Annual Golf Tournament
will not be held this year

     This event originated in 1992 when Pat Finucan, Steve Graves, Ron Robinson, and Eugene Cardinal, got together for a golf match, made it a friendly competition between the Cornwall and Kingston campuses, and afterwards headed to a restaurant for dinner.
     This evolved into an annual event, alternating between Cornwall and Kingston for two decades, and then continuing in Kingston on the first day after Labour Day, giving retirees the double pleasure of heading off to the golf course (The Landings) and not heading off to work.
     The cancellation, of course, also means that the 19th hole social gathering will not be held this September. It has been a popular event.
_______________________________

 St. Lawrence announces plans
for the new academic year
commencing in September

These plans and delivery methods apply to the fall semester only, meaning that they apply to September through December 2020.  It should not be assumed that these plans will also apply to courses running in January 2021.   

To see the list of programs, and how they will be delivered this fall by clicking HERE. An FAQ to address questions students are likely to have can be found HERE

The college will provide more information and details in the next few weeks as work progresses to get ready for September. 
_________________________________________

St. Lawrence announces fresh funding of
​collaborative agreement with Irish college

A recently announced collaborative program agreement in Hospitality between St. Lawrence College and Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology in Ireland will be supported by the ​​Anne McConnell-Strong Experience Ireland Fund.
 
The fund will encourage and support SLC students who choose to study a portion of their program in Ireland. It will include student bursaries and the creation of a pre-departure program to prepare Ireland-bound students to fully appreciate the country they will call home during their studies.
 
Created in memory of Anne McConnell by her husband, Elmer Strong, the fund will also be utilized to welcome the program’s Irish students to Kingston and Canada.
 
Born in County Galway, Ireland, Anne McConnell trained as a nurse in England. She  emigrated to Canada in the 1960s. Later she established two Irish pubs in Kingston, Finnegan's and Muldoon's, as part of the Frontenac Hotel.  
 In 1978, Anne founded the local chapter of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann and was elected chairperson of the Eastern Comhaltas Regional Board in 1988. She spent nearly four decades ceaselessly promoting the development and preservation of Irish traditional music, dance and culture in Canada and the United States.
 
Since 2011, SLC and the Institutes of Technology in Ireland have created numerous articulation opportunities for diploma and advanced diploma graduates to complete Bachelor’s degrees in Ireland in a short duration. The Anne McConnell-Strong Experience Ireland Fund is an innovative new way for SLC’s hospitality students to study abroad and will provide an invaluable learning experience.
 
In announcing the Fund, Glenn Vollebregt, president of St. Lawrence, thanked Anne’s husband, Elmer Strong, for his support and his desire to create a legacy which will reflect Anne’s commitment to cross-cultural education.
 
Anne McConnell-Strong passed away in October 2016.
 

 Dick Tindal's very latest, 
Retiree Reflections,
Ruminations, and Ramblings (R4)

Issue # 9, July 7, 3030

To read other recent Reflections, Ruminations and Ramblings
​click on the links below.
Issue # 8, June 23, 3030
Issue #7, May 8, 2020
Issue #6, April 19, 2020
______________________________________
_____________________________________________________

Looking for resources, even entertainment, in these very strange times?

Dick Tindal
Social Convenor

We have added a new page to the website, a new link in the tabs on top of every web page. 
​      COVID-19 is the new Bulletin Board for our members. The former Bulletin Board hasn't disappeared; it is still visible as a sub-page of this new and important area of interest. 
     Under COVID-19 you'll find links to resources, even entertainment, maybe even a little humour. We invite members to post other links to key resources that will save our sanity until we can get back to living again. 
​     You may recall that “shaken, not stirred” was how James Bond liked his martini cocktails. Our challenge is not to become too shaken or stir-crazy as we contemplate what may be a lengthy period of staying close to home. 
Please go to the new COVID-19 for Dick's list of resources

Chris Garnett, Vice President, Human Resources & Organizational Development, at SLC suggests some useful phone numbers for those who are cocooning.  
_________________________________________

Universities turn to a pass/fail system
​ as pandemic derails academic year

The Globe and Mail, April 3, 2020

Dick Tindal recalls...
making the Grade at St. Lawrence Coillege
​ 

     With the abbreviated school year brought on by the COVID-19 crisis, many universities – partly in response to demands from students – have introduced “compassionate grading policies.” (https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-universities-turn-to-a-passfail-system-as-pandemicderails-academic/)
     The main component appears to be the option for a student who does poorly on a particular course to choose a pass grade rather than a lower letter grade that might harm the grade point average. But this approach is causing concern that transcripts with a pass rather than a letter grade will be looked upon less favourably by graduate schools or employers. 
​ 
SLC had a Pass in its Past 
     While I appreciate the strain facing students, especially impending graduates, and their families, I am reminded of the many controversies concerning grading systems that have arisen over the past half century – as experienced by St. Lawrence College, which did have a pass grade as part of an Honours/Pass grading system.
​      Since that historical background may be of interest in the current context and since much of it has been documented in a rather tongue-in-cheek style (partly in the 2017 Book of Memories commemorating the 50th anniversary of the community college system in Ontario) I am providing a summary, in part with the hope that reading it may bring some amusement if not enlightenment. 

Read the full article here

________________________________________

CAAT Pension Plan issued a statement in May,
​to assure members that their pensions are secure.

Click on the card above to read About St. Lawrence College before IT, a Voyageur column by Dick Tindal
___________________________________________________________

This wasn't a brown bag lunch on Nov. 13

_________________________________________________________

We got together on Wednesday, Oct. 16
for another "coffee and conversation" 

_____________________________________________________________

Annual Golf Tournament ​& 19th Hole Social ​
​was very successful on Sept. 3

__________________________________________________

​​Annual General Meeting,  15 May

The Annual General Meeting of our Association
was held on May 15, 2019 at the
​Cataraqui Golf and Country Club.
_________________________________________________________

Coffee & Conversation, April 11
We are an organization dedicated to facilitating contact between former staff members of St. Lawrence College. Our focus is primarily on social activities but we also advocate on matters of interest to our members, including pensions.​
Members of Executive
(Elected at the 2019 AGM)
  • ​Nancy Sudak, President
  • Pennie Carr-Harris, Vice-President 
  • Thelma Mott, Treasurer and Membership
  • ​Dick Tindal, Social Convenor
  • Ron Kelly, Webmaster
  • Bill Kirby, Founder
  • John Anderson Immediate Past President

Nancy, Pennie, Thelma,  Dick, Ron, Bill and John

_____________________________________

New Name for SLC
​Athletic Teams

___________________________

Membership Application Form

If you are interested in joining us just Click the button below, print the PDF, fill in the information and mail it with your membership fee. Or join at any meeting of the Association.
​You're welcome!
______________________

The College's weekly newsletter
for Staff and Faculty, 

This is SLC:
​Our College News

is published weekly with content about
SLC people, programs,
students, and communities.

You can read it all here

_____________________
The "Our College News" of October 31, 2019, carried a a small piece "Hidden Gems at SLC: Where & What Am I?" There follows an invitation to submit memories of Hidden Gems.
​       Read Dick Tindal's  "Hidden Gem". 
__________________________

No Rocking Chair Yet!
Volunteering
Many, many retirees are actively volunteering throughout the community. 
Here is Dick Tindal's surprising
REPORT
You can reach the Volunteer page anytime
by clicking on the drop-down tab Volunteers
under Bulletin Board
________________________________

The Book of Memories

highlighting the first half century of SLC has been published! You can read an electronic copy HERE
Or order a printed copy with a click of this button
__________________________________

 Root Cellar Memories

Dick Tindal's Retiree Association column in a recent issue of Voyageur  focused on the Root Cellar and its role in the rich social life of the college in the early decades. Dick  issued an invitation to our members to share their memories of this venerable site.  He is pleased to pass along this contribution from John Mason which illustrates the extensive volunteer activities of early Root Cellar members.

_________________________________
Vertical Divider

2018 IN REVIEW

That year was also
​a good year
​ for our association. Here are some of the highlights​

Ever wonder how a drone might view the Kingston Campus?

Here's a link to a fast 60-second video overview