INside _. The Douglas College Newsletter | New Westminster Campus, David Lam Campus, Surrey Training Centre Margaret Murray says goodbye Margaret Murray, Executive Assistant to the Board, said a fond farewell to the College in December and was honoured by scores of College employees and Board members including four past Board Chairs .(-r:) Neal Nicholson, Myrna Popove, Margaret Murry, Bob Buzza and Harbinder Kainth Jassal. Candid Transitions bloggers exhibiting at Coquitlam Centre Coquitlam Centre Mall will host an interactive display of Candid Transitions blogs produced by Douglas students Nat Konkin, Adam Rigetti, Chris Knapp, Priscilla Bartleman, Mike Wang and Valerie Boucher on February 9. Launched in Fall 2007 to get students talking to students about their transition to life at Douglas College, Candid Transitions (CT) has already registered thousands of hits from readers on and off campus. “This isnt a corporate blog,” says Kyle Baillie, Manager of the Office for New Students which hosts the Candid Transitions site. “We ask the bloggers to discuss specific issues, but we dont tell them what to write. They've been telling it like it is, warts and all, and I think that resonates as very authentic. We've even heard stories of prospective students checking out these blogs to see what it’s really like here.” Armed with digital cameras donated by Pentax Canada and with additional support from the Burnaby Newsleader and the Tri- City News, bloggers have also been documenting their first semester through photographs. Wang, a CT blogger and heavy-metal fan, took a picture of himself mimicking a classic pose from the band Metallica. A stranger recently stopped him on the concourse and said, “Hey, youre that Metallica guy! Me too. Love your blog.” Rigetti says classmates comment every time he updates his blog and Knapp reports that one of his instructors is reading his submissions. In his last blog, Knapp reflects on his first semester: “I have grown by leaps and bounds... I have left everything that I knew, all of my friends, my security, my helping hands in high school, and | have entered into the ‘real world’...[which] has been completely stressful and scary at times, especially around mid-November with all those papers.” The Coquitlam Centre exhibit will be the Douglas experience “writ large” as mall patrons will be able to meet the Candid Transitions bloggers and scroll through blogs which will be simultaneously projected on large screens. “It’s so cool to read what these students are thinking about and to trace the arc of their first semester through their blog entries,” says faculty member Jillian Hull, who has coordinated the blog entries. “When places like Coquitlam Centre and the larger public express an interest, you really start to see the community- building potential of a project like this — both inside and outside the College.” Candid Transitions will continue through the Winter 2008 term and will be showcased at the College's Connect event in May. IN Douglas College Gearing up for Winter grad ‘The excitement is mounting as Douglas College prepares for Winter graduation. Last year, an additional graduation ceremony was added to accommodate growing program en rolment. Douglas College will host two graduation ceremonies on Tuesday, February 12 at 10:30am and 2:30pm for over 600 graduates who will receive their degrees, diplomas, certificates and citations from 49 programs. ‘The 10:30 pm ceremony presents graduates from Humanities and Social Sciences, Commerce and Business Administration, Student Development, and Language, Literature and Performing Arts. Graduates of Child, Family, and Community Studies, Science and Technology, and Health Sciences programs will take the stage in the 2:30pm ceremony. All ceremonies will be held in the Performing Arts Theatre at the New Westminster Campus. For more information contact Christine Kerr, Graduation Officer, at 604-527-5391 or e-mail kerrc@douglas.be.ca. Get your pay statements online Starting this month you Can access important pay and benefits information using the new Employee Self Service on myDouglas. The service allows you to view information such as pay and benefits statements, T'4s and other data. You may also update your address, phone and emergency contact information. Get started by clicking on the login to myDouglas on the College home page. To access Employee Self Service, use your employee [D (located on your Pay Statement slip) and your PIN number. Directions for recovering your PIN are listed at the myDouglas login. Commencing in May, Payroll will no longer be producing and distributing paper versions of pay statements. Instead, individual employees can access their own information on the new myDouglas service. If you have any questions about this change, contact Payroll Manager Pam Kelly at local 5377. Designing environments that work Douglas College will host a one-day seminar to explore the challenges of creating community at the College. Dr. Carney Strange will present The Design of It All: Creating Campus Learning Environments That Work. The session examines the process of creating a community — a synergy of people, ideas, Opportunities and commitments — that supports the ability of individuals to develop and grow. Strange, a Professor of Higher Education at Bowling Green State University, will also exam how the intersection of campus culture and physical design and layout can secure, engage, and invite students into full membership in the learning community of post-secondary education. ‘The seminar takes place on Friday, January 25 from 1oam- 3:30pm in room A2050 at the David Lam Campus. To register or for further information contact Sandra Bird, Administrative Assistant, VP Educational Services at local 5389 or birds@douglas.be.ca. Quote of the Month . For last year’s words belong to last year’s language And next year’s words await another voice. And to make an end is to make a beginning. = - TS. Eliot (1888-1965)