LOL
Re: “Tone it down on texting,” Letter, April 8.
Your letter writer is concerned that text messaging causes poor grammar skills.
For a text message to be understood, the writer must follow the correct pattern of subject, verb and object. Even spelling counts in the text message, as an incorrect short form of a word can lead to confusion.
The students who text message are still writing and reading, even if it is in a form I don’t use. I’ll take that behaviour over watching TV any time.
To the teens who are being ridiculed for trying to communicate, may I just say CUL@MRU.
Kirk Layton,
Calgary
Kirk Layton teaches in Mount Royal College’s English department.
Cheap shot
Calgary Herald
Published: Saturday, January 24, 2009
Re: “What’s in a name? When it’s college vs. university –lots,” Paula Arab, Opinion, Jan. 22.
A graduate of Ryerson Institute of Technology, er, Ryerson University, I realize that Paula Arab can relate to the struggles of Mount Royal College.
However, taking pot shots at Doug Horner for having a SAIT business diploma is pretty low. You’d think that a defender of university-colleges would have more respect for one of Calgary’s most vital post-secondary institutes.
Bryan Weismiller, Calgary
Calgary HeraldJanuary 30, 2009
Re: “Bishop calls for halt on oilsands growth,” Jan. 27.
I am a Mount Royal student, born and raised in Fort Mc-Murray, who was able to move away from home to pursue an education because of the jobs the oilsands provided. My father has been employed by Syncrude Canada for more than 25 years and I am planning on accepting a job there as a summer intern this year. All of the oilsands companies are under very strict regulations put in place by the government concerning environmental effects. They are legally responsible to uphold their commitments and do this with various reclamation projects. These projects are often not well advertised or known to the public. Often, those who do not live and work in the oilsands do not know exactly what happens and how things work. Environmental issues are very important, but education on these issues is scarce. The Oilsands Developers Group has offered to speak with Bishop Luc Bouchard and take him on a tour of the oilsands, which I think was an excellent idea.
Kelsey Green, Calgary
Bad move
Calgary HeraldJanuary 25, 2009
Paula Arab, I understand that you along with many others want Alberta to be educated, but changing Mount Royal to a university increases tuition prices.
That means students like myself (who do not live off their parents) are going to have to work more, which means we’re going to have to take fewer classes–vicious cycle, hey?
Sarah Bolding, Calgary
Keep it a college
Calgary HeraldJanuary 24, 2009
I am enrolled in the open studies program at Mount Royal College, and found Paula Arab’s column intriguing. She argues the positives would outweigh the negatives if Mount Royal College were to become Mount Royal University. If Mount Royal were to convert to a full university, it would leave Calgary with no public college, with no option for those whose marks aren’t quite university mate-rial, and whose monetary situation leaves them short of paying university tuition. One must look at the students’ interests in Mount Royal as a college.
I didn’t earn high enough marks in high school to get into the university program I wanted to pursue; Mount Royal is bridging the gap. If Mount Royal becomes an accredited university, not only will students like myself find it more difficult to pursue higher education, but students facing monetary issues will have more trouble than they currently do. With a university label, Mount Royal would need more and bigger labs. Class sizes would increase, which would upset the many students who chose the small classes of a college over the overcrowded classes of university.
A. P. Smith, Calgary
