TORONTO (CUP) — Before the Internet, property was a physical object in the physical world. Movies were on tapes and DVD. Photographs were stored in real photo albums. Diaries, letters and personal mementos were kept in a box somewhere.

Now photographs go to Flickr, personal movies are on YouTube, blogs have replaced diaries and the number of headshots scored in Halo could be considered a personal memento by some.

Online presence has a large impact in real-world social and professional...

OUSA campaign to improve funding for OSAP’s $7.50 per day food and nutrition allocation

From Mar. 8 to 26, seven students from across the province will participate in the Food For Thought Campaign run by the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance (OUSA) to advocate for better funding.

The students will be living on $7.50 to represent the mere $226 per...

In an online town hall meeting on Feb. 5, Liberal party leader Michael Ignatieff and foreign affairs critic in the Liberal’s shadow cabinet Bob Rae spoke to Canadians live across the country, taking questions via the Internet and responding to issues ranging from climate change to foreign aid.

According to Ignatieff, near the end of the forum more than 570 people took part in the virtual town hall meeting, including at least one participant from London, UK.

To comment on...

High salaries at universities WINNIPEG (CUP) — A recent survey by the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) revealed that in 2006, there were 23 university presidents earning more than $300,000 and five earning over $400,000. In contrast, only one university president broke the $300,000 salary barrier in 2001. –Talia Joundi, The Manitoban

NDP leader to forge ahead despite cancer diagnosis TORONTO (CUP) — Jack Layton has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, but he’s not letting it get in the...

Unemployment rates in Ontario are projected to skyrocket by 2021 if proper support is not given to higher learning. Coinciding with this will be a growing job market unfilled due to a lack of qualified workers.

President emeritus of Seneca College Rick Miner released a report on Feb. 3, stating that 700,000 people will be unemployed in addition to the common average of only five percent.

“The paper brought together the two trends that are going to really have an...

A fierce campaign is being fought at Carleton University between two opposing slates for control of the Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA): United Carleton and A Better Deal.

24 hours into the campaign, the accumulation of demerit points had already begun, with A Better Deal’s presidential candidate Nick Bergamini accused of breaking rules with regards to using a website as campaign material.

Chief electoral officer (CEO) Sagal Osman explained, “The website was ruled in favour of his campaign and...

The purpose of student governance

As students’ union elections draw near at most universities across the country, students are becoming engaged on their campuses as candidates, campaign volunteers, election officials and engaged voters.

Despite the best efforts of student leaders, turnout remains low and students are largely uneducated about the functions of the organizations and the people that represent them.

“What all student unions do is represent their students’ interests to their universities and colleges and to the federal and...

A student group at Carleton University has discovered that the university’s pension fund invests in certain companies that contribute to Israeli military operations in the Palestinian territories.

According to the report released by Students Against Israeli Apartheid – Carleton (SAIA – Carleton), this discovery “raises serious concerns regarding the university’s stated commitment to human rights and social justice.”

The report suggests that, as the companies may be involved in “significant violations of international law in the Occupied Palestinian Territories,” Carleton...

The rally on Jan. 23 in Waterloo was one of many held across the country, arranged by the organization that had been initiated on Facebook with the group Canadians Against Proroguing Parliament (CAPP).

“The message it sends is that yeah, we get frustrated with parliament all the time and we complain about how it works but we still want it there. It’s a necessary function in all its ugliness,” said Griffin Carpenter, president of the Laurier Campus Greens.

Members...

The struggles of first-generation students addressed in report

A recent study done by Shaljan Areepattamannil, a doctoral candidate at Queen’s University, has found that first-generation immigrant children are performing below average in mathematics and science and appear to be struggling in Canada’s education system.

The study examined the results of 2,636 13-year-old first-generation immigrant students who took part in the 2007 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS).

Math and science results fell far below the average score of...

Increase in summer jobs

OTTAWA—On Jan. 12, Diane Finley, minister of human resources and skills development, announced that an additional $20 million in funding will be put towards the Canada Summer Jobs 2010 program.

Finley stated that the additional funding, which is anticipated to create thousands of more jobs, will benefit students after the poor summer job market in 2009.

University applicants soar

TORONTO—The Council of Ontario Universities (COU) announced on Jan. 18 that there was an increase in the...

The future of Canadian content in the media is looking bleak. As cable companies and networks continue to prefer American programming for its assured profit, both parties fight for revenue.

In the future, the cost of producing Canadian programs will likely be placed on the consumers or the shows themselves.

"It’s a problem right now and there's a great fear that we're going to see the disappearance of local television in particular,” explained Anne-Marie Kinahan, assistant professor of communication studies...

Greater leadership is demanded from the government to support potential students

The Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance (OUSA) is hosting their Blue Chair Campaign at seven campuses across Ontario in the interest of raising awareness about the barriers keeping prospective students out of post-secondary institutions.

“It’s really OUSA taking action to draw attention to the fact that...