National

Protests and strikes are in the cards for many Quebec universities after the province announced a $500 tuition increase over the next three years, student groups say.

Three student associations, representing nearly 8,500 students at Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) and Université de Montréal, were scheduled to strike March 31, according to the website of the Association pour une solidarité syndicale étudiante (ASSE).

McGill University will face a $2 million penalty from the province of Quebec after the school decided to raise tuition for its MBA program. 

“[McGill’s] decision runs counter not only to existing budgetary rules but to the principle of accessibility,” said a statement from education minister Line Beauchamp.  The fine “corresponds to the financing which could have been granted for one year to the 200 students who could have registered in the program if accessibility had been maintained,” Beauchamp said.

In fall of 2011, officials at Rutgers University in New Jersey plan to have three gender neutral dormitories that will house 20 to 30 students.  

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced March 3 that the federal government will fund a new initiative to ensure students from low-income families have access to post-secondary education.

The $20-million four-year investment into Pathways to Education Canada will go towards helping students who are financially at risk “make a successful transition into college and university.”

The program goals include targeting high school dropout rates and giving students the tools they need to graduate.

Queen’s University students may be voting to impeach the university rector after he published a letter defending Israeli Apartheid Week.  

Nick Day, the rector, is an elected official who represents undergraduate and graduate students to Queen’s administration, and is usually a student serving as an educational advocate for students.