A news release issued by the Acadia University Faculty Association with the latest on the looming strike, and how to email the administration and tell it to return to the bargaining table. Otherwise faculty could well be walking the picket line on Monday.
George Barton Cutten, one of Acadia’s early presidents, is honoured on the university’s website and has a student residence named after him. Turns out the man was an ugly racist, staunch supporter of the eugenics movement, and not a fan of democracy. Is it time to rename Cutten House? Reporters Colin Mitchell and Christopher Vanderburgh present the facts.
The excellent Halifax Humanities program exposes people on low income to university level literature and philosophy classes. This video about the program is special to the Nova Scotia Advocate. We spotted no fewer than three of our regular writers, and we know there are more. Check it out!
The provincial government’s recent announcement of a new free pre-primary program for children turning four is good news for parents, write Christine Saulnier and Tammy Findlay. But its implementation seems rushed and is occurring without meaningful consultation, and that is dangerous. We need a funded transition plan to a full system for all children in Nova Scotia.
Lisa Bond explains what it is like to live the much publicized mental health crisis in Cape Breton. “With all of these hurdles facing us on this island, it’s not hard to lose hope. How are we as parents supposed to help our kids if we can’t even get them mental health help in a timely fashion? We can monitor their social media, watch their phones, have all their passwords….. but it still takes a village. We need and deserve access to the specialists that can help our kids.”
Delilah Saunders, sister of Loretta, talks to this year’s two recipients of the Loretta Saunders Community Scholarship Fund about the obstacles young indigenous women face in the pursuit of academic studies. “My goal is to reach for the sky and hope that the generation after me sees my life as a stepping stone. Then they’ll reach further for the stars.”
Just in time for the provincial election Alex Kronstein continues his investigation of the social determinants of health with a look at education and early childhood development. This is very important stuff.
New contributor Elizabeth Perry took a close look at last Thursday’s election debate. “A few exchanges stand out as being a bit more informative than I’m sure the leaders planned,” she writes.
A survey about matters vitally important to the African Nova Scotian community was sent to all provincial candidates. We talked with Jalana Lewis, spokesperson for the initiative, and posted the survey on line.
Liette Doucet, president of the NSTU, on the current pre-election spending spree by premier McNeil: “After years of watching our schools deteriorate in the name of fiscal restraint, this new found spending largesse is another betrayal of trust. To teachers it also appears as though the government is funding its pre-election campaign at their expense–and their students’ expense.”