Red River College’s Students’ Association invites you to get in the Halloween “spirit” this week, with a series of haunted happenings and ghoulish goings-on.

Get ready for the big night by taking part in the following eerie events:

Pumpkin Carving Contest
Tuesday, Oct. 28 in the Cave Lounge (NDC)
Wednesday, Oct. 29 in the Roblin Centre Cafeteria (EDC)
11am – 1:30pm

Grab a sharpened implement and show off your creative side! Or compete for prizes in a host of Halloween-themed games!

Halloween Kegger
Thursday, Oct. 30 in the “Haunted” Cave Lounge (NDC)
3-7pm
(18+ event; bring student and gov’t ID)

Celebrate All Hallows’ Eve a day early at the SA’s annual party. Come in costume — enjoy all-night drink specials, terror-inducing tunes and (best of all) FREE admission!

Costume Contest* and Movie Marathon
Friday, Oct. 31 in the Cave Lounge (NDC)
Until 3pm

Stop by your nearest SA office to have your photo taken and entered in the Costume Contest. Or swing by the Cave to watch back-to-back Halloween classics — perfect for getting you in the mood for a freaky Friday night!

* Just a friendly reminder that your costumes can’t include weapons of any kind, including replica and toy guns, knives, explosives, hatchets, etc.

This week, Red River College joins the growing number of individuals and organizations across Canada taking steps to cut waste and improve the environment.

From Oct. 20-24, RRC will mark Waste Reduction Week with a series of initiatives aimed at encouraging the College community to rethink, reduce, reuse and recycle — whether on campus or at home.

Waste reduction is a year-round effort at RRC, where each month we collect and recycle over nine tonnes of paper, food and beverage containers and cardboard. The diversion rate at RRC is over 50% — an impressive figure, considering Winnipeg’s residential diversion rate is only about 28%.

Here are three ways you can get involved: Read More →

The Creative Communications grad behind the College’s new mental health website will receive a hero’s welcome from the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) this week.

Red River College alum Meghan Franklin (CreComm, 2014) has been nominated for a Heroes of Mental Health Award by CMHA Winnipeg. Her newly-launched Mind it! website — which arrives just in time for Mental Health Awareness Week at RRC (Oct. 14-17) — is designed to help RRC students take better care of their mental health, by providing a range of online resources on everything from test anxiety and financial stress to sleep deprivation and seasonal affective disorder.

“Every student experiences challenges while balancing school, work, friends and other commitments,” says Franklin. “When we’re aware of our emotions and the state of our mental health, we’re better equipped to deal with difficult situations, to work toward our goals, and to recognize when to take a breather or ask for help.”

By the time she began the CreComm program in 2012, Franklin already completed treatment for an eating disorder, which she’d struggled with throughout high school and university. Her recovery process triggered a passion for progressing the mental health conversation, and a commitment to providing all students with a range of related supports.

As part of her second-year independent professional project (IPP), Franklin engaged fellow students about their emotional and mental health and wellbeing, creating a student club and initiative called Mind it!, which held a number of mental health awareness events on campus. By hosting art expos, dog therapy events (shown above) and stand-up comedy performances, Franklin and her team of student volunteers helped spread the word about the importance of mental health. Read More →

Photo courtesy of Imagination Foundation

Now that’s what we call thinking outside the box!

Red River College’s Early Childhood Education department, in partnership with IKEA Winnipeg, will join with children’s organizations around the world this week for the 2014 Global Cardboard Challenge — an event that encourages kids to harness their imagination and creativity while turning everyday household items into treasures.

Inspired by Caine’s Arcade — a short film about a young boy (shown above) whose cardboard creations triggered a worldwide movement celebrating the “power of play” — the event is organized globally by the Imagination Foundation, a not-for-profit dedicated to raising the next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs.

On Friday, Oct. 10, the College will play host to 60 children from four local child care centres, one Aboriginal Head Start program, and one Winnipeg school. Each group of kids will be paired with a team of adults, comprised of one IKEA staff member and two second-year ECE students.

“The idea to plan a Global Cardboard Challenge event was conceived in the classroom after ECE students viewed Caine’s Arcade,” says ECE instructor Karen Riediger. “Over the last few weeks, participating preschool and grade 5 children have already been busy discussing, imagining, sketching, measuring and experimenting with tape and cardboard. When they arrive at RRC they will be able to put all of that effort and imagination into action right away!”

The event is a perfect fit for corporate sponsor IKEA, Riediger notes, given the company’s belief that children are the most important people in the world.

To help ensure the Cardboard Challenge is a success, organizers are accepting donations of the following supplies:

• Wrapping paper and paper towel tubes (no toilet paper tubes, please)
• Rulers, tape measures and yard sticks
• Tape of all kinds (electrical, packing, Scotch, masking, painters, hockey, etc.); partially-used rolls of tape are also welcome
• Tarps and/or drop cloths

Donations can be made to Mary in Room A109, anytime before Oct. 10. For more information, contact Karen Riediger by email or at 204.632.2962.

Congratulations to Red River College’s Chef Luc Jean, who took top honours at this week’s Gold Medal Plates competition, an exclusive culinary contest in which the city’s best chefs go head to head in support of Olympic athletes.

An instructor with RRC’s Culinary Arts program, Jean represented Jane’s — the College’s exclusive restaurant and training kitchen — at the event, which also drew competitors from some of Winnipeg’s most popular kitchens.

Held last night at the RBC Convention Centre, the event celebrated the best in local cuisine, pitting the city’s premiere chefs against each other in a bid for a spot at the championships, which take place next February in Kelowna.

Jean won the top spot on the podium thanks to his mouthwatering entry — a sous-vide of Manitoba pork tenderloin served with butternut squash, carrot and ginger puree, candied oranges, pork crackling and lime honey sauce.

He was joined at the event by 25 students from RRC’s Hospitality and Culinary Arts programs — seven of whom helped him prepare and serve his dish (plus 570 appetizers), and 13 of whom assisted the other competing chefs. Read More →

Best of luck to Red River College instructor Luc Jean, who’ll square off against some of the city’s best chefs at an exclusive culinary competition benefiting Canada’s Olympic athletes this week.

Jean, an instructor with RRC’s Culinary Arts program, has been selected as one of the top chefs in Winnipeg, and as such will compete in the 2014 Gold Medal Plates competition, a precursor to the Canadian Culinary Championships.

Jean will represent Jane’s — RRC’s exclusive restaurant and training kitchen — at the event, which takes place Thu., Oct. 2 at the RBC Convention Centre. As it does every year, the event celebrates the best in local cuisine, pitting the city’s premiere chefs against each other in a bid for a spot at the championships, which take place next February in Kelowna.

Jean will face some formidable competition at the event, including a number of RRC grads, among them Adam Donnelly (Segovia), Michael Dacquisto (Food Evolution), and Norm Pastorin (The Grove).

Other competitors include Michael Schafer (Sydney’s at The Forks). Barry Saunders (Inn at The Forks), Edward Lam (Yujio) and Eric Lee (Pizzeria Gusto).

Net proceeds from the Gold Medal Plates go to the Canadian Olympic Foundation, which supports Canada’s Own the Podium program. To date, over $8.2 million has been raised.

Mark those calendars! RRC’s Diversity and Intercultural Services department is busy making plans for the College’s annual Welcome Party for Immigrant and International Students, taking place Friday, Oct. 24.

This year’s event runs from 6–9 p.m., in the Voyageur Dining Room at the Notre Dame Campus. Guests can celebrate diversity at RRC while extending a warm College welcome to students from around the globe.

As always, guests are encouraged to share their own traditions by coming dressed in cultural clothing. The party is a College-wide and family-friendly event; as such, everyone’s invited to bring family members, children and friends.

This year’s event features live music and entertainment, including performances by Caribbean band Rockalypso, African drummer Evans Coffie, and Cuban dance group Yoslai de la Rosa.

Guests can also take part in fun activities for children — including arts and crafts, face painting and balloons — or participate in educational games and cultural teachings brought to you by RRC’s Aboriginal Student Support and Community Liaison Department.

As always, expect lots of dancing and sampling of global cuisine! (Don’t forget to bring a donation of non-perishable food items for the RRC Students’ Association Food Bank.)

Please register by Friday, Oct. 17, at http://blogs.rrc.ca/diversity/welcomeparty/

Read More →

From left: Nancy Alexander with BRAVO Award winners Rebecca Girard, Alex Hay, Michael Watson and Hal Hokanson.

In the day-to-day work here at Red River College, there is evidence everywhere of dedication to our values of learning, respect, inclusiveness, integrity, healthy environment and community contribution.

Our staff members make these values come alive – through our programs, and their services and actions every day. We have many great leaders in our midst – irrespective of role or position – who are models to those around them, who motivate us all, and who make each day a great day to come to work!

One of the ways we celebrate and acknowledge these individuals is through the College’s annual BRAVO Awards. This summer, we celebrated our BRAVO winners with a three-course meal at Jane’s Restaurant and a short presentation from Nancy Alexander, Vice President Human Resources and Sustainability, after which they were presented with their awards and a $75 RED card each.

When you next see these outstanding RRC staff members, give them a pat on the back! Scroll down for award info including winner photos and full biographies; in the meantime, our sincere congratulations go out to:

• Hal Hokanson, Instructor, Piping Trades (Hidden Hero Award, Faculty)
• Alex Hay, Automotive Store Keeper (Hidden Hero Award, Non-Faculty)
• Michael Watson, Chair, Construction Trades (Leadership at all Levels, Faculty)
• Joanne Gonda, Office Manager, Winkler Campus (Leadership at all Levels, Non-Faculty)
• Rebecca Girard, Night Supervisor, Building Services (Safety Champion Award)

Read More →

A big thank-you to our partners at Sandvik Coromant Canada, who visited RRC’s Notre Dame Campus this week to conduct applied training workshops on lathes and mills.

Sandvik reps — highly visible in their trademark yellow shop coats — conducted two workshops with RRC staff and students: one on Vibration Reduction Metal Cutting Operations (Sept. 9), the other on Drilling Applications for CNC Milling Operations (Sept 10).

The workshops were hosted by RRC’s Technology Access Centre (TAC), and were offered at no charge through a sponsorship agreement with Sandvik.

Under the terms of their partnership with RRC, Sandvik contributes a combined in-kind and cash pledge of $102,500 over five years, $5,000 of which supports students directly (through annual awards for those entering the second year of RRC’s Manufacturing Technician program).

Visit the TAC website for more information.

Congratulations to the team behind Red River College’s NAOSH (North American Occupational Safety and Health) Week activities, whose efforts at reminding us to make safety a habit earned them a trophy at this month’s provincial awards ceremony.

The NAOSH team — comprised of members of the College’s Joint Workplace Safety and Health committees and Environmental Health and Safety Services department — received the “Most Innovative” designation at the 2014 NAOSH Awards, handed out last week by the Manitoba chapter of the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering (CSSE).

This marks the fourth year in a row RRC has been recognized for their NAOSH Week activities (an improvement over their previous three-year winning streak, from 2006-2008).

As a means of promoting this year’s “Make Safety a Habit” theme, RRC staff and students were encouraged to submit their own “Safety Selfies” — photographs in which they’re depicted wearing proper safety equipment or following appropriate safety procedures. An online “Find the Closest AED” contest was also held in an effort to increase awareness of the College’s automated external defibrillators.

In addition, the team hosted a pair of safety-themed barbecues for RRC staff and students, and set up safety-themed displays and exhibits in the halls of the College during NAOSH Week.