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Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - January 13, 2025, Winnipeg, Manitoba Read now in LEARN MORE: CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVE OR FREE PRESS ADVERTISING AT 204.697.7164 Read our stories your way! Visit winnipegfreepress.com/fp-features or scan the code to see online publications. Manitoba’s stories about life, wellness, local business, drink n’ dine & more. I N Q U I R I E S : 2 0 4 - 6 9 7 - 7 3 9 0 | A M Y. A N D E R S @ F R E E P R E SS . M B . C A A S U P P L E M E N T TO T H E S A T U R D A Y , D E C E M B E R 1 0 , 2 0 2 2 View online at winnipegfreepress.com/lifestyles A ttaining the skills of tom orrow today. Apply now UMextended.ca L i f e l o n g l e a r n i n g . G u id e E D U C A T I O N A S U P P L E M E N T T O S A T U R D A Y , A U G U S T 1 2 , 2 0 2 3 V i e w o n l i n e a t w i n n i p e g f r e e p r e s s . c o m / l i f e s t y l e s G u i d e E D U C A T I O N I N Q U I R I E S : 2 0 4 - 6 9 7 - 7 3 9 0 A M Y . A N D E R S @ F R E E P R E S S . M B . C A A t t a i n i n g t h e s k i l l s o f t o m o r r o w t o d a y . A p p l y n o w U M e x t e n d e d . c a L i f e l o n g l e a r n i n g . 8 SU PP LE ME NT TO TH E F RE E P RE SS • S AT UR DA Y, AU GU ST 12 , 2 02 3 E D U C A T I O N G U ID E S ta rti ng u ni ve rs ity is a m aj or m ile st on e, an d fo r m an y fir st -y ea r s tu de nt s at th e Un iv er sit y of M an ito ba , t he tra ns iti on ca n fe el d au nt in g. Ho we ve r, n ew st ud en ts ar en ’t a lon e. W ith U M ’s ex ten siv e r es ou rce s, co up led w ith h elp fr om p ar en ts an d su pp or ter s, th ey ca n c on fid en tly na vig ate th is ex cit in g j ou rn ey . Be low ar e e igh t t hi ng s t o k ee p in m in d as yo u su pp or t y ou r s tu de nt th ro ug h t he ir fir st ye ar. 1 U M O R IE N TA TI O N W IL L EA SE T H E TR A N SI TI O N UM ha s a co m pr eh en siv e o rie nt ati on pr og ra m , h elp in g n ew st ud en ts wi th ev er yth in g f ro m st ud y s kil ls to on -ca m pu s s up po rts . In th e p as t, o rie nt ati on w as a sin gle da y. T od ay , it un fo lds as a se rie s o f ev en ts th ro ug ho ut th e s pr in g a nd su m m er. “W ha t w e k no w is th at or ien tat ion is n ot so m uc h an ev en t a s i t i s a pr oc es s,” sa ys Al i W oo d- Wa rre n, dir ec to r o f s tu de nt tr an sit ion an d s uc - ce ss at UM . Th ere is a b od y o f r es ea rch , W oo d- Wa rre n sa ys , t ha t h igh lig ht s t he im po rta nc e o f a st ud en t’s fir st six w ee ks . T hi s p er iod of ten de ter m in es wh eth er th ey w ill co m ple te th eir fir st ye ar, w hi ch is w hy or ien tat ion no w pr ov ide s e xte nd ed su pp or t. “W ha t w e w an t is fo r s tu de nt s t o b ec om e m or e c om fo rta ble on ca m - pu s. W e w an t th em to fe el th at it’s no t ‘t he ’ c am pu s— it’s ‘th eir ’ c am pu s,” Wo od -W ar ren sa ys . 2 H EL P W IT H C O U R SE S EL EC TI O N IS AV A IL A B LE On e o f t he fi rst ev en ts to ki ck o ff UM O rie nt ati on w as G et Re ad y t o Re gis ter , a n on lin e se ssi on th at in tro du ce s s tu de nt s t o th e Fir st Ye ar Pla nn in g G ui de . Th e g ui de e m po we rs stu de nt s b y h elp in g th em u nd er sta nd co ur se se lec tio n an d eq ui pp in g t he m w ith th e k no wl ed ge to m ak e i nf or m ed de cis ion s a bo ut th eir ac ad em ic jou rn ey . “W e h elp st ud en ts kn ow w ha t’s ex pe cte d of th em in u ni ve rsi ty an d tea ch th em th e s kil ls ne ed ed to m ee t t he se ex pe cta tio ns d ur in g t he ir fir st ye ar, ” W oo d- Wa rre n s ay s. Di vy a Sh ar m a is a se co nd -y ea r b ac he lor o f a rts s tu de nt a nd th e vic e- pr es ide nt of co m m un ity en ga ge m en t a t th e U ni ve rsi ty of M an ito ba Stu de nt s’ Un ion (U M SU ). La st ye ar, G et Re ad y t o R eg ist er pr ov ed he lpf ul in pl an ni ng an d r eg is- ter in g f or he r c ou rse s. “F or a lot of fir st ye ar st ud en ts wh o d on ’t h av e o lde r s ibl in gs lik e m y- se lf, it’s re all y ch all en gin g to n av iga te all o f t he se sy ste m s,” S ha rm a sa ys . “ I w as re all y t ha nk fu l th at th e u ni ve rsi ty did a se ssi on w he re th ey sh ow ed yo u h ow to si gn up fo r c ou rse s a nd w ha t s or t o f c ou rse lo ad to tak e.” U N IV ER SI TY O F M A N IT O B A N a v i g a t i n g t h e fi r s t y e a r A G U ID E F O R S U P P O R T E R S O F N E W S T U D E N T S A T U M SUP PLI ED PHO TOS  CO NT IN UE D O N P AG E 9 9 SU PP LE ME NT TO TH E F RE E P RE SS • S AT UR DA Y, AU GU ST 12 , 2 02 3 E D U C A T I O N G U ID E 3 TO U R S H EL P W IT H G E T TI N G T O K N O W C A M P U S Th e s ize o f U M ’s Fo rt Ga rry ca m pu s c an b e in tim ida tin g f or n ew st ud en ts, b ut a ca m pu s to ur ca n he lp th em ga in a so lid gr as p of th e gr ou nd s. Ca m pu s t ou rs are av ail ab le fo r b ot h t he en - tir e c am pu s a nd sp ec ifi c b ui ldi ng s. Sh ar m a, wh o t oo k a to ur la st ye ar, be ne fit ed fro m th e e xp er ien ce . “Y ou ’re co m in g i nt o t hi s n ew en vir on m en t, yo u’r e a ll s tar ry ey ed , a nd it’ s r ea lly ni ce to ha ve so m eo ne gu idi ng yo u t hr ou gh it, ” S ha rm a s ay s. 4 U N IV E R S IT Y L IF E H A S C H A N G ED O V E R T H E Y E A R S Un ive rsi ty life in 20 23 is si gn ifi ca nt ly dif fer en t f ro m p re- vio us de ca de s. Fo r o ne , it ’s t yp ica l fo r s tu de nt s t o b ala nc e f ull -ti m e j ob s a nd ot he r m ajo r r es po ns ibi lit ies w ith th eir st ud ies . “W e h av e s tu de nt s w ho ar e p are nt s. W e h av e s tu de nt s w ho ar e ca rin g fo r a gin g fam ily m em be rs. W e ha ve fu ll- tim e wo rk er s,” Wo od -W ar ren sa ys . Th e t ec hn olo gic al lan ds ca pe ha s c ha ng ed , to o. “M y p ho ne th at I h av e i n m y h an d i s n ot ju st a p ho ne . It ’s t he wo rld ,” W oo d- Wa rre n s ay s. “ It’s ea sy to se e w hy de cis ion -m ak in g m igh t b e h ard er fo r s tu de nt s n ow . T he y’r e d ea lin g w ith an u n- pr ec ed en ted am ou nt of in fo rm ati on .” Ev en w ith th es e c ha ng es , s tu de nt s c an co un t o n U M fo r c lea r an d us efu l c om m un ica tio n. It’s im po rta nt th at stu de nt s c he ck th eir @ m yu m an ito ba .ca em ail d ail y f or in fo rm ati on . F oll ow in g UM on so cia l m ed ia is als o a gr ea t w ay to st ay in th e l oo p. 5 LE A R N IN G T O A S K F O R H EL P IS A C R IT IC A L S K IL L Wo od -W ar ren w an ts to no rm ali ze as kin g f or he lp. “T he va st m ajo rit y o f s tu de nt s n ee d s om e h elp . T ha t’s ju st th e na tu re of w ha t w e’r e d oin g h ere . B ein g a un ive rsi ty stu de nt is a ne w ex pe rie nc e,” W oo d- Wa rre n s ay s. Th e u ni ve rsi ty of fer s a w ide ra ng e o f s up po rts an d se rv ice s, fro m ac ad em ic ad vis in g t o h ea lth ca re to sp iri tu al ca re. Bu t s tu - de nt s d on ’t n ee d t o r em em be r e ve ry si ng le se rv ice . “E ve n a fte r o rie nt ati on , it ’s o ka y i f s tu de nt s d on ’t k no w ev er y- th in g. Th ey do n’t ne ed to kn ow ev er yth in g. Th ey ju st ne ed to re - m em be r t ha t t he Fi rst Ye ar Ce nt re is he re to he lp, ” W oo d- Wa rre n sa ys . 6 U M E SS EN TI A LS P RO V ID ES O N LI N E O R IE N TA TI O N UM E sse nt ial s i s a n on lin e o rie nt ati on p ro gra m fo r n ew st u- de nt s. Th e p ro gra m pr ov ide s a vi rtu al to ur of th e c am pu s a nd in tro - du ce s t he co ur se m an ag em en t s ys tem , U M Le ar n. It als o s he ds lig ht on w ha t p ro fes so rs ex pe ct, de tai ls th e r an ge of su pp or t s er vic es , a nd su gg es ts wa ys fo r s tu de nt s t o ge t i n- vo lve d i n t he U M co m m un ity . “U M E sse nt ial s se rv es a s a su pp lem en t to o ur in -p er so n ev en ts. It pr ov ide s a co ns tan t, r eli ab le res ou rce th at stu de nt s c an ref er to w he ne ve r t he y n ee d,” W oo d- Wa rre n s ay s. Ev er y n ew st ud en t is ex pe cte d t o c om ple te UM Es se nt ial s. 7 P R E P W EE K A N D W E LC O M E D A Y W IL L LE A D S TU D EN TS IN TO T H EI R F IR S T D A Y Pr ep W ee k a nd W elc om e D ay ar e t wo of th e m ain ev en ts th at pr ov ide a sm oo th ru nw ay fo r s tu de nt s e nt er in g t he fa ll t er m . Pr ep W ee k, fro m A ug us t 2 8 t o 31 , g ive s n ew st ud en ts an o p- po rtu ni ty to ex plo re ca m pu s a nd pa rti cip ate in vi rtu al ac ad em ic pr ep se ssi on s. Stu de nt s c an ge t a p rev iew of ac ad em ic rea din g a nd w rit in g, att en d s kil l w or ks ho ps an d g et th eir st ud en t c ard be fo re th e r us h. We lco m e Da y, on S ep tem be r 5 , i s a fu n- fill ed e ve nt b efo re cla sse s s tar t w he re stu de nt s c an m ak e f rie nd s, lea rn ab ou t k ey co nt ac ts an d r es ou rce s, an d g et co m fo rta ble in th eir ne w ho m e aw ay fr om ho m e. “W elc om e D ay is fo r s tu de nt s t o f ee l c on ne cte d t o t he un ive r- sit y, to ge t e xc ite d a bo ut th eir tim e w ith us ,” W oo d- Wa rre n s ay s. “It ’s a lso fo r t he m to kn ow th at th ey ’re n ot al on e a nd th at th ere ar e p eo ple al l o ve r t he pl ac e w ho w an t t o h elp th em to be th eir be st se lf i n t he ir fir st ye ar. ” 8 T H E S T U D EN T U N IO N A LS O O FF ER S O R IE N TA TI O N E V E N T S UM SU co nt rib ut es to th e o rie nt ati on pr oc es s w ith its ow n s e- rie s o f e ve nt s. On e o f t he hi gh lig ht s i s B iso n B as h, fro m Se pt em be r 1 1 t o 1 5, wh ich in clu de s f ree br ea kfa sts fo r U M st ud en ts, a m ar ke t, k ar a- ok e n igh t a nd a str ee t p ar ty. Ge t I nv olv ed W ee k, fro m Se pt em be r 1 8 t o 22 , g ive s s tu de nt s th e c ha nc e t o d isc ov er va rio us cl ub s a nd as so cia tio ns . T he y c an als o fin d in fo rm ati on o n ho w to vo te in th e u pc om in g U M SU Ge ne ra l E lec tio n. “W e w an t t o m ak e s ur e t ha t e ve ry si ng le stu de nt ha s a w ay to fee l c on ne cte d t o c am pu s,” Sh ar m a s ay s. Fo r m or e i nf or m at io n ab ou t o rie nt at io n ev en ts, vi sit um an ito ba .ca /o rie nt at io n. W h at w e w an t is f or st u d en ts t o b ec om e m or e co m fo rt ab le on c am pu s. W e w an t th em t o fe el t h at it ’s n ot ‘t h e’ ca m pu s— it ’s ‘t h ei r’ c am pu s. ” — Ali W oo d-W arr en , dir ec tor of st ud en t tr an sit ion an d s ucc es s a t U M CO NT IN UE D F RO M PA GE 8 SUP PLI ED PHO TOS W I T H T H E G E N E R O U S S U P P O R T O F RWB SCH OOL FAC ULTY MEM BER WITH REC REAT IONA L DIV ISIO N ST UDE NTS; PHO TO B Y MC HELL E BL AIS G e t st a rt e d t o d a y a t rw b .o rg /r e g is te r Cla sse s s tar t S tep tem be r 10 a s s in ib o in e .n e t/ e le v a t e a w a r d P O S T - G R A D P R O G R A M S A T A S S I N I B O I N E F u ll - t u it io n a w a r d s a v a il a b le MONDAY, JANUARY 13, 2025 A8 ● WINNIPEGFREEPRESS.COM NEWS I WORLD EU ministers to consider easing sanctions on Syria R IYADH, Saudi Arabia — European Union foreign ministers will meet in late January to discuss easing sanctions imposed on Syria, the bloc’s foreign policy chief said Sunday. How- ever, she said the move would depend on Syria’s new rulers carrying out an inclusive political transition after last month’s overthrow of president Bashar Assad. Kaja Kallas’ comments came at a gathering of top European and Middle Eastern diplomats in the Saudi capital of Riyadh to discuss Syria’s future. Saudi Arabia called for the lifting of sanctions, which threaten to undermine Syria’s recovery from nearly 14 years of civil war that killed an estimated 500,000 people and displaced half the country’s prewar population of 23 mil- lion. European countries and the United States have been wary over the Islam- ist roots of the former insurgents who drove Assad out of power and who now lead an interim government. The former rebels have promised to hold a national dialogue summit that includes different groups across Syria to agree upon a new political road map leading to a new constitution and an election. Kallas said EU foreign ministers will look at how to ease sanctions during a Jan. 27 meeting in Brussels. “But this must follow tangible prog- ress in a political transition that re- flects Syria in all its diversity,” she said in a post on the social media platform X. She also posted a photo of herself meeting the new Syrian foreign minis- ter, Asaad al-Shibani at Sunday’s gath- ering. The U.S., the EU and some Arab na- tions began imposing sanctions on Syr- ia after Assad’s brutal crackdown on the 2011 uprising against his rule and tightened them as the conflict spiralled into war. Some of the measures are against individuals in Assad’s government, in- cluding freezing of assets. But many target the government in general, in- cluding bans on many financial and banking dealings, on oil purchases and on investment or trade in some sectors, crippling the wider Syrian economy. German Foreign Minister Anna- lena Baerbock said sanctions against “Assad’s henchmen who committed serious crimes” must remain in place. But she called for “a smart approach to sanctions, providing rapid relief for the Syrian population. Syrians now need a quick dividend from the transi- tion of power.” Baerbock did not elabor- ate but announced an additional 50 mil- lion euros (US$51.2 million) in German aid for food, emergency shelters and medical care. At the gathering, Saudi Foreign Min- ister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said international and unilateral sanctions on Syria should be lifted. Continuing them “will hinder the aspirations of the brotherly Syrian people to achieve development and re- construction,” he said. He praised steps taken so far by the interim Syrian gov- ernment, including promises to start a political process “that includes various components” of the Syrian people. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said his country, which was a strong supporter of the Syrian oppos- ition to Assad, would try to help Syria in normalizing ties with the international community. He said it was important to establish a “balance between the expectations of the international community and the realities faced by the new administra- tion in Syria.” He pledged Turkish support to the new government, especially in com- bating threats from the Islamic State group. “As Turkey, we are ready to do our part to ease the difficult path ahead for the Syrian people,” he said in com- ments carried by Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency. Last week, Washington eased some of its restrictions on Syria, with the U.S. Treasury issuing a general licence, lasting six months, that authorizes cer- tain transactions with the Syrian gov- ernment, including some energy sales and incidental transactions. The U.S. has also dropped a US$10 million bounty it had offered for the capture of Ahmad al-Sharaa, a Syrian rebel leader formerly known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani, whose forces led the ouster of Assad last month. Al- Sharaa was a former senior al-Qaida militant who broke with the group years ago and has pledged an inclusive Syria that respects the rights of reli- gious minorities. The rebels led a lightning insurgency that ousted Assad on Dec. 8 and ended his family’s decades-long rule. Much of the world severed ties with Assad and imposed sanctions on his government — and its Russian and Iranian allies — over alleged war crimes and the manufacturing of the amphetamine-like stimulant Captagon, which reportedly generated billions of dollars as packages of the little white pills were smuggled across Syria’s por- ous borders. With Assad out of the picture, Syria’s new authorities hope that the inter- national community will pour money into the country to rebuild its battered infrastructure and make its economy viable again. — The Associated Press BARAA ANWER Biden and Netanyahu discuss efforts to reach Israel-Hamas war ceasefire DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Joe Biden spoke Sunday about efforts to reach a cease- fire and hostage release deal in the Is- rael-Hamas war, a sign of the intensify- ing push to reach a deal before Donald Trump’s inauguration next week. Talks mediated over the past year by the United States, Egypt and Qatar have repeatedly stalled at moments when they seemed close to a deal. Still, in recent days, U.S. officials have ex- pressed hope of sealing an agreement. Sunday’s call between Biden and Netanyahu came as the head of Israel’s Mossad foreign intelligence agency, David Barnea, and Biden’s top Mideast adviser, Brett McGurk, were both in the Qatari capital Doha. Barnea’s pres- ence, confirmed by Netanyahu’s office, meant high-level Israeli officials who would need to sign off on any agree- ment are now involved in talks. McGurk has been working on final details of a text to be presented to both sides, Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, told CNN’s State of the Union. But he said he would not predict whether a deal can be reached by Jan. 20, the day of the inauguration. “We are very, very close,” he said. “Yet being very close still means we’re far because until you actually get across the finish line, we’re not there.” The White House and Netanyahu’s office both confirmed the phone call between the two leaders without pro- viding details. Just one brief ceasefire has been achieved in 15 months of war, and that was in the earliest weeks of fighting. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said this week a deal is “very close” and he hoped to complete it before handing over diplomacy to the incoming Trump administration. Under discussion now is a phased ceasefire, with Netanyahu signalling he is committed only to the first phase, a partial hostage release in exchange for a weekslong halt in fighting. Hamas has insisted on a full Israeli troop withdrawal from the largely dev- astated territory, but Netanyahu has in- sisted on destroying Hamas’ ability to fight in Gaza. Issues in the talks have included which hostages would be released in the first part of a phased ceasefire deal, which Palestinian prisoners would be released and the extent of any Israeli troop withdrawal from population cen- ters in Gaza. Israel’s campaign in Gaza has killed more than 46,000 Palestinians, the majority women and children, accord- ing to the territory’s Health Ministry, whose count does not give a breakdown between fighters and civilians. Israel’s campaign was triggered by Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack, in which militants killed some 1,200 people and abducted around 250 others. Families of the roughly 100 hostages still held in Gaza are pressing Netanya- hu to reach a deal to bring their loved ones home. Israelis rallied again Satur- day night in the city of Tel Aviv, with photos of hostages on display. In Gaza, Palestinians were tempering their hopes for a stop to Israel’s cam- paign, which has devastated much of the territory and driven more than 80 per cent of its 2.3 million people from their homes. “We hear that there are negotia- tions every day, but we see nothing,” said Mazen Hammad, a resident of the southern city of Khan Younis. “When we see it on the ground, then we believe that there is a truce.” — The Associated Press WAFAA SHURAFA AND NATALIE MELZER VAHID SALEMI / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILES With former president Bashar Assad out of the picture, Syria’s new leaders hope the inter- national community will help the country rebuild its battered infrastructure. ;