Chicago uni puts tuition on Groupon

On September 6, National Louis University in Chicago posted the first Groupon deal for tuition.
The graduate course, Intro to the Profession and Craft of Teaching, regularly costs $2,232. However, through Groupon, the class only cost $950.
The purpose of the deal was to attract new students. To sign up, an individual was required to have an undergraduate degree and could not be enrolled in an NLU graduate program. The course was not transferable, and students would have to pay full tuition for other courses.

With files from Time Magazine.
–Jonathan Wu


Investigation into U of A dean’s plagiarized speech to be kept under wraps

The results of an investigation by the University of Alberta into its Dean of Medicine’s plagiarized speech to graduating students last spring will not be made public. University spokeswoman Deb Hammacher told The Globe and Mail on Monday that in keeping with a faculty agreement, the investigation would be kept confidential. She added that the same confidentiality agreements are in place for students who plagiarize.
Many, including the university’s students’ union, are unhappy with the decision and feel that the university should release the results. “It’s important that the university is transparent about the process,” student vice-president Emerson Csorba told the Globe.

— Charlotte Smith


Prof ventures to other side of the desk

Nicholas Everett, associate professor at U of T’s history department, has decided to become a student of pharmacology. Having always been interested in medieval history, Everett came across a seventh-century medical manuscript in the Vatican, and the badly-written Latin caught his attention. Soon, however, it was the contents of the manuscript — reference works for 300 natural drugs from Ancient Greece — that became his focus. The discovery of this document and research into its contents led Everett to re-enter the life of a student; the document also inspired Everett to adopt the Renaissance ideal that the humanities and sciences are both fundamental institutions, the studies of which should not be separated.

With files from U of T News.
— Rida Fatema Ali


York arms cops with batons after high-profile sex assaults

York University is increasing security on campus to make students feel safer. Security personnel are being armed with batons, and an extra $1.1 million is being invested in campus safety.
While York has seen gains in both domestic and international applicants, the move comes after a 0.6 per cent drop in enrolment confirmations in a year when Ontario confirmations grew by 2 per cent overall. Several highly publicized assaults are cited, including two rape cases and the murder of foreign student Qian Liu.
York spokesperson Wallace Pidgeon told The Globe and Mail that the university has increased the security budget from $8.9 million to $10 million since last year. Pidgeon did not disclose how the money would be spent, although the university has recently hired 12 new security personnel. He stressed that the boost was not related to the assaults.

With files from Maclean’s.
— Irina Vukosavic