Post-Secondary News Digest for November 6, 2009
Canada
Student pilot receives a two-year sentence for stealing plane:
(The Aero-News Network) A student pilot who stole an airplane from his Ontario flight school in April and flew it across the U.S.-Canada border has been sentenced to two-years in prison. Dylan Leon led a Canadian Border Patrol and military aircraft on a 7 1/2 hour chase before landing on a rural road about 120 miles south of St. Louis, Mo. District Judge Charles Shaw sentenced Leon to more than the 12-18 months suggested by federal guidelines. The pursuit cost the government about $230,000. Judge Shaw said a lenient sentence might embolden those who might wish to cause harm to the United States.
Ont. students protest tuition fees:
(Thestar.com) About a thousand students gathered in the downtown core of Toronto Nov. 5 to protest tuition fees and student debt as the Canadian Federation of Students marks the nationwide "Day of Action." Rallies are being held across Ontario to call on Premier Dalton McGuinty to drop tuition fees and to reform employment insurance and social assistance among other demands, a statement for the student group said.
U. of Manitoba football team forced out of playoffs due to ineligible player:
( The Calgary Herald ) The University of Manitoba Bisons were stripped of three wins, forcing them out of the playoffs, due to an eligibility violation ruling on Monday. In a statement, Canada West, the regional sports conference, said the student-athlete in question violated a CIS eligibility regulation that limits students to five years of eligibility. Manitoba wide receiver Julian Hardy, who played in five games this season, had previously been suspended for four years in 2001 for a doping infraction while in his first CIS season with the University of Ottawa.
U of Ottawa may change their bilingual requirements:
(The Ottawa Citizen) A faculty support union at University of Ottawa is voting to decide whether or not to drop the requirement for fluency in English and French for some members. The school is one of Canada's foremost bilingual institutions, but only a third of its students are francophone. "The official discourse is that this is a bilingual campus, but that's more of a sales pitch," says Eric Mallette, a union executive. The 3,500 members, including teaching assistants and research assistants, will be asked to relax language standards for two administrative positions.
Winnipeg students hold anti-poverty march:
(Winnipeg Free Press) Students from the University of Manitoba, the University of Winnipeg and College universitaire de Saint-Boniface marched Nov. 5 to deliver an anti-poverty message to Manitoba's new premier and cabinet. The Target Poverty campaign organizers called on the province to commit to reducing poverty by 25 per cent over five years. "With a new cabinet in place, we are hopeful that tackling Manitoba's poverty crisis will be the priority for Premier Selinger," said Jonny Sopotiuk, Manitoba chairperson of the Canadian Federation of Students.
U.S.
College students will receive lessons in failure by Jayson Blair:
(News at Washington and Lee) Jayson Blair is to speak Nov. 6 at the University of Washington and Lee about failure and journalism ethics. The title of Blair’s talk is “Lessons learned.” “My expectation is that he'll talk not just about his own susceptibilities, but about the pressures and temptations that might induce ambitious and talented young journalists elsewhere in the business to do the wrong thing," said Edward Wasserman, professor of journalism ethics at W&L.
Controversial prof lands job at U. of Miami:
(Miami Herald) An Atlanta psychiatrist previously accused of receiving large sums of money from drug companies while he was conducting unbiased research is being named chairman of the psychiatry department at the University of Miami medical school. Pascal Goldschmidt, dean of Miami’s medical school, said he had read investigative reports about Charles Nemeroff 's activities and found nothing to indicate that payments the psychiatrist received had in any way influenced his research results.
Texas students challenge protest restrictions:
(Associated Press) Two community college students in Fort Worth, Texas, who favour carrying concealed weapons are suing the college for restricting their right to protest.
The students plan to participate in a nationwide demonstration next week to protest bans of concealed weapons on campus, such as the one at the students’ college. School officials have limited the protest to the front porch of the student centre and prohibited handing out flyers.
U.S. teachers have mixed opinion about incorporating Twitter in class:
(Inside Higer Ed) U.S. teachers participated in a debate about Twitter and its educational uses at the annual Educause conference in Denver, Colo. Gardner Campbell, director of the Academy of Teaching and Learning at Baylor University, said: “This network has been vitally important to me as a professional.” “I think, ‘If this network is good for me as a learner, could it be good for my students as learners?” Other teachers were worried about Twitter becoming more of a distraction than a tool in class.
Panel rejects Vermont college merger:
(Associated Press) A panel considering the governor's proposal to consolidate the University of Vermont with the five state colleges has recommended against merging the institutions. "We just didn't find sufficient improved efficiencies by bringing the two institutions together," said former House speaker Stephan Morse, chairman of the task force. "We thought that the way the current system is set up that probably students were being better served."
World
Australian colleges bankrupt:
(Reuters) Four colleges in Australia that declared bankruptcy have closed down. About 2,000 students will be affected by the closures and about 300 of those students affected are from India. Australia has a strong international student sector that contributes US$12 billion to the Austsralian economy every year. Australian officials are concerned the closure of the colleges will have a long-lasting negative impact on international student relations.
Scientists want new deal with British government:
(Times Higher Education) Scientists in Britain want to renegotiate the terms under which they provide information to the government. Twenty-eight high-profile scientists have endorsed a new set of principles they want the government to implement. These principles are in response to the firing of drug adviser David Nutt after his comments on drug policy last week. The new principles cover ideas of “academic freedom,” “independence of operation” and “proper consideration of advice.”
Austrian students protest:
(The Chronicle of Higher Education) Austrian students took their weeks-long protest from campuses into the streets Nov. 5. They complained of overcrowded lectures and want to see curriculum changes at Austria’s 21 public universities. The protests shed light on wider political issues in Europe over how much university should cost and how exclusive it should be, especially during hard economic times.
Britain promises wider opportunity for higher education:
(BBC) A-level tests, formerly the benchmark for university entrance in Britain, don’t show the quality of all students who would benefit from a university education, the British government says. Britain is placing a new priority on finding alternative routes to higher education, particularly for older students and those from lower socio-economic groups. A report next spring will offer recommendations on how to widen access to higher education institutions.
Firing of education minister highlights public anger -- analysts:
(The Chronicle of Higher Education) Analysts say China fired education minister Zhou Ji on Saturday to calm public outrage over the state of the country’s education system. China's higher-education system has undergone a huge expansion since the 1990s, resulting in lower quality, high student-professor ratios and a gap in quality between elite and mass institutions. "He is taking blame for a lot of the challenges facing a system in rapid transition," said Dali Yang, director of the Center for East Asian Studies at the University of Chicago.