All Posts Tagged With: "University of Regina"
Confessions pages are mostly just fun
Educators have bigger things to worry about
Daniela Vladimirova/Flickr
Students looking to spill secrets about crushes or amusing campus escapades have a new outlet on Facebook. “Confessions” pages that post anonymous messages have been popping up at universities, colleges and high schools from Lakehead University to the University of Regina to Western University and as far away as Australia’s University of Adelaide.
The pages are being criticized by educators, who see them potentially leading to cyberbullying if the anonymity is broken. I don’t think they should worry. I think they’re fun, harmless and the risk of names getting out seems low. For the most part, these pages are a much-needed outlet for those wanting to vent or laugh, rather than viciously attack each other. Officials shouldn’t be so worried.
Confessions pages are reminiscent of Post Secret, a popular website that does the same thing. Both allow students to say things they wouldn’t post on personal pages or Twitter. The difference is that confessions pages are specific to certain schools, which may be why they’re getting scrutiny.
Canoeing to class, men’s rights & Joyce Murray
What students are talking about today (February 28th)
McMaster (TechnicolourCity/YouTube)
1. Students at McMaster University got creative crossing their slushy Hamilton, Ont. campus after a major winter storm hit Ontario on Tuesday. They paddled across it in a canoe. Someone made a video and posted it to YouTube where it already has 55,000 views and was shown on air by CBC News Network. Meanwhile in Ottawa….
2. Ryerson University student Sarah Santhosh wants to start a men’s issues group on campus called the Ryerson Association for Equality that would discuss mental health, male youth violence, misogyny, as well as gender disadvantages in education, the workplace and custody battles. “Universities are supposed to be places where any and all ideas are accepted and discussed. Nothing should be too taboo for discussion,” she told The Eyeopener. It’s unclear whether the Ryerson Students’ Union will prevent the group from gaining status considering vice president equity, Marwa Hamad, previously said that, “marginalized or underprivileged student members should be the focus of equity service groups on campus.”
Continue reading Canoeing to class, men’s rights & Joyce Murray
Regina heading to World Cheerleading Championship
U. of R. Cougars will be only Canadian squad
C-O-U-G-A-R-S. Let’s go Cougars!
The University of Regina cheerleading team is hoping that chant will help lead them to a big W-I-N at a world championship event.
The 27-member team is heading to Florida for the International Cheer Union World University Cheerleading Championship next weekend.
“We’re going to be the only team there representing Canada, so it’s really exciting especially since there’s going to be good representation from the U.S., as well as some Asian countries and (Australia),” said head coach Thomas Rath.
The Regina team got to this point by winning the small coed division at the Canadian National University Cheerleading Championships in Brampton, Ont., in December.
Continue reading Regina heading to World Cheerleading Championship
What students are talking about today (December 17th)
Fake IDs, cheerleading champs, Tolkien & weirdo engineers
A real Ontario driver's license (MTO)
1. Fake IDs have come a long way since I was 17. Back then it simply required peeling off the top layer of a real one, changing a 5 to a 1, and replacing the plastic. Today there are holograms and magnetic strips. Still, shady shops in Toronto are overcoming the technology and creating passable “novelty” driver’s licenses and university ID cards for anyone with roughly $50, CBC News reports. It just goes to show that if demand is strong enough, the black market will respond.
2. Some students will do anything to get out of Saskatchewan in January. The University of Regina is the only Canadian school sending a cheerleading team to International Cheer Union’s World University Championships next month in Orlando, Florida, reports the Leader-Post.
Continue reading What students are talking about today (December 17th)
From student politics to Speaker of the House
Andrew Scheer’s university advice
Speaker Andrew Scheer (Sean Kilpatrick/CP)
The 2013 Maclean’s University Rankings asked some of Canada’s most successful writers, politicians and scientists what they wish they’d known in university. Their answers are perfect additions to our First Year Survivor blog. Here’s advice from Andrew Scheer, the 33-year-old Member of Parliament for Regina—Qu’Appelle and Speaker of the House of Commons.
I always had an interest in politics, so I took several political science courses while pursuing a history degree at the University of Ottawa. I moved to Regina to get married (my wife had moved back home there), and I took my last few credits at the University of Regina.
I really enjoyed first year. In university you get to meet hundreds of other young people with similar passions. Solving the world’s problems in the campus pub, volunteering during provincial or federal elections and participating in student associations were not only fun, but very educational.
Continue reading From student politics to Speaker of the House
This week’s can’t miss shows
Where to catch USS, Propagandhi, Teenage Kicks, Arkells…
From "Lose Your Head" Teenage Kicks (YouTube)
Last Sunday, J. Biebs was booed by thousands of Grey Cup spectators in Toronto. Here are five shows near Canadian campuses this weekend where the crowds should be a little friendlier.
1. USS (Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker) has a knack for crafting dance-ready hits. The Toronto two-piece is teaming up with Hello, Click for a string of dates including at the Seahorse Tavern in Halifax on Dec. 1. Ticket info here.
2. Toronto singer-songwriter Reg Vermue has been performing under the pseudonym Gentleman Reg for more than a decade. He takes his unforgettable folk-pop-dance tunes to Kingston’s Grad Club on Nov. 30 where he’ll be joined by folk-pop gems Inlet Sound. Ticket info.
3. Seven-piece ensemble The Tom Fun Orchestra, self-styled “world famous musicians,” use an eclectic mix and electric and acoustic instruments. These East Coast indie rockers play The Gateway at SAIT in Calgary on on Nov. 29. Ticket info here.
4. Propagandhi has long been revered for their politics-infused punk. They play back-to-back nights at the University of Regina’s Riddell Centre on Nov. 29 and Nov. 30. Ticket info here.
5. Teenage Kicks, Young Rival, The Roxwells and Arkells are worth braving the throngs of extreme sports spectators at the Red Bull Crashed Ice party in Niagara Falls, Ont. not too far from Brock University, on Nov. 30. More info here.
Teenage Kicks offers some advice in this video that’s especially useful this time of year:
Did we miss a show? Let us know in the comments!
What students are talking about today (November 27th edition)
The real Scumbag Steve, by-elections & marijuana research
Scumbag Steve Memes (KnowYourMeme.com)
1. You know that guy Scumbag Steve with the backwards hat and fur-collared coat? You’ve probably seen him posted on Facebook walls with captions like “Yo, whose house is this?/My bros need directions.” It turns out he’s more than just a meme. His name is Blake Boston, 22, and he lives in New England. He tells the Boston Globe the photo was taken when he was 16 and then lifted off his Myspace page. Now, he’s recognized by strangers with regularity. Let that be a lesson to us all about forgotten Myspace pages.
2. Humboldt State University in California has announced a new interdisciplinary research unit dedicated to studying marijuana. Eleven faculty members from fields including economics, geography, politics and sociology will conduct the research, reports local newspaper The Times-Standard.
3. Three by-elections made Monday an interesting night in federal politics. The Conservatives easily took Durham, the Ontario riding Bev Oda vacated after her $16 orange juice. In Calgary Centre the Conservatives won with just 37 per cent of the vote while the Liberals got 33 per cent and the Greens took 25 per cent. The Greens also had a strong second place showing in Victoria where the New Democrat prevailed. Here’s a post mortem of the race for Calgary Centre.
Continue reading What students are talking about today (November 27th edition)
Campus Eats: University of Regina
Filled up for $11 at Henderson Cafe
The 2013 Maclean’s University Rankings includes an examination of the dining on Canadian campuses. We found healthier options than ever, but also a new problem—high prices.
Maclean’s On Campus is continuing the conversation by having students review food on their campuses and showing what it costs to dine.
If you’re a student, you can help. Send us a review of an eatery at your school. Keep your receipts. If we publish it, we’ll reimburse you.
The latest Campus Eats review is by Colton Hordichuk at the University of Regina.
Henderson Cafe
Five out of five stars
Total Price: $10.90
What students are talking about today (November 1st edition)
Happy Movember, #BaldforBieber & Save the Wesmen
Kelly Finnamore/Flickr
1. Movember, one of the most popular fundraisers on Canadian campuses, began today. Perhaps taking a cue from Saskatchewan premier Brad Wall, who challenged his fellow premier Robert Ghiz of P.E.I. to a grow-off, students at the University of Regina’s Carillon student newspaper are asking readers to bet on who can grow the best mo. $5 to vote. Proceeds fight cancer.
2. The 2013 Maclean’s University Rankings are finally here! The 132-page guide includes stories on class size, the viral videos phenomenon, expensive textbooks and, of course, the rankings. Who took home the gold may not surprise you, but the performance of schools like the University of Northern British Columbia, New Brunswick and Trent probably will.
3. A false rumour on Twitter that Justin Bieber had cancer caused a number of fans to shave their heads and tag them under #BaldforBieber. Rachel Herscovici of the Queen’s Journal disapproves.
4. More than 800 people have “liked” a Facebook page called “Save the Wesmen.” The University of Winnipeg is considering changing the name of its Wesmen athletics teams to be more inclusive.
Continue reading What students are talking about today (November 1st edition)
What students are talking about today (October 30th edition)
Drake graduates, Sandy kills, & good news for graduates
High School Grad Drake (musicisentropy/Flickr)
1. At least 17 people died due to Superstorm Sandy, which came ashore in New Jersey and spread across eastern North America Monday, knocking out power in many places, including parts of New York City. It was a serious storm with sad consequences for many, but that didn’t stop students at shut-down U.S. colleges from celebrating their “hurrication.” Here in Canada, at least one person was killed when a piece of a Staples store sign in Toronto came lose and struck a woman standing underneath. Classes were cancelled on Monday evening at Brock University and Niagara College, but both reopened on Tuesday. Many flights are cancelled today.
2. Drake, the much-loved and occasionally hated Canadian rap superstar, is making headlines for the high school graduation speech he gave this weekend Jarvis Collegiate Institute in Toronto. The 26-year-old dropped out of school at age 15 to pursue an acting job with Degrassi: The Next Generation. He said on Sunday that the lack of diploma left a “gaping hole” in his life, so he spent the past five months finishing the work. Why would a millionaire want to finish high school? “This is about the art of following through,” he told the crowd.
3. A Republican student group at an Ohio university has apologized for using the song Fake Empire by The National in a pro-Romney video they posted on YouTube. This after frontman Matt Berninger posted a testy response: “We encourage all students to educate themselves about the differences between the inclusive, pro-social, compassionate, forward-thinking policies of President Obama and the self-serving politics of the neo-conservative movement and Mitt Romney.”
Continue reading What students are talking about today (October 30th edition)
What students are talking about today (October 25th edition)
Supreme Court, Halloween costumes, & UBC “dimes”
daniel.richardson0685/Flickr
1. The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled that Conservative MP Ted Opitz legitimately won his seat in the Toronto riding of Etobicoke Centre in the 2011 federal election, but the court was split 4 to 3. Opitz appealed an Ontario Superior Court ruling that set aside his victory over Liberal incumbent Borys Wrzesnewskyj because of procedural irregularities with 79 ballots. The Supreme Court overturned the ruling, deciding that 59 of those votes should count, reports The Canadian Press. The lesson: every vote matters.
2. A Twitter account dedicated to highlighting “dimes” and referencing “sluts” at UBC Vancouver has been removed. University officials told The Province newspaper that several varsity athletes, including hockey players, were behind the @UBCDimeWatch handle. “Dime” is a slang term for a woman whose appearance might be called a “perfect 10.” Photos were apparently posted without women’s permission. That’s a bit creepy.
3. The UK Border Agency’s decision to revoke London Metropolitan University’s license to sponsor overseas students strengthened the image of UK higher education, says Jason Kenney, Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism. He told Times Higher Education that Canada intends “to go the same direction,” noting what he calls, “many sub-par institutions that are not providing quality programmes, and which are mostly facilitating various forms of legal migration.”
Continue reading What students are talking about today (October 25th edition)
What students are talking about today (October 18th edition)
Snoop Dog, Mulcair, Halloween, Movember & study space
Snoop Dog
1.Snoop Dog (Snoop Lion?) is now endorsing that gooey microwavable student staple known as Hot Pockets. In a video advertisement that already has three million views, he’s reworked his 2004 hit “Drop It Like It’s Hot” into “Pockets Like It’s Hot.” He may be a sellout, but that bicycle with a microwave attached is a wicked idea.
2. Speaking of ridiculous advertisements, Anne Kingston tears apart Brad Pitt’s new commercial, in which he says: “It’s not a journey. Every journey ends, but we go on. The world turns, and we turn with it. Plans disappear, dreams take over. But wherever I go, there you are, my luck, my fate, my fortune. Chanel No. 5, inevitable.” Uhhh… What?
3. In an interview with the University of Regina’s Carillon, NDP leader Thomas Mulcair said some notable things. His assertion that “the average student finishes university with over $40,000 in debt,” doesn’t match any estimate I’ve seen. (Even the debt warriors at the Canadian Federation of Students peg the average at $27,000.) He also says youth are mostly concerned about the environment. “Most young people are a little bit less concerned about the economics, except for the fact that they realize that consistent failure to invest in post-secondary education is playing tricks on them,” he added, suggesting the federal government “get back to the level of [PSE] funding that we saw before the 1990s, before the Liberals started downloading to the provinces.”
Continue reading What students are talking about today (October 18th edition)
What students are talking about today (Sept. 28 edition)
Dodgeball record, PETA billboards & Western homecoming
Dodgeball at Alberta (JeffreyNathaniel/Flickr)
1. Students from the University of California Irvine shattered the Guinness World Record for the largest game of dodgeball this week with 6,084 players. The University of Alberta, a four-time record-holder, lost its standing. It had 4,979 players on Feb. 3. I bet they’ll try to get it back.
2. Western University’s homecoming parade will be held on campus today, rather than downtown. It’s because London Police won’t provide extra officers pro bono. (They may be busy anyway.)
3. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) will put up billboards near Saskatoon, Winnipeg and Ottawa schools this Thanksgiving holiday, reports The Canadian Press. The billboards will read: “Kids, if you wouldn’t eat your dog, why eat a turkey? Go vegan.”
Continue reading What students are talking about today (Sept. 28 edition)
What students are talking about today (Sept. 14 edition)
Lady Gaga, “swarmings” in Ottawa and riot justice
Gaga in Toronto (Gn!pGnop/Flickr)
1. Lady Gaga’s latest bit of performance art/marketing is called “Sleeping with Gaga.” Last night, she climbed into a structure at New York’s Guggenheim and encouraged celebrities like Paris Hilton and Marc Jacobs to touch her while she slept. Oh, and she also got a new tattoo that some say looks like Honey Boo Boo, the proud redneck beauty queen who stars in the eponymous TLC show. (Not making this up.)
2. Sweden isn’t the fairytale land we Canadians sometimes imagine it to be. A drunk man, 38, fell onto the tracks at a metro station south of Stockholm and instead of being helped up to safety, he was robbed of his wallet, gold chain and mobile phone. The thief calmly fled. The victim was then hit by the train and seriously injured.
3. Ottawa isn’t safe either, apparently. An 18-year-old male was charged after two “swarmings” near the University of Ottawa. Hanten Hersi and an unidentified accomplice are accused of stealing from three people in two separate incidents. At one point, they showed a gun to a woman before robbing her. The second suspect is described as a 5’7″ to 5’10″ tall black male with dreadlocks.
Continue reading What students are talking about today (Sept. 14 edition)
What students are talking about today (Sept. 12 edition)
Uncomfortable washrooms, tuition, & angry naked folks
followtheseinstructions/Flickr
1. Some students at the University of Victoria are uncomfortable with the new “multi-stall gender inclusive washrooms” in the Student Union Building. The student union got rid of the old man-woman divide by renovating urinals and changing the gendered signs to show just a toilet. The goal is to make life more comfortable for transgender students. I guess one person’s comfort is another person’s discomfort sometimes.
2. The new Mattamy Athletic Centre at the Gardens (formerly Maple Leaf Gardens) is sponsored by Molson Coors. There are multiple beer ads and beer is for sale in the concession. While hockey fans are saying “thank God,” other people apparently have a problem with it. Ryerson University President Sheldon Levy, true to form, has a pragmatic response: “you can sneeze and be within 40 paces of the Gardens and have alcohol, so how am I supposed to police things?,” he told The Eyeopener, adding, “I consider the students adults and I trust them to make judgments.”
3. Two University of Regina students are seeking sanctuary in a church after the Canada Border Services Agency decided to deport them to Nigeria because they illegally worked for two weeks at Walmart. U of R President Vianne Timmons is lobbying the government to allow them to stay.
Continue reading What students are talking about today (Sept. 12 edition)
What students are talking about today (Sept. 7 edition)
Kristen Stewart, TIFF, Jimmy Kimmel is mean & bubble tea
Kristen Stewart (Gage Skidmore/Flickr)
1. Maclean’s, headquartered in the city currently known as TIFF, has a team working to bring you the latest news on films and celebrities right here. You thought Kristen Stewart, that famous double-timer, would steal all the attention? Well, she sure did. Bruce Willis and Joseph Gordon Levitt, whose sci-fi flick Looper opened the festival, were also popular on the red carpet last night.
2. While we’re on the topic of TIFF, intrepid Maclean’s reporter Jessica Allen is seeing Spring Break today. It’s the movie students everywhere are talking about—and I can see why. It has a classic plot: Selena Gomez and friends rob a restaurant so that they can party in Florida, but get busted for drugs and then have to rely on James Franco to bail them out of prison.
3. Comedian Jimmy Kimmel launched a segment on his show called “Hey Jimmy Kimmel, I Got My Kid a Horrible Back-to-School Outfit.” Not everyone thinks it’s funny. Parents taped the horrified reactions of kids given embarrassing back-to-school clothes. The segment included more than a few homophobic stereotypes, including one t-shirt that says “I’m So Gay I Sh*t Rainbows.”
Continue reading What students are talking about today (Sept. 7 edition)
Once a prostitute. Now a professor.
Regina prof’s revelation highlights students in the sex trade
Photo by bandita on Flickr
A University of Regina professor who worked as an escort when she was a master’s student many years ago has shared her story with CBC News.
Jean Hillabold, now an English instructor, says she’s speaking out because she wants to draw attention to the debate over sex trade regulation.
But in doing so, she’s also highlighted the fact that some students and university graduates work in prostitution, erotic dancing and pornography to pay their bills.
Why Indigenous Studies shouldn’t be mandatory
It’s redundant, it’s unfair, and coercion causes resentment
Beaudin-Herney from YouTube/BradBasic
A third-year student from First Nations University wants to force all students at the nearby University of Regina—and eventually everywhere—to take mandatory Indigenous Studies courses.
The idea is gaining steam more quickly than Julianne Beaudin-Herney, 20, had imagined.
More than 1,000 people have signed her petition entitled Students Initiative to Change On-Campus Systemic Racism. Administrators have offered support, student union presidents across the country have fallen over themselves to sign. NDP leadership candidate Niki Ashton added her name.
The only people who have dared to publicly question the proposal are a few U of R engineering students. They don’t want to lose the single humanities course they get out of 45 classes in 4.5 years. Engineering undergrads are already so busy that only 64 per cent of them finish in six years.
Continue reading Why Indigenous Studies shouldn’t be mandatory
Regina students vote in favour of Pride Centre
Previous referendum failed
Students at the University of Regina have voted to add a $1.00 fee to fund the campus Pride Centre for Sexuality and Gender Diversity, which supports queer youth. Of the 475 students who voted, 86 per cent were in favour, according to unofficial results. According to The Carillon student newspaper, students rejected the addition of a $7.00 annual fee for the Pride Centre in 2008.
Marking the Montreal Massacre
A coast-to-coast round-up of remembrance
Photo by Flabber DeGasky on Flickr
On this date in 1989, a young man named Marc Lepine rounded up women at the Ecole Polytechnique engineering school in Montreal and opened fire, killing 14 females and injuring 14 others before turning the gun on himself. In his suicide note, he blamed women for his problems.
Since 1991, Dec. 6 has been The National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women. Across Quebec today, survivors of the shooting will gather with activists and ask the Quebec government to sue the Canadian government over Bill C-19, which will abolish the long-gun registry and—they say— allow more violence against women to occur.
Here are a few of the ways universities across the country are marking the sombre occasion.
