Campus catch-up

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LGBT rights in Manitoba protected by professor

A law professor at the University of Manitoba was one of 12 inductees into the Canadian Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered (LGBT) Human Rights Hall of Fame on July 30.

Karen Busby has researched laws dealing with sexuality and violence in the LGTB community as well as human rights laws. She will join past inductees like former Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau.

Busby appeared as counsel for the Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund in the Little Sisters case which concerned the treatment of LGBT bookstores by Canadian Customs.

Busby worked alongside LGBT advocacy group Egale Canada in a fight for equal marriage and also fought for a gay male teenager’s right to bring a same-sex date to prom.

Other inductees this year include recording artist k.d. lang and Gens Hillquist, founder of the first gay and lesbian organization in Saskatoon in 1971.

—Savoula Stylianou

Sustainable students

Mount Allison University in Sackville, N.B., has introduced a student-run farm initiative on campus.

Students will be employed in the program to grow vegetables like corn, onions, tomatoes, lettuce, peppers and cucumbers for the dining hall.

This eight-acre initiative is comprised of two gardens which use different harvesting methods. One garden will be farmed using only organic fertilizers while the other will use a combination of organic and chemical fertilizers.

The university hopes to purchase another acre to grow fruit trees, herbs, berries, garlic, rhubarb and flowers.

—Meaghan Wray

Guelph wins with weeds

A team of students from the University of Guelph now carry the title of Best Student Weed Scientists in North America.

On July 26, the four undergraduate students competed against 17 other schools in the 2011 Weed Olympics, held annually in Knoxville, Tenn. The University of Guelph was the only Canadian school to participate.

During the two-day competition, students were tested on their agricultural skills applied to weed management. They were judged with four criteria: weed identification, sprayer calibration, identifying herbicides and problem-solving.

Events included identifying an herbicide based solely on its effects on a plant.

The competition was open to both undergraduates and graduates and attracted more than 130 students across North America.

“It may be daunting at first, but no other experience can be as beneficial and rewarding as the Weed Olympics,” gold-medal winner Michael Vanhie said. “It was a fantastic learning opportunity, also providing the chance to network with many representatives in the crop protection industry.”

−Catherine Owsik, with files from the University of Guelph

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