Last Friday, the Arts Council Meeting was the stage for heated discussion regarding the proposed new honours bachelor of arts degree. Professors gathered to discuss the proposed degree, its implications for students and the financial benefits for the university.

“If the primary focus is academic integrity of the students, then it’s a bad plan,” said English professor Markus Poetzsch, questioning whether the suggested degree changes are in the best interests of the students.

The new degree would allow...

This Saturday, the Wilfrid Laurier University History Students’ Association (WLUHSA) hosted its second annual Tri-University History Undergraduate Paper Conference in the Bricker Academic Building.

Through seven undergraduate history panels, the conference presented 24 academic papers showcasing the talent of undergraduate students enrolled in history programs.

The conference had delegates from Laurier and the University of Guelph and featured panel moderators from Laurier, Guelph and the University of Waterloo.

Students who presented their papers received recommendations from their professors to submit...

Sustainable Waterloo, a not-for-profit organization which seeks to help foundations become more environmentally sustainable across the Waterloo Region, recently introduced five new insurance companies to their carbon-reducing initiative.

They include: The Economical Insurance Group, Farm Mutual Reinsurance Pan Inc., Gore Mutual Insurance Company, Sun Life Financial and the Ontario Teachers Insurance Plan.

Mike Morrice, a Laurier alumnus and executive director of Sustainable Waterloo, explains that, “It was a really exciting opportunity for the insurance industry to collectively show leadership...

Laurier alumnus Bridget McMahon has worked in university advancement for the past nine years and has now been appointed as director of alumni relations.

“I’ll be working with our alumni relations team and our annual giving team and much of my job will be reaching out to and engaging our over 70,000 alumni,” said McMahon. In addition to graduating from Laurier with a BBA in 2000 and a MBA in 2009, McMahon has also served as a staff member here.

April Bannerman AVP: First year experience

Experience: Executive for Laurier Students for Learning, ice breaker and head ice, legal resources

Unique quality: “My ability to adapt to different situations and approachability. Those were things that I really respected about the outgoing AVP. I saw the ability he had to adapt to anything that was thrown at him, and I recognized the importance of that.”

Main goal: “I think that a lot of us, when we get into second and third...

EcoHawks work towards instituting composting and raising awareness about waste on the Laurier campus

Laurier has no shortage of garbage. In 2008, Laurier produced an estimated 1715.7 metric tonnes of waste. That number is truly staggering considering the relatively small size of the campus compared to others such as the University of Waterloo.

Laurier’s environmental awareness club, the EcoHawks,...

Students will begin to see new courses being offered over the summer months available for registration on the Laurier On-line Registration and Information System (LORIS).

“The number is growing; [courses] will come in ones and twos … between now and the start of the term,” said assistant vice-president of academics Tom Buckley.

“There’s not going to be a day that 30 courses show up … they will show up as they are approved by the dean and provided to the...

Throughout the academic year, Laurier’s IT department has been undergoing changes to improve the consistency and quality of tech services available on campus.

Systems like WebCT and the wireless networks available on campus that often proved to be unreliable have been examined in an ICT review, and solutions to fix these problems are now being implemented.

“A lot of the frustrations I’ve heard from students these years are about these specific changes,” explained Wilfrid Laurier University Students’ Union president Laura...

Two cars collide; one person sent to hospital

On Wednesday afternoon, two vehicles collided at the corner of King St. and University Ave., an intersection frequented by students walking to and from class.

The first car, a black 2-door Chevrolet Cobalt was turning left from University Ave. onto King St. when it was...

Summer courses remain limited Frustration continues for students as the number of summer classes offered in many programs, especially arts, remains low.

Three weeks ago, Laurier administration explained that the current list of available courses is not finalized and that more will be added in the upcoming months.

“I think that yes they have added a few more in science, in math, physics and computer science, and some more in arts and communication studies and English and geography potentially,...

With focus on expansion of Laurier Brantford, issues have been raised involving a strip of 41 heritage buildings that border the current campus. The lots occupied by the buildings, many of which predate Canada’s confederation, have been targeted as a prospective location for a recreation facility, possibly constructed in a joint project involving the YMCA.

Lisa Wood, professor of English and contemporary studies at Laurier Brantford, became involved in the issue when plans for an imminent and total demolition followed...

The Life After Laurier speaker series continued on Friday afternoon with its fourth Laurier alumnus speaker, Paul Smith, who is currently vice-president of sales and business planning for the biotech company Axela.

Smith graduated from Laurier in 1975 with a degree in chemistry. Since then, he has spent more than 28 years in the life science instrumentation field, primarily focusing on protein measurement and purification.

Recently, Smith worked abroad as director of European operations and then vice-president of European and...

At the Wilfrid Laurier University Students’ Union board of directors meeting on Friday, president Laura Sheridan updated members on the current results from the ongoing market research project.

Phase two has concluded and the findings contain results from the survey conducted as well as the focus groups, both of which took place during the fall semester.

“The themes were fairly consistent with what we thought they were going to be,” said Sheridan. “Students saw advocacy as a top priority of...