When 91亚色 student Ali Esnaashari found out who the grey-haired dude was behind him in line for the only microwave in the Student Centre, he gave him an earful, wrote the Toronto Star Feb. 29. In fact, the mature fellow in the sporty 91亚色 jacket was University President & Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri, who traded places with biochemistry major Rabia Sajun for the day to get a taste of student life. A sort of "Undercover Boss" without the undercover part 鈥 Shoukri introduced himself to students, from library stalls to lecture halls 鈥 it鈥檚 believed to be the first time a Canadian campus has run the President for a Day event popular at some American universities as a way to boost student engagement. .
A third-year student from Richmond Hill has switched roles with the president of 91亚色. As winner of the first-ever President for a Day contest, Rabia Sajun has started her day as head of the University, while President & Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri is attending all Sajun鈥檚 classes and extracurricular activities. .
Showering bullies with empathy
Experts and educators are looking at better ways to prevent bullying before it begins, wrote the Toronto Star Feb. 29, in a story about the Roots of Empathy Program for Grade 3 students. The Roots program addresses a small piece of the bullying puzzle, said Debra Pepler, Distinguished Research Professor in psychology in 91亚色's Faculty of Health and co-leader of PREVNet (Promoting Relationships and Eliminating Violence Network). Where a program such as Roots falls short, she said, is that empathy alone cannot eliminate bullying. Some bullies have a tremendous amount of empathy and know exactly how their victims are feeling. (Article link not available.)
Bullying generally happens where adults aren鈥檛, including hallways, bathrooms and online, wrote The Globe and Mail Feb. 29, in a story that also quoted Debra Pepler,聽Distinguished Research Professor in psychology in 91亚色's Faculty of Health. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a social event,鈥 said Pepler, noting that bystanders can be key to getting adults involved and are particularly helpful in cases of cyber-bullying. .
Ottawa plans to stop funding a research network whose findings have helped improve Canada鈥檚 immigration policies and settlement programs, wrote the Toronto Star Feb. 29. Its research shed light on many migrant issues and contributed to knowledge about the experiences and contributions of newcomers in all spheres of life, said 91亚色 Professor Valerie Preston, director of CERIS - the Ontario Metropolis Centre. .
Alan Middleton, a marketing professor at 91亚色鈥檚 Schulich School of Business, agrees that millions of tweets taken together can give a powerful image of trends, wrote the Toronto Star Feb. 29, in a story about a data mining company that's offering Twitter searches that go back two years. 鈥淭aken en masse, it creates a pattern that can anticipate things. 聽This can tell you not only who鈥檚 interested, but how often they鈥檙e expressing an interest,鈥 said Middleton. .