News & Events: 2006
Tuesday, October 24
TRU Canadian Studies hosted Secwepemc storyteller Peter Michel.
Thompson Rivers University's Centre for the Study of Canada hosted Peter Michel, Secwepemc educator and storyteller, for a free public presentation on Tuesday, Oct. 24 from 8:45-10:00 am in Room 262 of the Arts and Education Building. Mr. Michel told traditional stories and discussed their historical importance to Secwepemc culture.
From the Adams Lake Band, Peter Michel completed his Bachelor of Education degree at UBC, along with a fifth-year counselling option through UBC. Michel has been working with youth for over 25 years as a teacher, coach, community leader, counsellor, and friend. His commitment to the preservation of the culture of his people is evident in the history of
his involvement in traditional ceremonies, powwows, drumming, sweat lodges, storytelling, healing circles, and traditional stick games, to name but a few of his many interests.
"I'm delighted to invite the TRU community and the general public to the talk Mr. Michel is giving to my Aboriginal drama students, not only because of the breadth of experience he brings to bear on the subject but also because Peter was my student in the early 1980s in the Native Indian Teacher Education Program offered locally by the University of British Columbia," said TRU Canadian Studies faculty member Ginny Ratsoy.
Wednesday, April 5
The Centre for the Study of Canada and the TRU Faculty Association hosted a talk by Dr. Tom Pocklington (Adjunct Member of the Board of the TRU Centre for the Study of Canada and Professor Emeritus, University of Alberta).
Dr. Pocklington’s lecture, “From College to Knowledge Factory: Why Canadian Universities Aren’t Working,” was held on Wednesday, April 5 at 3:00 pm in AE 164.
This topical presentation represented several years of research into campuses across the country. In addition to writing, editing and co-editing several books on North American politics, Tom Pocklington co-authored (with Allan Tupper) No Place to Learn: Why Universities aren’t Working, which was published by UBC Press in 2002.
This event was free of charge and open to all. For more information, please contact Ginny Ratsoy, English and Modern Languages Department, at (250) 828-5238
March
TransLocal Inflections: Readings from Writers from Here and There
- TRU Writer in Residence David Bateman
- Local Aboriginal poet and novelist Garry Gottfriedson
- TRU Canada Research Chair Ashok Mathur
- Calgary poet Sharron Proulx
- Cultural activist and novelist Hiromi Goto
Sponsored by the Centre for Innovation in Culture and the Arts in Canada and the Centre for the Study of Canada
Bill Richardson
Thompson Rivers University's Centre for the Study of Canada hosted Bill Richardson, revered CBC radio personality, columnist, and author of over a dozen books, including the Leacock Medal of Humour winner for
The Bachelor Brothers Bed and Breakfast, as the Canadian Studies Day speaker for 2006. The community was invited to attend this event on Friday March 3 at 12:30 pm in the Alumni Clocktower Theatre.
Born in Winnipeg, Richardson worked as a children's librarian before beginning an illustrious career as a broadcaster in the 1990s. Among the CBC shows he has hosted are Crosswords, RSVP, As You Like It, Richardson's Roundup, Bunny Watson, and, most recently, Canada Reads. Canada Reads, the popular annual week-long event in which five Canadian personalities each advocate for their favourite book until, on the fifth day, the single book that is deemed the best is selected, is also broadcast on CBC Newsworld.
In addition to the
Bachelor Brothers series, Richardson has authored
Scorned and Beloved: Dead of Winter Meetings with Canadian Eccentrics; Queen of All the Dustballs and Other Epics of Everyday Life; a collection of columns,
Oddballs@Large; Dear Sad Goat, a collection of letters and stories from his listeners; the novel,
Waiting for Gertrude, and several children's books.
An occasional columnist for (among others) the
Globe and Mail , Richardson is in high demand as Master of Ceremonies, keynote speaker and book reviewer. Kamloopsians heard Bill's meditations on the media, middle age, literature, censorship, dogs, money, and federal politics in " The Ice Hotel is Melting: A Last Chance Tour of Several Rooms" at Canadian Studies Day 2006. The event was free of charge and open to all. A donation box for the TRU Foundation ("Toonies for Tuition") was available for those who wished to make a contribution to student awards. The Centre for the Study of Canada thanks the Comprehensive University Enhancement Fund, the Community University Research Alliance, and the TRU School of Journalism for their co-sponsorship.