Top Ten

May 8, 2009

UFV postpones exam following threat

Last Thursday, the University of the Fraser Valley postponed an exam scheduled to be held at its Trades and Technology Centre in Chilliwack after a student threatened violence. The night before, local RCMP received a report about a threat in which a student said "If I fail the exam tomorrow, I'm going to kill everyone like Columbine." Investigators later identified a 21-year-old male from Chilliwack as the student who made the threat. The RCMP say he had no intention of acting on the threat or risking the safety of other students. Chilliwack Times

ANSSA criticizes NS election date

The Alliance of Nova Scotia Student Associations points to a "disturbing trend" in which the provincial government is holding late spring or summertime elections, during which time most students are done with school and have left the province to go home or work. ANSSA's executive director says absentee ballots provided to out-of-province Nova Scotians are not as convenient and may discourage voters. He suggests earlier legislative sessions when students are still around for school. Metro Halifax

New study finds no correlation between Facebook and lower grades

Last month we reported on research from Ohio State University that found a link between Facebook use and lower grades among college students. In their attempt to replicate the results of that study, researchers from Illinois-based Northwestern University found no evidence of Facebook use correlating with diminished academic performance. An examination of 3 existing data sets uncovered no significant negative relationship between GPAs and Facebook use. One of the study's co-authors says more research with more nuanced data is needed to better understand how using of social networking sites may relate to academic performance. Northwestern U News Release | Read the full report

SIFE names MUN "most enterprising campus in Canada"

Memorial University students have placed first in the national Students in Free Enterprise competition, earning the "most enterprising campus in Canada" title. SIFE Memorial's win means the team will represent Canada in the 2009 SIFE World Cup in Berlin. The MUN team were gold medal champions in last year's World Cup. MUN News Release

$5 million for uAlberta Steadward Centre

 Last Thursday, the Alberta government announced $4.5 million in funding for a new facility for the University of Alberta's Steadward Centre, which helps 500 people with disabilities get active and stay healthy. The new centre, to which an anonymous donor has contributed $5 million, will be a part of a larger project involving the construction of a new physical activity and wellness building. The new facility will help the centre eliminate a wait list and allow it to bring on more graduate students to conduct research and help run programs. uAlberta ExpressNews

uCalgary women's hockey, rugby join CIS

Canada Interuniversity Sport has welcomed back the University of Calgary Dinos women's hockey team, which has spent the last 7 seasons playing against Alberta colleges. The team joined the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference in the 2002-03 season after being affected by a 2000 CIS ruling disallowing university athletes from also playing on professional teams. CIS is also allowing the women's rugby team to join the league. Meanwhile, uCalgary's field hockey and men's soccer squads will remain varsity sports next season after alternative funding models were set up for both programs. uCalgary Dinos News | UToday | Calgary Herald

King's applies for corporate status

King's University College, affiliated with the University of Western Ontario, is seeking corporate status as separately incorporated entity. As such, the institution's incorporated name will now include the University of Western Ontario. In 2003, at which time King's was a non-incorporated entity operated by the Catholic Diocese of London, UWO's board of governors stated no objection to King's adopting the name "King's University College at The University of Western Ontario," which was later approved by the Ontario government. Western News

uLethbridge launches new recruitment portal

We've recently noticed that the University of Lethbridge has a new recruitment microsite. The portal has sections dedicated to high school, transfer, mature, returning, graduate, and international students, as well as parents and guidance counsellors. The high school student section brings up a video featuring 2 students who provide an introduction to the university. Discover uLethbridge

Group accuses uChicago of censoring student's Facebook album

Philadelphia-based Foundation for Individual Rights in Education is raising free speech issues with the University of Chicago for demanding a student remove disparaging content about his girlfriend from his Facebook profile. After the woman complained to the dean of students, the university asked the male student to remove the content or face possible disciplinary actions. uChicago, which does not have to allow for free speech under the First Amendment because it is private, is defending its actions. The foundation argues the university's demand went too far. Chi-Town Daily News

US marketing firm hosts database of institutional taglines

Higheredtaglines.com is a database developed by an Indiana-based marketing firm that lists over 3,500 US college and university taglines. Created a decade ago, the site is now open to any school wanting to add its own tagline or correct the one attributed by the database. The Chronicle of Higher Education (subscription required) | Higheredtaglines.com