The York University Retirees’ Association is a voluntary group which represents retired employees from all employee groups — faculty, staff and managers — who wish to maintain contact with the University and each other.

Members of the 2024 YURA Executive Committee

JOINING THE RANKS OF YORK RETIREES?

If you are a York retiree or planning to retire and you would like to receive an “info page” about the Retirees’ Association (without having to surf this website), please e-mail yura@yorku.ca

WELCOME…. DIANE BEELEN WOODY & STEVE DRANITSARIS, YURA CO-PRESIDENTS

Head and shoulders photo of Diane Woody — Diane Beelen Woody

As YURA co-presidents we welcome you to the YURA website; here you will find information about our organization and its events and activities, and a wealth of information about social outings as well as learning and volunteer opportunities. We strive to provide relevant information about wellness and well-being during retirement, the better to experience the joys and rewards of this stage of life, while simultaneously learning to navigate the inevitable challenges. We are proud to have one of the most active university retirees’ associations in Canada, with close to 500 retired staff and faculty members.

YURA has an office on campus in the Lorna Marsden Honour Court and we invite members to drop in during office hours (Tues/Wed/Thurs between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., September through June). We thank our Office Volunteers who are currently assisting us with implementing a process for Records Management. We are deeply grateful to our co-officers, Secretary Marla Chodak and Treasurer Melody King, and to all the members of our hard-working Executive Committee for their . . .

… click here to read more

Head & shoulders photo of Steve Dranitsaris — Steve Dranitsaris

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Health Care Planning As We Age

Nov 5 – Nov 20 – Dec 3

While none of us like to think of serious health challenges or end of life issues before we are confronted with them directly, planning in advance and communication about our wishes will make the path forward smoother for ourselves and for our loved ones. Over the next month, YURA is pleased to host a series of webinars for our members put on by the Greater Toronto Area chapter of Dying with Dignity Canada.

Please note that we have chosen different times for the presentations in the hope that all members will be able to attend at least one session if they wish to. Each session will entail a 30 min presentation followed by a 30 min period for questions and discussion. Details about Zoom links to access the webinars will be sent by email to our members in the near future.

Advance Care Planning – Tuesday, November 5 at 10:00 AM

It’s never too early to start thinking about your health care options, to articulate your wants and needs for a time when you are not able to speak for yourself. If something unexpected were to happen tomorrow, what care would you want to receive – or not receive? These decisions are challenging and this session helped understand why you need an Advance Care Plan, how to select a substitute decision maker and how to create your own plan.

This session was presented by Denyse Burns, founder of Madison-Burns & Associates, a Toronto firm specializing in executive coaching, communication and Leadership consulting. She is also an End-of-Life Doula.

7 Keys to Navigating a Life-Changing Diagnosis

POSTPONED … please note that this session originally announced for Wednesday, November 20 at 2 p.m. is being re-scheduled… details to be posted soon

This presentation is based on the book Hope For The Best Plan For The Rest by palliative care physician Dr. Sammy Winemaker and prominent researcher Dr. Hsien Seow. The presentation sets out ways for you and your caregivers to navigate a life-changing diagnosis. It provides a roadmap for thinking about, talking about and managing any diagnosis – these strategies will increase your awareness and confidence, and empower anyone in this demanding situation cope better. You will learn how to:

Stay positive yet realistic through the illness journey

Use your values and preferences to guide health care decisions

Understand patient rights and how to speak up

Navigate through the complex health care system

Presenter Bina Feldman has worked in the field of adult education for over 30 years. She was the principal of her own company delivering Training & Development seminars, nationally and internationally. Bina is a retired professional trainer, consultant, performance coach and keynote speaker.

End of Life Decisions – Tuesday, December 3 at 10:00 AM

In a society where end-of-life care is becoming increasingly complex, this session will provide you with an overview of your end-of-life choices in Ontario today. You will learn about:

• Conventional medical care, hospice palliative care, medical assistance in dying and other end-of-life choices

• How the Advance Care Planning process underlies all of these choices

• Additional resources that will assist you making informed decisions about the choices you make

Dr. Leith Drury is a high-performance sports psychology consultant practicing in Toronto. As a world champion age group triathlete, with a doctorate in sport psychology, she has studied, trained, and lived high performance. She works with coaches and athletes to maximize their performance, potential and engagement to enhance the impact of their leadership.

Leith has worked with athletes who have won Olympic gold medals, with Paralympians, and with teams who have become Commonwealth of Independent States champions. Business people and artists are also part of her consulting practice. In addition to consulting, Leith’s special interests include beekeeping.

Retirees Sought for Research Studies at York University

One of the most important contributions retirees can make to the University is through participation as research subjects in projects that focus on older adults. This is especially meaningful for York University, which has a Faculty of Health as well as the Centre for Aging Research and Education (YU-CARE). Participation of YURA members is crucial for the doctoral students who are undertaking studies that will contribute to discovery and new knowledge.

YURA members are encouraged to take part in two studies (described below) for which University ethics approval has been obtained. Participation in these studies is not limited to retired employees. Spouses, other family members and friends who meet the participant criteria are also welcome to contact the doctoral students leading these studies.

Macular Degeneration Study

People with age-related macular degeneration as well as healthy individuals without eye disease are being sought to participate in a neuroimaging study at the Perceptual Neuroscience Lab, under the supervision of Dr. Jennifer Steeves (Professor of Psychology). The study is approximately 2 hours long and compensation will be provided. If requested, participants will also receive their brain images. Please note that people who have had cataract surgery are assessed to see if they can be added to the pool of healthy participants because having the surgery has been shown to reverse the visual brain changes that occur due to cataracts. If you are interested in helping with this study, please reach out to the study leader, Aysha Kinakool (PhD candidate), by e-mail at: ayshak@yorku.ca To view for the poster for this study, please click here.

Shoulder Pain Study

This study will explore whether shoulder pain Influences muscle health and movement quality. Forty adults 55 years and older with and without existing shoulder pain (20 with pain and 20 without) are being sought, hopefully with an even balance across both genders. Exclusion criteria include having metal present in the body, current pregnancy and any other contraindications to MRI. The study will take place in the Sherman Health Science Research Centre on the Keele campus. Participants will be asked for a commitment of approximately 3 hours where they will undergo MR imaging of their right shoulder, ultrasound imaging of the same shoulder, movement analysis during multiple elevations and activities of daily living, and a series of force exertions. The study leader is Stephen Boulanger, PhD candidate in Kinesiology and Health Science, supervised by Dr. Jaclyn Hurley. The attached poster provides an overview of the project. If you are interested in participating in this study, please reach out to Stephen by e-mail at: sbou11@yorku.ca To view for the poster for this study, please click here.

Report on the 2024 YURA AGM

The 2024 Annual General Meeting of the York University Retirees’ Association took place on Friday, November 1^st.

The guest speaker was Dr. Glen A. Jones, Professor of Higher Education, and former dean of the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto. Dr. Jones holds the Ontario Research Chair in Postsecondary Education Policy and Measurement, and he is the Director of the Centre for the Study of Canadian and International Higher Education.

Dr. Jones is a past president of the Canadian Society for the Study of Higher Education, a former editor of the Canadian Journal of Higher Education, and is regarded as a leader in education with considerable insight on both the current state and future direction of higher education in Canada, North America and beyond. More information about Dr. Jones, a summary of his comments and photos taken at the event along with the agenda, minutes and reports for the AGM’s business meeting can be found by clicking here.

YURA Walkers Raise $15,000 for Student Food Support

Thirteen members of the York University Retirees’ Association, accompanied by three members of university staff, walked 5 km around the Keele Campus on October 1^st to raise funds for student food support. In total, more than $15,000 has been raised to date from donations received to sponsor walk participants from retirees, friends, family and former co-workers and colleagues.

For the full story with photos, please click here.

Memberships for 2024-2025

YURA memberships for the 2024-2025 year (October 1 through September 30) are now available. The membership renewal form is available by clicking here.

YURA members receive quarterly issues of the YURA Newsletter and ongoing bulletins and e-mail communications with information about YURA and activities available to our members. This website includes links to key websites for retirees (“Retiring at York”) as well as information about member privileges, events, and YURA’s role in representing its members’ interests with York University.

Retired York employees who wish to join YURA are most welcome to do so. For more information, instructions and the application form, please click here.

YURA Café Has Resumed for Fall 2024

This popular online monthly coffee hour moderated by Fran Wilkinson, professor emerita of psychology, offered on the second Tuesday of the month at 10:00 a.m., resumed September 10th.

At the September 10th session, the new editors of the YURA Newsletter, Steve Glassman and Richard Weisman, shared some of their plans for the publication and participants offered comments and suggestions. {The Fall issue of the YURA Newsletter, the first produced by Steve and Richard, was circulated in late September.} Ideas for topics for future Café sessions were raised and discussed.

On October 8th, Shayne Dunkley, from the University’s Pension & Benefits office, attended to answer questions and provide information about post-retirement benefits and pension administration. The session was well attended and there was a helpful exchange of comments and information. Toward the end of the session, Diane Woody, YURA Co-President and events chair, sounded out participants about possible future outings and events for YURA members. Those YURA members who indicated an interest in helping with events on their membership form will be contacted about a forthcoming planning meeting.

Future dates of the YURA Café this fall are November 12 and December 10. So, pour yourself a big cup of coffee (or other preferred morning beverage) and log-in to visit with former York colleagues and co-workers. An announcement about each month’s Café, including the Zoom link, is circulated by e-mail to YURA members several days before each session.

Overviews of the eight sessions of the YURA Café during the 2023-2024 year can be read by clicking here.

AROHE “Reimagining Retirement” Series available online — Upcoming events announced

During January and February 2024, AROHE, the US-based Association of Retirement Organizations in Higher Education, of which YURA is a member, presented a three-session program, “Reimagining Retirement: Exploring Your Life Plan.” This virtual learning series was designed to help retirees clarify their goals and embrace the changes that occur during this chapter of life. The social, psychological, and emotional aspects of transitioning to, and living in, retirement were explored during the sessions.

“Reframing Identity Your Identity,” by Dr. Michelle Pannor Silver from the University of Toronto

“Reimagining Your Personalized Plan,” by Dr. Stacey Gordon from New York University

“Rebuilding Your Network,” featuring a panel of retired faculty and staff: Dr. Jan Blustein, New York University; Marty Howard, Boston University; Eddie Murphy, UCLA; and Dr. Louise Nasmith, University of British Columbia

For those interested or if you missed any of the sessions, the recordings can be viewed on the program website by clicking here.

Upcoming from AROHE are three online events that may be of interest to YURA members:

Virtual Summit, September 18, “Social Relationships as the Key to a Happy and Successful Retirement”
Trip Preview Webinar, September 11, highlighting AROHE’s new Travel Insitute trips for retired faculty and staff in partnership with Road Scholar
Cyber Fraud and Personal Security Insights, October 24, focusing on cyber threats and how you can protect yourself, presented by Fidelity Investments

Please check the YURA Events Calendar for more information and to register — or visit the AROHE website: https://www.arohe.org/

Donations for 2024

YURA members are encouraged to consider a tax-deductible donation to the one or more of the YURA sponsored student awards or other worthwhile YURA-sponsored projects at the University. Among these are the YURA Graduate Student Award, the William Small Award, the YURA Mature Student Bursaries, the Student Food Bank, the York Camps Subsidy Fund (for local kids from disadvantaged families) or the Access to Postsecondary Program (aimed at middle school youth from the local Black Creek community). Charitable tax receipts for such donations are provided by York University.

To make an on-line donation or to arrange monthly contributions, please click here.

Membership Survey Results Summarized

More than 60% of YURA members participated in a survey conducted in 2022 by the Association’s Executive Committee to learn about what members thought about current activities and how YURA could better support its members in the future. A summary of survey results, prepared by professor emeritus and former YURA co-president Ian Greene, can be found by clicking here.

College and University Retiree Associations of Canada (CURAC)

CURAC is the national organization of the postsecondary retirees’ associations across Canada. It speaks for the collective on a variety of public policy issues. It provides a number of important services to its members, including an annual conference that highlights best practices among its member associations and promotes collaboration. YURA was among the founders of CURAC.

All YURA members should check out the CURAC website to learn about the initiatives in which it is involved and the services and activities it offers to all retiree association members, including members of YURA. Also on the website are links to health bulletins and discussion papers on issues relating to seniors.

Of particular interest to YURA members may well be the videos of the key presentations at the CURAC Conference held at the University of Waterloo in May 2024. These are now available to view by clicking here. The YURA representatives at the conference highly recommend watching the presentation on “Resilience in Retirement” by Dr. Donald Meichenbaum and reading the handout that accompanies this video.

CURAC’s affinity partners belairdirect and Johnson Travel Insurance offer contests from time to time open to members of all CURAC member associations, including YURA. belairdirect also initiated a scholarship program this year for which progeny of YURA members may be eligible. More info…

Fred Fletcher receives the 2024 CURAC Tribute Award

Fred Fletcher, who has made significant contributions to two retiree groups at York University and has assumed key roles at the national level within CURAC, the College and University Retiree Associations of Canada, has received the 2024 CURAC Tribute Award. He was jointly nominated for this distinguished honour by YURA and ARFL (the Association of Retired Faculty and Librarians at York University). The annual awards were announced at the 2024 Annual CURAC Conference, held at the University of Waterloo May 22 to 24.

At the conference in Waterloo, Fred was also presented with the CURAC Appreciation Award by the Board of Directors of CURAC for his exemplary leadership to the organization.

Cl ick here for the full story.