February 3, 2009
Several members of a University of Calgary pro-life group who staged a display of graphic posters at the university
in November have been charged with trespassing on the campus. The university had warned the club that its members would be considered trespassers if they did not comply with the school's request to have the posters turned inward. One of the lawyers representing the charged students says uCalgary is "acting like a bully to suppress the peaceful expression of an opinion on campus."
Calgary Herald |
National Post |
CBCThe Stellarton campus of the Nova Scotia Community College was evacuated briefly yesterday morning after staff reported a strong smell of propane. As a precaution, the building was evacuated and students were sent to a nearby church. Local firefighters and the propane company checked for leaks, but could not find one. Students and staff were soon allowed back into the building.
New Glasgow NewsOn Monday afternoon, 4 Humber College students made contact with US astronaut Sandra Magnus at the International Space Station using a NASA-approved telecommunications system they built, and the students' efforts are believed to be a first. The students had been trying to contact the Space Station for a year and a half. The students' professor says their success is the highlight of his career. Canada's Telecommunications Hall of Fame is honouring the students for their accomplishment.
Humber News Release |
Toronto Star |
CBC |
CTVA lack of affordable housing in Saskatoon is a major barrier for University of Saskatchewan students, according to a new report from the university's student union. Because of the problems, students are taking on jobs and cutting back their course loads, while prospective students are turning away because of housing costs. The report recommends adequate funding for uSask projects expanding student housing on or near the campus. uSask is "pretty passionate about student housing," and hopes to more than double its on-campus accommodation availability.
Saskatoon Star-PhoenixColleges Ontario is calling on the provincial government to follow the lead of its federal counterpart and make college infrastructure funding a priority in this year's budget. The need for capital improvements is becoming increasingly urgent, as schools are trying to accommodate a growing student population. Overall applications to winter programs offered at Ontario colleges have gone up 10% over last year.
Colleges Ontario News ReleaseOn Monday, the City of Waterloo voted to give Wilfrid Laurier University $250,000 over 5 years to keep its Olympic-length
pool, which had been expected to close at the end of last year, in operation. Tomorrow, WLU students will vote on whether to pay an extra $10 per semester to support a long-term solution for the pool, which is also used by community groups. Meanwhile, the University of Waterloo has stalled a project to build a
multimillion-dollar aquatic complex after money from an anonymous donor fell through.
Kitchener-Waterloo RecordKwantlen Polytechnic University's "Digital Café" serves as the school's social networking community. The page features access to Kwantlen's Facebook pages, YouTube videos, student blogs, and virtual tours. Students are encouraged to submit links and ideas for further development of the site.
Kwantlen Digital CaféA number of American schools are looking into delivering courses in real time on mobile phones, complete with student chat rooms, faculty voiceovers, and self-paced tutorials. Indiana-based Ball State University has tried displaying video instruction on cellular devices. The Louisiana Community & Technical College System hopes to expand access to higher education in the state by delivering online courses through mobile devices such as BlackBerrys.
University BusinessThis month, the University of California Davis is running a contest for students to create a 30-second video about how they got "Aggied" (UC Davis students are often called Aggies in honour of the school's agricultural background). Students are encouraged to reenact the moment they knew they were an Aggie, show what inspires their Aggie pride, and demonstrate how they are an Aggie for life. Prizes include an iPod Touch, a pocket video camera, and a pizza party.
I Got Aggied!According to new data from the Pew Internet & American Life Project, 45% of Americans between the ages of 70 and 75 used the Internet in 2008, compared to 26% in 2005 -- the biggest increase in any age group. E-mail is particularly popular among older Internet users, with 74% of those ages 64 and above sending and receiving e-mail. Younger users -- teens and Generation Y -- are most likely to use the Internet for entertainment and social networks, while older users go online to shop, bank, and research.
Pew Internet Memo |
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