ampus news EDITOR CARLY RHIANNA SMITH THE DAILY VOICE, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2012 Craft fair cash for charity The United Way craft fair has set up Langara’s A Building, offering students a variety of unique wares By JENNIFER THUNCHER is the season to be crafty. T The United Way Craft and Gift fair is set up at Langara all week in the foyer of the A building. According to United Way committee member Joanne Rajotte, records man- ager at Langara, each vendor pays to book a table and that money is added to money made from other special events such as the hotdog sale and pub night. “T enjoy it. It is a nice place to be,” said Rhonda Jackson, proprietor of All Decked Out Bead Emporium. Half of the total amount raised from all the special events goes to the Unit- ed Way of the Lower Mainland and the other half goes to a scholarship or bur- saries for Langara students. United Way committee member Alan Brain said the special events com- bined raise approximately $10,000 of the roughly $30,000 the committee makes for the charity during its annual fall campaign. Jackson offers handmade jewelry and jewelry boxes. She started seven years ago when her grandson died, and her daughter encouraged her to take up a hobby to help keep her busy. This is her third year at Langara. She said the end of the week is usually busiest as people wait until last minute to do their shopping. Langara sciences student Hanna Samuels did some shopping. “I bought scarves, for presents,” she said. Former Langara student Adam Lan- do operates Hometown Apparel selling baseball hats and leather goods. Lan- do knows people at Langara love fash- ion, especially their hats. “Hats have always been in fashion and hopefully always will be,” said Lando. The only table to offer edible treats is Blackberry Hill Gourmet Goodies, which is operated by Sandra Cornell. She sells classic goodies, as well as treats for those with discerning diets, such as vegan cakes. Cornell has been baking for 20 years. These days, especially, people seem hungry for home made baking. She said it takes a lot of work and knowl- edge to bake well. “Some people just don’t have the tal- ent,” Cornell said. JENNIFER THUNCHER photo Zvi Ackerman (left) and Rhonda Jackson (right) are selling unique jewellery items all week. Ackerman’s trinkets come from Murano, Italy, while Jackson designs and makes her own pieces. 66 By TANYA HILL o long-term Langara College employees will not return to ceremoniously The dep ar- work today. tures of the As of yesterday, Shirley Ka- merling-Roberts, manager of the stu- man ager dent assistant program at financial aid of finan- services, and Cathy Gooderham, man- 4 4 ager of purchasing, have left their jobs. cial aid No one at the college has been able to and man- confirm or deny whether they were fired or if they jumped ship. ager of . The Voice was purchasing pounced from department to depart- are con- ment only to hear “no comment,” from . . almost everyone asked about the de- fiden tial parture of the two employees. matters be- “The departures of the manager of financial aid and manager of purchas- tween the ing are confidential matters between parties. - the parties and we are not in a position to comment,” said communications of- SYLVIA TAN ficer Sylvia Tan via email. Barry Coulson, director of financial services, declined to comment as to whether Gooderham left on her own accord, but he did confirm she is no lon- ger employed with the college. When asked whether Gooderham left voluntarily, Coulson said, “it’s a personal issue,” and “[it’s] not a public matter.” Kamerling-Roberts has been with Langara for over five years and Goo- derham for over three years. Gooderham was previously a buyer for Metro Vancouver and a senior buy- er for the City of Burnaby. Kamerling-Roberts has been an ad- vocate for students in financial need. Last spring, she was a part of the “sup- port our students” campaign to raise funds for student scholarships and bur- saries. The goal was set at $25,000. She is currently vice-president of the the board of directors with the Canadi- an Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (CASFAA), which represents financial aid administrators and awards officers in colleges and uni- versities across Canada. She also College is tight-lipped as two staff members depart Pair of managers are leaving their positions amid rumours of firing served as a member of the Ike Barber Scholarship Program Adjudication Committee, but it is not confirmed whether she will return next year. “Adjudication Committees are se- lected annually, usually in February, to serve for the specific year which they are recruited,” said Rory Grewer, di- rector of special funds of the Victoria Foundation, which works with the scholarship program. He also stated that the 2013 Commit- tee has not been appointed yet. Gooderham’s salary for the 2012 fis- cal year was $77,050, and Kamerling- Roberts’ $92,15, but what they will re- ceive in their compensation packages is unknown. In October there was a wave of job action taken by CUPE employees work- ing at colleges and universities, and currently instructors at Langara and other post-secondary institutions are taking steps to secure a contract with their employer. Retailers hire heaps of help for the hectic holiday season HOLIDAY The customer service industry has lots of posi- tions open during the busy winter shopping season By STEVEN CHUA corner, bringing new employment opportunities for students. The holidays are a busy time to jump into the labour market, according to job-hunting experts. Christmas shoppers will increase product demand, forcing employers, Gere: season is just around the especially retailers, to hire more work- ers to help out. Statistics Canada reports in 2011, re- tailers in Metro Vancouver sold $2.7 bil- lion of goods in December up from $2.2 billion in November. The agency’s labour reports show 3,900 more people were employed in December up from November last year. Winter holidays also mark vacation season, meaning employers must hire temporary workers to substitute for staff on holiday. Places such as Coast Mountain Bus Company will need more staff to com- pensate for more travellers and work- ers on leave. Jobs in transit and office administra- tion will be easier to come by this month, said Janice Borsholt, a senior consultant at Angus One, a job place- ment company. “If you’re applying to a job ad, make sure the person you’re applying to un- derstands why you chose to send your resume and application,” said Susan Wright-Boucher, vice president of The Placement Group, a staffing company. Name the job position, tailor a re- sume to suit it, and show enthusiasm about the company you're applying for, Wright-Boucher said. She said job opportunities are blooming in the retail and distribution industries this time of year. Boucher said large chains such as Wal-Mart do additional hiring. Mailing offices such as Canada Post are de- manding more workers as well. The earlier people apply for holiday jobs, the better. “We never just hire someone and just put them on our sales floor and hope things work out.” said Michael Peters, managing director of western Canada for Harry Rosen, a luxury clothing retailer. Applying earlier gives employers time to train their workers so they can be ready for action when the holidays begin, he said. p OSITIONS Department stores like the Bay and Wal-Mart Coast Mountain Bus Company Canada Post Harry Rosen and luxury retailers