WHITEHORSE–Covering the cost of tuition, textbooks, school supplies and living expenses will become a little easier for 44 Yukon College students this evening. They will receive financial awards and scholarships at the annual Yukon College Awards Ceremony.

The awards range from $150 to a full year of tuition. The College will hand out $51,732.00 at the event, which brings award donors together with the students who have earned them.

“Students are very grateful for this support. The evening is an opportunity for them to express their thanks to the people and businesses that created the award, and for the donors to learn a little about the students they are assisting,” said Andrea Fougere-Chou, Enrolment Management Advisor.

“Text books are very expensive for my program. I will now be able to buy all of my books,” said Felixberta Albeos, an Early Childhood Development diploma student. “I am so thankful. I feel very lucky to be selected.” 

WHITEHORSE-The Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous Society, Queer Yukon and Yukon College are teaming up to celebrate Halloween with a Rocky Horror Picture Show Dance Party on Friday October 31, 2014, in the College Gym.

Soul Migration will bring the tunes, Dr. Frank N. Furter will bring the fun, and everyone else must bring a costume. The costume contest held that night will feature cash prizes.

“Everyone has to dress up!” said Allison Furness, Yukon College Student Engagement Coordinator. “We are really excited to be hosting this interactive Halloween event that will bring together so many people from our community and students for a night of fun and celebration.”

The event is a fundraiser for the 2015 Sourdough Rendezvous.

A Yukon College student presented research on hydro security in a changing climate to an international audience this week. Alexandre Mischler attended the Geological Society of America conference in Vancouver, B.C. to share his contribution to a Yukon Research Centre (YRC) project that is using scientific modeling to determine how climate change is impacting the Whitehorse dam.

Yukon Research Centre is developing a hydrological model funded in partnership with Yukon Energy Corporation, Yukon Geological Survey and Water Resources Branch. This model will be used as a tool for decision-making to ensure future hydrological security. Mischler presented this model at this week’s conference in his role as a student researcher with YRC.

WHITEHORSE—Yukon College is developing its first made-in-Yukon degree and post-graduate certificate. Beginning in 2017, the college will offer a three-year Bachelor of Policy Studies in Indigenous Governance and a one-year post-graduate certificate in Climate Change and Public Policy.

“Today we are pleased to mark a major milestone in the North by announcing the first degree and post-degree certificate offered by Yukon College,” Minister of Education Elaine Taylor said. “By enabling more Yukon students to remain at home and continue their education, and by creating niche programs that attract more students from around the world, these advancements will develop and retain knowledge in the North, as well as bring new dollars to the territory.”

WHITEHORSE—The Government of Yukon will provide $6.3 million to support the continuation and extension of the Yukon Research Centre’s activities. The announcement was made at the centre’s fifth anniversary celebration this afternoon. Yukon College will receive funding over five years for the centre, which hosts a number of programs and services to develop collaborative research, innovation and outreach that meet the needs of northerners.

“Supporting the knowledge and technology sector results in increasing the diversity in Yukon’s economy, which benefits everyone,” Premier Darrell Pasloski said.

Established at Yukon College in 2009, the Yukon Research Centre enables scientists and academics to train, study and make discoveries in Yukon.

DAWSON CITY – Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in and Yukon College will sign a Memorandum of Understanding on Friday that paves the way for creating a teaching and working farm situated on the First Nation’s traditional territory. The signing ceremony will take place at Strachan’s Farm, located opposite the airport on the North Klondike Highway, 15 km outside of Dawson City.

Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in hopes the project will create a healthy, healing, safe and rewarding “on-the-land” environment for TH citizens, and secure a source of fresh produce and other food staples. It is also designed to preserve and maintain indigenous plants and shrubs important to First Nations healing traditions, and preserve a way of life that is based upon an economic and spiritual relationship with the land.

WHITEHORSE-Full-time credit students at Yukon College will have access to free transit again this academic year. The College, City of Whitehorse, and Yukon College Student Union have renewed their partnership allowing full-time student I.D. cards to be used as a bus pass from September 2, 2014 to May 30, 2015.

“The pilot initiative last year was enthusiastically embraced by our students and very successful,” said Dr. Karen Barnes, Yukon College President. “The City’s decision to extend transit service to 10 p.m. was a powerful demonstration that the students’ requests had been heard and contributed to our desire to renew this partnership.”

Overall more people are taking the bus. Figures from the City of Whitehorse show that overall ridership on the Takhini-Yukon College bus route saw an increase of over 850 people for the month of October 2013, when compared with a similar period in 2012.

WHITEHORSE-Orientation week this year at Yukon College Ayamdigut campus is all about providing space to make friends and build community.

Kicking off Tuesday September 2 is a morning of fun, interactive, playful games. Jerry Ewen of Playfair will lead the session that is designed to help students make meaningful connections with one another.

O-week coordinator Monique Benoit experienced Ewen’s particular style of breaking down barriers at a student engagement conference in BC earlier this year.

“Making new friends and feeling included is key to successfully navigating the initial few weeks at a new school or college. Jerry uses humour and physical activity to open up a large group of people in a way that quickly builds connections and community. Thanks to his session, I made a lot of friends at the conference, and knew we had to bring him here to work his magic,” said Benoit.

WHITEHORSE-Bringing Youth Towards Equality (BYTE), Yukon College and Yukon College Student Union are once again joining forces to present a second Future Routes Festival, Friday September 12th at the Yukon College Gym.

The concert will be headlined by Vancouver's famed electronic duo, The Funk Hunters, who have been making waves at music festivals across North America for their groundbreaking combination of heavy electronic beats and classic funk and soul lines. With Sarah MacDougall, Major Funk and the Employment, Dead Simple, Zipline, and Claire Ness and the Wisecrackers, rounding out the entertainment, the all-ages event promises to be a danceable, funk-filled night of music.

“We are excited to be bringing the Funk Hunters to Yukon for the first time,” said Kara Johancsik, BYTE communications coordinator. “BYTE is pleased to be part of creating this memorable end-of-summer celebration for both students and the wider community.”

WHITEHORSE – Yukon College is pleased to announce Kobayashi + Zedda Architects Ltd. as the successful proponent for the contract to design the new Centre for Northern Innovation in Mining building. The award-winning Whitehorse-based architecture and planning firm came out ahead of five bids for the contract.

Funding for design and construction of the Centre for Northern Innovation in Mining (CNIM) building was announced last year by Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Yukon Premier Darrell Pasloski.  Government of Yukon has also committed funding across five years in operations and maintenance finding to support CNIM programming.