CAMPUS NOTES

New Year orientation event
York Student Community & Leadership Development Orientation 2006-2007 continues this week with the final event in a series aimed at new January-entry students.

  • January Information Fair and Open House on Jan. 10
    New students can tour the information booths in Central Square and Founders Assembly Hall to learn about York services and clubs. They can then mingle with their peers and enjoy free food, entertainment and games in Vanier’s “Renaissance Room”. Hosted by Centre for Student Community & Leadership Development and York Federation of Students. For more information, click on www.yorku.ca/orientation.

Recreation York offers free demo week
Looking for a way to shed those extra holiday pounds or fulfill some of your New Year's resolutions? Look no further than Recreation York. Whether you're interested in learning a new dance, picking up a martial art, or simply getting in shape, Recreation York has something for you.

All this week , Recreation York offers a free Demo Week at the Tait McKenzie Centre. There are a wide range of activities to sample, all at no cost to you. Try out instructional programs in aquatics, dance, martial arts, fitness and sports. If you like them, you're welcome to sign up for the rest of the term.

Visit the Tait MacKenzie Centre and sample any class listed below:

  • Aquatics – aquafit, swimming
  • Dance – ballet, ballroom, belly, cardio hip hop, cardio salsa, choreography dance mix, hip hop, Latin, salsa nightclub-style Latin, modern, tango
  • Martial Arts – capoeira, grappling, Muay Thai, Shaolin Kempo karate
  • Mind/Body Fitness – on-the-ball, pilates, power yoga, Tai Chi, restorative yoga, yoga
  • Sports – tennis, squash, skating, hockey

For more information and a complete schedule for Demo Week, call the customer service desk at ext. 55185 or pick up a flyer at the Tait McKenzie Centre.

Counselling & Development Centre wants your input
When was the last time you believed you could influence changes at York? By taking a few moments to complete this survey conducted by the Learning Skills Program (LSP), part of York's Counselling and Development Center, you can add your voice to empower change.

York bookstore opens basement for textbook browsing in January
The York University Bookstore will open the basement text floor to customers and extend its hours during the January rush. Because traffic during January is less intense than in September, the bookstore will not employ textbook pickers to fill customer orders. This means customers will have access to both floors of the bookstore and will be free to browse and select their course materials. To maintain a comfortable shopping environment, bookstore staff will continue to monitor traffic levels.

Students can also order texts from the York University Bookstore Web site. Orders over $100 are shipped free within Ontario until Jan. 12. Many winter-term titles are already available online.

Donations sought for the Vanier Book Sale
The popular Vanier College Annual Book Sale returns Feb. 26 to March 1, 2007. Members of the York community interested in donating books for the sale can drop them off at the Office of the Master, Vanier College, 254 Vanier College Bldg., Keele campus. If you require assistance or would like someone from Vanier to pick-up your donation, contact the master’s office at ext. 55192 or e-mail vanier@yorku.ca.

All book donations are gratefully received. Proceeds from the Vanier College Annual Book Sale go toward refurbishing student space.

Call for nominations for University-Wide Teaching Awards
The University-Wide Teaching Awards honour those who, through innovation and commitment, have significantly enhanced the quality of learning for York students. Four awards are offered each year in the following categories:

  • Full-time faculty with 10 or more years’ teaching experience
  • Full-time faculty (tenured, tenure-stream, CLA) with less than 10 years’ experience
  • Contract and adjunct faculty
  • Teaching assistants

The purpose of these awards is to provide significant recognition for excellence in teaching, to encourage its pursuit, to publicize such excellence when achieved across the University and in the wider community, and to promote informed discussion of teaching and its improvement. The awards demonstrate the value York University attaches to teaching. Recipients of the awards, selected by the Senate Committee on Teaching and Learning (SCOTL), have their names engraved on the University-Wide Teaching Award plaques in Vari Hall and are recognized at convocation ceremonies.

Nominations should be submitted to the University Secretariat, N926 Ross Bldg., by Jan. 31, 2007. Further information and nomination forms can be found at the Awards Web page.

City now enforcing parking bylaws in The Village
York’s Security, Parking & Transportation Services advises all members of the York community that parking restrictions in the Tribute Communities development, The Village at York University, located south of the Keele campus, are now being strictly enforced by Toronto's parking bylaw officers, effective immediately.

Contact Parking & Transportation Services at ext. 55335 or by e-mail at parking@yorku.ca if you have any questions or would like to discuss daily or permit parking options on campus.