Post-Secondary News Digest for January 19, 2010
Canada
York sexual assault case goes to trial:
(National Post) Former York University student Daniel Katsnelson pleaded guilty to sexual assault and sexual assault causing bodily harm Monday. Katsnelson and his friend trolled a York residence hall during Frosh Week 2007, hoping to “get lucky.” The men entered two unlocked dorm rooms and had forced intercourse with two women. Katsnelson’s friend was sentenced to three years in prison last year. The university says it has beefed up residence security with more cameras and alarm lock doors since the incident.
U of Man squashes Fight Club:
(Cnews) Four University of Manitoba students and a faculty member have been suspended from the university gym after holding a fight club on the squash courts. The students were promoting the events on a Facebook group with 82 members. Employees at a university recreation centre noticed students leaving the facility with bloody faces and they discovered the Facebook page in December. University spokesperson Leah Janzen said the university has taken to prevent further organized fights, including increased security and monitoring.
Ignatieff ends up in Ottawa:
(CTV) Michael Ignatieff’s cross-country campus tour ended Monday at the University of Ottawa. The Liberal leader visited 11 universities in the last week to discuss the future of Canada. Ignatieff says his main goals for the future are to make Canada the best educated, most energy efficient and most internationally attuned country in the world. He started his tour in Halifax on Monday, Jan. 11.
Enrolment up in small Ont. universities:
(The Globe and Mail) Ontario is expected to need 40,000 to 60,000 more university spaces next in the coming years. Many universities are creating more incentive programs and scholarships to lure new students. So far, smaller universities such as Laurentian, Trent, and the University of Ontario Institute of Technology seem to be making the greatest gains while larger schools such as Ryerson, York and Waterloo are seeing a fall in demand. The number of high school students seeking admissions in Ontario was up three per cent this fall.
UPEI no longer taking credit:
(http://www.cbc.ca/canada/prince-edward-island/story/2010/01/18/pei-upei-credit-card-tuition-584.html) UPEI is following suit with other Atlantic universities by prohibiting students from using credit cards to pay tuition. The rule will come into affect July 1, and will save the university about $125,000 a year in transaction fees. The student union says they’re disappointed with the decision. The university is now working with the student union to come up with other payment options such as online banking and late waiver exemptions.
University film group angers Coke:
(CBC) Cinema Politica, a Montreal-based university film network, will be screening a critical documentary about Coca Cola across the country this season, despite protests from the multinational soft-drink giant. Coca Cola lawyers say The Coca-Cola Case contains inaccuracies about working conditions and violates a confidentiality agreement. The group's programmer, Ezra Winton, says its within its rights to show the film. The tour will kick off at Montreal's Concordia University and continue through March to Halifax, Fredericton, Toronto, Saskatoon, Lethbridge, Vancouver and Yellowknife.
U.S.
Notre Dame student editor resigns over gay-bashing cartoon:
(Metro Weekly) The assistant managing editor of he daily newspaper of Notre Dame University and Saint Mary’s College in Indiana has resigned in the wake of a controversy over a cartoon it published. The cartoon tells a joke that a baseball bat can “turn a fruit into a vegetable.” Kara King says she neglected her duty to censor the comic strip.
Plane crash kills Michigan students:
(Chicago Tribune) Two Michigan college students are dead after the single engine Cessna 172 airplane crashed in a Michigan cornfield Sunday afternoon. David Otai, 23, of Nairobi, Kenya, was working toward becoming a missionary pilot in Africa and had rented the plane. Emma Biagioni, 20, was Otai’s passenger. Both were studying at Hope College in Holland, Mich. The cause of the crash is still unknown.
Boston students brave cold to see Obama:
(Fox News) Students at Northeastern University in Boston began lining up at 4 a.m. Sunday in hopes of hearing U.S. President Barack Obama speak. The campus was hosting a speech by Obama aimed at endorsing Martha Coakley. The Democrat attorney general is running for senate against Republican state senator Scott Brown. Students said they had really lined up to see the president rather than Coakley.
U of Alaska students create green ATV:
(Fairbanks Daily News Miner) Mechanical engineering students at the University of Alaska Fairbanks have created an ATV for the university police department. The vehicle, a 2002 Suzuki Eiger four-wheeler, is the first electric vehicle at the campus. It doesn’t produce emissions or make noise. A dozen students and their professor engineered the vehicle with a budget of just US$4,500 in an effort to make the campus more sustainable.
University scholarships for cancer survivors in Ohio:
(The Suburbanite) The Ohio division of the American Cancer Society is offering scholarships for cancer survivors to help them acquire post-secondary education next year. The application includes writing a 500-word essay about how cancer has affected the applicant’s life. The funding for the scholarships comes from proceeds from Relay for Life, the society’s yearly fundraising walk.
College applications rise amid enrolment caps:
(USA Today) Budget pressures at state universities are forcing them to cap enrolment while prospective students submit record numbers of applications. Colleges are now becoming more selective in which applicants they accept, and more students will be rejected or forced to attend more expensive private schools. Low-income minority groups will be the hardest hit by the shortage of spots, which may also compromise U.S. President Barack Obama’s goal of making the U.S. the leader in college education attainment by 2020.
Negative financial outlook for higher education::
(Inside Higher Ed) Major credit-ranking agency Moody’s is reaffirming that higher education finance is not looking good. While there has been some financial recovery this year, many institutions still face financial challenges such as weak demand, low donor support and increased scrutiny. Moody’s rankings are important to the cost of borrowing and it says that private institutions are worse off than public.
World
Charred body found on Indian campus:
(Thaindian News) The body of an Indian student was found burnt beyond recognition on India’s Osmania University campus this morning. Friends say K Venugopal Reddy, 27, committed suicide in support of the Telangana demand, a movement that aims to form a new state. Pro-Telangana activists have rebelled against the government’s decision on Dec. 23 to revoke its support for the state’s separation.
Saudi government to pay for private education:
(The Saudi Gazette) Saudi government to pay for private education
Saudi Arabia’s council of ministers has approved a plan to share higher education expenses with the nation’s students at private universities and colleges. The council will contribute 50 per cent of a student’s tuition fees to those who are not accepted to state schools. The cabinet’s decision will still allow students to control their education decisions and will partner with accredited Arab universities so students may study abroad.
Australian police failed Indian students: FOI:
(The Australian) Australian police failed Indian students: FOI
Australian police authorities failed to address student fears regarding the country’s rising violent racial attacks despite knowing of their occurrences, according to a Freedom of Information request filed by The Australian newspaper. The Attorney General’s department confirmed the attacks were never discussed at police council meetings. The Prime Minister assured Australians at the time that all possible resources were being put to use on defending Indian students’ safety.
S. Korean tutor help students cheat on SAT:
(The Chronicle of Higher Education) A South Korean tutor is accused of helping two of his former students cheat on their SATs. The lecturer allegedly emailed a copy of the test and its answer key to the students, according to the Associated Press. The students received almost perfect scores and may have shared the cheat sheet with another 20 South Korean students. The two students are now studying in Connecticut.
More autonomous universities in France:
(University World News) Thirty-three universities became autonomous this month in France. Under the 2007 Universities Freedom and Responsibilities law, autonomous universities take on some responsibilities previously held by the government such as managing budgets, and recruiting academic and research staff. They also have to power to negotiate salary scales and decide research strategies. The government encourages autonomous universities to form groups with other higher-end education institutions and research organizations.
U.K. business secretary says cuts a ‘chance’ for universities:
(Reuters) U.K. Business Secretary Peter Mandelson wrote in today’s Guardian newspaper that the proposed $1.6 billion made to the U.K. education budget are an opportunity for the nation’s universities to diversify their finances. The British government will halt funding to other sectors in its budget in an effort to cut a deficit in excess of 12 per cent of GDP.
Universities’ need to find spots for students: Aussie exec:
(The Australian) Universities Australia chief executive Glenn Withers says universities have to deal now with a rise in demand even though improved federal funding won’t come through until 2011 or 2012. As a result of this, about one in five university applicants across Queensland, Victoria and New South Wales have missed out on an early or main round offer. However, many universities have raised the cap on over-enrolments from five per cent to 10 per cent.