A reminder to unplug! Turn off computers and appliances before leaving for the holiday break
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York community members are reminded to switch off and unplug before leaving for the holiday break. It is also a good time to remind others in your area about the importance of shutting down computers, lights, small office or kitchen appliances and other personal electronics before leaving the office.
This simple gesture can yield tremendous results, given that staff and faculty operate more than 8,000 computers, and together the Keele and Glendon campuses have more than 140,000 internal lights.
The ability to shut down certain electrical devices will vary depending on departmental requirements.
Vanier College’s 14th annual book sale once again has thousands of books available in a variety of genres.
The book sale will run from Jan. 15 to 18 at 152 Founders College and 001 Vanier College. It will be open Monday to Thursday, from 9:30am to 6pm, Everyone is welcome.
Browse through the enormous selection of new and used books, including mysteries, popular fiction, self-help tomes, textbooks, cookbooks and biographies, as well as reference, languages and academic. Most books will cost between $1 to $5.
For a list of book categories available in each room, click here.
If you would like to volunteer to help out before and/or during the sale, call 416-736-5192 or email vanier@yorku.ca. For more information, visit the Vanier College website.
Memorial service for Honey and Barry Sherman planned for Dec. 21
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Barry and Honey Sherman
The funeral service for York University Board of Governors member Honey Sherman and her husband Barry Sherman is planned for Thursday, Dec. 21. The service will start at 11am.
For those University community members who wish to attend, the service will be held at the International Centre, Entrance 5, 6900 Airport Road, Mississauga.
The doors will open at 9am for sitting.
The flags on the main Keele campus and Glendon flagpoles and those at Passey residences will be flying at half-mast from sunrise on Thursday, Dec. 21, to commemorate the Shermans.
The flags will remain at half-mast until 1pm on Friday, Dec. 22.
University community members are invited to leave a message to express condolences and gratitude to the Sherman family at http://about.yorku.ca/in-memoriam/.
Make your donation to York before Dec. 31 for 2017 tax receipt
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Though the year is quickly coming to a close, there is still time to join the hundreds of faculty, staff and retirees who have already chosen to create an impact at York University with a donation in 2017. Through your support, the University can ensure the success of our students while fulfilling our $500-million goal for Impact: The Campaign for York University, which is actively building stronger communities, mobilizing new ways of thinking and preparing the engaged global citizens of tomorrow.
As we prepare for the upcoming break and look forward to seeing family, friends and loved ones over the holidays, take a moment to think about supporting York University and our students through a donation before the end of the year.
The Advancement Office is closed for the holidays from Dec. 25, 2017 to Jan. 2, 2018 inclusive; however, there two easy ways that you can make a donation during that time.
To ensure you receive a 2017 tax receipt for your donation, please take note of the following requirements:
Donations must be received on or before Dec. 31, with the cheque or credit card authorization dated Dec. 31 or earlier. This includes donations made online, by phone and in person.
Mailed donations can be received in January 2018, but must have a valid postmark of Dec. 31 or earlier.
Cheques must be made payable to York University.
Note to faculty and staff receiving donations in their departments:
Please forward any gifts received in your departments to Advancement Services (located at the West Office Building on York’s Keele Campus) by noon on Friday, Dec. 22, to ensure timely processing and receipting. If you are expecting a credit card donation over the closure period, please direct the donor to the online donation page.
In order to be receipted for 2017 all cheques must be accompanied with the original envelope.
Thank you to all of you who have already chosen to create impact at York University this year. Happy Holidays from the York University Division of Advancement.
Announcement of change of title for College Masters
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The following is a message to the York University community from Lisa Philipps, interim vice-president academic and provost:
I am pleased to share with the University community the news that, effective Jan. 1, 2018, the title “College Master” will be replaced by the title “College Head”. This change follows consultations with the current Masters of York’s eight non-Faculty Colleges (Bethune, Calumet, Founders, McLaughlin, New, Stong, Vanier, and Winters) and the Deans of the Faculties to which they are attached; and we are all in agreement in enthusiastically supporting this change.
Responsibilities and reporting lines will not alter as a result of this title change, which reflects York University’s long-standing commitment to principles of affirmative action, equity and inclusion. Those principles have led us to examine the language we use, including the language of position titles, to ensure that we, as an institution, express ourselves in words that are clear and non-biased.
I look forward to continuing to work collaboratively with the College Heads and colleagues in the Colleges and Faculties to enhance the supports and sense of community we offer to our students.
York University celebrates the 10th anniversary of LeaderShape Institute
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Participants in the LeaderShape Institute
York University marked the 10th anniversary of the Leadershape Institute from Oct. 22 to 27, when 60 York University students attended the annual, award-winning leadership development program at Delta Hotel in Guelph.
Students were joined by eight York University staff and graduates, and two external faculty members affiliated with the parent LeaderShape organization. The Institute was originally established in 1986 in Chicago and first hosted by York University in 2008.
Participants in the LeaderShape Institute
York University Vice-Provost Students (VPS) Lucy Fromowitz served as a guest leader for a panel discussion during the week, along with Prakash Amarasooriya, who led the Toronto Youth Cabinet initiative in pushing for financial literacy in high schools.
Upon their return, the 60 York University students joined the ranks of more than 60,000 LeaderShape Institute graduates worldwide who have explored what they want to achieve and who they want to be in the world.
Coordinated by York’s Student Community & Leadership Development (SCLD), the LeaderShape Institute has developed a strong reputation for being one of the best leadership experiences at York University. The program included six days of intense dialogue and self-exploration in a supportive learning community. Students were challenged and pushed out of their comfort zones to produce a breakthrough in their leadership capacities by developing a personal vision for the change they wish to see in the world.
“LeaderShape was a life-changing experience,” said Jillian Lynch, a fourth-year kinesiology and health sciences student. “This experience arrived at just the right time in my life. I was just beginning to lose momentum to keep making an effort to create positive change. Thankfully, LeaderShape left me feeling refreshed and rejuvenated with a new purpose in life.”
Lynch returned to campus with an action plan on how she could implement positive social change.
“Upon my return to York, I immediately set out on taking the steps to organize a Dance Marathon Fundraiser for SickKids Hospital. Days later, I finalized that the event will take place at The Underground on Feb. 1, 2018,” she said.
Some of the participants in this year’s LeaderShape Institute
One of the core teachings behind the LeaderShape Institute is that leadership is not positional, but rather, it is in how you relate with others. This principle is what informed many of the participants’ experiences in forming strong bonds with one another to challenge pre-conceived notions of what it means to be a leader with a “healthy disregard for the impossible”.
“My experience was quite profound,” said Duan Parchment, a third-year biology student. “I connected with a lot of amazing students in the York community, who helped me see the world differently.”
In the weeks following LeaderShape, students continued to reflect on and share their experience with their peers and sponsors.
“I learned that you are not born a leader, but rather, you cultivate leadership by living through possibility, creating a vision, and forming networks in order to empower one another in bringing a vision to life,” said Rita Iafrate, a third-year law and society student. “No dream can be too big so long as you start small and take bigger steps every day to make your vision possible.
“The friendships and connections I made will allow me to create more opportunities for students on campus, which will in turn create a positive change at York. I am forever grateful for this experience.”
The event was made possible with support from the following campus partners: Athletics and Recreation, Counselling & Disability Services (CDS), Atkinson Centre for Mature and Part-time Students (ACMAPS), Calumet, Career Centre, Centre for Aboriginal Student Services, Department of Community Safety, Founders, Glendon – Office of Student Services, Housing and Residence Life, McLaughlin, McLaughlin College Council, New College, New College Council, Office of Student Community Relations (OSCR), Office of Vice President Finance and Administration, President’s Office, Registrar’s Office, SCLD – Club Peers, SCLD – Health Ed, SCLD – Media and Communications, SCLD – RED Zone, Stong, Stong Student Government, Vanier, Winters, York University Libraries, York Federation of Students.
COP23 observers to present a debrief on climate change, Jan. 4
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EARTHdayFEATURED
Every year since 2009, a delegation of observers composed of faculty, students and staff has attended the annual United Nations Climate Change Convention’s Conference of the Parties (COP), where countries negotiate on how to reduce climate change causing greenhouse gas emissions.
This year, the meetings were held in November in Bonn, Germany, at the COP23.
York University observers from COP23 and previous COPs will share their observations about the state of global negotiations during a special debrief event on Thursday, Jan. 4, 2018, from 11:30am to 1pm, in Room 749, Robarts Centre for Canadian Studies, Kaneff Tower, Keele campus.
Mark Terry
York University community members are invited to attend and hear about the Youth Climate Report project founded by York University PhD candidate and documentary filmmaker Mark Terry. There will also be a presentation that will cover an effort by a consortium of Ontario universities to develop a new field course for science students to attend the Climate Change negotiations.
Silent auction raises $1,500 in support of York U’s Las Nubes Project
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York University’s EcoCampus in Costa Rica will see the reconstruction of a bridge in the Las Nubes corridor, and enhancements to the local learning and educational resource centre La Casita Azul, after a recent event raised more than $1,500 for the Las Nubes Project.
The silent auction in support of the Las Nubes Project
The Las Nubes Students Association (LSNA), in partnership with the Las Nubes Alumni Network, hosted its annual silent auction on Nov. 22 in the Vari Hall rotunda, followed by an evening reception in the HNES building with upwards of 60 guests in attendance.
LNSA co-president Taufiq Safdar said the LNSA’s hope is that with the funds raised, “we will help the librarian to acquire new books and stationery so that La Casita Azul can continue the mission to provide community members with equitable access to resources such as internet, online and print resources, printing and a place to study.”
Ravi de Costa, interim dean for the Faculty of Environmental Studies (FES), acknowledged and thanked the numerous donors who have contributed to the growth of the Las Nubes project and the EcoCampus.
“This project and the opportunities that it offers students and the Las Nubes community alike would not be possible without the generosity of our donors,” he said. “We are fortunate to be supported by incredible alumni and donors who continue to invest in the future and legacy of the Las Nubes Project”.
de Costa also gave highlights about the project, with specific focus on the Semester Abroad program which provides students with the opportunity to be fully immersed in Costa Rica’s Cloud Forest.
“The Semester Abroad provides students with experiential learning opportunities through a growing number of courses from environmental studies and other programs that touch on a wide range of topics,” said de Costa. “While in Costa Rica, students are immersed in the local community through programs and homestays creating an engaged and sustainable academic community in the heart of the rainforest – it is truly an experience of a lifetime”.
The evening festivities brought together students, staff, alumni and donors who came to support and celebrate the progress of the Las Nubes project. It featured live music, a video greeting from York U’s Felipe Montoya Greenheck, the James and Joanne Love Chair in Neotropical Conservation, and a short photo presentation from Kal Romain, a current BES student who recently took courses in Las Nubes.
The event also included a video about Costa Rica created by two FES alumni – Vero Diaz and Wafaa El-Osta.
“The video showcases how we love and support the people of the corridor and our admiration to their lifestyle; it is a tool for them to share their sustainable tourism offer and their genuine connection with nature,” said El-Osta.
The LNSA is a student-run volunteer organization that seeks to promote sustainability and ethical consumption, with specific focus on the communities surrounding the Las Nubes project in Costa Rica.
“In the upcoming year, we want to focus on enhancing our presence at York by increasing our volunteer base, attending more events and even hosting some of our own. So far, we are on the right track, with more volunteers on our list and two successful events under our belt already,” said LNSA co-president, Mackenzie Shaw.
This year’s event culminated in the election of a new Las Nubes Alumni Chapter executive. Ana Maria Martinez, the outgoing co-president, said “the chapter provides mentorship, networking, and opportunities for professional development, while allowing members to reconnect with colleagues and friends who have been associated with the project. I’m looking forward to seeing the chapter’s continued development”.
The Las Nubes Alumni Chapter (LNAC) was established in 2011 after the passing of Howard Daugherty, who created the Las Nubes Project, to honour his ideals and philosophy.
York University develops a CRC Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan
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The Canada Research Chairs (CRC) program stands at the centre of a federal strategy to make Canada one of the world’s top countries in research and development.
Understanding the challenge and finding solutions
Since its inception, the CRC program has been facing major equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) challenges. In response, on May 4, 2017, the CRC Secretariat launched its Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan. While the program has always had hiring targets for the four designated groups (FDG) ̶ women, Indigenous persons, racialized persons and persons with disabilities ̶ now each institution with an allocation of five or more Canada Research Chairs was required to develop their own equity, diversity and inclusion action plan. In cases where universities were not yet meeting these targets, they were asked to articulate objectives, indicators and actions to achieve their equity targets within 18 to 24 months. If these equity targets were not accomplished, the CRC Secretariat would suspend funding.
Community comes together in a ‘made for York’ plan
York University embraced the opportunity to meet these equity goals and established a committee to create the plan between June and December 2017. The plan (submitted Dec. 15) will be subject to York University’s regular governance processes after hearing from the CRC Secretariat.
More than 80 faculty and staff members from across the University community invested their time in committee meetings, interviews, review of draft plans, workshop pilots and feedback consultation meetings.
“Our committee and working group went beyond what the CRC Secretariat requested because the committee wanted to do more than simply acknowledge the demonstrated economic and cultural benefits of upholding excellence through diversity. We wanted York to be a global exemplar of this juxtaposition and see how this process could benefit all academic hiring across the University,” said CRC EDI Committee Chair Rebecca Pillai Riddell.
Highlights of York University’s Action Plan
Meeting the University’s CRC targets:
York University should work towards exceeding the CRC Secretariat’s equity targets for the University (eight women, four racialized persons, one persons with disability and ~0.5 Indigenous persons before Dec. 2019).
Facilitating broad understanding:
Informed by what was learned in response to the CRC Secretariat’s request, a working group at York University has developed a new unconscious bias training workshop. New research evidence was used to build a workshop that raises awareness about the many ways that FDG candidates are systematically disadvantaged and how these disadvantages compound over time.
Understanding our challenges with current equity targets:
Significant science and engineering ‘pipeline’ concerns.
Racial disaggregation within racialized scholars group (i.e. looking at what is the diversity within the racialized group itself) is not being done and may uncover another layer of bias.
The lack of attention at FDG intersections (i.e. scholars who identify with more than one of the FDGs) may be a problem because they may comprise one of the most marginalized groups.
Areas to improve:
An important area of improvement for York University is retention and inclusion programming that supports CRCs (and all faculty members). More than 33 other specific recommendations were generated by the committee to support equity targets by Dec. 2019.
Ensuring equity for all:
There is need for York University to work towards finding creative solutions to balance the needs of community members that are afforded protections by the CRC Secretariat with the needs of community members who may be adversely impacted.
To read the full CRC EDI Action Plan and Appendices including information about the new unconscious bias training workshop materials, visit the website.
Follow York University’s newly re-aligned social media channels in the new year
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York University’s main institutional Twitter and Facebook accounts will re-align in the new year. The changeover will take place on Jan. 3, 2018.
Communications & Public Affairs (C&PA) will use “YorkUniversity” on its channels to streamline institutional information and news shared with the York U community and the general public, and the Division of Students will use “YorkUStudents” for the sharing of student-related information such as academic dates, OSAP details, and information about student campus services and resources, for example.
As of Jan. 3, students, community members and the general public can follow York University on Facebook at:
• “YorkUniversity” (managed by C&PA, and previously called “York University – Home”)
This channel will share information on a broad range of pan-University topics, and will highlight events, news and stories happening at York University’s campuses, and York University-related news around the world.
• “YorkUStudents” (managed by the Division of Students, and previously called “York University”)
This channel is dedicated to current and future York University students and will provide information relevant to students. Current students will stay up to date on registrarial and financial services, academic and professional resources, as well as student life and campus events. Future students will learn more about program options, admission requirements, application processes and deadlines, as well as campus culture. This channel will also provide helpful information for parents and families of current and future students.
As of Jan. 3, students, community members and the general public can follow York University on Twitter at:
• “@YorkUniversity” (managed by C&PA, previously managed by the Division of Students)
This account will be the University’s main channel for sharing important information about exciting news and events happening at York’s campuses, and around the world.
• “@YorkUStudents” (managed by the Division of Students, and previously called “@YorkUniversity”)
This account will be the main channel sharing timely and relevant student-focused information and news. It will provide information and updates on academic support, professional development resources, student life and more.
• “@YorkUNews” (managed by C&PA, no changes made to this account)
This account will be the University’s channel for sharing newsworthy stories, media releases, media mentions and media advisories about York University, locally and globally.
For up-to-date information about York University’s social media channels, visit the social media website.
ving for the holiday break. It is also a good time to remind others in your area about the importance of shutting down computers, lights, small office or kitchen appliances and other personal electronics before leaving the office.
Since its inception, the CRC program has been facing major equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) challenges. In response, on May 4, 2017, the CRC Secretariat launched its 
As of Jan. 3, students, community members and the general public can follow York University on Facebook at: