New Camosun Board members
The inaugural meeting of the Camosun College board of governors saw the appointment of a new chair, Kyman Chan, succeeding Lynda Farmer who served as chair since fall of 2009. Chan, a chartered accountant and partner in Hayes Stewart Little and Co., has served on the Camosun board since 2007. Two new board members were also appointed: Thomas Siemens of the Royal Bank and investment manager Russ Lazaruk.
Advance education minister needs fact-checker
The minister of advanced education, Naomi Yamamoto, recently claimed that 70 percent of students in BC graduate without student debt—a surprising statement considering that in 2009 the Millennium Scholarship Foundation stated that 54 percent of BC students graduate with student debt. The same document also mentions that between 2000 and 2009 debt for BC undergrads grew at a higher rate than anywhere else in Canada.
Student debt worries British Columbians
According to a new poll commissioned by the Federation of Post Secondary Educators of BC and the Canadian Federation of Students-BC, British Columbia’s high student debt is a concern for the majority of its citizens. The poll states that 92 percent of British Columbians think that high tuition fees are making it difficult for low-income families to participate in postsecondary education, 87 percent of British Columbians want tuition fees either reduced or frozen, and only 33 percent of British Columbians approve of how the BC Liberals’ have been handling postsecondary education issues. Currently, BC ranks dead last among provinces in grants and other student-aid disbursements.
Students launch funding campaign
Students in BC recently launched the Where’s the Funding?! campaign at campuses on Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland. The campaign calls for the BC Government to commit to an immediate increase in funding to the postsecondary education system on a long-term basis, in order to achieve a more accessible and affordable postsecondary education system. The campaign also asks for the elimination of interest rates on student loans, the re-establishment of a provincial needs-based grants program, and an increase to the core funding for colleges and universities.
Privacy commissioner unveils new youth privacy tool
The office of the privacy commissioner of Canada has launched a new tool to aid teachers and community leaders in teaching youth about online privacy. The presentation package, Protecting Your Online Rep, is designed to encourage young people to consider how they use social networks and other online services. The goal is to provide information to youth to help them experience the online world without having regrets from negative experiences later. Educators interested in delivering the presentation can go to youthprivacy.ca to get the package.
Transit Passed Up
During a Victoria Regional Transit Commission meeting on Monday, September 13, students from the University of Victoria launched a transit campaign titled Passed Up?, hoping the campaign motivates the BC government to allocate revenue from the carbon tax to properly fund public transit, as students are often left behind at bus stops during peak hours. UVic student society chairperson Tara Paterson says that BC Transit has innovative ideas to improve service, but is held back by a lack of provincial funding.
UVic teacher nominated for prestigious book prize
Stephen Hume, an author and journalist who teaches writing at the University of Victoria and at Vancouver Island University, has been nominated for the City of Victoria Butler Book Prize for adult literature for his most recent collection of essays, A Walk with the Rainy Sisters: In Praise of British Columbia’s Places. Hume has previously won more than a dozen awards for his poetry and essays on journalism, including the Writers Guild of Alberta Literary Award, the Southam President’s Award, the Marjorie Nichols Memorial Award, and the Jack Webster Award.