A passion for photography Superbowl Sunday hotspots Pages 8-9 Page 11 NIAGARATHE COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER OF NIAGARA NEW COLLEGE S FREE February 1, 2008 Vol 38 • Issue 9 Pigging out for Hope By AMANDA PAIEMENT went to Don Bruce, 44, a volunteer Staff Writer fi refi ghter in Welland. Mark Vituc- This gives a whole new meaning ci, of Wellandport, placed fourth to the phrase “clear your plate.” and took home a GPS device from On Tuesday, M.T. Bellies Tap Online Electronics. and Grillhouse, located on Niagara “I told my buddies at work that I Street in Welland, kicked off a didnʼt want the trip, really. I wanted fundraiser for the Hope Centre in the GPS, so I got what I wanted,” a big way. Vitucci said with a smile. Twenty-six competitors for At 7 p.m., John Clark, owner, Niagaraʼs Giant Eater competition yelled over a crowd of about 100 tried with all their might to stom- people to explain the only two ach the enormous Burger Beast: a rules: “No going to the bathroom 2.5-pound patty, an obscene num- and no puking and, yes, your water ber of toppings and a half-pound is coming.” of bacon. A side order of fries was When asked how he felt after the also included. win, Vincelette, an employee of Pierre Vincelette, 34, of Welland, Niagara Countertops in St. Catha- managed to score the trip to the rines, said, “Iʼm not going to puke Big Apple by defeating the other if youʼre asking that.” contenders in a mere 15 minutes A donation jar was placed be- and 32 seconds, winning only by side each eater, and the contestant 27 seconds. He also receives $300 whose jar had the most money in spending money. it at the end of the contest would “Iʼm taking my wife,” he said, receive two cases of beer, courtesy adding that they are already going of Molson Canada. to Jamaica at the end of the month. Mid-way through the contest, The trip for two is provided by Clark said he didnʼt know how Brown, James and Tizzard on East much money was collected in the Main Street in Welland. jars, but “one had about $75, and I Erik Mikkelsaar, 24, of Welland donʼt even think thatʼs the highest.” placed second and was awarded a Clayton Glabb-Pitt, a fi rst-year prize of $300 to spend at Country Social Service Worker student at Corner Market. Third prize, a $200 Niagara College, was encouraged gift certifi cate for M.T. Bellies, Continued on Page 2 Investing in the province’s future By MARYANNE FIRTH tourism programs at the college Staff Writer and within the community. If you build it, they will come He said the funding provided by … but who will run it? Ontario the provincial government to col- Tourism Minister Peter Fonseca leges and universities, to train stu- stressed the importance of college dents in the realm of tourism, can students in the development of the be looked at as an investment to the provincial economy. tourism industry and the provinceʼs Fonseca paid a visit to the Ni- economy. agara region last week Itʼs important for the “fragmented for the fi rst time since industry,” said Fonseca, to “look at taking charge in investments as a whole that allow October 2007. Fon- tourism to thrive.” seca stopped by the Meeting with Dan Patterson, Niagara-on-the-Lake Niagara College president, and campus to David Veres, dean of Hospitality discuss the and Tourism, Fonseca toured continued the school, getting an up- success close-and-personal view of of the the collegeʼs facilities. Erik Mikkelsaar, of Welland, chows down on a monstrous burger at M.T. Bellies Tap and Grillhouse Tuesday hospital- During a meeting night for Niagara’s Giant Eater competition. Mikkelsaar placed second. ity and Continued on Page 2 Photo by Ryan Kelpin INSIDE THIS WEEK Night Life Page 10 • Sports Page 12-14 • Niagara Noise Page 15 • Winter Fest Page 16 2 NIAGARA NEWS Feb. 1, 2008 A belly full of Hope Hearty-sized hamburger helps Hope Centre Continued from page 1 said that all proceeds from the entry to attend by his classmates. fees and donation jars will go to the Crystal Smith, one of Glabb- Hope Centre, which helps Welland Pittʼs classmates, said, “We all families and children in need. pitched in to bring him here.” The entry fee was $50. “As soon as the water went down ... itʼs gotten easier since,” Glabb- Pitt said as his donation jar was fed by his fellow Social Service Worker students. Mikkelsaar, who described the burger as a “snack” when seeing it, said, “I found it easier to eat by pouring water on my bun.” People were toe-to-toe in the usually cozy restaurant, and the screams, cheers, warm air and a strong scent of food gave it the atmosphere of a nightclub. In an ironic case of foreshadow- ing, contestant Ryan McKeen said, “I know I wonʼt puke, but I will try to fi nish this.” He was the only entrant to vomit at the end of the competition. All participants, regardless of At left: Ryan McKaan gags on beefy goodness as he attempts to conquer the enormous whether their plates were cleaned, 2.5-pound burger at M.T. Bellies Tap and Grillhouse in Welland during an intense received a one-month membership competition. Above: On the left is Clayton Glabb-Pitt, a fi rst-year Social Service Worker to Body Balance Health and Fit- student at Niagara College, saluting the crowd after a hard-fought battle for beef. On ness on Highway 20 in Fonthill. the right is the competition’s winner, Pierre Vincelette of Welland speaking of his fellow Clark, who was referred as “Mr. competitor with a mouthful of beef. Charity” by a member of the crowd, Photos by Ryan Keplin NOTL campus impresses Government partnership with Ontario’s tourism minister Niagara College for Literacy By BRAD MOORE The study needs students who are new to Staff Writer the college and have little English education Prospective students to Niagara College past grade 12. They will be asked to help Partnering together for the future will be under the grammarianʼs microscope. build the basis for the test. Students are needed to help a Niagara Col- Prescott says the questions arenʼt dif- Continued from page 1 lege counsellor test the validity of an assess- fi cult, just things most college students with the press the day after his campus ment project. would know. tour, Fonseca discussed his plans for the The federal governmentʼs Innovation Fund Unlike an IQ test, the idea is not to score as upcoming year, his impressions of the Project has given Niagara College $195,000 high as possible but rather help to gather an college and his hopes for the future of the toward research and development projects. accurate testing of college-ready students. Niagara area. About 24 of the collegeʼs proposed projects Prescott emphasizes the test results are After referring to the campus as “breath- have been awarded a piece of the pie. confi dential between the student and himself taking,” Fonseca said he was impressed with Gilles Prescott, of Welland, is a counsel- and the results are not kept as a record of the way the “industry is involved” in the lor here. He is leading one of these research performance. schoolʼs Hospitality and Tourism programs. projects, a mature student assessment as it “Iʼm not testing the student. Iʼm testing Patterson said the programs are “among the relates to actual academic performance and the test.” best in Canada” and was pleased to “now as a predictor of success. The questions begin simply but require the have a great ambassador in Peter Fonseca.” The project was given $20,000 to deter- student to “read between the lines” toward Patterson said the minister “indicated that mine the average scores of a student entering the end. he was very impressed with what he saw” college to better assess prospective students. For example, the test will look at spelling and would be sharing his experiences as he The test will involve fi ve areas of English and determine whether it is a skill people traveled around and outside the province. profi ciency: reading, writing, spelling, lan- struggle with or fi nd relatively easy. The Fonseca said he will be taking his Niagara guage and vocabulary. results may also determine that education experiences “on the road, in Ontario and Prescott says he hopes to gather “enough hasnʼt much effect on the average studentʼs farther,” using his $10-million marketing information to effectively build a tool to help ability to spell properly. initiative to continue building on the existing Niagara College accept mature students.” It “We can look for patterns,” says Prescott. Thereʼs No Place Like This campaign. The will also identify those people who are not Interested students are asked to come to Niagara region is “highlighted throughout” ready and refer them to the specialized train- the counselling offi ce at S102 in the Welland that campaign. photo Submitted ing or academic areas they need to improve Campus to participate in the mature student He described the Niagara area as a “four- DAN PATTERSON before attending college. assessment under Prescottʼs initiative. season destination” that has “something for everyone.” He says he has plans to fi nd what recognized school of hospitality and tourism we are missing that will “take us from good and be known as a centre of excellence in the to great.” culinary arts.” Correction: “Niagara Falls is iconic — everyone He said he stressed to Fonseca “the im- knows it.” portant role that Niagara College plays in In the Jan.