Ahead of the pack

Osgoode Hall Law School was mentioned in a Sept. 6 Globe & Mail article on the return of ethics courses to law school curriculums across the country. The University of Ottawa is calling its new ethics course “Whistle-blowing” for those students interested in the finer points of corporate law in the post-Enron era. Other law schools are joining the movement toward including ethics on the roster. Osgoode, it seems, may have been ahead of the trend. This year, said the Globe, a seminar called “Corporate and White-Collar Crime” returns to York’s law school after a three-year hiatus. It was first introduced in 1999.


Parking stress


Marc Wilchesky, Chair of York’s Counselling and Development Centre, was featured in a story on how to cope with student stress in the Lloydminster Meridian Booster and the Ottawa Sun Sep. 5. Wilchesky said there are many things students can do to keep stress at bay. “With good time management, you can plan ahead and fit in all the things you need to fit in,” he said. “That’s a good way to avoid stress.” For those students who are already stressed, Wilchesky recommends a practice called “parking” stress. “It’s like when you go to work and you park your car for the day and go about your business,” he said. “Sometimes, if something is stressful, you can just park it so you can go somewhere else and deal with what you have to deal with and not let stress sidetrack you. It’s not denying that it’s a problem, but it’s sort of saying: ‘Okay, I’m going to park this stressor over here and I’ll get back to it later when I’m more able to deal with it’.” The story was also carried by the Toronto Sun Aug. 26, as reported by YFile.


Path to success


York University was mentioned in a story in The Winnipeg Sun Sept. 5 as one of eight Canadian institutions that participate in a successful university preparatory program. The program, called the GAC or Global Assessment Certificate, is a 720-hour university preparation program providing students with the skills, confidence and academic knowledge to successfully enter over 80 universities in English-speaking countries around the world. Universities from Canada, the US, England, Australia and New Zealand recognize the GAC as meeting their entrance requirements. The program was developed by Campus Group International out of Australia and is currently delivered in 16 countries with a combined enrolment of approximately 3,000 students. Study locations are carefully selected for their quality of teaching and their dedication to the success of students. 


Two tongues better than one


The research of Ellen Bialystok, York University psychology professor in the Faculty of Arts, into the cognitive advantages of having two languages was reported on by the Portage La Prairie Manitoba, newspaper The Daily Graphic Sept. 4. The study, conducted by Bialystok, found being bilingual helps prevent people from losing their ”mental edge” as they age. ”Being bilingual is like going to a brain gym,” said Bialystok, whose research is published in the American Psychological Association’s journal, Psychology and Aging.


On air



  • Allan Hutchinson, Osgoode Hall Law School professor, was interviewed on the question of mandatory retirement on CBC Radio’s “The World at Six” (national) Sept. 6.
  • Margaret Beare, York sociology professor, Faculty of Arts, was interviewed by CBC Radio’s “World Report” (national) and “Metro Morning” (Toronto) Sept. 7, on the subject of Canada’s new organized crime legislation.