January 2000 The Douglas College Newsletter ™ New Westminster Campus, David Lam Campus & Thomas Haney Campus IN Douglas College College composer teaches students a lesson College music instructor Doug Smith takes a break from grading student assignments at the end of a busy semester. ake one composer, ten music faculty, a captive student audience, and what do you get? January 2000’s first Noon at New West performance, composed in part by College music instructor Doug Smith. “Tt was a great compliment to me when my colleagues in music commissioned me to write a composition for them,” he says. “When they first approached me I wondered what I was going to write. It’s an odd ensemble: there are two pianos, a guitar, a flute, a trumpet, a soprano, and some of the lecturing staff are going to sing chorus.” With a twinkle in his eye, Smith relates how he came up with the idea for Didactic Etudes, the name of his composition. “An etude is a study, with the focus on the technical Summer semester now planned for 2001 at David Lam Campus Since June, the College Board, administration, students and community members have been working to get a funding commitment from the Ministry of Advanced Education, Training and Technology that would allow the College to offer a summer semester at the David Lam Campus in 2000. Now the planning deadline has passed with no word from the Ministry. “Students and community residents are demanding more classes. We worked hard and had a lot of support from students and the community but the Ministry was unable to commit by November 30,” says former Board Chair Neal Nicholson. “We needed a firm commitment of funding for 250 FTE (Full-Time Equivalent spaces) by this date to offer a viable summer semester in 2000.” The November commitment was required to allow sufficient time to plan new course sections, provide information to the public and arrange for staff and instructors by early May. The College will continue to press for the necessary funding during the regular budget-setting period this Spring, with the expectation of a two-year commitment that will allow a David Lam Campus summer semester in 2001. New sections created in the coming 2000/2001 fiscal year will be transferred to the 2001 Summer Semester at the David Lam Campus. Funding for 250 FTE would allow for the creation of 94 new sections serving approximately 1000 full- and part-time students. The 250 FTE funding from the Ministry amounts to approximately $1 million that is required to keep the $35 million facility fully operational year-round. “Ministry officials have indicated that funding for the David Lam Campus is a priority. Our goal now is to get a two-year commitment from the Minister in the Spring of 2000 so summer semester in Coquitlam can begin in 2001,” says Nicholson. “The Board will be seeking a meeting with the Minister by early February. ‘Hopefully, this year we will get approval for at least 150 FTE as the first installment of the two-year commitment.” aspect of music,” he says. “Didactic means instructional, but in an over-the-top, excessive way, and in art, it means the sacrifice of esthetic considerations for technical ones. Since music students are required to attend the Noon at New West performances, and in this particular one the music faculty are performing, I thought “Aha! What better way to get the teachers to teach a lesson to the students!’ In essence they'll be demonstrating to the students how to practice, study and play. Hopefully they'll be doing it excessively, and I can personally guarantee you that esthetic considerations have been sacrificed, and there’ll also be some other surprises that I don’t want to reveal...” Smith is no stranger to having his music performed at the College. In 1999 he composed original music for A Clockwork Orange and part of Love’ Fire, and this year he’ll compose music for Mariner, all produced by the Theatre and Stagecraft departments. “T saw the poster for A Clockwork Orange and immediately went to Chery! Matheson and begged her to let me do the music” he says. “She said “Twist my arm alittle harder!’ I took some Beethoven and re-did it, and some of it was original. I'm a great fan of Beethoven, so this was a project made in heaven for » me. Everyone is invited to come and hear the performance on January 13 in the Performing Arts Theatre, 12:30-1:30pm. This Noon at New West performance is part of a special 30% Anniversary celebration, beginning with the performance in the Theatre followed by the opening reception of Arts 2000 in the Amelia Douglas Gallery, a show of the artwork of College employees. The reception runs from 1:30- 6:30pm with music provided by the music department. College artists showcase their talent If you've ever wondered about the extracurricular activities of your colleagues at Douglas College, now’s your chance to find out. Art 2000, opening January 13 in the Amelia Douglas Gallery, showcases the work of some talented College artists such as Penny Swanson, Robin Ripley, Susan Greathouse, Jennifer McEacheron, Des Wilson, Phyliss Greenwood, Joan Barnett, Terry Farrell, Liz Peerless, Jennifer de Benedictus, Kristen Conboy, Paul Biscop, Hal Gray and Adrienne Peacock, among others. Art 2000 is part of the College’s 30" Anniversary celebration and features music by the College’s Music Department. The opening reception runs from 1:30- 6:30pm. A portrait of Amelia Douglas will be From left to right: College President Susan Witter, Art Gallery Committee members Christine Dewar, Eleanor Dunn and Lorna McCallum, Citizenship Judge and ex-College President Bill Day, Amelia Douglas’ great-great granddaughter Jane VanRoggen, and Foundation Executive Director Myrna Popove pose with the portrait of Amelia Douglas to be unveiled at Art 2000 on January 13. The show runs until February 25. unveiled at 4:30pm by her great-great granddaughter Jane VanRoggen, followed by a short talk about Amelia Douglas by VanRoggen. Everyone is invited to attend. Quote of the Month “Tf computers get too powerful, we can organize them into a committee C that will do them in.’ > Bradley's Bromide