By Michael Todd

If you could mail order the perfect mother, Dr. Carol Smart might be it. Smart, a UK sociologist, was recently in town speaking at Osgoode Hall Law School with characteristic compassion and missionary zeal about her work with the children of divorced parents.

She discussed some of her trailblazing research not so much by talking about children, as by letting the children speak for themselves through their own words. Smart delivered her points through the children's written testimony about what it was like to be caught &- and sometimes mediate the childish behaviour of their adult parents &- between two households.

Smart, who is founding director of the Centre for Research on Family, Kinship & Childhood at the University of Leeds, has published three books on her research since 1995. She spoke about the problem of how society tended to view children as objects of concern, rather than as people in their own right, in her talk titled, Objects of Concern: Children and Divorce.

Her point seems to be that the language of divorce, seeing children as objects rather than as people directly involved in the whole process of divorce, creates problems. Even though British family law, like its North American counterpart, holds a child's welfare and safety paramount, the "welfarist attitudes" inherent in legal and social workese may ultimately work against them, she suggests.

"What does it mean, then, to see a child as a person?" Smart asked. She said to ask that question also raises many legal questions about the status of children in general, such as does "person" mean an individual and therefore is a child somewhat autonomous from the family itself, with certain rights, etc.

Smart said the usual take on divorce is that it is ultimately "bad" for all concerned, especially the children, and that such attitudes colour the way we see children of divorce (i.e. as objects affected by a bad situation). But she suggested it might be more useful to stop focusing on the idea of divorce as harmful and look at what life in a split household is really like for the children involved. "When we surveyed children, we wanted to hear from them in their own words what life was like. A good proportion of these kids were being co-parented," said Smart. "We wanted to know how their childhood was changing as they moved between two households."

What Smart found was that kids had a very good idea how households should be run and a good sense of 'the proper thing to do' vis-à-vis loyalties to both parents, siblings, house chores etc. &- what she termed the "arbiters of fairness". Kids also often would adjust their behaviour to suit adult moods and were aware of parents' different personalities. Children also seemed to have a very good sense of themselves and what they needed, and weren't slavish to the idea of making mom and dad 'happy'.

Children were unanimous in saying they shouldn't be asked to choose between parents. They felt there should be a "moral conversation" and that children and parents should decide together what was best, rather than having co-parenting arrangements decided for them. "What we're looking at is the whole area of children's moral reasoning in post-divorce family life," said Smart. "Moral conversation presumes children have a stake and presumes other parties will place a value on what children will have to say."

Smart's on-campus lectures were sponsored by York's Institute for Feminist Legal Studies at Osgoode Hall Law School, and by the School of Women's Studies respectively.

By Michiel Horn

Glendon College's first principal, Escott Reid, died on Sept. 20 at the age of 94. A memorial service will be held on the Glendon campus on Sunday, Nov. 21, from 2 to 4pm, during which Principal Reid will be posthumously inducted into the York University Founders' Society. The service, which will feature testimonials and reminiscences by faculty and students who were associated with Principal Reid, will take place in the Dining
Hall (the cafeteria), to be followed by a reception in the Gallery of
Glendon Hall.

All members of the York community, whether faculty, staff or students, are most welcome.

Escott Reid, who recently died at the age of 94, thought of himself as a "radical mandarin". That was the title he chose for his memoirs, published in 1989. He might just as aptly have used "a man of many parts". The Anglican parson's son from Campbellford, Ont., was variously a Rhodes Scholarship winner from Trinity College, University of Toronto, social science researcher, socialist intellectual, theorist of Canadian neutrality, diplomat and public servant, college principal, and above all a passionately committed educator. His formal teaching career was confined to a year at Dalhousie University in 1937-1938, when he replaced a political scientist on leave. But in almost everything he did Reid sought to educate those around him or, when the occasion arose, the Canadian public.

After completing his studies at Oxford, Reid married his lifelong love, Ruth Herriot. Academic jobs were scarce in 1930, but he had won a Rockefeller Fellowship. This enabled him to study the Canadian party and electoral systems in general and Saskatchewan's in particular.

In 1932 Reid turned down a teaching position at Harvard to become the first permanent national secretary of the Canadian Institute of International Affairs (CIIA). He was active in the League for Social Reconstruction, an association of left-wing intellectuals founded in Montreal and Toronto in the winter of 1931-1932. He also joined the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation, the new social-democratic political party that took shape in 1932-1933. His left-wing views and his conviction that Canada should maintain neutrality in a renewed European war put him at odds with many CIIA members, however, and by 1937 he knew he had to find another berth.

He landed in the Department of External Affairs. He was an important member of that extraordinary generation of public servants who helped give Canadian statecraft in the 1940s and 1950s its reputation for excellence. Of the senior positions he filled he treasured most that of Canadian High Commissioner to India (1952-1957). Four years as ambassador to West Germany proved less interesting and engaging, and in 1962 Reid left External Affairs to join the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development. It was from this institution that York University President Murray G. Ross drafted him in 1965 to become the first principal of the liberal arts college established on the Glendon site when the main
university moved to the York campus.

Reid's vision of Glendon struck not a few observers as idiosyncratic. In its early form it comprised just seven departments (English, French, economics, history, philosophy, political science and sociology) and a general education division. English and French were compulsory subjects for all students in the first two years, for Reid hoped that they would graduate with a working knowledge of Canada's two official languages. He hoped, too, that graduates would play key roles in Canadian public life.

In 1968-1969 Reid tried to act on his awareness that York was unable to supply Glendon with the money necessary to realize his vision for the college. He supervised the drafting of an appeal for financial support for the college. Not long after the document was completed, he learned that the board of governors would not allow him to solicit funds for Glendon's operating budget. He left the college at the end of 1969, a somewhat disillusioned man.

In retirement, which Reid spent largely at the farm he and his wife had in Wakefield, Que., he began the most fruitful phase of his pedagogical career. From 1973 to 1989 he published seven books, all rooted in his personal experience while dealing with subjects of evident public interest. They included works about the World Bank, the founding of the United Nations, the making of the North Atlantic Treaty, the Hungarian and Suez crises of 1956, his years in India and his friendship with Nehru, and, finally, his autobiography.

Predeceased by his wife and their daughter Morna, he is survived by sons Patrick and Timothy and their families. A memorial service took place in Wakefield, Quebec in late October.

Once again York has proven its strong commitment to enriching the academic experience of students at the University and its devotion to surrounding communities on both the national and international level. In October, the American Marketing Association (AMA) launched its new chapter at York's Atkinson College &- making York the first University in Ontario to have collegiate affiliation with the AMA.

With over 100 members recruited within the first two weeks of September, the collegiate chapter launch took place at Michaelangelo's in Atkinson College where the honoured speaker of the evening was Michael Adams, president and co-founder of Environics Research Group and best-selling author of Sex in the Snow. Professional members from the Toronto chapter as well as student members attended the launch, making it a successful evening.

The AMA is an international organization with approximately 45,000 members in 100 countries. As the largest professional society for marketers, the AMA provides students with first-hand opportunities to meet with business leaders and innovators and allows them to enrich their personal, academic and professional experiences as they pursue undergraduate studies in business administration in general and marketing in particular. This, in turn, promotes programs at Atkinson College and throughout the larger community of the University.

Faculty advisor, Dr. Kim Snow had only good things to say about the chapter's first few months. "I have to say I am extremely proud of our students. I have had glowing comments from both the Toronto professional chapter and the AMA head office about how quickly and professionally our students have their chapter up and running. The Toronto chapter was so impressed they launched our chapter at a special function held at the Bata Shoe Museum. These students have made the Universtiy, college and our program look good."

According to Narissa Seenath, a student organizer of York's AMA collegiate chapter, networking is the most important thing to students who are searching for employment. The AMA at York provides students with networking opportunities, and a chance to get their faces out in the 'real world'. The organization also gives members access to a job bank with international and domestic postings, as well as exclusive access to the AMA Web site, a resume posting service, career resources and a nine-month subscription of Marketing News Magazine.

For more information regarding the organization, please contact the AMA at YORKU, Atkinson College, at (416) 736-5210.

By Kyle Byron

Sally Fernandez, a Glendon College graduate with an Honours BA in international studies, is on scholarship at The Bologna Centre in Italy, affiliated with Johns Hopkins University. She is in her first year of an MA in international relations with a specialization in European studies and international economics.

In attendance at the Bologna Centre are 155 students from 28 countries. As if the classroom language barrier was not challenging enough, Fernandez chose to live with five students who speak no English. Fernandez declined to live in the housing provided by the Bologna Centre and found a place on her own so she could experience the Italian language and culture in a home environment.

The affiliate enrols students from the most prestigious schools in the world like Oxford, Princeton and Harvard. Fernandez is not intimidated by her Ivy League classmates, she is too enthralled with the multicultural experience. Fernandez boasts of the "global village" that arises out of the nationalities present (70 students from the USA and the other 75 from 28 other countries). "Every single student comes from another city, or more frequently from another country, so the sense of belonging to a community is very strong," she said. Ironically enough, Fernandez compares the intimate environment to her alma matter.

Fernandez realized that gallivanting around Rome would not be the reality of this experience. Fernandez's life is saturated with work. Even extracurricular activities do not let her mind rest. "Student life is extremely busy, there are an incredible number of conferences and debates organized for the students. However, I will argue that student life revolves around work." Even her finals are after Christmas so the holiday will be buried in books.

Fernandez will complete the second half of her MA at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, USA.

By Susan Scott

Star columnist Rosie DiManno at York

Rosie DiManno, a Toronto Star columnist, says her newspaper's arrangement with York to distribute free copies of the newspaper on campus is a benefit for students and does not conflict with the role of York's student newspaper.

Earlier this Fall, York and The Star teamed up, under a three-year arrangement, to offer a unique campus readership program &- a first in Canada &- to donate free copies of its newspaper on the York campus each day. This means 5,000 copies are distributed daily during the week and 1,000 daily on weekends. Another component of the arrangement is a speaker series featuring Star editors and columnists. DiManno was the first speaker in this series held at the University Bookstore in October.

DiManno said she had read about a "controversy" over the program's launch in her paper. She disagreed with assertions that distributing the free papers would reduce readership of the Excalibur, York's main student newspaper.

"We don't cover the nuts and bolts campus news, that's what the student paper is for. I don't see how our presence interferes with the student newspaper's role in covering what's happening on campus," she said. Besides, she added, if the Star covered York news, it would also have to cover campus news at other universities and colleges in Toronto.

She said the arrangement is great for students. "We're giving the paper away for free. Never turn up your nose at freebies," DiManno continued. She said the distribution arrangement is designed to encourage people to read, a habit once formed will hopefully continue.

In addition, the Star has said that while its paper is on campus, it won't initiate any new advertising programs that would compete with the Excalibur. Loreen Lalone, the Star's partnership and sponsorship consultant, added that the Star's advertising is generally targeted at different markets than the Excalibur, whose prime market is students.

Lalonde explained she initiated the campus readership program after researching similar joint ventures in the United States with newspapers and universities.

"What I discovered was that many universities in the US were successfully running campus readership programs generally involving The New York Times and US Today," explained Lalonde. "The campus with the most information on the program was Penn State University. It was a particularly effective program since the university president was a former journalist and strongly believed in the benefits of picking up a paper and developing reading skills." Lalonde said a study done after the program ran for a year indicated 73 per cent of students read a paper, compared with 15 per cent readership when the program started.

Lalonde said she then approached York, Ryerson Polytechnic University, the University of Toronto and Seneca College with the idea. York was able to roll out the program in September. She said similar plans with each of Ryerson and Seneca are in the "advanced" stages and UofT is in the "initial" stages.

She called the arrangement with York a "donation" to the University and said the Star has a number of sponsors who are helping to offset the costs of running the program.

In the meantime, the Star's lecture series continues at York with Star columnists, Royson James scheduled on November 24 and Linwood Barclay on February 9. On March 8, a number of Star writers will participate in a career planning workshop panel at York. Further information will be forthcoming.

By Kyle Byron

Tournament all-star Angie Shen attacks the ball.

The weekend of October 22 saw the Yeowomen host the annual Tait McKenzie Volleyball Classic. The tournament, now in its 20th year, has become one of the premier showcases for women's volleyball in the Canadian Inter-University Athletic Union (CIAU). The Yeowomen, respectably ranked the eighth team in the nation at the time, were not the best squad in attendance. No. 2 Laval and No. 5 Montreal traveled to York along with the sturdy No. 9 Western Ontario.

The CIAU followed the international lead and introduced new rules to university play. The new regulations are designed to increase the excitement of the game.

The first rule involves the use of a Libero. The Libero, translated from Spanish as 'the free one', is a defensive specialist who may be substituted at any play stoppage without consulting the referee. The Libero, who wears a brightly coloured jersey like a soccer goalie, may not attack the ball or set the ball for attacking purposes. York's Libero is rookie Jessica Dell who was Seneca College's Most Valuable Player last year.

The second rule added by the CIAU is the elimination of the side-out. The side-out permitted a team to score only on a rally in which they had served. With the new regulation, a botched service, for example, is a point for the opposition rather than a mere loss of serve. These faster sets are played to 25 points instead of the former 15, except in the event of a fifth set which is played to 15 points.

The Yeowomen had no difficulty dealing with the new laws as internationally acclaimed coach Hernán Humaña has had the team practising since September.

York defeated the McMaster Marauders in their opening match three games to two. The red and white tackled the Guelph Gryphons 3-2 in the next round and prepared for the talented Montreal Carabins. In a match that saw both teams at their best, Montreal proved they were too much for York. The Carabins needed only four sets to dispatch of the Yeowomen.

The loss was devastating to York as it dropped them to third in their pool. Typical to the team's discipline and class, they re-focused and took the next two games of the tournament. The Yeowomen ousted the Ottawa Gee-Gee's and arch rivals the University of Toronto Varsity Blues in three straight games.

The Western Mustangs defeated the Laval Rouge et Or for the Tait McKenzie Classic gold medal. The tournament MVP was Western's Marnie Simpson. York's Angie Shen was named a tournament all-star.

York's regular season was scheduled to begin on November 9 when they were to travel to Ryerson to take on the Rams.

by Kyle Byron

Michael Micelli, a first-year student at York, has been awarded with the inaugural Easter Seals Award for Personal Achievement. The award was presented along with three others at the Ontario Teamwork 2000 Provincial Leadership Conference in October. The Honourable Hilary Weston, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario presented the awards.

Micelli was pleased to be part of a new tradition as he was the first to win this award. "The award is a stepping stone for other youths to get involved. You always hear about volunteers and hard workers but rarely about youths being recognized in the field."

The criteria for the personal achievement award include demonstrating significant personal development in attitude, life skills, education and family relationships. Micelli has accomplished far more than the average 19-year-old despite having muscular dystrophy. He personifies the award through his numerous volunteer endeavours. Among these, he worked with the Bloorview MacMillan Centre Youth Advisory Council and currently teaches reading and mathematics to people with disabilities.

In his opinion, however, his greatest work was done in November 1997. The Children's Aid Society approached youth organizations around the country, searching for dynamic adolescents to design a conference tackling youth issues. The Ontario Coalition of Children and Youth elected Micelli as its ambassador in this enterprise.

The conference, "Canada's Children, Canada's Future", dealt with issues of youth care, United Nations policies on children's rights, youth poverty in Canada and accessibility to post- secondary education. Micelli showed tremendous maturity as he reflected on his experiences from the conference. "I am now more politically aware. I learned that here in Canada we take things for granted like our rights and privileges."

The psychology major is adjusting well to his first year. An "A" student at Brebeuf College School, he thrives on the new perspectives the university scene provides. "I don't look through one set of eyes anymore. My classmates are students from all over the world and are giving me different perspectives that I would never have thought of before," explained Micelli.

Micelli continues his community involvement with Easter Seals and various philanthropic organizations. His award for personal achievement is recognition of his charitable work, but recognition is never his motivation for involvement.