Canoe Mentor: College Life and Diagonal Networking

Making lasting friendships is one of the key advantages of being a member of a college like Champlain. I think for most students entering Trent, that desire to make new friends is a top priority. And the peer-to-peer community friendships you'll form in university can range from familiar acquaintances to deep friendships, from intimate but fleeting encounters to lifelong partnership.

If peer friendships were the only community opportunity afforded, then Trent and Champlain would be little different from the dormitories or housing you'll find on any campus. But Champlain and the colleges at Trent offer you more. Life in the college means the opportunity to develop learning relationships with professors, teachers, staff, administrators, _and_ other students. All of those relationships are a valuable part of your community life here--and have potential value for you throughout your life.

You know you need mentors. But you'd feel weird about contacting a professor to say, "Hello, I'm looking for a good mentor. Would you be mine?" Any relationship that begins with such linear intentional purpose is always going to feel awkward.

Most of us feel much better when relationships begin in a more organic way. The college can provide that opportunity; the college is an environment for diagonal networking. Seeing your profs and staff in the Great Hall or the Seasoned Spoon at lunch, or attending a workshop or college talk, or even just passing each other in the quad provides a kind of familiarity from which an organic mentoring relationship might grow.

Likewise, working together on college initiatives or extra-curricular activities builds respect and substantial knowledge. Respect and actual knowledge leads to trust. Essentially, that's what networking is: not just adding friends to your Facebook page, but building trusting lines of communication with people. Those lines of trust might lead to: more friendships, business partnerships, employment opportunities, problem solving--and happiness in life.

The canoe is a perfect example of building trust in an utterly Canadian way. We might get into the boat together simply for the purpose of getting to the opposite shore (or maybe just for having some fun on the water). But in the canoe, we're going to learn enough about each other to develop some respect, knowledge, and trust--and that's how we actually make it to the other side.

Wanna go out in the canoe with me? Every Thursday(weather-permitting) from 4 to 6 will be Champlain Tuesday on the Water. Meet at the beach.

Welcome to the Jungle! An intro to Champlain for First Year students

To all first year Champlain students, welcome to Champlain!

At this point, you are most likely packing, saying goodbye to friends, and promising your parents you'll call them every week. It is most definitely an anxious time in your life. You may have traveled prior to this, or you may be coming straight out of high school. You might have some university experience under your belt already. No matter what your background, you are heading towards an exciting new experience. And you are going to experience an amazing residential culture that will enrich and guide you through your university years.

Allow me to quickly introduce myself. My name's Liam. I went to Trent from 2005-2009, and was a Champlainer from my second year to my last. I came into Trent not really knowing what to expect, as a timid 17 year old. Knowing only two other guys from my high school, it was in no way a familiar place. However over the years I met amazing people, learned and laughed and grew. Champlain was a home, and I proudly wear my Champlain patch on my backpack as I walk around UBC's campus in Vancouver.

Bon Temps, February 2009

But enough about me! You are heading toward a great experience. You may be feeling pangs of anxiety, wondering about if you'll meet any friends, or if you'll be able to pass your courses. While this may be a scary time, take comfort in knowing there are hundreds of other students in your shoes! You'll be greeted by upper year students who are just waiting to get to know you and show you around for the first week of Introductory Seminar Week (ISW). Once you get settled into your room, take a few minutes to wander around the residence and meet your floor mates. You will get to know these people very well over the next month, and many of them will become great, life long friends! Moments like these often call for taking a deep, deep breath before taking the plunge into a brand new experience. As long as you carry an open mind and a friendly smile, you will soon find that good friends will surround you no matter where you are on campus.

As for the academics - there are three ground rules you should follow to make the grade:
1. do your readings
2. hand everything thing in on time
3. go to every class and seminar

If you make sure you are doing these three things, you're well on your way! Make sure you take advantage of Trent's small class sizes too. This allows you to get to know your profs and T.A.s by name and vice-versa. Take advantage of their office hours to go over papers and the weeks readings when you are stuck.

While at Champlain, you'll have ample opportunity for getting involved in the community. There are so many things to do campus and college wide, so jump in and try something new! Joining a club, organization, or student government is one of the best ways to establish yourself and meet new friends. The more things you try, the more tied to Champlain and Trent you'll be. Take my word, this is a very special place, and I hope you love it just as much as I do. The friends you make and the stories you tell will be ones to remember for years to come.

Broomball Tournament at Bontemps, February 2009

A new adventure is waiting for you, so as you get ready to travel up highway 7 or the 115, take a deep breath, and get ready! Your ISW staff are getting ready to welcome you to the great Champlain College. So welcome to the jungle, 'aint no place like it.

Champlain Beach, 2006

Perspective on Champlain College from the New College Head

I’ve been a fellow of Champlain since I came to Trent University in 2003. Being a part of the community of faculty, staff and student members of the college, being involved in academic advising and college events, has been very valuable to me. Mainly I value the students whom it has been my pleasure to mentor, either through the Trent Global Living Community, the International Program (TIP), Trent Reads seminars, leadership work, or college activities. Students’ success is what makes my academic life meaningful.

Many of my Champlain and Trent colleagues were a part of a very important moment of my life: my partner and I were married in the cedar-lined courtyard between the Great Hall and the river in July of 2004. Yes, it was a beautiful spot for a wedding, but it was all the more memorable because our friends and families from around the world were welcomed here by our new Trent colleagues and friends.

The spirit of Champlain distinguishes us from the other Trent colleges, and from other colleges I’ve experienced. (At Cambridge University in England, I lived in both Selwyn and Newnham, where I was also a summer resident tutor). Champlain includes a remarkable range of people and perspectives, so it is no wonder that we’re known for being ready to voice our critical perspectives on significant issues. We’re also known for being fearless about taking a stand on controversial issues. And, perhaps because of the tradition of the Lumberjacks broomball team, or because it was Champlainers who pioneered this Trent campus when they moved in during the grey winter days of 1967, we have a reputation for being rugged and adventurous.

Champlain is inclusive of many characters and inspirations. The International Program’s (www.trentu.ca/tip) presence here, as well as The Seasoned Spoon café (www.trentu.ca/stuorg/seasonedspoon) ensure that the dynamism of Trent’s diversity is at the heart of college life.

Collegiality is a core principle of this learning community. College Fellows set Champlain’s collegial tone through the TRIPS (Trans-disciplinary Research In Progress Seminar). These faculty seminars bring together professors and instructors from across the interdisciplinary spectrum of the university to supportively share and develop research. Produced by the International Development Studies department, TRIPS provides faculty an opportunity to present their work-in-progress in order to gain the perspective and analytic insight of colleagues and peers.

The presence of departments like IDS, Politics, and Ancient History and Classics, also distinguishes the college. With that mix of globally-oriented departments, spanning the arts and social sciences, it was no accident that TIP was welcomed into the college as a part of a vision for internationalizing the experience of our entire community. Fellows from History, Anthropology, Environmental Resource Studies, Biochemistry and other science departments ensure our dynamism. Likewise, integral to a vision of the college as both a residence and a community of learning for students and faculty who live elsewhere, the Trent Global Living Community was established at Champlain; TGLC is not only a model for success for other LLC’s at Trent, but has a strong alumni tradition, with successful former residents all around the world. Likewise, the Active Living Community and La Maison Francaise are poised to lead the college in engagement and co-curricular learning.

My experience is that Champlain is home to people who like to accomplish things, whether those things are academic, athletic, social, or service to the world. We’re doers. That spirit harkens to a strong line in the tradition of liberal arts and sciences education: we are inspired by idealism, motivated to think critically and research carefully—and we are fully engaged in the real world. As the head of the college, I look forward to cultivating and supporting that spirit, and to fulfilling the potentials of this unique community of learning through engaging the interests and energies of the students and fellows of Champlain.

Let me know if you think I'm hearing and perceiving the Champlain you know!

Inspirational Leadership and Sustainable Values,

Aspen Ideas Festival 5772010 Audio / Video Library: "Inspirational Leadership and Sustainable Values"



This is an hour-long talk with Thomas Friedman and Dov Seidman at the Aspen Ideas Festival 2010. Well worth a listen for the values of ethical leadership they espouse.

Effective Political Action

It's only 23 sleeps away...

I am not sure how the rest of you readers feel but it feels as though the summer has just flown right by. Many of you will be starting a new school year at Trent. Whether it's your first year, or it's your fourth, you are about to start a new year of challenges, laughs and memories at an amazing university. I am currently arriving back to my home in Ajax and for the first time in 4 years, it feels very different because I know I will not be returning to Trent and to my home Champlain College this fall.

This fall I will be starting at a new school, in a new city, with only a few friends. So many of the newcomers to the university I am sure can appreciate some of these feelings. We all embark on new beginnings but these beginnings are marked by epic endings. I had the best 4 years of my life at Trent and especially in the college that is home of the wild. What I now know is that Trent University prepared me to open the next chapter in my life, just as many of your high schools have done for you. Even though my time at Trent has come to a close, I know that it will always be a part of where I come from. As many of you are packing up your rooms at home, and are looking for memories to bring with you, don't forget about the new memories that you will create as soon as you get to Trent.

Some of my best memories at Trent University come from Introductory Seminar Week (ISW). This is the first time in 4 years that I am not gearing up for ISW, nor will I have the privilege to participate in it. ISW is the time when you meet some of your closest friends and people who could become your lifelong friends. My message to the newcomers is make sure you participate in at least one activity. Whether you go to the Great Race, High Table Dinner, you go to every cheer off, or you are the first one up and last one in bed each day, try to make it out to ISW because it could be the place that marks your first and best memories of Trent.

I hope you all will enjoy your last 23 days at home. I know that my summer before I started my Undergrad was the best summer of my life because it was the closing of an epic chapter and the marking of a magnificent beginning. As I write this towards the end of my summer of my Undergrad, I am experiencing many of the same emotions because it means I am closing another epic chapter and I am about to embark on a brand new and exciting beginning in Ottawa. Good Luck to everyone in their first few weeks of school, I hope you all will fall in love with Champlain as many of us have!

Outliers: The Story of Success

Trent Reads 2010 selected the book Outliers: The Story of Success, written by Malcolm Gladwell. I read the book in February 2009 and was intrigued by many of Gladwell's stories. In fact, I still share segments of the book with friends today and at an attempt to encourage them to read it.

If you have not read the book yet, you still have a couple of weeks until Introductory Seminar Week. Borrow a copy from your friend or visit the library and take some time to delve into this very thought-provoking and engaging read.

Check out information about the Trent Reads program and why it selected Outliers as the Trent Reads book here.

For a well-written and comprehensive review of Outliers, read this November 2008 New York Times article. Below is a paragraph from the article:

"Gladwell’s latest book, “Outliers,” is a passionate argument for taking the second version of the story more seriously than we now do. “It is not the brightest who succeed,” Gladwell writes. “Nor is success simply the sum of the decisions and efforts we make on our own behalf. It is, rather, a gift. Outliers are those who have been given opportunities — and who have had the strength and presence of mind to seize them.”

"The Trent Reads program was inaugurated in the summer of 2008. Incoming first-year students read Three Day Road by Joseph Boyden and attended seminar sessions during ISW to talk about the book with each other and a faculty member who facilitated discussion. Later in September, Joseph Boyden came to Trent to meet many of the students and faculty who read and enjoyed his book. The Trent Reads program was inaugurated in the summer of 2008. Incoming first-year students read Three Day Road by Joseph Boyden and attended seminar sessions during ISW to talk about the book with each other and a faculty member who facilitated discussion. Later in September, Joseph Boyden came to Trent to meet many of the students and faculty who read and enjoyed his book. "

Why 'Park Place' may ruin your academic career...

There are two things that you should know about me: 1) I love board games; and 2) I am competitive.

For many years, board games were banned in my house because I was simply incapable of playing for fun. I would focus on getting Park Place (the most valuable property in the game)* and ignore the rest of the board. When I lost, I would throw a tantrum. In one memorable game of Monopoly, my best friend's 6-year old brother was allowed back into the game only after he sold me his pokemon watch for $500 MP (monopoly dollars). I eventually gave it back to him 3 days later but, at the time, I thought he should learn "the value of a hard earned dollar." I was 13 at the time. Figure 1. "Mr. Monopoly, or prior to the year 2000,

"Uncle Rich Moneybags."

As far back I can remember, I have been very competitive person. Growing up, I was the kid who played sports and, unfortunately, also the kid who cried or threw temper tantrums after losing a game.

Thankfully, by the time I arrived at Trent, I had learned to control this type of behavior.I could laugh at others mistakes, says "good effort," and 8 times out 10 actually mean it. In a true display of progress, I made a conscious decision not to play competitive sports in my first year at Trent. I thought that it would be better for me both physically and emotionally to put more time into my school work for a year or two. I was surprised to find out that, despite not playing sports, my competitiveness remained in tact. It did not peter out but simply took a new form instead. Rather unexpectedly, school became my new sport.

Throughout high school, my grades were average or even slightly below average. I relished the opportunity for a fresh start at Trent and decided that I was going to be the best student that the university had ever seen. I started of by buying all the necessary supplies. If I was going to do well in school, I was going to need to take notes--lots of notes. This meant buying pens, paper, a date stamp for my notes (writing the date wastes valuable time), and a ruler for underlying titles and subheadings. 90 pens, 1 ruler, 1 date stamp, and 8,000 sheets of paper later, I was ready.

I started the year off by attending every lecture, reading every sentence of every assigned reading, taking extensive notes, and even forming study groups. I was going to be the best student that Trent University had ever seen. My first ever paper in university received a B- (72%). I was devastated. Surely, I thought, all the note taking and studying that I was doing must be--at the very least--worth a 90. I thought quite seriously about confronting the professor about my grade. If it had been a soccer game, I would have gone in for the slide tackle. I was angry. I decided instead to see how my other grades played out. Grades from my other first assignments came back: 80%, 83%, 81%, 84%. Clearly, 1 of my 5 professors was insane. I became fixated on the 72.

I worked day and night on my next assignment for the class. On the day that we were getting the assignment back I did not hear a single word that was being said in seminar. I just wanted the paper. I just wanted validation. With seminar finally over, I ran outside and quickly flipped to the back cover. No time to read, I just want the number. My eyes scanned for symbols that weren't letters and settled upon a grade of 70%. All my hard work had yielded even lesser results. My head sunk into my shoulders. I was both sad and angry. What was I doing wrong? Why couldn't I do as well in English 100 as all my other courses?

I went home, read the professors' feedback, and thought about it. I did agree with him. I met with the him and asked "what am I doing wrong?" He made it very clear that I wasn't doing anything incorrectly, but that there were simply areas that need to be improved. I didn't understand at the time what separated "doing something incorrectly" from "needing improvement." It felt like he was playing games with me. No matter how he wanted to spin it, I was not achieving at the level that I wanted to. Over the course of the year I grew to resent English 100 and made little improvement. I was convinced that the professor had something personal against me.

In hindsight, I feel silly. I can't believe how entitled I felt to certain grades and how self-absorbed I was. Occasionally, I look back at old essays and I simply laugh. The Shakespeare-esque prose that I thought I had written now seems kind of terrible to be honest. As a teaching assistant, I can now confidently say that my first papers were in fact B- worthy papers. Further, by focusing on the grade and not the feedback I did not grow very much as a writer.

Now, if this were a Disney movie, things would end here and we would all run away into happily ever after all-the-wiser because of what I've just shared. However, this is not a movie and, to be certain, I still struggle with feelings of insecurity and inadequacy with my school work. In fact, the pendulum has kind of swung in the other direction now. Whereas I came out of high-school lacking confidence and overcompensated by working long hours and thinking that I was the greatest student ever, throughout my Master's degree I struggled with not feeling that I was not as good as my peers. Despite doing fairly well in school, I often feel that I'm not living up to expectations.

As I prepare to begin my Ph.D., I am constantly reminding myself that writing essays (something that I struggle with even now) is a craft. It takes lots of hard work and many 'failed' attempts. Although I still get disappointed when I don't do as well as I would like, I now read the feedback that I receive carefully and consciously work towards slowly and steadily improving myself and my work. I try really hard to remember that academia is not so much an issue of doing things wrong as it is learning to do things correctly, learning to improve.

In Monopoly, you should not focus all your energy on Park Place. There are many other properties (such as railroads, utilities, and the Yellow and Red Avenues) that are worthwhile and will help you succeed. For me, this has meant balancing my new-found academic focus with Champlain college events such as Harvest Weekend, learning to play Broomball, getting involved with Cabinet, and drumming.

I may be slightly biased, but I think that you are extremely lucky to be at Champlain College. Regardless of where you are at, don't be discouraged if you trip and fall a few times. I did it many, many times throughout my time at Trent and it's a learning process. Get involved in whatever way best suits you and try stay balanced.

Cheers,
Phill

*In terms of property value, Park Place($350) is slightly less than Boardwalk ($400) thus making it the second most valuable property. However, statistically, Park Place is landed on more frequently than Boardwalk thus offsetting the $50 difference in property value making Park Place of equal--if not greater--value in the game.

Trent's DSO department

Trent DSO department and New Students

As a student registered with the Disability Services Office (DSO) at Trent, I would like my first blog to be on the topic of the disabilities and other student support services.

In my last year of high school I was diagnosed with dyslexia and even though my disability hadn’t prevented me from continuing my studies towards a post-secondary education, it most definitely presented a hindered potential for a positive educational experience at University.

In my first week at Trent, I booked a number of appointments with the DSO, because I didn’t have a clue about how my disability could function in a university environment. This was probably one of the best decisions as a student I could have made, because the DSO staff knew exactly how to compensate for my disability and provide the greatest effect for my success at school.

My grades have improved at university from the days when I was in high school and I can only imagine that is was partially due to the help from the Trent Disability Services office.

Incoming students or continuing students who have a recognized disability or believe they might have a disability, should take the time in the first week of school to book an appointment with the DSO. The faculty members are there to support Trent Students and if you feel hindered in your education, take advantage in what services the school can provide.

I can only describe my personal experiences with the Department; it very much services the school in a a positive way. If anyone has any questions don’t feel shy to send me an email.

Trent’s disabilities website link:

http://www.trentu.ca/disabilityservices/