and current students, we are developing an alumni giving program that will do exactly what students want – increase the number of available scholarships, awards and bursaries. I am a supporter of VIU and I encourage all alumni to consider making a gift to their alma mater and supporting the educational aspirations of today’s and tomorrow’s students. For more information please visit: www.viu.ca/alumni.

There is no better time for alumni to get involved and make a difference at VIU. I look forward to hearing from all alumni with feedback and ideas for the Alumni Association. I can be reached at viuaa@viu.ca.

Sincerely,

Nathan ThorntonChair, VIU Alumni Association

STAY CONNECTED! REGISTER ON OUR WEBSITE AT WWW .VIU .CA/ALUMNIJOIN OUR FACEBOOK & LINKEDIN COMMUNITIES

Viu’s Alumni Association board

richard AisaicanBA First Nations Studies ’01

natasha bobBA Major in Criminology ’07

bobbie buckleBBA Accounting ’07

terence fitzgeraldArts ’92

christine franicMBA ’10

kazue fujikiPE Dipl . ’90

Don hubbardHeavy Duty Mechanics ’66

kirsten schuldBSc Nursing ’04

nathan thorntonBA Transfer ’87-’90

message from chair nathan thornton

FESTIVAL OF TREES ALUMNI ON-

LINE AUCTION

The Alumni Office is proud to host the Alumni Online Auction for the Festival of Trees once again this year. Last year the auction was a tremendous success raising more than $10,000 for student scholarships, bursaries, and awards.

The Festival of Trees is the university’s largest annual fundraiser and alumni are encouraged to donate a prize to this year’s event.

Please contact alumni relations manager David Forrester at 250-740-6214 or david.forrester@viu.ca.

christmas on the west coast

16th Annual Festival

of Trees Schedule:

November 19 – Festival Lunch

November 20-21 –Festival Family Days

November 26 – Gala Dinner

November 27 – Public Day

FALL/WINTER 2010 29

30

DIFFERENT FACES . DIFFERENT VOICES .

One of the most enjoyable parts of my work entails travelling around the world in an ongoing quest for different flavours and new food trends. During a recent trip to

Europe to attend the world’s largest meat expo in Frankfurt, I took a side trip with one of my childhood friends. He was on a journey to visit his mother’s homeland, the tiny village of Rakiv Lis in the northern part of the Ukraine, and we stayed on the farm where his mother was raised.

It bore no relationship to a typical Canadian farm. A large open field was surrounded by a variety of farm houses each with its own barn, sheds, hutches, coops and livestock. On our first morning we were asked to oversee the daily chores. First we milked the cow, cooled the milk, separated the cream, made fresh cheese and churned butter. We then fed the pigs by getting last year’s crop of root vegetables from the root cellar, shredding them, and mixing them with hot water and pulverized grain before pouring it all into the pig trough.

Corn and grains were tossed to the chickens, then we collected their eggs.

Finally, it was our turn to dine. Fresh cream, butter, cheese, sour cream, potato cakes, salo (salt cured white bacon, backfat of pork) a variety of homemade sausages, borscht, wild mushrooms. What was a regular breakfast for the family, was a heavenly experience for me. The variety of rich flavours in food that comes straight to the table from the farm outside your door is impossible to beat.

It gave me pause, once again, to consider how our food industry has evolved over the last few decades. I am often asked about the origins of different foods, particularly meats, and how they end up on our restaurant or dinner plate. But, when I start talking to people about what the industrialized meat industry involves – factory farms, growth hormones, antibiotics and genetically modified feed – many stop me mid-sentence to say, “Please don’t tell me anymore. I’d like to enjoy my meat without feeling guilty.”

But, we shouldn’t feel guilty. Times have changed and it’s no longer possible for the majority of us to raise and grow our own food. It’s also easy to access meat that’s grown in a way that is organic, sustainable and local. Certified organic meat, that’s been fed organic grains and feed and never been treated with antibiotics or pesticides, is now widely available in grocery stores. It’s also easy (and fun!) to visit a local farm or talk to a butcher about buying meat that’s free run, un-medicated, and hormone-free. Or, explore wild sources of protein – guaranteed to be free of hormones and antibiotics. Few of us will ever get to experience food as directly as my friend’s ancestors, but there are a couple of easy steps all of us can take towards ensuring our food reality is as close to theirs as possible. And remember, if none of these steps are available to you, eating should be about pleasure. The worst thing we can do is ruin a carefully prepared, delicious meal by serving it with a side of guilt. Bon appétit!

OVER THE LAST 40 YEARS, MARK HILLS (COOK TRAINING ’72)

HAS IMMERSED HIMSELF IN THE FOOD BUSINESS .

EATING WELL

homestretch

He’s been a cook, a seafood wholesaler, a manager of a rabbit processing plant and is a certified Chef de Cuisine . In 1992 he opened Hills Foods Ltd, and became the first meat supplier to introduce local and organic protein products, as well as exotic meats such as kangaroo, musk-ox, and rattlesnake, to B .C . In 2008 he was inducted into B .C .’s Restaurant Hall of Fame in recognition of his continuing effort to promote and provide sustainable, organic and alternative protein sources to both chefs and consumers .

FALL/WINTER 2010 31

calendarof events

21st Annual charity golf tournamentOctober 1, 2010Fairwinds Golf & Country ClubNanoose Bay, B.C.Partial proceeds to benefit the VIU Foundation and the Vancouver Island Symphony.

festival of treesNovember 19 – November 27, 2010Vancouver Island University Nanaimo CampusBuilding 300 – 900 5th Streetwww.viu.ca/festival

Viu’s 75th Anniversary kick-offOctober 14, 2011Nanaimo Campus

the ArsonistsNovember 4 – 13, 2010By Max FrischA dark comedy with an explosive ending. Malaspina Theatre at VIU

student painting saleDecember 7, 2010 8am – 8pm Art building 325 – Nanaimo Campus

Save the Date!Viu business program reunionJune 11/12, 2011Vancouver Island UniversityNanaimo, B.C.Business.Homecoming@viu.ca

MEET . MINGLE . STAY IN TOUCH .