The Conversation

Thompson Rivers University

Thompson Rivers University fosters innovation, exploration and research while emphasizing student success. Almost 26,000 students are building their futures with TRU either on campus or online through Open Learning.

TRU’s main campus has spectacular views of the Thompson Valley and offers everything from trades and tech to graduate programs. It includes one of Canada’s newest Law schools as well as faculties in sciences, nursing, business, art, education and social work and adventure, culinary arts and tourism.

With a mission to serve learners through high-quality and flexible education, TRU’s motto is “to strive ahead.” Faculty and students at Thompson Rivers University are striving ahead with leadership, creativity and excellence.

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Montreal-born pianist Oscar Peterson waves after playing at the Montreal Forum in July 1984. The Coalition for Music Education is inviting schools and communities across Canada to sing “Hymn To Freedom,” written by Peterson and Harriette Hamilton, on Music Monday 2019, a day to celebrate music. (CP/Jean F. Leblanc)

Music also matters in the real world

Edward R. Howe, Thompson Rivers University

What kind of students are we raising when music is seen as a "frill?" The decision to drastically cut music education is a misguided policy.
New research shows that more and more of our public conversation is unfolding within a dwindling coterie of sites that are controlled by a small few, largely unregulated and geared primarily to profit rather than public interest. Unsplash

Big Fail: The internet hasn’t helped democracy

Robert Diab, Thompson Rivers University

New research into the economics of attention online casts doubt on the net’s role in fostering public debate, and raises concerns about the future of democracy.
Quebec premier-designate François Legault gestures as he addresses a meeting of his new caucus on Oct. 3, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson

First Ontario, now Quebec: The notwithstanding threat

Jeffrey B. Meyers, Thompson Rivers University

Threats by two of Canada's newest premiers to invoke the notwithstanding clause send a clear message to the federal Liberals: Ontario and Quebec do not play by the rules.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s threat to wield the notwithstanding clause reveals flaws in Canada’s Constitution in terms of how municipalities are completely unprotected. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

Ford’s fight with Toronto shows legal vulnerability of cities

Jeffrey B. Meyers, Thompson Rivers University

Ontario's recent threat to use the notwithstanding clause to reduce the size of Toronto's city council is a reminder that municipalities have little protection under the Constitution.
Plays like ‘Where the Blood Mixes’ (with actors Kim Harvey and Billy Merasty) help shed light on Indigenous stories, helping to educate Canadian audiences. David Cooper

Indigenous theatre would thrive with funds from the Canadian government

Ginny Ratsoy, Thompson Rivers University

Indigenous theatre and storytelling provides an opportunity for all Canadians to honour the directives of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The Canadian government should support this mission.
Teaching students about how ancient civilizations used geometry to build structures like the pyramids in Egypt is part of a new integrated approach to learning science, technology, engineering and math. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)

Let’s teach students why math matters in the real world

Edward R. Howe, Thompson Rivers University

To get more students interested in STEM subjects, teachers must break out of the traditional subject-matter silos and use an approach that helps kids understand how math is used in the real world.
Edmonton’s new NHL arena opened in 2016 and was partially funded by $226 million from the City of Edmonton. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson

Offside: The secret deals involving public money for sports stadiums

Ryan Gauthier, Thompson Rivers University

The Calgary Flames are the latest pro sports team asking for public funds for a new arena. Cities across North America help fund sports facilities, but with little transparency and accountability
The Joint Occupational Health and Safety Committee (JOHSC) of Thompson Rivers University in British Columbia unanimously voted on March 5, 2018 to ban all smoking of marijuana products on campus — for health and safety reasons. (Flickr/Chuck Grimmett)

Marijuana-friendly campuses? I don’t think so …

Chris Montoya, Thompson Rivers University

In advance of marijuana legalization in Canada, one university in British Columbia has taken a firm stance, banning all smoking of cannabis products on campus.
Child survivors of Auschwitz are seen in this 1945 photograph. (Creative Commons)

The dreadful history of children in concentration camps

Wilson T. Bell, Thompson Rivers University

The more notorious concentration camps of the 20th century must serve as a stark reminder of the depravity of tearing children away from their parents and putting them in camps.
Ambassador of China to Canada Lu Shaye is photographed at the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Ottawa on May 24, 2018, following the announcement that Canada had turned down China’s takeover bid for Aecon. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

Canada’s disturbing lack of vision on dealing with a rising China

Robert J. Hanlon, Thompson Rivers University

In the wake of the Canadian government's rejection of a Chinese takeover bid for construction company Aecon, Canada must drop the 'Red Scare' rhetoric and figure out how to engage with a rising China.
Bernie Williams, right, a women’s advocate in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, embraces Carmen Paterson while testifying at the final day of hearings at the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, in Richmond, B.C., on April 8, 2018. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck)

Can we really teach ‘Indigenizing’ courses online?

Matthew Stranach, Thompson Rivers University

University "Indigenization" efforts using Massive Open Online Courses promise to reach wide audiences. They also raise critical questions about how to embody Indigenous ways of knowing and relating.
Beyonce’s baseball bat wielding spree in Lemonade, left, bears more than a passing resemblance to the work of Swiss video artist Pipilotti Rist. Left, still from Lemonade (2016), right, still from Ever is Over All (1997)

Friday essay: the quest for legacy – how pop music is embracing high art

Blair McDonald, Thompson Rivers University

From Beyoncé and Lady Gaga to Kanye and even Rihanna, pop royalty is crazy for high art. Is this a phenomenon worth celebrating or are pop stars mining the art world to gain credibility?

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