Top Ten
March 23, 2009
More sex crimes reported at VIU
On Thursday, 2 more indecent sexual acts at Vancouver Island University were reported to police, who believe several men are behind 6 similar incidents on campus that took place between mid-January and early March. The crimes have prompted VIU to enhance security, launch an awareness poster campaign, and offer free self-defence classes. Victoria Times-ColonistYukon College challenges order to rehire employee
Yukon College is appealing a provincial human-rights panel's ruling to reinstate an employee it had fired in 2004, arguing the man, who went on long-term medical leave, is not mentally and emotionally ready to return to work. The man's lawyer has countered with a lawsuit, demanding compensation for lost wages and injury to the former employee's dignity. CBCOCUFA concerned about quality of education
According to a new survey conducted by the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations, faculty and academic librarians across the province are concerned about the declining quality of university education in Ontario. 62% of respondents say they are facing larger classes than they were 3 years ago. 40% believe today's students are receiving an education of reduced quality. 22% claim full-time faculty who have left their posts are not being replaced. 78% expect further departmental budget cuts in the coming year. OCUFA is urging the province to spend another $1.5 billion on PSE when it announces its budget on Thursday. OCUFA News Release | Canadian PressFanshawe faculty union decries reserve fund transfer
Fanshawe College's faculty union is criticizing administration for transferring money into a reserve fund for buildings and facilities when the college is in the midst of a budget crunch. The head of the union says audited statements show Fanshawe transferred $6 million from its operating budget to the reserve fund. A college official says the union is misreading the numbers. The school transferred $600,000, the official says, and the fund has a total of $6 million in it. The union leader says any transfer is not a responsible move during the economic downturn. London Free PressUNB students protest construction on university woodlot
A group of students at the University of New Brunswick are calling for an immediate moratorium on construction in the university woodlot. On Friday, students delivered a petition with 650 signatures to president John McLaughlin. The students are also asking for a full environmental impact assessment for the entire woodlot and adherence to a university promise to protect wetlands and 80-metre buffers. The students say they are encouraged by McLaughlin's pledge to include students in the way development is done. Daily GleaneruWinnipeg bans sale of bottled water
The University of Winnipeg has become the first university in Canada to ban the sale of bottled water on campus. In a referendum held by the university's student union last week, 75% of voters supported the elimination of plastic water bottles. The plan is to cease sales of bottled water in vending machines and cafeterias across campus by the time the next fall semester begins. Students will also be encouraged to refrain from bringing retail, disposable bottles to school and to switch to reusable bottles instead. Polaris Institute News Release | Winnipeg Free Press | Winnipeg SunRoyal Roads to construct first new building
By the end of April, Royal Roads University could begin construction of its Learning and Innovation Centre -- the first new building in the history of the university, which succeeded Royal Roads Military College in 1995. Last year, the BC government announced $15 million in funding for the centre. At a recent open house, the university showcased its plans for the facility and the Robert Bateman Art and Environmental Education Centre, which is envisioned as a focal point for environmental studies and green-building technology. Victoria Times-Colonist
Federal government funds new centre at Ivey
Yesterday Industry Minister Tony Clement announced $5 million in federal funding to establish the Ivey Centre for Health Innovation and Leadership at the University of Western Ontario. Through the centre, the Richard Ivey School of Business will bring together expertise from the business, medical, and health sciences sectors to develop specialized talent and commercialize health innovations to benefit the nation's health care providers and patients. Western NewsYork's "station domination" promotes university's 50th anniversary
On Monday, Toronto's Bloor-Yonge subway station was transformed into a mini York University campus with signature York red-and-white advertising messages that promote the university's 50th anniversary covering every available surface. The "station domination," to run for a month, depicts variations on the phrase "50 years ago a dream began." The campaign follows one York implemented in 2004 in which the St. George subway station was covered with ads reflecting York's "Interdisciplinary University" brand campaign. Y-File
