UBC student society refuses support for sexual assault counselling
UBC Commerce undergraduate members voted against providing $200,000 to expand sexual assault counselling and education for students last week. The society, which was at the centre of a pro-rape frosh chant earlier this semester, had already contributed $50,000 to the cause and pledged to contribute the remaining $200,000 after it was approved by a referendum. However, 70 per cent of members who participated voted not to contribute the remaining amount.
Robert Helsley, dean of the Sauder School of Business, told reporters on Monday that he was “deeply disappointed” to hear of the voting results. “I’m aware this will be very disappointing to our wider community,” said Helsley. “I’m not prepared to speculate on why the students chose not to support the referendum.”
With files from The Ubyssey
Making robots feel to heal patients
University of Saskatchewan professor Chris Zhang is building emotionally-savvy robots to help rehabilitate patients by analyzing them at home and directing them towards self-rehabilitation. The goal of the project is to design robots that can analyze human emotion, mimic, and respond so as to make the patient feel comfortable. This technology would be especially useful for those who live farther away from hospitals or who have mobility issues in getting to a hospital.
For Zhang, this technology is growing in importance as the advent of automation reduces the need for some human-to-human interaction. “This type of technology will be used in health care and medicine in the next 20 years,” Zhang told The Sheaf. “It is natural that the human will take emotion into account. Therefore, why should the machine be excluded from this emotional effect in cognition.”
With files from The Sheaf
Ryerson’s men’s hockey team suspended for drinking
Ryerson University has suspended its men’s hockey team after the student athletes were drinking on a trip to New Jersey in mid-October. The students violated the Ryerson student-athlete handbook, which stipulates that alcohol is prohibited on all road trips.
Director of athletics Ivan Joseph told The Eyeopener, “Long story short, they were in the hotel room, they were drinking alcohol, we did an orientation, they signed the paper, it’s not permitted, it’s not acceptable behaviour.”
As punishment, the team is facing a seven-day suspension, during which they will forfeit two games. The team is scheduled to return to play on Nov. 15. According Joseph, head coach Graham Wise has also been suspended for four games. Part-time assistant coach Lawrence Smith is also no longer with the team; however reasons for his departure have not been provided.
With files from The Eyeopener
