A 'TIP' to founder Jack Matthews
Jack Matthews, founding director of the Trent International Program (TIP), will be the guest of honor at the program's 15th-anniversary dinner tomorrow night in Lady Eaton College.

        Matthews established TIP in 1982 and served as director until 1989. He received an honorary doctorate from Trent in 1992.

        Prior to Trent, Matthews had been headmaster of Lakefield College School and founding director of Lester B. Pearson College of the Pacific in Victoria, B.C. Since his retirement, he has been active as an educational adviser internationally and in the Canadian north. He recently played a key role in the founding of the Canadian Canoe Museum in Peterborough.

Keeping Keefer's class going
When news of Sarah Keefer's six-week medical leave reached her students in English 431 after reading week, they rallied. Thanks, they said to Middle English instructor Henry Vandelen when he turned up to lead the classes, but we have another plan. Student Michelle Nepp had marshalled the 11 class members to each teach a component of the two-hour weekly class on Anglo Saxon culture until Keefer returned in the new year.

        Class members could have worked on scheduled assignments and readings on their own. Instead, they opted to progress "as if she were there," said student Adam Chapnick. "All our assignments and all our readings will be as scheduled."

        "If there are four readings, one person becomes resident expert of one," said Nepp. "We find that all of us are reading more in depth than we normally would."

        "We've lost our professor for one and a half months, but we're not going to suffer because we won't let it," said Chapnick "We wanted to be ready for her when she comes back."

        Keefer is being treated for high blood pressure, which has caused temporary vision impairment. "We've all tried to keep from e-mailing or phoning her," says Nepp. "Doctor's orders. We want her to rest and if there are problems we'll deal with them later."

        Nepp has taken Keefer's courses before. Keefer has always jumped to help students whenever they've asked. "Even on her busiest day, she will squish you in," says Nepp. "If she's willing to do that for us, why shouldn't we do it for her?"

        "I've never seen an entire class be so prepared to do this for a professor," says Chapnick. Each student is responsible for at least one presentation as well as completing the scheduled two assignments before the winter break. Vandelen attends and contributes to the discussion "but he doesn't lead," says Chapnick.

        "This really is about who she is," says Chapnick of Keefer. "She brings an enthusiasm to her work that makes you want to be there. She has made a topic that is not particularly accessible interesting and works hard to help us get the work done."

        "This is a Trent thing. To me it's what Trent is all about," says Chapnick.

Six alumni win municipal seats
On Nov. 10, six of eight Trent alumni in the race for elected municipal positions, have won.

         Sylvia Sutherland won the top spot on city council, returning for a third term as mayor. She served two terms as mayor from 1985 to 1991. Since 1993, she has been an alumni appointee on Trent's Board of Governors and currently chairs the board's nominating committee. Among those also seeking the mayor's job was George Mitchell, former alderman, a Trent graduate and a sessional lecturer in microbiology here.

        Clifford Maynes was acclaimed as Town Ward's representative and Fred Rapson was elected in Monaghan Ward to sit on the Peterborough Utilities Commission. Jeff Leal returns as alderman in Otonabee Ward and Mike McIntyre, in Monaghan Ward. Derek Pinto, however, failed in his first bid for a council seat in the heavily contested Town Ward.

        Brendan Moher was re-elected one of two city representatives on the region's separate school board. Moher, who was working part time as a planned giving officer for Trent's Development Office, is practising law full time in Peterborough.