NEWS BRIEFS
Anti-abortion group gets hostile reception at U of T
Allison Martell
The Varsity (University of Toronto)
TORONTO (CUP) — A graphic anti-abortion display called the Genocide Awareness Project (GAP) was displayed on the U of T campus this week, but it sparked controversy on campus before a single sign went up.
The display is hosted at U of T by Students for Life. Students for Choice and the Women’s Centre are organizing a counter-protest, according to Alexandra Mandelis, co-coordinator of Students for Choice.
GAP is a project of the Center for Bio-Ethical Reform, which tours university campuses in North America with images that juxtapose graphic images of bloody fetuses that they claim have been aborted with images of victims of the Holocaust and black lynching victims.
Past springs have seen similar demonstrations at the University of Manitoba as well as the University of Toronto, drawing crowds of dissenters.
According to Andrew Chun, president of Students for Life, “the comparison we use is misunderstood.”
“We are not calling mothers Nazis, or abortion doctors white supremacists,” he said. “We are pointing out the fact that under each case, each group of people were not recognized as persons under the law, and thus, killing them was justifiable.”
U of T administration maintains that GAP’s display is within their free speech rights.
“We do realize that some of the images are extremely graphic in nature,” said Jim Delaney, assistant director of student affairs.
Imperial Tobacco funds arts at BU
Tessa Vanderhart Staff
The fine arts programs at Brandon University got a boost April 6 as Imperial Tobacco presented $40,000 to the university’s BU & YOU campaign.
According to Kelly Stifora, communications officer for Brandon University, the Imperial Tobacco Foundation approached BU and offered the donation, which will bring the university’s $7.6 million capital campaign nearly to completion.
The money will go toward an expansion of the ceramics courses available, including two years’ use of a private ceramics facility at the Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba.
Stifora said that the Imperial Tobacco Foundation has a history of donation to post-secondary institutions, including $20,000 to fund a previous campaign at BU for infrastructure and research.
“There not being a reason not to accept it . . . we can’t not accept it,” said Stifora.
Get ready for Aurora
Andrew Sain Staff
Students can expect to see a big difference in the registration process for next regular session as the Aurora system comes into effect.
This system, which replaces the current, aging Legacy system, has already began to be implemented. The Aurora Financial Management system went live on April 3.
The new system replaces department numbers with four-letter designations. It will offer students a new and more accessible registration layout and allow students to see how many spaces are left in a section, among other things.
Full-year courses will now be split into two sections, and along with the implementation of the new system, the limit on voluntary withdrawals has been removed, causing controversy in the university senate as to whether the university should change policies to accommodate a computer system.
University registrar Neil Marnoch declined to comment, suggesting that students educate themselves through the insert included in this issue of the Manitoban and through the website. More information will be made available through the registrar’s office in June.
Federal government funds obesity research centre at McMaster
Gillian Brooks
The Silhouette (McMaster University)
HAMILTON, ON (CUP) — McMaster University is set to be the centre of obesity research in Canada, thanks to funding from the federal government.
The Canadian Obesity Network was created to improve collaboration on obesity research, with an investment of $800,000 over two years announced March 28.
Over the past 25 years, obesity rates have risen in almost every adult age group. The most striking upturns were among adults younger than 35 years of age, and those older than 75 years old.
Laird Birmingham, head of a 2000 Canadian Medical Association Journal study on obesity, warned that almost one-third of adult Canadians risk disability and premature death because they are grossly overweight.
“Our vision is to reduce the health and economic impacts of obesity,” explained Arya Sharma, a world-renowned expert in obesity research and management at McMaster.
In a 2000 study conducted by the Canadian Medical Association Journal, it was found that obesity costs Canadians almost $2 billion per year. Following this study, Health Canada officials began discussing the idea of forming a Canadian Obesity Network to study the implications of chronic obesity.
“There is little appreciation of the complexity of this disorder, its dramatic impacts on virtually all aspects of physical, psycho-social and economic well-being,” Sharma said.
The network includes scientists from 21 Canadian universities, more than 10 international institutes in North America and Europe, 15 non-profit organizations and governmental agencies, and 20 industry partners.
The University of Manitoba will be involved as well, as pediatrics and child health researcher Heather Dean will contribute her ongoing research on Type 2 diabetes in children to the project.
