By Andrew McRae

Dianne Martin, Law Professor, Osgoode Hall Law School at York University

On January 21, the Leonard Peltier Defence Committee Canada (LPDC), together with Osgoode Hall Law School, honoured law professor Dianne Martin for her many years of work in attempting to secure justice for one of North America's most notorious aboriginal political prisoners, Leonard Peltier. Also appearing at the forum were Warren Allmand, President of the International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development; former Member of Parliament for 31 years, Frank Dreaver, founder of the LPDC and its international spokesperson; and Greg Keelor of the band Blue Rodeo.

The LPDC marked the occasion by donating all the documentation assembled by Martin (together with former Osgoode Hall law students, Matt Stone and Robert Christie) to the University's law library in order that it may be preserved and made accessible to the public. The collection, entitled The Extradition of Leonard Peltier from Canada, consists of critical Freedom of Information Act documents and legal briefs filed in both the United States and Canada. At the heart of the controversy ­ and included in the collection ­ are the FBI memoranda that support the argument that Peltier's 1976 extradition was based on erroneous evidence. This substantiates that his was a case of wrongful conviction, and one that violated the international treaty.

After serving 23 years of two consecutive life sentences in Leavenworth, Kansas for the murder of two FBI agents on South Dakota's Pine Ridge Reservation on June 26, 1975, Peltier has yet to be granted an appeal by the US Supreme Court. This, despite admissions by the US government prosecutors that there exists no direct incriminating evidence that links Peltier to the crime.

Professor Martin first became involved in the Peltier case in 1987 after Dreaver, a Plains Cree native from Saskatchewan (and founder of the LPDC), invited her and other Toronto lawyers to assist in developing a plan of legal action in Canadian courts. After committing herself to two-and-a-half-years of examination in the case, Martin, together with attorneys Frank Addario, Clayton Ruby and Osgoode's Bruce Ryder, filed a leave to appeal Peltier's extradition with the Supreme Court of Canada in 1989. After much press coverage, fan-fare, and political lobbying, the appeal was dismissed, but not without the reference that a political remedy was necessary in order to rectify the issue that the extradition was procured through a fraudulent breach of the treaty.

A third appeal was launched in St. Paul, Minnesota at the US Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals on Nov. 9 and 12, 1992, with Martin representing 55 members of the Canadian Parliament. Together with Peltier's lawyer, Ramsay Clark, she urged the court to "redress this grievous wrong" or allow Peltier to return to Canada to face lawful extradition hearings; but to no avail. Peltier's appeal was dismissed in 1993.

In 1994, an internal review, authorized by former minister of Justice Allan Rock, on request by the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, was launched. Today, the results of the review rest with the current Justice Minister, Anne McLellan, who could protest the US government to release Peltier by way of executive clemency.

At the Jan. 21 forum, following a video presentation, Greg Keelor opened the ceremony by singing a song dedicated to the story of Leonard Peltier. His song, together with others recorded by various artists such as Sarah McLachlan and Michael Ondaatje, were included in a 1996 compilation album, Pine Ridge, produced in support of the Peltier case.

Martin is keen on righting the wrong committed, and is driven to educate others about this grievous injustice with the donation of the legal documentation pertaining to the Peltier case. "It is very important what the truth can generate...that this kind of material is made available to anybody," she said.

After Mr. Allmand discussed the difficulty in getting the US courts to sit up and take notice of the injustice, Dreaver told the gathering, "This case represents what happens to indigenous people when they have the courage to stand up and defend their rights, and that is still...a factor around the world, and one we're still facing here in our own country with little or no results."

It is hoped that the donation of legal documentation made by the LPDC and Martin to the Osgoode Hall library will enlighten the public about this unprecedented human rights violation. Meanwhile, Leonard Peltier, in failing health, continues to await justice in his Leavenworth prison cell.

Andrew McRae is a fourth-year history student, in the Faculty of Arts.

By Andrew McRae

Yvette Nolan, playwright-in-residence, Nakai Theatre, and president of the Playwrights Union of Canada

"First Nations Women Playwrights" was the title of a panel discussion held as part of "Transforming Community From Perseverance to Power" the sixth in a series of free public events entitled Theatrical Trans/Formations, and hosted by the Robarts Centre for Canadian Studies. Over 120 people attended the panel discussion held on Jan. 18 at the Burton Auditorium at York University.

The four-member panel included: Sandra Laronde (Moderator), Executive Director Native Women in the Arts; Co-Artistic Director, Native Earth Performing Arts; Yvette Nolan, playwright-in-residence, Nakai Theatre (Whitehorse), President, Playwrights Union of Canada; Alanis Odjig, playwright, director, actor; Carol Greyeyes, Artistic Director Indigenous Theatre School, actor.

Yvette Nolan wrote her first play, Blade in 1990. It is about a young woman killed by a man who has killed prostitutes and the media assume the young woman was a prostitute as well. The family of the woman struggle to clear her name. After seeing the play a member of the audience asked Nolan, "Why is the central character in your play white, don't you want to represent your people?" Nolan responds, "At [this] point in my life ­ no ­ I want to be more known for that which I am than that which I write." Nolan explains that being half Native and half white "I pass as white." For Nolan her first experiences are always about gender not her ancestry. "There is struggle to be seen even within your own community."

Carol Greyeyes taught high school drama at the Native Survival School. To combat the high drop out rate of Native youths, Greyeyes and the school decided to teach the students Native culture and encourage students to do plays in Cree, the first language of most of the students. "The students went from shy and closed to wildly theatrical in their authentic voice. As a facilitator ­ an amazing thing to watch," said Greyeyes. "Native people are different...our culture is inherent." Greyeyes encourages her students to ask themselves, "Who am I?" Native theatre does not have to be stories about the RES. [the infamous Native residential schools], traditional myths or the retelling of stories.

Alanis Odjig spoke of the evolution of Native theatre from the longhouse in a Native community on Manitoulin Island. An reminded us that the acceptance of Native theatre is not a given, but especially in Toronto, were the Tourism industry is large, "Aboriginal culture wants to be experienced,"said Odjig. "There is a demand for Native theatre."

Sandra Laronde explained that when she became enrolled in the Native Theatre School she said to herself, "I've come home. Our theatre comes from ritual and ceremony. If you go into the long home you see orators, clowns, dancing and singing." One significant difference from mainstream theatre which Laronde pointed out, and which is reflected often in Alanis Odjig's work, is the inclusion of characters and actors from different generations all interacting together. This comes from the pow wow where grandparents and grandchildren perform together.

One of the central questions the panel addressed was: "What is Native theatre?" "We don't know what Native theatre looks like," said Native playwright & educator Carol Greyeyes. "Native theatre comes from Native ritual and ceremony, and a history of oral storytelling. We've had maybe twenty years to work within this medium. It's evolving."

The First Nations are achieving power and profile in the works of a new generation of writers and performers, such as these talented women who collectively have created a new wave of Aboriginal theatre.

The event was sponsored by The Robarts Centre for Canadian Studies, The Laidlaw Foundation, The Canadian Council for the Arts, The Faculty of Fine Arts, The School of Women's Studies, and The Playwrights Union of Canada.

Sandra Guiry is a Master's student of political science.

Recently, the Gazette had the opportunity to speak with York University President Lorna Marsden, and to ask about her hope and vision for the University in 1999, York's 40th Anniversary year. Q: How different is York today from its founding in 1959?

A: Long-standing faculty, staff and alumni tell us that the University is a very different institution today than 40 years ago, even 10 years ago. In the early years, York was a small, intimate institution gaining its place in the higher education community in Canada. In 1999 we have become Canada's third largest university, with an international reputation for excellence in scholarship and teaching. We must recognize our size and complexity, and be confident in the way we govern and advance ourselves. The 40th Anniversary is an opportunity to tell people about our many accomplishments and our future plans.

Q: How does York plan to celebrate its 40th anniversary this year?

A: Vice-President Gary J. Smith (University Advancement) (BA Glendon '68) is chairing the 40th anniversary steering committee and there are a number of initiatives underway. An official logo has been created to be used throughout the year. It is a stylized representation of York University (YU) and forty (40). March 26, 1999 will be the official launch of the anniversary celebrations with a ceremony in Vari Hall and a reception in Founders Dining Hall. We will start now to prepare a history of the University to be written in time for the 50th anniversary. In addition, there will be a special section in The Toronto Star, and a number of activities throughout the year. A publication honouring faculty who are Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada, Distinguished Research Professors, University Professors, and faculty who are members of the Order of Canada is planned, as well as a publication highlighting 40 years of research at York. Senate has approved an Honours Society for individuals, including faculty, staff, students and alumni, who made significant contributions to the founding of York University. In addition, I am sure Vice-President Smith would be interested in hearing from members of the community who are having special guests, lectures, etc. that could be added to our list of 40th anniversary activities.

Q: What special challenges does York face in 1999?

A: We need to continue to tell the York success stories, highlighting faculty, research and teaching awards, profiling our dedicated staff and their achievements, and ensuring that everyone knows of the outstanding accomplishments of our diverse community of students and alumni. And we need to continue to underscore the importance of a flexible liberal arts education, as shown by the recent results of a survey from the Institute of Social Research.

One of our most important challenges is to retain and enhance the quality of education for students, and I'm very pleased with the new government Fair Funding Program which will allow us to make some progress in this area. We will apply the new funding to the enrichment of academic programs by hiring new professors in high demand areas, by providing additional academic support and professional development, and undertaking other initiatives to improve the quality of instruction. We have submitted a five-year plan to the Government outlining how we will do that.

This year, as usual, we are going to be negotiating with several of the unions on campus. And while the process takes time and effort and the issues are difficult and complex, I hope that in each of these negotiations, both parties will be able to make gains and that we will make speedy progress to fair and equitable agreements for everyone.

Q: The Fair Funding Program must help in meeting these challenges.

A: It does and it doesn't. As I have already indicated, fair funding provides resources for enriched academic programs. However, the Fair Funding Program does not provide funding for compensation. It will be an ongoing challenge to retain and attract the very best scholars from an internationally competitive market. As well, we are all concerned about equity and the values we place on our work and our institution. The new faculty appointments will help us with our efforts to address equity issues. Perhaps our new mission statement says it best. "We promise excellence in research and teaching ...We test the boundaries and structures of knowledge. We cultivate the critical intellect. A community of faculty, students and staff committed to academic freedom, social justice, accessible education, and collegial self-governance,..." I am feeling very positive that we are working toward this vision.

Throughout York, there are faculty and staff making extra effort to provide our students with a high quality educational experience, and working with great dedication to meet the University's needs. They are not unique in this institution. Government is shifting the burden of accountability to the universities, requiring our staff to prepare dozens of reports annually, and in addition, shifting the administration of a number of programs to the universities, including the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP). The solution to this burden is more difficult to resolve, but we are working on it.

Q: You mentioned there will be a number of agreements negotiated this year. YUFA is the first set of negotiations to start. Any comments on the relationship with YUFA two years after the strike?

A: Yes. We have been having very constructive meetings with colleagues from YUFA to find solutions to issues that are of concern to both of us. Last summer we reached agreement on some key elements of financial disclosure and released a joint statement on financial information and the new financial reporting format. This is one example of working together on a difficult issue to arrive at a common understanding. As well, we have reached a settlement for the salary adjustment fund which was outlined in a joint letter. I believe we are both dedicated to finding the best possible agreement between the faculty and the University, and I feel very positive about the process.

Q: What about the increasing costs of education for students?

A: This is another large challenge we face and one which we have identified as a priority for our consultations with government. We are very conscious of the financial problems faced by our students, and we are resolved to assist them in every possible way, to find financial resources to meet the increasing costs of a university education. In addition to lobbying government, we have been able to make significant advancement in providing additional funding for students.

Q: Do you have some personal challenges for the year ahead?

A: Certainly. As I've said, I am determined to find additional student financial support. Another challenge that is very important to me is to continue to promote and to raise the research profile of York University. We continue to bring to government's attention the pressing needs for space ­ classrooms, labs and research space. Finally, I have a personal commitment to ensure that the high academic standards of the University are sustained well into the new millenium.

Q: Do you have any final thoughts that you would like to share?

A: Yes. I've held the position of President of York University for a little over 18 months now, and during that time, I've come to appreciate even more its unique place in higher education in Canada: York's diversity, its equally strong emphasis on both scholarship and teaching, its international flavour, and the dedication of its faculty and staff. I'm committed to ensuring that the history of York is recorded and preserved so that we realize the significance of the values of our founders. We are working on all this in our 40th year, and I'm certain that 1999 will be a very good year for us all.

Anniversary Launch

March 26, 1999 will mark the 40th anniversary of the passing of the York Act by the Ontario Legislature. In honour of the occasion, York University will launch its 40th anniversary year celebrations on March 26th with a special ceremony for the York community and key people in York's history. Banners will be unfurled in Vari Hall, at the Flagpole and around York campuses, and University President Dr. Lorna Marsden will host a reception in Founders Dinning Hall

Look for a Toronto Star special supplement on March 26th as well, and special editions of Excalibur and The Gazette on March 24th.

Call for Nominations

The 40h Anniversary Steering Committee continues a call for nominations for awards honoring the founders of the university

The 40th Anniversary Honours Society may include students, faculty, staff, administrators, board members, community and provincial representatives who made a major contribution to York during it's founding years (1957 - 1965). These awards will be made on numerous occasions during the 40th anniversary celebrations (March 26, 1999 to March 25, 2000). <> Nominations for this award should inched the name of the candidate, with a brief description (3-5 short paragraphs) outlining the contributions made to the founding o York University. Nominations will be reviewed by the 40th Anniversary Steering Committee and forwarded to the Sub-Committee for Honorary degrees and Ceremonials for consideration and approval

Please send nominations to:

Gary J. Smith
Vice-President (University Advancement)
Chair, 40th Anniversary Steering Committee
Suite 280
York Lanes
4700 Keele Street
Toronto, Ontario
M3J 1P3

Nominations should be submitted by:

by Paul Hoffert

The following is an excerpt from The Bagel Effect: A Compass To Navigate Our Wired World, by Paul Hoffert, McGraw Hill Ryerson Limited, 1998. The author is director of CulTech Research Centre at York University and executive director of Intercom Ontario. He is a mathematician and physicist, an adjunct professor of fine arts at York University, president of the Guild of Canadian Film Composers, the founder and keyboardist of the Juno-award-winning band, Lighthouse, and former chair of the Ontario Arts Council. Reprinted with permission, McGraw-Hill Ryerson, from The Bagel Effect, 1998.

When several systems come into supportive synchronization ­ when their cycles are at a peak or valley at the same time ­ the linking influences become very strong and the effects are magnified. At the turn of the millennium, we are caught in a megatrend caused by the unusual synchronization of many important smaller trends whose motive forces are pushing and pulling together: downsizing, decentralization, deregulation, digitization, convergence, interactivity.

Megatrend origins

The roots of the Bagel Effect began in the early 1980s as Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher, Mikhail Gorbachev and Deng Xiaoping began moving the United States, Britain, the Soviet Union and China towards more open economies. Around the same time IBM introduced the personal computer, AT&T was broken up and the United States opened its electric power grid to small, private suppliers.

In the early 1990s Western businesses and governments began to completely re-engineer their organizations so that decision-making was more distributed, middle management was reduced, and many tasks formerly performed within the organizations were now contracted out. This change in the balance of control within businesses has been mirrored in other areas of society by an increase in power for consumers, citizens and clients at the expense of suppliers, governments and bureaucrats.

Of greatest importance are two catalytic events that have fed the megatrend and broadened its impact. Taken together with the contributing trends of convergence, downsizing, digitization, deregulation and interactivity they have had a massive and magnetic effect on other systems and brought them into synchronization. The catalysts were the fall of communism and the rise of the Internet. [...]

The Bagel Effect

And so these events and trends have set the stage for the megatrend of the century. The single system that incorporates important, distinct events and trends is easy to understand when you step back and look at the big picture. I call this system the Bagel Effect. The Bagel Effect describes power and control moving from system centers to their edges. It is itself a cyclic phenomenon currently at its maximum expression.

While words are good at conveying facts, images and metaphors are better for describing ideas. I use the image of a bagel as a metaphor for systems that express maximum freedom, and the image of a creampuff as a metaphor for systems that express maximum regulation. You might say that the Bagel Effect is the result of a movement away from creampuffs.

Creampuff years

For most of my life, I've had to live in the shadow of creampuffs. While bagels are lean and nutritious, creampuffs are filled with fat and sugar in the centre with only crumbs at the edges. The '60s and '70s were creampuff years when big systems reigned ­ big government, big business, big unions, big counterculture. It was a boom time for lawyers, accountants, and analysts ­ people trained to examine historic data and make logical judgments.

We're entering a period in which vision is paramount. When there is a changing paradigm, there is no reliable data to analyze. Like a jazz musician improvising a new melody on the harmonic framework of an old tune, we build our new future over the framework of the past, but the path requires creative improvisation. It's a time for extrapolation, not interpolation. And it's a time for creative thinking.

Forces, systems and circles

Like all forces, freedom, security and their relations act on systems to change them. Like the force of gravity that pulls a stone to earth when it's flung or centrifugal force that keeps water in a bucket when you swirl it at the end of rope, the cyclic elemental human forces act on all the systems around us. In order to better understand how these forces operate, it's useful to use the metaphor of a circle for a system. The circle can represent a system of technology, politics, economics or human behaviour. Things that are part of the system are inside the circle and things that are not part of the system are outside the circle. The circle acts as a confining perimeter between the system components inside and the non-system stuff outside.

Inputs feed the operation of a system. For a factory system, sales orders would be imputs. Outputs are the results of a system's operations, for example, manufactured products in the factory system.

The centre of the circle is the system's core ­ its processes, administration, regulations and controls. Those portions of a system that interact with inputs and outputs are closest to the circle's perimeter.

As administration, regulation and control become decentralized, they move to the system's edges where they can interact with the world outside. This make the system more open to interaction.

In many cases, the inputs and outputs of the systems involve people ­ clients, consumers, learners, citizens. In some cases the products may be intellectual property like entertainment or information. The centre of the system might contain bureaucrats, administration and processing technology.

Let's examine a record company as a system. The inputs to the system are master recordings. The outputs are music CDs. The processes include manufacturing the CDs, distributing them to warehouses, promoting and marketing them, and selling them to retailers, who ultimately resell them to consumers. These days a record company can put up a Web site that promotes the record, allows potential customers to sample the songs, polls them to determine which song should be targeted for radio airplay, and increasingly makes the sale directly through the Web site, delivering the physical CD by mail. This puts the marketers and promoters closer to the customers and decreases the company's reliance on intermediate distribution systems. Soon the music on the CD will be delivered directly to the customer over the network as a digital stream to be experienced live or recorded at home, eliminating the manufacturing process and record retailer entirely.

Shifting power and control

When a system loses all its central regulation, it becomes anarchic or chaotic. This can be described by removing the centre from the circle ­ putting a hole in it. A circle with a hole looks a lot like a doughnut or a bagel. Of the two metaphors, a bagel better represents the lean and nutritious portion of the system that remains near the perimeter. The Bagel Effect describes this movement of power and control from the centre of systems to their edges. It is evident in most of the systems that affect us.

The Bagel Effect is manifest [...] where the forces for freedom, local control, risk, chaos, anarchy, democracy, individual rights, free trade and open access are greatest. It is in this portion of the cycle that power and control are moving away from the system centres. And it is in this portion of the cycle that we find ourselves at the turn of the twenty-first century.

Better times ahead

As the cycle reaches its extreme, the pendulum begins to retrace its path towards its centre of travel and away from its instability. This is precisely where we are now in the cycle. The first decades of the twenty-first century will therefore bring more stability and prosperity than the last decades of the twentieth century. Others are also beginning to suggest that we are about to enter a golden age. In July 1997, Peter Swchwartz and Peter Leyden wrote in Wired magazine: "We're facing 25 years of prosperity, freedom and better environment for the whole world." They cite the coming emergence of China as a major world market, the elimination of intermediaries in digital network transactions and corporate downsizing as predictors of good economic times ahead.

by Gillian Sewell

It all began on a beautiful sunny day in June when I started working for Alumni Affairs here at York. I realized that my job description included in the fine print something about coordinating the United Way campaign. Sounded easy enough?

I suppose I should tell you a little bit about how I got to where I am at right now. I am a recent graduate of York (BA '97) from the Kinesiology and Health Science Program and a former varsity athlete with the highly successful Yeowomen Field Hockey team. I also had the good fortune to play for Canada at the National Team level participating in many international tournaments around the globe. Late in 1997, I retired from the National Team and began working part-time at the School of Physical Education along with holding two other part-time jobs while I was attempting to plan my future. Fortunately, I stumbled across a job opening with Alumni Affairs that intrigued me, and I applied. There was also something in the job description about coordinating the United Way Campaign on campus. This seemed a little daunting, as asking people for money was not something I had much experience at. But I was excited about the possibilities and determined to do all I could for those who needed it most.

My first task as Employee Campaign Coordinator, I decided, was to enlist help. I went for the best, the proven fundraisers and go-getters from around the University, and after those three people were on board I began to worry. What was I doing? I didn't know who to recruit or how to get people to volunteer and I didn't have any favours to call in yet. Luckily for me the faculty and staff here at York University came through for me and the United Way as more than 120 people came forward and did their part to help those in need. However, even with that many volunteers there are still areas of the University that have no volunteers and I would be happy to hear from anyone who is interested in next year's campaign. (ext. 22083)

Now I had the help in place it was time to give them something to do. This campaign needed to be heard and seen throughout the campus, and once again the volunteers took the ball and ran with it. Never before have there been so many events ­ raffles, bake sales, balloon sales, and pancake breakfasts ­ on campus, and it was all to support the United Way. This year's campaign saw a resurgence of interest and enthusiasm on campus, and that was exciting to see as I had set out to ensure that fun was a part of this fundraising effort.

A United Way Campaign that was fun and raised awareness on campus sounded great but I was in this to raise money. Somehow I had agreed to a goal of $115,000 and we were raising a thermometer in Vari Hall that was 30 feet tall with no money yet. There was nothing worse than waiting for those first few pledge cards to come in or the first few people to actually buy a pancake. I didn't have to wait long however, the pledges came in, the pancakes were flying, and the campaign was in full flight.

It became evident early on that we were going to surpass our goals and this allowed me to relax and fully enjoy many of the events and fundraisers that took part across the campus. That is one thing I can say for sure. I truly enjoyed my experience as Employee Campaign Coordinator. I have met many truly wonderful and inspiring people who have donated much time and effort to ensure York did its part in lending a hand to community.

My experience has also taught me a lot about myself and how much one individual can make a difference. In taking a look at my own life I didn't have to look very far to see how I was touched by one of the United Way's agencies. My own mother required the services of a VON nurse for a period of four months last summer as she was recovering from an illness. It was clear that the United Way was a key player in maintaining the quality of life she had come to expect and I thank them for that. I guess this year has been a way for me to give back and to help York University improve the impact of it's helping hand. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the people in the Communications Department, and especially the York Gazette, for all their efforts and hard work in ensuring the United Way Campaign was constantly in the news here at York.

In the end, when the banner was gone and the last balloon was popped, the York University United Way Campaign raised more than $140,000 and had more people than ever participating in the campaign. It could be considered the most successful campaign in York's history with the United Way. However, not being someone that is easily satisfied, my sights are already firmly set much higher for next year. I hope I have been able to raise the profile of the United Way on campus and perhaps make the Campaign something to look forward to next year. It should be a time for fun, friends and the opportunity to make a difference. I hope some of you who read this will think about how you too can make that difference.

by Michael ToddIT'S MILLER TIME! An upcoming series of on-line conversations will let students talk on-line with Arthur Miller and other contemporary authors. The catch? Students can only chat if they buy "bundled" books from the publishers who are sponsoring the on-line talk-fest. (For more on this story, go to http://chronicle.com/infotech)

STANDING UP FOR BASTARDS. In the winter issue of The Antioch Review, Jeffrey Hammond, professor of English at St. Mary's College of Maryland, reflects on aging in academe and how it's changed his understanding of Milton. Writes Hammond: "Midlife crises are murder on English professors, most of whom went into the profession because we wanted to 'work with young people' ­ meaning, of course, ourselves." Hammond claims teaching Milton poses particular challenges for aging professors because the venerated poet is "the deadest, whitest, malest poet of them all" in an era when students love to challenge sexism, racism, and other biases, and when many literature professors say that Milton lacks relevance. Hammond argues that Milton should still be taught and valued precisely because most of us can't 'relate' to him. Defending Milton, he concludes, helps him understand his place in the academy. "A middle-aged academic might stop whining and accept with grace the untrodden paths he once chose, even if those paths mean standing up for bastards: the incorrect, the antiquated, or the just plain weird."

WHEN STEREOTYPES ARE POSITIVELY GOOD. The January issue of Psychological Science carries an article that suggests positive stereotypes can raise academic performance.Three researchers at Harvard University ­ Margaret Shih, Todd L. Pittinsky, and Nalini Ambady ­ write that their research shows that positive stereotypes, when subconsciously triggered, can improve academic performance. Their study involving Asian-American college students looked at the impact of stereotypes that suggest that Asians possess superior quantitative skills. In the study, some women were given, prior to taking a standardized mathematics test, a survey with questions meant to inconspicuously introduce the positive stereotype. Those women significantly outperformed other Asian-American women whose pre-test survey had asked questions relating only to general student issues. And both groups did "substantially better" than the women whose pre-test questionnaire contained gender-related questions, intended to draw the test takers' attention to their gender, and subconsciously trigger the negative stereotype that women have poor quantitative skills. The research is significant, the authors write, because it rebuts the belief that academic performance and intelligence are set for life. The journal's World-Wide Web site is http://www.psychologicalscience.org.

WHEN CRIME DON'T PAY. A national merit scholar at the University of California at Santa Cruz and her boyfriend, a philosophy major, have been arrested in connection with two armed robberies. Police said the students committed the heists to support themselves in college. (For more information on this story, see The Chronicle of Higher Education @http://chronicle.com)

INTERESTING CONFLICT OR CONFLICT OF INTEREST? Many scientific and medical journals don't require contributors to disclose if they have a financial interest in the subject they are writing about, a massive new study shows. The study found that even the few journals that require such disclosures rarely publish them.

PURDUE UNIVERSITY IS OFFERING A SERVICE that lets users download scientific and mathematical materials designed for blind people. The materials can be printed on special paper and fed through a machine that raises lines and dots to form images and Braille characters. (For more information on this story go to http://chronicle.com/infotech)

* York is among nine North American universities participating in a sustainable community development and planning consortium allowing graduate students in Canada, the US and Mexico to gain experience in community programs in new countries.

* The Toronto International Leadership Centre for Financial Sector Supervision in York's Miles S. Nadal Management Centre offers leadership training for executives around the world who lead banking, securities and insurance authorities.

* York has official partnerships with 64 universities worldwide to facilitate student and faculty exchanges.

* Women's Studies student Beverley Mascoll, an executive and entrepreneur, was named to the Order of Canada. She was recognized for her Canadian business advocacy and her leadership in the black community.

* Humanities professor Michael Herren, a Distinguished Research Professor, has won a Fellowship to the Guggenheim Foundation (USA) for his work as a classical civilizations scholar.

Every other week, The Gazette will be interviewing people on "The Common" to get answers to specific questions about life at York, and opinions about issues important to students, faculty and staff.by John Hodgins

Question:
What is your favourite Website at York?

Naomi Naimji Staff member	"It would have to be the York main page because it has easy access to locating students' email addresses. The directory is very easy to follow." (The York Home Page can be viewed at: http://www.yorku.ca)
Blair Dowell Undergraduate student in the Faculty of Fine Arts	"I like an art site set up by a professor at York (Professor emerita Vera Frenkel, Fine Arts). It's work that she's compiled from a lot of different people including her own work, based around the idea of the Nazi looting of art before and during the Second World War. It's known around the world, which is very prestigious for York. Apparently, for the first month after it came out, that site received more hits than the rest of the York sites combined." (The Body Missing website can be viewed at: http://www.yorku. ca/BodyMissing/intro.html)
Denise Hammond Graduate student in the Faculty of Environmental Studies	"If I had to choose, being limited to sites at York, the Grad Lounge website would have to be my favourite website. As a graduate student I am trying to organize a conference, and I have been having trouble getting catering. The Grad Lounge has an on-line application form that was really useful and accessible because I can use the computers on campus." (A link to the Grad Lounge website can be found at: http:// www.yorku.ca/org/gsa/)
Julie Coultas Undergraduate student in Psychology	"The Atkinson Counselling Centre website is my favourite. It has all of their workshops as well as the times and dates of those workshops in an easy to ready, organised manner. Plus it has some flashy artwork." (The Atkinson Couselling Centre website can be viewed at: http://www.yorku.ca/admin/well ness/communityhealth/atkinson/)
Gillian McMillan Undergraduate student in Fine Arts (Music) and Anthropology	"I like the YFS (York Federation of Students) site because of the Student Rights Handbook. It helped me out when I was worried about departmental deadlines over December." (The YFS website can be viewed at: http://www.yorku.ca/org/yfs/)

John Hodgins is a Masters student of political science

by Michael Todd

Canadian Annual Review of Politics and Public Affairs 1992 (University of Toronto Press, 1998), edited by political science professor David Leyton-Brown.

Many things went into making 1992 a difficult year. There was the slow recovery from recession, widespread reduction in government spending, and significant changes in social policy. Constitutional reform dominated the political agenda. A conference involving both federal and provincial governments resulted in the Charlottetown Accord. While the Accord received the support of nearly all political parties as well as Canada's media and political elite, it was overwhelmingly rejected by the public in a national referendum. This was also the year that Canada signed the North American Free Trade Agreement.

Canadian Annual Review of Politics and Public Affairs features essays on these events and more, from essays on parliament and politics to external affairs.

Modernism in European Drama: Ibsen, Strindberg, Pirandello, Beckett: Essays from Modern Drama (University of Toronto Press, 1998), edited by York Distinguished Research Professor Christopher Innes and Frederick J. Marker, professor of English and Drama, University of Toronto.

Innes and Marker's book is a collection of essays drawn from scholarship over the last 40 years. The collection explores the drama of four of the most influential proponents of modernism in European drama: Ibsen, Strindberg, Pirandello and Beckett. The playwrights illustrate widely different and contrasting aspects of the Modernism movement. Since discussion of Modernism are usually restricted to poetry, novels, or the fine arts, examining theatre from this perspective covers new ground.

The majority of the essays included are drawn from Modern Drama, the leading scholarly journal in the field. Some essays go back as far as the 1960s while others are very contemporary giving readers a perspective on the historical development of critical theory as well as in-depth looks at the work of the four dramatists themselves.

Coaching: The Art and the Science (Key Porter Books, 1997), by Dave Chambers, professor of Kinesiology and Health Science, and director of York's coaching program.

Dave Chambers knows a few things about coaching. His new book promises to be a "complete guide to self management, team management, and physical and psychological preparation." Chambers has been involved in the coaching profession for more than 30 years at the amateur, high school, university, professional and international levels.

Coaching: The Art and the Science contains valuable information on developing a positive coaching strategy, using principles collected from the fields of sport psychology, sport pedagogy, and sport physiology. It's written to meet the need of coaches at every sport level and takes readers through the most fundamental coaching techniques to more involved mental and physical training methods designed to help players perform at their best.

by Scott McLaren for the Faculty Club Board of Directors

Suspension of Disbelief

Forget six counties overhung with smoke,

Forget the snorting steam and piston stroke,

Forget the spreading of the hideous town;

Think rather of the pack horse on the down,

And dream of London, small, and white, and clean,

The clear Thames bordered by its gardens green;...

When invoking the Earthly Paradise, William Morris enjoined the reader to forget the present dispiriting reality. I enjoin you now to suspend your own disbelief. Forget York's concrete walls. Forget the mad rush of students bustling through crowded halls. Forget the mud, mess and noise of constant construction projects. Forget parking your car in too distant locations during the withering cold of February. Instead, think about what universities are meant to be about. Think about your teaching. Think about your research. And then ask yourself what sort of establishment would be truly worthy of the name Faculty Club.

Imagine, if you will, a quiet setting bathed in firelight. A small group of couches and other relaxed styles of furniture. Antique paintings on the walls. The smell of fresh coffee. An alcoholic bar. And, because it's almost the second millennium, a computer quietly humming off in the corner. Imagine that several low conversations are taking place punctuated intermittently with laughter. Perhaps in one corner several members of one department are discussing a new course proposal. In another, a small clutch of graduate students are wrestling over a text with their prof. Perhaps in a third, faculty members are entertaining a visiting scholar from another institution. All are being served by a dedicated staff member. And all this is taking place safely away from whatever administrative cares might try to overshadow the true mission of this University.

This refuge for faculty is a Club that supports research by facilitating collegial discourse. It is a venue that supports teaching by fostering intimacy and friendship. In short, it is simply what it should be: a niche in which the overall mission of the university is being fulfilled in a way that would otherwise be impossible.

Humble Beginnings

On Tuesday, Sept. 10, 1985, the Faculty Club at York University opened its doors for the first time. The Faculty Club, championed by then President Harry Arthurs, had its present restaurant location carefully chosen for centrality and ambiance. But, even then, a nobler vision animated these first steps.

In a letter dated May 1, 1985, Arthurs stated, "I am prepared to embark on a long-term study of the possibility of a more elaborate faculty club either on this site or some other." David Davies, Chairperson of the YUFA Trustees, suggested in a letter dated June 26, 1985, that the Faculty Club be turned over to a "Board of Directors democratically elected by a broadly-based constituency." Why did Davies foresee a need for direct YUFA involvement in a restaurant? The same letter goes on: "Our reason for proposing this is that we have already moved on beyond the restaurant to a second-stage of adding a lounge which gives us the basis of a faculty club."

Pouring over these documents shows that, from the outset, it was not the restaurant, that is, not the food, but the lounge or the environment that would constitute the true Club. Faculty would be involved in its governance because the Club, not the restaurant, would help them achieve their own teaching and research goals by providing a venue for intimate scholarly discourse. The Club would be more concerned with filling minds than it would be with filling stomachs. Somehow, over time, this idea was obscured by the work-a-day cares of the restaurant business. Where are we now?

Back to the Future

Today the Faculty Club is strictly a restaurant and catering business. It produces a very modest profit which the Board has usually allocated to pay for minor renovations. There is no lounge or Club component. Although some members of faculty use it, many others do not. Because it is organized around financial self-sufficiency, catering can at times impinge on the quality of service offered to those choosing to use it as a restaurant. The caterer has at his disposal a limited number staff members and, when business gets busy, resources are spread more and more thinly. As a result, through no fault of the caterer, service suffers.

But service is what a true Club is all about. Although the food should be excellent, a true Faculty Club is a place created for fellowship. The exchange of ideas ranks infinitely more important than the exchange of money.

Finding Meaning

It is the mission of York University to promote teaching and research. That is what YUFA members concern themselves with: teaching and research. YUFA members are not concerned with running restaurants and catering businesses on campus. YUFA involvement in the Faculty Club should cease altogether if the original vision of a lounge, where faculty can have a casual forum for the exchange of ideas, is abandoned.

It is clear that providing faculty with a quiet, relaxed environment in which they can converse with one another, and with their graduate students, will help further the overall mission of the University. How could it be otherwise? We are a community of scholars and, as such, should be at pains to communicate our ideas to one another not only for our own personal enrichment, but for the enrichment of the ideas themselves. But the fire of scholarly discourse takes time begin burning with real heat. It will not kindle between two profs who whisk by each other in the hall on the way to the next class or meeting. It will not happen in departmental meetings choked and smothered with administrative concerns. It will only happen in an environment specifically created to facilitate such discourse. It is just such an environment that the faculty club was originally envisioned to be. It is just such an environment that it must now become.

A Modest Proposal

Natura nihil facit per saltem, or, in paraphrase, Rome wasn't built in a day. What the Board propose is a modest but decisive step toward realizing the original goal.

It is clear that, in order to attract a caterer, we must provide an opportunity to generate revenue. Acknowledging this reality, along with the fact that everyone has to eat, we believe that the existing restaurant business must be allowed to carry on. A great deal of business is also realised through catering special events. For that purpose, one of the existing two rooms which make up the restaurant today, would be reserved as a function room.

But, in addition to what is presently available, a third room would be allocated to which only members of the faculty would be admitted. It would be within the precincts of this room that the true Club would exist. It would contain the informal furniture, the fireplace, and the journals and magazines to which the Club subscribed. And, in order to guarantee the highest quality of service it would also be looked after by a dedicated staff member. This room, then, would become the anvil upon which members of faculty could to meet to hammer out their ideas and interests.

A Modest Fee

In order to realize this vision, the Club component of the Faculty Club must be freed from the tyranny of the dollar. Because the Club will concern itself not primarily with food, but with service and environment, a small mandatory fee will be necessary. It has been suggested that as little as a few dollars per month from every member of YUFA would suffice to make this dream a reality. And, once such a fee is levied, our Club will be eligible to join the International Association of Faculty Clubs. This will result in all members of YUFA being given access to other Faculty Clubs around the world (not to mention those no so far away, like the University of Toronto).

Brass Tacks

None of this will happen without commitment and hard work. This current Board of Directors is willing to put in the effort required to build such an environment. We are convinced that it will contribute to the overall teaching and research mission of the University. But we can't take a cavalier build it and they will come approach. We will need the backing of YUFA membership.

Shortly, we will be polling all members of YUFA in order to determine how committed individual members are to this idea. We invite you, in the meantime, to consider what has been advanced in this article.

Scott McLaren is a Reference Librarian and Linguistics Bibliographer at York. He is a member of the Faculty Club Board of Directors.

by David Finestone

Location, location, LOCATION! This edict is as true for research as it is for sales, and York just happens to be the hub. If Toronto, as a truly multicultural city, is a micro version of the world, then York is the town square.

Chances are, if there is something "going on" anywhere on the planet, there is someone from York who is from there, has been there, or knows who to contact there. The question is (using the York Web, of course) how to find them?

If you are truly Web aware you probably already know about the Teaching & Research: Research Centres Index:

http://www.yorku.ca/level2_4_5.htm

Here's another one that can prove to be a wealth of information: the Information for Students: Student Run Organizations Index. They've begun the networking already.

http://www.yorku.ca/level2_4_2.htm

The York University Computer Club server is home to hundreds of sites that range from personal home pages and student clubs to far-reaching and unusual home pages.

http://yucc.yorku.ca/userList.cgi

Each of these sites offers links to York-based centres of terrestrial, extra-terrestrial and cyber insight, and, of course, the E-mail link to a source you can actually connect with at York.

David Finestone is the Web editor in the Communications Department. If you would like to contact him, e-mail db@yorku.ca