Re: “York profs criticize early reading week,” news, nov. 3, 2010
As a course director in the faculty of health, department of psychology, I am in full agreement with York history professor Craig Heron regarding the disruption the early reading week caused to both faculty and students.
As professor Heron said, reflecting the concerns of several faculty, “the momentum of teaching is broken by a week off after only four weeks of classes.” I would add that several of my students were be-fuddled by the arrival of an early reading week and could see no reason for it at that early date.
Over my many years of teaching at York, I have found that for both myself and my students, a period of adjustment from the summer break takes about two to three weeks as we move into the new fall term. By the time that adjustment is accomplished, an early reading week now intervenes and a further readjustment then commences as both my students and I return to the classroom after the premature break.
In the article, Norma Sue Fisher-Stitt, associate vice-president of academic learning initiatives, explained the necessity of providing students extra support: “This is when,” she states, “first-year students make transitions into university and it can be a bit of a jolt.”Letmeadd that the “bit of a jolt” seems to have taken hold of both faculty and students who are subjected to this early reading week interruption and I question the wisdom of it, plain and simple.
If first-year students require extra support, then some additional accommodations might be made that do not necessitate interruption to the momentum of the term.
Further, let us not underestimate the resilience of new students to the “transitions” that Fisher-Stitt has noted, and thereby not be so quick to intervene with the so-called “extra support” of a too-early reading week that just may interfere with students’ inherent adaptive capabilities to cope with the transition into university.
As Amber Downing, a first-year York student, commented regarding the timing of reading week, it “left students with too much time and too little to do.” Too much time and too little to do might be more of a “bit of a jolt” than the normative demands of uninterrupted university study.
Frank Marchese, Ph.D Course director, dept. of psychology
Re: “British activist to speak on Keele campus,” news, nov. 10, 2010
Today, I was greeted on campus by a large number of posters informing me the York Federation of Students had invited “author, activist, anti-war, British MP, broadcaster, visionary, humanitarian, freedom fighter” George Galloway to speak at York on November 16, 2010. It seems as though the poster forgot to add one final descriptor: Hamas donor. In 2009, Galloway made a personal donation of £25,000 [about $40,800 CDN] directly to Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh. Elected or not, Hamas is classified a terrorist organization by the Canadian government. The group is responsible for suicide bombings as well as human rights violations against its own people, especially the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. I find it difficult to take Galloway’s condemnation of the West seriously in light of his donation to a far more oppressive regime.
Mitch Pencharz
Re: “The rally to maintain sanity,” Features, nov. 10, 2010
In light of Jon Stewart’s “Rally to Restore Sanity,” I think we can use some of that here at York. Too often people are tabling and holding rallies that make outrageous claims and push forward an agenda that supposes absolute right and wrong.
In every instance, these causes are always much deeper and more complex than the people running the table would have you believe. We are the students of a university, a derivative of the word “universe.” By definition, we must engage all sides of every issue and not focus on one point of view.
One of the best signs at the rally said it perfectly: “I understand your stance, and while I disagree, I’m pretty sure you’re not a Nazi.” I guess I just wish for all York stu- dents who fight for causes to keep fighting for those things for which they feel pas- sionate – just don’t be outrageous about it.
Joshua Goldberg
Re: “re: ‘York fails to nab an “a,”’” letters, nov. 10, 2010
What Brittany Sammy fails to realize in her letter is that the bookworms at other univer- sities experience the same struggles we do. They’re working part-time jobs and volunteering just as much as we are – students at U of T downtown have higher rent with less space and still they volunteer, still they work and have relationships while succeeding in their studies. York is not that different.
Generally speaking, the idea we are here at York to be social butterflies, as opposed to bookworms, is anti-intellectual and ignorant. It’s exactly why I got a handout on essay writing basics in a fourth-year honours seminar. Most of us did not come to York to learn how to be useful “future workers of Ontario.” I would have gone to college if I merely wanted to be a skilled employee.
Frankly, I don’t know how we York students “exemplify individuality, culture and creativity among the masses” when I’ve had four years of English and philosophy where students either have no opinions or no courage to speak up. If you’re too afraid to speak up in a classroom, how will you speak up when your boss asks you to break the law?
If you’re here at York University to stay in high school, that’s great – but please, get out of my classroom and out of my program. I am sick and tired of seeing you on Facebook or Newgrounds while the rest of us work our asses off to become better people rather than better employees. This social butterfly approach to university has almost ruined the liberal arts education. I’ve had my struggles with York’s bureaucracy and I lived through the strike, but even with this school’s many issues, I can’t help feeling that sometimes York’s students fail us more than York’s staff.
Ernest Reid
Re: “overachievers, underperformers,” editorial, nov. 10, 2010
Thank you! Finally, a voice has said what’s been on my mind for so long, and I’m sure I’m not the only one who feels this way! My experiences so far at York have not been what I expected, especially when compared to those of my friends at other universities.
As a commuter, I don’t have the opportunity to be part of that “York spirit.” Even though York tries to engage its students by holding events, it isn’t enough. The student population is fragmented and the average class has around 200 people. The average student doesn’t get to know their classmates or professor at all, which I find alarming.
I always knew that the university experience would require hard work, but there should also be time for fun. I don’t know what York can do to make the campus feel more comforting while embracing the social student atmosphere. While I agree York has many places and spaces to eat and hang out, that alone can’t help students feel welcome. The community needs to become more tight-knit in order to bring that social student experience to fruition.
Nathalie Filarski
