TORONTO, April 30, 1997 -- In the interests of 12,000 students waiting to get on with their education, the York University administration is planning for a May 14th start to its undergraduate summer session.

Vice-President (Academic Affairs) Michael Stevenson said today that he hopes that the York University Faculty Association (YUFA) would end the delay tactics it displayed in a Senate meeting today. A special meeting of Senate will be held Friday, May 2 to try again to deal with the Administration's recommendation to proceed with summer session May 14.

In its strike bulletin yesterday, YUFA directed its members to "vote to delay summer session until the strike is settled." The union took that advice to a Senate meeting today, moving an amendment to make summer school contingent on a settlement of the strike. After a three-hour discussion, the motion was defeated, and the meeting adjourned without Senate dealing with the administration's recommendation that came from Senate Executive with the motion: "that the undergraduate Summer Term 1997 start on May 14, 1997, on the understanding that no one will be hired to replace striking faculty (i.e. courses scheduled to be taught by course directors on strike would not be offered) and on the understanding that students would receive a full fee refunds for courses which do not proceed."

Stevenson said the administration is concerned about the impact of a delay or cancellation on the thousands of students who require summer school courses or on the 2,500 students whose funding from the Ontario Student Aid Programme is contingent on registration at summer school. He also expressed concern for the teaching assistants and contract professors who rely on summer school for income. About two-thirds of summer session classes are taught by professors who are not part of the striking York faculty. If the strike is not settled by the start of summer session, courses usually taught by YUFA members will be cancelled, and students will be fully refunded for them. Students may, as always, switch into courses that are open, but no new courses or sections will be added to the summer offerings.

"The overwhelming sentiment in today's Senate meeting was that the cancellation of the summer session was unacceptable. We are all working hard so that summer school can start in a strike-free zone, but no one can guarantee that. The amendment to make the start of summer session contingent on an unknown would have been irresponsible, and would have left thousands of students in limbo," said Stevenson.

For more information, please contact:

Sine MacKinnon
Senior Advisor for Media Relations
(416) 736-2100, ext. 22087
YU/041/97