Glendon Global Debate looks at CETA’s impact on the EU and Canada

March 14, 2017

CETA

The third instalment of the Glendon Global Debates series, which aims to examine Canada’s role in global affairs, is scheduled for March 23.

“A New Framework for International Trade or the Last of its Kind?” takes place at the Centre of Excellence from 6:30 to 9pm, and will review the Comprehensive Economic & Trade Agreement (CETA) between the EU and Canada.

CETA was signed in October 2016, and on Jan. 24, 2017, the deal moved closer to reality after the European Parliament’s Trade Committee approved it. On Feb. 15, the European Parliament adopted the trade deal, which will lead to the provisional application of the agreement as early as April 2017.

The agreement is seen as a test of the EU and Canada’s ability to forge future trade accords and as a counterweight to anticipated protectionism under the new U.S. administration. CETA is more than a free trade agreement between the EU and Canada – it is about shaping the political, economic, social and cultural values that our countries share and it is also about deepening transatlantic partnership.

Speakers from the EU and Canada will discuss some of these issues and will touch on the following:

• the political impact of CETA and the future of the EU/Canada partnership;
• engaging with the world through free trade agreements;
• boosting the economies of the EU and Canada; and
• challenges to CETA moving forward.

Speakers for this event include: Nicolas Chapuis, ambassador of France in Canada; Angella MacEwan, senior economist at the Canadian Labour Congress; István Mikola, minister of state for Security Policy and International Cooperation, Hungary; Candace Sider, vice-president, Regulatory Affairs, North America, Livingston International; and Jakob Von Weizsäcker, member of the European Parliament for Thuringia, Germany.

The event’s moderator will be Derek DeCloet, executive editor of the Globe and Mail and editor of Report on Business.

This Glendon Global Debate is presented by Glendon’s School of Public & International Affairs.

For more information about this event, or to RSVP, visit glendon.yorku.ca/gspia/ggd/ceta.

About Glendon Global Debates

Glendon’s School of Public & International Affairs (GSPIA) will examine Canada’s role in global affairs and establish leadership in areas of global affairs through a series of events billed as the Glendon Global Debates (GGD).

The GGD dialogues aim to promote participatory dialogue between government officials (federal, provincial, municipal), academics, practitioners, media, the private sector, civil society organizations, students, the diplomatic community and UN officials in support of identifying approaches and opportunities for Canada and our partners in current global challenges.

As a bilingual and francophone institution in the heart of Toronto, Glendon is uniquely positioned to support the Government of Canada in a forward-looking assessment of the nation’s role in global affairs. The Glendon Global Debates will enhance the public debate on Canada’s role in global affairs and prepare the next generation of highly skilled public servants. As well, the events in the series will provide a forum for frank conversations about Canada’s role in the world through a series of discussions relying on youth-centred, innovative approaches to contemporary global issues.

These dialogues and related contributions will be shared with broader policy communities, including the Government of Canada, international organizations and the UN, and they will be incorporated into the future academic programming of Glendon.

The events will serve to validate the ongoing foreign policy consultations and formulate recommendations for a way forward.

York U’s Faculty of Science draws ‘rising stars’ for inaugural York Science Fellowships

March 13, 2017

Featured image for the postdoc research story shows the word research in black type on a white background

The Faculty of Science at York University has recruited six impressive emerging researchers from around the world as the inaugural recipients of York Science Fellowships. These premier postdoctoral fellowships offer talented, early-career scientists the opportunity to pursue their research in collaboration with outstanding scientists in the Faculty of Science. They were made possible thanks to a generous grant from Jim and Marilyn Simons.

“We have the expertise and infrastructure to provide terrific research opportunities for exceptional postdoctoral fellows,” said Ray Jayawardhana, dean of the Faculty of Science. “By providing promising young scientists with the chance to work with leading investigators at York, we are able to invest in their success, and enhance the culture of breakthrough research.”

The Fellowships are each valued at $72,000 per year, including contributions from the Faculty of Science and host faculty members, and they are granted for a period of two years.

The first six recipients are:

Amy Botta

Amy Botta is currently completing her PhD in biology at the University of British Columbia. As a York Science Fellow, she will work in Professor Gary Sweeney’s lab in the Department of Biology to investigate how iron excess leads to heart failure. Having high levels of iron in the body increases a person’s risk for a range of diseases, including liver disease, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Botta will study how iron overload affects cellular mechanisms and leads to cardiac dysfunction. New knowledge from this research could pave the way for improved therapeutic strategies. During her PhD, Botta has previously received a doctoral research award from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and a P.E.O. Scholar Award, and has already published eight research papers.

Bruno de Mendonça Braga

Bruno de Mendonça Braga is currently completing a second PhD in mathematics at the University of Illinois at Chicago (his first PhD was completed at Kent State University). As a York Science Fellow working with Professor Ilijas Farah in the Department of Mathematics & Statistics, his research will focus on functional analysis. In particular, the main focus of his research will be Banach space theory, i.e. the theory of infinite-dimensional vector spaces. He will be exploring the nonlinear geometry of Banach spaces and the descriptive set theory of separable Banach spaces. He has published six research papers.

Zehra Cemile Marsan

Zehra Cemile Marsan is currently completing her PhD in physics and astronomy at Tufts University. Her research is focused on understanding the properties and evolution of galaxies across cosmic time and has resulted in five publications. As a York Science Fellow working under the supervision of Professor Adam Muzzin in the Department of Physics & Astronomy, Marsan will use the deepest and largest astronomical surveys to study galaxies in the early universe. She will apply her expertise in spectroscopy and multi-wavelength observations to fully characterize their stellar population, dust and gas content. This work will guide efforts to explain the assembly of today’s most massive galaxies.

Alba María Jorge Palacios

Alba María Jorge Palacios is currently completing her PhD in theoretical chemistry at Universidad Autónoma de Madrid. Her York Science Fellowship will focus on understanding how hadron therapy causes cell damage in tumours. Hadron therapy uses targeted beams of ions that cause biomolecules (including water) to lose electrons, which then attack the DNA of tumour cells. Water molecules can also fragment and induce further cell damage. Under the supervision of Professor Tom Kirchner in the Department of Physics & Astronomy, Jorge Palacios will investigate how ions collide with water, the behaviour of electrons and the mechanism of water fragmentation for different impact ion beams. Jorge Palacios’ research has resulted in six publications to date.

Wen Xu

Wen Xu completed his PhD at Jilin University (China) in physical electronics and is currently a JSPS Postdoctoral Fellow at the Tokyo Institute of Technology. Xu’s research as a York Science Fellow will focus on developing highly sensitive methods of detecting microRNAs. MicroRNAs are small, non-coding RNA molecules that regulate mRNA expression and play important roles in many biological systems and processes. They also show promise as clinical biomarkers for diseases like pre-eclampsia and cancer, and could potentially be used for early diagnosis. Their small size, however, makes them difficult to tag or detect. Xu will work with Professor Jennifer Chen in the Department of Chemistry to explore the use of specially modified metal nanoparticles as a tool for microRNA analysis. He has published more than 30 papers in highly ranked journals and he has received two outstanding doctoral thesis awards.

Yue Zhao

Yue Zhao is currently completing his PhD in applied mathematics at Purdue University, where he holds a Bilsland Fellowship. His research is focused on developing and analyzing math models and computations to understand how light, sound, electromagnetic, and elastic waves travel and scatter through materials, and it has already led to four publications. This work has important applications in engineering and mathematics, such as for radar and sonar, geophysical exploration, investigating earthquakes, and biomedical imaging. Zhao will hold his Fellowship with Professor Peter Gibson in the Department of Mathematics & Statistics.

Lions crowned Queen’s Cup champions with victory over Gaels

March 13, 2017

Lions hockey champions

The York University Lions men’s hockey team won its first Queen’s Cup championship in 13 years on Saturday night with a thrilling 4-3 victory over the Queen’s University Gaels at Canlan Ice Sports.

The contest started out slow with an uneventful first period, but the action picked up considerably once the second period began and the game quickly became a classic.

A back-and-forth affair culminated at 15:26 of the third period when Steven Janes netted the game winner for the Lions after firing home a juicy rebound given up by Queen’s goaltender Kevin Bailie. Janes was named the Porter Airlines player of the game after also recording an assist.

After a scoreless first period, the floodgates opened in the second. It was Queen’s that got on the board first just under seven minutes into the frame when Slater Doggett put the puck past York goaltender Mack Shields for a 1-0 lead.

Less than two minutes later the Gaels were at it again, this time with Eric Margo scoring to put the Gaels up by two. The goal came just moments after Bryce Milson had a glorious chance at the equalizer but was denied.

The Lions would not be held off the scoreboard for long, however, and within five minutes the game was tied. Reid Jackman cut the deficit to one at 10:36, and just over two minutes later Derek Sheppard found the back of the net to make it 2-2, where the score remained heading into the final frame.

It didn’t take long for the Lions to take their first lead of the game. Just 23 seconds into the third, Daniel Nikandrov collected another big rebound by Bailie and redirected the puck into a gaping net for a 3-2 lead.

Once again the advantage was short-lived as Doggett scored his second of the game, evading a defender and firing a hard shot past Shields to make it 3-3 at 3:45.

Both teams had their chances in the third until Janes provided the heroics minutes before the final whistle. Shields was forced to make one tremendous save that kept his team ahead until time wound down. He finished the game with 16 saves on the 19 shots he faced.

Bailie, meanwhile, was significantly busier at the other end of the ice, facing 34 shots and making 30 saves. For Queen’s, the silver-medal result was their best finish in 36 years, since last winning the championship in 1981.

Both teams had already qualified for the U SPORTS championships prior to Saturday’s game and will head to Fredericton next week, where the national tournament will begin on Thursday afternoon at the University of New Brunswick.

Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional studies launches new internship program

March 12, 2017

LA&PS new internship program

The Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (LA&PS) launched a new internship program in January 2017 with its first partner, insurance brokerage firm The Shepherd Group. The internship program will provide students from all LA&PS programs with an opportunity to apply their knowledge, enhance their skills and gain valuable and paid work experience.

“We are very proud of our students. Their abilities and outlook are unique and unbeatable,” said Ananya Mukherjee-Reed, LA&PS dean. “With this internship program, we want to help them grow into even greater leaders by providing them with practical experience with the highest-ranking employers like The Shepherd Group. We are honoured to be The Shepherd Group’s partner in this mission.”

In today’s competitive job market, paid internships provide students with the necessary work experience that recruiting employers seek, as well as demonstrate to potential employers that interns’ skills and professional input are unique and highly valued.

“LA&PS has a rich array of programs with a strong diverse student body,” said Narda Razack, associate dean, Global & Community Engagement. “Graduating students and interns are the driving force of today’s businesses and economy and they deserve to take their place in the workforce.”

Interns build strong mutually beneficial relationships with local businesses and organizations in the community. These businesses and organizations then support the Faculty by developing internship positions open to LA&PS students exclusively.

“An internship is not just a job,” said Karlene Davis, experiential education program coordinator in the Office of the Associate Dean, Global & Community Engagement. “It is a meaningful employment opportunity that allows our students to see themselves in a work environment, to network and to make long-lasting connections with professionals in the field.”

Internships are ideally suited for third-year LA&PS students. Once students have been approved as candidates by the Faculty, they are invited to attend workshops on perfecting an internship resume, cover letter and interview skills offered in partnership with the YU Experience Hub. This workshop helps the candidates prepare for the next phase: an interview with the employer. Finally, the employer extends an internship job offer to the selected candidate.

The new LA&PS internship program supplements the YU Experience Hub’s LA&PS internships and other organic internships independent from the Faculty.

“Our office is fully engaged in the process as we provide direct support to both the student and the company from the application stage, throughout the duration of internship work term to evaluation,” said Davis.

The Shepherd Group focuses on helping small businesses and individual entrepreneurs succeed in the labour market. The company emphasizes teamwork and community outreach events. The company’s slogan is “Every day should feel like a Friday,” and employees receive coaching and support to develop their skills, making the work environment conducive to helping staff reach their potential.

Neil Shepherd, CEO and founder of the firm, sees the internship program with LA&PS as an opportunity for growth and expansion for all parties involved. He believes that through this internship, employers like him can source and work with the best and brightest students from York University. Shepherd says that postsecondary students offer unique perspectives and the fresh outlook that businesses need.

“York is such a great brand,” says Shepherd. “When I see what York has done and the future leaders that it is creating, I want to be part of that.”

For more information and to apply, employers and students should visit the LA&PS Internship Program website.

Schulich team advances to $1M finals in Hult Prize

March 10, 2017

Schulich team at Hult Prize

A team of four undergraduate business students from York University’s Schulich School of Business has won the Hult Prize Regional Finals in Shanghai, advancing them to the finals for a chance at $1 million to execute their vision.

The Hult Prize, known as “the Nobel Prize for B-schools” according to Bloomberg Businessweek, brings together the brightest minds from around the globe to present solutions to world problems.

Team Empower – Akash Sidhu (BBA ’17), Amal Naufer (BBA ’18), Vasiliki Belegrinis (BBA ’18) and Joseph Truong (BBA ’17) – started work on their project in October 2016, and left to compete in China in late February 2017.

This year, the Hult Prize challenged students to focus on reawakening human potential and restoring the rights and dignity of refugees around the world. Team Empower’s winning pitch focused on how connectivity can become productivity for refugees: by providing stable and affordable Internet access, refugees around the world can be lifted out of poverty by realizing their potential as a global citizen.

“After working with refugees and staff at the York University Centre for Refugee Studies, we were shocked to know that up to 40 per cent of refugees’ disposable income is spent on staying connected, demonstrating a real need for affordable and reliable connectivity,” said Belegrinis. “We like to think that slow WiFi or running low on cellphone battery are major inconveniences in our lives. But for refugees, it can literally be the end of a lifeline.”

“The internet is a portal of countless opportunities and we believe that everyone has the right to connectivity. We are ready to provide them with the link to the outside world and give them the opportunities they deserve,” said Truong.

With thousands of university students competing in the regionals in Shanghai, London, Dubai, Boston and San Francisco, the Hult Prize is the world’s largest student social enterprise competition in the world.

After three presentations and judges feedback calls, Team Empower ultimately won the entire regional finals and have advanced to the global finals in the fall.

As one of the six globally selected teams, they will spend the summer in the United States working in the Hult Prize Accelerator and will begin piloting their project in Africa.

“It’s been such an amazing experience going through the Hult Prize journey. Ever since we won our campus round in November, we’ve evolved our idea into a real business. Now we can’t wait for the summer and the opportunity that awaits us to really change the lives of refugees around the world,” said Naufer.

Team Empower feels that the Hult Prize is a large community hub for like-minded individuals wanting to collaborate and do social good for the world.

“We truly believe in the power of collaboration and how young entrepreneurs like ourselves can make a real difference in the world,” said Sidhu.

To follow Team Empower, visit their Facebook page here goo.gl/4syR96.

Winners of the 2016 President’s Staff Recognition awards named

March 8, 2017

Staff Recognition Awards

As part of York University’s commitment to fostering employee engagement and recognizing excellence, each year the University celebrates the achievements of its dedicated staff. This year, as in previous years, a number of nominations were put forward for these awards. After careful deliberation by selection committees, York President & Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri is pleased to acknowledge the recipients and nominees of the 2016 President’s Staff Recognition Awards.

“I always look forward to and enjoy the opportunity to recognize the recipients of the President’s Staff Recognition Awards,” says Shoukri. “These awards enable us to pay tribute to the outstanding efforts of our hard-working staff, whose contributions are a critical part of what makes York one of Canada’s leading universities today.”

The winners will be honoured and their achievements celebrated at an awards dinner on May 4.

The awards, recipients and nominees are as follows:

The Ronald Kent Medal

Carol Weldon, administrative assistant, Centre for Atmospheric Chemistry, Chemistry Department

The medal recognizes the contributions of employees who promote and strengthen collegiality, values and goals of York University.

Also nominated for this award:

Ann-Marie Carless, administrative assistant, Department of Mathematics & Statistics, Faculty of Science
Cheryl Dickie, technical learning specialist, Talent Acquisition & Development, Human Resources
Mary Pecchia, administrative assistant, Department of Theatre, School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design
Michael Rose, Management Information Coordinator, Systems, Information Technology & Publications, Registrar’s Office

The Deborah Hobson York Citizenship Award

Sheelagh Atkinson, associate director, University Events & Ceremonies, Advancement Services

This award recognizes employees who have demonstrated a high level of service to students and who promote York’s spirit in terms of creativity, innovation and redefining the possible in service to the university community.

Also nominated for this award:

Amy Gaukel, assistant dean, students, Lassonde School of Engineering

The President’s Leadership Award

Sarah Cantrell, assistant vice-president, Office of Institutional Planning & Analysis

The President’s Leadership Award recognizes contributions that go beyond the published requirements of a position, performance levels that foster a high level of professionalism and usually extend beyond an individual department into the University community at large.

Also nominated for this award:

David Bell, executive director, Development & Alumni Relations, Schulich School of Business
Helen McLellan, executive officer, Office of the Dean, Faculty of Science
Brad Sheeller, manager, Health Safety and Compliance, Office of the Dean, Faculty of Science
Robert Castle, senior executive officer, Vice-President Finance & Administration
Stephen Pottle, director, Risk Management Services, Finance Department
Karen Furlonge, manager, Enterprise Business Application Services, Enterprise Business Application Services, University Information Technology (UIT)
Debbie Montanera-Bojda, senior human resources officer, Office of the Vice-President Academic & Provost
Michael Johnny, manager, Knowledge Mobilization, Office of Research Services (ORS)

The President’s Voice of York Award

Donna Hewison, student affairs assistant, Office of the Dean, Faculty of Graduate Studies

The Voice of York Award is given to an individual who is a first-line-of-contact person at York University. The most important voice of York is the one who makes the first contact with a visitor or a community member. Compassion and professionalism, particularly in handling difficult or sensitive situations, is essential to our work at York University.

Also nominated for this award:

Denise De Sanctis, administrative coordinator, Maintenance, Campus Services & Business Operations
Joanne Sequeira, administrative assistant, Office of the Dean, Faculty of Science
Libi Lancia, administrative assistant, Science and Technology Studies and Division of Natural Science, Faculty of Science
Magy Baket, graduate program assistant, Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science
Tara McMillen, student advisor/recruitment coordinator, Faculty of Science
Lisa Rumiel, strategic and institutional research specialist, Office of Research Services (ORS)

The Phyllis Clark Campus Service Award

Feleg Belay, custodian, Custodial Services, Campus Services & Business Operations

This award is presented annually to a non-academic employee of York University who has made exemplary contributions to the operations of either of York’s campuses in terms of efficiency, cleanliness, safety, security and/or other campus or plant services.

Also nominated for this award:

Shanthy Sathianathan, custodial services, Campus Services & Business Operations

The Harriet Lewis Team Award for Service Excellence

Office of the Dean, Faculty of Graduate Studies

Anesa Albert, executive assistant to the Dean & AVP Graduate
Juan M. Arangote, financial officer
Arun Devdas, graduate student funding liaison officer
Christopher Douris, web & communications assistant
Audaisha Franks, student affairs coordinator
Richolette Freckleton, scholarship & awards coordinator
Donna Hewison, student affairs assistant
Nisa Lawson, student affairs assistant
Linda Lee, database analyst
Susan Lyn, human resources business partner
Kim McIntyre, postdoctoral services coordinator
Wesley Moir, manager, Communications, Public Relations & Recruitment
Michael Schiff, coordinator, Faculty Governance
Judy Tse, student affairs coordinator
Almey Tse Soriano, manager, Student Affairs
Natalie Vacianna, program support assistant, Department of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science, Lassonde School of Engineering (former student affairs thesis coordinator, Faculty of Graduate Studies)
Sarah Whitaker, academic affairs officer
Stephanie Wong, administrative assistant
Sandra Yiu, graduate student funding liaison officer

This award recognizes a team’s excellence in service and support to students, faculty, staff and/or other service users and its promotion of the York spirit in terms of imagination, creativity, innovation and redefining the possible in service to York’s community (internal or external).

Also nominated for this award:

Information Technology Services, Glendon College

Aladin Alaily, director, Information Technology Services, Glendon College
Patrick Thibaudeau, manager, Information Systems & Technology Enhanced Learning, Information Technology Services, Glendon College
Mireille Kasembe Nyindu, administrative coordinator, Information Technology Services, Glendon College
Duncan Appleton, media technologist, Information Technology Services, Glendon College
Kevin James Friedberg, operations & events technician, Information Technology Services, Glendon College
Mathew Kensett, assistant technical coordinator, Information Technology Services, Glendon College
Luc Mallet, systems administrator, Glendon Information Technology Services
Johanna Parrales, web programmer, Glendon Information Technology Services
Rosa Tarulli, helpdesk coordinator, Glendon Information Technology Services

Lassonde Student Welcome and Support Centre

Sean Billingsley, director, Design, Recruitment & Admissions, Office of the Dean, Lassonde School of Engineering
Liz Cook, workplace learning coordinator
Bob Eichvald, associate director, Co-op Program and Business Partnerships
Amy Gaukel, assistant dean, Students
Alexandria Guay, recruitment officer – International
Lauren Hall, academic services coordinator
Caitlin A. Hicks, academic advisor
Mudita Kundra, student recruitment officer
Marily Molina, workplace learning coordinator
Zeripha Moses, academic advisor
Hema Nair, manager, Student Advising
Rachel Ricer, academic advisor
Gayathry Wright, manager, Student Engagement & Recruitment

For more information on each of the awards and past recipients, visit the President’s Staff Recognition Awards website.

Osgoode’s Dean for a Day is Alexandra Da Silva

March 8, 2017

Alexandra Da Silva

Second-year JD student Alexandra Da Silva has been chosen as Osgoode’s Dean for a Day for 2017, Dean Lorne Sossin has announced.

“I will be attending her Family Law class on Friday, March 10 and she will be moving into my office for the day and assuming the duties of Dean,” Sossin said in a note to the Osgoode community.

Da Silva grew up in Mississauga and attended the University of Toronto where she studied Criminology and Portuguese. The only child of Portuguese immigrants to Canada, she is the first in her family to attend university. She currently serves as vice-president of the Osgoode First Generation Network (OFGN) and as a student ambassador and Dean’s Scribe. “I love law school,” she said. “It’s a challenge in the best way, but there are so many opportunities on offer for students at Osgoode.”

This year’s Dean for a Day contest question – Which one of the five goals set out in the Access Osgoode Strategic Plan 2017-2020 should be Osgoode’s top priority over the next three years and why? – elicited a total of 16 submissions via multiple communications channels including e-mail, YouTube and Twitter. The Dean for a Day contest ran from February 6 to March 3 and was open to all Osgoode students.

The judges – Associate Dean (Students) Benjamin Berger and Assistant Dean (Students) Mya Rimon – carefully considered each submission and concluded that “Alexandra provided a clear and compelling vision of why community engagement would be central to realizing all of the priorities in the Strategic Plan, including access, reconciliation and enriching experiential education.”

Da Silva’s e-mail submission said: “Osgoode’s action plan should focus on community engagement. This is the only priority which acts as an open door to meaningful progress in each of the other listed priorities. By engaging with the diverse communities we serve (as an educational institution, and as a starting point for legal professionals) we can learn from those affected, instead of speculating, about accessibility needs and how to meet them; about which shortfalls in legal services could be covered through experiential education; about how to make reconciliation a cornerstone in all that Osgoode does; and about what our focuses in research intensification should be.”

The judges also awarded an “Honourable Mention” to third-year JD student Joseph Palmieri saying that his “visually remarkable video gave a wonderfully thought out action plan for enhancing our approach to experiential education.” His submission is here.

“I want to thank all of this year’s contest entrants for their insightful, thoughtful and creative submissions as well as the judges for their careful deliberations,” Sossin said. “Heartiest congratulations to Alexandra. I look forward to trading places with her on Friday.”

Theatre @ York’s season culminates with Strindberg’s ‘A Dream Play’

March 7, 2017

Dream Play

Theatre @ York’s 2016-17 season, focusing on the theme of Extraordinary Lives: Difference and Ability, culminates with a compelling contemporary take on A Dream Play by Swedish playwright August Strindberg, directed by David di Giovanni. The show previews March 12 and 13, opens on Tuesday, March 14 and runs until Saturday, March 18 in the Joseph G. Green Studio Theatre at York University’s Keele campus.

In the play, Agnes, a daughter of the gods, falls from heaven to Earth. Theatre @ York’s version has Agnes as a war journalist who is hospitalized for suicidal tendencies and clinical depression, and the play is framed as if she is dreaming it

Strindberg, who wrote the play in 1901 following a period of ill mental health, stated that it reflects “the disconnected but apparently logical form of a dream. Everything can happen; everything is possible.”

Wild and whirling, sometimes bleak and sometimes funny, A Dream Play is ultimately enchanting. Characters multiply, divide and coalesce, just as they might in a dream. Inside the frenzy of multiple characters and storylines that jump between memory and real time resonates a central chord of hope.

In the play, Agnes, a daughter of the gods, falls from heaven to Earth. Curious, she decides to investigate whether all our complaining about human suffering has merit. Endeavouring to become more human, she marries, has children, goes on vacation, but over time the sting of living becomes potent. She decides she must return to heaven – only to realize that she cannot.

“Our Agnes is a war journalist who is hospitalized for suicidal tendencies and clinical depression, and we’re framing the play as if she is dreaming it,” di Giovanni said. “Over the course of her dream, she has to reframe her existence in order to begin to rebuild her life.”

Di Giovanni sets the play in 2008 – a time, he notes, of tremendous hope and despair, with Barack Obama’s “Yes We Can,” but also the year of the stock market crash, a declining manufacturing sector, the continuing “war on terror” and Canadian forces in Afghanistan.

“Today, in 2017, we’re still living with the repercussions and detritus of that turning point,” said di Giovanni. “And so, in keeping with our season’s theme of difference and ability, our production explores the invisible disabilities that may affect how we live our lives: what we might call mental illness, clinical depression, PTSD or even spiritual dampening. We’re looking at the challenges many of us face in interacting with society.”

David di Giovanni

For A Dream Play, di Giovanni directs a talented cast drawn from York University’s fourth-year and graduate acting conservatories. All elements of set, costume, lighting and sound are designed and executed by undergraduate theatre production students.

Di Giovanni’s directing credits include Body So Fluorescent (Rhubarb Festival, Toronto, 2016), Holy Tranity! (Café Cléopâtre, Montreal, 2013), Play it Again, Phaedra and MAP Season One (Mainline Theatre, Montreal, 2011-12), and The Last Days of Karl Nimeni (ARENA… der jungen Künste festival, Erlangen, Germany, 2012). He has worked extensively with Montreal’s MAP Project as a dramaturg, and has led numerous workshops on physical theatre. He is currently an MFA candidate in York University’s Graduate Program in Theatre.

With Extraordinary Lives: Difference and Ability, York’s Department of Theatre is working with members of the wider arts community to challenge traditionally ableist modes of making theatre, guided by an advisory panel of prominent deaf, mad and “crip” artists who are serving as facilitators for the season. As part of this commitment, relaxed and ASL interpreted performances have become an integral feature of Theatre @ York’s mainstage productions.

A Dream Play runs March 12 to 18 at 7:30pm nightly, plus matinees on Wednesday, March 15 and Friday, March 17 at 1pm, and Saturday, March 18 at 2pm. The March 15 matinee is a relaxed performance and the March 17 matinee is an ASL interpreted performance. Regular admission is $20, $12 for students and seniors, and $10 for groups of 10 or more. Admission to previews is $7, and $5 for the relaxed performance matinee on March 15 and the ASL interpreted performance on March 17. Tickets can be purchased online, by phone at 416-736-5888 or in person at the Box Office.

York PhD candidate earns international award for racial equity project

March 7, 2017

York PhD candidate earns international award

York University PhD candidate Bruno Véras has earned the Antonieta de Barros Award for the promotion of racial and gender equity in Brazil.

The award recognizes 30 initiatives or communication projects promoting racial equality and overcoming racism.

Véras is a grad student in the Department of History, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (LA&PS), and was the director of the project “África Aparece: Linguagem, Ensino Debates sobre a Cultura Afro-Brasileira” (Africa displayed: Language, Education and Debates on the Afro-Brazilian Culture).

In recognition of the successful impact it had on the community, the project won R$ 20,000 (reais) from the Secretariat for the promotion of racial equality (Ministry of Women, Racial Equality & Human Rights).

“África Aparece” received initial funding from the Ministry of Education & Culture in Brazil, and advisory support from the Harriet Tubman Institute, York University.

Based in the Zequinha Barreto State Public School, “África Aparece” promoted Afro-Brazilian culture, stimulated positive memories of Africa, and enhanced self-esteem among the black youth in the the community of Dom Hélder Câmara in Pernambuco, Northeastern Brazil, through a series of workshops on photography, plastic arts, film screenings and educational exhibits.

Véras works under Professor Paul Lovejoy, and is also a graduate assistant for the Harriet Tubman Institute.

Antonieta de Barros was a pioneer in combating discrimination against blacks and women. She was the first black state deputy of Brazil and first woman deputy of the state of Santa Catarina. Throughout her life, de Barros was a teacher, journalist and writer.

Click here to access the project website and social media.

Faculty of Graduate Studies honours Prof. Carl James with its teaching award

March 6, 2017

Carl James

The Faculty of Graduate Studies (FGS) honoured Professor Carl James with the Faculty’s Teaching Award for his contributions to graduate teaching and membership. James was presented his award at the Faculty Council meeting on March 2. Attending the presentation were friends and colleagues of James.

“Carl’s extraordinary work in the classroom, as a supervisor and as a mentor, as well as his passionate commitment to social justice, make him an exemplary member of the graduate community at York University,” said Vice–President Academic and Provost Rhonda Lenton, who presented the award. “His expertise in the fields of community-based scholarship and accessible education, in addition to his study of racialized education systems, and marginalized populations and education, has led to numerous prestigious awards inside and outside of the academy.”

James, a professor in the Faculty of Education and the Jean Augustine Chair in Education, Community and Diaspora is affiliated with the graduate programs in Education, Interdisciplinary Studies, Social and Political Thought, Sociology, and Social Work.

Recognized nationally and internationally for his work in equity in relation to race, class, gender, racialization, immigration and citizenship, James was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 2012.

“The fact is, community plays a significant role in our lives and in our educational, professional and occupational pursuits,” said James, after accepting his award. “As such, I take seriously that students too bring community-informed needs, interests, expectations and aspirations of the community to their educational process to which we must be responsive in terms of our course content, pedagogy and assignments.”

Nomination letters in support of the award noted the remarkable diaspora of his former graduate students, who now serve as teachers, public school administrators, professors and researchers in higher education, as well as community leaders in the not-for-profit sector.

His peers frequently cited his continuing and engrossing presence in research activity within York University and the surrounding community. Most notably, however, was the consistent admiration for the time and energy he has and continues to devote to his students and York alumni in support of their scholarship.

As the Jean Augustine Chair in Education, Community and Diaspora, James will focus on addressing community issues and concerns within a framework of equity, inclusivity, and social justice. The work of the Chair will also consider the current context, building on its past accomplishments, and initiating a structure and activities that will serve to advance the principles of educational access and opportunities, cultural understanding, and community engagement.

“I appreciate this award particularly for what it symbolically represents to me,” he noted. “That is the work that myself and other Black, Indigenous and other racialized colleagues do daily in our work with students and at the university generally,” he said. “Ultimately, this recognition is not only about my teaching and research, but also about the possibilities for our graduate and undergraduate students here at York.”

The FGS Teaching Award is awarded annually to a member of the Faculty of Graduate Studies who has displayed substantial, significant and sustained excellence, commitment and enthusiasm to the multifaceted aspects of teaching at the graduate level at York.

YFile
Newsletter

Tag: Top Stories