York bolsters security after repeat attacks
Police and campus security at Toronto’s York University were on high alert last week after a series of attacks on women by what seems to be the same suspect. Victims described a male perpetrator approaching them and attempting to initiate conversation after they got off the bus near a popular student centre building, then proceeding to sexually assault them. The attacks took place June 5 and 6, and police say it may also be possible that the perpetrator had an accomplice who did not actively participate in the attacks.
U of C study takes aim at Stampede animal rights concerns
A recent study commissioned at the University of Calgary will look into the risk of heart attacks for horses during the Calgary Stampede chuck wagon races. The western-themed rodeo festival — now in its 100th year — faced harsh criticism in recent years following numerous horse deaths, including six deaths in 2010 alone. The study will attempt to determine the optimal time for racing or rest for the highly athletic thoroughbreds, thereby reducing their risk of injury or heart attack.
Prestigious Lebanon university accused of pro-Israel agenda
Officials at the American University of Beirut defended against recent accusations of a pro-Israel stance, made after awarding an honorary degree to an alumnus with ties to “Zionist” beliefs. Anti-normalisation groups on campus claimed that the conferring of honorary degrees upon openly pro-Israel recipients serves to represent the university as showing favour to the controversial Jewish state. It is not the first time that the university has received such criticisms; the former World Bank president James Wolfensohn was forced to withdraw his participation in a degree-conferring ceremony after drawing criticism for his own political ties to Israel.
