Articles by author: Brock University

• New Badgers get head start to University career

  Thursday, July 20, 2017 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: 20 July 2017 – R00133

  Making the jump to post-secondary education can be intimidating for students. But a number of programs are available to incoming Brock University students to make the transition a little easier.

  With those programs taking place during the summer months, the Brock University campus remains a busy place.

  Smart Start

  Throughout July and August, around 2,000 students will be coming through Brock’s longest-running transition program.

  “Our objective is that students leave Smart Start prepared and relaxed for their first day of school, and that guests feel confident in knowing that Brock is the best place for them to be,” said Courtney Keogh, Recruitment and Liaison Officer — Smart Start and Group Visits.

  Students learn how to use their new ID card, can finalize their course registration with the help of Brock’s academic advisors, and learn more about finance and awards, student housing and things to do in Niagara.

  “Our program is unique in that we are one of the only universities in Canada that does a full-day program with all of these services immediately on hand,” said Keogh, adding that the Smart Start program has expanded to run later into August, accommodating students who may have been away for work or travel.

  LEAP

  For students who want to get an even more in-depth look at university life, the LEAP program involves an overnight stay in a Brock residence, skill-building workshops, an orientation on the public transportation system, and a service-learning volunteer opportunity with a local community partner.

  “We provide a small, intimate experience for incoming students to have an enhanced understanding of services on campus while at the same time making close connections with their peers,” said Megan Brown, Community Engagement Co-ordinator and programming leader.

  BaseCamp

  For the more adventurous students, Brock BaseCamp is a unique introduction to university life through three- to five-day backpacking, canoeing and rock climbing trips along the Niagara Escarpment, Ontario provincial parks, and various conservation areas during the month of August. It’s a model that has been adopted as a best practice by other Canadian universities.

  Co-founder and Recreation and Leisure Studies Professor Tim O’Connell said students learn about the cultural and natural history of where they are travelling, as well as how to follow the Leave No Trace principles.

  “Many BaseCamp participants appreciate learning how to travel lightly through our provincial and national parks,” says O’Connell. “In fact, many of them apply these principles to their everyday lives when they are back on campus or at home.”

  For more information on any of the programs, visit brocku.ca/start or email studentlife@brocku.ca.

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

  * Dan Dakin, Media Relations Officer, Brock University ddakin@brocku.ca, 905-688-5550 x5353 or 905-347-1970

  Brock University Marketing and Communications has a full-service studio where we can provide high definition video and broadcast-quality audio.

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  Categories: Media releases

• Brock students support North American Indigenous Games

  Wednesday, July 19, 2017 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: 19 July 2017 – R00131

  They’re not competing, but they started training months ago. Now, a highly skilled team of Brock University student volunteers have stepped into leadership roles at the Toronto 2017 North American Indigenous Games (NAIG) currently taking place.

  “Right now, our students are moving from venue to venue, helping athletes, volunteers and each other to ensure these games are a success,” says Department of Sport Management Associate Professor Laura Cousens who has been checking in with students at the sport and cultural venues throughout southern Ontario. “The students are working together and creating a volunteer culture, which is exactly what I was hoping for.”

  This week, more than 50 Brock students are volunteering for course credit as the result of a unique partnership between the Toronto NAIG and Brock’s Major Games Field Course, led by Cousens.

  “All of our students have completed in-class training to prepare them for their current in-the-field roles,” says Cousens.

  The training, which began in February, included project management, games hosting skills for a multi-sport event, problem-solving, cultural competency training and an introduction to indigenous people in sport in Canada.

  Brock students are involved in all aspects of the games, including:

  • Venue lead and Athlete Village management
  • French-English translation
  • Medical staff and athletic therapist support
  • Press management and social media relations
  • Volunteer operations, including accreditation
  • Sport specialists, in charge of timing, results, scoring and athlete support
  • Cultural Village support

  Fourth-year SPMA student Rob Cheevers, who is volunteering as the venue manager for the Welland International Flatwater Centre, says the course experience has been a “perfect complement” to what students learn in class.

  “We have the opportunity to work as a team to create work plans, solve problems and apply the skills we’ve learned in lecture in a practical setting. It has been an unforgettable experience,” Cheevers says.

  This is the fourth time the Department of Sport Management has partnered with a major games to offer this course. Students have previously gained hands-on experience at the Toronto 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games, the Ontario Winter Games in 2014 in Muskoka and the Ontario Summer Games in 2014 in Windsor.

  “With each games, we learn something new and constantly evolve to improve our training for the next time,” Cousens says. “The event hosting experience students gain by participating in a major games in this capacity have resulted in full-time jobs for graduates.”

  Through a second initiative, seven current and former Brock students are working with Brock University’s Centre for Sport Capacity to administer surveys collecting economic impact information of the games. Their work will kick off a new Sport Consulting@Brock initiative.

  “The NAIG economic assessment is our first consulting project and we are excited to help the event,” said Sport Management Associate Professor and Director of the Centre for Sport Capacity Julie Stevens. “The project will provide important economic outcome information about the games and hopefully enable leaders to gain support for future indigenous sporting events in Canada.”

  The two teams of students will administer surveys at athletic venues in Hamilton and York between Thursday and Saturday.

  The eight-day NAIG, which wraps up Sunday, is the largest continental sporting and cultural gathering of indigenous peoples, drawing more than 5,000 athletes and 2,000 volunteers, along with spectators and dignitaries from across North America.

  “The games provides a unique opportunity for students to immerse themselves in a spectacular showcase of indigenous culture, all while inspiring the next generation of indigenous athletes through the celebration of sport achievement,” says Marcia Trudeau-Bomberry, CEO of the Toronto 2017 Host Society, and a Brock alumna. “We’re thrilled to be joined by students from Brock to deliver a best-in-class sporting and cultural experience for participants and spectators of the Toronto 2017 NAIG.”

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

  * Dan Dakin, Media Relations Officer, Brock University ddakin@brocku.ca, 905-688-5550 x5353 or 905-347-1970

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  Categories: Media releases