Post-Secondary News Digest for February 12, 2010
Canada
Alta. students send cookie message to minister:
(Red Deer Advocate) Red Deer College students are skipping picket lines and baking cookies instead to protest reduced funding by the Alberta government to student grants and post-secondary institutions. The students are collecting messages from seven other schools and including them in a giant fortune cookie they will deliver to the education minister. The students’ association president says the group has had to inject money into the school’s food bank to handle the rise in demand as students feel the impact of the cuts.
Students rally for First Nations school:
(Leader-Post) Students who don’t even attend Regina’s First Nations University gritted their teeth against the cold Thursday to protest the closing of the school. The Saskatchewan government pulled funding to the university last week after school administrators were accused of erratic spending. Michael Burton, a University of Regina grad student who participated in the protest, said shutting down the school destroys the dream of “Indian control of Indian education.”
Sask. university listeria experiments probed:
(CBC) A researcher at the University of Saskatchewan is under investigation for injecting mice with listeria. Dr. Jim Xiang ran three separate unauthorized experiments using the bacteria at the Saskatoon Cancer Centre last year. Xiang did not obtain the required permit to work with listeria or approval from the university’s ethics and biosafety committees. The committees are now investigating to make sure no cancer patients were exposed to the bacteria, which can be deadly to the young, old and people with weak immune systems.
Studious teens more likely to succeed in university: study:
(Globe and Mail) A study released by the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development this week state that reading proficiency and time spent studying at 15 years of age is indicative of post-secondary success. The report tracked 15-year olds until they turned 21 and found high school students who spend eight hours a week on homework are five times more likely to attend university. A parental income over $100,000 is the second strongest correlation, followed by being female.
York film prof slammed over Israel boycott:
(Globe and Mail) Professors at York University are criticizing a colleague for boycotting an Israeli student film festival. The York film school faculty won’t support John Greyson’s request to pull the school from a Tel Aviv festival next spring. Greyson caused uproar at the Toronto International Film Festival last year for withdrawing his own documentary in protest of the festival’s decision to feature a series of films about Tel Aviv. Tereza Barta sent an open letter to the Israeli organizers stating the faculty had disassociated itself from Greyson.
B.C. broadcasting student receives thrill of a lifetime:
(The Province) A broadcasting student at the British Columbia Institute of Technology realized two dreams Thursday when Olympic organizers came calling. At the last minute, officials contacted the university looking for a journalism student to fill a torchbearer position between NBC hosts Bob Costas and Matt Lauer. Alwena Shirley called being chosen to run for the Games and meet the broadcast stars, “my thrill of a lifetime – besides getting married.”
U.S.
Education makes U.S. women recession-proof: study:
(The Wall Street Journal) For the first time, American women have surpassed the number of men holding jobs. The Bureau of Labor Statistics released information last week that shows there are 720,000 more women working paid positions than men. Bureau economist Tim Consedine says the change is “unprecedented.” Part of the reason is the increased number of women with university degrees.
Texas basketball coach arrested for attacking game officials:
(Huffington Post) A U.S woman’s basketball coach was released from jail Thursday after he was arrested for attacking game officials at the end of a game. A coach at Texas’s Trinity Valley Community College and one of his players were arrested after a game against Blinn College on Wednesday. Trinity Valley spokesperson Cathy Boeker says the player came to the aid of her coach when police where trying to restrain him.
Colorado might give universities ability to hike tuition:
(Denver Post) Colorado’s public universities might get the right to increase tuition without government approval. Lawmakers in the state are working together on legislation to let universities hike tuition to cover the decreasing amount the state contributes to higher education. The University of Colorado has one of the lowest tuition levels in the country, charging half of what students pay at University of California, Berkley.
Pa. group takes on immigrant education issues:
(The Phoenix) A student group at Pennsylvania’s Swathmore University is pushing a bill that would help children of illegal immigrants gain access to university. Children of illegal immigrants have to pay out-of-state tuition to attend university and are not eligible for student loans. Jusselia Molina, one of the group’s members, says her group’s goal is to convince their university president to come out in favour of the bill, which has been introduced by a senator from Illinois.
Illinois profs challenge sexual harassment training:
(Insider Higher Education) Some professors at Southern Illinois University’s Carbone campus are questioning new sexual harassment training at the university. The professors are worried about due process for those accused of offences under the new rules. There have been two controversial cases of sexual assault at the school. In both cases professors were kicked off the university campus without being found guilty and were never cleared of the charges.
Nevada universities will suffer under cuts: chancellor:
(Insider Higher Education) Nevada universities will become like those in developing nations if legislators approve major cuts, says Daniel Klaich, the state’s chancellor of higher education. Governor Jim Gibbons has proposed 20 per cent cuts to the post-secondary education system, which would result in 700 job cuts, 20 per cent salary cuts and doubled tuition. Gibbons says he will not increase taxes to cover the hole in its budget, and he has introduced huge cuts to compensate.
World
Scientists visualize “Inuk” the 4,000-year-old Greenlander:
(The Copenhagen Post) A group of scientists from the University of Copenhagen have revealed a picture of an ancient human. Using DNA reconstruction techniques, the genome was developed from a hair sample found in Greenland in the 1980s. The man, dubbed ‘Inuk’, has a receding hairline, brown eyes, dark skin and shovel-shaped front teeth – all dictated by his 4,000-year-old genetic coding.
N. Korea university reaches out to Portland college:
(Oregon Live) A North Korean and American university have signed what is billed as the first pact of its kind. Under the agreement, students at Pyongyang University of Science and Technology and Concordia University in Portland, Ore., will one-day be able to complete a exchange. "First I would like to have Concordia students come to our university in Pyongyang," said James Kim, president of Pyongyang University. The North Korean institution, the first privately funded university ever allowed in the isolated nation, will launch classes in April.
Burglars’ wear Reeboks: study:
(UKPA) Burglars in Leicester, U.K., have been robbing in style, a study shows. Researchers at the University of Leicester have found robbers are more likely to wear Reebok Classic sneakers than any other type of footwear. An analysis of footprints left at crime scenes showed the classics were a top choice for more than 50 per cent of burglars. The study also found that robbers from poorer areas tended to wear more expensive trainers.
Universities are being alarmist: U.K. minister:
(The Independent) The British government and university personnel were in heated debate last night. The minister in charge of universities accused institutions in the country of using "extreme rhetoric" to spread alarmist claims about spending cuts. University chiefs have protested that the higher education sector faces meltdown because of government cuts. Post-secondary education is facing more than $740.5 million in cuts. The teaching budget is being reduced by 1.6 per cent, and spending on building is being slashed 15 per cent.
U.K. think tank calls for 55% rise in tuition:
(The Guardian) Tuition could be on the rise at universities in the United Kingdom, a research organization said. A study conducted by Policy Exchange, a right-of-centre think tank concludes the quality of university degree courses will “seriously deteriorate” unless annual tuition fees are raised 55% to at least $8,200. Fees are currently capped at about $5,300. Last week, the government announced more than $740.5 million in cuts to higher education.