York & U is an electronic newsletter for applicants and prospective applicants to York.

You’re about to begin an amazing journey – your first year of university. The prospect of leaving home or travelling to an unfamiliar place may seem overwhelming at first, but within a very short time you’ll feel as comfortable as you do in your current school. You’ll know the quickest way to class and your favorite place to eat. There are so many adventures waiting for you at York. Like meeting the person sitting next to you in class (who’s also feeling anxious about the novelty of it all and who may end up being your friend for life) or getting totally turned on by ideas and discussions in your tutorial group or going to your first football game or sitting in an outdoor café enjoying the sunshine. One thing’s for sure, dreams can take flight at university... so stretch your wings and get to know the terrain. We’re here to help you soar!


One of the many meanings of university is “a society or community” of individuals joined by a common bond or goal. At York, we’re one big community, with many smaller communities within, where you have the opportunity, not only to get a world-class university degree, but also to discover your skills and talents, experience life and find new ways to express yourself. Going to university means becoming a member of the university community. It means looking at the bigger picture, beyond classes and grades toward getting involved, making your mark and understanding what’s next in your career path.

While academics are important, your first year is the perfect time to get involved with the York campus on a number of levels, without taking a lot of time away from your studies. Getting involved in the York community helps you achieve a smoother transition from high school, make friends and get better grades!

Here are a few ways that you can get involved and make your mark on the York community. You don’t have to join or experience everything all at once but fluttering your wings in at least one or two of these activities will add an extra dimension to your university experience.

York has something for everyone with more than 240 student clubs for you to join. You can’t get bored here!

Get involved in student government or student-run services.

Become part of York is U, one of the most energetic and active student groups on campus. York is U hosts dozens of events each year, from their annual Halloween haunt, to campus clean up days, to Multicultural Week, and York’s annual birthday celebration. Show your spirit and pride and get involved!

It’s a great way to get involved and stay fit at the same time. Our April issue featured our sport and recreation facilities at York in detail. Check it out.

Whether you like going to the theatre, listening to music at midday or a symphony in the evening, York’s Faculty of Fine Arts has something to suit everyone’s taste.


Take in a guest lecture or attend an on-campus conference. Enhance your studies or learn something totally new. Lectures and conferences are usually free but contact the organizers to make sure. York attracts a wide variety of dynamic speakers. For example, Toronto Mayor David Miller, celebrated author Anne Michaels and scholar/former ambassador Michael Bell all spoke at York last school year.

For a list of upcoming lectures and conferences, check out Events at York.

One of the most common questions we get from first-year students is “What’s a college?” You will be advised about which college you belong to during your Enrolment Appointment. Okay, so then what? Let us explain.

Your college becomes your neighbourhood – a close-knit community of students, professors and administrative staff and facilities. It's made up of a student residence building along with academic building(s) where classes are held. But a college is so much more than just buildings. Colleges are like smaller communities and they can provide the one-on-one attention many students require during first year.

The college system places you in close contact with people who share your interests – academic and non-academic – and can advise you about courses and career choices. Each college is self-governing and administered by a master, academic adviser, residence life coordinator and residence dons. You’ll also have lots of opportunities to get involved in extra-curricular activities. Each college has a college council – which plans and finances a full range of social and cultural events – and an athletic council. Colleges may also have their own eateries, places to relax and socialize (common rooms), pubs, computer labs, their own newspapers and off-campus trips. It is within your college that you often find really close friends with whom you can share experiences and soar through your university years and beyond.

For more info, visit the First Year Web site college introduction page.

If you’re a newly admitted York student, you’re bound to have a lot of questions about what your first year is going to be like. Last year we built a Web site to answer questions we received from first-year students – everything from buying books, campus life and enrolling in courses, to how to get a YorkCard, choosing meal plans, and navigating the library system and more. Check it out!

We’ve compiled a comprehensive resource list that contains some of the more important numbers you might need to have. It’s always useful to keep these numbers handy and although they can be found on the Web site, it doesn’t hurt to print them and keep a hard copy on hand for quick reference. We’ve provided this list in html format, as a Word document or as a pdf.

	View the Directory now.
	Download the Directory in PDF format (32kb). Adobe Acrobat Reader is required.
	Download the Directory in Microsoft Word format (76kb)

Once you've received our offer of admission, you need to accept the offer and book your Enrolment Appointment as soon as possible! Follow the directions in the offer of admission package you receive in the mail. We also provide information about your next steps online.

June 14 – deadline for applying for residence
Remember to get your residence application in no later than this date. Any offers of guaranteed residence will not be held beyond this date. Details about applying for residence are included in your offer of admission package.

Scholarship deadlines
While many scholarship deadlines have already passed, there is still some time to apply for a few. Check out our Web site for a listing, eligibility and application requirements and deadlines.

There are always a wide variety of events planned for York students. Here are just a few of the events happening this month to give you a taste of life on campus and the services we provide our students. Some of them are open to the public; call ahead if you'd like to attend.

World View Conference
Youth Exploring Global Challenges and the Law
June 22 to 27
Osgoode Hall Law School is hosting this innovative week-long summer program to provide grade 9-12 students the opportunity to explore and learn about the interplay between current global challenges and the law, as well as the essential communications skills needed to make their voices heard and to effect change within themselves and others. To learn more, visit the conference Web site.

Jeremy Blake: Winchester Trilogy
May 12 to June 27
The Art Gallery of York University (AGYU) presents Blake's Winchester Trilogy. The Trilogy charts the dark intersection between the violent history of "American Manifest Destiny" and the eccentric means to spiritual regeneration, using as its subject the famed Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, California. Blake’s recent work includes: a video installation in New York's Times Square; participation in the 2004 Whitney Biennial; collaborations with film director P. T. Anderson (Punch Drunk Love) and musical experimentalist Beck (Sea Change). To learn more about the Winchester Trilogy, visit the AGYU Web site.

For more information about Events at York…

Paul Marmer
Fourth Year, Environmental Studies (Environment & Culture)
Minor: Biology, Faculty of Science and Engineering

Born and raised in Toronto, Paul Marmer is a mature student who was attracted to the Bachelor in Environmental Studies (BES) program because of its liberal stance and interdisciplinary approach to current events within the global arena. The program fit his interests in international equity issues, environmental and social responsibility, adaptive approaches to environmental issues and related health issues.

Marmer has been active in the Faculty of Environmental Studies community since day one and believes this to be a very important component of the learning process. He serves as a student representative for the Bachelor of Environmental Studies Students' Association (BESSA) and is very active in organizing student events. Recent events include the weekend getaway to Algonquin Provincial Park and York’s Earth Day. Marmer feels that such events provide students with a much needed break as well as a fun environment in which the students are able to interact with one another. He’s also really involved in the Faculty of Environmental Studies recruiting events because he loves to talk to high-school students, introducing them to university life and all the exciting opportunities available to them at York.

Prior to attending York, Marmer travelled abroad, exploring, as he puts it, the historic and cultural foundations of Europe, the Middle East, South and East Asia. In addition, Paul has ESL (English as a Second Language) teaching experience from Israel and Korea. He has trekked the mountains of Nepal and studied at a Zen meditation centre in southern India. When touring the "global village" he was particularly struck by the contrast that exists between the beauty of nature and the impoverished people living on these lands. It was his knowledge of the role of the West in helping to perpetuate poverty across the globe that motivated him to resume his higher education and enrol in the BES program at York. Marmer’s future plans include pursuing a Masters in Environmental Studies.

In May, Marmer left to join Professor Martin Bunch in Chennai, India (see our professor profile below), returning to Canada in September. Marmer’s three-month participation in the project is due, in part, to York’s new International Internship Program. He is a member of the research project team studying the effects of changes to the natural environment, many of which pose serious threats to human health, welfare and security. Marmer will help explore an adaptive ecosystem approach to managing the urban environment with the aim of improving the health of city dwellers. The project will offer him the opportunity to examine the effectiveness of the adaptive ecosystem system approach and then to bring this information back into the York community, fostering the circle of learning and cooperation.

Martin Bunch
Assistant Professor in Environmental Studies
Coordinator of Geographic Information Systems and Remote Sensing Certificate Program
Faculty of Environmental Studies

Martin Bunch graduated from the University of Waterloo in 2000 with a PhD in Geography, expertise in geographic information systems, a regional specialization in south India and interests in urban development, environmental management, systems thinking and complexity science. After a few years teaching at McMaster University, he found a home in the Faculty of Environmental Studies at York. Bunch was attracted to York because of the emphasis on interdisciplinary research, an orientation toward practical teaching methods and a strong Faculty with a wide breadth of academic backgrounds research interests.

As a graduate student at the University of Waterloo, Bunch began to think of the world, and the work that he does, in terms of "systems." His background is in geography, a field which tries to transcend the boundaries of the sciences by emphasizing space and place when looking at human and natural phenomena. However, in geography, as with other fields, there are few institutional settings in which interdisciplinary work is truly supported. This is because the academic world is oriented toward specialization. The Faculty of Environmental Studies (FES) at York is one of those rare places where the kind of approach that he takes to his work is wholeheartedly endorsed.

In December 2003, Bunch arrived in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India to attend the Third International Conference on Environment & Health (ICEH). The theme of the conference – Urban Planning and Environmental Management for Human Health – was based on Bunch's ongoing research project – An Adaptive Ecosystem Approach to Managing Urban Areas for Human Health. The project was funded by the Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). The conference featured approximately 130 presentations and 300 delegates from around the world including Nigeria, Cameroon, Benin, Egypt, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Nepal, Mexico, Brazil and various northern hemisphere countries. Other contributors to the ICEH include the Canadian government, government of India, the Tamil Nadu government, University of Madras, McMaster University Institute of Environment and Health and Raj Murthy, a senior aquatic ecosystem scientist at Environment Canada and president of the Karnataka Environment Research Foundation (KERF).

Bunch, coordinator of the Geographic Information Systems & Remote Sensing Certificate Program (GIS), began his research in Chennai while doing his master’s degree. His focus on Chennai continued into his doctorate and it has become central to his research today. He has travelled to India every year since 1993 to research ways to improve the health of the urban poor, particularly slum-dwellers.

Bunch is looking at an adaptive ecosystem approach that integrates the management of land, water and living organisms to promote balance and sustainability. His project is also a comparative study, building on the experiences of the Golden Horseshoe region in southern Ontario, where ecosystem approaches have been used for decades in the Toronto-Hamilton area. Bunch is applying these approaches to the Chennai context.

"New experience of the ecosystem approach in Chennai, where environmental health problems are magnitudes worse, will re-inform the approach for application elsewhere. The research will identify theoretical and practical areas for further research and promote collaborative work among Canadian and Indian partners," said Bunch. "The candid comparison between developed and developing countries will contribute theoretical models for ecosystem management focused on the protection and enhancement of human health."

Following the ICEH, Bunch conducted a one-day post-conference workshop he developed and organized on GIS and IT Tools for Information Sharing in Planning and Environmental Management. This workshop was supported by a $4,000 York Incentive Grant. This spin-off project would have the potential to result in future research opportunities for the York community, he says.

Bunch will return to Chennai this summer with several Faculty of Environmental Studies professors, four Master in Environmental Studies students, one York intern (read our student profile to meet him) and Mike Jerret from the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California. The team will undertake an approach using GIS and spatial analysis and the application of a standard survey tool to understand the environment and health context of slum dwellers in Chennai. “As a result of our research, we will then help the community generate action plans," explained Dr. Bunch.