In a series of visits to York University in these final days of exams, the three-year-old standard poodle, trained recently by St. John Ambulance as a "therapy dog", brought smiles to a normally stressed-out student body, reported the Toronto Star April 19. He magically calmed down two calculus students hours before their exam Wednesday night. “I felt guilty even leaving the books to go eat, but seeing Enzo changed my mood completely,” said a beaming Ioana Olteanu. Psychology major Shivanni Sankar called Enzo “soft and comforting; you can feel the Zen when you put your hands on him.” Read full story.
Osgoode Hall Law School adds more study spaces in new expansion
A newly transformed Osgoode Hall Law School has officially opened at York University, reported "Global News” April 19. An extensive renovation and expansion of the 43-year-old facility adds study and administrative space. Read full story.
York U phasing out bottled water on campuses
As part of York University's commitment to sustainability, the sale of bottled water will be phased out across the two campuses by September 2015, reported the North York Mirror April 18. "We want to continue our commitment to be leaders in sustainability," York University President Mamdouh Shoukri said during the announcement Tuesday. Read full story.
Capital gain for Thomas Mulcair and the NDP
The federal NDP is ready to be economic growth managers, writes NOW magazine in its April 19 issue. At a summit called Re-Imagining Our Cities, hosted by the federal NDP and York University’s City Institute at the Toronto Reference Library, New Democrats were there to firm up their new positioning as champions of an innovative urban manufacturing and knowledge economy. Read full story.
Feeding Bottle Federalism: Ekweremadu’s assumptions
The debate on the appropriate makeup of Nigeria’s federalism is again brought to the fore, reported Nigerian newspaper Vanguard April 19. In the sixth annual Oputa Lecture at York’s Osgoode Hall Law School, on the weekend, Ike Ekweremadu, the deputy president of the senate, described his country as feeding bottle federalism. Read full story.
Can Air Canada be saved?
Air Canada is in such bad shape, it may be heading for bankruptcy, reports Canadian Business in its April 30 issue. "Once a company becomes a penny stock, it's pretty clear investors consider it a dead company," says Fred Lazar, an economics professor at York University's Schulich School of Business.
How to build a better call centre
There are more than half a million Canadians working in over 14,000 call centres across the country, reports Canadian Business in its April 30 issue. Studies have shown that they are often the least valued employees. It's bad for the workers, but its arguably even worse for the companies that employ them, says Ron Burke, a professor at York’s Schulich School of Business. Unhappy, unhealthy employees increase human-resources costs and they can do serious damage on the customer-service and branding fronts at a time when image and customer experience are becoming a great differentiator in the marketplace.
Who’s hiring now – Canada’s top 10 jobs
Chemistry specialist is listed among the top 10 best jobs in Canada by Canadian Business in its April 30 issue. "The economy is dependent on new materials – from active molecules for drug development to agricultural products – all these things lead to chemistry," says Sergey Krylov, a York University chemistry professor. He believes curiosity and perseverance are chemists' most important assets, since they may work on complex projects for decades. "I compare it to running a marathon," says Krylov.
Why taking a water bottle to an exam could turn your B into an A
Bringing a water bottle to an exam may be the difference between a B and an A, reported the Toronto Star April 19. Recent laboratory work has shown people perform poorly when dehydrated. At the University of Toronto and Ryerson, water bottles are allowed. York University leaves it up to the chief invigilator to set the rules in each exam room. Read full story.