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Retention Council Minutes

RETENTION COUNCIL

Thursday, April 22, 2010: 10.00 – 12.00 noon
1014 TEL

Attendees: John Amanatides, Jeffrey Ball, Cherie Bova, Mauro Buccheri, Peter Cribb, Mazen Hamadeh, Carolyn Edgecombe, Pamela Edgecombe, Rosanna Furgiuele, Debbie Hansen, Kari Hoffman, Jennifer Lavigne, David Leyton-Brown, Don Murdoch, Praveen Muruganandan, Modupe Olaogun, Brian Poser, Marie Rickard, Mark Robertson, Catherine Salole, Khushbu Sorot, Lynda Tam, Diane Twombly (on behalf of Jennifer Bramer), Lara Ubaldi, Peggy Warren, Marty Williams, Ros Woodhouse, Stanley Tweyman, Josephine Campanelli Zeeman

Regrets: Jennifer Bramer, Christina Bregar, Paul Brienza, Carrie Brodi, Barbara Brown, Marie-Helene Budworth, Noel Chan, Donna Cope, Terry Conlin, Susan Dimock, Joanne Duklas, James Elwick, Chantal Joy, Grace Kim, Marilyn Lambert-Drache, Polly MacFarlane, Ross McMillan, Jennifer Myers, Dan Rothnie, Anders Sandberg, Nancy Sperling, Paul Swarney, Karen Swartz, Stan Taman, Susan Vail, Susan Warwick, Marc Wilchesky, Mark Wilson, Ken Withers, Maxine Wood, Craig Wright, Gayathry Wright

Chair: Rob Tiffin
Note Taker: Suharshi Perera
Co-Chair: Norma Sue Fisher-Stitt
 
  1. Welcome

    • Rob Tiffin welcomed everyone to the meeting.
    • Last meeting for 2009/10.
    • White Paper is going to Senate today, for endorsement.

  2. Review notes from February Meeting
    • The group reviewed the notes from the last meeting.
    • Rob Tiffin mentioned that the number of residence requirement remains similar to the last year. This can be due to the off campus accommodation available at Tribute Community. He also mentioned that value added activities should be incorporated into residence so it is more appealing to incoming students. A small working group is currently working on it.

  3. Learning Commons
    • Mark Robertson presented the latest developments regarding the Learning Commons in the Scott Library. He also distributed a handout with more information. His PowerPoint presentation is attached with the notes. 
    • Learning Commons Partners → Libraries, Writing Department, Counselling & Disability Services & Career Centre
    • Workshops → Research, Learning Skills, Career Services & Joint research/learning skills/career services workshops
    • Mark also presented the floor plan to the group.
    • Need for student seating → social learning, informality, flexibility, technology rich environment
    • Former staff space will be open for group work.
    • Renovation Phase 2 → Quiet study area, computer work stations, 2 class rooms
    • http://www.library.yorku.ca/ccm/Home/learning-commons  → new updates will be added soon.
    • 350 student seats will be added. Current ratio is 15 students per seat. This ratio is very high. The average should be around 9 students per seat.
    • Glendon → Plans to renovate Frost Library. Lack of funds / no learning commons
    • How can colleges contribute to Learning Commons?
    • Questions were raised regarding the role of the Research Desk. Librarians present at the meeting emphasized that they are not recommending materials for students.
    • There will also be more support to students in terms of technology & soft wares.

  4. Orientation
    • Rob suggested everyone to read the article "Disappointment, Misunderstanding & Expectations: A Gap Analysis of NSSE, BCSSE, & FSSE" by the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario.

          http://www.heqco.ca/SiteCollectionDocuments/NSSEBCSSEFSSEENG.pdf

    • Fine Arts → First Year Mentors will contact the Mentees before Orientation. More students are volunteering to become mentors as they realize that they also benefit as much as the mentees. A film about the advising process is also available online and is a useful tool for distance students.
    • Vanier College→ Program Specific Orientation so students can familiarize themselves with the college space.
    • Due to structural (space) issues, program specific orientation cannot be held in the some departments.
    • ACMAPS → Mature Student Academic Orientation
      • Saturday, August 28 (10.00 – 11.30 a.m.)
      • Wednesday, September 1 (5.30 – 9.00 p.m.)
    • Presidents of College Councils are organizing social orientation events.

  5. Peer Mentoring
    • Make Connections with Alumni to be Mentors.
    • New College → Star Mentors Program
    • Build a network of contacts around programs.
    • Colleges could collaborate with Alumni Office.
    • If anyone has information regarding Alumni who want to be mentors please send them to Jeff Ball (jball@yorku.ca) at the Alumni Office.
    • Glendon → Bilingual Buddies Program pairs an Anglophone with a Francophone (Social Mentoring)
    • Calumet → Mentors were disappointed as Mentees did not contact them.
    • Skill enhancement is needed for the Mentors.
    • Pan University Peer Mentoring Sessions → Pool resources & offer more coordination
    • RIAT Update → Phase 2 Consultation, received feedback from the focus groups. More Videos will be added. There were complaints about the amount of reading. More voiceovers will be done to represent different accents. Students want a reward at the completion of the tutorial.

  6. Fall Co-Curricular Week
    • Critical time for first year students.
    • We need to reach out to students so they will receive early feedback on their performance.
    • There will be a common website which will list all the events.
    • Planned Events for 2010
      • LA&PS → Workshops for International Students (Centre for Student Success + York International)
      • Glendon → Skills building/library workshops (repeat from last year), social activities for commuters
      • Bethune → Math review sessions , Career Centre & Learning Skills Workshops
      • SSB → Conference, Career Centre Workshops
    • 2009 Events Review
      • FES → Advising sessions were least popular in 2009.
      • Winters → ESL based writing workshops were popular
      • Vanier → 12 hour study session was popular & worked extremely well.
      • Career Centre → Most popular: Resume/cover letter workshops, 2 day self development/self exploration series, time management & stress management workshops.
      • Calumet → Peer Mentoring Training Sessions
      • Health → Foundational Skills, Statistics Tutorial, ESL Specific Session
      • Stong → Residence Readathon
      • Library → Intro to Undergraduate Skills, Practical Skills → Ref Works
    • Norma Sue thanked all the departments/colleges for their help in coordinating events for the Fall Co-Curricular Week.
  7. First Year Experience
    • Norma Sue and Rob Tiffin are working on how to implement specific programs relevant to First Year Experience.

  8. Other Business
    • Norma Sue wished everyone a wonderful summer.
    • Next Retention Council Meeting will take place prior to the Fall Co-Curricular Week.

Meeting ended at 12.00 noon.