November 20, 2024

Red River College Polytechnic has officially opened the Interdisciplinary Health and Community Services Simulation Centre, which it says is the first of its kind in Manitoba. The 16,630-square-foot learning space will host high-fidelity simulation equipment and live actors to train health and community services students through activities and mock scenarios. “This is an exciting new frontier in how we can better train and prepare students to be confident in their careers and make an impact in our communities throughout the province,” said RRC Polytech President Fred Meier. MB provided $6M in capital funding and $1M in annual operations and maintenance funding to support the centre.

Postsecondary institutions are taking time to mark Transgender Awareness Week and the Transgender Day of Remembrance today. Institutions such as Camosun College, Humber College, the University of Alberta, the University of Guelph, the University of Victoria, and York University are holding ceremonies and sharing resources. Throughout the week, some institutions hosted a community events, such as a special Pride Night hosted by the Camosun Chargers and a tote bag painting event at UofGuelph. On the day of remembrance, institutions are hosting drop-in commemorative gatherings and sharing supports for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community and allies on campus.

The University of Manitoba has unveiled the $2.5M Rady Biomedical Fish Facility. The facility houses approximately 2,000 zebrafish and 250 Mexican tetras. The facility includes automatically-maintained fish tanks, fish egg incubators, a confocal microscope, a micro-injection station, and a system for studying adult fish and larvae behaviour. UManitoba Assistant Professor Dr Benjamin Lindsey explained that the fish—which share around 70% of their genes with humans—can regenerate neural stem tissue after trauma. Researchers hope to study the fish to gain more insight into topics such as human embryos, brain and spinal cord injuries, and fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.

Concordia University will provide the Association of Canadian College and University Teachers of English (ACCUTE) with a home base and headquarters on campus for the next two years. ACCUTE is an organization that focuses on supporting faculty and students who teach and research English-language literature. Concordia faculty members Jason Camlot and Cynthia Quarrie will serve as ACCUTE’s president and vice-president, respectively. A team of three English graduate students will help revitalize ACCUTE through a variety of initiatives, including collaborations, helping graduate students apply their skills, and building on ACCUTE’s equity statement and actions. “Many English departments are deep into the work of decolonizing their curricula and critical approaches,” said Camlot, who noted new possibilities arising as categories and canons are challenged.

Georgian College and Okanagan College have shared further updates on the actions they are taking to contend with federal policy shifts impacting international students. Georgian’s responses include cancelling all intakes for its Georgian@ILAC public-private partnership, suspending some program intakes or combining classes, amalgamating certain operational areas, and reducing staffing. Castanet reports that Okanagan instructors are also bracing for cuts in the wake of federal policy changes, which have rendered 92% of the college’s programming ineligible for PGWPs. Okanagan College Faculty Association President Sharon Mansiere stated that more than 80 full-time faculty are “at risk of not being rehired for Fall 2025” and that continuing faculty ranks could be at risk as well.

MacEwan University and the Oilers Entertainment Group have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to support downtown vibrancy while providing work-integrated learning (WIL) opportunities to students. The MOU will create WIL opportunities for MacEwan students within the entertainment organization and establishes a framework for future growth in this area. “One of the goals in our Teaching Greatness strategic vision is for every program we offer to include a work integrated learning opportunity,” said MacEwan President Annette Trimbee. “This MOU is an important step in this direction.” Trimbee noted these kinds of partnerships will provide students with more opportunities as MacEwan experiences growth.

Dalhousie University and the University of King’s College have assembled a rapid taskforce to identify ways that they can strengthen and expand their over 100-year-old partnership over the next decade. The taskforce has been given four objectives: Review the state of the relationship between the two partners, identify areas of success and opportunities for growth, explore new opportunities for collaboration, and develop recommendations for the future. “It seemed like a ripe moment to step back and say, ‘Okay, what are all the wonderful aspects of the association and how could we make the association even better than it is?’” said U of King’s College President Bill Lahey. The taskforce is expected to produce a report with recommendations in 2025.

The University of Niagara Falls Canada and Niagara College have signed an English as a Second Language (ESL) articulation agreement. The agreement introduces an ESL pathway to provide eligible college students with admission to a variety of UNFC programs. The pathway will streamline admissions and expand academic opportunities for international students. “This latest collaboration with Niagara College aligns with UNFC’s mission to enhance educational accessibility for our students,” said UNFC Provost and VP, Academic. “Partnerships like this help us to streamline the admissions process and recognize prior learning.”

In a recent article for Inside Higher Ed, Ashley Mowreader discusses strategies that postsecondary institutions can use to encourage students to seek mental health help when they are in distress. Mowreader highlights the findings of a recent US study, which found that students commonly did not know their role in addressing mental health challenges and provides a list of initiatives that US colleges and universities have implemented to help facilitate discourse around the topic. These include posting information inside bathroom stalls, sharing data and resources with students, providing professional development and training to students so they are prepared to help others, and highlighting mental health resources during prospective-student events.

The University of Ottawa Student Union has reacted to a recent City of Ottawa price increase to the student transit pass, saying that the city is in violation of their agreement. The Ottawa Citizen states that the City of Ottawa’s 2025 draft budget includes a 5% fare increase for the city’s OC Transpo, including for the U-Pass, which would increase the price to $240.52 per semester. However, CTV News reports that the UOttawa Student Union’s agreement with the city only allows for a maximum increase of 2.5% per year. The U-Pass is currently used by students at four institutions in the city: Algonquin College, Carleton University, St Paul University, and UOttawa.