Top Ten
June 17, 2009
Report from Jewish groups recommends changes at York
According to a report from a commission of Toronto-area Jewish organizations, York University instructors should be forbidden to express personal political views unrelated to the classes they are teaching. The commission compiled hundreds of submissions from students, faculty, and Jewish community members following incidents at York earlier this year. The report recommends York set up a confidential hotline for students to report "abuse of the podium" incidents, and no longer allow Vari Hall to be booked for political purposes. The list of recommendations was given to the university's Task Force on Student Life, Learning and Community. National PostMcMaster pitches $30-million medical isotope plan
On Tuesday, a representative from McMaster University's research reactor told a House of Commons committee that the reactor is capable of producing 4 times the Canadian demand for medical isotopes in as little as 18 months. McMaster would need $30 million in operating costs over 5 years on top of the $22 million in infrastructure funding the university recently received for its reactor. Apart from the Chalk River reactor, McMaster's reactor is the only one in Canada that can produce the molybdenum-99 isotope, which it used to do in the 1970s. Toronto Star | CanWest News Service | Canadian PressGeorgian College "Power of Education" campaign reaches $17 million
Georgian College's $25-million "Power of Education" campaign has now reached $17 million with $1 million raised in an internal fundraising effort. The campaign is supporting the college's expansion project, which includes the $65-million Centre of Health and Wellness. Barrie ExaminerOntario college applications up over 8%
Colleges Ontario reports an 8.54% increase in applications to first-year, full-time programs at the province's 24 colleges this year. As of Monday, the Ontario College Application Service had received 144,889 applications for first-year programs starting this fall, compared to 133,553 applications at this time last year. In January, Colleges Ontario reported a 10% increase in winter applications. Colleges Ontario News ReleaseStatsCan analyzes Canada PSE graduates' low earnings situation
In an examination of the characteristics of college- and university-educated workers in low-earnings situations, Statistics Canada found that working on less than a full-time, full-year basis and being self-employed were key factors in graduates falling in the lowest earnings category. After taking employment characteristics into account, the analysis found that college- and university-educated women, older workers, and residents of NL, PEI, and NB were more likely to be in a low-earnings situation. Individuals working in areas such as management, health, and science were less likely than those in other occupations to have low earnings. Statistics CanadaNo nursing "brain drain" in Saskatchewan
According to the 2007-2008 Graduate Exit Survey for the Nursing Education Program of Saskatchewan (NEPS), nearly 89% of last year's students had a confirmed job as a graduate nurse before graduating, up from 85.4% in 2007 and 59% in 2005. Over 93% reported that they planned to stay in the province upon graduation. In a follow-up survey of 2006 NEPS graduates, 88.5% were currently working as a nurse last year, and over 85% were employed in Saskatchewan. 98% of 2003 graduates were employed as a nurse in 2008, and more than 80% of those working in Saskatchewan reported that they planned to stay in the province. Saskatoon Star-Phoenix | NEPS ReportsuPEI to discontinue credit card option for tuition payment
Effective July 1, 2010, the University of Prince Edward Island will no longer offer credit cards as a tuition payment option. The move would reportedly save uPEI $125,000 a year in transaction fees. The university's student union is lobbying against the policy, arguing that it would hurt students. In April, Dalhousie University announced it was considering discontinuing the credit card payment option. CBC
Postscript: Jun 22, 2009
University of Prince Edward Island officials say the decision to drop the use of credit cards to pay tuition will not hurt students, as the university's student union argues. With a year lead-in to the policy change, the university controller says systems will be set up to ensure students do not come across any hardships. An online banking system will likely be used for Canadian students, while measures will be introduced to help process tuition payments for international students. CBC
