Nine Canadian schools make world ranking top 200

The University of Toronto recently hired the school’s first full-time Muslim chaplain.

Amjad Tarsin’s hiring followed a fundraising campaign by the University’s Muslim Students Association, which brought in $70,000. An estimated 5,000 Muslim students attend the school.

The $70,000 will cover appointment costs, but for Tarsin to continue the position past one year fundraising must continue.

The University of Toronto’s multi-faith centre website lists nearly 30 full- and part-time chaplains, representing many Christian denominations — Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, Judaism, First Nations beliefs, Paganism, humanism, Sikhism and Islam.

Queen’s is home to one chaplain, Brian Yealland, whose office is designed to counsel students across faiths.

— Holly Tousignant

First full-time Muslim Chaplain at U of T

The 2012/13 QS World University Rankings was released on Tuesday, and placed nine Canadian schools in the top 200.

McGill University and the University of Toronto topped Canada’s rankings at 18th and 19th place respectively, while the University of British Columbia was 45th. Queen’s was ranked at 175th place.

Other Canadian schools to break the top 200 include the University of Alberta (108), Université de Montréal (114), McMaster University (152), Western University (173) and the University of Waterloo (191)

The ninth annual list’s top three spots were occupied by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Cambridge and Harvard University.

According to CTV, the lists are based half on surveys as well as by “student-to-faculty ratios, research citations and the proportion of international students and faculty.”

— Holly Tousignant

Quebec student group continues to press for free tuition

CLASSE, the student group that was a driving force behind the Quebec student strikes, is continuing to press tuition reform after fee hikes were ditched.

The newly-elected Premier Pauline Marois of the Parti-Québécois  vowed early this month to freeze tuition and scrap Bill 78. Consequently, tuition in Quebec will remain at $2,168 a year.

Following Marois’ announcement, students took to Montreal’s streets to march in celebration.

CLASSE representatives stated their intention to push for free tuition for all students. Spokesperson Jeremie Bedard-Wien, who spoke in Kingston in July, told the Montreal Gazette that CLASSE’s “struggle for accessibility to higher education is not yet over.”

— Holly Tousignant