On Thursday Feb. 16 an altercation between five individual took place outside of the University of Calgary student pub The Den. At approximately 1:00 a.m. police responded to a call from U of C campus security. First-year student Eli Eidesvik was treated by EMS and transported to hospital where he is in stable condition. The Calgary Police continues to investigate. Alcohol is believed to be a factor.

I still remember one of the first volunteer jobs I had -- in a homeless shelter in Kingston, Ontario. My decision to start volunteering had not been planned. I had seen an ad in the local newspaper advertising for volunteers and thought this would be a good way to get involved in the community and to get out of my comfort zone which, at that time, consisted of the Queen's University library, campus bar, class and the occasional late-night poutine run.

The results of the 2011 Canadian census should come as no surprise to anybody who is even remotely familiar with the nation's demographics in recent years. The west is booming while growth in the east has slowed. The maritime provinces have rebounded slightly. More and more people are choosing to live in cities as opposed to rural areas. The last point is one that has not been brought up nearly as much as the west east divide. It is not entirely accurate, however. It isn't cities that are growing particularly quickly, it's suburbia.

Chilean student leader Camilo Ballesteros delivered a speech at the University of Calgary Feb. 6 as part of a month-long Canadian tour to raise awareness about education issues in South America. Ballesteros, who just finished a term as president of the University of Santiago's Students' Union, was one of the leaders of a large-scale 2011 movement to protest the inaccessibility of higher education.

On Monday, Feb. 13, 2012 prime minister Stephen Harper caught a flight to China for a five day trip full of the most officious meetings between himself and Chinese premier Wen Jiabao, cuddling with pandas (of which two will be rented to Canadian zoos for $1 million a piece, annually) and, of course, some ping pong.

Losses have been few and far between for the University of Calgary Dinos women's hockey team this season -- the team finished with 26 wins and four losses in the regular season. The Dinos are ranked first in the Canada West conference and are looking forward to success in the playoffs, and head coach and former Team Canada player Danielle Goyette said she is always pushing the team to succeed.

"We have been fortunate to play some good hockey lately, but we are always looking for more from our players," she said.

On Christmas Eve 2004, Theo Epstein, the general manager of the freshly crowned World Series Champions, the Boston Red Sox, presented Jason Varitek with a contract extension and a simple uniform modification. The letter 'C' stitched to his jersey symbolized one of the highest honours an active player can receive. In baseball, it is exceptionally rare to overtly display team captains in this fashion. But in other professional sports, including hockey and soccer, it is a time-honoured tradition to mark the captain with a special badge.

"Not sure if electrical engineering class . . . or Chang family reunion."

"Forced to take English this quarter . . . Take 6 math classes to boost gpa." (Next to a photo of an Asian student.)

"Why are my marks below average? Asians." (Next to a photo of a white man.)

Islamic Awareness Week is happening until Friday in the MacHall North Courtyard. According to Ammar Shahid, president of the Muslim Students Association, if anyone is unclear, or is questioning aspects of Islam, they shouldn't be afraid to ask. "We want to tear down the misconceptions out there about Islam where there has been a lot of controversy," said Shahid.

The most common species of bat in North America is now threatened with possible extinction -- and there is little hope of stopping it.

A disease known as White Nose Syndrome has been sweeping across the United States and Canada, killing hibernating bat species by preventing them from maintaining a dormant state during the winter. Recent surveys have placed the number of bats killed at around six million, with a mortality rate of over 90 per cent.