July 9, 2024

McGill University has denounced a pro-Palestinian protest that occurred Friday night that resulted in vandalism on campus, an alleged assault on a campus security guard, and a confrontation with police, reports the Montréal Gazette. “It should be clear to everyone that attacks on people and property do not represent the legitimate exercise of anyone’s rights to free expression or assembly,” stated McGill President Deep Saini. CTV News reports that Montréal police deployed tear gas to disperse the crowd of protesters and arrested a 66-year-old man. While Saini expressed hope that the city police would also “act swiftly” to remove the encampment on McGill’s campus, Montréal Mayor Valérie Plante asserted that she expected McGill to “revise their strategy” in light of other institutions finding a peaceful solution.

The Francophone Living Learning Community—Newfoundland and Labrador’s first French postsecondary residence—will open in September 2024. The Living Learning Community is open to students from the College of the North Atlantic and Memorial University who share a passion for Francophone cultures and wish to improve their French language skills. The space will serve as a hub with themed programming, study spaces, and project areas to complement students’ academic pursuits and social activities. VOCM reports that the residence was made possible through federal funding and the support of both CNA and Memorial. It is operated through a partnership between the institutions and the Fédération des francophones de Terre-Neuve et du Labrador.

Regent College recently unveiled changes to two of its master’s degree programs to enhance the student experience. The college has revised the curriculum of the Master of Arts in Christian Studies (MACS) degree to make it easier for part-time students to complete the program. Specifically, the MACS curriculum now includes fewer required courses and instead allows students to choose courses from subject areas such as Spiritual Theology and World Christianity. The Master of Theology (ThM) program has been updated to include a new three-credit course called “Advanced Research Methods and Writing,” which will guide students through the development of their primary ThM research projects.

The encampments at the University of Waterloo and Western University have ended, while the University of Guelph has escalated its efforts to urge protesters to dismantle their encampment. At UWaterloo, CTV News reports that Occupy UW voluntarily decamped on Sunday after the university agreed to withdraw its $1.5M claim and injunction. At Western, CBC reports that protesters cleared the encampment from campus after the university warned that it would take an unspecified “disciplinary action.” Protest groups from both UWaterloo and Western told the media that they would continue to apply pressure on the universities in other ways. At UoGuelph, the university has issued a legal trespass notice to students at the pro-Palestinian encampment on campus after the encampment was not dismantled by a Sunday night deadline.

Mitchell Bailey of Global News spoke to university students in Nova Scotia about how they are struggling “year-round” to balance their budgets. Halifax’s low vacancy rate has been a particular source of stress for students in the region, pushing students to begin their housing searches months earlier and consider increasingly less affordable and less accessible accommodation options. Bailey also profiled some of the ongoing responses from Halifax-based postsecondary institutions, calling attention to Dalhousie University’s 10-year housing plan to build hundreds of additional beds on campus and some of the housing supports offered through Saint Mary’s University and the University of King’s College.

Assiniboine College has received a $500K donation from the Anthony Matlashewski Charitable Foundation to support the college’s new Mechatronics Engineering Technology (Robotics and Automation) program. This donation will contribute toward the purchase of teaching robots and equipment for the program. “With the support from the Anthony Matlashewski Foundation, Assiniboine will be able to attract students interested in careers in agricultural automation, robotics, precision agriculture and ag-tech development, to give them the hands-on learning experiences we are so proud to offer,” said Assiniboine Academic Chair of Manufacturing and Agricultural Processing Kevin Rogers. Assiniboine states that the three-year Mechatronics diploma program will launch in September 2025 as part of the college’s Russ Edwards School of Agriculture & Environment.

Last week, Memorial University provided updates on the encampment located at the St John’s campus. It shared three overarching commitments that the university is making in response to the ongoing protest: transparency, responsible investing, and support for students displaced by war. Memorial added that while the university supports peaceful protests, it also expects the protesters to “end the occupation of the Arts and Administration building and the encampment.” On Friday, several protesters voluntarily left the Arts and Administration building while three other students had to be escorted from the building and are each facing a single charge of petty trespassing.

University of Niagara Falls Canada is partnering with the International American University (IAU) in Los Angeles, California to enhance academic pathways and international opportunities. Together, the partners will establish an educational pathway for UNFC graduates to pursue doctoral degrees at IAU, including a Doctor of Business Administration and a Doctor of Management. “Partnerships like the one between [UNFC] and IAU are invaluable in expanding opportunities for our graduates,” said GUS Canada CEO Cyndi McLeod. “Advanced studies at the master and doctoral levels in business and management equip students with the knowledge and skills required to excel as much-needed leaders in today’s dynamic global economy.”

In a recent opinion article for Le Journal de Montréal, Joseph Facal argues in favour of literature and philosophy courses at cégeps. Facal underlines that philosophy courses are especially under threat at cégeps, with many of the classes begetting high failure rates and unfavourable reactions from students who consider philosophy training “boring” and irrelevant to their career aspirations. However, the author asserts that philosophy courses are essential to help students better understand themselves and the times they live in. Facal concludes that these skills are needed in an increasingly fragmented world, as they help students to see what all humans have in common.

Dalhousie University’s libraries recently held a Wikipedia edit-a-thon to improve the website’s information on Mi’kmaw people and Mi’kma’ki, the traditional and current territories of the Mi’kmaq people. Dal Assistant Professor Dr Stacy Allison-Cassin guided participants through the basics of Wikipedia article creation and editing. Together, participants edited 19 Wikipedia articles to contribute 50 new references and over 3,300 words of content. Dal states that this work demonstrates the important role that digital platforms play in honouring, preserving, and promoting Indigenous people and histories.