ALMA MATTERS FALL/WINTER 2006 Publication for the Marianopolis College Community - an update on the new campus ith less than a year to go before the Col- areas of the building lege moves to our new campus in West- can be used immedi- Wmount, the work at the new campus is ately. However, the progressing rapidly. Both phases of the project have whole building must be been contracted out and are currently underway. wired for technology in Phase I is the construction of the new gymnasium. the 21st century, the for- Work has been on-going for Phase I since the ground- mer chapel must pre- breaking ceremony last fall. The gymnasium must be pared to accommodate built underground due to the zoning by-laws in the our library, new science City of Westmount, so this project has been chal- labs must be con- lenging. After many months of work, the project is structed, and one wing entering into the final stages, which include com- must be converted to pleting the roof, ongoing interior work, and then cov- house the offices for our ering the complex with earth. Phase I is on schedule, faculty. This phase has and is slated for completion in January 2007. been underway since Phase II is the renovation of certain parts of the the beginning of the fall Photo by Chris Lucia existing building (the former Mother House of and is scheduled to be A special membrane on the roof ensures that our new gym will be dry and toasty. the Congrégation de Notre-Dame). This building completed next spring. must be coordinated with this year’s graduation ex- was the home of Marianopolis College from 1926- Moving an institution such as Marianopolis is not ercises, summer school, and the opening of the 1943 and was constructed as a school, so certain an easy task, especially considering that the move Continued on page 7 News from the Library by Amy MacLean s always, things are very busy at the Li- Did you know that Marianopolis alumni brary. In addition to our daily work have borrowing privileges at the Library? You Awith our students and teachers, we can visit us anytime and browse through our have a busy schedule of classroom visits. At print collections. We have many popular fic- the same time, we are quietly preparing for our tion titles, and shelves full of a variety of in- move to the New Campus. teresting non-fiction. Furthermore, our ex- On campuses across the country, students tensive collection is always being refreshed as and teachers are confronting the topic of cheat- we acquire approximately 1,000 new books ing. In a recent Maclean’s article, the president every year. The Library is open from Monday of the Society for Teaching and Learning in to Friday, from 7:30 am to 6:00 pm. We will Higher Education said that “it is critical to be pleased to receive you. educate students about the topic.” Here at As we gear up for the Winter semester and Marianopolis, we are proactive on the subject continue to prepare for the move to the New of Academic Integrity. To assist in the College- Campus, we all look forward to welcoming the wide discussion of Academic Integrity, the Li- Graphic rendering of the new library Marianopolis community to our beautiful new brary staff developed an information session that Campus. During the past summer, the Library staff Library. Be sure to pay us a visit - we think you’ll was designed to make the students aware of their organized and executed a huge collection-weeding like what you see! responsibilities when doing research and writing pa- project wherein we examined all of the materials pers. During the info session, we define and discuss on our shelves. Then, assisted by our enthusiastic CONTENT plagiarism, talk about the importance of Academic and efficient student employees, Zachary Alapi ’06, Alumni Article 2 Integrity, and introduce the students to some basic Krzysztof Cyga ’06, Connie Galatas ’04, Jonjon On Campus 4 citation style rules. The session proved to be so pop- Toca ’00, we discarded all of the items that were Moving hearts & minds 6 ular that we were invited to visit all of the Introduction physically dilapidated and beyond repair. This Faculty & Staff 12 weeding project has helped to ensure that when we to College English classes. This means that every Alumni News & Notables 13 first-year student participates in the session on pack up all the books and other Library materials Marianopolis Will Miss 14 Academic Integrity! next summer, we’ll be taking only the most useful Alumni Events 15 We are quietly preparing for our move to the New items to our beautiful new home. Alumni Article Pedal for Hope by Ayesha Harji ’02 n January 2006, my father and I embarked on was an exciting and innovative way to see an entire a four-month whirlwind tour of Africa on bicy- continent. Very soon after registering, we realized Icle. As part of a group called Tour D’Afrique, that our involvement in this bicycle tour would comprised of more than 50 riders coming from provide us with an excellent opportunity to raise many countries, we crossed the continent of Africa awareness and funds for the Aga Khan Foundation from North to South and from East to West, start- Canada. Almost immediately, we formulated our ing in Cairo, Egypt and pedalling to Cape Town, campaign, the Pedal for Hope, and began ap- South Africa. In the 120 days that we were on the proaching all our acquaintances with the proposi- road, we crossed through a total of 10 countries: tion of sponsoring us in our endeavour to collect Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, funds for the AKFC and their support was over- Zambia, Botswana, Namibia and South Africa. Each whelming from start tofinish. f We departed for the Tour D’Afrique on January 7th, 2006, having al- ready raised nearly C$ 50,000, excited, anxious, nervous, and unsure of how we would adapt to our new environments and deal with the enormous task ahead of us. The Blue Nile Gorge in Ethiopia We began the Tour D’Afrique at the foot of the more there to really take in Africa, enjoy the beauty Pyramids at Giza. Our auspicious beginning was an of the world around us and take our sweet time in- indication of what was to come because for the stead of racing and many other cyclists were of our next four months, we saw some of the other un- same opinion. recognized wonders of the world. Within Egypt, we Before we embarked on this journey, many peo- Ayesha and her father with children in Sudan also passed through Luxor, a beautiful city that is ple questioned our sanity. It was only upon enter- really a living museum, which houses the Temple ing the Sudan that I myself began questioning the country presented breathtaking sights and distinc- of Karnak and the Temple of Luxor, as well as logic of our decision to cycle across Africa. The tive challenges and each day was new, different and Sudan has some of the most unforgiving terrain on exciting. the continent. It is without a doubt that I can say The Tour D’Afrique is both a bicycle race and an that the Sudan has some of the most generous and expedition; bringing together people who want to hospitable people in the region, perhaps in the see how fast they can pedal across a continent and whole of Africa. Everywhere we went, no matter how also those who want to come take in the unique remote, the Sudanese people were thrilled to see us. sights, sounds, tastes and people of this continent. They opened their houses and their hearts in true For me, the Tour D’Afrique was an incredible phys- Islamic fashion. It was in the Sudan that Ifirst f began ical and personal challenge that allowed me to re- to realize just how different the mentalities of soci- turn to the land where my parents were born and eties in the West really are from those in the Occi- also travel and experience Africa. As a recreational Encountering a few obstacles in Northern Kenya dent. but avid cyclist, I wanted to put my body through Ethiopia was, by far, the most physically and the rigors of pedalling in the extreme conditions that Aswaan, a city that can be found on the shores of mentally demanding country of the trip, but also one Africa has to offer and see how I would fare out. the Nile River. All through Egypt, our riding days of the most beautiful. There were days when we As an International Relations student, I wanted to were easy enough – the roads wereflat f and well- would pedal uphill for hours before being able to see the “real” Africa, its good points and bad points, maintained and the wind was at our back. As a cy- hit a downhill. Ethiopia is one of the poorest and and compare it to what I had learned about formally clist, there is really nothing better than a great tail- most drought-ridden countries in Africa and the im- in books during my studies. This trip tested my phys- wind and amazing scenery. Egypt provided both and ages of destitution, famine and suffering that I saw ical and mental strength as well as my opinions it was a great way to start the Tour. At Aswaan, we will plague me for a long time. It was at this point and perspectives about many global issues.