Students involved in community service University of Guelph students care about the about a tenative project that would involve community they live in, giving help that ranges students working with alcoholics striving for from acting as a friend to a troubled child, to resocialization in the community. The students just providing a smile and a bit of friendly would be involved in arranging activities, conversation to a bed-ridden senior citizen. but would not replace professional counselling News Bulletin Over 50 students are involved this summer and help, explained Alan Finlayson, executive in giving of themselves in this fashion as mem­ secretary of HELP. He added that final details bers of a group whose name tells it all — HE LP. of the project still have to be worked out, but During the fall and winter semesters, the num­ he hopes the program will get under way this ber swells to about 300 student volunteers who fall. give a few hours a week to one or more of the Programs in institutions and nursing homes group's many projects. bring volunteers into contact with people of UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH The organization has only one requirement all ages. Students help out in areas like physio­ for its student members — that they be willing therapy, recreation, and activity therapy, and Vol. 18, No. 31 August 8, 1974 to work with enthusiasm on community de­ also visit individual patients. The volunteers velopment projects. In return, the students in nursing homes try to help the elderly enjoy hopefully will gain in personal development, life by organizing outings, picnics, games, and learning what it means to care for and work films. with other people. Students from all courses Most troubled children need a friend, some­ are involved in the group's work, each bring­ one to talk to who will arrange outings and ing their own particular talent to a HELP pro­ other activities, and HELP volunteers try to ject. Students able to teach arts and crafts fulfil that need. Volunteers work with children are especially needed now. and teenagers through Big Brother and Big The group was started about seven years ago Sister projects, through group and one-to-one by students and has been growing ever since, programs for the Children's Aid Society, in always on the look-out for new community programs at various special schools and insti­ service projects. It is run by a board of direc­ tutions in Guelph and area, and as tutors. tors made up of students, professional resource The students also work with individual juvenile people, businessmen, and others interested in cases from Wellington Family Court, acting community work. The group's crest is an apt as a friend to the child while working in one — two hands clasped, bridging the gap conjunction with the youngster's probation between people. officer. Guelph London house The HELP office is located in the basement HELP is becoming well known for its work of Massey Hall and the group can use all the in the community. Discussions are now under volunteers it can get, Mr. Finlayson said, even provides study centre way with the Addiction Services branch of the students who can't be involved on a regular in Great Gritain Wellington - Dufferin - Guelph Health Unit weekly basis. The dream of a handful of people in the Col­ lege of Arts to have a research and study cen­ tre in London, England, is close to being real­ ized. The purchase of what will be called Guelph London House is now in its final stages. If all goes well, the centre will open its doors this September. Recently, the board of governors approved the purchase of a property in Camden Town, London N.W.1, from a fund known as the London House Trust fund. Primarily and in­ itially the property will serve as an adminis­ trative centre for the B.A. program London winter semester. While the first London sem­ ester, which took place in 1974, under the di­ rection of Professor John Bruce of the Philos­ ophy Department, was reported to senate to be a rousing success, the organizers agreed that the lack of a fixed administrative centre for the program was a decided handicap. With the opening of Guelph London House, that difficulty will be overcome. HELP Executive Secretary Alan Finlayson, and the group's president, Sylvia Best, are always But Guelph London House also will serve eager to hear from students willing to give some of their time to community development pro­ Contunued on page 2 jects. Over 50 University of Guelph students are working for the group this summer. Guelph’s better berry picker may mean a better berry Ontario raspberries may be harvested more While Mr. Jung works on the mechanical Machine harvesting could lessen labor costs efficiently and become a better paying indus­ adaptations, Professor Evans investigates rasp­ and stimulate growth of the Ontario raspberry try in the future as a result of research in mach­ berry varieties and cultures most suitable for industry, making the smaller raspberry acreage ine harvesting now being done at the University machine harvesting. Particular aspects of Ontario more economically viable. Along with the of Guelph. The OMAF — supported project, varieties, such as size, endurance and growing harvesting machine adaptations, work is being led by Professor W.D. Evans, Department of conditions must be considered, and culture done on pruning and thinning machines. These Horticulture, and Robert Jung of the School of (pruning, thinning, cane density and row width) are not commercially available at present, and Engineering is directed at finding what variet­ is studied and yields compared for the best will be at least two more years in development, ies of Ontario raspberries have the best poten­ results. Mr. Jung says. tial for mechanical harvesting. Also the research­ ers are working on adapting a working model of the raspberry harvesting machine. Mechanical harvesting of raspberries is not new. Basic harvester design was established in the 1960's, and there are machines now com­ mercially available. But these are large and expensive (about $30,000), and generally only economical when working very large acreages. More recent research has been centred on the adaptation of basic harvester design for variety and cultural differences in raspberries, and also on smaller and less expensive pull-type mechan­ isms. These would be more practical for small plots, cost up to a third less than the self-pro­ pelled type, and are capable of being built by the fruit grower himself, thus saving costs. A working model of the harvesting machine, a device which straddles a row of raspberry canes, shaking off the ripe fruit, is being tested and adapted here in order to find optimum forward speeds, best shaker frequency and amplitude With a driver and two sorters the mechanical raspberry picker shown at the university's Cambridge and to establish machine dimensions. research station can do the work of 30 hand pickers. Continued from page 1 as a residence for faculty and students doing research in London. Consisting of two separ­ ate self-contained flats and a third large flat with a living room, dining room-kitchen and five bed-studies (two doubles and three singles), London House will provide ready-made com­ pletely equipped living facilities. Among the advantages will be the saving of precious re­ search time, often wasted in getting established. The London House trust fund grew out of a fund established for just this purpose in the Philosophy Department some six years ago by Professor John Bruce. For the most part, the money now in the fund was contributed by members of the faculty in the College of Arts. Recently, the project has expanded into the College of Social Science. Optimistic that no last-minute difficulties will undermine the purchase, the London House Committee is inviting any faculty mem­ ber or student who would like to rent either a flat or room this coming academic year to apply as soon as possible through the commit­ tee chairman, Professor G. Todd of the Philoso­ phy Department. The committee hopes and expects that even­ tually other study programs from the Uni­ versity of Guelph will be able to make use of Guelph London House. Contributions to the London House trust Environmental biology professor Maurice Smith points out the queen bee to a group of visiting fund (No. 913-50) can be made through the children during a recent apiculture display. These observation hives are often used by the univer­ Alma Mater fund. sity's apiculturists for display purposes. Professor L.J. Martin, Agricultural Economics, pre­ FACULTY ACTIVITIES------ sented a paper on principles of using futures markets CAMPUS BRIEFS---------- at the Second International Farm Business Management Professor E.K. Baton, Zoology, attended the 54th an­ Congress held on this campus with 360 delegates from nual meeting of the American Society of Icthyologists 26 countries. Many other faculty and staff members and Herpetologists in Ottawa and presented a paper of the school assisted with arrangements for the con­ Appoint co-ordinator on ecological guilds of fishes: a proposal and defini­ gress. tion. Graduate student E.M. Chadwick also presented Professor J.A. Neill has been appointed co-or- a paper on the abundance, species composition and dinator of learning and teaching, succeeding growth of fishes from tidal pools at Port Renfrew, Professor L.J. Martin and graduate student A.C. Zwart, Duane Tulloch, who has left the university for British Columbia, and Bruels Point, California. P.D. Agricultural Economics, gave a seminar on an analysis a provincial government position in Sudbury. Niblett and J.