David Prang, Director of Student Services

His job: enhancing student life at Laurier Brantford through working with faculty, staff and students.

Where he can be found: Second floor of the Student Centre.

Advice for incoming students: “Take advantage of the amazing opportunities you have to explore your interests at Laurier Brantford. The campus and academic programs combine to provide an environment like no other."

Favourite Animal: Maggie, his Springer Spaniel (as an aside, his least favourite animal? The skunk.)

Eating healthy has become difficult nowadays. Fast food restaurants like McDonald's, Burger King and Wendy’s are popping up all over the place and they're radically changing our diets. Being at university makes keeping a balanced diet even more challenging, since you’re on your own and suddenly have to cook for yourself. But don't despair – dodging the dreaded 'Freshman 15' is possible if you avoid over-indulgence and plan meals responsibly.

Price Chopper, only a short walk from campus, is the...

If you’re like me, then you’re unfortunate enough to be a commuting student in your first year at a new school. Not living in residence can make you feel like you’re not fully experiencing the university life but if you follow my tips, you’ll fit in and find friends just fine!

1.) Join a group, club or team: Whether you choose to write for the school paper or join an intramural team, the point is to get out there and...

Congratulations! You’ve made it to university and in a few months you’ll be out of your parents’ house and living in a hotbed of sex and lust. For this installment of Sex 101, I’ll be giving you some of my top do’s and don’ts to help you get your rocks off in the safest and sexiest way possible. So pay attention - you could learn a thing or two.

DON’T: Get too drunk at the bar if you want to...

Best pint of beer? Moose Winooski’s (www.moosewinooskis.com).

Cheapest cocktail? Therapy, a close-to-campus spot with student specials every Tuesday night (search for “Therapy Lounge – Brantford” on Facebook).

Best place to party on a weekday night? The Piston Broke is a stone’s throw from campus and offers a great pub atmosphere any night of the week (www.thepistonbrokepub.com).

Best off-campus spot to study? Coffee Culture if you prefer indoors (www.coffeeculture.ca), but sitting alongside the Grand River in good weather can be serene.

As summer starts to fade away and the school year looms ahead, one thing is certain: on the other side, waiting for all of us, will be readings, classes, readings and more readings. First year can be particularly stressful and uncomfortable because of these things, but have no fear for we have created a list of study tips that aren’t blatantly obvious or frustratingly impossible.

1.) Get your syllabus, read your syllabus, love your syllabus ... Hell, go frolic...

On March 27 at 8:30 p.m., people worldwide will take a stand against global warming. Earth Hour is the largest environmental movement in recent history. It is a global agreement to make one a small action: turn off all non-essential lights (some people even turn off all non-essential electricity) for one hour, once a year, to fight global warming.

It all started in Sydney, Australia in 2007. The World Wildlife Fund pledged to take a stand in the battle against...

Kevin Samuels (name has been changed to protect his anonymity), is average. You would not stop on the street if you saw him, and you probably wouldn’t be able to pick him out from a line of twenty-something white males. He works in an office - a job he hates - and he saves money by living with his mother. His long-term girlfriend is “dying for a ring,” but he’s not ready to settle down yet.

On the surface, Samuels...

“You dropped a hundred and fifty grand on an education you could’ve got for a dollar fifty in late charges at the public library.”

Matt Damon’s cheeky line from Good Will Hunting is hard to take seriously. Academia requires boundaries; the former cannot exist without the latter, or can it? “Education without boundaries” – it reeks of that hippy-dippy, new age strain of thought. Learning, true learning, can only take place in a rigid academic environment, right? Well, the truth...

Imagine: A mother spends her life looking after her baby, watching her grow, living through the nightmares that accompany puberty. And then one day, her child is gone. Maybe she ran away. Maybe their family is poor and she gave her child away to someone who promised to care for her in a foreign country.

Or maybe she was kidnapped and sold to someone who forces her to work long hours on farms or in massage parlours, making her use...

Charlie was abandoned when he was six years old. No one knows for how long he was chained to the floor of his empty home, or how long he had gone without food, water or affection. Neglected by loved ones, he was left to waste away on a hard concrete floor. It wasn’t until a realtor discovered him that his life changed – but by that time, he was already skin and bones.

Like my dog, Charlie, there are millions...

It may be lunch hour, but Kristjen’s Cafe at 97 Colborne St. was noticeably empty on a Thursday in mid-October. A lone customer occupied a table while owner Lana Plank and her husband, Mark, discussed their grocery needs. Since residents began vacating South Colborne after expropriation was approved in August, the amount of walk-in customers has declined. “Now, there’s nobody,” Plank said of the neighbourrhood. Residents and businesses have until Nov. 30 to vacate the properties.

Still, she finds reasons...

Genevieve Thompson doesn’t consider herself a pack rat, necessarily. Sitting in her living with boxes and various items – a barbecue, bicycles – scattered around, the 46-year old resident of 125 Colborne St. lower said she felt “overwhelmed.” Towels cover the front windows – likely there for privacy; she has had strangers come to her home in the summer thinking it’s a store. The television screen, tuned to Judge Joe Brown, gives the most light.

Unfortunately, it can’t give her...

Few pay attention to the acre-sized park at the end of Dalhousie across from the Dufferin Armories, despite it being an intricate part of the downtown. But it is also a very important part of this town's history. Every year at this time, local legions and community organizations lay wreaths on the spot and a dedication ceremony to the veterans and servicemen is performed. It is a fundamental part of Remembrance Day in Brantford.

At the end of the 19th...