Media releases

• Brock awarded $1.6 million in SSHRC funding in 2018

  Wednesday, June 13, 2018 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: 13 June 2018 – R00125

  Scores of Ontario residents did something last week that may soon be a thing of the past: they lined up at polling stations, ballot in hand, ready to cast their vote to determine the next provincial government. 

  While elections will remain, the physical queues at polling stations may one day be replaced by online and telephone voting, the implications of which Brock political scientist Nicole Goodman and her colleagues are exploring in their research.

  Goodman is one of 11 researchers at Brock who were recently awarded Insight Grants of more than $1.1 million from the federal government’s Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). In addition, 16 students were awarded SSHRC student grants totalling $565,000, contributing to a $1.6 million Brock grand total.

  Examining select municipalities in the 2018 Ontario municipal elections, Goodman is studying how online and telephone voting impacts voter turnout, the composition of the voting population and residents’ attitudes towards local political institutions and representatives.

  This is a significant issue for Canada. Paper voting has been eliminated and replaced with either online voting or a combination of internet and telephone ballots in select Ontario and Nova Scotia municipalities, making them the only jurisdictions in the world to do so, she says.

  “Online voting is becoming more commonplace: people are using it, and we know little about the effects,” says Goodman. “Nobody knows what happens when you make elections fully electronic. This research will give academics and government officials a sense of what types of effects this policy change could have.”

  In addition to Goodman’s work, other examples of research funded through 2018 Insight Grants include:

  • Examining how people of all age groups can use physical activity as a tool to love and respect their physiques.
  • Reviewing young people’s reflections on early paid employment in Canada.
  • Exploring the economic consequences of ‘greenwashing.’
  • Looking at how to connect school science to local communities, promoting meaningful engagement for students.

  Brock Vice-President, Research Tim Kenyon noted how the success rate for Brock researchers applying for Insight Grants was 55 per cent in this latest competition, up from 32 per cent last year.

  “I’m delighted by the wide range of research being funded,” says Kenyon. “This variety reflects the diverse interests and expertise of our researchers as we engage with the issues of our community, country and world.”

  Examples of student research funded through SSHRC grants include:

  • Examining perfectionism, social experience and mental health in adolescents.
  • Studying the history of the Anishinaabek peoples on Manitoulin Island.
  • Exploring make homosociality in team sports.
  • Looking at the creativity of children with reading disabilities.

  SSHRC’s Insight Grants program provides funding for three to five years for research that accomplishes a number of goals, including building knowledge and understanding, supporting new approaches to research and providing training experiences for students.

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

  * Maryanne Firth, Writer/Editor, Brock University maryanne.firth@brocku.ca, 905-688- 5550 x4420 or 289-241-8288

  Brock University Marketing and Communications has a full-service studio where we can provide high definition video and broadcast-quality audio.

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  Categories: Media releases

• Brock leaders welcome Cheechoo to a second term as Chancellor

  Tuesday, June 12, 2018 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: 12 June 2018 – R00124

  Canadian writer, director and filmmaker Shirley Cheechoo has been appointed to a second term as Chancellor of Brock University.

  Cheechoo, whose initial three-year term was to expire this fall, was re-elected to the ceremonial leadership role for a further two years by the University Senate, upon the recommendation of Brock President Gervan Fearon and following consultation with the Board of Trustees.

  Fearon called Cheechoo a strong leader who connects students to the important role that Indigenous people have played in the development of the country, and also to how the arts can inspire people to find scope for leadership.

  “The Chancellor has made enormous contributions to the University, and it has been an honour to have her renewal unanimously approved by our Senate and confirmed by our Board,” said Fearon.

  “She contributes to Brock’s priorities to advance community engagement and post-secondary opportunities across Niagara and beyond, plays an important role in inspiring the establishment of a new position for a Vice-Provost for Indigenous Engagement, and continues to support the building of capacity and understanding for indigenizing the University.”

  Senate Chair David Whitehead said Cheechoo’s presence on campus brings Brock’s values of inclusiveness and diversity to life at the highest levels of the University.

  “Brock is moving forward strategically with its commitments to indigenize and decolonize the University by supporting the work of the Two Row, One Dish, One Spoon Council and creating a senior administrative position to guide this work,” said Whitehead. “Chancellor Cheechoo’s reappointment is concrete evidence of Brock’s commitment to moving forward with this important work.”

  Gary Comerford, Chair of Brock’s Board of Trustees, said extending the Chancellor’s appointment allows Brock to continue to seek her counsel on how to make Brock a university of choice for Indigenous students.

  “Having someone with the respect and admiration that Shirley has, not only in the Indigenous community but across the broader Canadian community, is a great asset for Brock,” said Comerford.

  Cheechoo said the Chancellorship provides an important communications conduit that lets her help Brock’s leaders become more knowledgeable about Aboriginal people, their protocols and governance, and why they are so connected to the land.

  “I don’t think people don’t want to learn,” she said. “Sometimes they just don’t know what to ask in order to learn.”

  First appointed in 2015, Cheechoo is the eighth chancellor in Brock’s 54-year history, and is the first woman and the first Indigenous Canadian to hold the position.  At Brock, the Chancellor plays an inspirational leadership role aimed at advancing the educational welfare of students, including conferring degrees and awards at convocation ceremonies.

  A member of the Cree nation, Cheechoo has won international acclaim for stage work and films that are shaped by her First Nations background, including honours at the Sundance Film Festival and the American Indian Film Festival.

  She is also the founder and Executive Director of Weengushk Film Institute, an institution on Manitoulin Island that develops media arts skills for Indigenous youth and persons of diversity.

   

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

  * Maryanne Firth, Writer/Editor, Brock University maryanne.firth@brocku.ca, 905-688- 5550 x4420 or 289-241-8288

  Brock University Marketing and Communications has a full-service studio where we can provide high definition video and broadcast-quality audio.

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  Categories: Media releases