March 12, 2024

More than 20,000 students from Concordia University and McGill University are striking this week to protest the Government of Québec’s tuition increases for out-of-province and international students. Angelica Antonakopoulos, academic coordinator for the Arts and Science Federation of Associations at Concordia, explained that the students wish to build on the ongoing legal challenges that Concordia and McGill lodged against the provincial government in February. “Continuing to apply pressure as students–by taking to the hallways of our institution and taking to the streets–will only give the legal cases the urgency and validity they need in both the court of public opinion and just in the public eye in general,” said Antonakopoulos.

Acadia University School of Kinesiology Assistant Professor Emily Bremer has been awarded $1.1M to establish the Inclusive Movement and Health Lab at Acadia. The lab will contain specialized equipment, spaces to assess movement skills, and areas for physical activity programs for children with disabilities. “There will also be a space for cognitive and behavioural assessments as well as a nice space for honours and graduate students to work and collaborate,” said Bremer. “Having that space and equipment opens a lot of doors for the students for training and the breadth of research they can do.” Project funders include the Canada Foundation for Innovation and Research Nova Scotia.

Vancouver Island University is considering cancelling several programs and courses in order to address its projected financial deficit. At a meeting last week, the VIU Senate’s planning and priorities committee proposed cancelling the institution’s jazz and music programs. Cancellations of the integrated engineering technology diploma, advanced diploma in geographic information systems, and master’s in geographic information systems courses are also under consideration. A statement from VIU said that these potential measures “are all focused on helping VIU continue to meet the needs of learners in our region and continue to deliver the high-quality education that is expected.”

In a recent Nature article, Carissa Wong discusses the potential opportunities and challenges associated with using AI-generated images and videos for scientific research. The author highlights the mixed responses to AI-generated images within the scientific community and discusses how these images are already being used to illustrate methods in scientific papers, promote papers in social media posts, and touch up presentation slides. Wong notes that generative AI tools can benefit researchers by reducing the time it takes to produce images at a higher quality, but advises that image-generators are not yet able to create complex scientific figures with accurate text annotations and may produce inaccurate or fraudulent images. The author concludes that responses to AI-generated images are still mixed within the scientific community.

Queen’s University has issued a statement after an incident in which a Palestinian flag was hung on the university’s Grant Hall clocktower flagpole. The incident was the result of a break and enter; Campus Security and Emergency Services attended the scene and removed the flag. Queen’s says that Campus Security and Kingston Police are working together to investigate the incident. CTV News reports that the statement originally urged campus community members to contact authorities if they experience or witness a “hate-motivated” act, but that this wording was revised to say an “unlawful” act and the statement was reissued.

Assiniboine Community College and the City of Brandon have signed a $475K, 15-year deal under which Cougars soccer will be housed at the under-construction Maple Leaf Foods Sports Complex. ACC will not pay operating costs and will have preferred access to field times, signage, and amenities. The largest soccer pitch at the field will be named “Cougars Field” until at least 2040. “For the college, this makes best use of scarce resources for capital development and operating costs for our varsity athletic program. Further, it allows the field to be used by the rest of the community and managed by those with expertise in the sport,” said ACC President Mark Frison.

Trent University has launched the Software Engineering Co-op BSc program. The degree—which is offered through Trent’s computer science department—allows students to specialize from the outset of their studies and grow their knowledge base through supplemental courses. Students will complete paid co-op placements after their third year, which will give them opportunities to streamline their pathways into the workforce. “Working in Software Engineering isn’t just programming, it’s also providing expertise, communicating with clients, upholding ethical standards, and being a good team member,” said Trent Associate Professor Dr Omar Alam. “Here, our aim is to equip students with the highest quality technical skills and real-world application experience to ensure they are confident and professional leaders when they leave Trent.”

The Varsity reports that postsecondary students from Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia recently participated in a protest organized by Change Course, in which they protested RBC’s presence on their respective campuses. The students voiced concerns over issues such as divestment from fossil fuels, Indigenous rights, and investments in Israeli technology. The University of Toronto’s RBC branch closed for the day after protesters sat in front of it. Those passing by were encouraged to sign a petition. At the University of Ottawa, students held a sit-in at RBC’s on-campus branch to voice their demands and express their view that the bank’s presence on campus goes against student values. Students at the University of British Columbia Okanagan and Okanagan College held demonstrations at their respective campuses to call for divestment.

Both Université Laval and Memorial University have released labour dispute updates. The Syndicat des charges et chargés de course de l’Université Laval have voted 97% in favour of approving an agreement in principle with ULaval. If ratified, this new agreement will guarantee a salary increase of 22.6% over five years for unionized ULaval lecturers. The Lecturers’ Union of Memorial University of Newfoundland (LUMUN) has reached a tentative deal with Memorial, thereby averting a strike that was scheduled to begin this week. LUMUN says that the next step is for the union members to vote on the deal.

Administrators must take action to help professors who are struggling to teach disengaged students, writes David D Perlmutter for the Chronicle of Higher Ed. Perlmutter writes that administrators should avoid invalidating faculty concerns about misbehaviour, misconduct, and disengagement and—recognizing that disengagement varies in different settings and among different populations—work collaboratively to address the associated challenges. The author also encourages administrators to support faculty and staff by organizing and supporting meetings to brainstorm solutions, avoiding imposing new bureaucracy, and rewarding those who lead in the “pedagogical reset.” Perlmutter adds that administrators should consider how they can anticipate and prevent disengagement by expanding conversations to include high school leaders.