Articles by author: Brock University

  • Brock University Move-In Day tradition set for Sunday

    MEDIA RELEASE: 29 August 2017 – R00149

    Brock University’s annual Move-In Day is like a well-rehearsed orchestra performance. But instead of highly trained musicians, this symphony is performed by a small army of volunteers.

    The Move-In Day tradition at Brock has evolved over the years, and on Sunday, Sept. 3 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. nearly 2,400 mostly first-year students will be moved into their residences across the Brock University campus. The Brock residences are 100 per cent sold out this year, with a waiting list set up in case any spaces open up.

    Move-In Day has always been a one-day blitz but it became more challenging in 2003 when the available space at Brock grew to 2,400 beds from 1,800 with the opening of the Lowenberger and Quarry View residences.

    Jamie Fleming, Director of Residences, credits the organization of the day to Cindy Chernish, Manager, Residence Facilities and Finance, who has spent more than 10 years co-ordinating the annual event. Fleming also notes the tremendous support received from BUSU, hundreds of student volunteers and staff from across campus.

    “Every year we review and debrief and evaluate things that we should change for the next year,” Fleming said. “Over the past decade, it has been tweaked and fine-tuned to become the well-oiled machine that it is now.”

    Getting thousands of students unloaded across campus requires both a huge team of student volunteers and dozens of staff from several University departments, as well as a carefully co-ordinated schedule that tells families which one-hour window of time they should arrive in.

    It takes just minutes for the volunteers to help students and their families with unloading cars and getting students’ belongings to their rooms.

    To help make the introduction to University life a bit easier, a variety of service offices will be open Sunday such as Parking, IT Help Desk, Brock Card, Campus Store and the Walker Sports Complex.

    Because of the logistics and space required to move 2,400 students into residences, parking and access around the Brock campus will be limited Sunday. People visiting the University for other purposes — including those visiting the Walker Sports Complex or outdoor athletic fields — are asked to park in Lot A and allow extra time to get in and out of campus.

    For anyone coming onto campus from the QEW via Highway 406, please note that the construction at the 406 and St. David’s Road/Sir Isaac Brock Way interchange won’t impact your travel. However, anyone coming to campus from south Niagara via Highway 406 should exit the highway at Beaverdams Road and take Merrittville Highway to the Brock campus.

    For more information on Move-In Day schedules, recommendations and locations, visit the Department of Residences website.

    NOTE: Media are invited to attend Sunday’s Move-In Day. President Gervan Fearon will be on hand starting around 10 a.m. Jamie Fleming will also be available for interviews. Media Relations Officer Dan Dakin will be on site Sunday and can help co-ordinate any interview requests. 

    For more information:

    * 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

  • With students and research to support, Cuvée is back for 2018

    MEDIA RELEASE: 24 August 2017 – R00148

    With the 2017 grape harvest just weeks away, the time has also come to make plans for attending the 30th annual Cuvée Grand Tasting.

    The 2018 event will be held Friday, March 23 at the Scotiabank Convention Centre in Niagara Falls. Online tickets will be available at cuvee.ca on Oct. 1, when wine afficianados can take advantage of early-bird prices.

    This marks the fourth year that Brock University’s Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute (CCOVI) has taken the lead in organizing Cuvée, a weekend-long celebration of VQA wines and local cuisine in the heart of Ontario wine country.  Brock, through CCOVI, produces the Cuvée program to support the future of the grape and wine industry.

    Cuvée 2018 will see the return of the popular “Winemakers’ Favorite Wines” feature, along with gourmet food delicacies and an Après Cuvée party fuelled by live music and featuring selections from micro-breweries, cideries and VQA wineries.

    It has also been confirmed that last year’s Cuvée Grand Tasting generated more than $37,000 in net revenues, of which $15,000 goes to fund scholarships while more than $18,000 will support research to benefit the grape and wine industry.  Another $3,700 goes to the Niagara Community Foundation, in recognition of their past stewardship of Cuvée.

    Cuvée manager Barb Tatarnic said the 2017 event drew more than 750 guests to the gala Friday night Grand Tasting, with hundreds more taking part in the weekend-long enRoute program that offers special tastings at wineries around Niagara.

    “Through the last few years we’ve rebranded, reworked and rejuvenated the event,” said Tatarnic. “We’re thrilled with its success and the positive feedback we’ve received from our guests”

    CCOVI Director Debbie Inglis said Cuvée’s continued success reflects the vitality and significance of the grape and wine industry and its supporters.

    “Hosting the event involves hundreds of hours of work by devoted volunteers, but it is all worthwhile when you see how the profits support crucial research projects and help students complete their education,” Inglis said.

    Alexandra Gunn, a top student in Brock’s Oenology and Viticulture (OEVI) degree program, said her studies are a rich blend of classroom work and real-world research experience, and that attending Cuvée let her interact with industry leaders and realize how CCOVI’s research benefits grape growers and wineries first-hand.

    “Cuvée is one of the paramount events to Ontario’s grape and wine industry and it highlights the importance of the OEVI program within the broader grape and wine industry,” she said.

    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