Chris shared his experiences with the Communications Office: “The 2015 trip was across the Pacific from Vancouver to Shanghai on the container ship Hanjin Geneva. The trip was part of Twenty-Three Days at Sea: A Travelling Artists Residency through Access Gallery, Vancouver. During the trip I was considered ‘in-residence’. The trip did take exactly 23…
When we share with colleagues that the Community Recreation and Leadership Training (CRLT) program is taking students from all three years to camp for their Fall Outdoor Experience, we get a lot of varied responses and encounter a spectrum of reactions, from envy to curiosity.
Most people, even those who live for outdoor activities and immersion in Nature, are not aware of the benefits and learnings which take place when the whole CRLT department, students and faculty, pack up for a five-day intensive at a sleep away camp over Labour Day weekend.
Visit the link to read Heather Martin's homepage news feature.
The Humanities and Public Life Conference took place from Sept. 18-21. The theme this year was What's the Point? Purpose, Meaning, and Value in Challenging Times. Over the span of four days, over 2,000 students attended 20 different presentations.
Our presenters explored how humanities education can help us to ask the bigger questions that guide our everyday actions, helping us to understand what to value and why. Some highlights included two former Dawson students, Silvia Ortan and Andreas Nicolaidis-Gagnon, who shared how they use what they learned in humanities in their careers (law and social work). Overall, we were reminded once again of the impact that humanities can have in helping us navigate a complex and often bewildering world. From the rise of white power terrorism to the role that AI will play in creativity, our presenters helped students understand how what they are learning in their humanities courses factors into real-world situations.
We would also like to express our thanks to the Dawson administration, FAMA, the theatre department, and David Bannout. Special thanks to Diana Rice for coordinating three peace week talks during the conference. Without your help, we would not have been able to offer our students such an enriching week!
Students from the Dawson Research in Neuroscience Group will present their work as interns in several Montreal labs. The design of their experiments, obstacles they have encountered and interim results will be shared from a number of projects in the area of Neuroscience.
This session will take place on Sept. 29 from 3 PM to 5 PM in room 3H.10. Everybody is welcome!
Light refreshments will be provided.
Simon Davies (retired faculty, Cinema | Communications) has co-curated an art exhibition, along with his wife, Carmen, which is currently running (Sept. 15-Nov. 4, 2023) at the Maison de la culture Notre-Dame-de-Grâce (3755 Botrel Ave.), corner of Côte-Saint-Antoine.
Simon described the project:
I made an open call to a number of friends and associates, with the idea being that we could gather, around an art exhibit, to reunite the community after Covid restrictions were lifted. That was awhile ago, as you can see, but finally we have opened.
Participants were asked to find a jar, remove the labels, and install something in the jar that had a reference to their 'memories, dreams and reflections'.
The only rules were; no liquids, nothing outside the jar, and it had to be presented lid down. This last rule was important since, by making this intervention, it transformed the jar into a vessel. I also wanted to make a reference and homage to the Dada movement, that took 'ready mades', mass manufactured items, that could be transformed by interventions. The most famous of these would probably be "The Fountain" (1917) by Marcel Duchamp. As you probably know, it was a urinal that he turned on its back and signed it R. Mutt. It was scandalous, but made history.
We ended up with 66 jars, a number of them made by former Dawson personnel.
On Sept. 21, four students were recognized as CC4C Creative Changemakers at a gala at the Warren G. Flowers Art Gallery at Dawson.
The four CC4C Creative Changemakers are: Kessy Ininahazwe (General Social Science), Elishah Alphonse (General Social Science), Kylie Brown (Cinema | Communications) and Sarah Browne (Graphic Design).
Changemakers Kessy Ininahazwe and Elishah Alphonse made a song entitled “Can't bare no more” about a poem that was written in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. They produced the “song so it can serve as a powerful reminder of the ongoing struggle for racial justice and the need to celebrate and support black culture,” Kessy said.
The students learned how to produce a song, which was a really long process. “We can also say that we learned how to use our voice and creativity in the struggle for a better world,” Kessy said.
The award “feels really great because we worked so hard for this project and the fact that other people really enjoyed the song feels amazing to me,” she said.
“It is such a pleasure to reward students who have such a dedication for positive change in this world,” said Kim Simard (Faculty, Cinema | Communications) of the Creative Collective for Change (CC4C).
“We are lucky to have incredible students in our midst: curious, critical and creative. May we consistently value their important contributions,” she said.
Kim said that it was a beautiful evening, and that they hope to see more like it in the future. Thanks again to Living Campus and the Warren G. Flowers Gallery for their unwavering support.
What’s the point? was the theme of the Humanities and Public Life Conference the week of Sept. 18 at Dawson and a graduate returned to answer this question in a most convincing way.
Andreas Nicolaidis-Gagnon (Class of 2022, Social Service) only met teacher Daniel Goldsmith after he took his Humanities course online during the pandemic. They continue to enjoy a lively discussion on What’s App about the themes in the Enlightened Consciousness course. It was through this ongoing conversation that Daniel had the idea to invite Andreas back to Dawson to speak to students about the value of Humanities courses.
Visit the link below for the homepage news story.
For the first time in four years, Dawson is opening our doors to welcome everyone on the afternoon of Sunday, Oct. 22 from 1 PM to 4 PM. No reservations required; just come!
It is important to note that everyone is welcome to visit Open House, apply for programs and attend Dawson, whether or not you hold an English eligibility certificate.
Visit the link for the homepage story with all the details.
ENvironnement JEUnesse (ENJEU) has certified that Dawson College has met the criteria for the excellence level of its Cégep Vert program. This means that Dawson is at the highest level of CEGEPs that are committed to environmental education and action.
“They gave special mention to our Dawson Wetlands Project, completed in Paul Wasacz’s Eco-Landscaping Physical Education course,” said Chris Adam of Dawson’s Office of Sustainability.
Faculty interested in designing projects that reconnect people, community and Nature like the Dawson Wetlands project should contact the Office of Sustainability to learn how they can support you and your students.
Photo: Chris Adam and students check out the brand new worm composting system.
Visit the link for the homepage news story.
“I met my best friend at Dawson and we came together.”
“Dawson made such an impact on me during my first years in Canada; I had to come.”
“There is just something special about the Dawson community and I had to come back and be part of it again.”
These were the sorts of comments we heard from graduates, retirees, employees and even current students who attended Dawson’s first-ever Homecoming on Sept. 23.
Special thanks to the Homecoming Organizing Committee, the staff who worked on a Saturday to make it happen, the teachers who hosted reunions and our event sponsors: the Burgundy Lion Group, Shaughnessy Café and Chartwells Canada.
Visit the link below for the homepage news story and more photos.
Last Modified: October 11, 2023
