Before a group of faculty and students at York University last week, federal MP Olivia Chow outlined her ideas for a national transit strategy, reported the York Guardian Feb. 6….Despite federal contributions to the ongoing Spadina subway extension, Chow dismissed such allocations as “piecemeal” and pointed to the Harper government’s refusal to pay for a share of new TTC streetcars costing nearly $2 billion as evidence transit funding for Canada’s largest city remains far below what it should be….Chow said students should contact their political representatives and demand better transit. “We need all of you to take action,” she told the crowd of around 75. “Go to public meetings, write to your MP, write to the prime minister. Spread the word.” Read full story.
Rivals bury their differences to promote Canadian MBAs
Canada’s top business schools, usually active competitors, have joined forces to promote Canadian MBA programs to both domestic and international students, reported the Financial Times Feb. 7. The self-appointed group of six, to be called the Canadian MBA Alliance, includes York’s Schulich School of Business, and will aim to attract top international students to Canada but also retain local talent. Read full story.
Ahead of 2013 budget, Flaherty should be serious about investing in public infrastructure
“It makes no sense to be cutting public infrastructure investment when the needs are very real, and when interest rates are still at near record low levels. The federal government pays only 2 per cent on new issues of 10-year bonds, and most economists reckon that public infrastructure investment yields returns far in excess of the cost of borrowing, mainly by boosting productivity in the private sector,” wrote Andrew Jackson, the packer professor of social justice at York University, in The Globe and Mail Feb. 7. Read full story.
American football, Indian setting
Vijay Setlur, a sport marketing lecturer at York’s Schulich School of Business, said India’s foray into American football has been a “popular discussion in my class” since the Elite Football League of India (EFLI) was launched. Setlur wondered if the EFLI’s ambitious plans to support 52 American football teams in cities in the region with a population of more than one million by 2022 were feasible….He said he had watched clips of the game in South Asia and was unsure “whether to cringe or be in awe”, reported the Telegraph India Feb. 7. But he conceded it was “definitely strange” to see American football being played in an Indian setting. Read full story.
York KKK exhibit shows Canada’s history of anti-black sentiment
An art exhibition that prominently features multiple Ku Klux Klan (KKK) symbols aims to teach the history of negative treatment blacks received in Canada during the 20th century, according to Deanna Bowen, the black artist behind the display. The exhibit opened Jan. 16 and runs until March 17 at the Art Gallery of York University, reported the Charlatan Feb. 6. Read full story.
Video abstracts, the latest trend in scientific publishing
Video abstracts have emerged as their own YouTube genre. As represented by the first two demonstration videos on the Canadian Science Publishers website, it has two technical sub-genres, reflecting the mix of marketing and academic communication forces fuelling video abstracts. The first video demo highlights a study by York University Professor Jennifer Kuk on how Canadians estimate serving sizes from the Canada Food Guide. It’s a two-minute, professionally produced, news-style clip that would fit seamlessly on a TV newscast, reported University Affairs Feb. 6. Read full story.