| VOLUME 28, NUMBER 18 | WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 1998 | ISSN 1199-5246 |
FRIENDS IN NEED: Recently, York grad Bela Vados (left) and Ann Marie Keating, a York doctoral student in clinical psychology (right), joined Victor Crowl and Melvin Murchie (second and third from left) in accepting TTC awards of merit for their efforts in rescuing two endangered young boys on the University subway line.
Photo Credit: The Toronto Star/R. Eglinton
Ann Marie Keating, a graduate student in the fourth year of her doctoral studies in clinical psychology is grateful for the generous outpouring of support of her York colleagues, following a traumatic event on the University subway line late in November.
The Toronto Transit Commission on Dec. 17 presented Keating and three other subway passengers with awards of merit for undertaking the heroic rescue of a pair of imperiled young boys on the subway line. But though she experienced "immediate elation" following the rescue, she was "actually quite disturbed" by the traumatic event, Keating told the Gazette.
Her colleagues in graduate studies, however, "have been wonderfully supportive in a very rich way," she said. And while she experienced some sleeplessness and other "very mild symptoms of post-traumatic-stress" in the days and nights immediately following the near-disaster, she now is grateful for "the learning experience."
According to newspaper accounts, the rescue was a group effort on the parts of municipal parks worker and musician Victor Crowl, screen printer Mel Murchie, York economics graduate Bela Vados and Keating. All four were passengers in the same subway car, late in the afternoon of Friday, Nov. 28.
Crowl, who had just finished his last day of work on a seasonal job with the City of Toronto's parks department, was riding south on the subway line when he noticed a man with two children in his care, acting strangely, press reports say.
Keating was on her way home, earlier than usual, to a dinner with a visiting aunt from Newfoundland. "She noticed the threesome the man, and James and Jordan Elliott, who are five and six respectively because the man was talking too loudly, because the boys seemed scared, because of her training," according to Toronto Sun columnist Christie Blatchford.
Vados, heading home from a contract position at Ceeco Machinery, also took note of the trio, as did Murchie.
"As the train pulled into the St. Clair West station, what they all saw, albeit with different eyes, was the man head, not to the open doors of the car, but to the closed ones. Disbelieving, they watched as he pried them open and pushed young James' head through the doors, over the electrical rail," Blatchford relates.
As James screamed, Crowl tackled the man, wrestling the boy from him. Murchie helped Crowl subdue the man. Vados came from the other end of the car and pressed the emergency strip to stop the train. Keating wrapped an arm around the boys, who were shaking violently, and, as she began to comfort them, led them to safety.
"It was horrific for me to see those beautiful little boys in grave danger," Keating told the Gazette. "One moment, you're reading your graduate papers the next you're intervening in a life-and-death encounter."
In the aftermath of the struggle, the man was charged with aggravated assault and two counts of child abduction. The unemployed Crowl wound up accepting a job offer from Mayor Mel Lastman, and Ann Marie Keating acquired some practical, if disturbing, experience in crisis intervention.
"No student should go hungry. It's absolutely wrong." So says Jennifer Zaghlou, 20, who called a public meeting on Friday, Jan. 16 in order to re-establish the food bank for students at York's Keele campus.
The new food bank is being coordinated by the Muslim Student Federation (MSF), though volunteers from all sectors of the University community are invited to donate non-perishable food, baby food, diapers, warm clothing, blankets or money to the food bank, and to contribute their time, talent and energy to the project.
The MSF "is taking responsibility," Zaghlou says. "Somebody has to do something. But we need representatives from every organization on campus. The more volunteers we have, the more good we can do for our community."
As of this writing, the food bank has no name and, more important, no location. The York University Student Association is attempting to help the MSF find suitable quarters for the food bank, preferably centrally located, says YUSA president Dawn Palin. "It seems funny that, considering the need, it would be so hard to do."
For now, some food supplies are being stored in the offices of the MSF and the Pakistani Students' Association.
At a time when tuition fees are on the rise and good-paying, summer jobs are hard to find, student poverty is a fact of life, both students say. "It's important to realize that a lot of York students are getting by just on OSAP. I have friends whose families aren't being supportive financially or emotionally," says Zaghlou, a second-year Mass Communications student.
In such desperate circumstances, Zaghlou says, "we need an effective means of collecting and distributing basic food supplies."
Already, the food bank organizers have a list of names of students "brave enough to admit they need the service. Students may not be starving, but they aren't eating healthy," Zaghlou told the meeting.
A York campus food bank began operation in the last academic year, but "fizzled out," Zaghlou says. In other years, attempts to launch and maintain a food bank have been unsuccessful.
There is a food bank at the Glendon College campus. It is supplied by North York Harvest and at various times during the year, including just before Christmas, the demand for food is almost overwhelming, says Palin.
Students' need for food last year became particularly acute during the faculty strike when many students were forced to remain at school longer than their budgets allowed, students say.
Zaghlou wants the new food bank to be different from any other. "I hope to achieve an excellent rapport between the people running it and those on the receiving end."
Students needing food will be welcome (though not required) to assist the food bank in some way. "Users and providers should see this as a community service where we're all pulling together and helping each other," she said.
And there is food waiting to be distributed. Dons at many of the colleges have boxes of food they don't know what to do with, Zaghlou said. "The tiny food banks the residences are trying to run aren't working," she said.
Among the foodstuffs on hand are 80 bags of gravy, and someone has donated a popcorn machine. One food chain has agreed to donate $100-worth of food a week and other companies also are willing to help.
The York food bank intends to collaborate with Toronto's Daily Bread food bank, Second Harvest, the Canadian Association of Food Banks, Recycling Matters and other related organizations.
For more information, please contact: jennifer@ntgi.net or visit 210 Scott Religious Centre.
LET'S TRY THIS WAY: (left to right) Erin MacDonald, a York Dance Ensemble (YDE) member, observes as Luc Tremblay, artistic director/choreographer, shares a concept with Harold Rhéaume, choreographer and artist-in-residence, while YDE member Elizabeth Samuda (in background) awaits the discussion's outcome.
Two leading Quebec dance artists are headlining the 10th anniversary season of the York Dance Ensemble (YDE), the dance department's spirited young repertory company, featuring outstanding student performers and production crew from the Faculty of Fine Arts.
Renowned Montreal choreographer Luc Tremblay is serving as guest artistic director for the YDE this year. Joining him as artist in residence in the Department of Dance for three weeks is choreographer and dancer Harold Rhéaume, 1997 winner of the Canada Council's prestigious Jacqueline Lemieux Prize.
Tremblay began his career in contemporary dance two decades ago when he joined the Quebec City company Danse Partout. He came to national and international prominence for his work as a performer with the Toronto Dance Theatre in the early 1980s, and as artistic director and principal choreographer of Danse Partout from 1986 to 1996.
His choreography some three dozen original pieces has been performed to public and critical acclaim across Canada and in France.
Rhéaume, who trained with L'École de Danse de Québec and Danse Partout, joined Le Groupe de la Place Royale in Ottawa, where he was able to combine his work as a dancer with the development of his own choreographic language.
His works have been presented in major showcases, such as the Canada Dance Festival in Ottawa, the Winnipeg Dance Festival and New Moves in Glasgow, and in events such as Tangente's Série des Majeurs and Danse-Cité's Volets Interprètes and Chorégraphes in Montreal.
While at York, Tremblay and Rhéaume have created new works for the York Dance Ensemble - an experience both choreographers have found highly rewarding.
"I wanted to give the YDE the same challenge, the same discipline, as a professional company," Tremblay says. "They came through with flying colours."
And it's a two-way street.: "I was very inspired by what the dancers brought to the work," Rhéaume says.
Tremblay's Kabbale is a highly structured work of pristine clarity, set to music by John Zorn. By contrast, Rhéaume's Fresk is an intensely theatrical, emotional piece.
The York Dance Ensemble will premiere the new Tremblay and Rhéaume works in its 10th anniversary showcase performance, Sunday, Feb. 1 at the Betty Oliphant Theatre in downtown Toronto.
The program will also include Da Collision, a work that York dance professor Darcey Callison originally choreographed for his own company, and a duet by independent choreographer Barb Stekly, an alumna of the York Dance Ensemble.
Two pieces by current YDE members will also be featured: a trio by Tara Lee, and the premiere of an ensemble work by Stephanie Paige Thompson set to an original score by York music student Rob Gurvits.
The YDE will reprise its anniversary concert on Monday and Tuesday, Feb. 16 and 17 in collaboration with Danse-Cité at Studio de l'Agora de la Danse in Montreal .
Following its Montreal appearance, the YDE will embark on an Ontario outreach tour, giving peformances and workshops at secondary schools in Ottawa, Cornwall, Windsor, Bowmanville and Kincardine.
Luc Tremblay
Harold Rhéaume
Sunday, Feb. 1, 7:30 p.m.
Betty Oliphant Theatre
404 Jarvis St., Toronto
Tickets: $12, students/seniors $8, available at the door or in advance through the Harbourfront Box Office,
tel.: (416) 973-4000
At its meeting of Dec. 11, 1997, the Senate of York University:
* heard greeting from the chair of Senate to the Senate's last meeting for the term;
* heard remarks from President Marsden, describing the University's continued efforts to press the provincial and federal governments on the issues of student financial aid, research and basis grants, noting the immanence of provincial government announcements regarding funding for colleges and universities, announcing establishment of a task force charged with reviewing the general administrative structure and support for research centres at York, and presenting information concerning the University's response to a recent CBC Television program regarding a major donor at York;
* received a report from the Senate Executive Committee, nominating Professor Suzanne Macdonald to the Senate Library Committee and Professor Joseph Levy as Senate Representative on the University Council on Sport and Recreation;
* heard from the vice-chair of Senate that the Senate Executive Committee is creating a sub-committee to review the Women's Remembrance Day Policy;
* approved the establishment of a School of Women's Studies at York University;
* received the Background Report on the Options for Glendon College, inviting submission of preliminary proposals to APPC by Dec. 19, 1997;
* was informed that the APPC Planning Forum was a useful exercise, and that discussion centred on the difficulty of trying to mesh centralized planning with planning at the department level;
* approved the inclusion of a grade appeals procedure in Osgoode Hall Law School and amendment to the School's Regulations Concerning Examination and Grading.
For further information on any of these items, members of the community may contact the University Secretariat.
by Sandy Franco
CLASSIC MATCH: Speed beat height in the final round of the 19th annual Excalibur Volleyball Classic, as the University of Tsukuba team defeated York to win the Jan. 9-11 tournament.
For the 19th consecutive year, early in January, York hosted the annual invitational tournament, the men's Excalibur Volleyball Classic this year, with a difference. For the first time, a team from outside of North America participated.
The tournament, which was held on Jan. 9, 10 and 11, included teams representing York, Western, Laval, Toronto and Waterloo, and featured the University of Tsukuba, which is located 60 km northeast of Tokyo.
The highly competitive Japanese men's team has a 62-year history of playing volleyball and organizers ranked it as the tournament's top seed.
Volleyball, like any other sport, has the same rules and objectives no matter where it is played. However, there remain differences in the style of play adopted by different national cultures. As the York team discovered in their games against Tsukuba, the Japanese style is different from their own.
"The Japanese invented the fast game of volleyball. We had to adjust to their style of play," said Van Huizen. For the Yeomen, this meant having to be faster in their moves.
"The Tsukuba team made us change our game plan. It got us out of our comfort zone," said Yeomen player Paul Constantinou.
But for Tsukuba, York's tall players posed a challenge. "We had to jump a lot more," said Tsukuba player Masanao Masumura.
With York's big 3-0 win over Toronto in the semifinals, the Yeomen advanced to the tournament final to face Tsukuba.
In the championship match, York was the only team in the tournament to win a set against Tsukuba. And although the Yeomen gave up the gold, they finished with an impressive second-place finish.
Tsukuba head coach Tadao Miyakozawa said his team was honoured to win the Excalibur tournament, and to be the first non-North American team to participate in it. Tsukuba would like to continue to participate in future years, he said.
Aside from their experiences on the court, York players had the opportunity to get to know some of the Tsukuba players. "We took them to the gym, we showed them around campus and we cooked for them in residence," said Yeomen co-captain Richard Van Huizen.
Yeoman head coach Wally Dyba also accompanied the Tsukuba team on a number of sightseeing tours.
"Toronto is a beautiful city and the people here are really nice. I definitely want to visit again," said Tsukuba player Masakazu Ootou.
For their part, given the opportunity, York players would like to visit Japan and play volleyball there. "It would be a lifetime experience," said Van Huizen, voted one of the tournament's all-stars.
Coach Dyba saw the tournament as an opportunity to provide his team with a valuable learning experience. It introduced the York players to an entirely different culture and to the strengths, abilities and skills of the Japanese players.
"We live in a global society, in which we communicate with people all over the world," he said. "We have to learn about different people, and have an appreciation for others and for their style of life."
The 1998 Excalibur Volleyball Classic was one way, among many, for York "to provide as many educational opportunities as possible, both to our students and to those around the world," Dyba said.
Sandy Franco is a media relations and communications coordinator at Sport York and a fourth year honours Mass Communications student.
(Below) Yeomen receive their medals.
The Academic Policy and Planning Committee (APPC) has responsibilities on behalf of the Senate to advise and make recommendations on matters of policy and planning. In this capacity, the APPC determined that it should review the history and current status of Glendon College, and examine how the distinctive mandate of the college can be maintained in the face of recent budget deficits, enrolment shortfalls, faculty complement reductions and decreases in course offerings. Currently, the APPC is seeking the advice of the academic community in the development of options for Glendon.
A background report on the history and recent circumstances of the college, written for the Senate's Academic Policy and Planning Committee (APPC) by Professors Ted Spence and Robert Everett, was released in December. Members of the University community then were invited to forward comments and preliminary proposals to the APPC by Friday, Dec. 19. The final date for receipt of formal proposals is Monday, Feb. 2.
Following the release of a discussion paper in February, the APPC will hold a series of public meetings on options for Glendon College. The schedule is as follows:
Tuesday, Feb. 24, 7-9 p.m., Board/Senate Chamber, York Hall, Glendon College.
Tuesday, March 3, 7-9 p.m., Senate Chamber, Ross Building, Keele Campus.
Wednesday, March 4, 4-6 p.m., Senate Chamber, Ross Building, Keele Campus.
Thursday, March 5, 1:30-3:30, Cafeteria, York Hall, Glendon College.
Friday, March 6, noon-2 p.m., Senate Chamber, Ross Building, Keele Campus.
Any changes to this schedule will be announced in advance. For further information, please contact the University Secretariat at (416) 736-5012.
The alumni association of the Faculty of Education is accepting nominations for its first Excellence in Teaching Award.
"Basically, we want to support and celebrate excellence in teaching, and it's a great year to do this because it's the faculty's 25th anniversary," says alumni president Mindy Pollishuke.
"In light of the current situation [with cutbacks to education and protests against the provincial government's education reforms], this award is very timely," Pollishuke says.
Parents, students, community members and teachers may submit nominations. In 500 words or less, the nomination must explain why the designated teacher is deserving of the award. Two testimonials, each limited to 250 words and provided by a student, a parent, a colleague, a supervisor or a community representative, should be included with the nomination.
The award will go to a teacher who has made "a significant difference to the lives of students, colleagues, schools and/or communities."
Any graduate of York's Faculty of Education, or any teacher who attended York for additional teaching qualifications is eligible.
Nominations are to be mailed to the Faculty of Education Alumni Association Awards Committee, c/o Brenda Corrigan Elliot, Chair, Faculty of Education, Ross Building, S836, York University. They may not be submitted by fax and must arrive no later than 4:30 p.m., Wednesday, March 11.
The awards committee will choose several finalists and will present the winner with the $1,000 award at its 25 Anniversary Gala Reception in May.
The National Graduate Register (NGR) is a bilingual Internet service, matching the skills of Canadian post-secondary students and recent graduates to the needs of employers. Job seekers can make their standarized resume available to a national employer audience, apply to more than 20 youth employment strategy programs, browse job postings and submit their resumes directly to employers who are conducting virtual recruiting campaigns on-line.
The Campus Worklink is a non-profit Internet-based job-posting system for students and recent graduates at post-secondary schools across Canada. York students and graduates can browze the job postings targeted to their institution from any computer with an Internet connection 24 hours a day, seven days a week. All that's required is to pick up the user-code and password.
For additional information about the NGR, visit the website at http://ngr.schoolnet.ca. For more Campus Worklink information, try http://ngr.schoolnet.ca/worklink.
You are also welcome to visit Career Services at N108 Ross and ask for Neil Tomlinson, the NGR marketing intern; telephone 736-5531 or email yu217750@yorku.ca.
