Canadian Campus News

Author/ Ronald Leung/ Silhouette Staff

Students back at table in Lakehead University tuition hike discussion

The chief representative for students at Lakehead University has regained the right to vote on tuition hike issues. Student governor Daniel Basca was originally muzzled in an April 2012 ruling that declared student governors in a conflict of interest and stopped them from participating in any meaningful matter at board of governor meetings regarding tuition hikes. This outcome was swiftly met with challenge from the Lakehead University Student Union (LUSU), which threatened legal action. The Lakehead Board of Governors reversed their decision at a Feb. 1 meeting.

Gender neutral washrooms introduced at University of Regina

After two years of campaigning by the group University of Regina Pride, talks about choosing the location of ten gender neutral washrooms on the UR campus are underway. While not new to Canadian institutions of higher learning, with universities such as Dalhousie having their own gender neutral bathrooms, the introduction of these spaces represents the fruits of the labour of student-administration communication at UR. The new project is aimed at reducing harassment and providing an alternative to those who find it uncomfortable to use washrooms for men or women.

Sexual complaints arise over Greek Organization at MUN

The Memorial University of Newfoundland Students’ Union (MUNSU) is dealing with controversy over whether it should officially recognize the Greek Philanthropy Society (GPS). Although the GPS pledged to focus on raising funds for charitable causes, allegations of sexist behavior clouded its case. One MUNSU board member brought up an example of parties hosted by the GPS that charge a lower cost to women, who are then encouraged to wear togas. The MUNSU purports to expect all member clubs to support sex and gender equity.

B.C. research universities feel left out over large grants for nearby trade schools

The B.C. provincial Liberal government is sticking to its plan to support trade and technical programs at key schools, in spite of growing complaints from the province’s research university brass. Faced with an overall $41 million in cuts for post-secondary grants, administrators such as University of British Columbia president Stephen Toope have argued that trade schools, while helpful in addressing unemployment, don’t help students become “versatile and agile leaders.” However, B.C. Liberal Minister of Advanced Education John Yap told The Ubyssey that “Taxpapers invest $5 million … to support the B.C. post-secondary system,” and that the four major research universities – UBC, Simon Fraser University, University of Victoria and University of Northern British Columbia – “receive more than half of the operating grants provided to 25 institutions.”

U Ottawa lecture series spotlights bilingualism and biculturalism in Canada

The University of Ottawa has worked with the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism in Canada. Originally established in 1963 by André Laurendeau and Davidson Dunton in order to address language issues between Anglophones and Francophones, the Commission led to the establishment of the Official Languages Act and the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages (OCOL). U Ottawa, being a strongly bilingual institution, sees itself as a child of the original commission. The lecture series will be featured all across Canada in Ottawa, Toronto, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Montreal and Moncton.