Student studies in library [Photo: Austin Jean]

On November 30, 2007, students from Business 430 presented the findings of a survey project on the Norma Marion Alloway Library to 12 of its staff. Students’ awareness of library services were measured through an online survey and focus groups. Their perceptions of the quality of those services were collected through a live survey of volunteer students in the library. Recommendations for improvement based on the research were also included in the presentation.

With the 2008 United States election coming up in November, it is that time again when it is important to have an understanding of the candidates; after all, these are the men and women who are vying for one of two Resolute Desks in the world. The next 11 months leading up to the election will be some of the most hotly contested times in recent memory, with enough mud-slinging and slander to satisfy you for the next four to eight years. With this election looking to be the most open the public has seen since the days of James A. Garfield’s election in 1880, knowing who these people are, not just what they preach at you, is going to be the key in deciding this upcoming election. Thus, I’ve taken the arduous task of outlining three possible candidates from both major parties in hopes of assisting you in making the right choice.

Being trapped inside an insect-infested mosquito net, praying for five minutes of silence and craving something as simple as an ice cube is enough to make people think that my time in the Dominican Republic was nothing but uncomfortable. I could suppress the fact that much of my experience was indeed uncomfortable and resort to the typical “it was amazing,” but in order to express the impact that 30 days in the Caribbean had on my life, no emotion can be ignored.

People who start living out their hopes and dreams grasp a specific meaning to life that only a fraction of the people in this world will ever discover. I think instantly of people like Jim Elliot, Martin Luther King Jr., Joan of Arc, St. Stephen and Jesus, all of whom had dreams worth living and dying for. Even though most of these people never got to see the full fruit of their work, their legacy and dreams live on and have, in some cases, impacted and transformed the lives of literally billions of people.

Having past the halfway point of the season, the battle for an National Hockey League playoff position begins in earnest. Only the Detroit Red Wings can rest easy, having a secure position 24 points ahead of their closest rivals, the Columbus Blue Jackets. Where as the Central Division of the Western Conference has a sure leader, the rest of the league is locked in a fight for each and every point- none more so than the Northwest Division, where a single loss will result in a drastic fall in the standings.

After visiting the AIDS summit meeting at the end of November 2007, Alex Kirstiuk, Student Life outreach and evangelism coordinator, and Ashley Crozier, former president of the International Social Justice Club (ISJC), were compelled to act on this growing epidemic that affects millions of people globally by forming a group on campus focused specifically on outreach and awareness about AIDS.

Kirstiuk and Crozier came away from the meeting with a broader perspective of the AIDS epidemic in Africa, South East Asia, and Russia. Crozier said she realized that it is important to “do something to educate ourselves.” She also saw how necessary it is for the church to be involved in this epidemic in order to provide what she calls a “wider spread of arms.”

Any student of Professor Ruth Anaya knows her passion for world culture. This is evident in her course material, her overseas study sessions and her cross-cultural experiences. Now she’s taking her work to the highest level of global cultural research as the sole Canadian among a team of researchers representing 62 countries in the GLOBE Project (Global Leadership and Organizational Behavioral Effectiveness).

Between November 1-3, 2007, Anaya attended the International Leadership Conference in Vancouver, B.C. There, she began a series of meetings with Mansour Javidan, Director of the GLOBE Project. These meetings landed Anaya as part of a full research project under his direction, which will focus solely on the civil leadership sector of Kenya, namely in the fields of health and education.

MH: As an athlete, who had the biggest influence on you growing up?

Jonathan: My dad. He put in endless hours to teach me the basics of my two sports, hockey and baseball.

MH: If you could have chosen any other sport to pursue and play at the university level, what would it have been?

Jonathan: I did have a scholarship for baseball in Chicago, but that fell through. If I had to pick another sport it would probably be golf.

MH: Who are the biggest fair-weather fans of any professional sports team?