Oye como va! Members of the Red River College Rebels Men’s Volleyball team will take their training sessions south of the border this holiday season — when they head to Cuba for an eight-day winter escape.

The team will spend Dec. 26 – Jan. 2, at the sunny Hotel Tropicoco near Havana, where they’ll train and compete against local athletes while learning about Cuban culture. The trip is being organized with help from the Cuban Ministry of Sport, meaning RRC’s Rebels will likely be squaring off against athletes from the Cuban National Team.

“It’s a great opportunity to go and train and compete against some very high-level players,” says Men’s Volleyball Coach Dan Gilbert. “It will also give us an opportunity to learn more about Cuban history … knowing they have a very strong culture in men’s volleyball, it’s a great way for us to combine our training with those lessons.”

Gilbert says the trip comes at a great time for the team — which currently boasts a number of players with previous Canadian Interuniversity Sport-level experience. To help raise funds, team members are raffling off a chance to accompany the team on their trip.

The lucky winner will receive an all-inclusive trip for two to the same resort — including all travel, meals, beverages, and many daily activities — and will have the option of following the team during their training, or simply soaking up the sights and sounds of Cuba.

Tickets are $20 each, or $50 for a three-pack. The latter option also includes a Rebels Athletics Season Pass, good for admission to all Rebels volleyball, basketball and soccer home matches, as well as the 2013 MCAC Volleyball Championships.

Raffle tickets are available at the front counter of RRC’s North Gym, or by contacting Gilbert at (204) 632-2397 or dagilbert@rrc.ca.

Red River College will play host to the 2012 Manitoba Colleges Athletics Conference (MCAC) Soccer Championships, running Oct. 20 and 21 at the Notre Dame Campus.

The RRC Rebels Men’s team will kick off the tournament at their semi-final match against Providence University College at noon on Saturday. The Rebels Women’s team will follow with their own semi-final game against Canadian Mennonite University at 2 p.m.

Ryan Ratushniak, Manager of Athletics and Recreation at RRC, says athletes on both teams are looking forward to the weekend, noting the College has made great strides with its soccer program since fielding teams for the first time in 2011. During last year’s MCAC Championships, RRC’s men’s team finished second, while the women’s team finished third.

“This is only our second year with soccer teams in the MCAC, so it is more challenging for us to compete with fully established programs,” says Ratushniak.

“That said, our athletes are very skilled, and with the training they have undergone since the beginning of September, they’re in a great position to compete for the MCAC Championship.”

Click here for a full schedule of this weekend’s matches, and here for more information about RRC’s soccer program.

(From left): RRC President Stephanie Forsyth; Don Boitson, VP & GM of Magellan Aerospace; Western Economic Diversification Minister Lynne Yelich; and Public Safety Minister Vic Toews.

Leaders from government, education and aerospace gathered to celebrate the opening of Red River College’s new Centre for Non-Destructive Inspection (CNDI) on September 29th. The facility is housed within a new RRC “industrial campus” located at Magellan Aerospace‘s production plant in Winnipeg.

Featuring some of Canada’s most advanced inspection equipment — including one of only two laser ultrasonic testing (Laser UT) systems in the country — CNDI provides a competitive advantage for the manufacturing sector in Manitoba while addressing the industry demand for skilled inspection staff.

“The productivity enhancements, when compared to other traditional methods of inspection are significant,” explained Don Boitson, Vice President and General Manager of Magellan Aerospace. “A component that would take eight hours to inspect using conventional methods can take as little as one hour to inspect utilizing Laser UT. The benefits provided through this technology are considerable in terms of efficiencies to both cost and schedule.”

In addition to the direct benefits for industry, Red River College students are in the unique position of being trained to use this leading edge technology.

“One of the key themes of Red River College’s strategic plan is to fuel Manitoba’s economic growth and community development,” said Stephanie Forsyth, President of Red River College. “By partnering with the federal government and Magellan Aerospace on the creation of CNDI, we’re helping spark innovation within the aerospace sector and giving researchers and students access to state-of-the-art inspection equipment.” Read More →

Former Red River College Dean Dave Williamson got a surprise out of thin air last week — when he was honoured with a prestigious Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.

The medal was presented to Williamson by Winnipeg South Centre MP Joyce Bateman, at last week’s Thin Air Winnipeg International Festival.

The letter that Williamson received along with the medal reads: “You were nominated for this award for your outstanding contributions to the cultural and arts community of Winnipeg. Your passion and dedication to your craft is truly inspiring. In addition to your literary contributions as author and teacher, your work as the founder of the Creative Communications program and the Dean of Business & Applied Arts at Red River College must be recognized and commended.”

Williamson, who recently released a book detailing the history of RRC, was one of the featured writers on the Festival mainstage. He says Bateman had arranged with the Festival’s executive director to surprise him with the presentation.

“I was sitting there on the Festival stage after giving my reading and, as they announced the award presentation, I was wondering who was going to be the recipient,” says Williamson. “I was in total shock when they called my name. Once it more or less sank in, I was grateful that they presented the medal on that particular night, with many members of the writing community in attendance.”

Click here for more information on Changing People’s Lives: An Illustrated History of Red River College.

Students from RRC’s Nursing program were recognized for their academic and clinical accomplishments last week.

The following students picked up awards at the Nursing program’s Celebrating Excellence luncheon, held Fri., Sept. 21 at the Prairie Lights restaurant:

Bachelor of Nursing

• Amber Anderson
• Jocelyn Beaumont
• Rae-Ann Buydens
• Andrea Chapman
• Heather Day
• Diane De Groot
• Jennifer Romanoff
• Chantal Roziere
• Melissa Walker

Diploma Nursing (Accelerated)

• Kari Gagne
• Lillibeth Garachico
• Navdeep Thind

Joint Baccalaureate Nursing

• Sherry Haderer
• Caroline Kuzminski

Click here for more information about RRC’s Nursing program.

Red River College’s winning streak continued at the North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Awards this month, where its safety and prevention efforts won Best Overall honours at both the national and provincial level.

The national award was handed out on Sept. 11, 2012, at the annual Canadian Society of Safety Engineering (CSSE) Conference in Niagara Falls, Ont. The provincial award was received on Sept. 17, at the Workers Compensation Board in Winnipeg.

“NAOSH Week provides us with a valuable opportunity to celebrate our ongoing commitment to maintaining and improving a safe and healthy workplace,” said Daryl Nielsen (above, right), Manager, Environmental Health and Safety Services at RRC. “Our safety culture is promoted through senior management commitment, strong safety leadership and effective engagement with our employees, with a goal to instill the same commitment in our students to carry high standards and values into other workplaces.”

This marks the second year in a row RRC has won a double-dose of honours, having picked up a national award in 2011 for “Best Representation of a Theme,” and a provincial nod in the “Most Innovative” category.

Plans are already underway for next year’s NAOSH Week, which will be celebrated across Canada May 5-11, 2013. Next year’s theme is “Safety & Health: A Commitment for Life! Are You As Safe As You Think?”

RRC’s Joint Workplace Safety and Health Committee, NAOSH Planning Committee and Environmental Health and Safety Services department wish to thank everyone who participated in NAOSH Week events, and who continue to demonstrate their commitment to safety in the workplace and at home.

Click here for more information about this year’s awards, and here for more information about NAOSH Week.

Animal Health Technology grads Mary Robinson (left) and Tannis Rentz, with furry friends Aspen, Willow and Capone.

Red River College grad Tannis Rentz (Animal Health Technology, 2002) has been providing aid to people’s pets for more than 10 years now — ever since she began volunteering at the Transcona Veterinary Hospital as a teen.

But in April 2013, Rentz and fellow AHT grad Mary Robinson (2011) will travel a little further afield to help the tens of thousands of sick or malnourished dogs crowding the streets of Kathmandu, Nepal.

Rentz and Robinson are headed to Nepal’s KAT Centre, a not-for-profit treatment centre for sick and injured street dogs. As Rentz explains, there are currently more than 20,000 dogs living on the streets of Kathmandu — many of them infected with rabies and other communicable diseases that pose a threat to their human counterparts.

“And of course they’re constantly reproducing, because none of them are spayed or neutered,” says Rentz, who over the last 10 years has worked her way from a clinical position at the Winnipeg Animal Emergency Clinic to an administrative role with the Petsecure arm of the Western Financial Insurance Company.

“Initially, the government there thought it would be a good idea to terminate these dogs by throwing poisoned meat into the streets. But then they’d dispose of the poisoned bodies by throwing them into their water supply, which just made things even worse.” Read More →

Red River College Dean Graham Thomson will be among the 50-plus business leaders, celebs and community-minded decision makers taking part in this week’s CEO Sleepout, in support of Downtown Winnipeg BIZ’s Change for the Better campaign.

Thomson, Dean of the School of Business & Applied Arts at RRC, will spend this Thursday night camped out at the corner of Portage and Main, as a means of raising funds for homeless employment programs and raising awareness of issues related to homelessness and poverty in Winnipeg.

“Obviously this is just a gesture — since it’s entirely unlike what people face out in the streets every night,” says Thomson. “But any little thing we can do to help draw awareness to the issue is good.”

Last year’s inaugural CEO Sleepout raised over $100,000 for the Change for the Better initiative, which helps to support homeless people as they transition from the streets to positions of paid employment.

Proceeds from this year’s event will also support Siloam Mission’s Mission Off the Streets (MOST) team, which employs individuals in keeping the downtown clean while building the life skills, work experience and confidence to help them in finding a full-time job. Read More →

Members of RRC’s Plane Pull 2011 team.

Red River College is proud to play host to United Way Winnipeg’s ninth annual Plane Pull.

The event, taking place Friday, Sept. 21, at RRC’s Stevenson Campus, will draw more than 40 workplace teams, whose members will attempt to pull either a 191,000-lb Boeing 727 or a 90,000-lb DC-10. Red River College will have teams competing in the Plane Pull, so feel free to show your support!

The competition gets underway at 11a.m., following the announcement of this year’s fundraising goal by United Way Campaign Chair Doug Finkbeiner.

Click here for more information on Plane Pull 2012.

Red River College’s Cultural and Language Mentor Program has extended the deadline for student, staff and faculty volunteers interested in mentoring an immigrant or international student.

The Mentor Program is a local/global partnership that pairs immigrant and international students with Canadian-raised students and staff for friendship, English language practice and cross-cultural exchanges.

The program helps immigrant and international students adjust to life in Canada, make friends with other Canadians, improve their English and cross-cultural communication skills, and develop the skills required for success in their studies and in the workplace.

Participating mentors, meanwhile, get the chance to make new friends while gaining valuable experience working with culturally diverse individuals and preparing them for success in a global work environment.

Applications are being accepted until Friday, Sept. 28. Click here to fill out an online application.

The program requires a 10-hour commitment over the Fall semester, which includes a one-hour orientation meeting, plus seven hours of meeting time with their partner. Mentors receive support, guidance, and — best of all — tickets to local events and activities.

Click here to see a video about the program. For more information, contact Jacqueline Wood, Mentor Program Coordinator, at 204-632-3847.