August 5, 2021
A new partnership, called the Oẏateki Partnership, has been developed to transform the education and employment systems for Indigenous youth in Saskatchewan. The partnership has been co-implemented by the Gabriel Dumont Institute, Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies, the University of Saskatchewan, and several First Nations and Métis communities and community members. The partnership’s anticipated outcomes and goals are focused on improving Indigenous youth as they transition into, through, and out of postsecondary education and into the workforce. “There is no more important time than now for our province and communities to ensure meaningful Indigenous inclusion in the labour force and the economy,” said SIIT President Riel Bellegarde.
Nation Talk |
Global News (SK)
The University of New Brunswick has launched a new technology that will allow students, faculty, and staff to carry their IDs on their mobile device. The new technology will allow the institution to issue UCards remotely and enable students to enter campus buildings; make purchases; and borrow library books in a safer, more cost-effective, and more environmentally friendly process. The IDs are protected by multi-factor authentication and can be added through phone apps such as Apple Wallet or Google Pay. In a recent news release, Apple announced that it had expanded student ID functionality on the iPhone and Apple Watch into Canada, with UNB and Sheridan College as the first Canadian institutions.
UNB |
Apple (NB)
Northern Lakes College has welcomed the Kapewe’no First Nation K-12 School to its Grouard Campus. The college relocated its classrooms to the western part of the campus in order to accommodate the K-12 school in the eastern wing. “Transitioning from high school to college can be a challenge for many students, but students from Kapawe’no First Nation K-12 School will just need to walk down the hall,” saidd NLC President Dr Glenn Mitchell. “We are always looking for collaborative ways to increase student participation in post-secondary education.”
NLC (BC)
Canadian students who plan to study in the United States are facing mixed messages and confusion around pandemic restrictions from border officials, reports CBC. While school is considered essential, students and parents in Canada told CBC that there is confusion around who is eligible to cross the border and under what circumstances. "It would be a little too speculative for us to post very specific guidance,” said US Customs and Border Protection Spokesperson Aaron Bowker, adding that admissibility is specific to each individual’s situation. On the global scale,
Chronicle of Higher Ed reporters Karin Fischer and Sasha Aslanian write that the US has lost ground as a destination for international education and may never regain its dominance as a host country. Fischer and Aslanian highlight the many factors that have influenced the US’s role in international education and write that the US’s diplomacy, economy, and higher ed sector will be heavily impacted if America cedes its place.
CBC |
Chronicle of Higher Ed (Paywall) (International)
The Northern Ontario School of Medicine has received a new investment into its development of the region’s first Center for Social Accountability. Supported by a recent $300K investment from the McConnell Foundation, the center is focused on linking health to the well-being of a community. "The Centre will address the unique social challenges and barriers to equitable health care that communities face in Northern Ontario," said NOSM President Dr Sarita Verma. Verma explained that the Center will ask important questions and seek solutions related to community health, such as why it is “easier to get a cappuccino than it is to get milk” in some regions.
CBC |
NOSM (ON)
Postsecondary institutions should take steps to improve their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts, writes Kendall D Isaac. DEI is a topic that many institutions have engaged in, writes Isaac, but substantive, sustained progress is rarely made. The author notes that progress can be made through three key areas of engagement: The campus, executives, and board. The author says that engaging campus constituents can lead to a discussion of issues, proposals for solutions, sharing of best practices, and collaboration. Isaac adds that engaging executives and board members can help ensure that they are personally invested in DEI plans and held accountable to meeting DEI goals.
Inside Higher Ed (Editorial)
Mount Allison University has released the Canadian Centre for Legal Innovation in Sexual Assault Response’s final report and recommendations for improving the university’s policies and procedures related to sexual violence. CCLISAR was engaged in late 2020 to conduct an independent review and provide recommendations, and the final report includes recommendations related to restructuring the designated office, improving access to sexual violence counselling services, improving policies and procedures, and more. Former student and committee member Michelle Roy has spoken out against the report and policies, telling
Global News that she felt dismissed throughout the process and that the new policies are vague. “We know there is still work to do,” said MtA Vice President Anne Comfort. “We are reviewing all these reports and making concrete action plans to ensure our students have access to supports in addition to improved education and awareness.”
MtA (Report) |
MtA (Update) |
Global News (NB)
Dental Assisting students at Saskatchewan Polytechnic will have access to an enhance dental training space featuring new equipment this Fall. The institution received a $1.8M investment from the Saskatchewan Ministry of Advanced Education for renovations and a $150K donation from the Saskatchewan Dental Assistants’ Association into the purchase of new equipment to ensure students can learn with the latest digital technology. Sask Polytech President Dr Larry Rosia expressed his gratitude towards the ministry and SDAA, and described the funding as “just the beginning” of the improvements needed to meet the province’s needs for oral health care.
Sask Polytech (SK)
The vaccination clinics at Loyalist College and the University of Guelph have announced their plans to wind down operations and close their doors as vaccination rates improve in their respective regions. UoGuelph states that the clinic will have given over 81,000 vaccinations between its opening in March and its closure on August 6th. The
Ottawa Citizen announced that a new pop-up clinic opened at the University of Ottawa’s Minto Sports complex on August 3rd and will remain open through to September 6th. The clinic will serve students and staff of any adult high school, college, or university, and will have a nurse on site to support international students in determining which vaccination they require.
91x FM (Loyalist) |
UoGuelph |
Ottawa Citizen (UOttawa) (ON)
The University of British Columbia has announced that it has set aside 160 units on campus for international students to self-isolate in. The university will offer a Self-Isolation Package for $79 per day that includes three meals, Wi-Fi, a private washroom, and space with an unequipped kitchen; and the university will be providing personal and health supports to those isolating. International students who have received their second dose of a vaccine accepted by Canada at least two weeks before arriving will not be required to quarantine. The
Vancouver Sun reports that housing is in high demand at UBC, and that the university is also partnering with local hotels to secure rooms for students to quarantine in.
Vancouver Sun |
College News (BC)
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