September 3rd, 2010
Filed under: Kinesiology and Recreation Management
University of Manitoba Judo Club founder Moe Oye (right), with longtime student Henry Fast.
For proof of the restorative powers of judo, look no further than Mamoru “Moe” Oye, the 73-year-old martial arts instructor who’ll be honoured tomorrow by the University of Manitoba’s Judo Club.
Oye’s longtime participation in the sport has earned him not only a weekend’s worth of kudos — including official acknowledgments at the Club’s 50th anniversary dinner, taking place Sat., Sept. 4, in the U of M’s Manitoba Room — it’s also helped him shave a few decades off his “biological” lifespan.
“I was looking at Prevention Magazine, going through a survey called “How Old Are You Really?”, where you figure out your physiological age by adding or subtracting years for whether or not you smoke, and things like that,” explained Oye, who has been teaching judo on campus since 1960.
“I went through all these questions, adding and subtracting years, and it turns out I’m really only 43. So I figure I’m good for at least another 30 years!”
A bona fide legend in the local judo community, Oye was first exposed to the sport at the age of just eight or nine, while watching his older brother train at a Japanese internment camp on Vancouver Island.
After his family moved to Winnipeg in 1946, Oye began his formal training under Tamotsu Mitani, founder of the Manitoba Judo Institute, which operated out of a number of downtown locations throughout the 1950s. When U of M officials — inspired by the first Canadian Judo Championships (which were held in Winnipeg in 1959) — contacted Mitani about providing instruction on campus, Oye was sent to begin teaching out of the old Air Force hangar that once served as the Phys. Ed. building.
The sport quickly proved popular, and when plans for the Frank Kennedy Centre got underway in the late 1960s, measures were taken to ensure there’d be space for a judo Combatives Rooom. (Dr. Kennedy even went so far as to purchase the judo mats used in the 1967 Pan Am Games.)
Over the decades, Oye was also tapped to teach judo at various clubs and schools throughout Winnipeg (he served as vice-principal of J.H. Bruns and Windsor Park Collegiates from 1972 until 1996), fostering a longtime association with his students, many of whom went on to set up clubs of their own.
“They go away and I don’t see them, and then all of a sudden they’re back 30 years later with their own kids for my Friday night class,” Oye laughs.
Among those still turning up for instruction is 69-year-old Henry Fast, the first student Oye coached to a black belt back in the early 1960s.
“He’s very knowledgeable, and very intuitive — if you’re in competition, he’s able to analyze people and tell you how to overcome them,” says Fast, now a seventh –degree black belt (Oye himself is an eighth-degree black belt) who runs his own clubs at three local high schools.
“So he’s very good as a coach, but he’s also a tremendous person. He looks after everybody in Manitoba. He’s the pillar of our judo association here.”
Over the years, Oye has also coached three Olympians (Marc Berger, Ewan Beaton and Niki Jenkins) and national team members Kevin McIver and Steve Oye (his son), instilling in each the same levels of self-discipline and respect for their opponents.
“I tell them right off the bat: You’re not here to fight — you’re here to learn confidence, and the self-defense will come with it,” says Oye, who in 2000 was inducted into the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame, and who served as Vice-President (Prairie Region) for national governing body Judo Canada for 16 years.
Tomorrow’s anniversary events are scheduled to include a reunion of sorts (Fast, Berger and Beaton are all expected to attend a practice session at Frank Kennedy , and Oye’s son Steve flew in from Japan a few days ago), as well as a banquet where the accolades will no doubt be flowing freely.
“If it weren’t for Moe’s leadership, the judo program wouldn’t be what it is today,” says Amanda Gill, Coordinator of Adult Wellness and Leagues for Bison Recreation Services.
“Moe’s contribution to Bison Recreation Services, and to the University of Manitoba, will be remembered for a long time to come.”
Dr. David Barnard, President of the University of Manitoba, was similarly effusive, praising Oye’s longstanding commitment to the involvement of students, staff and the community.
“Through your dedication to judo instruction, you have assisted the University in becoming what it is today — a university respected for its commitment to accessibility, its excellence in endeavours of study and research, and its service to the community,” said Barnard, in a written message of congratulations.
“The motivation and skills which you have provided to you students have encouraged personal challenge and achievement, as well as promoting health and fitness in a sport which can be enjoyed over a lifetime. For 50 years, you have infused outstanding skills, sportsmanship and leadership into the talented judo teams which have received your support.”
For more information about the U of M’s Judo Club, see http://www.umanitoba.ca/faculties/kinrec/bsal/programs/fortgarry/martial/judo.php
Posted in: Kinesiology and Recreation Management
August 13th, 2010
Filed under: Kinesiology and Recreation Management
- Schmeichel (back row, second from right) and his students on the Mantario Trail.
BRIAN SCHMEICHEL
Degree: Bachelor of Physical Education, Bachelor of Education
Graduate: 2001 (BPE), 2003 (B.Ed.)
Employed as: Phys. Ed./Outdoor Living Teacher, Westwood Collegiate
Most folks, upon graduating high school, try to put as much distance as possible between themselves and whatever secondary institute served as backdrop for the bulk of their adolescence.
But not University of Manitoba grad Brian Schmeichel, who — upon earning his Bachelor of Physical Education degree from the Faculty of Kinesiology and Recreation Management — followed his career path right back to the place where it all began.
Schmeichel, 31, now teaches Physical Education and Outdoor Living classes at Westwood Collegiate in St. James — the same high school he attended as a teen. While a student there, he regularly attended the Legion Athletic Camp at the International Peace Gardens in the summer, which is where he first got the inspiration to pursue a job in physical education.
“I always knew that I enjoyed sports,” says Schmeichel, who played hockey, soccer, football and lacrosse as a kid.
“But it wasn’t until I went (to the Legion camp) and met a few coaches who I found out were Phys. Ed. teachers — and really looked up to them as role models — that I knew I wanted to be a gym teacher.”
Having also spent many of his teenage summers doing respite work for the Society for Manitobans with Disabilities (much of which involved assisting kids with disabilities while at summer camp), Schmeichel found FKRM — or, as it was then called, the Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation Management — to be a perfect fit, one that afforded a smooth transition from high school and a broad spectrum of interesting coursework.
“I got to know the professors very well over the years, and most of the friends I still hang out with now were friends I met while they were either in Phys. Ed or Rec Studies,” he says.
“And I really enjoyed the breadth of the courses I was able to take — the Humanities courses, the Science courses and the Activity courses.”
After serving on SAHPER Council as the Social Coordinator, Schmeichel discovered another definite draw: The heightened sense of camaraderie between classmates in FKRM.
“Because of the Activity courses you had to take each year, you’re doing a lot of group work with each other — playing on teams, or planning events,” says Schmeichel, noting he still meets regularly with classmates for volleyball and hockey games stemming from their intramural days.
“And because of the small size of the classes — instead of sitting in an auditorium with 300 students listening to a teacher lecture, you’re sitting in a class of 30, collaborating with each other.”
Armed with both his BPE and his Bachelor of Education degree (the latter with a teachable minor in general sciences), Schmeichel was well-prepared to return to the classroom — this time as a teacher.
Luckily, one of the Legion camp coaches who’d served to inspire him in the first place was by this time the principal at Westwood. And since Schmeichel had continued to coach volleyball at Westwood all through university, he was a shoe-in for a job teaching both science and Phys. Ed.
Since being hired, he’s also taken a lead role in expanding the school’s Outdoor Living program, which has grown from about 20 students to more than 100 each year. Schmeichel says he draws on skills learned from FKRM’s Dr. Gordon Giesbrecht while teaching his charges, many of whom don’t have much experience in the outdoors, beyond their family cabin or childhood stints in the Boy Scouts or Girl Guides.
“We go over First Aid, CPR, winter survival, ice safety, knot tying, back country cooking, cross country skiing and snowshoeing,” he explains.
“And we go on two trips every year: One is a four-day hiking trip on the Mantario Trail — which is 63 kilometres, and the toughest trail in Manitoba — and the other is a three-day canoe trip in Rushing River.”
Similar to his own experience with his FKRM classmates, Schmeichel says the hiking and canoe trips often create a lasting bond between his students.
“I always say that the curriculum isn’t as important as what they learn, and the life lessons they take out if it,” he says. “When I look back at the end of the year, it’s always those two trips that are the most memorable for me, and generally if you read the kids’ yearbook comments — when they talk about their most memorable moments, it’s the hiking or canoe trips for a lot of the kids, too.”
Schmeichel says the same outcome-based teaching model delivers results in the gym as well as the outdoors, noting Phys. Ed. classes are now mandatory until Grade 12 (unlike when he was in high school).
“I think it keeps a lot more students motivated in Phys. Ed., since they know they’re not getting marked against a standard, but rather for the effort they’re putting in,” he says of the model.
“And I would say that the opportunities for kids to be active now, and the importance of that, is way more pronounced than it was 10 years ago. When we were in Westwood, the weight room consisted of a universal machine tucked away above the gym. Now we’ve got a triple-sized classroom with a teacher dedicated to wellness and fitness.”
He admits there are still students who don’t take advantage of those opportunities, but notes there are also classes tailor-made for students considering a career in Physical Education, like the Grade 12 Physical Leadership course that teaches principles of officiating and coaching, safety and First Aid, and basic kinesiology and biomechanics.
Given all the focus on leadership, it’s no surprise that Schmeichel’s favourite aspect of the job is when students learn how to tap into their full potential for the first time.
“Having a kid say, ‘I can’t do that,’ or questioning their ability to finish a canoe trip or a hiking route or a cross-country race, and then — through working hard — being able to do it, that to me is always the most rewarding thing,” he says.
For more information on Westwood Collegiate, check http://westwood.sjsd.net/
Posted in: Kinesiology and Recreation Management
July 30th, 2010
Filed under: Kinesiology and Recreation Management
RYAN MIKUCKI
Degree: Bachelor of Recreation Management and Community Development
Graduated: 2006
Employed as: District Sales Manager (Manitoba & Saskatchewan), Collette Vacations
Turns out you’re never too young to get bitten by the travel bug.
Just ask University of Manitoba grad Ryan Mikucki, who can trace his lifelong love of travelling back to a particularly formative family vacation: A childhood trip to Hawaii, taken when he was just a toddler.
But while Mikucki, now 26, may not remember the details of that trip too clearly, he’s spent the subsequent decades traversing the globe, so he’s quick with an answer when asked about the components of a memorable travel experience.
“It’s taking in the culture of the destination,” says Mikucki, who in 2006 graduated from the Faculty of Kinesiology and Recreation Management, with a Bachelor of Recreation and Community Development degree. “Understanding the different customs or traditions of the country, interacting with the people, (and) taking great photos of the incredible landscape and scenery.”
Mikucki’s current job — as District Sales Manager (Manitoba & Saskatchewan) for North American travel tour provider Collette Vacations — affords him plenty of opportunity to engage in all of the above, and has already made it possible for him to visit such far-flung locales as Costa Rica, Israel, and much of Eastern Europe.
But even though his love of travel had been deeply ingrained by the time he was a teen, Mikucki says he’d originally planned on a career path that would have seriously curtailed his chances for globetrotting.
“I was actually planning on going into (FKRM’s) Phys. Ed. stream, so my first year in university, I was just trying to get into Phys. Ed. courses,” he explains.
“By mistake, I ended up in (Dr. Michael Campbell’s) Introduction to Leisure Travel course, and that’s where I ended up learning about the Faculty.”
Having always been specifically interested in tourism marketing and event planning, Mikucki found FKRM’s BRMCD degree — with its broad spectrum of course offerings — to be a perfect fit.
“It’s a fairly diverse faculty, so you definitely learn about a lot of different areas, from therapeutic recreation to marketing to event planning to tourism,” he says.
“That was something that really interested me, because all of those areas were pretty exciting.”
Particularly prescient was a class project that required Mikucki to design a comprehensive tour of Brazil, after researching popular tourist destinations, travel options and even hotels and restaurants. A four-month Fieldwork placement at a Mexican resort — where Mikucki and a classmate worked as recreation coordinators, overseeing recreational activities, organizing athletic tournaments, and perfecting their inter-personal skills while mingling with hotel guests from around the world — proved equally valuable, he says.
The experience certainly came in handy when he landed his first post-graduation job with Collette Vacations, a four-star tour operator that’s been in business for 92 years.
Based in the U.S., the company employs a small army of tour developers who spend months living in vacation spots on all seven continents, designing tour packages by immersing themselves in local culture and scouting out the best in area attractions, restaurants, accommodations and entertainment options.
The company also employs a team of tour managers who remain with clients for every step of their trip, taking care of the more tedious elements of travel (hotel bookings, meal plans, etc.) so that vacations are stress-free.
“We include a lot more, and that value is what people appreciate,” says Mikucki, who has visited 32 countries to date (with trips to Greece and Turkey planned for the near future).
“Our hotels are centrally located, the dinners are included, and we include more of the sightseeing — we’ll actually visit the Colosseum, as opposed to just viewing it.”
“We’re more in depth, we’re more inclusive, and we provide that more authentic experience.”
As District Sales Manager for Manitoba and Saskatchewan, Mikucki’s job is to promote the tour packages to travelers and travel agents throughout the region. He says he relies on his own travel experiences with Collette, together with traits he picked up as a student, to ensure his message reaches the widest audience possible.
“My own travel experiences, in terms of the hotels I’ve visited, the tour guides we use, the meals and entertainment we receive and how the overall quality is,” he explains.
“Once you’ve seen the destinations and experienced the product, it makes the presentation of the destination/tour a lot easier. But some of the skills I have definitely picked up from school — just in terms of the way you present, and gaining the confidence to present in front of a large group.”
It helps that Mikucki’s background in Recreation allows him to position travelling (and vacations, and leisure-time in general) as an important component of a healthy, stress-free lifestyle, even in the wake of the recent economic downturn, which has prompted travelers the world over to demand more bang for their buck.
It’s certainly hard to put a price on the expanded worldview made possible by travel, whether as a career or a cherished pastime, he says.
“I know more about various destinations around the world then I thought I would ever imagine knowing,” says Mikucki, whose own most memorable experiences include cruising the Greek Islands, surfing in Costa Rica, hiking the Andes Mountains toward Machu Picchu in Peru, observing mosques and minarets while hearing the call to prayer in Turkey, and walking in the footsteps of the Bible in Israel and Jordan.
“The culture, the customs, the scenery, the people — you learn about all of these areas.”
For more information on Collette Vacations, see www.collettevacations.com.
Posted in: Kinesiology and Recreation Management
July 13th, 2010
Filed under: Law
Jillian Nichols, spent two months in Malawi, Africa, on work placement
Jillian Nichols, who is completing her third year at Robson Hall, has just returned from spending nearly two months in Malawi, a tiny country in the warm heart of Africa, on a service learning experience called Ntchito Yabwino (meaning “good work” in Chichewa). The program was a joint effort between the University of Manitoba’s International Centre for Students (ICS) and Canadian Physicians for Aid and Relief (CPAR), a non-governmental organization. Together with two other U of M students, she embarked on a two week study tour led by Tony Rogge, Director of ICS, followed by a four week placement with CPAR, where they facilitated a communications training program with staff in the northern and central offices.
While the placement wasn’t related to law in the strict sense, Jillian says she was able to understand the laws that facilitate and constrain international development through attending meetings with different members of government, law enforcement and the judiciary. She had the opportunity to see the role that law plays in development, from the implementation of projects to awareness and access among community members. Jillian reports that from a human rights perspective, “it was an interesting time to be in Malawi as a same sex couple was sentenced to 14 years in prison with hard labour, and subsequently pardoned following international condemnation and a visit from UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon”.
Jillian strongly encourages other students interested in international law and development to visit ICS and consider a similar placement in the future. In her experience, “it was refreshing and enlightening to see the law from a different perspective”.
While in Malawi, the U of M students kept a blog to document their experiences. It can be found at: www.ontheroadinmalawi.wordpress.com
Posted in: Law
July 13th, 2010
Filed under: Law
2010 Law graduate Derrick Stewart
2010 LL.B. graduate Derrick Stewart was invited in May to present his research paper on the controversial topic of Athletic Enhancements at conference in New York on Bioethics. Not yet a law graduate Derrick recalls, “it was completely intimidating. Probably 90% of the attendees held a Ph.D., M.D. or Masters degree. I, on the other hand, had only my Bachelor of Science on my name tag since I haven’t even received my LL.B. yet.”
The conference: Disability, and Ethics, through the Life Cycle: Cases, Controversies, & Finding Common Ground was presented by Albany Law School, Rapaport Ethics Across the Curriculum Initiative of Union College, & the Union Graduate College-Mount Sinai School of Medicine Bioethics Program, and was endorsed by the American Society of Bioethics and Humanities. Attending the two day conference consisting of panel presentations was according to Derrick, “well worth my time, and really piqued my interest in the area of Bioethics. I met many influential people including Dr. Mark Kuczewski of Loyola University in Chicago, President of the American Society for Bioethics & Humanities and Robert Baker, Chair of the Bioethics Program at Union College and Union Graduate School.”
In pursuit of his post-secondary education Derrick thought he would become an M.D. Once he obtained his Bachelor of Science degree, he discovered that he didn’t have the dedication or interest that would be required to complete medical school. However, he still had an interest in medicine and it became clear that a career in Law school was a viable option when he saw that the Faculty of Law offered a class on Law and Bioethics. Derrick states, “When I saw the course offered I thought it was a great way to bring that interest into my legal education.”
Professor Mary Shariff, taught the Law and Bioethics course in the Fall 2009 term and introduced Derrick to the cutting-edge topic of Athletic Enhancements and Sports Law. Through her mentoring and feedback Derrick produced a fine paper focusing on prosthetics. The paper uses Oscar Pistorius, a double amputee runner, as a case study for the implications, both legal and moral, of the exclusion of disabled athletes from able-bodied competitions. In 2008, he strived to qualify to compete in the able-bodied Beijing Olympics in 2008 but the International Amateur Athletics Federation passed a ruling preventing the use of prosthetics in able-bodied competition, effectively disqualifying him.
Derrick explains, “My general thesis is that while prosthetics do not currently offer disabled athletes a net advantage, it is likely that in the near future, as technology progress, they will offer an advantage which we have to be prepared to handle. Furthermore, given our cultural emphasis on sports and the prestige of competing in the Olympics we are likely to see more challenges of this type. I argue that, in order to handle the likely coming deluge, we must come up with a method of assessing prosthetics, and the individuals using them (since no prosthetic or athlete is the same), in a way that is fair and transparent. I also looked at Canadian, United Nations, American and U.K. legislation in the area and argue that if the governing bodies of sport do not find some method on their own, we could see an immense number of challenges at the next Olympics in London in 2012 (the U.K. has very strong disability legislation which has a reverse discrimination requirement in some employment cases which I argue could be extended to athletic competitions)”
Prof. Shariff suggested that Derrick submit his abstract after she came across a call for papers for the Conference. When asked more about the Bioethics and the Law course Professor Shariff says, “I take an intensive approach to teaching the course and, encourage students to consider developing and writing their papers with a view to publication right from the outset. I spend time in the first class discussing publication possibilities with students and continue to provide assistance and suggestions to those students who are interested or just curious. I believe that our students have a lot of talent and that as a Professor I should be doing my best to nurture, mentor and promote quality research and writing in our students. I see the relationship with 2nd and 3rd year law students as a partnership.”
Derrick Stewart is currently articling at Roy, Johnston & Co. in Brandon. He hopes to remain there, and in addition to practice, pursue teaching at the University and continue writing and publishing.
Posted in: Law
July 13th, 2010
Filed under: Law
Chris Hunt, 2006 Law Graduate
No Objections to His Success
Hunt also received the Cambridge International Scholarship, an award given to the incoming doctoral candidate ranked highest by the Cambridge Faculty of Law.
Hunt studied law at the University of Manitoba’s Robson Hall where he received numerous prizes and awards for his academic abilities. After a clerkship with the Supreme Court of British Columbia, he received awards from the Law Society of British Columbia and the Cambridge Commonwealth Trust to entice him to complete his studies at Cambridge.
“I think my time at Robson Hall prepared me well both for serving as a law clerk and for my current PhD research,” Hunt says.
“I recall flying to Vancouver during my second year of law school for the clerkship interview and feeling intimidated as I was virtually the only candidate not from UBC or UVic. I was interviewed by a panel of six justices. I got the sense that being from Winnipeg made my application stand out. Two of these justices were also very impressed by the large number of black-letter, doctrinal courses I had taken. Having a broad mandatory curriculum is a real strength of Robson Hall. It attracted me to Robson Hall initially and has benefited me while clerking, practising at the firm and now during my research.”
His research interests lie in the area of privacy, tort and contract law and, in the fall of 2010, Hunt has agreed to teach a course on contract law at Cambridge University. When he completes his PhD in 2012 he intends to enter academia.
“It is not in the least surprising to see Chris earn this honour,” says Lorna Turnbull, acting dean of the Faculty of Law. “He was an excellent student while he was at Robson Hall. He was on the Dean’s Honour List twice and was named a Pitblado scholar, but more importantly he demonstrated an intellectual curiosity and engagement that presaged his exceptional performance at Cambridge.”
Chris Hunt, a 2006 graduate from the University of Manitoba’s Faculty of Law, is the recipient of the most prestigious doctoral awarded offered by Cambridge University in the United Kingdom. Tenable for the duration of his doctoral studies in law, the W.M. Tapp Fellowship is the largest award offered by Cambridge.
Posted in: Law
July 13th, 2010
Filed under: Law
By Bryan Smith | Publication Date: June 28, 2010
Manitoba law
For four days this month, people in Winnipeg came together to learn about a dark period in Canadian history.
Almost 150 years after the residential school system was implemented in Canada, the negative effects it had on the country’s aboriginal population are still being felt today. With the formation of the truth and reconciliation commission, officials are making efforts to find out what took place in the residential schools. Part of the commission’s five-year plan is a series of national events held in different regions across Canada. The first event took place in Winnipeg from June 16-19.
As part of the event, the law school at the University of Manitoba was represented by 25 volunteer students at a question-and-answer session. Organized by Karen Busby, a law professor at the university, and Dayna Steinfeld, a second-year student and research assistant, the volunteers were on hand for the duration of the event to provide legal information and help to anyone who wanted to learn more about aboriginal law.
“I was approached by the truth and reconciliation commission, and said that they were going to have a learning panel,” says Busby.
“They asked if we wanted to participate, and we felt that a Q&A table was a good way to provide information. We also put together a brochure and a video series that go into further detail about aboriginal law.”
According to Steinfeld, there was no problem when it came to finding volunteers as students at the law school were quick to sign up to support a worthy cause.
“We had tons of responses from students, and it was great to see that so many of them were willing to volunteer on their own time,” says Steinfeld.
With the commission hoping the event would raise awareness and begin the long road towards healing for Canada’s aboriginal population, making legal information accessible is important, she notes. “We really believe that in order for reconciliation to occur, all Canadians, aboriginal and non-aboriginal, need to have a foundation of knowledge. Everyone needs to be aware of the basic questions about aboriginal constitutional law. For example, what is a treaty? A lot of people don’t know, or don’t understand, and that can create conflict in general Canadian society.”
While the Q&A table was aimed at those attending the event, it was also a source of education and experience for the student volunteers. Aboriginal constitutional law is compulsory in the first year of study at the law school, and in later years, it’s further integrated into the curriculum through classes and seminars. Students who volunteered were not only given the opportunity to apply what they had learned, they were also presented with basic aboriginal legal issues in a non-classroom setting.
“I encouraged the students to ask the survivors, ‘Where are you from?’” says Busby. “Once they started talking about their home communities, they would engage in longer discussions. It was simply an amazing encounter between young law students and survivors coming to a better understanding of each other.”
Steinfeld agrees the event was a unique opportunity for knowledge to be shared.
“We had some really good questions presented to us, questions that were quite varied,” she says. “We had people asking us about how aboriginal law fits into the Canadian legal structure. We were asked about how treaties are negotiated and whether or not they can be renegotiated. Several non-aboriginal Canadians asked us about the compensation that is available to survivors, which was good to see. And we were also asked questions about ourselves — where we’re from, why we were there. The survivors were really excited to know about the group of law students, and it was an excellent topic of conversation.”
The national event in Winnipeg was the first of seven that are to be held across Canada over the next four years. Given the Q&A table’s success, Busby hopes other law schools will follow the University of Manitoba’s example.
“It was fun to organize; the students were very excited to do it; and it’s a great cause,” she says. “I would highly recommend being a part of it. It was a lot of fun and also deeply satisfying for all involved.”
Click here to read the University of Manitoba Faculty of Law’s fact sheet about aboriginal law in Canada.
Posted in: Law
July 13th, 2010
Filed under: Law
Class of 2010 Law Graduates
The Susan Loadman Memorial Award was presented to Heather Belle Guest by Jonathan Lloyd, Susan Loadman’s son. Jonathan came from Toronto to present the award. This is presented to a student who has demonstrated determination and perseverance in progressing in his or her law studies despite significant obstacles to such progress.
Class valedictorian Derek Davidson addressed the crowd of 350 and reminded the class of 2010 of the excellent legal education they have received at Robson Hall. He inspired the class to have pride and to value their law degree.
Dr. Lorna Turnbull, Acting Dean, gave an inspirational speech which was followed by a toast to the graduates, which was well received.
“You have been a stellar group of students and I know you will leave Robson Hall and continue to impress all around you with your dedication to justice and the highest standards of professionalism.” Acting Dean Lorna Turnbull
The official Annual Spring Convocation Ceremony at the University followed at 3:00 pm for the conferring of Degrees and the awarding of Academic Honours.
The Ceremony was truly a celebration of excellence and a memorable day for the Faculty of Law. This year, two Robson Hall Alumni, were honoured for their achievements. Mr. Harvey L. Secter, former Dean of the Law School, was installed as Chancellor of the University of Manitoba and honoured as Dean Emeritus. Mr. Justice Rothstein, a respected lawyer, jurist and member of Canada’s highest court, was presented with a Honourary Doctor of Laws degree. One could easily see that Mr. Harvey Secter was delighted to have the opportunity to confer the honorary doctorate to long-time friend and colleague Mr. Justice Marshall Rothstein. In addition, this year’s University Gold Medal for highest academic standing was awarded to Anne Amos-Stewart.
Further Celebrations continued in the evening a small reception honouring our new Chancellor and Dean Emeritus, and Mr. Justice Rothstein’s honourary doctorate. The reception was attended by both honourees and by members of the judiciary and profession.
By every account the day’s events were a huge success.
Posted in: Law
July 13th, 2010
Filed under: Law
By Mariianne Mays Wiebe | Publication Date: April 12, 2010
Three University of Manitoba students recently told their personal stories about accessibility and the Faculty of Law.
Three University of Manitoba students recently told their personal stories about accessibility and the Faculty of Law.
Before he came to Robson Hall, Philippe Richer, originally from Montreal and now 42, had long-term careers in the military and in sales. After his marriage fell apart in 2005, he was faced with the prospect of starting over. He consulted a psychologist for an aptitude test and found he had capacities for law and architecture. He started to look into financing a return to school, and after a year in arts, applied to both architecture and law at the University of Manitoba. He was accepted by both.
Research and his gut told him that, for him, law was the way to go. But it was an expensive proposition. Previously he had worked part-time to offset his expenses while studying, and he thought he’d be able to do the same while attending law school. He soon found out that the expectations of law studies exceeded his available time. With joint custody of his children and school expenses, Richer realized he would have to seek funding in addition to his $13,000 student loan.
When he went to see Lorna Turnbull, now acting dean of the Faculty of Law, about his problem, he discovered he was eligible for a bursary. He had assumed he wouldn’t qualify.
Eventually the bursary and loan worked out for Richer, and now it all seems worth it. Upon graduation in June 2010, he aims to practise criminal law, in part because he enjoys the performative aspect of it — a residue from his days in theatre class. He also relishes the problem-solving aspects of law.
“Many people think of the law as concrete and delineated,” said Richer. “One of the first things I learned, going to law school, is that it’s ambiguous. There’s a range of possibilities outside of each rule that makes you ask, ‘how far does the law extend [in this instance]?’ Rarely are things so clear.”
Jennifer Guiboche
Jennifer Guiboche was in a different kind of situation. Guiboche, who is aboriginal and will graduate this year at the tender age of 23, is among the youngest students ever to enter the Faculty of Law at the U of M. The course she took at her high school in Swan River introduced her to the law, and she couldn’t stop reading the assigned text. She loved it.
After completing two years of university at the undergraduate level, including a year in psychology, Guiboche decided that she wanted to try to skip the undergrad degree and enter the faculty directly. She felt she couldn’t afford to wait the extra year.
She made it in and was granted an entrance scholarship and multiple bursaries. Guiboche also benefited from the University of Manitoba’s ACCESS program, which alleviated some of her financial stress. Without their help, she says, she would not likely be where she is today.
“They assisted me with all my student loan dealings and financially contributed to my university education over the years, including my years in law school,” she said.
She has since excelled — but in the beginning she felt somewhat intimidated by the formal atmosphere and by her relatively older colleagues.
Faculty of Law graduate Shelley Overwater believes that these types of accessibility issues are just as significant as financial ones.
Though her philosophy is that people who really want something will find a way to achieve it, Overwater believes that with individual student circumstances shifting due to increased access to education, the faculty could do more to ease the transition of non-Winnipeg students or students to whom a world of privilege and education is unfamiliar.
A mature student from a Northern community when she entered law, Overwater was a single parent and a self-described career waitress at bars and restaurants. She was also a recovering alcoholic. While in treatment for her addiction, she decided that she wanted to help others the way she had been helped. A foray into social work through the Northern Access program, however, wasn’t a happy one. She didn’t care for the system, she said. Looking for another option, Overwater tried her shot at the LSAT and scored respectably.
Overwater recognizes that Faculty of Law fees are less than at places such as Osgoode Hall Law School, and her early offer from the U of M faculty included an entrance scholarship, but it wasn’t enough. Eventually she found work at the law library but she was “still scraping.”
She faced other pressures she didn’t anticipate. “Many undergrads [coming into the law program] are used to the networking and other expectations within the program. But as a former waitress, the only dressy clothes I had in my closet were black and white clothing and beat-up shoes.
“There were events I had to miss because of financial stressors like that.”
Overwater saw the strain on many of her colleagues too. “Law school is very competitive and I know that [all of these stresses] come with what you sign up for, but if they want to make education accessible to a broader segment of the population, then they need to be aware that there could be other problems.”
“Some of these things for me as an older student weren’t a big deal, but I see the pressure for the younger ones,” she said.
Overwater now works in Morden, where the slower pace and variety that comes with being part of a smaller firm in a small town suits her. She and her partner “absolutely love it. There’s tons of work [in rural areas], no parking to pay for, lower housing costs and the people are great.”
She said she succeeded thanks to the kindness and help she received from several Faculty of Law profs, the U of M Student Advocacy Centre and Disability Services (she also suffers from a mental health disability). However, she also feels that the program would benefit from a greater emphasis on orientation for new students to the culture, and awareness-education for those who teach in the faculty.
“There is tremendous pressure to score the right job,” said Overwater. “And with that kind of pressure, people can be afraid to say what they think.”
Overwater says access is about more than just giving money to people. She is quick to acknowledge, however, that greater access has meant an improvement, and she loves the practice of law. “I think they are doing a lot to make it more accessible.”
“And when I got my diploma, I was just thrilled.”
This article originally appeared in The Bulletin from the University of Manitoba. It has been reprinted with permission.
Posted in: Law
July 13th, 2010
Filed under: Law
For the past ten years Robson Hall has required first-year students in their Legal System course to “Judge Shadow” at the downtown Law Courts.
No, this is not about stalking but about observing and learning.
The students form groups of four to spend Mondays in the winter semester with a Provincial Court judge and a Court of Queen’s Bench justice. They shadow them in chambers, in court and even over lunch.
Often the judge simply asks them: “Well, what should I do in this case?”
The program is unique to Canadian law schools and is directed by Professor DeLloyd Guth. Helping to coordinate the program can be a logistical nightmare, matching court and judge times with student course calendars. The job of coordination falls to Aimée Fortier, Executive Assistant to the Chief Justices and the Chief Judge. Without her inside help the Program would flounder.
This program is all part of a strategic attempt to merge the worlds of doctrine and practice within their crucial third element: legal-judicial history.
The Legal System course invites students to see the present system operating in the context of the institutions, procedures, personnel and vocabulary of our common law and equity traditions. The focus is on how ancient forms of action have developed into observable courtroom business, whether for civil actions, such as in contract and tort, or for indictable and summary criminal pleadings.
Student evaluations are virtually unanimous in concluding that Judge Shadowing is “…the best part of the first year.”
Why?
“It brings together everything we are learning,” according to one participant.
When finished, each student writes an essay analyzing the roles that evidence, authorities and argument played in the cases visited, the lawyers observed and the judges shadowed.
As one student recently noted: “That’s a real mind-blower… But it made me think quickly about how to apply what my Robson Hall courses may and may not contain.”
The judges involved often shepherd students inside bail and youth remand proceedings.
They also report special pleasure with the mentoring opportunities Judge Shadowing offers, even when the student response is occasionally way off base.
That’s part of the learning process too!
Posted in: Law
« Previous Entries
Subscribe now!
