Student government info session cancelled after no one shows up
A town hall meeting organized by a number of student groups was cancelled on November 3 due to lack of attendance. Only one student attended the session that would have featured speakers from APUS, SAC, ASSU, GSU as well as Governing Council and would have addressed issues such as how to become more involved at the University, how students are governed, and how student dollars are spent. The turnout was poor despite what James Wardlaw, Minister of education and outreach, University Affairs, described as extensive advertising. “I personally handed out about 400 flyers at the Metropass lineups,” he said. He was unhappy that his efforts did not result in attendance and added “If people don’t care, you can’t make them care,” publicity will not work. SAC also advertised the event through a recently established information kiosk in the Sidney Smith Hall Lobby as well as through a list of email addresses collected during frosh week. Organizers at the event had different perspectives on the lack of turnout. “I’m not disappointed,” said David Melville, Treasurer of APUS, Students are difficult to get together, it was a trial.” Wardlaw on the other hand was disillusioned with the lack of student interest and said “you can’t coerce [students] or yell at them enough to make them care.” The meeting will be rescheduled at a later date.
-Mary Gazze
Non-muslims can savour a taste of Ramadan-by not eating
Students from the Muslim Students’ Association (MSA) at U of T are joining hands with many other MSA’s across the country in a campaign to help alleviate hunger and poverty in Canada. On November 11, non-Muslim students are encouraged to participate in the ‘Fast-A-Thon’ and “go hungry for a day so that someone else won’t have to.” For each student who fasts for a day, participating businesses will donate money to the Toronto Daily Bread Food Bank. Students interested in participating in the ‘Fast-A-Thon’ can sign up at the booths that will be at the Medical Sciences building on November 3 and 4, at the International Students Centre on Friday Nov 5, and at Sidney Smith from November 8-10, between 11:00 and 4:00. For more information, check out the MSA website at: www.muslim.sa.utoronto.ca
-Noor Aliya Javed
We’re Number One (Part I)
Maclean’s magazine’s annual University Rankings issue came out on Monday, and U of T once again took the top spot in the Medical-Doctoral category. Tiny St. Francis Xavier in Antigonish, N.S. took the top spot in the Primarily Undergraduate category, and in the Comprehensive column, the University of Waterloo knocked Guelph off the podium to take first place. In the Medical-Doctoral category, Queen’s University in Kingston took the biggest hit, sliding from third to fifth in just one year.
The profile of U of T, now an annual ritual of feel-good rah-rahs from administrative figures, took a break from the usual burbling to note the current search for a new president for the university. Apparently former Ontario premier Bob Rae is on the shortlist for the top spot. Rae Days 2.0, anyone?
-Graham F. Scott
We’re Number One (Part II)
A poll of 35,000 scientists from around the world has found that U of T is considered the most desirable research facility outside the US at which to work. The survey was conducted by The Scientist magazine, which does the survey every year. U of T rose from its eighth placement in 2003, and knocked Halifax’s Dalhousie University out of first place. Is this what Stephen Harper was talking about when he coined the phrase “a culture of defeatism” in Atlantic Canada? Ho, snap!
-GFS
