Former directors and faculty say the crisis at the Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies (PWIAS) reflects a trend of conflict as the university and the donor family grapple over the institute’s mandate, direction and independence.
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Two years after the first march in response to Donald Trump’s inauguration, the Women’s March in Vancouver remains part of a global movement — but has now shifted its focus inwards to Canada.
“We are concerned that if the Institute remains without a Director, the procedural integrity of the External Review would be compromised."
UBC and student groups want the university to play a central role in the realization of BC’s new climate action plan, but they disagree on how far it should go.
UBC is considering stopping the compound annual growth rate for new-to-UBC students — which was three per cent between 2014/15 and 2018/19 — for the next five years by maintaining a flat level of new international student intake.
According to Translink’s 2017 Transit Service Performance Review, six of the top ten routes with the most annual boardings service the university. But bus hours have only seen a one per cent increase across the entire sub-region.
In April 2018, the Board of Governors (BoG) approved an initial $60 million for the Integrated Renewal Program (IRP) to revamp the university’s aging digital infrastructure by summer 2021.
Under a recent five-year renewal of the U-Pass program between Translink and student associations in Metro Vancouver, the current monthly $41 price freeze will continue until April 30, 2020. Then there will be an annual two per cent increase until the price reaches around $46 by 2024.
The report identified three “urgent issues” prevalent in the math department: a lack of resources, inadequate physical infrastructure and a shortage of classroom space.
After years of deliberation, UBC’s Senate approved the policy on Content and Distribution of Course Syllabi (Policy V-130) on January 16. The policy takes effect in the 2019/20 academic year, matching syllabus policies that many other Canadian universities have already done for years.
The university does not appear to be reconsidering the neighbourhood’s proposed density or building heights, which remain at the heart of resident concerns.
The Sexual Assault Support Fund (SASF) currently charges students $3.65 per year, but increased operational costs within SASC have pushed it over budget for the past two academic years. Pending approval from AMS Council, the referendum question would raise the fee somewhere between $8.50 and $9.50.
According to Times Higher Education, UBC is North America’s most international university. UBC International Student Initiative (ISI) is the driving force behind that title.
The AMS recently presented a draft of their Sexual Violence Prevention and Respectful Environment Policy (SVPREP), a standalone document that will inform how the society handles disclosures and reports of sexual violence.
“This decision is a direct hit to institutional transparency, healthy democratic dialogue on campuses, freedom of the press and the free speech."