Daily News

posted on Sept. 24: McMaster’s student enrolment beats targets

McMaster's student enrolment figures exceeded the targets set for this academic year. Registrar George Granger told Senate last week that interim figures show enrolment goals established by the enrolment management team will be met when the final tally is counted in November. "It's very positive," Granger said. "Full-time and part-time figures are both slightly above the approved enrolment targets. Across all programs we are very much on target." As of Sept. 11, there were 4,048 first-year students enrolled at the University, 223 more than the target of 3,825. The total undergraduate enrolment figure is 13,023 compared to last year's total of 12,365. Granger said there are also 102 nursing degree students at Mohawk and Conestoga colleges as part of the nursing consortium that are "over and above" those figures. So far, there are 2,046 part-time undergraduate students enrolled at the University compared to 1,957 last year. The University's total undergraduate enrolment figure is 15,069 (full and part time) compared to 14,322. At the graduate level, students enrolled in full-time PhD programs as of Sept. 20 number 550, compared to last year's total of 532. There are 803 students enrolled in master's programs with late registrations still being processed, said John Scime, graduate registrar & secretray. Last year's final enrolment in master's programs was 730. "We expect the final number to be well above last year's enrolment," Scime told the Daily News. The University's enrolment managment team is already busy working on enrolment for the 2002-03 year with a large group attending the Ontario Universities' Fair 2001 in Toronto beginning today and continuing through the weekend. The annual fair offers prospective students and their families an opportunity to meet representatives from Ontario's 19 universities.

posted on Sept. 19: Alcohol awareness campaign a Reality Check!

More University students are drinking alcohol in moderation, according to a comparison of three annual alcohol awareness surveys conducted on campus. The average number of nights per week students reported drinking decreased by .5 from 1.6 to 1.1. As well, more students are drinking fewer drinks per event with less experiencing the negative consequences of a blackout or memory lapse. The statistics bolster the launch of the second annual Reality Check! campaign, a program designed to promote informed decision-making among students who use alcohol. The awareness campaign began this week with the release of the first in a series of posters into residences, athletics & recreation facilities and campus bathrooms and bulletin boards. The theme of "Go Figure, Eh" was adopted to use humour and pop culture to raise students' awareness about how they behave and regard their peers. The campaign is also being promoted on the Reality Check! Web site. Students are encouraged to know the facts about alcohol use and a "toonie" will be given out on Tuesdays, beginning Oct. 2, to students who correctly recall the campaign messages posed by Student Health Service volunteers known as "reality checkers." Health educator Jane Radix, of Student Health Service, said the campaign's goals are to increase student awareness and encourage students "towards more moderate and responsible use" that reflects the norm.