Post-Secondary News Digest for February 11, 2010
Canada
Maclean’s survey rates Canadian universities:
(Maclean’s) Mount Allison and St. Francis Xavier universities are among the universities rated most highly by their own graduating students, according to a survey commissioned by the universities themselves. Thirty-four campuses in the Canadian University Survey Consortium participated in 2009, allowing up to 1,000 randomly selected students to answer questions ranging from class participation to their university’s commitment to environmental sustainability. Trinity Western, Edmonton’s King’s University College and Ontario’s Redeemer University College also placed highly in the survey.
Mischievous students cost UVic:
( Times Colonist) Fines for too many false fire alarms are putting financial strain on the University of Victoria. The university paid nearly $10,000 in fines last year resulting from students pulling alarms in campus residences. Almost half of all the fines dished out by the Saanich Fire Department were to the university. The department has sometimes been to university residences up to nine times a night. Deputy fire chief Mike Burgess says the false alarms are a strain on department resources and the fines are designed to change behaviour.
Calgary med students volunteer with homeless:
(CBC) Medical students at the University of Calgary are gaining practical experience by volunteering at the Calgary Drop-In and Rehab Centre. The 165 students who are participating in the six-week project will help ease the demand for medical care among homeless people. Linda McLean, the centre’s program director, says new doctors will learn how to deal with marginalized populations.
Ontario strike vote too close to call:
(Globe and Mail) The situation for Ontario college students is looking more promising today as unionized faculty members voted 51.25 per cent in favour of a contract offer. The decision is unofficial but avoided a strike for now while the Ontario Labour Relations Board waits for all votes to be counted. The official count should be revealed after about 10 days. The union had asked members to reject the proposal and will be unable to proceed with the strike planned for Feb. 17.
Ont. nursing students to help Haitians:
( The Sun Times) A team of nine nursing students from Georgian College’s Owen Sound campus is heading to the Dominican Republic at the end of April to help out at a medical clinic. The clinic is treating many Haitians who were displaced by last month’s quake or who are working as farmers in the neighbouring country. The students are fundraising and collecting medical supplies in preparation for their week-long trip but each will pay $1,600 of their own money.
U.S.
Florida student’s body recovered in Haiti:
(Telegram) The body of a Lynn University student missing in Haiti has been recovered. Courtney Hayes was one of 12 students from the Florida university performing humanitarian work in Port-au-Prince when the Jan. 12 earthquake hit. The school received wrong information in the days after the disaster, claiming all of its students were safe. Three of Hayes’ classmates and two professors remain unaccounted for.
Protesting U of California students could be expelled:
(Daily Pilot) University of California student protesters who were detained by campus security for disrupting Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren’s speech at its Irvine campus could face a host of academic repercussions. The penalties range from simple warnings to suspensions to all-out expulsions, a university spokeswoman said Wednesday. The university said it has asked the Orange County district attorney’s office to investigate Monday night’s incident, in which the protesters repeatedly interrupted Oren. The protesters were cited for “disturbing a public meeting.”
Colorado prof predicts Olympic wins:
( USA Today) A Colorado College professor has made a name for himself guessing sports outcomes. Every two years Daniel K. N. Johnson calculates the number of Olympic medals competing countries will take home. He has an average accuracy of 94 per cent, according to the university. Johnson says five factors determine the outcome: per capita income, population, climate, political structure and home court advantage.
College student detained for Arabic flashcards:
( Reuters) The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a lawsuit alleging various security agencies violated a California student’s constitutional protection from unreasonable seizure. Federal agents held Nicholas George, a 22-year-old student of the Arabic language at Pomona College, Calif., for five hours last August in a Philadelphia airport. The lawsuit alleges he was held simply because he was carrying a set of Arabic-English flashcards. George was handcuffed, interrogated and never told why he was detained.
World
U.K. won’t increase enrolment numbers:
( BBC) The U.K. government will not increase the number of spots in the country’s universities to meet increased demand. Lord Mandelson, the Secretary of State in the U.K., said there will be disappointed students and he encouraged them to look into trades and colleges. Mandelson says increasing the number of students allowed in university “without any real attention to what those additional students are studying, or how well it equips them for life at work,” won’t help the country or the students.
Australian universities told to improve English standards:
(The Australian) Australia could be in trouble if it doesn’t increase its language standards for international university students, experts warn. Immigration Minister Chris Evans also stressed the need for proficient English to make sure migrants can quickly find work in the area of their training. Demographer Bob Birrell researched the issue last year and found that the poor standard of English among accountancy graduates in the country resulted in their inability to find work in the field.
International ranking systems inadequate: study:
( Time Higher Education) Current international university ranking systems are sometimes based on inadequate information and questionable data, a survey for Thomson Reuters finds. “They can hide as much as they show, because complex organizations span cultural boundaries and support multiple missions. No single indicator can capture that,” the report states. While many institutions rely on international rankings, the report says, many also feel the rankings need to rely on broader criteria.
Scholars angry about cuts at King’s College London:
( Times Higher Education) International scholars are up in arms over the threat of significant cuts at King’s College London. The university is looking at plans to cut 205 jobs in 13 departments. One of the cuts would be the head of Paleography, the study of ancient scripts. That position is the only chair in the subject in the country. More than 20 letters have been sent to the university about the treatment of senior researchers in the philosophy department. One of the letters has 335 signatures from students.
University apologizes over pay-for-tests:
( Times Higher Education) The University of Exeter Business School has apologized to students after allowing a private company to charge for an exam. Students studying microeconomics and financial accounting at the school were required to take weekly assignments set by Aplia and Accounting Lab. The company required students to buy $82 in textbooks or pay $28 online to get a code they needed in order to take the test.
Thailand wants to raise medical standards:
( Asia one) Thailand wants to improve the image of its doctors by creating an international medical school for students. “Thai doctors have been accepted and recognized only in the local community,” says Dr. Avudh Srisukri, secretary-general of the Consortium of Thai Medical Schools. “They have not been accepted by the region of the international community.” Srisukri is hoping an international school will improve the knowledge of medical personnel as well as the country’s treatment standards.
More flexibility at Beijing universities:
( Times Higher Education ) Students in Beijing can now take between three and six years to complete degrees. The Beijing Municipal Commission of Education has created a flexible credit system to ease unemployment pressures in the city. The overhaul will mean students could move at different speeds and graduate at different times of the year.