News Briefs: March 18, 2015 issue

News March 18, 2015
The Camosun Chargers men's volleyball team are on a roll (photo by Kevin Light).
The Camosun Chargers men’s volleyball team are on a roll (photo by Kevin Light).

Chargers men’s volleyball team wins national championships

For the first time ever, the Camosun Chargers men’s volleyball team has taken home the gold in the national championships. The Chargers defeated the Limoilou, Quebec Titans in national championship play over March 12-14 at Holland College in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. The gold medal match was a thriller, with Camosun coming back from behind in the first set and winning 25-21. The Titans won the next two sets, but Camosun stormed back again in the fourth and fifth sets and went on to win the match and the championships. Meanwhile, the Camosun women’s volleyball team took home a bronze in the nationals, held March 12 to 14 in Quebec. The Red Deer College Queens won gold.

Remarkable Camosun alumni to win awards

If you know a Camosun alumnus whose work ethics are worthy of an award, the college is now accepting nominations for the Distinguished and Promising Alumni Awards. The awards will be presented at Camosun’s annual graduation ceremony, taking place on June 18-19. Visit camosun.ca/alumni for the requirements and to nominate exceptional Camosun alumni. The nominations close on March 31.

Hospitality students serve the homeless

Over 500 impoverished and homeless guests were given the rare opportunity to enjoy fine-dining service with an exceptional two-course menu, served by Camosun’s Hospitality Management Training Program. The students were required to organize, serve, and prepare the entire evening for the less fortunate. The event took place at Our Place Society on Wednesday, March 11.

Chargers basketball wins

Chargers women and men’s basketball dominated in their final home games of the season. The Chargers women beat the Kwantlen Eagles 71-59, and took down the Columbia Bible College Bearcats 56-48 on the February 20-21 weekend. Although the Chargers men pulled it off, head coach Scot Cuachon said in a press release, “We were far too casual on the defensive end.” However, the Chargers ended up pulling it off in the final quarter to take the win.

Seminars to support students’ leadership

Camosun’s Continuing Education department is offering two-day training seminars to help young people between the ages of 17-24 with their leadership skills and knowledge. The Young Women’s Workshop will be held on April 11 and May 9 and the Young Men’s Workshop will run April 12 and May 10 at the Lansdowne campus. Visit camosun.ca/ce for more.

Artist’s contest dishing out prizes

The artistic community of Salt Spring Island is giving Canadian artists a chance for recognition. Artists will have an opportunity to earn up to $25,000 in prize money, with the leading artist to take home $10,000 and a one-month artist residency on Salt Spring. The artists will remain anonymous to the judges to keep the competition fair and 50 works of art will be selected, and original works will be for sale at Mahon Hall on Salt Spring Island.

Open textbooks could help students save

Open Education Week recently ran from March 9-13 and Advanced Education Minister Andrew Wilkinson is reminding students that there is an online source for viewing textbooks for free. BC was the first Canadian province to support the government-sponsored open textbook project. There are more than 70 textbooks available online for free through the program. Wilkinson stated in a press release that more than 4,600 students in BC have saved over $600,000 by using the open textbooks. Visit open.bccampus.ca/ for more information.

Travel grants awarded to local athletes

Eight Vancouver Island athletes have been awarded grants to help with the cost of travelling off the island for training and competition. The Vancouver Island Mountain Sports Society (VIMSS) has awarded the grants to do their part in nurturing local athletes and helping them prepare for competitions. Vancouver Island Alpine athletes can apply for a grant from VIMSS online over at vimountaincentre.com.

More money to be spent on contaminated land

Thetis Lake Regional Park once was home to a firing range used by police forces, security companies, and gun clubs, before being contaminated by toxic metals and bullets. The CRD has taken the initiative to address the contamination issue and take steps to reduce risks for human health. The remediation of the site, which included excavating and removing soil, has been completed. The CRD says the next step will be restoring the site and $80,000 per year between 2005 and 2012 has already been spent on the project.

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