Good Programs in Victoria

And in a break from my usual snarkiness...

For the underpriveleged, higher education is generally unattainable, but UVic has begun a pilot project called University 101. For 10 weeks, adults with financial or health impediments to attending regular classes attend a series of Humanities lectures.

Now, it's nowhere near the intensity of undergraduate courses, but it is an introduction to critical thinking and some concepts which form the basis of a Humanities degree.

I'm pretty surprised that UVic is offering this, considering they are one of the only universities in North America that does not offer fee reductions or waivers for its staff or their families... but that said, I am still in support of the program. Any time you can raise the collective intelligence even by just a tiny bit, we all win.

Another program I just found out about is through the Saanich Police Department. They collect Canadian Tire money and use it to purchase bike helmets for kids who otherwise couldn't afford them. Now personally, I think it should be required that all bikes are sold with helmets -- just like all cars are sold with seat belts -- but then you get into the grey area of second hand bikes and it gets complicated. So, while I'm not willing to part with my own Canadian Tire money (Hey! I use mine!) some of you might be interested in a place to put that otherwise unused paper. (Or if you prefer, you can send it to me and I'll use it.)