York partners with University of Ghana to share research on migration and African diaspora
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This year marks the 400-year anniversary of the first enslaved Africans arriving in the United States, a key event in the history of the transatlantic slave trade. The year 2019 has also been dubbed ‘The Year of Return’ by the Ghanaian government, and people of African descent have been invited to take part in a range of commemorative events centered on their own narratives.
Contributing to this wider dialogue, the Harriet Tubman Institute at York University together with the Centre for Migration Studies (CMS) at University of Ghana collaborated to present a conference on migration and African diaspora.
‘Trans-Atlantic Migration: African Diasporas in Solidarity’ was held at the University of Ghana from Aug. 6 to 9, and included more than 40 scholars from around the world. Participants presenting their research on topics such as: identity formation; reparations; development and entrepreneurship; racial oppression and health.
With emphasis on a transnational perspective that bridges migration and development, the conference was designed to examine the historical and contemporary connectivity and solidarity between African groups and individuals in the diaspora and their homelands.
The Tubman Institute and CMS are working to grow their partnership in the coming years, embodying solidarity between Africa and its diasporas.
The conference was supported by the following sponsors and partners: The Centre for Migration Studies, University of Ghana; The Harriet Tubman Institute, York University; York International, York University; The Office of the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies, Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies (LAPS); York University Department of Geography, York University; The VPRI Office, York University; The Office of the Principal for Research, York University’s Glendon Campus; The School of Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies, York University; and High Commission Of Canada.
New funding for Indigenous-led initiative to help equip youth with skills training
The Indigenous Friends Association, an initiative designed by York University students to connect and support Indigenous youth, will receive funding of more than $350,000 from the Government of Canada under the Canada Service Corps program.
The announcement was made at Skennen’kó:wa Gamig (the House of Great Peace) at York University’s Keele Campus on Aug. 1.
The investment will equip 120 First Nations, Inuit, Métis and non-Indigenous youth with the skills and training required to reduce barriers in technology-related employment and education, all while engaging a process of reconciliation through collaborative learning and civic engagement.
Alejandro Mayoral Baños (PhD candidate and executive director of Indigenous Friends Association), Pauline Shirt (Knowldege Keeper), Ruth Koleszar-Green (York University professor and special advisor to the president of York on Indigenous initiatives), Judy Sgro (MP for Humber River – Black Creek), Rhonda Lenton (York University president and vice-chancellor) and Mackenzie Toulouse (York University student representative)
“This is a moment of celebration,” said Alejandro Mayoral Baños, a PhD candidate in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies’ Communications and Cultures Program, and executive director of the Indigenous Friends Association, a non-profit set up by the IP Osgoode Innovation Clinic.
The initiative, Mayoral Baños said, was conceptualized several years ago through conversations between faculties, knowledge keepers, students and staff.
“We started talking about the possibilities of connecting Indigeneity in digital spaces,” he said, “and we realized that we need to cross the discourse of providing access; we need to give ownership and control of digital spaces to Indigenous communities.”
York University President and Vice-Chancellor Rhonda Lenton said the initiative is an example of how York is honouring its Indigenous Framework.
“York University is committed to placing Indigenous knowledge, cultures and peoples at the core of our teaching, research and creative activities,” said Lenton. “This project is a wonderful example of student initiative, collaboration and teamwork that supports the process of reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth through co-creating innovative technological projects.”
The project will be led and implemented by the Indigenous community of York in partnership with YWCA Canada and the Digital Justice Lab. Local partnerships have been developed in Ontario with the Sagamok Anishnawbek First Nation, Elephant Thoughts and Mikinaak, and in Saskatchewan with the YWCA Regina, the North Central Hacker Dojo and the West Flat Citizens Group.
Keith Gonzalez (Indigenous Friends Assocation), Alina Rizvi (Indigenous Friends Association), Mackenzie Toulouse (York University student representative), Lluvia Machuca Ruelas (Indigenous Friends Association), Alejandro Mayoral Baños (PhD candidate and executive director of Indigenous Friends Association), Ruth Koleszar-Green (York University professor and special advisor to the president of York on Indigenous initiatives), Emery Jones (Indigenous Friends Association)
Judy Sgro, member of parliament for Humber River – Black Creek, announced the Government of Canada’s contribution to this project during Aug. 1 event.
“I’m pleased to express my support of the wonderful energy exhibited by the students of York University in the launch of this new project,” said Sgro. “The Indigenous Friends Association is showcasing an entirely new approach for a new century, new digital workplace and new generations to come. I am grateful for this new opportunity to expand Indigenous learning and encourage this cultural education endeavour.”
Through various partnerships, individuals under 30 years of age will be provided with skills training in three phases:
Phase I: Community outreach and participant recruitment;
Phase II: A boot camp and four practical technical courses; and
Phase III: Co-creation and implementation of community action projects.
Announced by York in April 2018, the Indigenous Friends platform started as a mobile social networking tool created by students as a collaborative space to access traditional counselling, social networks, event calendars and community resources. From the onset, the app was developed with the guidance of the Indigenous community at York – elders, students, faculty and staff of the Aboriginal Students Association.
“This funding will help us develop the technical skills required for youth to participate in community service opportunities and culturally diverse initiatives,” said Mayoral Baños. “It is truly an initiative developed by Indigenous Peoples, for an Indigenous and non-Indigenous audience. I look forward to its continued growth.”
The Indigenous Friends Association is currently developing and expanding the mobile app in other post-secondary institutions in Ontario. This new funding opportunity will help increase the initiative’s impact in other provinces through the implementation of novel approaches to educational program development for digital tech.
New book explores whether bio-genealogy informs personal identity
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A new book released this month by Frances J. Latchford, York University associate professor of philosophy, questions the idea of knowing whether one’s bio-genealogy is integral to personal identity or a sense of family and belonging.
Steeped in Blood: Adoption, Identity, and the Meaning of Family (McGill-Queen’s University Press) explores what personal truths reside in biological ties that are absent in adoptive ties, and asks why we think adoptive and biological ties are essentially different when it comes to understanding who we are.
The book is a timely exploration of these themes at a time when interest in DNA and ancestry is exploding.
Latchford, who researches and teaches in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (LA&PS) in the School of Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies, focuses her research in feminist social and political philosophy informed by continental, psychoanalytic, poststructural, (post)colonial, queer and transgender theories of subjectivity, identity, sexuality, sex and gender, race and ability.
This book upends established values and beliefs about what makes a family, and examines the social and political devaluation of adoptive ties. It takes readers on an intellectual journey through accepted wisdom about adoption, twins, kinship and incest, and challenges naturalistic and individualistic assumptions about identity and the biological ties that bind us, sometimes violently, to our families. Latchford exposes how the desire for bio-genealogical knowledge, understood as it is by family and adoption experts, pathologizes adoptees by posing the biological tie as a necessary condition for normal identity formation. Rejecting the idea that a love of the self-same is fundamental to family bonds, her book is a reaction to the wounds families suffer whenever they dare to revel in their difference.
A rejoinder to rhetoric that defines adoptees, adoptive kin and their family intimacies as inferior and inauthentic, Steeped in Blood‘s view through the lens of critical adoption studies decentres cultural obsession with the biological family imaginary and makes real the possibility of being family in the absence of blood.
LA&PS announces winners of 2019 Dean’s Award for Research Excellence
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The Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (LA&PS) is celebrating the second year of the Dean’s Award for Research Excellence (DARE), a program that provides undergraduate students the opportunity to engage in research directly supervised by professors.
This year, 40 student researchers received the DARE award, which includes $5,000 in funding to work collaboratively with LA&PS faculty on a research project throughout the Summer 2019 term.
“Working with a DARE student changes my understanding of the impact of my research in ways that I had not anticipated,” said Professor Lily Cho, associate dean of global and community engagement and associate professor in the Department of English.
Tiffany Phan
Cho is working with Tiffany Phan on Mass Capture, a project that examines a collection of Chinese Canadian head tax certificates known as CI 9s to understand the relationship between surveillance and the production of non-citizens in Canada.
“Like me, Tiffany is the child of parents who escaped political persecution,” said Cho. “Our shared experience of growing up in the aftermath of these difficult histories shows me the importance of being more open about the personal connections that drive my research and scholarship. I hope that Tiffany will leave the DARE program knowing that even though scholarship must always be grounded in rigorous research, it can also be a place for personal histories and stories.”
Imran Abdulselam
The nuanced nature of personal histories is not the only project giving rise to complex conversations. For Professor Stephen Chen and student Imran Abdulselam, DARE is an opportunity to discuss the unfathomable depths of algorithmic search spaces. Chen, an associate professor in the School of Information Technology, is researching visualizations and experimental analysis tools intended to build better algorithms.
“Having Imran’s help allows me and my team to complete a major research project much sooner than we could have without his help,” said Chen. “I am hoping that he will become inspired himself to pursue a career at the limits of computing.”
“This research has exposed me to the kind of work I’d probably do in a master’s program and has provided me with a lot of opportunities,” Abdulselam said, adding the experience has given him a wider glimpse into the world of academia than his undergraduate degree has until now.
Abdulselam’s appreciation for DARE is a sentiment echoed by many other participants.
Jennifer Ditta
“My long-term goals have actually changed because of DARE,” said Jennifer Ditta, who is participating in the program for the second year in a row. This year, Ditta is working with Roger Fisher, associate professor in the Department of Humanities, on a large-scale investigation of court cases involving copyright in works of music in Great Britain in the late 18th and early 19th centuries – a phenomenon at the intersection of law, technology and music.
Prior to DARE, Ditta thought she wanted to pursue a career in law. But she realized her dream was to be involved in the world of books.
“I decided to pursue a graduate education in book publishing and editing,” she said. This summer, Ditta has also been given the opportunity to travel to London, England, to conduct more hands-on research work.
Olivia White
But not all DARE awardees need to travel across the pond to get first-hand experience. Olivia White, for example, is supporting Jennifer Bonnell, assistant professor in the Department of History, on research that takes place in York’s own “backyard.” The multiphase collaborative project between Bonnell, Jumblies Theatre and Black Creek Pioneer Village (BCPV) seeks to bring Indigenous connections, content, perspectives and voices to the interpretation of early non-Indigenous settlement of the BCPV region.
“I was very grateful to be a part of such a meaningful project – and something that is about representation and inclusivity,” said White.
“I hope Olivia is able to use this experience of honing her research skills and expanding her knowledge of the Indigenous history of the region to access a broader range of future opportunities in research-oriented work or graduate school,” said Bonnell.
New research project aims to facilitate peace, reconciliation in Afghanistan
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Left to right: Ahmad Zahir Faqiri (UBC), Elyas Irfani (Global Affairs Canada), Laura Grant (University of Ottawa), Mariam Safi (DROPS), Humayun Hamidzada (YCAR), Nipa Banerjee (CIPS, University of Ottawa), Sergei Plkhanov (Politics, YCAR), Richard Ponzio (Stimson Center), Aleksey Asiryan (Politics)
The need for a comprehensive regional approach to peacemaking in Afghanistan has been recognized by the Afghans themselves, by their neighbours and by the major powers involved, such as the U.S., China, Russia and India. Practical efforts are being undertaken by the countries of the region to help bring an end to the Afghan crisis, says York University Professor Sergei Plekhanov, co-organizer of an April symposium at the University of Ottawa that launched a new research project aimed at facilitating these efforts.
The project explores effective ways of leveraging Afghanistan’s unique geographic location and its relationships with its neighbours to achieve peace, reconciliation and recovery in the country that has been at war for four decades.
Left to right: Ahmad Zahir Faqiri (UBC), Elyas Irfani (Global Affairs Canada), Laura Grant (University of Ottawa), Mariam Safi (DROPS), Humayun Hamidzada (YCAR), Nipa Banerjee (CIPS, University of Ottawa), Sergei Plkhanov (Politics, YCAR), Richard Ponzio (Stimson Center), Aleksey Asiryan (Politics). Image: Humayun Hamidzada
Sponsored by the York Centre for Asian Research (YCAR) in collaboration with the University of Ottawa’s Centre for International Policy Studies (CIPS), the two-day event, “Seeking New Roads to Peace in Afghanistan: An Integrated National-Regional Approach,” involved 10 experts from York and the University of Ottawa, Global Affairs Canada, the University of British Columbia, a leading research centre in Kabul, Afghanistan, and the Stimson Center in Washington, D.C.
“The symposium’s goals were to discuss the project’s conceptual approach, form the core group of participants, and plan for the next stage,” said Plekhanov, a professor of politics in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies and a faculty associate of YCAR.
The concept of an integrated national-regional approach was worked out by Plekhanov, Humayun Hamidzada (YCAR) and Nipa Banerjee (CIPS). At the symposium, the concept was tested through a review of Afghanistan’s relations with its neighbours and the effect of those relations on the domestic situation in the country.
The new study launched by YCAR and its associates addresses the need for an adequate conceptual framework that could make these efforts more effective.
“The discussions at the symposium were informed, intensive and productive. Most participants found the proposed approach promising and agreed to contribute their efforts to the project’s implementation,” said Plekhanov.
The project’s core group now represents four research centres: YCAR (South and Central Asia Project), CIPS, the Organization for Policy Research & Development Studies (DROPS, Kabul) and the Institute of Asian Research (Greater Central Asia Initiative).
A research report summarizing the deliberations at the symposium is currently under preparation and will be available on the project website in the fall.
The project’s next stage is focused on the preparation of applications for major grants.
“The new project extends the scope of YCAR’s activities to include research on regional issues at the intersection of South and Central Asia,” said Plekhanov.
Passings: Jack Craig
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Longtime faculty member John “Jack” George Craig died at age 83 on May 9, after a long struggle with cancer.
Jack Craig
Craig was born in Oakville, Man., where he spent his early years as a farmer but later pursued higher education and focused on his career as an educator and researcher. He earned a BA from the University of Saskatchewan, an MA in sociology from the University of Washington and a PhD in sociology from the University of Washington.
He had a long, successful career as a professor of sociology as well as environmental studies, at York, which began in July 1971. He served on the faculty at York University until June 30, 1996, and spent the years of 1986 to 1989 as Chair of the Sociology Department.
Through his research and scholarship, Craig became an internationally recognized expert in the field of co-operatives. He earned many honours for his work and was widely published.
Jack and his wife, Dianne, enjoyed international travel, visiting every continent during their 60 years of marriage. He will be remembered by family, colleagues and friends for his profound goodness and decency, his respect for other people and cultures, and his dedication to the betterment of humanity.
A celebration of life was held on May 23. Donations in Craig’s memory may be made to the Ontario Credit Union Foundation (ocuf.org).
Innovative, pan-University capstone classroom launches in September
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A new, full-year capstone course is being pilot tested this fall at York University. C4: The Cross-Campus Capstone Classroom brings together third- and fourth-year students from different faculties into multidisciplinary teams focused on solving pressing, real-world challenges posed by organizations operating in both the for-profit and not-for-profit worlds. C4 partners include the Yonge Street Mission, the Al and Malka Green Artists’ Health Centre, Glendon’s Globally Networked Learning Project, and Panoplo Inc.— among many others.
Danielle Robinson
“Capstone courses provide high impact learning opportunities for students that set them up to succeed after graduation,” says Danielle Robinson, the director of the York Capstone Network and an associate professor in the School of the Arts, Media, Performance, & Design. ”These important experiential learning courses, which are offered in many departments across the University, apply and thus consolidate what a student has learned in his or her major. This is achieved generally through an individual or group project, but placements can also serve as excellent capstone experiences for students, if they are integrated with ongoing critical reflection and assignments that apply students’ skills and knowledges.”
Franz Newland
Robinson and Franz Newland, an assistant professor in the Lassonde School of Engineering, are co-facilitating C4 as an extension of the York Capstone Network they founded last year, with integral support from the Teaching Commons and the Career Centre. The YCN, which is now bolstered by a two-year AIF Grant, brings together dozens of faculty who have been, are, or want to be teaching capstone courses. Network members gather for monthly cafés, where capstone students, pedagogy experts, and York staff allies explore the immense rewards and challenges of capstones.
C4 is a pan-University classroom, but not yet an official course, that requires students to register in a three- or six-credit independent study, directed reading, senior thesis, or capstone course in their home department. Once students gain entry to C4 through their department, they will meet senior students from other faculties, form interdisciplinary teams, and then get to work on real-world problems provided by community partners, who will mentor them over the course of the school year.
“The advantage of this approach to capstone teaching is students get a taste of the ‘real-world’ before leaving York,” says Carolyn Steele, a career development coordinator in the Career Center and adjunct professor in Humanities. “The world along with its challenges and opportunities are intrinsically multidisciplinary; however, many degrees are not—they are typically disciplinary in focus. C4 gives participants the opportunity to collaborate with students from other majors as well as with professors and professionals outside their departments. In this way, they come to know what they have to offer the world as well as the value of their discipline and their York degree.”
The pan-University nature of C4 speaks to its dedication to true interdisciplinary collaboration and creation. “Other multidisciplinary capstones typically bring together students from only two or three pre-selected disciplines,” says Natasha May, an educational developer in the Teaching Commons and adjunct professor in mathematics. “In contrast, C4 makes it possible for as many as eight students—all coming from different academic backgrounds—to come together to engage in problem-based learning, with the potential for each group to have a completely different disciplinary makeup. This all makes for very rich experiential learning that will set C4 students apart on the job market.”
Robinson and Newland are supported in this groundbreaking endeavor by a resource team that is as diverse as C4’s participants: Carolyn Steele (Career Centre and LAPS), Natasha May (Teaching Commons and Science), Bridget Cauthery (AMPD), Alice Kim (Health), and Kai Zhuang (Lassonde). They are backed up by Lassonde and its Student Engagement Team and as well as a host of York’s experiential education (EE) coordinators, who have spent the summer building relationships with multiple community partners and curating nearly 40 “real-world” challenges for multidisciplinary teams of York students to tackle.
C4 students will work in Interdisciplinary teams to solve real-world problems
At the end of the full-year course, C4 student teams will present their projects to all the community partners at a capstone showcase event that will be open to the whole York community. Newland says that “C4 ends with a big celebration—of these students and all they have accomplished this year, of the partners and all they have contributed, and of York and its commitment to pedagogical innovation, experiential education, and student success.”
He urges students who are looking for a “real world” experience before they graduate to confirm their interest in C4 as soon as possible by contacting their home departments and the C4 Team directly at c4class@yorku.ca.
“Pitch Day, where the community partners pitch their challenges to the student teams, is Sept. 6th from 4 to 7 p.m and the first C4 class meeting takes place Sept. 9th from 6 to 9pm,” says Newland. “Programs and students who don’t want to miss this terrific opportunity should email us right away—all are welcome.”
Early Alert pilot project a success in supporting students
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A pilot project implemented across York University is paving the way for increased student success by identifying students who may need extra support early in the semester. Called the Early Alert Retention Program, the initiative launched in September 2018 in response to a request from the York University Retention Council, a group that seeks to improve student success.
The program, which was adopted by nine Faculties and included 11 courses and 16 professors, seeks to proactively support students who may be struggling and connect those students with resources that may help, including academic advising, counselling, tutoring and more.
The Early Alert Retention Program seeks to proactively support students who may be struggling
Each participating Faculty implemented an Early Alert system in at least one first-year course, with a focus on larger courses showing a history of retention issues.
The Department of Economics in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (LA&PS) participated in the pilot and reported positive outcomes.
“I very much welcomed the opportunity for the Department of Economics to be part of the Early Alert pilot project,” said Ida Ferrara, associate professor and Chair of the Department of Economics. “There is significant interest in an economics degree among students, and the high transferability of the skills that the degree affords is likely an important consideration, but students often underestimate the efforts necessary to thrive or misjudge the importance of the scientific aspect of the discipline.”
According to Undergraduate Program Advisor Jill Thomas, in the Fall/Winter 2017 semester 26 per cent of economics majors had a GPA below 4.0.
Jill Thomas. Photograph by Nicole Glassman
Thomas’s team chose to implement the pilot through ECON 1530: Introductory Mathematics for Economics. Not only does the course have high levels of enrolment – with 1,144 students registered in Fall/Winter 2018 – but it also has a reputation to be challenging for some students. Over the past six years, Thomas said, 800 students have repeated ECON 1530 at least once. An Early Alert initiative in this class would allow advisors to “proactively and intentionally connect with students,” especially those at risk of having to repeat the class, said Thomas.
Thomas and fellow academic advisors Luisa Robinson and Magy Baket implemented an “appreciative advising” approach, which highlights and builds on strengths of students rather than identifying and fixing their weaknesses. Thomas describes it as “a reciprocal approach where both the student and advisor learn in the process.”
Academic advisors created a Moodle website, based on its familiarity to students, dedicated to supporting ECON 1530 students. Moodle also allowed advisors to connect with students in creative ways, including sharing videos, infographics, tips and reminders.
Initially, all 1,144 students registered for the Fall/Winter 2018 course were contacted with a welcome email by the advisors. From that group, students who received a D+ or lower on their first midterm – or who did not write the midterm – were selected for the pilot and added to the Moodle course. The course itself consisted of a communication plan that was structured around the six phases of an appreciative advising approach: disarm, discover, dream, design, deliver, don’t settle. Each module included a video, the option to schedule an appointment and information on additional resources. Although the Retention Council requested that pilots be carried out for one term, the Department of Economics continued to carry out its pilot until April of this year.
“An Early Alert Program presents the opportunity to establish a stronger relationship between students and the department – and by extension, the Faculty and the institution,” Ferrara said. “This relationship will allow students to feel valued and supported throughout their journey and can help them appreciate our commitment to their overall development and goals.”
Derrick Fairman, assistant director of academic advising for LA&PS, sees the work of the economics Early Alert Program as a great example of what can be done and what’s to come.
“I’m very proud of the work that was done with the Early Alert Retention pilot and the Economics Department in particular,” Fairman said. “I’m very thankful that they participated in the pilot. I think it’s just a huge step in the right direction for the students of York University.”
In total, across the nine participating Faculties, more than 675 students were identified during the Early Alert process, 126 met with advisors and more than 200 referrals were made to additional resources – including personal counselling, Learning Skills Services, the Study Hub, the Writing Centre and more. Additional assessment is also underway regarding final grades and persistence to year two.
Brendan Schulz, Chair of Retention Council, said, “The key to successful ‘early alert’ is early reporting of grades and behaviours, coupled with integrated care and support thereafter.”
According to Schulz, the Retention Council intends to run the Early Alert Program again this coming fall, incorporating additional best practices and lessons learned.
“It is fantastic to see this collaboration across Faculties,” said Schulz. “Each program/Faculty is able to tailor their approach to their students’ unique needs while we maintain an overall, consistent experience for students.”
Seventh Annual Robert J. Tiffin Student Leadership Awards recognizes student contributions to York University
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York University Student Awards – Certificate of Recognition. June 2019
Ten students were honoured with the Robert J. Tiffin Student Leadership Award. The awards were presented at a recent reception held to recognize their leadership roles at York University. Each of the students has contributed to the growth, development and vitality of the York University community through various endeavours undertaken during their studies.
The Robert J. Tiffin Student Leadership Award was created in 2012 in honour of Robert Tiffin, who served as York University’s Vice-President, Students from 2005 to 2012.
Student recipients of the Robert Tiffin Student Leadership Awards. Pictured from left are Shir Grunebaum, Alexia Brown, Lauren Dick, Iris Yusupov, Maddisyn Fisher, Vice Provost Students Lucy Fromowitz, Robert Tiffin, Tiffany Joseph, Althea Parala, Nathaniel Penhearow, Abdeali Hatim Saherwala. (Missing from the photograph is Shalyn Isaacs.)
Students were nominated by members of the University community (students, faculty, staff and alumni) for the award on the basis of their engagement and leadership roles at York. At the reception, students were addressed by Vice-Provost, Students Lucy Fromowitz and Robert Tiffin. Both congratulated the students and thanked them for their contributions to the University.
“I really want to acknowledge and thank you. I congratulate you on what you have achieved, but I thank you because you have fundamentally changed this university and made it a better and more humane place and space, for all the other students who you worked with, and who you supported and who you helped,” said Fromowitz, at the beginning of the reception.
Robert Tiffin noted he was honoured to have his name associated with these award recipients. “You have enhanced the experience of your fellow students and the broader York community with your leadership and the diversity of your contribution,” he said. “You embody the principles of a York education: mobilizing new ways of thinking, preparing engaged global citizens and building stronger communities.”
This year’s recipients of Robert Tiffin Student Leadership Awards are:
Maddisyn Fisher, a theatre student in the School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design, is president of the Winters College Council and Orientation Chair. Fisher advocates for student mental health support and coordinated the first college referendum vote in over a decade.
Abdeali Hatim Saherwala, a student focusing on urban and regional environments in the Faculty of Environmental Studies, has served on various equity committees at York University and works as an Indigenous law researcher, writer and editor at Osgoode Hall Law School.
Lauren Dick, a professional writing student in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, Dick has supported a team of bloggers on the #YUBlog, amplified the voice of many students and student groups through her work, and created an experiential education opportunity for undergraduate students in the Writing Department.
Alexia Brown, a student in the Faculty of Graduate Studies who is working towards a master’s degree in political science, was recognized for her focus on creating and fostering safer spaces, allowing for the execution of safer events during her role as president of the Glendon College Student Union.
Althea Parala, a psychology student in the Faculty of Health, built a sense of community and engagement among various groups of students by organizing activities and events. Parala also helped various streams of students in their transition to York University
Iris Yusupov, a student in the Faculty of Graduate Studies who is completing a PhD in psychology with a functional area in clinical psychology, has supported the success of students with Autism Spectrum Disorder through her role as a Campus Awareness Leader. Yusupov also created workshops to improve student mental and physical health.
Nathaniel Penhearow, a nursing student in the Faculty of Health, supported the Second Entry Nursing Student Association by organizing academic and social events and creating experiential education opportunities. Penhearow advocated for nursing materials to be offered at a discounted price and greater mental health supports for his colleagues.
Shalyn Isaacs, a psychology student in the Faculty of Health, provided training for students to develop their leadership skills through various campus groups and initiatives. Isaacs also worked to raise awareness of mental health initiatives and founded York University’s Women’s Mental Health Talks club, which works to enhance the mental health and leadership capacities of more than 500 women at York.
Shir Grunebaum, a kinesiology and health science student in the Faculty of Health, supported the development of Peer Tutor and Mentoring Programs. As Stong College’s Peer Health Educator, Grunebaum created a culture within Stong in which students are encouraged to advocate for their personal health and well being.
Tiffany Joseph, a space engineering student in the Lassonde School of Engineering, is committed to the leadership development of engineering students. She organized a pan-Canadian Engineering Society conference and has also mentored students as a Residence Don.
The students’ names will be displayed in the Vari Hall Rotunda in recognition of their contributions to the York University Community.
Passings: Bob Accinelli
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The York University community mourns the loss of Bob (Robert) Accinelli, husband of the late Nancy Accinelli, Vanier College Production’s Executive Producer Emeritus.
Bob (Robert) Accinelli
Bob Accinelli died on Wednesday, July 3. Known for his humour and wisdom to the very end, he is said to have parted after telling his loved ones, “I’m ready, curtain down.”
Whether he was playing charades with his family or diligently studying Italian, Accinelli was an arts aficionado through and through. His love of music and theatre was most publicly reflected in his long-time generous support of York University’s theatre company, Vanier College Productions (VCP).
With a PhD in history from UC Berkeley, Accinelli’s interests extended far beyond the stage. He was an active contributor at the Academy for Lifelong Learning at Knox College and the University of Toronto, a respected scholar and teacher, and – for some time – president of the Canadian Association of American Studies.
As a member of a community group called Democrats & Donuts, Accinelli was known to enjoy friendly debates, particularly about U.S. politics. Loved ones will also remember Accinelli’s love of cycling, hiking, and travel – a penchant that took him from Nunavut to Turkey, California to Ireland.
Accinelli will be dearly missed by his family, friends and the York community at large.
All are welcome to gather on Thursday, July 11 at 2 p.m. to share memories and express condolences until 3 p.m., when a Celebration of Life will be held at R.S. Kane Funeral Home Chapel, 6150 Yonge Street in Toronto.
In lieu of flowers, Accinelli’s family would greatly appreciate donations in memory of Robert Accinelli for York University (Vanier College Productions). All contributions are eligible for matching funds. To learn more, visit www.giving.yorku.ca/InMemory.
The book is a timely exploration of these themes at a time when interest in DNA and ancestry is exploding.
