UVic fined $10,000 for false fire alarms
A Victoria fire department has levied nearly $10,000 in fines against the University of Victoria for a yearlong spree of false alarms coming from the campus residences.
The fines are meant to be a warning to future pranksters, but the fire chief said penalties need to be harsher.
“It’s not much of a deterrent,” said Saanich Fire Chief Dave Ward.
The city issues a warning after the third false alarm. Fines are imposed after a fourth false alarm.
McGill abandons take-out
McGill University students Amanda Garbutt and April Engelberg, both 21, started their own cooking show, The Hot Plate, which aired regularly on TVMcGill and online.
Engelberg, a fourth-year English major, credits good friend Garbutt with getting her interested in cooking. She said she wanted to start a cooking show and she wanted the fourth-year sociology major to be the “star.”
Students’ English needs improvement: Waterloo
Despite the increasing failure rate for the University of Waterloo’s mandatory English entrance exam, U of W’s English Language Proficiency Program (ELPP) said all universities should have the exams.
Thirty per cent of first-year students do not pass the ELP Exam, up from 25 per cent five years ago, according to program managing director Ann Barrett. Even so, Barrett said all universities should implement the exam, currently unique to U of W, to ensure students have the necessary writing skills for academic success.
Alberta streamlines applications
For some students, applying to university is a stressful process. Decisions have to be made about where to apply and for what program to enter. Now, Alberta is attempting to make the registration process easier and cheaper for its students with the unveiling of a new website that streamlines the application process.
The new site, ApplyAlberta, is an easier and less costly way to apply, said Seamus O’Shea, ApplyAlberta co-chair.
Brock student info leaked online
A clerical error at the Brock University library resulted in secure student information being leaked to the university’s public website, according to an open letter sent out earlier this month.
In the letter, Murray Knuttila, Brock’s provost and vice-president (academic), explained that a library employee accidentally uploaded a file containing the university’s student names, ID numbers, phone numbers and mailing and e-mail addresses to the Brock website.
