NEWSWIRE

International Women's Day events
include film festival and exhibits

Thursday, March 8, is International Women’s Day and York is celebrating with a series of events, including a photography exhibit, a film festival and a panel discussion over the next two days. Coordinated by the Office of the Ombudsperson & Centre for Human Rights, this year’s celebration focuses on the theme CanAIDa and Beyond: Realities of HIV/AIDS – Racism, Sexism and Human Rights. Events kick off tomorrow and run through Thursday.

YU-card now offers flex dollars
In addition to being a photo identification card, meal plan card and a library card, the YU-card can now be used as a prepaid debit card to conveniently purchase items on campus. The YU-card acts as a prepaid debit card, not a credit card.

Lions win Ontario women's basketball title
For the first time since 1981-1982, the York Lions are Ontario University Athletics champions in women’s basketball. With an 87-79 win over the second-ranked McMaster Marauders on March 4, the fifth-ranked Lions claimed OUA supremacy in a thrilling victory at Burridge Gym in Hamilton.

York’s personalized service attracts top applicants
York sets itself apart from the competition with its personalized "information & inspiration" approach to recruiting the best and the brightest future students. To attract excellent students, York creates a compelling offer experience that includes the biggest on-campus event for prospective students – March Gala.

York celebrates World Community Grid Day
After just a few weeks, the York University Research team on the World Community Grid is already near the top 100 of more than 14,000 teams on the grid worldwide who provide access to their idle PCs. Members of the York team have accounted for almost two full years of accumulated research on such projects as fighting AIDS and cancer.

York teams shine in Osgoode Cup
York walked away with the first and third prizes in last weekend’s Osgoode Cup National Undergraduate Mooting Competition. The York champions – first-year biology student Peter Phua and fourth-year philosophy student Lenci Kadavil – only had Friday to prepare for the weekend competition.

Fine Arts Festival celebrates the arts in the heart of the GTA
York University’s Faculty of Fine Arts celebrates the next wave of outstanding young talent in the visual and performing arts with the York Fine Arts Festival, running March 9 to April 1. This year’s festival features more than 40 public events.

Acclaimed African author to visit York
Internationally acclaimed Somali writer Nuruddin Farah is making York one of only two stops in Canada during his promotional tour for his latest novel Knots. Farah, who has been referred to as “the most important African novelist to emerge in the past 25 years” will appear at four separate events at York on March 8.

York asked to unite to 'Take Back Our Campus'
On March 7, the York community will be asked to unite to "take back our campus". The event, organized by the Sexual Assault Survivors’ Support Line, will feature speakers from a variety of organizations on campus, performers and information booths that will allow students to learn more about sexual assault and safety on campus.

Vanier Productions presents student play this week
This week Vanier College Productions presents the premier of Freshman 15: Sex! Drugs! and Student Loans!, a new play by student Ellen Ross Stuart. Set in a university residence, the 90-minute play "offers glimpses of the many people you interact with during the year but hardly ever get to know," says Stuart.

Call for nominations for graduate/Osgoode students
York’s Student Senator Caucus is accepting nominations for graduate/Osgoode student nominees to the York University Board of Governors. The caucus makes a recommendation to the board based upon the election results.

Student award celebrates
the legacy of a multicultural pioneer
Before most people had even heard the term "multiculturalism", the late Daniel Iannuzzi was bringing it to life. Now, a $30,000 donation to establish a student award in Italian studies in his name has been made to the York University Foundation.

Dance instructor receives the first-ever Premier's arts award
Peggy Baker, a guest instructor of dance in York's Faculty of Fine Arts, has been awarded the first-ever Premier's Award for Excellence in the Arts. The Ontario Arts Council selected Baker from more than 190 nominees for her outstanding achievements and contributions to arts and culture in Ontario.

Pianist Casey Sokol takes centre stage in Faculty Recital Series
Musical explorer extraordinaire, pianist Casey Sokol takes centre stage on March 8 for the final concert in the Faculty Recital Series of York University’s Music Department. He will be joined by CBC broadcaster and York alumnus Andrew Craig.

Understanding Spinoza and the essence of democracy
York professor Brayton Polka’s newly published study of the ideas of 17th-century philosopher Baruch Spinoza is likely to get serious attention. The book launch for this two-volume study of Spinoza’s three major works on religion, politics and ethics, takes place on March 6 from 4:30-6:30pm in the Renaissance Room at Vanier College. 

Wayson Choy celebrates his 'magic carpet ride'
It was eight years ago that Wayson Choy first appeared at the Canadian Writers in Person series - a lucky number in Chinese culture. On his return, Choy treated his audience to an evening of stories about "the magic carpet ride that brought me here."

Authors win Shaughnessy Cohen prize for Young Trudeau
Former Glendon professor Monique Nemni and her husband Max have been named winners of this year's Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing for volume one of their trilogy, an intellectual biography of Pierre Elliott Trudeau, entitled Young Trudeau: Son of Quebec, Father of Canada, 1919-1944. 

Lecturer honoured by Hispanic Canadian professors
The Association of Hispanic Canadian Professors has honoured Pastor Valle-Garay, a Spanish-language lecturer with York’s Faculty of Arts, and York graduates Camille-Esther Beniluz, Sara Kun and Helen Mayer, all Spanish majors in York’s Department of Languages, Literatures& Linguistics, with merit plaques and diplomas in recognition of their scholarship and outstanding academic and community accomplishments. 

Seager talks about animal rights and feminism
Dean Joni Seager of York’s Faculty of Environmental Studies provided a room full of students with unique insights into the connections between animal rights and feminism at an event hosted by the recently founded York Animal Rights Group.