(July £ 7 VOL 1 NO 29 VANCOUVER COMMUNITY COLLEGE C ,'<\t L/ Van''or /fi, vVil 'j fy Carpal tunnel syndrome: relief is at hand Inside arpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), a painful disorder of the wrist and hand, has lately been the subject of much publicity and even litiga¬ tion, when injured workers have taken em¬ Transition Counsellor Appointed 5 Myths & Facts Pagemaker Tips 'n Tricks 6 Asia Pacific/ Mexico Awards Celebrating 30 Years ployers to court. CTS is one of many injuries caused by repeated strain, such as that pro¬ duced by working long hours at a computer, and it's on the rise. Thousands of cases are diagnosed each year. One contributing fac¬ tor, according to Dr. David Rempel of the University of California at San Francisco, is the ever-accelerating pace of work. New elec¬ tronic technologies, rather than lightening the load, only increase the demand for getting things done in a hurry. can be caused not only by rep e t i 11 v e strain, but by bone dislocation or fracture, ar¬ thritis, diabetes or fluid retention (as may occur in pregnancy) - any¬ thing that narrows the tunnel and compresses the nerve and tendons. This pain-m-the-hand used to be called any¬ thing from "writer's cramp" to "washerwoman's thumb." Carpenters, den¬ tists, piano players, and any of those who work with their hands can get CTS. So can Some background tennis and squash players and people who Deriving its name from the Greek karpos, or wrist, the carpal tunnel is the passageway, composed of bone and ligament, through which a major nerve system of the forearm passes into the hand. The carpal tunnel is like a cable for the median nerve and nine ten¬ frequently use rowing machines or other ex¬ ercise equipment. Women are far more susceptible to it than men because women tend to do the kinds of industrial, office, and domestic jobs that promote CTS - and their dons. The nerve supplies sensation and controls the muscles in part of the hand, and the tendons allow the fingers to flex. The wear and tear of repeated movement may thicken the lubricating membrane of the ten¬ dons, increasing pressure inside the carpal tunnel and pressing the nerve up against the bone. This process, called nerve entrapment, carpal tunnel space is smaller to begin with. Symptoms to watch out for What are the signs? These include burning, tingling, and numbness m your hand that bother you early in the morning or awaken you at night. Indeed, nocturnal hand pain has continued on page 2 Carpal tunnel syndrome (continued from page 1) been called the hallmark of CTS. Flexing your hand in your sleep or sleeping on it may aggravate the discomfort. If you need to take aspirin or another pain reliever in order to keep working, that should be a signal to see a physician. If left untreated, the tingling and numbness can progress to a weakened grip and sever pain in the forearm or shoulder. that wrist supports may actually decrease cir¬ culation to the wrist, or restrict movement m such a way as to transfer your problems from your wrist to shoulder. How can I avoid carpal tunnel symdrome? happens. • When working with your hands, keep your wrists straight. Flexing and twisting them stresses the carpal tunnel. Treating carpal tunnel syndrome • Lift objects with your whole hand - or better yet, with both hands - to reduce stress on the wrist. By all means, get medical advice before this CTS should not be difficult to diagnose for a doctor experienced in this kind of injury, but you may still need to go to neurologist for an electrodiagnostic test, which checks the nerve's ability to transmit impulses. You and your doctor should figure out what activity • Make sure your work station is comfort¬ able. If you're working at a computer keyboard, make sure your fingers are lower than your wrists; don't rest the heels of your hands on the keyboard. is causing CTS and try to alleviate the causes. • Avoid working in the cold. If your hands If your condition is mild, wearing a splint at are cold, that means blood flow to the wrist is reduced, which can promote CTS. night may be all you need. Your doctor may prescribe periods of rest and advise you to avoid anything that might constrict small blood vessels in the hands, such as caffeinated beverages or smoking. Anti-inflammatory drugs such as aspirin or ibuprofen and/or injections of cortisone can help. Icing the wrist can relieve pain. If nerve injury or muscle damage progresses, surgery may prove advisable. Surgery is usually suc¬ cessful in restoring full hand function unless the condition has been present for several years. The marketplace is full of devices - wrist • Type with a soft touch - don't pound the keys. • If your hands hurt while you' re on the row¬ ing machine, for instance, or while playing a racket sport, ease up. Pain is always a signal to stop. If you carry hand weights . while running or exercising, make sure they aren't too heavy. » Take breaks frequently when working with your hands. Working too rapidly may con¬ tribute to the problem. And try some simple wrist exercises while you're tak¬ ing your break. braces, back rests, wrist rests, forearm sup¬ ports, wnst trolleys, and fingerless gloves - that supposedly head off CTS or help correct Reprinted from the University of California at Berkeley Wellness Letter, January 1995 it. But there's no evidence, except testimoni¬ als, that any of them are worth much. Dr. Steve Johnson, Professor of Industrial Engi¬ neering at the University of Arkansas, thinks PAGE 2 J U LY 2 7 1 995 ^,ncoi!V=i/ '> C. VSN 519, Transition Counsellor appointed New position created at VCC will provide assistance to students with disabilities leaving the college and preparing for the transition to employment. tion Counsellor will work in partnership with community based agencies to which these students may have access to. The primary focus of the position will be to provide serv¬ ice to students with disabilities who are not associated with or eligible for assistance from v established employment and j ob search agen- cies. As part of this initiative, students will jspff be able to access ongoing support upon completion of their studies at VCC. How- ties in the King Edward and City Centre Counselling Departments Services Students with Disabili¬ arefor pleased to announce the ap¬ pointment of Mr. Ron Kee to the position of Transition Counsellor. Ron is no stranger to Vancouver Community College as he has provided casual relief at the City Centre Counselling Department for the past three years. Ron is a graduate of UBC and successfully completed apracticum with Services for Students with Disabilities at City ever, we are encouraging students to take advantage of this new initiative well in advance of their completion dates in Connections will Ron is available to liaise between be on holidays, students and instructors, depart¬ ment heads, and others, as appropriate. If you want to know more about this position, or you have suggestions as to how the Centre in 1992 as part of the requirements Transition Counsellor might best serve students with disabilities for completing a Masters in Counselling. In addition, Ron was a counsellor at the Open within your department, or you Learning Agency before coming to the Col¬ have a student with a disability who might benefit from these lege. services, please feel free to con¬ The position of Transition Counsellor is a new one. Funds for this position were made tact Ron by telephone (443-8445), TTY (443-8588) or e mail available through the Skills Now initiative (rkee@vcc.bc.ca). of the Ministry of Skills, Training and La¬ bour. The Transition Counsellor's primary respon¬ burning burgers and sipping iced tea, during the month of August, returning the first week after Labour Day, Everyone will no doubt be pulling together all sorts of interesting articles and fea¬ tures for the fall issues of Connections. I look for¬ ward to hearing from you. Enjoy the rest of the sum¬ mer, everyone! City Centre students can also be referred to Ron via Wayne Avery (443-8449) or Dolores Callaghan (443-8440). King Edward students sibility is to provide assistance to students with disabilities who are exiting Vancouver can be referred to the service via Mel Felker Community College programs. Specifically, the Transition Counsellor is responsible for The Transition Counsellor is available on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. Ron's of¬ preparing students for an active job search. The Counsellor is also responsible for pro¬ fice is located in the Counselling Department viding personal counselling as it relates to job search. Whenever possible, the Transi¬ Edward if a student prefers to meet with him VOL 1 NO 29 c/ v order to adequately prepare for the rigours of job search. (871-7206). at City Centre. Ron will commute to King at that location. PAGE 3 Get your tickets now for the Educational Foundation's 1995 Truck Lottery. You could win this year's Grand Prize, a top of the line, custom built 1996 Western Star transport truck, retail value $120,000. This year's Grand Prize, along with the $1,000 second prize and $500 third prize, will be drawn on October 27, 1995. Proceeds from the lottery will benefit VCC students through scholarships, bursa¬ ries and equipment upgrades. Don't forget the two Early Bird Draws of $250 cash each, taking place on August 15 and September 15,1995. Early Bird Draw win¬ ners are eligible for all draws. Tickets are $100 each, with only 2,500 available. To purchase a ticket, fill out and return the form below to Veronika Metchie, VCC Edu¬ cational Foundation, 5th Floor, KEC. For more information, contact the Foundation, at telephone 871-7173 or fax 871-7200. Good luck! r" Yes! I want to win the VCC Educational Foundation 1996 Western Star Truck! Mr. ÿMrs. QMs. QMiiss Name Home Address. City Phone: (Res)_ .Province. .Postal Code_ (Bus)_ Please send me ticket(s) at $100 each. Enclosed is my cheque payable to VCC Educational Foundation. I prefer to pay by: Qvisa ÿMastercard VANCOUVER Card COLLEGE Name on card_ COMMUNITY # .Expiry Date. Signature Educational Foundation L. PAGE 4 Last date of ticket sales: October 26th, 1995 Draw date: October 27th, 1995 .J J U LY 2 7 1 995 Pagemaker Tips 'n Tricks Save, save> save To change the default tab settings for a sin¬ To ensure that you do not accidentally lose changes to your publication, save often and make backup copies of your documents. gle publication, use the pointer tool to reset the tabs when that publication is open but no text is selected. If you make changes to your publication that you later regret, you can remove those changes, as well as the mini-saved version, by choosing "Revert" from the File menu. To revert to the last mini-saved version, hold Shift while you choose "Revert." PageMaker prompts you to confirm or cancel this com¬ mand. Prefer different tabs? If the tabs you use most often are different from PageMaker's default tab positions, re¬ set the defaults by setting your own tabs in Triple-dick to a Story Triple-clicking a text block with the pointer tool is the same as selecting the text block and choosing "Edit story": it opens a story window. y Column guides T If all or most of the pages in your pubhcation have the same number of columns, create the column guides on the master pages. Then set the column guides separately on the pages where you want them to be different. the "Indents/tabs" dialog when no publica¬ tion is open. Myths and Facts Myth You can learn while you sleep Fact The evidence says you can't, ac¬ 68% of the public believes in the usefulness cording to a new report called Learning, of subliminal tapes, which are a multimillion- Remembering, Believing by the National Research Council (NRC). Subliminal tapes— the kind that whisper a message while you dollar business. Even if some degree of "sleep learning" were sleep or listen to music—have been around possible, the NRC report concluded, the for years. There are tapes that claim to help knowledge would be spotty and probably in¬ you learn French, quit smoking, lose weight, or improve work habits. Supporters of the subliminal theory fail to mention that dou¬ ble-blind tests have consistently shown that these products fail to produce their claimed effects. Nevertheless, one survey shows that VOL 1 NO 29 accessible during waking hours. In addition, instead of making you smarter, attempts at nocturnal learning may make you dumber by interfering with the deepest, most restorative stages of sleep and thus impairing mental per¬ formance the next day. PAGE 5 Asia Pacific/Mexico Awards For students Asia Pacific Grant Program: The program provides financial support for award recipients attending rigorous programs of study in Asia or Mexico. This program provides small grants to enable students to participate in an organized related program of study at an overseas institution, for example, practice-teaching ESL and studying Thai at an institution in Thailand. If this fits in with a current or potential pro¬ For professional staff The program provides financial support ena¬ bling recipients to work in an educational institution in Asia or Mexico. ^^\uick ^Tuote For further information and application forms, contact Cecily May at 871-7178, or the B.C. Centre for International Education at 895-5070. All sunshine makes the desert. gram in your department, please contact Cecily May at 871-7178, or the B.C. Centre for International Education at 895-5070 for further information. Deadline for applications: November 1st, February 1st Deadline for applications: November 1st, February 1st —Arabian proverb Please inform your students/colleagues of these awards. It's not too early to start preparing now to meet the November 1st deadline, as it takes time to acquire the necessary documentation from the foreign institution. Join VCC International Education for The Sym¬ phony of Fire Grand Finale! Wednesday, August 9 from 9:00 p.m. to 12:00 midnight aboard the 50 foot motor launch the Gostosa. Cruise around Eng¬ lish Bay and have a perfect view of the fireworks' Grand Finale. Tickets are $25.00 per person, available until July 27 from the KEC cashier. Space is limited, so reserve your spot today! PAGE 6 Facilitators needed for parent support groups. This is an excellent volunteer opportunity. The B.C. Parents in Crisis Society is of¬ fering intensive initial and ongoing training in self-help philosophy, group dynamics and communication skills. If you have good listening and interpersonal skills, basic understanding of child devel¬ opment, and would like to work with parents to improve their relationships, call the B.C. Parents in Crisis Society at 6691616 or 1-800-665-6880. Training Starts September 29-October 1, 1995. J U LY 2 7 1 995 New Books in CC Library 1 Entrepreneur's Guide to Building a Bet¬ • Arithmetic the Easy Way ter Business Plan: a Step-by-Step ® Better Speeches in Ten Simple Steps Approach • Build Your Own LAN and Save a Bundle Essential Runner • Commercial Effects of NAFTA on the Ca¬ Food Service and Hospitality [video] nadian Economy 8 Counting Ourselves In: A Women's Com¬ Fundamentals of Professional Food Prepa¬ munity Economic Development Handbook • The Elements of E-mail Style • Faculty Guide for Teaching Postsecondary Students • Finding it on the Internet • Hi-Tech Jobs for Lo-Tech People • The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Costume and Fashion ration: a Laboratory Text-Workbook Getting it Printed Gold Jewellery Buying Guide Graphic Design: A Career Guide and Edu¬ cation Directory How Macs Work Lenk's Television Handbook: Opera¬ tion and Troubleshooting Master Handbook of Electronic Ta¬ bles and Formulas • Interviewing • The Internet for Dummies Medical Assistant • The Internet Yellow Pages dia World MS-DOS 6.0: Introductory Skills [video] Nutrition & Diet Therapy Quick Solutions for Great Type Combi¬ • Mastering Excel 5 for Windows • Mosaic for Dummies • Pacific Flavors Memory Management in a Multime¬ • Photoshop 3 for MACs for Dummies nations • QuarkXPress 3.3 For Dummies • Windows 3.11 for Dummies Robert Mondavi Presents Cooking & En¬ tertaining with America's Rising Star New Materials in CC Library Chefs Tale of "O": On Being Different [video] 9 to 5 Survival Guide [video] Accounting and Office Systems [video] ADD and the College Student Aspects of Caring [video] WordPerfect 6.1 for Windows for Dum¬ mies Autocad for Dummies Bowes & Church's Food Values of Por¬ Working Together: Succeeding in a Multicultural Organization Teach Yourself...Unix TV Repair for Beginners tions Commonly Used Building a Medical Vocabulary Buttons Career Coach Complete Guide to Home Automation Computers m the Dental Office: How to B.C. Hydro's Fitness Centre at 333 Dunsmuir St. is now open, with the latest m strength training equipment, free Evaluate, Select and Get the Most Out of weights, machines, cardiovascular equipment and exercise classes for all fitness levels and Your System preferences. For more information phone: Did You Get My Message? [video] Dotto on Data [video] 623-3886 VOL 1 NO 29 PAGE 7 mom Don't miss the plane! Last call for International Opportunities. If you are interested in international project work and have not yet submitted the Ques¬ tionnaire and/or your resume, don't delay. IE is now tabulating the information and will be registering the College's and its employees' credentials with the Connections Editor, Design and Layout: International Funding Agencies by the end of September. Since this process is time consum¬ ing and costly it will only be done once a year. You will not be registered unless you respond by September 15, 1995. For a copy of the questionnaire or more information, call Hilary Wong at 7490 or Fred Wuhrer at 7492. Dale Rasmussen, PR Dept yga? Campus Contacts Ngee-Moi Voon (CC), Manijeh Golkhizi (KEC) FOR SALE Communications Coordinator Sarah Lucas, local Large 1 bedroom condo on Wall Street in Van¬ 7158 Please recycle this newsletter. couver. Corner suite with over 700 sq.ft., ocean view and wraparound balcony. $135,000 call 2513559 for more information. Saint John's College is a private education insti¬ tution situated in the outskirts of Bangkok, Thailand, with which both the B.C. Ministry of Education and several post-secondaty institutions in B.C. have developed a linkage over the past several years. The time period of this position is from November 1st, 1995 - October 1996, and the deadline for applications is September 1st. Although Saint John's can provide a rent-free con¬ JOB POSTINGS Clerk Cashier (c), Registrar's Office, KEC. Clos¬ ing: Aug. 1. Instructional Assistant (d), ESL Outreach Dept., KEC. (14/35 basis). Closing: Aug. 3. dominium close to the campus and local transportation, they cannot provide a salary. How¬ ever, interested applicants are invited to apply for the B.C. Asia Pacific College Scholars' Award which can offer an award of $8,600.00 to subsi¬ dize the travel and living expenses of a suitably qualified applicant. Senior Secretary, Business and Computer Appli¬ cations Division and Health Sciences Division, CC. Closing: Aug 3. Math or Computer Science Instructor, Saint John's College - Bangkok, Thailand (Opportunity for Asia-Pacific Award) The awards committee will hold a special meet¬ ing so that the successful applicant(s) can be in¬ formed of their award in September. For a copy of the complete job description and an awards application form, please contact Cecily May at 871-7178. The fine print Connections is published every Thursday, and the deadline for submissions is 3:00 pm on the previ¬ ous Friday. Please supply your article to Manijeh or Ngee-Moi in a simple,word-processed format (text only is best) on an IBM-compatible disk, and include a hardcopy. The editor reserves the right to edit submissions for clarity and length, when necessary. PAGE 8 J U LY 2 7 1 995