Media releases

• Goodman School of Business team defends prestigious case competition title

  Tuesday, January 08, 2019 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: 7 January 2019 – R00001

  After an intense weekend of competition, one of the most sought-after trophies in Canadian business school competitions is returning to Brock University’s Goodman School of Business, marking back-to-back top titles for the School.

  The Goodman team successfully defended its School of the Year title in Guelph Sunday, Jan. 6 at the JDCC case competition. The largest undergraduate business school competition in central Canada, the event brought together more than 700 student delegates from Ontario, Québec and the Maritimes.

  JDCC, often dubbed the “business school Olympics,” is three days of exhaustive competitions encompassing academic cases in eight fields of business, parliamentary style debates, sports tournaments, social competitions and charity contributions.

  In addition to the School of the Year title, the 47-person team placed second in overall participation and third in the all-encompassing Academic Cup.

  “We’re incredibly proud of our students’ success at JDC Central,” said Goodman Dean Andrew Gaudes. “To bring home the School of the Year title twice in a row is an incredible feat at this intense competition.

  Goodman last won the title in 2017. Last year’s event was cancelled due to inclement weather.

  “We prepare students to think critically as well as respond to challenges in real-time, demonstrating their confidence and competence while preparing them to enter the workplace when they graduate,” Gaudes said. “These students are excellent representatives of the Goodman School.”

  Goodman students also placed second in debate, digital strategy, business strategy, finance and the wildcard case competition. They rounded out the podium by placing third in human resources and the dodgeball sports competition.

  Although the team had no first-place finishes, it was the consistency of the results from across all areas that helped Goodman defend its title, said student co-captains Summer Gullage and Steven Simons.

  “Everybody on the team came to compete and did well. It was a true team effort,” Gullage said.

  The School of the Year award takes into consideration all aspects of the competition, including funds raised for charity and the 1,500 volunteer hours the team completed between September and December 2018.

  The team extends its thanks to their faculty advisor Lewis Stevenson, alumna Dayna Stephenson (BBA ’16) and the JDCC alumni group, Goodman Student Leadership Co-ordinator Lauren Smith and the St. Catharines Business Club for their support.

  A celebration to honour the winning team on campus will be announced soon.

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

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

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  Categories: Media releases

• Grief dreams can provide comfort and healing during holidays

  Monday, December 17, 2018 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: 17 December 2018 – R00221

  NOTE: Photos and unedited/unbranded B-Roll and interview footage are also available for media use

  The holidays are generally a time for good cheer. But for some families, an empty chair at the dinner table is a sad reminder of the loss of a loved one.

  Joshua Black says it’s common for people to dream of the departed during this time of year.

  “The holidays can be very distressing for bereaved individuals, and dreams may provide them the comfort they need,” says Black, a recent PhD graduate at Brock University.

  Black researches grief dreams, which people often have of loved ones who have died.

  His master’s and PhD research centred on three questions:

  • Are dreams of deceased loved ones a common experience among the bereaved?
  • Why do some people have dreams of the deceased and others don’t?
  • Why do people have positive dreams and others have negative ones?

  In the various studies he conducted over the years, Black focused on losses in three categories: spousal/partner; pet; and miscarriage.

  Among the people he has studied, 86 per cent had dreams of their spouse or partner, 75 per cent dreamed of their pet, and 60 per cent dreamed of their children lost through miscarriage.

  Black was inspired to do this research near the end of his undergraduate studies when his father died.

  “It took all the joy out of my life,” says Black. But three months later, he had a life-changing dream about his father.

  “When I woke up, the power of that dream was that all the happiness in life came back to me. I still don’t understand it to this day, but this type of dream is very common with the bereaved,” says Black.

  Grief dreams are overwhelmingly positive, he says. They tend to consist of the deceased offering comfort to the bereaved and assurances that the deceased person is OK or that they still love the one left behind.

  In the case of holiday dreams, Black refers to a dream diary that one of his research subjects kept of her late father.

  “One of her dreams had her father arriving at the front door to let her know that he would be with the family on Christmas Day,” says Black.

  For more information on Black’s research, see the story in The Brock News.

  Brock University PhD graduate Joshua Black is available for interviews on the topic. An embeddable video about his work is available on YouTube.

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

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

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  Categories: Media releases