Daily News

posted on Oct. 13: 150 certificate and diploma students graduate this evening

Friday the 13th will prove to be a lucky day for the more than 150 certificate and diploma students who will celebrate their graduation at Convocation Hall this evening during the 1999-2000 Certificate & Diploma Graduation and Awards Ceremony. A wonderful mix of tradition and spontaneous celebration, the ceremony will host family and friends of the students, cheering them on as they graduate from programs they have completed, often in addition to full-time employment demands and family commitments. This year will mark the third year that the Centre for Continuing Education and the McMaster Association of Part-time Students (MAPS) have held a traditional graduation ceremony, minus the caps and gowns.

Declining interest in foreign languages blamed on internet

You can't blame the internet for everything. An article published in the Globe and Mail this summer says the internet has imposed a predominately anglo-centric format upon the wired world and, as a result, the study of foreign languages is in decline. However Gabriele Erasmi, chair of the modern languages department, notes that English has become the accepted language in international relations, trade and finance. "It's not surprising that the internet is English-based," he says. Daniel Woolf, dean of humanities, would agree. "I don't think that the predominance of English on the internet is the cause of a decline in the study of foreign languages. But I do believe it will accelerate that decline."