News Briefs

Magally Zelaya, Staff

Catching up on Canadian agriculture

Early this month the university formally announced the addition of a program initiated in September designed to expedite certification of internationally trained professionals in the agrology sector, adding to similar programs in operation in engineering and education.

Thirteen students, who are from Moldova, Macedonia, Russia, Germany, Nigeria, Kenya, Columbia, Bolivia, Sri Lanka, India, and Pakistan and all of who have at least one degree, are taking part in the eight-month pilot project followed by a four-month work placement.

The program called the Internationally Educated Agrologist Program was developed with Manitoba Labour and Immigration to help students that they might otherwise have trouble finding jobs in the agriculture fields because their credentials are not recognized in Canada.

The program is designed “to get [the students] up to speed in terms of the Canadian context,” said Merv Pritchard, director of the school of agriculture, adding that the students “bring a lot of expertise, they bring an international perspective” to the university.

Though Manitoba Labour and Immigration subsidize tuition and books, the students also have part-time jobs — only one is in the agriculture industry. Pritchard said the others are under-employed, working in security and retail positions, for example.

“We have a responsibility for providing supports for new immigrants to Manitoba rather than [them] just coming here and [us letting] them flounder on their own,” said Pritchard.

International research projects receive $2 million

Bangladesh is “a fascinating country in terms of its misery and its potential,” according to Emdad Haque, director of the university’s Natural Resource Institute, whose U of M research team was awarded a $998,886 grant from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) to improve Bangladesh’s environmental governance.

“The government has a lot of laws and regulations . . . but when it comes to implementation almost nothing is happening,” said Haque.

“We are going to train government officials and also other NGO people and community people to implement and improve environmental protection governance.”

The CIDA funding for the $1.7-million project will mainly be used to develop a new masters program at North South University in Bangladesh, for community work, and to fund training for government and community leaders.

The country’s natural resources are suffering as a result of the impacts caused by the 150,448,339 people that populate it, industrial activities, and frequent natural disasters such as the cyclone that occurred on Nov.16 (estimated to have killed over 2,300).

CIDA also awarded the same six-year grant to another team of university researchers who are working with Sichuan University in China to address the growing HIV prevalence in the country through the development of prevention, treatment, and support initiatives.

UMSU holds semi-AGM

With less than 30 people in attendance, UMSU did not make quorum at their semi-annual general meeting held Nov. 14 at the Bannatyne campus.

In order to make quorum 200 students would have had to attend the meeting. Making quorum would have allowed for the passing of motions. UMSU president Garry Sran noted that “most motions can be served at UMSU council,” and that the meeting served mostly to provide “information of what we’ve been doing for the last six months.”

The executive reported on all the activities since the last general meeting in March.

Topics reported on include a summary of campaigns and meetings with government officials and updates of UMSU services such as the health and dental plan and the grocery run service. The financial status of the student union and its businesses was also reported.

Sran said that discussions surrounded the current student loan program in relation to its shortcomings and to the comparative accessibility of private bank loans.

The late morning meeting lasted approximately an hour and 15 minutes. The next AGM will be held in March on the Fort Garry campus.

Campaigning to fix student aid

As a member of the Canadian Federation of Students, UMSU is taking part in the federation’s student aid reform campaign entitled “First Aid for Student Aid.”

The current portion of the campaign involves the collecting of feedback from students on their current debt levels and their experiences with student loans.

The information will be compiled, analyzed, and submitted to the federal and provincial governments along with recommendations for improvement in a January report.

UMSU will have questionnaires available at a table in University Centre from Nov.12 to Nov. 30.

All who complete the questionnaire are entered in a draw to win the one IPod Touch that is up for grabs between the five other CFS locals in Manitoba.

Garry Sran, UMSU president, said that the turnout has so far been good and that they hope to get 10 per cent of the student body to fill out the questionnaire by the time the campaign wraps up. The survey is also available online.





Volume 95 Issue 14	The Official University of Manitoba Students' Newspaper Website	November 21, 2007

Home About Us Advertising Rates Contact Staff Current Issue PDF Employment Letters to the Editor Meet the Staff Online Archives Volunteer Online Classifieds St. Vincent's Academy Diaries	Font Size Respond Email Print-Friendly News Briefs Magally Zelaya, Staff Catching up on Canadian agriculture Early this month the university formally announced the addition of a program initiated in September designed to expedite certification of internationally trained professionals in the agrology sector, adding to similar programs in operation in engineering and education. Thirteen students, who are from Moldova, Macedonia, Russia, Germany, Nigeria, Kenya, Columbia, Bolivia, Sri Lanka, India, and Pakistan and all of who have at least one degree, are taking part in the eight-month pilot project followed by a four-month work placement. The program called the Internationally Educated Agrologist Program was developed with Manitoba Labour and Immigration to help students that they might otherwise have trouble finding jobs in the agriculture fields because their credentials are not recognized in Canada. The program is designed “to get [the students] up to speed in terms of the Canadian context,” said Merv Pritchard, director of the school of agriculture, adding that the students “bring a lot of expertise, they bring an international perspective” to the university. Though Manitoba Labour and Immigration subsidize tuition and books, the students also have part-time jobs — only one is in the agriculture industry. Pritchard said the others are under-employed, working in security and retail positions, for example. “We have a responsibility for providing supports for new immigrants to Manitoba rather than [them] just coming here and [us letting] them flounder on their own,” said Pritchard. International research projects receive $2 million Bangladesh is “a fascinating country in terms of its misery and its potential,” according to Emdad Haque, director of the university’s Natural Resource Institute, whose U of M research team was awarded a $998,886 grant from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) to improve Bangladesh’s environmental governance. “The government has a lot of laws and regulations . . . but when it comes to implementation almost nothing is happening,” said Haque. “We are going to train government officials and also other NGO people and community people to implement and improve environmental protection governance.” The CIDA funding for the $1.7-million project will mainly be used to develop a new masters program at North South University in Bangladesh, for community work, and to fund training for government and community leaders. The country’s natural resources are suffering as a result of the impacts caused by the 150,448,339 people that populate it, industrial activities, and frequent natural disasters such as the cyclone that occurred on Nov.16 (estimated to have killed over 2,300). CIDA also awarded the same six-year grant to another team of university researchers who are working with Sichuan University in China to address the growing HIV prevalence in the country through the development of prevention, treatment, and support initiatives. UMSU holds semi-AGM With less than 30 people in attendance, UMSU did not make quorum at their semi-annual general meeting held Nov. 14 at the Bannatyne campus. In order to make quorum 200 students would have had to attend the meeting. Making quorum would have allowed for the passing of motions. UMSU president Garry Sran noted that “most motions can be served at UMSU council,” and that the meeting served mostly to provide “information of what we’ve been doing for the last six months.” The executive reported on all the activities since the last general meeting in March. Topics reported on include a summary of campaigns and meetings with government officials and updates of UMSU services such as the health and dental plan and the grocery run service. The financial status of the student union and its businesses was also reported. Sran said that discussions surrounded the current student loan program in relation to its shortcomings and to the comparative accessibility of private bank loans. The late morning meeting lasted approximately an hour and 15 minutes. The next AGM will be held in March on the Fort Garry campus. Campaigning to fix student aid As a member of the Canadian Federation of Students, UMSU is taking part in the federation’s student aid reform campaign entitled “First Aid for Student Aid.” The current portion of the campaign involves the collecting of feedback from students on their current debt levels and their experiences with student loans. The information will be compiled, analyzed, and submitted to the federal and provincial governments along with recommendations for improvement in a January report. UMSU will have questionnaires available at a table in University Centre from Nov.12 to Nov. 30. All who complete the questionnaire are entered in a draw to win the one IPod Touch that is up for grabs between the five other CFS locals in Manitoba. Garry Sran, UMSU president, said that the turnout has so far been good and that they hope to get 10 per cent of the student body to fill out the questionnaire by the time the campaign wraps up. The survey is also available online.


Terms of Use RSS Feeds © Copyright 2008 The Manitoban Newspaper Publications Corporation