Top Ten
October 14, 2020
Sheridan launches two new degrees
Sheridan College is launching two new degrees: An Honours Bachelor of Computer Science, and an Honours Bachelor of Experiential Design. Students in both programs will learn the theory of their chosen field and apply it through hands-on opportunities. Students in the Computer Science degree will be able to choose from three specializations – Game Engineering, Data Analytics, or Cloud Computing – and will participate in a co-op placement of up to 16 months. Students in the Experiential Design degree program will learn how to enhance experiences of places and participate in a 14-week co-op. Sheridan says that the Experiential Design degree is the first of its kind in Canada. Sheridan (ON)
Acadia student fined for hosting party with more than 75 attendees
An Acadia University student who hosted a party with more than 75 people attending has been fined for violating the Emergency Management Act. The RCMP promptly responded and broke up the party, fining the host $697. However, they have not publicly released the identity of the person charged, so Acadia has not been able to take disciplinary action against the student. “Anyone found to be in breach of Acadia's student code of conduct will face discipline through our non-academic judicial process,” said Acadia spokesperson Sherri Turner. “Thankfully, most of our students are responsible and respectful.” CBC (NS)
UoGuelph, Canada partner to improve campus heating system efficiency
The University of Guelph will receive $640K from Canada’s Low Carbon Economy Fund to support heating system upgrades to its flue gas heat recovery system. The upgrades will involve the installation of heat pumps to improve heat recovery efficiency while decreasing emissions. “We are pleased to partner with Environment and Climate Change Canada to expand the University’s flue gas heat recovery system,” said Martha Harley, UGuelph’s VP (finance, administration and risk). “It is a win-win for the environment and for our campus to have greater use of this system.” Cision (ON)
Northern, Sandvik sign green technology MOU
Northern College and Sandvik Mining & Rock Technology have signed a Green Technology Memorandum of Understanding. The agreement will see the two parties work collaboratively to enhance existing battery technician training modules and develop a Northern College Battery Electric Vehicle Technician program. With battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) increasing in popularity in the Canadian mining industry, Northern states that more specialized BEV technicians are required to support the growing fleet of battery-electric vehicles in the country. Northern | St Thomas Times Journal (ON)
Red Crow breaks ground on new Kainai campus
Red Crow Community College has officially broken ground on the construction of its new 9,888-square-metre Kainai campus. This building project replaces the campus that was destroyed by fire in 2015 and will create almost 300 local construction-related jobs. The Government of Canada is contributing $20M to the project, while the rest is funded by Kainai and Red Crow. “Education is the way forward for our people,” said Blood Tribe Chief Roy Fox. “On-reserve educational opportunities for students is an important factor in the economic, social and cultural well-being of our community. We are proud to play such an integral role in educating and training our people and we look forward to sharing our new facility with you once open.” Lethbridge Herald | Construct Connect (AB)
Vancouver man pleads guilty to starting deliberate fire at ECUAD last year
A Vancouver man who was arrested last year after a suspicious fire broke out at Emily Carr University of Art + Design in October has pleaded guilty to deliberately starting the fire. The man will face sentencing in December or January. Though no one was injured in the fire, ECUAD was forced to close for 10 days so that water, fire, and smoke damage could be addressed. CBC reports that the man is not believed to be connected to the university in any way. CBC | Straight (BC)
Homicide team investigates the death of BC man found on TWU campus
BC’s Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) has taken on the investigation of the death of a 31-year-old man who died in hospital after being found unresponsive on Trinity Western University’s campus. Campus security called Langley RCMP with the report of an “agitated man” who was “involved in an altercation with campus security,” said IHIT. The man was unresponsive when the RCMP arrived, and died later after being taken to hospital. “We are taking additional care and safety measures with campus residents to ensure they are cared for,” says TWU. “Our prayers are with those affected by the events related to this incident.” CBC | Global News | TWU (BC)
UVic names University Centre in honour of outgoing president
The University of Victoria has renamed its University Centre to recognize the contributions of outgoing president Jamie Cassels. Cassels has been UVic’s president for the past seven years, and will be finishing his time in this role this fall. “Cassels has been a faculty member at UVic for nearly 40 years and has served in senior leadership roles for more than half that time. The new building name, the Jamie Cassels Centre, recognizes his extraordinary contribution and long service to the university,” the article says. UVic (BC)
Western student creates CSAA to give student athletes a voice
Western University Mustangs’ football player Garret Holmes has created the Canadian Student-Athlete Association (CSAA). The CSAA will help student athletes express their concerns about how COVID-19 will impact their participation in sports and provide them with a voice in other areas, like sexual harassment and racism. “COVID-19 really changed college and university sports forever in Canada unfortunately,” said Holmes. “It’s not about the decisions made in the past, but it’s the future decisions that are going to be made, and when those are made, I think student-athletes should have some input. It’s their future and it’s their careers at stake.” The CSAA has already engaged with U Sports, resulting in a one-time relief of the organization’s eligibility policy due to COVID-19. The Silhouette | CSAA (ON)
Canadian universities may lose up to $3.4B due to COVID-19: StatCan
Statistics Canada has released five plausible financial projection scenarios to determine the impact of the pandemic on Canadian higher education, which see the sector suffer revenue losses that range from $377M to $3.4B during the 2020/2021 academic year. The projections, which are based on different changes in enrolment and research funding, Statistics Canada says that in 2017-18, around 40% of all tuition fees were paid by foreign students, but that that study permits issued for this school year have seen a 58% decrease. StatCan (National)
