briefs con’t *® New College appointments The Personnel and Labour Relations Department is pleased to announce that Ms. Florence Rickards has been appointed to the position of Personnel Manager effective Aug. 16, 1993. Ms. Rickards comes to us from the Ministry of the Attorney General where she has had several years of experience as a Human Resources Generalist and Employment Equity Coordinator. Janet Knowles, former Community Programs and Services Programmer has accepted the position of Manager, Centre(s) 2000. Janet will be working from Lincoln Centre, but will be spending a great deal of her time in the community and at the Royal Avenue site. Brenda Jack, formerly Senior Clerk in CP&S has been appointed Continuing Education Department Business Manager. Brenda begins her new duties effective August 1. *® Bookstore hours Aug, | 30:& 311 closed at 2:00 pm Sept. 1 closed at 2:00 pm 2&3 regular hours y 9:00 am - 7:30 pm 10 9:00 am - 4:00 pm a 10:00 am - 3:30 pm 13-16 9:00 am - 7:30 pm 17 9:00 am - 4:00 pm 18 10:00 am - 3:30 pm 20 - 24 9:00 am - 4:00 pm 25 10:00 am - 3:30 pm 27 Regular Hours Notice to staff and faculty: If possible, please shop prior to Sept. 7 or wait until the rush is over to avoid lengthy delays. If you have to shop during the rush times, be advised that all departmental signouts will take place at cash register #2 at the front of the store. Thank you. Language Partner Program a two way @ education Terry Maclsaac has travelled to numerous countries throughout the world without leaving Canada. He’s a participant in the Douglas College Language Partner Program which pairs fluent English speakers with ESL (English as a Second Language) students for casual conversation and, often, some cultural education. Maclsaac become involved three years ago. A seasoned world traveller, he says that his participation in the Language Partner Program provides him the opportunity to re-live his travel experiences. As a reporter for a local radio station, he also says it’s interesting to talk with people who come from places that you hear about on the news. So far he’s been paired up with a Korean women, a Chinese man, two Japanese students, a student from Poland and, most recently, Libyan student Mahmud Saleh. Saleh, who says he has had no real opportunity to communicate with a native English speaker, signed up for the Language Partner Program to "learn about Canadian culture and improve my English." Saleh, who has been in Canada for a year, is taking reading and writing courses at the College to prepare for a Criminology education. He plans to return to Libya after he com- pletes his degree. He says the Language Partner Program has provided an excellent supplement to his ESL classes, giving him an opportunity to practise spoken English while exposing him to elements of Canadian life he would have otherwise missed out on. Maclsaac says that his first instinct was to take his Language Partner to all the local tourist destinations. He says he now realizes that what newcomers to Canadian culture really want are the kind of commonplace experiences that those who have lived here for years take for granted. "To just go out to a movie, or for coffee or to a football game is something you can't learn in a classroom," says Maclsaac."Do what you normally do," he recommends."The activities that we take for granted provide a rich education for someone who is new to the culture." While the program is designed to help new English speakers learn the language and the culture, Maclsaac says that cultural education is a two-way street. This kind of exposure, he says, "forces you to reassess your own cultural customs." Maclsaac’s conclusions are clear: "You'll find that we're not as different as we may think we are. People all over the world have similar goals, fears, ambitions and prejudices." Both Saleh and Maclsaac say the program doesn’t take a lot of time, is flexible and, above all, is educational and enlightening. The reasons people volunteer as a Language Partner are varied. While helping an ESL stu- dent, you can learn about a country or culture, improve or learn a new language, make new friends from around the world and gain experience for future careers like teaching 0 international work. 9 If you are interested in becoming a Language Partner call Lani Hyde at 527-5412.