Tammie Ricci, who earned a PhD in clinical psychology from York in 1997, said she chose to do post-graduate studies at Carleton and York because they are the only universities in Ontario offering the attendant care program, reported The Ottawa Sun Nov. 26. The 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week personal care programs employ student attendants to help disabled students with their daily needs.
“One of the reasons I chose Carleton was because of that (ACP) program,” explained Ricci, who was diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis at the age of two. The North Bay native, recently voted one of Ottawa Business Journal‘s 40 Under 40, went to Carleton in 1993 to pursue her master’s degree before completing a PhD at York University, Ontario’s only other school to offer the ACP. She believes one of the reasons disabled people are increasingly accessing postsecondary education is due in part to the personal support programs.
York prof to judge student films
Barbara Evans, film and video professor with York University’s Faculty of Fine Arts, is one of three judges of the first ever Toronto Student Film Festival, reported The Toronto Sun Nov. 26. The festival, organized by Centennial College’s corporate communications students, will showcase 12 films selected from entries submitted by students from Centennial, Seneca College of Applied Arts & Technology, Sheridan College Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning, York University and Ryerson University. The other judges are Toronto Star film critic Peter Howell and award-winning independent filmmaker George Filtsos.
Lockshin organizes protest
Martin Lockshin, an orthodox rabbi and director of the Centre for Jewish Studies at York University, organized a protest during a Nov. 20 memorial for Rabbi Meir Kahane, known for his belief that Arabs in Israel should leave the country to preserve the future of the Jewish people, reported the Nov. 26 internet edition of Canadian Jewish News. “We’re not thrilled that a Jewish memorial preaches hatred,” said Lockshin. The memorial was held at the Chabad Lubavitch centre in Thornhill Nov. 20. Kahane served as a member of Knesset but was banned by Israel’s Supreme Court, which prohibited openly racist candidates from standing for election. The firebrand rabbi, who founded the militant Jewish Defense League in New York and the far-right Kach political party in Israel, was shot to death by an Egyptian national in New York in November 1990.
Monk, artists unveil new exhibition at York
The Art Gallery at York University’s new director and curator, Philip Monk, talked about his goals and first exhibit, What It Feels Like for a Girl, in a Nov. 26 article in the North York Mirror. He told the newspaper he hopes to invoke a change in the gallery’s focus and outreach with his new thought-provoking exhibits. Monk joins the AGYU team from previous positions as curator at both the Power Plant and the Art Gallery of Ontario. He said he wants to exhibit new works from the talent of his choice and what better way to be able to do that than by being his own boss.
“I have a sort of history of the sorts of exhibitions I like to do,” he said. “I alternate between looking at Toronto art and trying to create different views of Toronto art or I develop unconventional histories of Toronto art.” Monk said one of the goals with his exhibits is to establish an outreach component to bridge the gap between the AGYU and the local Toronto art community. He’s doing that by including other gallery sites that will simultaneously participate in his exhibits. For this show, downtown space Zsa Zsa will host an exhibit by the same artists.
Little support for Israel at UN
Barbara Amiel cites Anne Bayefsky, political science professor with York’s Faculty of Arts and director of Human Rights Treaty Studies, on the subject of Israel’s status as a member state in the United Nations, in her column featured in the Dec. 1 issue of Maclean’s. Amiel says Israel is the only country that cannot take part in most group votes, including those on human rights, racism and women. “The Jewish state of Israel, created by the UN, is,” as Bayefsky has written, says Amiel, ” ‘disqualified, blackballed or left standing in the halls of UN bodies everywhere’.”
On air
- Ravi Mark Singh, a member of the Energy Action Committee of Toronto and a York alumnus (FES ’03), was interviewed by Ann Rohmer, news anchor for CP24, Toronto’s 24-hour news source Nov. 25.