News

<p>When the St. Thomas University Student Union (STUSU) announced on Oct. 31 that Mednow is its “preferred pharmacy,” Ayub Chisti, the pharmacist at UNB Campus Pharmacy, had his concerns. “I was surprised, but [STUSU] said they’re not really recommending any pharmacy,” said Chisti. “People really have to realize that the local pharmacy will give them [&hellip;]</p>

<p>The St. Thomas University Student Union (STUSU) will hold spring general elections on Feb. 29. Eligible students will be able to vote online from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. through a link on their student email.  Unlike the previous elections, which saw low engagement from voters and candidates, this time 12 students are running, including [&hellip;]</p>

<p>St. Thomas University opened faculty award nominations for teaching, scholarship and service on Feb. 16. These awards recognize the outstanding contributions of full-time and part-time faculty members in professional responsibility.  There are three awards for full-time staff: the John McKendy Memorial Teaching Award, University Scholarship Award and University Service Award besides an Excellence in Part-Time [&hellip;]</p>

<p>On Jan. 29, the government of New Brunswick announced that the province&#8217;s minimum wage will increase to $15.30 per hour from the current rate of $14.75 on April 1.  Both the Common Front for Social Justice and the Federation of Labour are pleased that the minimum wage continues to increase, but agree that there is [&hellip;]</p>

<p>St. Thomas University has created a new resource to help educate students on the risks of doxxing online. Students received an email Feb. 6 promoting a page on STU’s website with information on how to prevent and report doxxing. The website defines doxxing as “the act of collecting an individual’s private information (through various platforms [&hellip;]</p>

<p>On Feb. 9, The Promise of Home advanced with its third phase of their research project with the event “Where are you from?”  At the Harriet Irving Library, international students from STU and UNB discussed the meaning of home.  According to Gül Çalişkan, the lead researcher and sociology professor, Promise of Home is a community-engaged [&hellip;]</p>

<p>In response to significant global environmental shifts, St. Thomas University is looking to redefine its current environmental policy.  The policy that has not been revised since 2011 aims to strengthen the university&#8217;s dedication to more recent progress in environmental governance. Janice Harvey, professor and coordinator of STU’s environment and society program, said that this was [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Sam Magee spoke at Kinsella Auditorium on Feb. 5 as part of STU’s strategic planning speaker series. As director of creativity and entrepreneurship at Harvard, Magee shared with faculty, staff and students that the liberal arts have their own place in innovation.  Magee and his program bring the liberal arts and entrepreneurship together.  “We make [&hellip;]</p>

<p>On Jan. 27, International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the Sgoolai Israel Synagogue in downtown Fredericton was vandalized in an alleged act of antisemitism. Police responded in the morning to find multiple windows broken. These acts are disheartening for members of the Jewish community, including Jasmine Kranat. Kranat is the director of the Atlantic Canada Holocaust Education [&hellip;]</p>

<p>The New Brunswick Coalition for Tenants Rights (NBCTR) is objecting the federal government’s recent international student cap, claiming that international students are being unfairly blamed for the current housing crisis.    On Jan. 22, Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced that the federal government will cap the number of international student permits over the next two years. [&hellip;]</p>

<p>St. Thomas University’s vice president of enrolment management said he is hoping the federal government will walk back their recent international student cap announcement, as it will negatively impact the university.  On Jan. 22 the federal government announced an international student cap, approving only 360,000 undergraduate study permits in 2024, a 35 per cent reduction [&hellip;]</p>

<p>A recent study by UNB on New Brunswick’s bachelor of education programs revealed a low percentage of retention among graduates in the province. Using data between 2004 and 2020, only 48 per cent of the province&#8217;s BEd graduates became teachers in N.B., according to the study. Gemma Porter, St. Thomas University’s acting director for the [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Members of the New Brunswick Coalition of Persons with Disabilities (NBCPD) experience a lack of social assistance improvements as many are disqualified from the provincial government’s $200 household supplement.  Shelley Petit, chair of NBCPD, said that after a recent setback with the provincial government, her members are struggling to survive.  Some NBCPD members claimed they [&hellip;]</p>

<p>ResLife’s policy on smudging, Indigenous residents’ complaints The St. Thomas University Students’ Union Indigenous Representative Tanner Augustine said it took four years to put a smudging policy in place, but it might be finally coming after meeting with Residence Life. The university’s 2001 Smoking Policy states that smudging can only be done upon formal request [&hellip;]</p>

<p>St. Thomas University has begun accepting applications for its 20th annual Student Research and Ideas fair, hoping to rebound in popularity post-COVID-19.  Applications to the fair are due Feb. 20 and Peter Toner, associate vice-president of research at STU, hopes participation continues to grow after a COVID-19 downturn.  The fair, which showcases student research projects, [&hellip;]</p>

<p>With inspiration from Saint John High School’s alumni association, Fredericton High School (FHS) is creating its first known alumni association to support students and the school’s community.  The future association is in its “infancy stages,” according to vice-principal Fred Conners, who has begun collecting interested alumni through Facebook and school communications.  “I don&#8217;t want people [&hellip;]</p>

<p>The Baron, UNB Saint John’s student-run newspaper, has brought back print paper after 11 years.  Emily Wheaton, editor-in-chief of the Baron, has had an interest in coming back to print ever since she took office.  “When I became editor-in-chief, it was something I had in my mind to do,” said Wheaton. “I didn&#8217;t feel like [&hellip;]</p>

<p>STU president Nauman Farooqi officially launched the university’s strategic planning process with a presentation at Kinsella Auditorium on Jan. 15. This strategic plan will be the first one since the 2013-2018 plan which was extended until 2019. After getting through the pandemic, the university feels a new plan is appropriate to give a common direction [&hellip;]</p>

<p>On Jan. 9, recently elected Ecuadorian president Daniel Noboa declared “internal armed conflict” and labelled 22 gangs as terrorists. The question that many Canadians and Ecuadorians living abroad ask is how did this happen?  The Aquinian’s senior writer Cesar Camacho explains the background and escalation of the conflict.  A step back On Jan. 7, the [&hellip;]</p>

<p>After a year of delays, St. Thomas University has finally launched the STUdio, a media lab that can be accessed by students and staff. The STUdio is located on the ground floor of Sir James Dunn Hall and classes are already using the available equipment. The G-6 classroom is now a complete “smart” classroom and [&hellip;]</p>