Back Issues

South African universities provide services, accommodation for FIFA

News Date: 
Jun 17, 2010
As football fever sweeps across South Africa and the world, South African universities are contributing to the event through a number of initiatives, such as accommodation for teams and fans, access to sports facilities, exhibitions and soccer events. The University of Pretoria and North-West University are housing Argentina (ranked #7) and Spain (ranked #2), respectively. Universities that failed to win a bid to host a team are offering accommodation for tourists and fans. Universities are also conducting research related to the World Cup, including a study of all medical and injury conditions that afflict players during the competition. The universities also reorganized their academic schedules to ensure that staff and students are able to participate in and enjoy the soccer action.  University World News 

uWaterloo football Warriors may sue

News Date: 
Jun 17, 2010
University of Waterloo Warriors football captains who tested clean for steroids were to hold a news conference today in an effort to overturn the year-long suspension imposed by the University on Monday. They will be proposing that the university place the team on probation instead, and conduct tests on the players throughout the 2010 season. Failure to reach an agreement could result in legal action against the university. The players have reportedly received hundreds of emails and phone calls of support, and money has "poured in" from alumni and others to fund a legal battle. Warrior players are also seeking advice on how to transfer to other schools, in the event that transferring is their only option to play CIS football.  Globe and Mail 

CHEC challenges CAUT definition of academic freedom

News Date: 
Jun 17, 2010
In response to an ongoing investigation being conducted by the Canadian Association of University Teachers into whether or not Canadian Christian universities are abiding by accepted rules of academic freedom, the Christian Higher Education Canada (CHEC) advisory group is holding a conference. CHEC plans to invite groups from the PSE sector to engage in a dialogue on the meaning of the terms "university" and "academic freedom." CAUT investigations have already released one report on Trinity Western University, which concluded that TWU's policy to have professors sign a Statement of Faith affirming Christian beliefs places "unwarranted and unacceptable constraints on academic freedom."  Macleans Online  |  University World News 

What I see is CAUT

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 2010-06-17 09:17.
What I see is CAUT investigations looking for a loop hole to put a stop to Christian Universities. There should be no problem in someone proclaiming their denomination by signing a Statement of Faith to teach at these Universities. I DON'T SEE HOW THAT CAN PLACE "UNWARRANTED AND UNACCEPTABLE CONSTRAINTS ON ACADEMIC FREEDOM". Get serious!! You wouldn't want someone who is of the Buddist faith to teach in a evangelical school or vise versa because of the fundamental differences between the various faiths. These Christian Universities are so that everyone can have a choice as to where they want to study. I am a person of faith and I choose a Christian base University because that is where I personally feel I can get the best education for myself because it includes my faith values and principles. And, I would hope that all the teachers would be on the same page.

Carleton students, administrators reach Frosh Week compromise

News Date: 
Jun 17, 2010
In response to an outcry by students regarding the decision by administration to take over Frosh Week activities, Carleton University has announced that it will once again partner with students for this year's Frosh Week, with a few caveats. While students will ultimately be responsible for coordinating volunteer and social events, the administration will focus on organizing activities designed to assist students in adapting to the university. Suzanne Blanchard, Associate Vice-President, has stated that the administration's decision was not influenced by the student outcry, but rather that they had planned to work in consultation with the student body from the beginning.  The Varsity (Student News, citing the Charlatan) 

Study examines student drinking habits

News Date: 
Jun 17, 2010
A new US study published in open access journal BioMed Central, examines the drinking habits of 143 college students. On average, students had 7 "drinking days" in their first month of college, and averaged 7.4 drinks per drinking day. Drinking was actually higher in August than in September -- before starting college. Students with higher grades in high school tended to drink less when they arrived at PSE, as did female students. Predictably, the drinking habits of roommates influenced participant drinking habits as well. The "age of first intoxication" was a very strong predictor, and possibly an opportunity for early intervention.  Toronto Sun 

CCAE Awards honour marketing excellence

News Date: 
Jun 17, 2010
Earlier this week, the 2010 CCAE Prix D'Excellence awards were announced for 30 categories in PSE marketing. Memorial and McGill were the top winners, receiving 12 and 10 awards, respectively, followed by McMaster with 8. Notable gold winners include MUN (Best Student Recruitment Program for "Rant Like Rick"), BCIT (Best E-Innovation in Institutional Advancement for "BCIT presents 3 blog nights"), and uSherbrooke (Best Institutional Homepage).  Top viewbooks were UPEI, NAIT and MUN (in that order), and best websites were uSherbrooke, uVic, and NAIT.  Congrats to all our friends and clients who won!   MUN News Release  |  List of Recipients (PDF)

Congratulations to all of

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 2010-06-17 07:00.
Congratulations to all of the winners! Superb results for Memorial -- you deserve it.

New rules pending for US for-profit education

News Date: 
Jun 17, 2010
The US Department of Education is scheduled to release stricter rules for for-profit academic institutions, aimed at protecting students and safeguarding taxpayers’ investment in federal student aid. The rules would hold for-profits accountable for ensuring graduates are prepared for gainful employment, that students are well informed and well served, and that the more than $20 billion received by these institutions in student financial aid is being well spent. The strongest sanction would see federal student financial assistance eliminated for programs whose graduates are expected to carry a high student-loan debt relative to their expected earnings. The majority of regulations, including one regarding a stricter ban on incentive compensation for college recruiters, will be announced on Friday, but the "gainful employment" issue has been postponed.  The Chronicle of Higher Ed

College Inc. documentary

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 2010-06-18 08:40.
Frontline produced a documentary this year, College Inc., that gives some eye opening background into the world of for-profit education in the USA and the issues raised here. Watch it online: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/collegeinc/

Wal-mart, American Public University form alliance

News Date: 
Jun 17, 2010
Wal-Mart has partnered with American Public University (APU), a private web-based university, to provide Wal-Mart's 1.4 million workers in the US with access to online education. While Wal-Mart has been praised by adult-learning leaders, critics wonder how low-paid workers will be able to afford the cost of a degree, and why Wal-Mart selected a private institution instead of a cheaper, community-college option. Wal-Mart and APU plan to to count on-the-job training and experience as academic credit toward its degree, leading Janet K. Poley, president of the American Distance Education Consortium, to suggest that the arrangement could leave Wal-Mart employees with a "nontransferable coupon."  The Chronicle of Higher Education

"Dumbed-down" degrees for foreign students in Australia

News Date: 
Jun 17, 2010
According to evidence gathered in secret by an Ombudsman-led investigation, foreign students enrolled at Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology are cheating and receiving special treatment in order to ensure receipt of their degrees. Foreign students who failed tests at RMIT were allegedly being allowed to rewrite the exams until they passed. The investigation also revealed that an international student was allowed to graduate from RMIT despite attending classes drunk, missing lectures, failing exams, abusing staff and students, and sparking sex assault accusations. RMIT currently has 26,000 international students who bring in almost $204 million a year.  Herald Sun 

Open-source Kuali software losing partners

News Date: 
Jun 17, 2010
Kuali Foundation, a group of colleges in the US and abroad who have pooled resources to develop open-source ERP systems to compete with corporate offerings, has lost two partners in recent months. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Florida State University have both withdrawn, largely due to budget constraints. (Partners committed $150,000-$500,000 annually.)  MIT will continue to act as a member of the Kuali Foundation and participate in Kuali Coeus, which focuses on research-administration software.  The Kuali community includes Brock University, UBC, and the University of Toronto.   The Chronicle of Higher Education  |  Kuali