Court clears twins for criticizing prof
After a three-year legal battle, the Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench ruled on Oct. 12 that two students from the University of Calgary had every right to criticize their professor on Facebook without punishment.
Nearly four years ago, twin brothers Keith and Steven Pridgen ran into controversy after creating and commenting on the discussion board of a Facebook group that criticized one of their professors. The group was called “I no longer fear Hell; I took a course with Aruna Mitra.”
Students drink more abroad: study
Students who study abroad drink twice as much as students who choose to stay home, according to a study by the University of Washington.
The study looked at the drinking habits of 177 students studying abroad in five regions: Oceania, Asia, Europe, Latin America and what the researchers call “non-traditional” study-abroad regions, such as South Africa, India and Jordan.
McGill lecturers call union bust
McGill University’s administration went up against its course lecturers in late September when university provost Anthony Masi ordered the removal of posters advocating for their unionization.
“[Unionization] has been attempted a couple of times over the last years, and McGill is quite good at shutting it down,” said Michal Rozworski, vice-president of the Association of Graduate Students Employed at McGill (AGSEM).
University of Winnipeg protesters greet Toews
The valedictorian of the University of Winnipeg’s 2010 graduating class denounced the school’s decision to award an honorary degree to Canada’s public safety minister in her speech Oct. 17.
Student protests greeted Vic Toews when he arrived to receive an honorary doctor of laws degree.
Protesters held signs accusing Toews of being anti-gay and anti-immigrant. CBC estimated about 40-50 protesters were present.
Students to Quebec: “Show us the money”
Quebec’s largest student federation alleged last week that Quebec’s provincial government is withholding about $30 million in student aid received from the federal government.
Louis-Philippe Savoie, president of the Fédération étudiante universitaire du Québec (FEUQ) said FEUQ research found the federal government had transferred $235 million to the province for the 2009-2010 school year.
But, he said the Quebec budget indicates only $205 million has been earmarked for student bursaries and loans.
