Rachael Stone, a researcher and PhD candidate who’s exploring aging and chronic disease at York University, recently completed a study on the effect of exercise in those over the age of 50. Focusing on 44,000 participants in the 2007-2008 Canadian Community Health Survey, she found that those who exercised 30 minutes a day had a 15 per cent lower risk of developing a mental illness than those who were mostly sedentary…. “I found that definitely, exercise has a protective effect against the prevalence of developing common disorders like depression and bipolar,” said Stone in CTV News Feb. 13. Read full story.
Blog exposes hateful speech directed at Canada’s female premiers
The blog Madam Premier is part of a new “naming and shaming” tactic, where activists point fingers at those posting hateful speech online….York University’s Dr. Jennifer Jenson says that by aggregating misogynistic comments, blogs like Madam Premier show that sexism is still a systemic problem. “It’s about compiling it so that it doesn’t seem like it’s just one guy doing this,” she said in Metro Feb. 14. “When you see it this way, it’s a literal documentation of the different kinds of people who feel compelled to say derogatory things about women in power.” Read full story.
Deferral fees score Rye big bucks
This year, Ryerson will bank more than $820,000 by charging students who are unable to pay their tuition fees at once. Ryerson charges a $70 fee to students who split their charges into twice-yearly installments…. A monthly late fee of 1.25 per cent begins in October for Ryerson students with any outstanding balance on their fall tuition at the end of September….At the University of Toronto and York University, however, students receiving financial aid may delay paying their fees until OSAP arrives, reported the Eyeopener Feb. 13. Read full story.
Gap years now happen before and after university
The gap year – taking a year off school to work, travel or volunteer – has been a pre-university rite of passage in Europe, where it began in Britain in the ’60s and spread to other Commonwealth countries – including Canada. A Statistics Canada survey of around 8,500 high school graduates from 2000 to 2008 found that just 50 per cent had started college or university within the usual three months…. Some schools even encourage a break, reported Maclean’s Feb. 13: York University’s Bridging the Gap program allows students to defer their acceptance; Harvard actually suggests it. Read full story.