Interior’s biggest job fair returns to TRU Pg. 9
The Omega Ω
Thompson Rivers University’s Independent Student Newspaper
News Pages 1, 2
Editorial & Opinion Page 3
Volume 23, Issue 21 March 5, 2014
Life & Community
Arts & Entertainment
Sports
Pages 5, 9
Pages 6, 7
Page 11
Senate updates suspension and honorary degree policies Jessica Klymchuk Ω News Editor TRU aims to update policies every five years, but some haven’t been updated in more than 20. The most recent policy updates were passed at the Feb. 24 senate meeting on the recommendation of the Academic Planning and Priorities Committee. The policies pertained to student suspension and honorary degrees. “It’s our intention at TRU that all the policies will get reviewed every five years,” said vice provost of open learning Gordon Tarzwell. Policy ED 7-0, suspension of students, formerly called debarment, had not been updated since 1989, although the review date on the policy was April 1, 1991. Tarzwell explained that the changes updated the language of the policy to bring it up to date to TRU, rather than UCC. He said it shouldn’t have any effect on students. “We were quite a ways behind in updating it,” he said. “What we’re hoping to do is do it more frequently. Fortunately this one didn’t require a lot of changes. It’s one of those cases where we’re changing the policy to be consistent with practices.” The policy no longer includes the ability to expel students. Tarzwell said expulsions occur at the level of the president, while suspensions can occur within the policy by someone other than the president.
“Part of it has to do with who can expel a student and who can suspend a student,” he said. Policy ED 16-2, Honorary Degrees, was last reviewed and updated March 26, 2007. The senate voted to add a section to the policy that gives the institution the ability to revoke honorary degrees based on the conduct of the recipient. TRU can now revoke the degree before or after it is conferred if the university was “unaware of the conduct at the time that the decision to award the honorary degree was made.” “We hope it never happens but if you think of the Governor General honorary degree or the Order of Canada, there has been three cases where the Order of Canada has actually been revoked because of actions by the recipient after they had received it,” he said. “The institution wanted to be able to in a situation where, if necessary, it could actually revoke an honorary degree.” Honorary degrees are “the highest from of recognition offered by Thompson Rivers University,” according to the university’s website. They are given to recipients who have demonstrated “excellence, in Canada or abroad, in the fields of public affairs, the sciences, arts, humanities, business or philanthropy.” The achievements must also be “relevant and appropriate to TRU.” Tarzwell said TRU gives out around five honorary degrees per year, usually one at every convocation ceremony.
TRU aims to update policies every five years, but some haven’t been updated since UCC became TRU. Latest updates refreshed the language regarding student suspensions and instituted the ability to revoke honorary degrees based on the conduct of the recipient. ( Jessica Klymchuk/ The Omega)
The dangerous online drinking game neknomination hit B.C. in early February. TRU responded with a statement discouraging students from participating and reminding them that disciplinary action could be taken if the activities happened on campus. ( Jessica Klymchuk/ The Omega)
You’ve got twenty-four hours
Kappa Sigma brings RAKnomination to campus Jessica Klymchuk Ω News Editor It varies from chugging a single beer to downing mickeys. Throw in some vodka, some gin and maybe a little red wine, or maybe swap your milk for tequila in your morning cereal. In extreme cases, the amounts are increased and a dangerous activity accompanies the sprint to the bottom of the glass or bucket. A recent case featured the nominee longboarding down the highway with a beer bong. Or, on the other hand, maybe it’s donating blood, buying someone a coffee, paying for someone’s parking, holding the door open, donating to a local charity or delivering care packages to the less fortunate. Neknomination is the latest Internet trend, but RAKnomination isn’t far behind. The former involves uploading a video of yourself chugging alcohol and possibly participating in risky or bizarre behaviour and then nominating
two people to do the same within twenty-four hours. Although the game started with individuals chugging a single beer, it evolved to feature harder liquors, increased amounts and more dangerous activities. Media reports say at least two deaths have been linked to the game. But rather than accepting the drinking challenge, nominees have started a new one by partaking in random acts of kindness. The Facebook page and website for RAKnomination shows people from across Canada accepting the new challenge. After noticing TRU’s statements condemning neknomination in the media, members of Kappa Sigma, TRU’s fraternity, decided to bring RAKnomination to Kamloops. On Feb. 26 they paid for 10 students’ parking for the day, bought five students lunch at the Terrace and held doors open for people. Will George spoke to both residences on campus and to student groups to find out if neknominations were catching
on and learned there had been some instances of the game. He said they used this opportunity to tell students about RAKnomination and to make a stand against participating in the alternative. Kappa Sigma has RAKnominated Enactus TRU and the Fusion Rotaract Club of Kamloops to follow up with random acts of kindness of their own. Kappa Sigma president James Acton said they noticed high school-aged students participating in the game and saw a need to counteract its growing popularity. “Our organization promotes leadership on campus and we don’t condone excessive drinking,” he said. “We wanted to do something that maybe curbs the trend and shows a more positive light and passes on something that will do good in the community from person to person instead of this excessive drinking trend.”
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