Top Ten
January 15, 2019
Over half of QC's universities and CEGEPs miss sexual violence policy deadline
Despite a provincially-imposed deadline of January 1st, 2019, 26 of Quebec’s 48 universities and CEGEPs have yet to update their sexual violence policies, reports the Montreal Gazette. According to CBC, the law requires institutions to have sexual violence policies in place for social activities, provide mandatory training in place for students, create a complaints process, and explicitly include sexual violence in their code of conduct. Former Education Minister Hélène David told CBC that she is “disappointed” that many institutions have not yet updated their policies. “It has been 13 months since the law was adopted and it was very clear,” she said. Montreal Gazette |CBC (QC)
SFU, Indigenous committee sign partnership agreement
Simon Fraser University and the Surrey Urban Indigenous Leadership Committee have signed a partnership agreement to promote and support the academic, research and community engagement needs and interests of the region’s Indigenous peoples. “SFU is honoured to be entering into this collaboration agreement with SUILC,” said SFU President Andrew Petter. “By working together, we can make an important contribution to advancing the process of reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in Surrey.” An SFU release adds that Surrey has the highest concentration of urban Indigenous youth in British Columbia, and that SFU Surrey’s campus administrators have spent the last year meeting with SUILC to determine how the university can better serve this population. NationTalk(SFU) (BC)
Paper shortages, printer closures creating delays for academic presses
As printing companies continue to shut down, university presses are struggling with unpredictable schedules and publishing delays, reports Lindsay McKenzie. The author highlights how several university presses have managed delays in order to meet deadlines as independent printers either consolidate or shut down, and argues that recent closures might have been a case of market overcorrection. In addition, pulp prices increased at the same time as 2018 witnessed exceptional demand for some titles, leading to further backlogs. “Reports of the death of the book, it seems, have been greatly exaggerated,” remarked Gregory Britton, Editorial Director of the Johns Hopkins University Press. Inside Higher Ed (International)
Queen’s strengthens international collaboration, mobility with Chinese university
As printing companies continue to shut down, university presses are struggling with unpredictable schedules and publishing delays, reports Lindsay McKenzie. The author highlights how several university presses have managed delays in order to meet deadlines as independent printers either consolidate or shut down, and argues that recent closures might have been a case of market overcorrection. In addition, pulp prices increased at the same time as 2018 witnessed exceptional demand for some titles, leading to further backlogs. “Reports of the death of the book, it seems, have been greatly exaggerated,” remarked Gregory Britton, Editorial Director of the Johns Hopkins University Press. Inside Higher Ed (International)
Price: Educators need to be honest with students about the gig economy
“In all of the hoopla about the emergence of the so-called ‘gig’ and ‘knowledge’ economies, educators often obscure (or downplay) the harsh realities of what it takes to secure reliable employment these days,” writes Neil Price. Citing a recent report, the author adds that precarious labour is negatively affecting an array of sectors, from medicine to law. Price asserts that while educators need to prepare their students for labour market instability, governments also need to establish new social safety nets when workers fall on hard times. NOW Toronto (National)
MUN reaches agreements with permanent and part-time faculty
CBC reports that the association representing Memorial University’s 900 permanent and contract faculty has reached a tentative deal with the university's administration. "We haven't had a chance to study the details yet, but we're obviously very pleased to have reached this point after all this time," said MUNFA President Robin Whitaker. CBC adds that MUN also struck a tentative agreement last week with the Lecturers' Union of Memorial University of Newfoundland, which represents its per-course instructors. LUMUN President Martha Wells told CBC that the union had been in negotiations for better pay since April 2017. The new deal provides better pay for most of the union’s per-course instructors, Wells added, but the “low end of our scale is still very low.” CBC|CBC(2) (NL)
Todd: Canadian educators fear river of Chinese students' cash could stop
Canada hosts over 186,000 of China’s 600,000 students who study abroad, and the country’s institutions have become dependent on their fees, writes Douglas Todd. The author highlights recent political events that could see the ‘river of money’ from China ‘dry up,’ before discussing Canadian institutions’ use of international students as a revenue source in light of funding shortfalls. Todd also discusses a recent study that found that some recruiting agents misinform Chinese students about program requirements and the learning curve associated with university-level English. While Australia, New Zealand, Britain, and Ireland have implemented policies to prohibit agents from misleading potential international students, Canada has no such mechanisms in place, Todd adds. Vancouver Sun (National)
UWaterloo to host one last Canada Day celebration in 2019
The University of Waterloo hopes that a new host will take over duties for the region’s Canada Day celebrations after 2019, reports the Waterloo Region Record. UWaterloo has held Canada Day celebrations since 1984, but the university said that the size and scope of the annual event has become prohibitive. According to the Region Record, the free, one-day celebration costs the university upwards of $250K. “It certainly wasn't an easy decision,” said VP of University Relations Sandra Banks. “The university has been very proud to have had the opportunity to host Canada Day.” The Record |UWaterloo (ON)
Cambrian partners with Sudbury Symphony to boost music education options
Cambrian College has partnered with the Sudbury Symphony to offer more resources for local music students, reports CBC. “We are pooling our administrative resources and pooling our physical space in order to ensure the longevity of both of these organizations,” said Cambrian music instructor Jamie Arrowsmith, who is also an associate conductor with the symphony. Arrowsmith added that the Sudbury region enjoys a wealth of talented music teachers, and the opportunity for them to teach out of two venues will help them reach a broader pool of students. CBC (ON)
“Light touch” interventions from faculty improve students’ perception of courses, instructors: study
Students who receive occasional emails from their instructors offering “light touch” feedback and offering support have better perceptions about both their instructors and courses, according to a new US-based study. Preliminary research called “My Professor Cares: Experimental Evidence on the Role of Faculty Engagement,” found that when students received small email “nudges” offering feedback or inquiring into that student’s course experience, those students reported higher satisfaction with the instructor’s level of engagement in the course. “This is an untapped space where we should think about moving the graduation rate,” said study co-author Michal Kurlaender. Inside Higher Ed (International)
