Top Ten
January 3, 2019
SMU announces new Indigenous advisory council
Saint Mary’s University has announced the creation of a new President’s Advisory Council on Indigenous Affairs, which will oversee Indigenous supports on campus. “As an institution, we are committed to advancing support for Indigenous students, and strengthening connections to the community,” said SMU President Robert Summerby-Murray. “The advice and guidance of the council will be a great resource for the university.” The council will include members of local Indigenous communities and organizations, SMU adds. SMU|CBC (NS)
Two WLU professors sue Shepherd over publication of disciplinary meeting recording
Nathan Rambukkana and Herbert Pimlott, the two Wilfrid Laurier University professors beingsued by Jordan Petersonfor their comments during a disciplinary meeting withLindsay Shepherd in 2017, have alleged that Shepherd should be held responsible for any damages stemming from the broader publication of the meeting's content. According to the Canadian Press, a third-party claim filed by the professors states that the pair did not know their comments would be recorded and distributed by Shepherd. The pair further allege that Shepherd had “power and control” over the recording, and that Peterson should therefore sue Shepherd for any damages to his reputation resulting from comments made during the meeting. Howard Levitt, Shepherd’s lawyer, stated that the allegations make no sense, as the recording was also shared by media outlets. None of the allegations have been proven in court. Ottawa Citizen(CP)(ON)
Authorities discover body of SFU professor who disappeared in Colombia
Ramazan “Ramo” Gencay, a professor of economics at Simon Fraser University who disappeared in Colombia, has been found dead, reports the National Post. Gencay’s wife stated that he “suffered an untimely death.” According to the Post, Gencay was in Colombia to attend seminars at local universities, and was last seen at a salsa club on December 6, 2018. In a statement, SFU president Andrew Petter wrote that “our hearts go out to his family, friends and SFU faculty, students and staff who worked with him.” The circumstances around Gencay’s death remain unclear. National Post (BC)
MacEwan sets out to improve green space, buildings, transit in new master plan
MacEwan University has announced that it plans to dramatically increase campus green space, reduce reliance on vehicles, and make the university more accessible over the next 25 years. According to the Edmonton Journal, the university will level a city block to create a green space and take on numerous infrastructure projects as part of its downtown campus master plan. “We just want a balance,” said MacEwan Associate Vice President Stuart MacLean. “What we want to do is to develop the campus, not just to allow pedestrian circulation, but to encourage it and the way to encourage it is to bring in open spaces and to correct the imbalance of the automobile on the campus.” Edmonton Journal (AB)
PEI’s proposed “entrepreneur stream” for international graduates criticized by Ottawa
CBC has learned that an “entrepreneur stream” for international graduates proposed by the Government of Prince Edward Island for its provincial nominee program has been met with criticism and questions from the federal government. According to CBC, officials in Ottawa concluded that the proposal did not meet the minimum requirements set out by similar programs in other provinces. Staff at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada said that the program lacked a language requirement, and that the proposed age limit of 59 “should be much lower.” CBC adds that IRCC also questioned the nomination process, which suggested that the program would select 10-15 candidates from a pool of 20. CBC (PEI)
UWaterloo students to close pub, citing financial woes
The University of Waterloo’s Federation of Students has announced that the Bombshelter Pub, nicknamed the Bomber by students, will close because of financial losses. “We had to make a decision because being an executive and being part of the board, we had to look at what was the most fiscally responsible,” said the Federation’s VP of Operations and Finance Kurt MacMillan. The Waterloo Region Record reports that the pub is estimated to have lost more than $1M in five years. “Right now, there is nothing set in stone for it,” said MacMillan, who stated that UWaterloo undergraduates will be consulted on the future use of the pub space. The Record| CBC (ON)
USask looks to make good on new university plan in 2019
After unveiling a new planlast year, University of Saskatchewan President Peter Stoicheff told the Saskatoon StarPhoenix that the institution is committed to being “the university the world needs” in 2019. Stoicheff stated that he expects USask’s Global Institutes for Food and Water Security, which created the world’s first map of the wheat genome in 2018, to attract more international researchers, such as former NASA scientist Jay Famiglietti, the Institutes’ current Director. The StarPhoenix adds that USask will open theRon and Jane Graham Sport Science and Health Centreand a new interdisciplinary science facility later this year, continue work on itsPrince Albertcampus, and renovate several buildings. StarPhoenix (SK)
Mohawk partners with EON Reality for new digital centre
Mohawk College has launched a $6M interactive digital centre in partnership with EON Reality, reports the Hamilton Spectator. An eight-month certificate program at the new facility will train students in augmented and virtual reality programming for industrial, medical, and industrial applications. The Spectator adds that the program will include classroom and lab work as well as experiential learning. “The EON-Mohawk partnership will allow EON to enter into a new market—Hamilton and greater Toronto—which has great market potential and allow us to help regional companies and entities with our solutions,” said Frank Botdorf, Director of Business Development at EON Reality. Hamilton Spectator (ON)
Addressing the dangers of imposter syndrome among students
The fear of being found out as an imposter is harming student mental health and causing many to make poor career choices, writes Roshini Pinto-Powell. This pervasiveness of imposter syndrome, the author adds, has been driven in part by a social media-driven youth culture that leads many to feel that their peers are more exceptional and flawless than is truly the case. Pinto-Powell goes on to highlight some of the negative consequences of imposter syndrome before recommending that schools and educators do more to mitigate this danger from the moment students arrive at an institution. Inside Higher Ed (International)
UOIT, Fleming renew diploma-to-degree pathway
The University of Ontario Institute of Technology and Fleming College have signed an articulation agreement that will renew a number of diploma-to-degree pathways between the institutions. A Fleming release states that the agreement provides consistent, flexible, and seamless pathways for students across multiple schools of study. “The extension of our partnership with Fleming College opens unparalleled opportunities for student success through access to exciting programs in a wide range of professional streams,” said UOIT Provost and Vice-President, Academic Robert Bailey. “We are proud to continue building this vital collaboration between our institutions which supports barrier-free continuous learning from apprenticeship to PhD.” Fleming (ON)
