By C. Scott Findlay. There is a widespread belief that science and politics don’t mix. Why? In part because once a scientist dips her sterile toe into the murky waters of politics, she loses her credibility as a disinterested party. Infected by political pathogens, scientists inevitably succumb, becoming passionate advocates rather than dispassionate judges. More...

By Robbie Woods. Dear Professor: 
After my first semester of post-secondary education,  I feel I’ve matured a great deal. When I first came to campus, I was shallow and naive, unprepared for the rigours of academic life.  But now that I’ve aced Everything 101, I feel qualified to give you some friendly advice on how you might deal with the cohort of incoming students. More...

By Lynn Crosbie. Dear Student: 
Welcome to university, and welcome to my class, which you have taken because “it’s a requirement?” 
Yes, you did just ask me a question, more or less: Before buying your first course pack, please practise the annihilation of your upward inflections. More...

By Martin Patriquin. Many moons ago, when I was a but a wee university newspaper hack, “hurricane Rosie” hit the very respectable groves of Mount Allison University. The Rosie in question was erstwhile Liberal MP Roseanne Skoke, who represented the good people of Central Nova for a spell in the ’90s. Rosie didn’t much like the gays—“Homosexuality is not natural and it is undermining the inherent rights and values of our Canadian family,” she espoused in the House of Commons in 1994—and she took her shtick on the road after being turfed from this institution in 1997. More...