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November is Community Safety and Crime Prevention Month

Vari Hall New Featured image

Dear colleagues,

The Canadian Safety Council has designated November as Community Safety and Crime Prevention Month, and in Ontario, Nov. 7 to 13 is designated ‘Crime Prevention Week.’ Every fall, the Community Safety Department promotes and recognizes campus safety services and efforts. To recognize this month, we are promoting the many services available to you. We are also celebrating the efforts of our community in supporting safe campuses through the inaugural President’s Community Safety Leadership Awards. The award recipients will be announced later this month.

For information about the University’s community-driven safety strategy, please see the Community Safety Department Strategic Plan. This plan was developed through extensive consultation in which 7,000 community members contributed.

Safer together

We are dedicated to supporting a safe environment to study, teach, work or live at York University. Committed to your safety, we provide a range of services and supports for your needs. We work closely with departments from across the University, including Occupational Health and Safety, Facilities Services and the Division of Students to provide a holistic approach to safety. Your safety is and will always be our greatest priority. We are available to you, and we encourage you to contact us at any time.

Diverse community services – 24/7, 365 days of the year

Since the onset of the pandemic, the Community Safety staff have continued to operate on-site 24/7. Diverse staff make up the department, including a large segment of student staff. Our frontline team members have continuously supported our campuses and have responded to more than 12,000 calls for service over the past year. Staff have also conducted checks on the thousands of safety equipment and systems on York’s campuses, working closely with Facilities Services, to ensure they are in working order. We have also delivered emergency preparedness plans and programs to support the community during the pandemic, including the recent installation of new emergency assembly point signage throughout York’s campuses, and a new online training program for campus emergency procedures.

Direct help and information – York Safety App

We continually update our services with innovative measures for the ease and comfort of our community. The updated York Safety App provides a direct link to information and support from which you can dial directly for help. Please download the free Safety App for quick access to safety resources and to receive campus safety and emergency notifications.

Emergency communication

The Community Safety Department activates York’s emergency notification system when emergency situations and/or safety issues need to be brought to the attention of the community. Messages are delivered through multiple channels, including email, York U Safety App and digital messaging screens throughout York’s campuses. 

A wide range of services and supports are available to you. Here is a glance at some of those services.

We stand ready to serve the needs of our community. We welcome your thoughts and suggestions, so please don’t hesitate to let us know how we are doing at Safety@yorku.ca.

To learn more about how we can serve you, please visit the Community Safety Department website.

Sincerely,

Samina Sami
Executive Director, Community Safety Department

Novembre est le Mois de la sécurité communautaire et de la prévention de la criminalité

Cher collègue, chère collègue,

Le Conseil canadien de la sécurité a désigné le mois de novembre comme étant le Mois de la sécurité communautaire et de la prévention de la ciminalité. De plus, en Ontario, la Semaine de la prévention de la criminalité a lieu du 7 au 13 novembre.  Chaque automne, le Département de la sécurité communautaire promeut et reconnaît les services et les efforts en matière de sécurité sur les campus. Pour marquer ce mois, nous faisons la promotion des nombreux services qui vous sont offerts. Nous célébrons aussi les efforts de notre communauté en faveur de la sécurité des campus par le biais de la première édition du Prix de la présidente pour le leadership en matière de sécurité communautaire.  Les lauréats seront annoncés dans le courant du mois.

Pour plus d’informations sur notre stratégie de sécurité axée sur la communauté, veuillez consulter le Plan stratégique du Département de la sécurité communautaire. Ce plan a été élaboré à la suite d’une vaste consultation à laquelle ont participé 7 000 membres de la communauté.

Sécurité collective

Nous nous engageons à favoriser un environnement sécuritaire pour étudier, enseigner, travailler et vivre à l’Université York. Soucieux de votre sécurité, nous offrons une gamme de services et de soutiens adaptés à vos besoins.Nous travaillons en étroite collaboration avec les autres départements de l’Université — comme la santé et la sécurité au travail, les Services des installations et la Division des affaires étudiantes — afin d’avoir une approche holistique pour appuyer la sécurité. Votre sécurité sera toujours notre priorité absolue. Nous restons à votre disposition et vous pouvez nous contacter  à tout moment.

Services communautaires diversifiés : 24 heures sur 24, 7 jours sur 7, 365 jours par année

Le personnel de la sécurité communautaire travaille sur place depuis le début de la pandémie.  Le personnel diversifié de notre Département comprend des étudiants et étudiantes. Les membres de notre équipe de première ligne ont continuellement patrouillé sur nos campus et ont répondu à plus de 12 000 appels de service au cours de la dernière année. Collaborant étroitement avec le Service des installations, le personnel a également procédé à la vérification du bon fonctionnement de milliers d’éléments du matériel et des systèmes de sécurité de nos campus. Nous avons également mis en place des plans et des programmes de préparation aux situations d’urgence pour soutenir la communauté pendant la pandémie, y compris l’installation récente d’une nouvelle signalisation pour les points de rassemblement d’urgence dans tous nos campus, et un nouveau programme de formation en ligne au sujet des procédures d’urgence sur les campus.

Aide directe et information : application sur la sécurité York U Safety

Nous mettons continuellement à jour nos services avec des mesures innovantes pour le confort de notre communauté. La nouvelle application York U Safety fournit un lien direct vers des informations et des ressources de soutien et vous permet d’appeler directement à l’aide. Téléchargez l’application gratuite York U Safety pour un accès rapide aux ressources de sécurité et recevoir les notifications de sécurité et d’urgence du campus.

Communications d’urgence

Le Département de la sécurité communautaire active le système de notification d’urgence de York lorsque des situations d’urgence ou des problèmes de sécurité doivent être portés à l’attention de la communauté. Les messages sont diffusés par de multiples canaux, notamment le courriel, l’application sur la sécurité York U Safety et les écrans de messagerie numérique sur tous les campus de York. 

Nous offrons un grand nombre de services. Voici un aperçu de certains de ces services.

Nous sommes prêts à répondre aux besoins de notre communauté. Vos idées et vos suggestions sont les bienvenues, alors n’hésitez pas à nous faire part de vos commentaires à l’adresse Safety@yorku.ca.

Pour en savoir plus sur la façon dont nous pouvons vous servir, consultez le site Web du Département de la sécurité communautaire.

Sincères salutations,

Samina Sami
Directrice générale, Département de la sécurité communautaire

York U in the news: daylight savings, COVID-19 herd immunity and more

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

‘Social jetlag’: How daylight saving time can impact our health
Patricia Lakin-Thomas, a York University professor, was quoted in Global News Nov. 7. Read full story.

Why ‘ideal’ herd immunity for COVID-19 is likely impossible — but attempting to get there still
York University Professor Jane Heffernan was quoted in the Kingston Whig-Standard Nov. 5. Read full story.

87-year-old grandmother from Sri Lanka becomes oldest person to earn master’s at Canadian university
Varatha Shanmuganathan, a graduate of York University, was featured in CNN Nov. 8. Read full story.

What’s the best way of using your home equity during retirement? 
Moshe Milevsky, a finance professor at York University’s Schulich School of Business, was quoted in the Toronto Star Nov. 8. Read full story.

Anti-trans views are worryingly prevalent and disproportionately harmful, community and experts warn 
York University Assistant Professor Kinnon MacKinnon was quoted in CBC Nov. 7. Read full story.

York University-led national program will increase representation of Black youth at Canadian universities
York University Professor Carl James was mentioned in Sharenews.com Nov. 5. Read full story.

Researchers have found a way to use data from polar bears to gain insights into Arctic marine mammals
York University Professor Greg Thiemann and PhD Candidate Melissa Galicia were mentioned in CTV News Nov. 5. Read full story.

Ford government plan to build new GTA highways imperils emissions targets, critics say
York University Professor Mark Winfield was quoted in NewsNationUSA Nov. 6. Read full story.

Ananya Mukherjee appointed new Vice-Chancellor of Shiv Nadar University Delhi-NCR 
York University was mentioned in Careers3360 Nov. 7. Read full story.

Governance experts say Rogers debacle shows shortcoming in corporate regulations
York University Professor Richard Leblanc was quoted in CTV News Nov. 7. Read full story.

B.C. judge rules in favour of Edward Rogers’ board control
York University Professor Richard Leblanc was quoted in CTV News Nov. 5. Read full story.

‘Fraud or Forgery could…be possible’: Ontario vaccine certificate opens up risk of fake, doctored documents, expert says
York University assistant professor Evan Light was quoted in Yahoo! News Nov. 5. Read full story.

There will be a major management shakeup at Rogers following Edward Rogers court win
York University Professor Richard Leblanc was quoted in BNN Bloomberg Nov. 8. Read full story.

Rogers fiasco Fallout
York University Professor Richard Leblanc was quoted in CBC Nov. 8. Read full story.

Is Natale out as CEO of Rogers? Experts surveyed by the Star predict he is — it’s just matter of timing
York University Professor Richard Leblanc was quoted in the Toronto Star Nov. 8. Read full story.

Chief executive Joe Natale in awkward spot as Rogers tries to calm the waters
York University Professor Richard Leblanc was quoted in the Financial Post Nov. 8. Read full story.

Accelerate Business Recovery Hub expands across York Region 
York University was mentioned in NewmarketToday.ca Nov. 7. Read full story.

‘Treasure hunt’: How mental health resources are hidden in plain sight 
York University was mentioned in Charlaton.ca Nov. 7. Read full story.

Aurora Chamber of Commerce’s new recovery hub will take GTA businesses to ‘new heights’
York University was mentioned in YorkRegion.com Nov. 8. Read full story.

Indigenous veterans honoured on day of remembrance
Leo Baskatawang, an assistant professor at York University, was mentioned in the Winnipeg Free Press Nov. 8. Read full story.

Chrystia Freeland tells Air Canada that learning French should be part of CEO Michael
York University was mentioned in the Globe and Mail Nov. 8. Read full story.

Daylight Savings is Over – Time to Sell?
York University Professor Mark J. Kamstra was mentioned in Morningstar Nov. 9. Read full story.

York University will host 2023 Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences

Featured image VARI Hall drone image of the commons and Ross Building

La version française suit la version anglaise.

Dear colleagues, 

I am delighted to announce that York University will be hosting the 2023 Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences, in partnership with the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences. 

Congress is the largest academic gathering in Canada, and one of the largest in the world. The event brings together approximately 70 academic associations from a wide spectrum of disciplines in the humanities and social sciences, including literature, history, theatre, film studies, education, music, sociology, geography, social work and many others. 

This will be the first in-person Congress held in four years. From May 27 to June 2, 2023, York’s Keele and Glendon campuses will be host to more than 10,000 scholars, graduate students and practitioners in the humanities and social sciences. The event will adhere to all public health guidelines and, building on the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences’ successful virtual Congress in 2021 and its commitment to increasing accessibility, the conference will include robust virtual components. 

I am also pleased to announce that York’s academic convenor for Congress 2023 will be Dr. Andrea Davis, associate professor in the Department of Humanities, Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies. Most recently, Dr. Davis served as special advisor on the Faculty’s Anti-Black Racism Strategy, a position that was developed by the Dean’s Office as part of the Faculty’s comprehensive response to combatting anti-Black racism. 

Dr. Davis’s research is rooted in a strong anti-racist feminist theoretical framework that analyzes questions of race and gender through a focus on the literary and cultural productions of Black women. Her forthcoming book, Horizon, Sea, Sound: Caribbean and African Women’s Cultural Critiques of Nation, imagines new reciprocal relationships among Black, Indigenous and other racialized women.  

Dr. Davis established and coordinates the Black Canadian Studies Certificate at York and is co-editor of the Journal of Canadian Studies. She is also former Chair of the Department of Humanities and former academic colleague on the Council of Ontario Universities.  

As the University’s lead ambassador, Dr. Davis’ first tasks for Congress 2023 will be to reach out to community members for input and engagement on this exciting opportunity to showcase the University’s longstanding leadership in the humanities and social sciences, and to advance broad themes that resonate with our University Academic Plan 2020–2025: Building a Better Future.   

I hope you will join me in congratulating Dr. Davis on her appointment, and supporting this important University initiative. I look forward to joining colleagues from across the University and around the world at Congress 2023. 

Sincerely, 

Rhonda Lenton 
President and Vice-Chancellor 

L’Université York annonce qu’elle accueillera le Congrès 2023 des sciences humaines

Chers collègues,

Je suis ravie d’annoncer que l’Université York accueillera le Congrès 2023 des sciences humaines en partenariat avec la Fédération des sciences humaines. 

Le Congrès est le plus grand rassemblement universitaire au Canada et l’un des plus grands au monde. Cet événement réunit environ 70 associations universitaires issues d’un large éventail de disciplines des sciences humaines et sociales, notamment la littérature, l’histoire, le théâtre, les études cinématographiques, l’éducation, la musique, la sociologie, la géographie, le travail social et bien d’autres encore. 

Ce sera le premier congrès en personne depuis quatre ans. Du 27 mai au 2 juin 2023, les campus Keele et Glendon de York accueilleront plus de 10 000 universitaires, diplômés et praticiens des sciences humaines et sociales. L’événement respectera toutes les directives sanitaires et, s’appuyant sur le succès du Congrès virtuel 2021 de la Fédération des sciences humaines et sur son engagement à accroître l’accessibilité, il comprendra de solides composantes virtuelles. 

J’ai également le plaisir d’annoncer que la responsable académique de York pour le Congrès 2023 sera la Dre Andrea Davis, professeure associée du Département des sciences humaines de la Faculté des arts libéraux et des études professionnelles (LA&PS). Plus récemment, la Dre Davis a été la conseillère spéciale pour la Stratégie de lutte contre le racisme envers les personnes noires de la Faculté, un poste créé par le Bureau décanal de la Faculté dans le cadre de sa réponse globale à la lutte contre le racisme anti-Noirs. 

Les recherches de la Dre Davis s’inscrivent dans un cadre théorique féministe antiraciste qui analyse les questions de race et de genre en se concentrant sur les productions littéraires et culturelles des femmes noires. Son livre à paraître, Horizon, Sea, Sound : Caribbean and African Women’s Cultural Critiques of Nation, imagine de nouvelles relations réciproques entre les femmes noires, autochtones et autres femmes racialisées.  

Dre Davis a créé et coordonne le certificat d’études canadiennes des Noirs à York et elle est corédactrice du Journal of Canadian Studies. Elle est également une ancienne présidente du Département des sciences humaines et une ancienne collègue du Conseil des universités de l’Ontario.  

En tant qu’ambassadrice principale de l’Université, les premières tâches de la Dre Davis pour le Congrès 2023 seront d’aller à la rencontre des membres de la communauté pour obtenir leur avis et leur engagement sur cette occasion passionnante de mettre en valeur le leadership de longue date de l’Université dans le domaine des sciences humaines et sociales et de faire progresser les grands thèmes énoncés dans notre Plan académique universitaire 2020-2025 : Bâtir un avenir meilleur.

Veuillez vous joindre à moi pour féliciter la Dre Davis pour sa nomination et pour appuyer cette initiative importante de l’Université. Je me réjouis de rencontrer mes collègues de l’Université et du monde entier lors du Congrès 2023. 

Sincères salutations, 

Rhonda Lenton
Présidente et vice-chancelière 

Cognitive Science Speaker Series continues with talk on ‘good enough’ learning

Lecture in York University's Vari Hall

On Nov. 10, the Cognitive Science Speaker Series returns with a discussion titled “Good Enough is Better than Best” featuring Professor Charles Yang, director of Undergraduate Studies in Cognitive Science at the University of Pennsylvania.

Charles Yang
Charles Yang

What is the past participle of the verb “stride”? I stride down the street, you strode down the street and they have _____ down the street.

The thought is perfectly natural, but the linguistic form is not available for speakers of (North) American English. Why not “they have strode down the street”? After all, the vast majority of verbs have the same form for past tense and participle: “walk-walked-walked”; “jump-jumped-jumped”; “think-thought-thought”; “sleep-slept-slept.”

Language is famous for being infinitely productive: when “Google” became a verb in English, no one hesitated to add “-ed”  (“Googled”), despite the fact that the rule (“add -ed”) has quite a few exceptions – namely, the irregular verbs. But language also has a soft underbelly where rules break down: we are bound by experience and refuse to generalize, as in the case of “stride.”

It turns out that rule learning in language requires a delicate calibration of evidence. We form generalizations when the supporting evidence is sufficient, or good enough, even though some residual exceptions may remain. This enables children in a linguistic community to learn essentially the same rules, even though their individual experience with language (e.g. vocabulary) can vary significantly. In this talk, Yang will offer a precise theory of how good is good enough.

“Good enough” learning protects the learner from over-fitting, a problem that plagues modern machine learning systems, which are invariably predicated on some optimization principle: maximize the probability of the training data, minimize the error term for the learning function. Insights from how biological systems learn may prove necessary for the development of robust learning and artificial intelligence systems.

The Cognitive Science Speaker Series is presented by York University’s Department of Philosophy in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies. All talks take place on Wednesdays from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. via Zoom. Prior to each talk, the Zoom link will be emailed to all students and faculty from the cognitive science and philosophy departments. Those who want to attend but are not in those departments can email Professor Jacob Beck at jbeck@yorku.ca from a York email address to request the Zoom link.

Nominations sought for next Chancellor of York University

the convocation stage

Dear colleagues,

A committee has been struck to nominate a successor to York’s Chancellor Gregory Sorbara. The committee is inviting the community to submit suggestions of individuals for this important and prestigious position.

The established criteria for the Chancellor of York University are as follows:

“The Chancellor of York University should be a highly esteemed individual who is regarded as a visionary leader able to command the respect of the University community. They should appreciate and embody the core values of the University as set out in York’s Mission Statement. The Chancellor embraces York’s accomplishments and aspirations and carries out the duties of office in a way that enhances the University’s and students’ welfare. With a passion for higher education, they should have the capacity to convey York’s values to the public and to government and to remind the University of the evolving needs and expectations of society. The Chancellor should have the time to confer the University’s degrees at Convocation, to play an active role in the University and to participate in its ongoing life. They should not have been Chancellor of another University nor be in a conflict or apparent conflict of commitment between a duty to York and to another University.”

York’s Mission Statement can be found at:  https://www.yorku.ca/about/mission-and-vision/.

Suggestions, with biographical information if possible, should be forwarded by Dec. 10 to:

Pascal Robichaud, Secretary of the Search Committee
1050 Kaneff Tower, York University,
4700 Keele Street, Toronto,
Ontario M3J 1P3

Or, by email to pascalr@yorku.ca

The committee will consider all suggested names in confidence.

Sincerely,

Pascal Robichaud
Secretary of the Search Committee

Nominations à La Chancellerie De L’université

Cher collègue, chère collègue,

Établit afin de recommander une candidate ou un candidat à la succession du Chancelier de York, l’honorable Gregory Sorbara, le Comité de sélection invite les membres de la communauté universitaire à lui partager le nom de personnes pouvant combler cette importante et auguste fonction.

Les critères de sélection sont comme suit :

« La Chancelière ou le Chancelier de l’Université doit être une personne de haute estime vue et reconnue comme cheffe/chef de file visionnaire pouvant s’attirer le respect de la communauté universitaire. Elle ou il doit épouser les valeurs de l’Université telles que décrites à même l’Énoncé de mandat de York. La Chancelière ou le Chancelier embrase tant les réalisations que les ambitions de York et s’acquitte de ses obligations d’office dans le sens du plus grand bien-être de l’Université et des étudiantes et des étudiants.   Passionné d’enseignement supérieur, elle ou il doit pouvoir communiquer les valeurs de York au grand public et aux gouvernements et rappeler à ce dont la société a besoin et s’attend d’elle.  La Chancelière ou le Chancelier doit être suffisamment disponible pour participer aux cérémonies de graduation et y décerner les diplômes, s’engager auprès de l’Université et activement prendre part à la vie universitaire. Elle ou il ne doit pas avoir été Chancelière ou Chancelier d’une autre université ou être astreint de responsabilités auprès d’une autre université qui sont en conflits avec son rôle à York. »

L’Énoncé de mandat de York est publié ici :  https://www.yorku.ca/about/mission-and-vision/

Toute recommandation, accompagnée autant que se peut par une biographie, doit être soumise au plus tard le vendredi 10 décembre 2021 à :

Pascal Robichaud, Secrétaire du Comité de sélection
1050 Kaneff Tower, York University,
4700 Keele Street, Toronto, Ontario
M3J 1P3; courriel: pascalr@yorku.ca

Le Comité étudiera les recommandations en stricte confidentialité.

Sincères salutations,

Pascal Robichaud,
Secrétaire du Comité de sélection

An update on provincial reopening plan

Students walk through the centre of the Keele Campus

York will continue to abide by public health guidelines as the University moves toward full reopening and primarily in-person instruction for the winter term. The University’s strong vaccine mandate and the co-operation received from the community in observing health and safety measures while on campus, has allowed York to plan the return of most classes for the Winter 2022 term. 

La version française suit la version anglaise.

Dear York Community, 

As President Lenton discussed at Friday’s town hall, the Ontario Government announced plans to further reopen the province over the next five months and manage COVID-19 for the long-term. As mentioned late last month, this does not impact York’s Vaccination Mandate policy, including the requirement for community members to be fully vaccinated, or have an approved exemption in order to come to our campuses. 

For the remainder of the fall term, York plans to continue with the public health measures that are currently in place, including all of the requirements outlined in the community of care commitment. All community members must wear a mask or face covering in indoor spaces and continue physical distancing where possible. In addition, please continue submitting daily COVID-19 screening through YU Screen and confirm this has been done with a manager or designate, where required to do so.  

We will also continue to abide by public health guidelines as the University moves toward full reopening and primarily in-person instruction for the winter term. Our strong vaccine mandate, and the co-operation we have received from our community in observing health and safety measures while on campus, has allowed us to plan the return of most of our classes this coming Winter 2022. 

Here are some important reminders related to York’s health and safety plans:  

  • The University remains in Level 2 on the Welcoming YU Back Roadmap for the fall term.  
  • York’s Vaccination Mandate, mask/face covering protocol and required daily screening will remain in place into the winter term. 
  • As announced, all students must disclose their vaccination status no later than Nov. 8, regardless of whether or not they will access campus in person. For the winter term, students may not be enrolled in any course if they have not disclosed their vaccination status (whether fully vaccinated, partially vaccinated, or unvaccinated). 
  • In order to attend campuses in person in January for any purpose, students must upload proof of vaccination to YU Screen no later than Dec. 1. The University will continue supporting arriving international students to quarantine and to access approved vaccines where needed.   
  • To make rapid testing even easier and more convenient for the York University community, students, staff, faculty and instructors can participate in York’s at-home rapid antigen testing program free of charge.   

Thank you again for your ongoing commitment to upholding a community of care while on York’s campuses, and for continuing to screen for COVID-19 symptoms daily using  YU Screen. Please continue to visit the Better Together website for the latest updates. We look forward to seeing more of the community on campus safely this winter.  

Sincerely,  

Lisa Philipps 
Provost & Vice-President Academic  

Amir Asif
Vice-President, Research & Innovation

Mise à jour sur le plan provincial de réouverture

Chers membres de la communauté de York, 

Comme la présidente Lenton l’a évoqué lors de la conversation communautaire de vendredi dernier, le gouvernement de l’Ontario a annoncé son intention de rouvrir davantage la province au cours des cinq prochains mois et de gérer la COVID-19 à long terme. Comme mentionné à la fin du mois dernier, cette annonce n’a aucune incidence sur la Politique de vaccination de l’Université York, notamment l’obligation pour les membres de la communauté d’être entièrement vaccinés ou d’avoir une exemption approuvée pour venir sur nos campus. 

Pour le reste du trimestre d’automne, York prévoit poursuivre les mesures sanitaires actuellement en place, y compris toutes les exigences décrites dans la Promesse envers le bien-être de la communauté. Tous les membres de la communauté doivent porter un masque ou un couvre-visage dans les espaces intérieurs et continuer à respecter la distanciation physique dans la mesure du possible. Par ailleurs, veuillez continuer à effectuer le dépistage quotidien de la COVID-19 au moyen de l’outil YU Dépistage et confirmez que cela a été fait auprès d’un responsable ou d’une personne désignée lorsque cela est requis.  

Nous continuerons également d’observer les directives sanitaires tandis que l’Université s’apprête à rouvrir complètement ses portes et à offrir des cours en personne pour le trimestre d’hiver. Notre solide politique de vaccination et la collaboration des membres de notre communauté en matière de respect des mesures de santé et de sécurité sur le campus nous ont permis de planifier la reprise de la plupart de nos classes en hiver 2022. 

Voici quelques rappels importants au sujet des plans de santé et de sécurité de York:  

  • L’Université demeure au niveau 2 de son Plan d’action pour le retour sur les campus pour le trimestre d’automne. 
  • La Politique de vaccination de York, le protocole du port de masque et le dépistage quotidien obligatoire resteront en place pendant le trimestre d’hiver. 
  • Comme annoncé, tous les étudiants et étudiantes doivent divulguer leur statut vaccinal au plus tard le 8 novembre 2021, qu’ils accèdent ou non au campus. Pour le trimestre d’hiver, aucun membre de la communauté étudiante ne pourra s’inscrire ou rester inscrit à un cours s’il n’a pas divulgué son statut vaccinal (entièrement vacciné, partiellement vacciné ou non vacciné). 
  • Afin de pouvoir fréquenter le campus en personne en janvier pour une raison quelconque, les étudiants et étudiantes doivent télécharger leur preuve de vaccination dans YU Dépistage au plus tard le 1er décembre 2021. L’Université continuera d’aider les étudiantes et étudiants internationaux qui arrivent à se mettre en quarantaine et à accéder aux vaccins approuvés en cas de besoin.   
  • Afin de rendre le dépistage rapide encore plus facile et plus pratique pour la communauté de York, les étudiants, le personnel, le corps professoral et le corps enseignant peuvent participer gratuitement au Programme de tests antigéniques rapides à domicile de York.   

Nous vous remercions une fois de plus pour votre engagement continu envers le bien-être de la communauté sur les campus de York et pour votre utilisation quotidienne de l’outil YU Dépistage pour dépister les symptômes de la COVID-19. Veuillez continuer à visiter le site Better Together pour les dernières nouvelles. Nous espérons voir davantage de membres de la communauté sur nos campus cet hiver.  

Sincères salutations,  

Lisa Philipps
Rectrice et vice-présidente aux affaires académiques  

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

Richard Leblanc

Richard Leblanc
Richard Leblanc

York University Professor Richard Leblanc of the School of Administrative Studies, was interviewed about the final court decision that gave Edward Rogers control of the telecommunications company

Remembrance Day ceremony will be livestreamed

View on the field of beautiful red bloming poppies in Germany

Faculty, staff and students are invited to watch a livestream of the University’s Remembrance Day ceremony on Thursday, Nov. 11.

This year marks the second Remembrance Day since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The main York University ceremony will take place at the flagpole on the Keele Campus and will be live streamed on YouTube.

Due to COVID-19 safety requirements and the ongoing public health concerns, University community members are asked not to make a special trip to campus to attend the in-person ceremony. Faculty, staff and students living in residence are welcome to attend, but social distancing and public health measures will be in place. For community members and students opting to view the ceremony, the York University event livestream can be easily accessed on the Remembrance Day website at https://www.yorku.ca/about/remembrance-day-ceremony/. The ceremony will begin at 10:30 a.m. and will continue to approximately 11:10 a.m.

Wearing a poppy is a Canadian tradition for Remembrance Day. Donation boxes for poppies are available on the Keele campus at all libraries, the bookstore, the student engagement kiosk in Vari Hall, and at the IT Service Desk in the Steacie building. In addition, Legion 527 is accepting donations to their poppy campaign via Interac at legion527deposit@gmail.com (add “Poppy” to the comment field on the Interac transfer) or by cheque to:

RCL Branch 527 Poppy Fund
948 Sheppard Ave. W.
Toronto, Ontario
M3H 2T6

The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month marks the signing of the armistice – on Nov. 11, 1918 – that ended the First World War. At 11 a.m. that day, the guns on the Western Front fell silent after more than four years of continuous warfare. Remembrance Day honours the men and women who were killed during the two world wars and other conflicts. Previously known as Armistice Day, it was renamed Remembrance Day after the Second World War.

Study shows revival of ‘social murder’ concept relating to health, well-being

Hands typing

Researchers from York University’s School of Health Policy and Management in the Faculty of Health conducted a scoping review of content applying the “social murder” concept relating to health and well-being that was published beginning in 1900.

The study aims to document the re-emergence in academic journals of the concept of social murder – a term first used by philosopher Friedrich Engels in 1845 to describe how living and working conditions experienced by English workers caused premature death. Engels argued that those responsible for these conditions (ruling authorities, the bourgeoisie) were committing social murder.

Dennis Raphael
Dennis Raphael

The paper, “The reemergence of Engels’ concept of social murder in response to growing social and health inequalities,” was authored by PhD candidates Stella Medvedyuk and Piara Govender, and Professor Dennis Raphael, and is published in the journal Social Science & Medicine.

After the concept was introduced, it became largely dormant in academic journals through the 1900s. Since 2000, the authors report, there has been a revival of the social murder concept with its growth particularly evident in the U.K. over the past decade as a result of the Grenfell Tower fire and the effects of austerity imposed by successive Conservative governments.

The scoping review consisted of identifying two primary concepts of social murder: social murder as resulting from capitalist exploitation; and social murder as resulting from bad public policy across the domains of working conditions, living conditions, poverty, housing, race, health inequalities, crime and violence, neoliberalism, gender, food, social assistance, deregulation and austerity. The authors considered reasons for the re-emergence of Engels’ social murder concept and the role it can play in resisting the forces responsible for the living and working conditions that kill.

The authors suggest that using “anger arousal” by way of the term social murder could be a means to instigate public resistance to public policy directions set by governing authorities that threaten health and well-being.

The paper states, “Efforts to promote public policy that equitably distributes resources amongst the population is becoming increasingly difficult due to increasing acceptance of neoliberal inspired approaches to governance. The COVID-19 pandemic has not only made the health effects of these inequalities in resource distribution explicit but has also exacerbated them.”

Another means of public mobilization would be to question the legitimacy and competence of governing authorities. For example, identifying those who benefit from social murder or contribute to the creation of social murder could spark public resistance to health-threatening policies.

“Perhaps the greatest benefit from the reemergence of the social murder concept is to make explicit that the source of much of the excessive morbidity and premature death present in our societies is to be found in the capitalist economic system,” the paper states.

Evoking Engels’ concept of social murder, and highlighting those who profit from these harmful structures, is a viable option for mounting public resistance to the economic system that is causing harm, says Raphael.

The paper is freely available until Dec. 4 at this link; after that date, contact the authors for a copy.

Do tech companies undermine privacy? Find out at Nov. 18 talk

Cyber security

There are many new privacy laws, tens of thousands of privacy professionals and new privacy offices all tasked with protecting our privacy from inside the information industry. So why does our privacy seem more out of reach than ever?

Join Associate Professor Jonathon Penney (Osgoode Hall Law School, York University) on Nov. 18 at 12:30 p.m. as he speaks with Professor Ari Ezra Waldman (Northeastern University) about his latest book, Industry Unbound: The Inside Story of Privacy, Data, and Corporate Power. Based on countless interviews with tech employees, Waldman’s book provides an unprecedented account of how tech companies undermine privacy from the inside.

Sunglasses that spy, in-home assistants that listen to everything, websites that track our every move online. These aren’t accidents. The system is working just as it’s designed to work. In Industry Unbound: The Inside Story of Privacy, Data, and Corporate Power (Cambridge University Press, 2021), Waldman exposes exactly how the tech industry conducts its ongoing crusade to undermine our privacy, undermine privacy law and subjugate us all in the process.

Based on nearly four years of research (interviews, observations, embedded fieldwork and reviews of confidential documents), Industry Unbound shows that tech companies do not just lobby against privacy law, they also manipulate how we, their employees and policymakers, think about privacy, how their engineers design new technologies, and how their privacy professionals – regardless of their good intentions – are manipulated and co-opted into serving industry’s surveillance goals.

While many claim that privacy law is getting stronger, Industry Unbound shows otherwise, and argues recent changes in privacy laws are exactly the kinds of changes that corporations want, with even those who consider themselves privacy advocates often unknowingly complicit in data extraction.

Waldman (he/him) is a professor of law and computer science and faculty director of the Center for Law, Information, and Creativity at Northeastern University. He researches the ways in which law and technology reify traditional structures of power, with particular focus on privacy, law and society, civil rights and the LGBTQ+ community. He has written two books and published nearly 30 scholarly articles in leading law reviews and peer-reviewed journals, including the Michigan Law Review, the California Law Review, the Cornell Law Review, and Law & Social Inquiry, among others.

For more information, visit the event page; to register for the event, RSVP here.