A note for this year’s new student politicians
Today, May 1st, is the busiest day of the year for student union executive transitions. First of all, congratulations to all those who were legitimately elected in free and fair elections. (To the others, don’t expect me to treat you with any legitimacy.) If you are mentioned on…
Concerning access news south of the border
Some concerning news reported today on The Chronicle of Higher Education‘s news blog. First, the US credit crunch is causing a great deal of concern about the availability of commercial student loans. The American government is not involved in the direct provision of loans, unlike the Canadian government.…
Congratulations to Terry Fallis
Self-published writer Terry Fallis is the winner of the 2008 Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour for his book The Best Laid Plans. Prior to his book, Fallis was a person of trivia to me. Fallis was president of the McMaster Students Union in 1983/84. I’ve had the…
With case out of the courts, minister still silent
It’s been over a month since an Ontario court tossed out a $200-million class action lawsuit against Ontario colleges for charging ancillary fees in violation of provincial government guidelines. The courts dismissed the case, stating they did not carry the force of law necessary for them to act.…
Are serial killer(s) stalking college age males in the U.S.?
US News and World Report‘s Paper Trail blog noted a story which is quickly developing in American. Two retired New York City detectives believe that around 40 drowning of college age males may be the work of a group of serial killers. There isn’t much to actually link…
Lowest-income students increase at Harvard
The Harvard Crimsonreports that the number of students receiving Pell Grants, the main form of federal student aid in American, is up. The numbers still show a lack of economic diversity at Harvard, no surprise there. The surprise to me was the amount of the Pell Grant. With…
The Ivy League Imposter
I listened to an interesting interview on WNYC today. David Samuels went on-air to promote his new book The Runner: A True Account of the Amazing Lies and Fantastical Adventures of the Ivy League Impostor James Hogue. Hogue managed to enrol in Princeton University using a fake alias.…
Naylor has a vision. The rest of us don’t
David Naylor, president of the University of Toronto, toldThe Globe and Mail this week that he wants to decrease the number of undergraduates at the main campus of the U of T. Naylor is pushing to change his university from being just a large university to be a…
Usher on BC’s new universities and the name ‘university’
if you haven’t seen it yet, Alex Usher of the Education Policy Institute hits the nail on the head with his commentary for his company’s "The Week in Review" last week. He focuses his commentary on renaming BC’s institutions of higher learning by dropping the college from "university…
Bail conditions imposed on UToronto protesters
University of Toronto student newspaper *The Varsity *uploaded a news story overnight further updating the aftermath of March’s UToronto sit-in at Simcoe Hall. The Varsity reports bail conditions of fourteen individuals involved. They have been banned from being on the University of Toronto campus or communicating with each…