Re: “Re: York prof questions Hillel’s advocacy,” Letters, Oct. 27, 2010
Last week’s Excalibur contained a number of letters from students accusing Jewish professor David Noble of some pretty nasty stuff in regards to his calling for the end of Hillel’s advocacy of the state of Israel.
I think the students and faculty here at York University are generally no longer listening to the constant wolf-crying of the pro-Israel personalities on campus. Norman Finkelstein once told me during an interview that pro-Zionist supporters have “mastered the art of self- victimization.”
Here at York we don’t have short memories, so we remember the case last school year when Hasbara Fellowships, a large pro-Israel group on campus, issued a press release claiming their members were assaulted while tabling in Vari Hall.
A few days later, thanks to the CCTV camera in Vari Hall, this accusation was proven false.
It’s disturbing how pro-Zionist advocates can criticize Dr. Noble while con- stantly using heavy words like “freedom,” “human rights” and “equality” when the state of Israel is engaged in the siege of Gaza, going so far as to kill humanitarians like the members of the Gaza Freedom Flotilla, trying to bring aid to the impoverished population there.
According to an old proverb, if you repeat the same lie enough times, people will start to perceive it as truth. I don’t think that’s happening here, most likely because a respectable university like York is not a place to spread such blatant misinformation.
When reading these complaints about David Noble, one should always remember to take them with a grain of salt. There is clear evidence of wolf-crying, but fortunately the York community is not made up of sheep.
Jesse M. Zimmerman
Re: “The perfect modern day library tale,” Editorial, Oct. 27, 2010
I was glad to see Excalibur cover the new Learning Commons renovation in the Scott Library, but disappointed to read your editorial on it.
It is unfortunate that editor Mike Sholars chose to write about the new space without contacting the libraries to learn first-hand about the project.
We would be very happy to give him a tour.
The Learning Commons @ Scott Library delivers on recommendations made by the Task Force on Student Life, Learning and Community (2009) – specifically its call for more student study space.
This renovation was undertaken with significant consultation from students which included focus groups, surveys, observation studies, interviews and design charrettes.
The Learning Commons project is huge, so we have broken it down into two phases. Phase one, consisting of 17,000 square feet, opened last week. Phase two is contingent on funding.
Excalibur suggests the renovation was not money well spent. The student response suggests otherwise.
Here are the benefits the Learning Commons offers York students: 344 additional study seats, which is roughly the same number of seats as Steacie; all new computer work stations; ubiquitous outlets for laptops; more options for students engaging in collaborative work with the addition of the Collaboratory; more quiet seating in the creation of the Salon; a richer array of services in the Hub; an updated look and feel – and lots of natural light.
Some areas are still works in progress. Computer workstations are in the process of being installed in the Salon and the Collaboratory, and the Hub area was not fully operational at the time of the editorial.
As of this week, the pods in the Hub, what Sholars calls “coffee booths,” have become the home of Research, Writing and Learning Skills help – supports that were previously scattered across campus.
We’ve been asking students in Scott what they think, and the response has been overwhelmingly positive. Clearly, the students are voting with their feet!
Cynthia Archer
University librarian, York University Libraries
