January 26, 2007
Tension between
Lebanon 's government and the opposition erupted over lunch at
Beirut Arab University yesterday. Supporters of both sides swarmed to the conflict, which then spilled onto the streets outside the university and led to rioting and gunfire. The
New York Times reports at least three people dead from gunshots, and 35 wounded. According to the government, the army had gained control of the streets by nightfall and a curfew was placed on the city to maintain calm. A Hezbollah leader appealed to followers to clear the streets and cooperate with security forces, and to consider this a religious duty.
New York Times |
Globe & Mail The Sauder School of Business (UBC) was ranked top in
Canada , and 8th in the world (excluding US schools), by the Social Science Research Network. The schools were ranked by the number of research downloads they received. More than 600 international business schools were considered. Sauder is also the leading recipient of research grants among Canadian business schools, says UBC, and publishes a higher number of research articles in academic journals. The
SSRN International Business School rankings can be viewed
online with free registration.
UBC media release With 12 days until the national student day of protest against tuition hikes, things are definitely heating up. In opposition of 20 other schools, McGill's senate voted 45-19 against a motion to grant academic amnesty to students missing class or tests to participate in the nationwide protest. Provost Tony Masi expressed that it was not the University's place to grant academic amnesty for any political campaign. In addition to LaurentianU, uGuelph students held another mock funeral for "Affordable Education" on Thursday.
McGill ReporterAlways media savvy at Ryerson, the school's student union has released an online campaign leading up to the day of student protest against rising tuition. Each day until February 7th, a new mock commercial will be posted through YouTube.com, featuring an individual dressed as Dalton McGuinty following Ryerson students around with his hand deep in their pockets. The ads will feature the song "Hand in my Pocket" used in Capital One's recent TV campaign. The ads can be viewed at
www.youtube.com/reducetuitionfees. |
Ryerson Student Union media releaseStudents at Mount Royal College in Calgary are being offered discounts on parking passes (for carpoolers) and free bike path maps and bike repair kits in an effort to free up parking spaces and reduce emissions pollution. Vehicles are the largest cause of air pollutants in Calgary. Staff are also being offered a $100 buyout of their parking passes. MRC faces a harder battle towards green transportation as they are not connected to the C-train line. The school recently passed a No Idle/Clean Air Zone policy to prevent fumes and noise from idling cars on campus.
770 CHQR |
Calgary Sun |
MRC media release According to the Canadian Scholarship Trust Foundation, families in
Newfoundland and
Labrador are setting the standard in starting education savings plans for their children. On average, funds are started for Canadian children 4.3 years old. In
Newfoundland , the average fund is started at age 3.
Newfoundland is also slightly higher than the rest of
Canada in the percentage of eligible children who have RESP's -- the national average is 33.4% and
Newfoundland and
Labrador 's average is 33.7 %. CST's release noted that tuition is now almost three times what it was in 1990-91 and has been growing at almost four times the average rate of inflation.
CST media release A StatsCan report entitled "Do Universities Benefit Local Youth?" considers increases in university enrolment in seven Canadian cities after new universities opened up locally, during the 80's and 90's. The study found that the number of young people who enrolled at university increased in all seven situations -- while enrolment in college decreased by almost the same amount. Youth from low-income families (earning $25,000 or less) saw increased university enrolment, most likely due to local access. Aboriginal youth showed very little increase in enrolment. University participation in the seven cities went from 24% to 31% overall.
StatsCan 2,703 applicants to uNorth
Carolina at
Chapel Hill received good news by mistake on Tuesday. Two unfortunate errors by admissions staff released acceptance notices to students who were not yet decided upon. The school released apologies (also by email), and the director of undergraduate admissions also sent a personal apology email to all the affected applicants. Within a day, the admissions office had received over 100 upset calls. Cornell and uCalifornia at
Davis made similar errors in 2003 and 2004, respectively.
Chronicle of Higher Education (subscription required) |
Boston GlobeA panel at Harvard announced yesterday that the school should be actively working on improved teaching quality, student learning strategies and rewarding accomplishments in teaching. Suggestions to accomplish these goals include fostering a more collegial atmosphere, where instructors collaborate on content and share teaching experiences and ideas. The panel also states a need for innovation in teaching and a review of course scheduling. The report states that PSE needs to pay attention not just to what it teaches, but also how.
Chronicle of Higher Education (subscription required)
The first study on teenage gambling habits reveals that 35% of
Ontario 15- to 17-year-olds have gambled. The Responsible Gambling Council conducted the study, and further warns that these numbers are expected to double by the time the kids are college age (20 years old). 2,100 teens were surveyed. 40% of those that have gambled prefer poker. A spokesperson from the RGC says this is likely because of the game's accessibility, ease of play and recent media attention.
CTV
rtraction