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Notice to the community on revised winter travel directives

Vari Hall Winter scene showing the Harry Arthurs Common

La version française suit la version anglaise.

Dear York community,

On Dec. 15, the Government of Canada revised its travel guidelines for Canadians to avoid all non-essential travel. Further, as cases of the new Omicron variant continue to grow, other countries and regions are also changing their travel guidelines.

In general, all non-essential outbound travel should be limited or delayed wherever possible to promote the safety of our community and to contain travel cancellation costs as advisories remain in place.

The following applies to all members of the York community during in the Winter 2022 Term and further details will be available shortly in the FAQs on the Better Together website:

International programs
Given the recent global COVID-19 travel advisory, the University has cancelled and/or postponed all international travel for University-sponsored or sanctioned international programs for Winter 2022. This applies to the following:

  • Academic exchange, faculty-led programs, internships, research placements, community-engaged learning, practicums, co-op placements, or any other international travel that is approved by a York University faculty member, department, staff member, Faculty, or non-academic unit. *This is subject to narrow exceptions outlined below.

Special authorization for specific international programs and students will be granted on a case-by-case basis. If you are scheduled to participate in an international program for Winter 2022, please get in touch with your Faculty international program coordinator or with York International at: goglobal@yorku.ca. This authorization will be granted based on the health and safety guidance of the host country/institution and with strict adherence to health and safety plans that are agreed upon by students, academic unit(s), Risk Management and York International. Such cases may include:

  • Students who are already in their home countries, who have access to health care and insurance that is available for citizens/nationals of those locations or students with dual citizenship status.
  • Students who have special circumstances or are participating in undergraduate/graduate programs where in-person participation is necessary for degree or program completion.

International travel for faculty, researchers, instructors
The University strongly advises all members of the community to avoid all non-essential travel, in alignment with the Government of Canada’s travel advice and advisories, until further notice.

International travel for graduate students (research related)
The University strongly advises all graduate students to avoid all non-essential travel and to explore the use of online technologies for research related activities with international collaborators. In exceptional situations, research related international travel, related activities for graduate students and travel related to the completion of academic programs may be considered by relevant offices on a case-by-case basis. This will be reviewed again when Global Affairs Canada travel advisories are lifted.

University-funded business travel
All international university business travel is cancelled and/or postponed until further notice. Questions related to safety abroad can be submitted to: safetyabroad@yorku.ca.

Travelling to York from outside of Canada
The Government of Canada has changed quarantine and testing requirements. As of Sept. 7, 2021 all travellers arriving in Canada who are fully vaccinated with a Health Canada–approved vaccine may be exempt from quarantine requirements. Regardless of vaccination status, upon arrival each traveler must show a viable quarantine plan to a border services officer.

All international travelers arriving in Canada will also be required to take a COVID-19 test upon entry into the country. Travelers vaccinated with one of the approved COVID-19 vaccines for travel/entry will need to self-isolate until they receive a negative test result. Testing and self-isolation will take place at the traveler’s port of entry. York students and faculty may use York’s Quarantine Program for self-isolation if they do not have a suitable place to self-isolate or live in an on-campus residence.

York University runs an off-campus quarantine program for all international arrivals destined for York. For more information on this, please visit York International’s Quarantine Information page.

As always, we will continue to monitor the situation regularly and provide updates should circumstances change. York International will also be available to provide support to assess and develop risk mitigation plans for authorized international travel. For more information, please contact York International at: goglobal@yorku.ca or safetyabroad@yorku.ca and please continue visiting the Better Together website for regular updates.

Sincerely,

Lisa Philipps
Provost & Vice-President Academic

Amir Asif
Vice-President, Research & Innovation

Directives révisées sur les voyages cet hiver

Chers membres de la communauté de York,

Le 15 décembre 2021, le gouvernement du Canada a révisé ses directives et demande aux Canadiens d’éviter tout voyage non essentiel. Tandis que le nombre de cas reliés au nouveau variant Omicron continue d’augmenter, d’autres pays et régions modifient aussi leurs directives de voyage.

En général, tous les voyages non essentiels doivent être limités ou retardés dans la mesure du possible afin de promouvoir la sécurité de notre communauté et de limiter les coûts d’annulation des voyages alors que les avertissements sont en vigueur.

Les dispositions suivantes s’appliquent à tous les membres de la communauté de York pendant le trimestre d’hiver 2022. Vous pouvez consulter les détails sur la FAQ du site Web Mieux ensemble :

Programmes internationaux
Compte tenu du récent avertissement mondial aux voyageurs en matière de COVID-19, l’Université a annulé et/ou reporté tous les voyages internationaux pour les programmes internationaux parrainés ou sanctionnés par l’Université pour l’hiver 2022. Cela s’applique à :

  • Les échanges universitaires, les programmes dirigés par des professeurs, les stages, les placements de recherche, l’apprentissage communautaire, les travaux pratiques, les programmes coopératifs ou tout autre voyage international approuvé par un membre du corps professoral, par un département, par un membre du personnel, par une faculté ou par une unité non académique de York. *Sujet à des exceptions étroites décrites ci-dessous.

Une autorisation spéciale sera accordée au cas par cas pour des programmes et des étudiants internationaux précis. Si vous devez participer à un programme international pour l’hiver 2022, veuillez contacter la coordination du programme international de votre faculté ou York International à : goglobal@yorku.ca. Cette autorisation sera accordée en fonction des directives en matière de santé et de sécurité du pays/de l’établissement d’accueil et du respect strict d’un plan de santé et de sécurité convenu par l’étudiant, les unités académiques, la gestion des risques et York International. Ces cas peuvent inclure :

  • Les étudiants et étudiantes qui sont déjà dans leur pays d’origine et qui ont accès aux soins de santé et aux assurances disponibles pour les citoyens/ressortissants de ces lieux ou les étudiants et étudiantes qui ont déjà un statut de double nationalité.
  • Les étudiants et étudiantes qui sont dans une situation exceptionnelle ou qui participent à des programmes de premier cycle ou d’études supérieures dans lesquels la participation en personne est nécessaire à l’obtention du diplôme ou à l’achèvement du programme.

Voyages internationaux pour les professeurs, chercheurs, enseignants
L’Université conseille vivement à tous les membres de la communauté d’éviter tout voyage non essentiel, conformément aux conseils et avertissements aux voyageurs du gouvernement du Canada, jusqu’à nouvel ordre.

Voyages internationaux pour les étudiantes et étudiants diplômés (liés à la recherche)
L’Université conseille vivement à tous les étudiants de cycle supérieur d’éviter tout déplacement non essentiel et d’explorer l’utilisation des technologies en ligne pour les activités liées à la recherche menées avec des collaborateurs internationaux. Tous les voyages internationaux liés à la recherche et activités associées pour les étudiantes et étudiants de cycle supérieur ainsi que les voyages liés à l’achèvement d’un programme académique pourront être évalués au cas par cas par les bureaux concernés. Ce point sera réexaminé lorsque les avertissements d’Affaires mondiales Canada aux voyageurs seront levés.

Voyages d’affaires financés par l’Université
Tous les voyages d’affaires internationaux de l’Université sont annulés et/ou reportés jusqu’à nouvel ordre. Les questions concernant la sécurité à l’étranger peuvent être soumises à safetyabroad@yorku.ca.

Voyages à York en provenance d’un pays étranger
Le gouvernement du Canada a modifié les exigences en matière de quarantaine et de tests. Depuis le 7 septembre 2021, tous les voyageurs arrivant au Canada qui sont entièrement vaccinés avec un vaccin approuvé par Santé Canada peuvent être exemptés des exigences de quarantaine. Peu importe leur statut vaccinal, à leur arrivée, tous les voyageurs doivent présenter un plan de quarantaine viable à un agent des services frontaliers.

Tous les voyageurs internationaux arrivant au Canada devront également passer un test COVID-19 à leur entrée dans le pays. Les voyageurs vaccinés avec l’un des vaccins contre la COVID-19 approuvés devront s’auto-isoler jusqu’à ce qu’ils obtiennent un résultat négatif. Le test et l’isolement auront lieu au port d’entrée du voyageur. Les étudiants et les professeurs de York peuvent utiliser le programme de quarantaine de York pour s’auto-isoler s’ils n’ont pas d’endroit approprié ou s’ils ne vivent pas dans une résidence sur le campus.

L’Université York a un programme de quarantaine hors campus pour les voyageurs à York en provenance de l’étranger. Pour plus d’information, visitez la page Quarantine Information de York International.

Nous continuerons de surveiller la situation et nous vous fournirons de nouvelles informations si les circonstances changent. York International offrira également un soutien pour évaluer et élaborer des plans d’atténuation des risques pour les voyages internationaux autorisés. Pour plus d’informations, veuillez contacter York International à : goglobal@yorku.ca ou safetyabroad@yorku.ca. Veuillez continuer à consulter le site Web Mieux ensemble pour des mises à jour régulières.

Veuillez agréer mes sincères salutations,

Lisa Philipps
Rectrice et vice-présidente aux affaires académiques

Amir Asif
Vice-président de la recherche et de l’innovation

Holiday reading list highlights CanLit stars

young woman reads a book

Organizers of York University’s acclaimed Canadian Writers in Person (CWIP) series offer their suggestions for important books to read during the holiday break (and beyond).

After much deliberation and debate, York University Humanities Professors Leslie Sanders and Gail Vanstone together with Dana Patrascu-Kingsley, a contract faculty member in the Department of English, have winnowed down decades of books featured in the Canadian Writers in Person series into a list of 25 books curated for your holiday reading pleasure. The three faculty members organize the annual reading series, which brings new and established Canadian authors to campus (or via Zoom) to deliver readings from their books. Saunders, Vanstone and Patrascu-Kingsley were responding to a request from YFile for their recommendations for meaningful and important books to read over the holiday break (and beyond).

“We welcome the invitation from YFile to compile a list of our favourites, but find it an almost impossible task to choose only a few names from more than 250 invited authors since the series’ inception,” said Vanstone on behalf of the intrepid trio. “Each of these texts stuck with us in one way or another, so our selections are governed by our personal tastes and by serendipity. CWIP includes both seasoned and emerging voices, and the list we offer in response to your generous enquiry is far from exhaustive; rather it is an eclectic offering, testimony to the richness of the program. We are proud to say that our list reflects the broad palette of contemporary Canadian literature – and could have contained many more titles.”

Canadian Writers in Person is a course offered in the Culture & Expression program in the Department of Humanities in York University’s Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies. For more information on the series, visit yorku.ca/laps/canwrite, or email Vanstone at gailv@yorku.ca or Sanders at leslie@yorku.ca. The series continues Jan. 18 with a reading from Thomas King’s latest novel, Sufferance (HarperCollins Canada, 2021).

Here are their suggestions:

Cover of Butter Honey Pig Bread
Cover of Butter Honey Pig Bread

David Chariandy, Brother
Chariandy’s Brother is a powerful, beautiful novel that explores questions of masculinity, family, race and identity in a Scarborough housing complex during the heat and violence of the summer of 1991.

Megan Gail Coles, Small Game Hunting at the Local Coward Gun Club
Coles’s debut novel rips into the inner lives of a cast of characters, exposing class, gender and racial tensions over the course of one Valentine’s Day in the dead of a winter storm.

Francesca Ekwuyasi, Butter Honey Pig Bread
Ekwuyasi’s debut novel tells the interwoven stories of twin sisters, Kehinde and Taiye, and their mother, Kambirinachi, who feels she was born a spirit that plagues families with misfortune by dying in childhood to cause its mother misery.

Michelle Good, Five Little Indians
A Cree Canadian writer, Good’s award-winning novel is a moving story of five survivors of the Canadian Indian residential school system. Five Little Indians tells the story of their struggles to rebuild their lives after their time in residential schools.

Five Little Indians book cover
The cover of Five Little Indians

Laurie D. Graham, Settler Education
In Settler Education, Graham explores through her poetry the Plains Cree uprising at Frog Lake, including the death of nine settlers, the hanging of six Cree warriors, the imprisonment of Big Bear and the opening of the Prairies to settlement.

Sky Dancer Louise Halfe, Burning in This Midnight Dream
Burning in This Midnight Dream is the latest collection of poems by Halfe in response to the tide of emotions, memories, dreams and nightmares that arose in her during Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation process.

Kaie Kellough, Dominoes at the Crossroads
Dominoes at the Crossroads maps an alternate Canada, one crisscrossed by a Caribbean diaspora seeking music, futures and portals to their past. Kellough’s characters navigate race, history and coming-of-age by way of their confessions and dreams. 

Carrianne Leung, That Time I Loved You
In That Time I Loved You, Leung depicts the fine line where childhood meets the realities of adult life and examines how difficult it is to be true to ourselves at any age.

Cover of the girl who was saturday night heather oneill
Cover of The Girl Who was Saturday Night

Canisia Lubrin, Voodoo Hypothesis
Lubrin’s poetry collection seeks to subvert the imperial construct of “Blackness” and reject the contemporary and historical systems that paint Black people as inferior through constant parallel representations of “evil” and “savagery.”

Suzette Mayr, Monoceros
Monoceros explores the effects of a suicide on characters outside the immediate circle. Mayr offers an original look at the ripple effects – both poignant and funny – of a tragedy.

Heather O’Neill, The Girl Who Was Saturday Night
The Girl Who Was Saturday Night is set in Montreal in 1995, and it follows the adventures of Nouschka and Nicolas Tremblay, 19-year-old twins who live in a rundown apartment on St. Laurent with their grandfather, Loulou, who raised them.

Soraya Peerbaye, Tell: Poems for a Girlhood
Tell: Poems for a Girlhood is partially based on the Reena Virk murder case, which took place in a Victoria, B.C. suburb in 1997. Peerbaye asks in this collection of poems, who has access to the innocence of childhood? She also reflects on her own memories of girlhood and adolescence.

Son of a Trickster
Cover of Son of a Trickster

Michael Prior, Burning Province
Burning Province, Prior’s second collection of poetry explores, the enduring impact of the Japanese internment upon his family legacy and his mixed-race identity. Amid the record-breaking wildfires that scorched B.C. in 2015 and 2017, the poems in this collection move seamlessly between geographical and psychological landscapes.

Zalika Reid-Benta, Frying Plantain
Reid-Benta’s first book is a collection of beautifully interwoven stories that took 10 years to write. The stories focus on the protagonist’s experiences growing up and exploring her Black identity as a teenager in Toronto’s Eglinton West neighbourhood, “Little Jamaica.”

Eden Robinson, Monkey Beach and Son of a Trickster
Monkey Beach is a spellbinding voyage into the long, cool shadows of B.C.’s Coast Mountains, blending teen culture, Haisla lore, nature spirits and human tenderness into a multi-layered story loss and redemption. Son of a Trickster journeys through the life of teenager, Jared, who tried to make sense of a broken family, substance abuse, poverty and spirituality. It is the first book in Robinson’s Trickster trilogy.

Michael Prior's "Burning Province"
Cover of Burning Province

Tanya Tagaq, Split Tooth
In Split Tooth, Tanya Tagaq explores a world where the distinctions between good and evil, animal and human, victim and transgressor, real and imagined lose their meaning, but the guiding power of love remains.

Souvankham Thammavongsa, How to Pronounce Knife and Small Arguments
In her collection How to Pronounce Knife, Thammavongsa offers stories that focus on characters struggling to build lives in unfamiliar territory, or shuttling between idioms, cultures and values. In Small Arguments, proof of the power, beauty, and complexity beneath the surface of the small and ordinary is presented by Thammavongsa in each of her poems.

Kim Thuy, Mãn
A book about love and food, and the connections between love and familial duty, Mãn makes us aware of the complexity and variety of human emotions and the intricate ways in which they can be expressed. Mãn is about life in Vietnam before the war and then immigration to Canada where Mãn, the protagonist, raises a family, makes friends, and experiences love.

The In-Between World of Vikram Lall
Cover of The In-Between World of Vikram Lall

Richard Van Camp, Night Moves
In the hilarious and heartbreaking Night Moves, Van Camp returns to characters whose lives have touched us before in his previous books The Lesser Blessed, Angel Wing Splash Pattern, The Moon of Letting Go, and Godless but Loyal to Heaven.

M. G. Vassanji, The In-Between World of Vikram Lal
Vassanji’s The In-Between World of Vikram Lall is a haunting novel of corruption and regret that brings to life the complexity and turbulence of Kenyan society in the last five decades.

Katherena Vermette, North End Love Songs and The Break
Vermette’s award-winning poetry collection North End Love Songs is an ode to the place she grew up, where the beauty of the natural world is overlaid with the rough reality of crime and racism. The Break is a fictional story begins one evening when young Métis mother Stella looks out her window and sees someone in trouble on the break (an isolated piece of land) and calls the police. The story is told through shifting narratives of those connected to the victim. The reader learns of their personal stories leading up to the event, and a larger story unfolds.

The Break Katherena Vermette
Cover of The Break

Phoebe Wang, Admission Requirements
The poems in Wang’s debut collection titled Admission Requirements attempt to discover what is required of us when we cut across our material and psychic geographies. 

Five ways to make the holiday season sustainable 

ornament on tree

This holiday season, the Office of Sustainability encourages York community members to make sustainable changes that contribute to the overall well-being of the planet. These tips also align with York’s contributions to the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

Here are five ways to maximize holiday cheer while reducing your environmental footprint:  

1. Unplug and conserve energy  

Switch your holiday lighting decorations from incandescent lights to LED lights. Use a timer to control when lights should be turned on or off and remember to unplug any electronics or appliances when they are not in use.  

Did you know: These energy efficient tips align with the University’s goals to foster a culture of sustainability on campus and in our communities. Saving energy will help to advance the UN SDG 13: Climate Action. As a leader in sustainability, the University is committed to reducing carbon emissions by 45 per cent by 2030 and being carbon neutral on or before 2049.  

2. Reuse, recycle to reduce waste   

Generate less waste by purchasing gifts that are long-lasting, reusable or recyclable. Consider gifting an experience instead of material goods or staying away from using single-use plastic for gift wrapping by switching to reusable containers, bags or recyclable paper.   

Did you know: York recognizes the negative impacts of single-use plastics and is committed to reusing and managing waste better through its ZeroWaste program, in line with UN SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production. Some elements of the ZeroWaste program include a Green Cleaning Initiative and tri-bins around campus. The University has also phased out the sale of single use plastic water bottles to help divert waste.   

3. Give back to community organizations   

Make a difference and support your community by donating or volunteering with an organization. Bring canned items or leftover holiday meals to local shelters or food banks. Or donate new or unused clothing by visiting one of several clothing donations bins on Keele Campus.   

Did you know: York alumni are 13.5 per cent more likely to have volunteered in the past 12 months than other university graduates in the GTA.  

4. Support local businesses 

Local businesses are the backbone of our economy. Shop close to home, purchase locally made and ethically sourced products, and prepare meals with groceries from a local farmers market.  

Did you know: York University supports a local approach and understands the role it can play in encouraging local prosperity, in line with UN SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities. The University has spent $2 million at local and diverse-owned businesses and social enterprises, which helps to reduce environmental impacts and build more resilient communities.   

5. Reduce food waste   

It is important to be mindful of food waste during the holiday season by implementing simple changes to support a healthy environment. Instead of disposing of leftovers, try new recipes with food prepared from a previous meal or send guests home with food containers to enjoy the next day. The holiday season is also a perfect time to start meal preparations.   

Did you know: York University has an organic waste program that helps divert food waste? Kitchenettes are equipped with an organic waste container and there are multiple outdoor organic digesters on campus that allow community members to conveniently throw out organic waste. 

To learn more about the Office of Sustainability, visit here. 

Christmas spirit and the role of ‘feel-good’ hormones

Holiday ornament hearts in a box with pine cones

What drives the spirit of the season and spread of goodwill during the holidays? There’s an answer backed by science.

By Ashley Goodfellow Craig, YFile deputy editor

There’s a collective feeling of positive energy around the holidays, one that inspires people to look outward and be more joyful, generous and even forgiving.

It’s a time when we are encouraged to help others and be charitable, and when individuals and organizations look to their community for support, whether it be time, money, goods or services.

These acts of kindness are embedded in the spirit of the season – it’s what holiday cheer, or Christmas spirit, is born from – and there’s something contagious about the mood of it all. But why is that?

Miriam Mongrain
Myriam Mongrain

York University Professor Myriam Mongrain says that there’s science to explain why kindness and compassion can be “contagious” – especially around the holidays.

Mongrain is a clinical psychologist who studies the science of compassionate actions and teaches in the Faculty of Health’s Department of Psychology.

When people are being kind – genuinely kind and transcending their own self interest – it leads to the production of “feel-good” hormones, like oxytocin and dopamine, she says. “When you are helping out of that inner instinct, and there is a genuine self-transcendence, when that happens there is something pretty magical going on physiologically.”

In the chapter “Compassion, happiness and self-esteem” in the 2014 published Encyclopedia of Quality of Life and Well-Being Research, Mongrain states: “Performing small acts of kindness towards people we know, even towards strangers, elevates our mood.”

Research has found this type of compassion and kindness leads to the production of oxytocin, otherwise known as the “bonding” hormone that helps mothers bond with their newborns after birth. It’s a feel-good, let’s-hug-each-other kind of hormone, says Mongrain. Increased levels of oxytocin boosts feelings of calm, trust, empathy and love.

There’s also a release of dopamine tied to thoughtful, selfless acts, which is a hormone related to our reward neurotransmitters, explains Mongrain.

And then there’s the autonomic nervous system: the sympathetic, which triggers a fight-or-flight response during distress or perceived danger; and the parasympathetic, which works to bring the body back to a state of calm.

“There’s a very interesting interplay there, in terms of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system,” she explains.

What happens is, these systems orchestrate around helping someone, which is especially true in situations where a person is helping someone in distress: on one hand the person offering help is “worked up” from witnessing that distress, which in turns causes them to also feel distress. This is the role of the sympathetic nervous system. However, the parasympathetic nervous system will kick in and work to calm those feelings enough so a person can offer help.

“People who are good at helping are able to establish that balance between alertness and calm (this is called vagal flexibility) and so there’s that happening peripherally throughout the body, which makes you very well equipped to help,” says Mongrain.

When a person is showing kindness or compassion, and they are transcending their own self, they benefit from the effects of the feel-good hormones. Modelling those behaviours and creating those feelings result in a domino effect, where acts of kindness are spread to others.

A woman making a donation to a man on the street during the holiday season
The experience of feeling good from being kind or compassionate can have a trickle-down effect; humans innately want to imitate those around them

A study in Science Daily from 2010 says, “when people benefit from kindness they ‘pay it forward’ by helping others who were not originally involved, and this creates a cascade of cooperation that influences dozens more in a social network.”

Mongrain agrees. “You see a beneficial effect on the other, the other person feels better, that makes you happy and everybody wins.”

Add in the glow of the holiday season – the lights go up, the gifts are bought and exchanged, families come together – and it delivers all the elements we find rewarding as human beings. The experience of feeling good from being kind or compassionate can have a trickle-down effect; humans innately want to imitate those around them.

“It’s very powerful if you extend it to the principle of love, the principle of extending that care towards others,” says Mongrain. “It’s especially good for human beings.”

However, Mongrain says to reap the benefits of showing kindness and compassion, presence is key. You must be able to notice and be aware of what is happening around you. It’s also important, she says, to understand why you are being kind. Are there conditions attached – for example, if the act or service you provide is done out of expectation – or if the goal is to gain something from it? These don’t represent true acts of compassion or kindness.

Mongrain says an act of kindness doesn’t have to be a grand gesture, and small, simple gestures can also trigger the benefits, and spark a “pay-it-forward” type of kindness.

“I think the simplest means we have available during this pandemic is making eye contact and showing appreciation using our eyes,” says Mongrain. “Giving a stranger a compliment is also a small, creative way of making a difference. It has everything to do with connection, and everything to do with you starting with that intention with just making sure the other knows you have a good thought towards them, that you appreciate them, that they are not invisible.”

Feeling some holiday stress? Here’s how to manage it

winter woman looking over bridge

Trying to manage the stress of the holiday season can be overwhelming, but there are ways to stay grounded and calm. York University Professor Harvey Skinner shares some of his stress-busting tips.

By Ashley Goodfellow Craig, YFile deputy editor

As much as the holiday season can spark joy, it can also be a time of stress, anxiety and difficulties. There are a number of factors that contribute to holiday-related stresses: finances, family, work/life balance, grief and more. Add in a second year of pandemic-related restrictions on travel and gatherings, and we might even expect these feelings to be heightened through December and into the new year.

Professor Harvey Skinner
Professor Harvey Skinner

There is a way, says York University Faculty of Health Professor Harvey Skinner, to help mitigate the negative effects of a stressful situation over the holidays, and it starts with a little self-reflection.

Skinner, is a professor of psychology and global health, and was the inaugural dean of the Faculty of Health. He is a teacher in managing stress and leads a popular Stress Busting series at the University that focuses on how Qi Gong and mindfulness meditation practices can empower health and well-being.

Taking time to look back at past experiences over the holiday season, and recognizing that expectations may be idealistic, is key to coping with potential stressors, he says.

“We often have this idealistic expectation of a holiday and how wonderful it is … so we don’t go into it prepared,” he says. “It’s like going for an exam, or for a vacation – you wouldn’t do those things without a plan.”

The simple act of just having a plan in place can help to minimize anxiety, says Skinner. Also being aware of physical and emotional symptoms that signal stress, such as feeling uncomfortable, experiencing a sinking feeling, having an upset stomach or agitated nerves – these are all common feelings that can happen before the mind is triggered to respond.

“The notion is understanding from your previous experience how stressful your holidays have been, and from there, develop a plan, anticipate what would be the triggers … and if you do this kind of preparation then when you are in the moment you will have one or two little mechanisms to help you cope.”

winter person on bench
Professor Harvey Skinner suggests slow, deep, thoughtful breathing exercises as an easy and effective way to manage stress

Skinner suggests slow, deep, thoughtful breathing exercises as an easy and effective way to manage stress; there’s a reason why we’re told to “take a deep breath” when we are feeling stressed, anxious or nervous. The act of slow, intentional breathing in and out through the nose activates the parasympathetic nervous system which aids in relaxation and counters the sympathetic system, or fight-or-flight response. An example of this type of breath work is called “coherent breathing.” To do this, he suggests you sit (stand or lie down) relaxed in a quiet space, soften your gaze or close your eyes, and begin inhaling slowly through the nose (counting from one to five) and exhaling slowly through the nose (counting from five to one), and repeat.

To help with keeping the mind focused, Skinner suggests a practice called “box breathing.” Visualize the shape of a box with each step of breathing: inhale slowly going up the side of the box, pause in breathing along the top of the box, exhale slowly down the other side of the box, pause in breathing along the bottom of the box, and repeat.

“Extending the out breath helps activate the parasympathetic system,” says Skinner, adding that this results in lower blood pressure, and lower heart rate and a feeling of calmness.

Breathing exercises are also fundamental to many wellness practices, such as mindfulness meditation, yoga, Tai Chi or Qi Gong.

“It’s good to practice these things beforehand, indeed make them a part of your daily life, because then they are there for you – the more you do them, the easier it is to use them,” says Skinner, who leads Qi Gong with his students at the beginning of class to help everyone feel calm, centred and ready to learn.

There are other methods that also work, including finger holds. In this practice, each finger is associated with a specific feeling – such as grief, anxiety, anger, etc. – and holding onto a finger with the other hand for one to two minutes, paired with slow breathing, helps to visualize and release those emotions.

During this holiday time with more inherent levels of stress, such as the pandemic, Skinner suggests including these practices in holiday planning. And remember to be kind to yourself.

“Just go gentle on yourself, give yourself permission to be kind-hearted; it has been a really tough year. Try to make the holiday season the best you can – although it likely won’t be perfect. You know from the past the things that might go wrong. But if you have some these practices in your toolkit, you are going to feel prepared. And when you feel prepared, that alone will help lower your anxiety level.”

For more on Skinner’s Stress Busting series, or to watch recordings of previous seminars, visit the Stress Busting website.

Scholarly volume published in memory of Professor Leo Panitch

a collection of books on a shelf

A new scholarly book titled, State Transformations: Classes, Strategy, Socialism was recently published in the late Leo Panitch’s memory by Professor Greg Albo and former doctoral students Stephen Maher and Alan Zuege.

State Transformations: Classes, Strategy, Socialism book cover

The book originated from a retirement conference in honour of Panitch held at York University in October 2017 and was supported by the Office of the Vice-President, the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, the Department of Politics, and The Centre for Social Justice. The collection later evolved into a memorial volume after Panitch’s passing in 2020, recalling his life as a scholar, public intellectual, and social activist.

The book focuses on critical – and especially Marxist – state theory and Leo’s central academic focus on the study of comparative politics. It is noted these theories began to lose their central place in the study of comparative politics in the 1980s. This shift occurred as neoliberal policies were transforming the social form and spatial scales of the state, radically restructuring the practices of state economic intervention, and extending the capabilities of the coercive arms of the state. This volume addresses the ‘impoverishment of state theory’ over the last decades and insists on the continued salience of class analysis to the study of states.

The book’s title, State Transformations, reflects several central themes in the comparative study of states: the neoliberal restructuring of capitalist states, the changing economic and political architecture of imperialism, and the prospects of a democratic transformation of capitalist states.

The essays collected on these themes are in honour and memory of Panitch, whose influential body of work has shaped debates on the state, imperialism, and socialism over the past four decades. Contributors of this book include former York students, scholarly collaborators, and friends. Learn more here.

Make your donation to York before Dec. 31 for 2021 tax receipt

Vari Hall

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 made their 2021 donation. Thank you to all of you who have chosen to create positive change at York University this year.

Together, we are a community of changemakers who have adapted, innovated and persevered through the many challenges created by COVID-19. Our faculty, staff and students continue to pursue academic, research and professional excellence while always looking out for one another, our friends and families.

Advancement staff are preparing for a well-deserved break over the holidays.  Our office will be closed from Friday, Dec. 24 to Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2022.  While our office is closed, you can make your donation in two ways: 

  1. By visiting our online donation page;
  2. By telephone at 416-650-8210

To ensure you receive a 2021 tax receipt for your donation, take note of the following requirements:

  • Donations must be received on or before Dec. 31, 2021, with the cheque or credit card authorization dated Dec. 31, or earlier. This includes donations made online and by telephone.
  • Mailed donations can be received in January 2022 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:

Forward any gifts received in your departments to Advancement Services (located at the West Office Building on York’s Keele Campus) by noon on Thursday, Dec. 23 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.

To have a receipted for 2021, all cheques must be accompanied with the original envelope.

Thank you to all of you who have already chosen to create positive change at York University this year. Happy Holidays from the York University Division of Advancement.

A message from President Rhonda Lenton on York’s commitment to academic freedom

Vari Hall Winter Scene

Over this past year, several incidents bearing on the academic freedom of members of the York Community have been brought to my attention. In each case, individuals and groups external to the University have appealed to senior leadership to intercede against faculty members due to statements made, or research published, in the course of their legitimate scholarly activities. In connection with these appeals, I wish to again affirm York’s unequivocal support of academic freedom.

I previously noted that how debate is conducted matters a great deal. No matter our personal stake in an issue, it is essential that discourse on controversial issues not devolve into personal attacks or, at worst, threatening, racist or hateful speech. I encourage all participants in a debate to take care to ensure that they do not, inadvertently or otherwise, empower or unleash individuals, beliefs or expressions that are antithetical to open and productive dialogue.

Members of both the York community and the broader community are of course free to disagree with the views expressed by faculty members, and as an institution dedicated to free inquiry the University welcomes vigorous, thoughtful, and respectful counter‐speech. However, I want to reiterate that York University condemns all forms of discrimination, racism and hate, whether it is Islamophobic, antisemitic, anti‐Black, anti‐Indigenous, sexist, homophobic, or directed against any racialized or marginalized individual or group. Such speech is contrary to our foundational values as an institution.

I also want to emphasize that these commitments – to free inquiry and to equity, diversity, and inclusion – are in no way antithetical to one another. On the contrary, it is by encouraging a diversity of perspectives, thought and experiences that we most effectively foster the free pursuit and exchange of knowledge. York is undertaking a number of actions aimed at addressing the harmful impact of systemic racism both on members of our community and on the nature and scope of academic inquiry. These actions include the dedicated hiring of Black, Indigenous and racialized faculty members, and form an important component of a broader equity strategy to promote diversity and inclusion, which is expected to be released to the community for consultation soon.

In a previous statement, I assured all members of our community that York remains steadfast in its defence of academic freedom, and will not censure any faculty member for their research or public statements made in the course of their scholarly work – subject to legal and policy limits. I want to take this opportunity to address all current and prospective faculty who are members of racialized or marginalized groups. York recognizes that the work of scholars and educators from equity-seeking groups has been subject to heightened scrutiny and criticism, and that debate about that work has taken the form of personal and discriminatory attack rather than considered and informed engagement with its substance.

York is committed to the continued practice of upholding, protecting and promoting academic freedom for all faculty members. As the University moves forward with its equity strategy, including its Indigenous Framework and Action Plan on Black Inclusion, we commit ourselves to playing an essential role in creating new knowledge, challenging existing ideas, and providing a forum in which to explore and address difficult and complex issues. We cannot fulfill those objectives unless all voices can feel safe and secure expressing their views.

Sincerely,

Rhonda L. Lenton,
President and Vice-Chancellor

Message de la présidente au sujet de l’engagement de York envers la liberté universitaire

Au cours des 12 derniers mois, plusieurs incidents portant sur la liberté universitaire des membres de la communauté de York ont été portés à mon attention. Dans chaque cas, des individus et des groupes extérieurs à l’Université ont demandé à la haute direction d’intercéder contre des membres du corps professoral en raison de déclarations faites ou de recherches publiées dans le cadre d’activités universitaires légitimes. En rapport avec ces demandes, je souhaite réaffirmer le soutien inconditionnel de York envers la liberté universitaire.

J’ai déjà fait remarquer que la façon dont le débat est menéimporte beaucoup. Quel que soit notre intérêt personnel pour une question, il est essentiel que les discours sur des sujets controversés ne se transforment pas en attaques personnelles, ou — bien pire — en menaces ou discours racistes ou haineux. J’invite tous les participants d’un débat à veiller à ne pas donner, par inadvertance ou autrement, de pouvoir ou de liberté à des individus, des croyances ou des expressions contraires à un dialogue ouvert et productif.

Les membres de la communauté de York et de la communauté en général sont évidemment libres de ne pas être d’accord avec les opinions exprimées par les membres du corps professoral. En tant qu’établissement consacré au libre examen, l’Université encourage un contre-discours vigoureux, réfléchi et respectueux. L’Université York condamne toutes les formes de discrimination, de racisme et de haine, qu’elles soient islamophobes, antisémites, anti-Noirs, anti-autochtones, sexistes, homophobes, ou dirigées contre tout individu ou groupe racialisé ou marginalisé. Un tel discours est contraire à nos valeurs fondamentales en tant qu’université.

Je tiens également à souligner que ces engagements — en faveur de la liberté de recherche et de l’équité, de la diversité et de l’inclusion — ne sont en aucun cas en contradiction les uns envers les autres. Au contraire, c’est en encourageant la diversité des perspectives, des pensées et des expériences que nous favorisons le plus efficacement la libre poursuite et l’échange des connaissances. York a entrepris plusieurs actions visant à remédier à l’impact néfaste du racisme systémique à la fois sur les membres de notre communauté et sur la nature et la portée des recherches universitaires. Ces actions comprennent l’embauche de professeurs noirs, autochtones et racialisés; elles constituent un élément important d’une stratégie d’équité plus large visant à promouvoir la diversité et l’inclusion, qui doit bientôt être communiquée à la communauté pour consultation.

Dans une déclaration antérieure, j’ai assuré à tous les membres de notre communauté que l’Université York reste fermement attachée à la défense de la liberté universitaire et qu’elle ne censurera aucun membre du corps professoral pour ses recherches ou ses déclarations publiques faites dans le cadre de travaux d’érudition, sous réserve des limites légales et politiques. J’en profite pour m’adresser directement à tous les professeurs actuels et futurs qui font partie de groupes racialisés ou marginalisés. York reconnaît que le travail des universitaires et des éducateurs issus de groupes en quête d’équité a fait l’objet d’un examen approfondi et de critiques, et que le débat sur ce travail a pris la forme d’attaques personnelles et discriminatoires plutôt que d’un engagement réfléchi et éclairé sur sa substance.

York s’engage à maintenir, protéger et promouvoir la liberté universitaire pour tous les membres du corps professoral. Au fur et à mesure que l’Université progresse dans sa stratégie d’équité, y compris dans son Cadre stratégique autochtone et son Plan d’action sur l’inclusion des personnes noires, nous nous engageons à jouer un rôle essentiel en créant de nouvelles connaissances, en remettant en question les idées existantes et en offrant un forum permettant d’explorer et d’aborder des questions difficiles et complexes. Nous ne pouvons pas atteindre ces objectifs si toutes les voix ne se sentent pas suffisamment en confiance pour exprimer leurs opinions.

Sincères salutations,

Rhonda L. Lenton
Présidente et Vice-Chancelière

Professor Tina Young Choi’s new book explores Victorian contingencies

an open book

Tina Young Choi, associate professor and chair of the Department of English at York University, launched her new book Victorian Contingencies: Experiments in Literature, Science, and Play.

Victorian Contingencies: Experiments in Literature, Science, and Play book cover

Published by Stanford University Press, the book is a cross-disciplinary work that combines literary criticism, history of science, and cultural history. Victorian Contingencies investigates the place of contingency as a conceptual and narrative principle in 19th century literature and science.  

Choi examines contingency across materials and media, from newspaper advertisements and children’s stories to well-known novels, scientific discoveries and technological innovations. She shows how Charles Lyell and Charles Darwin reinvented geological and natural histories as spaces for temporal and causal experimentation, while the growing insurance industry influenced Charles Babbage’s design for a computational machine capable of responding to a contingent future. Choi pairs novelists George Eliot and Lewis Carroll with physicist James Clerk Maxwell, demonstrating how they introduced possibility and probability into once-assured literary and scientific narratives. She also explores the popular board games and pre-cinematic visual entertainments that encouraged Victorians to navigate a world made newly uncertain. 

“As someone who teaches, reads, and writes about the Victorians, I’ve been inspired by just how experimental, playful, and interdisciplinary the period’s writings, both scientific and literary, can be,” says Choi. “My book isn’t intended as the final word on these topics or works, but as an invitation to both students and scholars to think about the ways these works complicated understandings of causality and history in the 19th century.” 

Choi is a member of the graduate faculties in English, humanities, and science and technology studies and a founding member of the Victorian Studies Network at York. Her work includes a 2016 monograph, Anonymous Connections: The Body and Narratives of the Social in Victorian Britain, along with numerous articles about the intersections among 19th century science, literature and popular culture. 

To learn more about Choi’s new book, visit the Stanford University Press website.   

York U in the news: remote learning, COVID-19 vaccinations and more

An image of a woman with a laptop that shows the YFile website

Some universities, including McMaster, delaying return to in-person classes next month
York University President and Vice-Chancellor Rhonda Lenton was quoted in iHeartRadio Dec. 15.

Ontario universities moving classes online in January amid surging COVID cases
York University President and Vice-Chancellor Rhonda Lenton was quoted in Toronto Star Dec. 15.

U of T cancels in-person exams, joins other Ontario universities delaying in-person classes amid Omicron
York University President and Vice-Chancellor Rhonda Lenton was quoted in CBC News Dec. 15.

Ontario Universities & Schools Getting Ready To Move Back To Remote Learning In January
York University President and Vice-Chancellor Rhonda Lenton was quoted in Narcity Dec. 15.

Why is Western University’s new law advisory council so white?
York University student Kerry-Ann Cornwall was quoted in CBC News Dec. 15.

Syngas: a transformative technology for waste circularity
York University faculty member Calvin Lakhan was quoted in Packaging World Dec. 15.

Daymark will Unveil the Fastest Three-Wheeler in the World on December 17
York University was mentioned in Motor Illustrated Dec. 15.

Vietnam among Canada’s prioritised markets in educational cooperation: workshop
York University Associate Director Skandha Sunderasen was featured in Vietnam Plus Dec. 15.

Children ages 5 to 11 are getting COVID-19 vaccinations: What this might mean for the holidays and the Omicron variant
York University Associate Professor Dasantila Golemi-Kotra and Professor Jianhong Wu contributed to Waterloo Chronicle Dec. 15.

Oddly-shaped Pringles chip selling for $500
York University student Kayhan Mirza was featured in Canada.com Dec. 15.

Tout sur Omicron: sa transmissibilité, sa virulence et sa capacité à échapper aux vaccins
York University Associate Professor Dasantila Golemi-Kotra contributed to Conversation Canada Dec. 15.

Facing rising COVID-19 cases, institutions delay return to the classroom in Winter semester
York University was mentioned in Academica Top Ten Dec. 17.

Toronto’s universities revert to remote learning
York University President and Vice-Chancellor Rhonda Lenton was quoted in Ottawa Sun Dec. 16.

Shocking but not surprising: Auditor General of Canada criticizes enforcement of COVID-19 regulations for migrant workers
York University Professor Eric Tucker contributed to Philippine Canadian Inquirer Dec. 16.

Four-day work week gets thumbs up from Zorra workers
York University Associate Professor Zachary Spicer was quoted in Toronto Star Dec. 16.

Zorra Township permanently implements 4-day workweek following success of pilot project
York University Associate Professor Zachary Spicer was quoted in FM96 London Dec. 16.

Researchers hired to improve reporting of police interactions with racialized community
Lorne Foster, Professor and Director of the Institute for Social Research at York University was featured in Waterloo Record Dec. 16.

Metro Morning with Ismaila Alfa
York University Associate Professor Dasantila Golemi-Kotra spoke to Metro Morning Dec. 16.

Following pilot project, Ont. township votes to implement four-day week
York University Associate Professor Zachary Spicer was quoted in CTV News Dec. 16.

Brock University cancels in-person exams; winter term to begin virtually
York University was mentioned in St. Catherine Standard Dec. 16.

More GTA universities delay plans to resume in-person learning amid threat posed by Omicron
York University was mentioned in CP24 Dec. 16.

Polar bear diets reveal a changing Arctic
York University student Melissa Galicia was featured in Wildlife Society Dec. 15.

A year-end meteor shower: Geminids meteor shower will peak in visibility from Dec. 13-14
Jesse Rogerson, assistant professor at York University talks to CTV News Dec. 13.

Does Being Bilingual Make You Smarter?
Distinguished Research Professor Ellen Bialystok was quoted in Wall Street Journal Dec. 16.