Faculty, staff and student organizations have united in condemning York University administrators for the police violence that ended a peaceful student demonstration Jan. 20 and resulted in the arrest of five of the demonstrators and hospitalization of one student.

Student groups are questioning the conclusions of a just released Statistics Canada research paper that says the primary barrier to post-secondary education isn't money but family background.

Discrimination can never be morally justified. For centuries it was commonplace to discriminate against women. It became second-nature not to think of women as persons. On this issue, there has been some forward movement. Such is hardly the case with gays and lesbians who still face discrimination on many fronts.

One of the benefits of working in a university is that you are likely to meet interesting people from all over the world. The fact that more than 25 per cent of students at my institution - the University of Kent - are from abroad enhances my experience as an academic. As a lecturer, I value the contribution that these students make to campus life. Many of them worked hard to get here. They are often a self-selected bunch, highly motivated and full of interesting insights. I can usually rely on them to give seminar discussions that extra special international dimension. Their very presence confirms the simple point that a genuine university thrives through the global exchange of ideas.

CAUT has launched a freedom to publish campaign to protect open scholarly communication.

The United States Treasury Department has relaxed the rules requiring American publishers to obtain a license to publish the works of academics and authors from countries under trade embargoes.

The CAUT executive has formed a new committee to advise on francophone issues in Canadian post-secondary education.

Students in Ontario say the long awaited report on the province's post-secondary education system confirms their worst fears by urging higher tuition fees and more student debt.

The B.C. Supreme Court last month ruled that Vancouver Community College violated the College and Institute Act by failing to consult the college's Education Council.

I read the President's Column ("Envisioning a Family-Friendly Campus," Bulletin, December 2004) with a profound sense of relief. I feel very fortunate to work in a family-friendly environment at Wilfrid Laurier University. My situation is out of the ordinary, perhaps. I had three children within four years of completing my PhD, and was recently successful in my application for tenure. Various onlookers seemed to think this had to do with some superhuman ability on my part. Of course this is not the case.

The Ontario Labour Relations Board has certified Laurentian University Faculty Association to represent 35 academic staff members at Huntington University.

An attempt to draw up a global set of guidelines governing quality assurance in cross-border higher education hit a snag last month when the final drafting meeting ended with sharp divisions among the key players.

International Women's Day is an occasion marked by women's groups around the world. March 8 is also commemorated at the UN and is designated in many countries as a national holiday.

High school dropout rates are on the rise in most provinces in Canada, according to the latest Statistics Canada survey released at the beginning of February.