The 2013–14 Alberta provincial budget has slashed $147 million from post-secondary education operational funding, a 6.8 per cent decrease from last year’s budget.


The provincial budget aims to reduce Alberta’s deficit, which, prior to the budget cuts, was projected at $4 billion. The new budget reduces the projected deficit to $2 billion, but has still generated criticism from opposing political parties who feel the ruling Progressive Conservatives have handled the budget irresponsibly and failed on campaign promises.


The University of Calgary women’s hockey team was defeated at the hands of the Université de Montreal Carabins in the Dinos’s attempt to defend their national championship title on March 2 in Toronto by a score of 3–2. It was the first Canadian Interuniversity Sport title in program history for the Carabins. Despite the remarkable efforts the defending champions made in the final game, the Dinos’s labours ultimately fell short and they failed to capitalize on several opportunities to pull away from their opponents. 


This week’s feature is the third in a four-part series on food security. The first part looked at a Canadian perspective, the second looked at organic farms in New Orleans. This week’s is about the benefit of composting food waste. Stay tuned for how to reduce inorganic food waste next week. 


The Venezuelan President, Hugo Chavez, is dead. The former army officer who rose to power following a 1998 election has been lauded as the patriot who freed the marginalized proletariat from the boots of corporations and a corrupt, oligarchical government. He was also condemned as a tyrant who suffered no slights, harassing and sometimes jailing political opponents, or as a bumbler who has left the management of Venezuela’s abundant energy reserves in shambles.

This year, scripts have been tossed out as performers draw on their personal stories and experiences for the University of Calgary’s fourth annual Coming Out Monologues, presented by U of C’s Leadership and Student Engagement from March 13–16.


The Coming Out Monologues, inspired by Eve Ensler’s The Vagina Monologues, began at the University of California, Riverside in 2007. It was picked up by Texas A&M University in 2008, and soon many cities in Canada and the United States began hosting their own events.