Top Ten
July 28, 2011
MLSE pursues injunction against Ryerson's plan for Maple Leaf Gardens
Part of the development of the Maple Leaf Gardens has prompted Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE) to seek an injunction against Ryerson University and Loblaw Cos. Ltd., which are partnering to convert the facility's main floor into a supermarket, and the upper storeys into an athletic centre, basketball court, and a 2,500-seat arena with an NHL-size rink. MLSE is demanding Ryerson stop using the "Maple Leaf Gardens" name in connection with the site, and suggests it worries the university's arena will compete with the Air Canada Centre, the current home of the MLSE-owned Toronto Maple Leafs. The company claims Ryerson's use of the name "Maple Leaf Gardens" infringes on its trademark, and argues the name could allow the institution to sell school products to people who are under the mistaken impression they are affiliated with the Leafs. Ryerson and Loblaw say they would respond to the injunction request if it goes before the court. Globe and Mail
Queen's to ban alcohol in residences during Frosh Week
Under a new policy at Queen's University, alcohol will not be allowed in undergraduate residences during Frosh Week, even if residents are of legal age, reports the Queen's Journal, a student newspaper. The policy will start as a pilot program, with alcohol standards scheduled to return to normal after Frosh Week ends. A Queen's official says the policy was not spurred by recommendations outlined in a coroner's report following the deaths of 2 first-year students last fall. Queen's Journal
Co-op students at RIM wonder about future at company
With Research in Motion having announced it plans to cut its global workforce by 2,000, co-op students at the Waterloo-based firm are wondering if they have a future with the BlackBerry maker. A University of Waterloo student who worked for RIM last semester says his friends on co-op terms at the company say their teams are not keeping anyone, and he has noticed RIM's co-op postings decrease by 5% to 10% during the past few years. uWaterloo says RIM is still its top co-op employer and the company is moving ahead on hiring their regular complement of co-op students for the fall. Waterloo Region Record
NS scales back tuition fee hike for foreign students at Dal
Nova Scotia's education minister has turned down Dalhousie University's proposed 10% increase in tuition fees for international students. The minister has approved a 3.5% increase in differential fees to provide more advisers, workshops and coaches for foreign students. A Dal official calls the minister's decision a compromise, not a rejection. She says the key issue is how the institution can better provide services for its international student population. In February the Nova Scotia government announced a 4% cut in funding to universities and a 3% cap on tuition fee increases. Chronicle Herald | CBC
Trent seeks developers to develop portion of endowment land
Trent University is seeking proposals from developers on how they would develop 2 parcels of Trent endowment land. The institution's Endowment Lands Master Plan lists potential uses for the sites as retail, convenience, professional services, large-format retail, medium-density residential, faculty housing, senior student housing, prestigious office space, and industrial uses. Trent plans to choose a successful bidder in November. Peterborough Examiner
Students in hard sciences faring well in summer job market, report finds
According to a new report, Canadian university students in technically-oriented fields are benefiting the most from an improved summer job market. In an online survey of 2,800 students, respondents reported having an easier time finding work this year than in 2010, with students in math, computer science, engineering, and architecture seeing the largest improvement. Students in visual and performing arts and in education were most likely to say they were having trouble finding work. The report notes that earnings are highest for students in the hard sciences and lowest for students in arts and humanities. According to the report, this summer's university student unemployment rate is 16.2%, with students reporting a median of 38 hours of work per week and earnings of $12 per hour. Read the report
Conestoga develops mobile-friendly site
Mobile-device users will have enhanced access to features and information on Conestoga College's website with the introduction of a mobile-friendly Web presence on August 1. The decision to develop a mobile-friendly site was based on the growing number of mobile devices accessing the college's main site. That number has doubled in the past year and now accounts for nearly 9% of all website traffic. Future plans for the project include revising related Conestoga sites and developing additional functionalities that will fully use the capabilities of mobile device and provide a full range of services to meet user demand. Conestoga News Release
US program sees financial aid distributed as paycheques
A new US project is using surplus Pell Grant money as a biweekly paycheque for students. The project, called "Aid Like a Paycheck," just completed its first year as a pilot program at a California community college. While researchers say it's too early to tell if the program will encourage students to complete their degrees or hasten completion, student feedback has been positive. Students have reported that being paid to stay in school makes them take their studies more seriously, and that they have reduced hours on outside jobs, giving them more time to concentrate on school. Researchers hope this will lead to improved completion rates later on. Inside Higher Ed
What would college students give up to never have to lug textbooks around?
Sex, dating, and Saturday nights out, according to a survey conducted for Kno, Inc., a California-based education software company. If they could access their textbooks from anywhere without having to carry them around, a majority of respondents said they would study more often (62%) and more efficiently (54%). More than three-quarters of students surveyed do not think their professors are doing enough to enhance their learning experience with technology, such as online tutorials and e-textbooks. However, students do see the shift happening, with 44% believing that in 5 years, professors will no longer require students to use printed textbooks. Kno News Release
THE reveals submissions to annual "exam howlers" contest
Yesterday Times Higher Education reported on a few of the entries sent to its annual "exam howlers" competition, in which professors submit comical malapropisms found in students' work. For example, one student at the University of Edinburgh simplified a subject by writing about it "in Lehman's terms" ("layman's terms" was the intention). At the University of Southampton, a microbiology professor was party to the statement that "mucus is a vicious, thick substance." Upon reading the statement that "American power is based on superheroes," a lecturer in human geography at University College London laments that he "clearly need(s) to teach this material better." Times Higher Education
