Jeremy Parsons

Started in 2010 by Steve Stone and Rachael Loney, the Rugby Club has been growing in popularity ever since. The club leaders, who have past experience with the sport, began teaching others the fundamentals and organizing pickup games on campus. “It’s been surprisingly difficult to build the team from the ground up, specifically because of the nature of the sport,” says head coach and co-founder Rachael Loney.

Most students at Redeemer are likely too young to have had Mr. Hugh Cook as an English professor. But, as I learned this week, he was a staple in the English Department for over twenty years and just recently returned to promote the launch of his newest book "Heron River." At the event, Cook read a segment of his finished product and spent time to answer questions, sell books and sign purchased copies. He was humble and quite unassuming about the work despite this being one of four of his critically acclaimed novels.

Recent testing from the Ontario Ministry of the Environment and third-part firm EXP Consulting confirms that a large area surrounding the John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport is in fact toxic. As early as this summer, authorities were tipped-off to the potential danger of a chemical compound known as perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) present in the Welland River and Binbrook Conservation Area. The pollutants were believed to be contaminating wildlife, killing fish, and making people sick throughout the region.

Redeemer Annual Ten Thousand Villages Sale was another resounding success this year. The event took place December 1-2 in the Executive Dining Room B, a different venue than in years past. “The smaller space really helped create a festive and positive shopping atmosphere,” says Micah Van Dijk, Redeemer’s Activities & Orientation Co-ordinator. “I think the sale has found a good home for future years.”

It’s a story that has been dominating the news for weeks: Occupy Toronto, Vancouver, Dublin, Brussels, New York... the list goes on. The movement has sent tidal waves across the world with protesters gathering in literally thousands of towns and cities worldwide. The trademark catchphrase of demonstrators, “We are the 99%” echoes the sentiment of the protest: a collective frustration with the conduct of the top percentile of society.

Pending final approval in two weeks, a number of important disciplinary changes have been added to the Redeemer Student Handbook. These changes, which will be affective in September of 2012, touch on everything from drugs to sexual assault. Redeemer’s Dean of Students Karen Cornies was involved in the revision process from start to finish. “There were a number of proposed changes to the handbook that reflect our updated policies,” comments Cornies. The only change that has met pre-approval so far is the disciplinary action regarding alcohol.

During the summer of 2010, Redeemer received notice from local law firm Scarfone Hawkins LLP that they were being sued to the extent of $6 million. The lawsuit was launched by a former parent and donor who claimed to have been damaged by Redeemer’s Forgivable Loan Program (FLP), established by the former Redeemer Foundation. The plaintiff, known as William Bruce Woods, is attempting to initiate a class-action lawsuit on behalf of all the individuals who participated in the Forgivable Loan Program during the years 2001 and 2002.

Men’s Basketball Shows Significant Potential

The Royals men’s basketball team looks primed and ready to go this season and set to show the OCAA that they can compete toe-to-toe with the best teams in the league. This year’s squad is comprised of six returning players, two freshmen, three collegiate transfers, and three players coming in from elsewhere.