Post-Secondary News Digest for January 14, 2010
Canada
Ryerson student union staff to sue for $70K:
(The Eyeopener) Former employees of Ryerson’s Students’ Union will bring several members to court as they sue for $70,000 in damages. Lawsuits of libel, slander, defamation and vilification are filed against the current vice-president of finance and service, last year’s vice-president of education and the executive director of communications and outreach. The three are alleged to have sent memos and Facebook messages accusing the employees of stealing the union’s credit card and being involved in fraud.
UNB gets First Nations governance degree:
(The Brunswickan) The University of New Brunswick is Canada’s first to offer a degree in First Nations governance and management. The bachelor’s degree was created after requests for such a program were made by New Brunswick’s First Nations communities. The government gave $1 million to the program. First Nations people will decide on course content. Linda Doige, director of the Mikmaq-Maliseet Institute at UNB, says what they’re doing is “decolonizing content.”
Half of youth in new relationships have HPV: Study:
(Canada.com) More than half of those in new relationships had HPV, according to a Canadian study of heterosexual couples. Of those infected, 44 per cent had the cancer-causing form of the virus. The study looked at Montreal women aged 18 to 24, and their male partners, aged 18 or older. Only those that had a sexual relationship during the last six months were tested, as HPV is most likely transmitted during that period.
More young Canadians at unhealthy weight:
(Canada.com) A growing number of young adults are at high risk for health problems, due to their weight. The number of those aged 20-39 with dangerously sized waistlines – more than 87 centimeters for females and 101 centimeters for males – has more than quadrupled since the 1980s. Young adults have also seen the greatest decline in fitness levels, and will likely get worse as they get older.
Frats rent houses out during Games:
(The Ubyssey) Frats in the University of British Columbia’s Fraternity Village are renting their houses to an Olympic security group come mid-February. The Fraternity Village Strata Council made the decision as a “unique economic opportunity.” Although the total amount of the deal isn’t disclosed, each house will have a say as to what it does with its share. The money will likely subsidize future rent costs or to upgrade the facilities. The fraternities will be relocated elsewhere during the course of the Olympics.
Ont. college faculty vote to strike:
(Maclean’s) Fifty-seven per cent of Ontario college faculty members voted today in favour of a strike mandate. The mandate doesn’t necessarily mean that the faculty will strike, and both sides have made it clear that they are willing to negotiate. The mandate gives the bargaining team of the Ontario Public Sector Employees Union the authority to call for a strike if the negotiations fall through. The union represents 9,000 college teachers, counselors and librarians from Ontario’s 24 community colleges.
U.S.
Virginia Tech death suit can go ahead:
(The Guardian) A judge ruled Tuesday that a US$10-million lawsuit filed by the families of two students killed in the Virginia Tech shootings can go forward. The lawsuit alleges gross negligence by the university and mental health officials. It claims that a two-hour delay between two early morning shootings and the notification of faculty and staff was the result of officials putting the school’s image above campus safety.
U.S. universities won’t be setting up Indian campuses:
(Silicon India) Top universities in the United States say they are not interested in setting up campuses in India. Some universities had expressed interest in the idea, but a proposed Indian bill taxing foreign educational institutions seems to have been a deterrent. However, representatives from Harvard say they want their researchers to further collaborate with Indian counterparts.
3 more schools say NO to Kindle:
(Inside Higher Ed) Three more universities have agreed not to buy or promote the use of Amazon’s Kindle, an electronic book reader, until they are fully accessible to the blind. The schools reached a settlement with the U.S. Justice Department after the National Federation for the Blind and the American Council for the Blind filed a lawsuit against Arizona State University alleging the Kindle discriminated against blind students.
Ban Ki-moon, university presidents meet at Yale:
(Yale University) Ban Ki-moon, Secretary General of the United Nations, will chair a meeting of university presidents starting today at Yale University. The Global Colloquium of University Presidents meets to address global public policy issues and discuss how they might be addressed through research and teaching. This year’s meeting will focus on “The Roles of Science in Meeting Global Challenges.”
Prison college programs cut in California:
(The Daily Bulletin) Budget cuts have forced the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to cancel its support for college programs at state prisons. Inmates in California take college courses through various correspondence programs, but the Department of Corrections organized enrolments and exams. The department now faces US$250 million in budget cuts and has significantly reduced all of its educational, vocational, and substance-abuse programs.
Navitas enters the U.S. market:
(The Australian) Australian education services provider Navitas is in talks with the University of Massachusetts to provide undergraduate courses at two new colleges. The company offers a range of training programs for undergraduates including university preparation, English language training and migrant settlement services. The deal would see Navitas set up “university pathway colleges” to provide international students with a one-year course to help them integrate into American programs.
World
Student kills 1, wounds 3 at French university:
(Agence France-Presse) A Chinese student stabbed to death a 49-year-old secretary and wounded three others Wednesday at a university in southern France. The 26-year-old sociology student, who wielded a 20-30 cm butcher’s knife, was disarmed and subdued by two teachers and a group of students. Police arrested the student, who “appeared to be suffering from an attack of dementia” and was undergoing psychological testing, officials said. The student, who hails from the northeast Chinese city of Shenyang, had been attending the university in Perpignan since 2005.
Biz degrees aplenty in UAE school’s 3rd batch of grads:
(Al Bawaba.com) Abu Dhabi University will celebrate its third graduating class Thursday in a ceremony for 614 honours, graduate and postgraduate students. This year has seen a 45 per cent increase in the number of graduates at the university in the United Arab Emirates. Of the graduating class, 486 students – roughly 79 per cent of the class – will walk away with business degrees, with the rest graduating from the arts and sciences and engineering departments.
S. Korea’s student loan program approved:
(Korea Times) The Korean government has approved a new state-funded “study-now-pay-later” loan system Thursday to combat skyrocketing tuition increases. It’s the same day that government’s statistics agency reported that tuition at post-secondary schools has more than doubled in the past 10 years. Tuition at state-run schools rose 116 per cent since 1999, while the cost of private four-year programs jumped 81 per cent.
Finnish PM: tuition fees could bring foreign students:
(Helsinki Times) Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen wants to impose tuition fees for students coming outside the European Union. The issue has been a political hot potato in the country where post-secondary education is free. The proposed fee is between $5,200 and $17,949 per academic year. Vanhanen suggests tuition fees could attract more students to Finland, since the concept of free schooling seems suspicious to foreigners.
Hitler drinking game under investigation in U.K.:
(Yorkshire Evening Post) Administrators at Britain’s Huddersfield University are investigating claims that two students set up a Facebook group dedicated to an Adolf Hitler drinking game, the university said Wednesday. The page “Hitler – The Drinking Game,” which involves laying out cards in a swastika shape and “leaves players completely ruined beyond belief,” currently has nearly 12,000 members. "We are shocked to hear about this game, and extremely disturbed at the allegations that students at this university have been taking part in it,” said university spokesman Peter Slee.