Daily News

Posted on June 14: McMaster works with capital markets to finance building boom

The University is going to the capital markets to help finance its largest capital expansion in more than 30 years. The planned private bond issue, which could raise up to $120 million, will help to complete construction of new classrooms, labs and research space. These capital projects will help to ensure McMaster maintains its place as one of Canada's leading teaching and research universities. The Board of Governors approved the financing strategy at its meeting today(June 13). The Board previously approved all of the projects that would benefit from the bond issue. These include expansion of the Health Sciences building, renovations to the Arthur Bourns Building, General Sciences, Hamilton Hall, and the School of Business, and construction of the parking structure. "This form of financing is a prudent, carefully thought out undertaking that lets us maximize our flexibility in managing our financial position and continue to build on the University's strengths," said Ed Minich, chair of the Board of Governors. "It will also help ensure that we continue to provide the highest possible quality education for our students, research opportunities for faculty and a positive working environment for employees." Minich said the bond issue is a solid solution for the University's short-term funding needs but stressed that continued support from the provincial and federal governments and the private sector are critical to the University's future success. Details of the capital financing strategy should be complete this fall. In the past year, the University of Toronto, the University of British Columbia and York University have floated successful bond issues that raised more than $450 million. See related Q and A

Posted on June 14: New approaches to teen pregnancy prevention needed, McMaster researchers show

In a scientific review of the best available studies, a team of McMaster researchers has demonstrated that adolescent pregnancy prevention programs fail to delay the initiation of sexual intercourse, improve use of birth control, or reduce pregnancy rates. "The studies we summarized were all randomized trials,the highest quality evidence, " said Alba DiCenso, who led the research team. "The prevention strategies evaluated in these studies - sex education, abstinence programs, family planning clinics, and community based programs - did not achieve their intended effect." The situation is even worse for abstinence programs. "Not only do abstinence programs not delay initiation of sexual intercourse or reduce pregnancy rates," continued DiCenso "but an analysis of five studies, four of which evaluated abstinence programs and one of which evaluated a school-based sex education program, was associated with an increase in the number of pregnancies among partners of young males." The good news from the study comes from the finding that, contrary to the claims of sex education critics and advocates of abstinence programs, sex education programs did not result in higher rates of sexual intercourse. The results leave a big, unsolved problem. Pregnancy rates among young women aged 15 to 19 years, are among the highest in the world in the United States (93 per 1,000 young women), England (61 per 1,000), and Canada (43 per 1,000).

Posted June 13: McMaster Summer Drama Festival opens 11th season

The McMaster Summer Drama Festival opens for it's 11th season today with a performance of William Shakespeare's As You Like It on the open-air stage in Faculty Hollow. The student-run festival, which integrates student actors from many Faculties, as well as the surrounding community, offers up free entertainment and culture for a few brief weeks in June. The 2002 season of the McMaster Summer Drama Festival includes: As You Like It, Shakespeare's blithe comedy about the corruption of the court and the chaos it causes when two young noblewomen and their fool flee to the pastoral Forest of Arden The Student scripted Commedia Crew, developed as an original Commedia dell'Arte scenario into an improvised performance, complete with the raucous physical comedy and masks that characterize Commedia High Tea and Poetry readings of different plays and poetry related to the Ffestival's theme, The Summer of Love. As You Like It stars Sara Burdulis as Rosalind, Brian Hood as Orlando, Jordan Hall as Celia, and Steff Bishop as Jaques. Dave Barclay and Matt T. Sheahan take on the roles of the merchant Pantalone, and his dim-witted servant Arrlechino respectively, in Commedia Crew. This week's High Tea and Poetry will be Christopher Marlowe's Hero and Leander as read by Meaghan Stovel and Carm Iachelli. Performance Schedule Thursday, June 13 As You Like It by William Shakespeare, directed by Rachel Baker University Club Hollow, 7 p.m. Friday, June 14 Commedia Crew, Original Commedia del'Arte, facilitated by Krista MacIsaac Chester New Hall Courtyard, 7 p.m. Saturday, June 15 As You Like It University Club Hollow, 2 p.m. Poetry and High Tea featuring tea, cookies and readings of famous plays and poetry, University Club Hollow, 4 p.m. Commedia Crew, Chester New Hall Courtyard, 7 p.m. Thursday, June 20 Commedia Crew, Chester New Hall Courtyard, 7 p.m. Friday, June 21 As You Like It University Club Hollow, 7 p.m. Saturday, June 22 As You Like It, University Club Hollow, 2 p.m. Poetry and High Tea University Club Hollow, 4 p.m. Commedia Crew Chester New Hall Courtyard, 7 p.m. Thursday, June 27 As You Like It University Club Hollow, 7 p.m. Friday, June 28 Commedia Crew Chester New Hall Courtyard, 7 p.m. Saturday, June 29 Commedia Crew Chester New Hall Courtyard, 2 p.m. Poetry and High Tea University Club Hollow, 4 p.m. As You Like It University Club Hollow, 7 p.m. Please note that all evening shows begin at 7 p.m. and afternoon performances at 2 p.m. Under rainy conditions, all performances will move into Robinson Memorial Theatre. Admission is free, however, donations will gladly be accepted.

Inquiry experience draws academics to McMaster

It is Canada's premier conference for higher education. It draws premier minds in post-secondary education and it is coming to McMaster. The 22nd annual Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (STLHE) Conference begins tomorrow and runs till Saturday. Co-chairs of the organizing committee, Dick Day and Sylvia Riselay, from the Centre for Leadership and Learning, hope that this year's theme will be particularly memorable and relevant. Explains Day, "All of the conferences have themes, but they haven't related strongly to conference events." McMaster's theme, Fostering the Spirit of Inquiry, shapes many of the presentations being given over the four-day event. Organizers have encouraged participants to submit proposals that address the theme of inquiry. Along with the sessions, this STHLE conference is offering a new experience for certain participants - a chance to participate in the inquiry experience first hand. Applicants had the opportunity to sign up to participate as inquiry students. "Inquiry students will be meeting together in groups based on their primary interest in education, and they will form an important question about an issue in education, and will use conference sessions and lecturers to answer that question," Day explains. "We're showing, not telling. It's hands-on experiential learning at its best."Nearly half of the conference's participants, 177 people, signed up for the inquiry experience. When McMaster University last hosted a STLHE conference in 1988, 234 people participated. This year, more than 400 people are registered to attend, and there are nearly 200 sessions.