LAST CHANCE TO VOTE FOR NAITSA EXECUTIVES TODAY THE Please recycle this Thursday, February 17, 2011 newspaper when you are Volume 48, Issue 20 finished with it. NUGGETYOUR STUDENT NEWSPAPER EDMONTON, ALBERTA, CANADA CANDIDATES SPEAK Students running for Executive Council have their say, page 2 Photo by Laura Dettling NAIT OVERPOWERS AUGUstana NAIT Ooks Carsten Moeller (2) and Anton Borodyuk (8) block a hit by an Augustana player during a game on Saturday, Feb. 12 in the NAIT gym. The Ooks won 3-0. 2 The Nugget Thursday, February 17, 2011 NEWS&FEATURES Hopefuls make their pitch By MARC MAJEAU about wanting to get rid of “non-academic students the right tools they need to succeed, since then, she has learned new leader- Students of NAIT got a first hand look mandatory fees,” and wishes to create a with events like the Leadership Summit. ship skills. She spoke about how she loves at the candidates who are running in the new way to regulate those fees. He says Campus Clubs were also a priority for Ber- the student body and her plans to get them 2011 Executive Council election this month that some of those fees are “nothing more nard, as well as more “Involvement Based more involved. Gahler is going to work at NAIT. Students put their Valentine’s Day than tuition by another name, and that’s Awards”. He wants to help break down bar- closely with various elements of NAIT lunch plans on hold temporarily on Mon- unacceptable”. riers, and recognize people for their contri- to ensure that your tuition stays at a min- day afternoon to see what the candidates Jobs is running unopposed. butions. He also wants to make the campus imum. She also had my favourite quote had to offer. Almost all of the candidates got VICE-PRESIDENT CAMPUS LIFE a fun place to be. So more fun events will be of the afternoon, by saying “I think extra a chance to speak at the Shaw Theatre and There are four candidates running for in NAIT’s future. fees suck.” Yes, yes they do. She wants here’s what they had to say: Vice-President Campus Life: Tyler Bernard, Curtis Guile was second. He discussed you to know where ever single dollar you VICE-PRESIDENT EXTERNAL Curtis Guile, Thomas (Tommy) Klufas and really wanting to connect with students, give NAIT ends up. Timothy Jobs is currently the NAITSA Rahul Sharma. and stressed the fact that he has worked Jim Houghton brings quite the resume to president, and is now running for Vice-Pres- Tyler Bernard was first up, and he spoke extremely hard to get where he is. He spoke the table, with an impressive business back- ident External. He wanted to stress that he very passionately about wanting to help stu- to the Shaw Theatre crowd about some of ground. He mentioned that all the best ideas has had a lot of experience at NAIT, as he dents reach their potential, and go above and the great ideas he has heard and how the that he has come across have all been from is studying business management. He spoke beyond. He spoke about wanting to give the majority of them have come from NAIT stu- NAIT students and he wants to hear about dents. “I will do everything their concerns on campus. He even spoke I can to make those ideas a about how he valued the opinions of students reality,” he said. He added in their final year of NAIT. He said that even that he would put the students though they are leaving, they spent a large challenges ahead of his own, amount of time and money at NAIT. Hough- and that he wants to make ton wants to get feedback from them, so he the 2011-12 school year “the can make it better for future NAIT students. most enjoyable year of your Melissa Mercer finished up the Vice- life.” President Academic candidates, and she said Thomas (Tommy) Klufas she wants to be an advocate for student con- was third up, and he spoke cerns. She spoke about getting a working about how all the school- knowledge of how NAIT runs, because she ing he has had up to this wants to represent the students the best way point. He spoke very can- she knows how. Mercer wants to be aware didly about how his plat- of student concerns, and wants to safe- form isn’t to change the sys- guard the rights of every student that walks tem, it’s to improve it. Klu- through the halls of NAIT. “I want to make fas thinks students are under the position more accessible, and more vis- informed on events in and ible to students” said Mercer. She wants around school, and that he the student body to reach it’s educational will combat that. Klufas said potential. school should be a place that PRESIDENT you enjoy coming to, and There are two candidates running for the that he really wants to put a position President. Christopher Hennig was focus on boosting attendance absent from the candidate speeches, so Gov- at NAITSA events. ind Pillai finished off the afternoon. And finally, batting clean Pillai is currently Vice-President Exter- up was international stu- nal, and joked about being at NAIT lon- dent Rahul Sharma. Sharma ger than most instructors (Pillai is in his is from India and he spoke fourth year). He spoke about understand- passionately about bring- ing the difference between “climbing to the ing more fun and enjoy- top,” and staying there. He wants NAIT to ment to the NAIT campus, stay at the top. Pillai said that he is will- by expanding on such things ing to collaborate with everyone to help as “Movie Night at the Shaw make student life better. Pillai wants every Theatre.” Since Sharma is NAIT graduate to be extremely proud of an international student, he the school they attended, and also wants to understands the struggles make better use of NAITSA fees. He said that they go through. He that all mandatory fees should go to the would put an emphasis on student body for approval before they are more clubs and associations put into place. Pillai finished off his speech that would help out students by saying “I will put students first every going through a rough patch step of the way.” in their lives. The Executive Election started online on VICE-PRESIDENT Feb. 11 and the election runs until the end ACADEMIC of the week, on the 17th. On the final day After we met those four (Thursday), from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., polls candidates, the candidates will be open at various locations through- that are running for Vice- out NAIT, such as the NAITSA office, out- President Academic got a side the bookstore, the HP Centre as well Photo by Kim Krushel chance to speak. as locations on other NAIT campuses. The Tim Jobs Teagan Gahler is in her end of online voting will be at 4 p.m. on The unopposed candidate for VP External speaks to the audience at the Shaw Theatre. third year at NAIT, and Thursday. Thursday, February 17, 2011 NEWS AND features The Nugget 3 The Nugget Room E-128B 11762–106 Street Edmonton, Alberta T5G 2R1 Production Office 471-8866 www.thenuggetonline.com Editor-in-Chief Rachel Jacques [email protected] Issues Editor Celeste Dul [email protected] Assistant Issues Editor Steven Dyer [email protected] Sports Editor Kyle Galliver [email protected] Assistant Sports Editor Matt DeBeurs [email protected] Entertainment Editor Lace Senio [email protected] Assist. Entertainment Editor Natascha Bruhin [email protected] Photo Editor Laura Dettling [email protected] Photo by Laura Dettling Production Manager MONEY FOR THE CAUSE Frank MacKay Linda Henderson, NAIT Director of Athletics and Recreation, unveils an Ooks Hockey Alumni Association jersey on Feb. 5 during a ceremony marking a gift of $200,000 to the institute’s hockey program by the alumni group. NAIT Ooks captain Kyle [email protected] Johnson looks on. See story, page 15. For advertising, call 471-8866 or e-mail: [email protected] Submissions encouraged: [email protected] Overseas travel chance The deadline is noon on the last school day of the week. (All sub- By GRAHAM McCANN young Canadians to gain valuable work the development that these young Canadi- missions must include your name Nine young Canadian sports enthusiasts experience abroad,” says Carla Thachuk, ans went through,” said Richard de Groen, and student ID number.) will have the chance to be a part of Com- Manager of International Programs for Com- Games Team Development Manager for the The opinions expressed by contribu- monwealth Games Canada (CGC) to spend a monwealth Games Canada. Commonwealth Games Federation. tors to the Nugget are not necessarily year overseas. She added that the first two teams of “Their CSP experience has helped make shared by NAIT officials, NAITSA or CGC, in partnership with the Common- CSO’s found the experience very rewarding them better people,” he added. elected school representatives. wealth Games Federa- through the challenge, and The 2011/12 placement has expanded tion, is looking for those “This is an incred- that the experience will to nine countries throughout the Common- with sports administra- ible opportunity for enhance their lives. wealth, and includes partnerships with tions backgrounds to fill young Canadians to The first team is fin- places such as Cayman Islands, Dominica, Letters positions for Capacity ished their 14-month Falkland Islands, Grenada, and Sri Lanka to Support Officers (CSOs), gain valuable work placement, which was in name a few.