Campus News Briefs

Coyote named 2011 Carol Shields Writer-in-Residence

Ivan Coyote, a talented creative writing instructor and award-winning author, has been named the Carol Shields Writer-in-Residence for 2011, according to a U of W media release. She will receive an office in the University of Winnipeg’s English department where she will be available for consultations from January until April 2011. On Jan. 27, Coyote will be reading from her work, which includes six collections of short stories and a novel, at 7:30 pm in Convocation Hall. She will also be presenting the Carol Shields Distinguished Lecture on March 16 at 7:30 pm in Convocation Hall. Past readings have involved musicians, emphasizing the importance of performance and storytelling.

UWinnipeg-OAS agreement

On Nov. 12, the University of Winnipeg signed an agreement with the Organization of American States (OAS) regarding issues of education and human development, particularly as they pertain to indigenous people. The agreement seeks to improve education and development by co-sponsoring scholarships for selected students at the University of Winnipeg in programs such as the Master of Development Practice, and also by promoting distance learning in rural and low-income communities. The agreement discusses the creation of government programs and services as well as working with private businesses for the promotion of development in indigenous communities, as stated in a media release.

Continued expansion of U of W campus

The University of Winnipeg has plans to build another residence in the parking lot south of the Buhler Centre, Bartley Kives of the Winnipeg Free Press reports. Three-quarters of the residence’s planned 80 to 100 units are to be designated affordable housing, while the rest will be rented at market rates. The seven-storey building, expected to cost $15.5 million, comes in response to the high demand for housing around the university, and it is hoped that provincial affordable-housing grants and tax incentives will help finance the project. Though the design proposal has been finalized, construction is not expected to begin sooner than the end of next year.

Wesmen basketball 0-4 in Saskatchewan

In Saskatoon last weekend, the Wesmen basketball teams were dominated by the Saskatchewan Huskies. On Friday night, the Huskies snapped the women’s 5-game winning streak, defeating Winnipeg 74-54. The following night, the Huskies came out strong once again, shooting 55 per cent from the field.  They won 90-62. Saskatchewan’s two wins improves their record to 8-2, while Winnipeg’s record drops to 5-2. On the men’s side, it was an even rougher weekend for the Wesmen.  Saskatchewan, who won the CIS championship last season, defeated the Wesmen 99-48 on Friday, and 115-63 on Saturday night.

U of M defends PhD decision

Nick Martin with the Winnipeg Free Press reported that the University of Manitoba is defending the decision to award a PhD in mathematics to a student after they narrowly failed one of their three exams. A doctorate in math requires that the student pass three exams with an A or higher, and has two chances to achieve a passing grade. After falling just short on the first attempt, the student reportedly suffered an extreme case of text anxiety on the second attempt and failed again. The student appealed the grade and it was waived based on the student’s exemplary performance throughout his or her doctoral studies.

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