Top Ten
September 10, 2008
The Conservative Party is portraying Liberal leader Stéphane Dion as an out-of-touch, nerdy professor in its election ads, and the use of anti-intellectualism doesn't play well in Canada, according to CAUT president James Turk. A Conservative website shows a shrugging Dion, who taught political science at the Université de Montréal, standing in front of a blackboard. In response to the ad, Dion says he shares the same concerns as other Canadians. OCUFA's executive director says the portrayal of academics as elitists is "as offensive as it is inaccurate." The Chronicle of Higher Education (subscription required) | Notaleader.ca On Tuesday, the University of Windsor officially opened its new $15-million medical school, which is a satellite program of the University of Western Ontario's Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry. Ontario's finance minister, who was present at the opening ceremony, says there's a possibility of developing a health-sciences centre to join uWindsor, St. Clair College and the city's 2 hospitals. Windsor Star A Carleton University student who hacked into the electronic accounts of 32 students has turned himself in to campus officials after he was tracked down through e-mails he sent through Carleton's computer network. The student will appear before a university disciplinary committee, and could face expulsion. Ottawa police are also investigating the matter, but no charges have been laid. Ottawa Citizen | CBC On Tuesday, the Newfoundland and Labrador government prematurely issued a statement by the province's education minister and Memorial University's acting president on the university's autonomy without getting MUN to sign off on it first. The government then released a second statement regarding the error. In July, it was revealed that the government had been involved in the presidential hiring process at MUN. NL News Release | St. John's Telegram | CBC University of Manitoba officials announced yesterday plans to expand the Asper School of Business' presence in downtown Winnipeg. The school is leasing more than 7,000 square feet downtown, and is expected to offer some MBA courses and specialty workshops in finance, human resources, or strategy at the new location by next spring. The downtown location would strengthen ties with local business leaders and alleviate a space crunch on campus. uManitoba News | Winnipeg Free Press On Tuesday, the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology received a $3-million investment from the Finning and the Caterpillar Foundation in the school's heavy equipment programs. The donation entails $1 million to enhance NAIT's Heavy Equipment Technician and Industrial Heavy Equipment Technology programs, $1 million worth of equipment, and $1 million in cash. The technician program is quite popular at NAIT, with a 107% increase in apprentices since the 2004/2005 academic year. NAIT News Release This spring, Vancouver Island University announced staff cuts due to a projected $3.2-million budget deficit, and these cuts have resulted in longer waiting lists for classes and fewer options for students. A VIU spokeswoman says the layoffs amount to the equivalent of 4.5 full time employees, but there may have been more job eliminations, as that figure wouldn't include contract positions that weren't renewed because of the deficit. VIU's faculty president says although no courses have been dropped, existing ones are being offered less often than last year. Nanaimo Daily News International student enrolment at Edmonton-based Grant MacEwan College is on the rise. Applications from students overseas are up 40% from last year. There is also a 40% hike in the number of international students admitted. The increase may be attributed to MacEwan's recent addition of degrees and the construction of the residence building in 2005. MacEwan's top markets for foreign students are mostly Asian countries, and additional recruitment is done in Mexico, Russia, Ecuador, United Arab Emirates, and East Africa. Edmonton Journal The University of British Columbia has named the Demco Student Learning Centre in the computer department after the university's former computing facilities manager John Demco, who conceived the "dot-ca" domain in 1987. Most of the first dot-ca domain name applications came from universities, and the first registration was awarded to uPEI. Prior to 2000, all dot-ca domain names were registered by Demco in his UBC office. In April, registered dot-ca domains hit the 1-million mark. UBC News Release | Demco Learning Centre | Vancouver Sun Oshawa students say the city's bylaw regulating student housing in areas surrounding UOIT and Durham College is making it difficult for them to find affordable housing. The UOIT student union's president is looking for a place, and all the rentals she has seen are unlicensed. "It's a concern for a lot of students." So far only 5 licenses have been issued under the bylaw, and one city councillor hopes 160 homes will be licensed in the next few months. The councillor stresses there are affordable alternatives further away from the campus. CBC
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