NEWSWIRE

York students gain election experience
as York graduates win nine seats

Arifin	Bracken	Hagan	O'Toole	Singh

Nine York alumni from among the 32 candidates with connections to the University won seats in Ontario's39th general election on Oct. 10. Not suprisingly, with a second majority win by the Ontario Liberals, six of the nine were members or Premier Dalton McGuinty's team, led by Finance Minister Greg Sorbara who won with 61.9 per cent of the votes in his Vaughan Riding. All five current York students who ran finished third including Andy Arifin (Markham-Unionville), Shane O'Toole (York West) Mani Singh (Brampton-Springdale) and Shona Bracken (Toronto Danforth). Grad student and alumna Janice Hagan (Oak Ridges-Markham) also finished third as did York Professor Gail McCabe, who ran for the NDP in Mississauga-Streetsville. York's political scientists had a lot to say about the vote to provincial media.

York’s new president to be installed Wednesday
The installation of Mamdouh Shoukri as president and vice-chancellor of York University will take place Wednesday, Oct. 17 at 3pm. Faculty, staff and students are welcome to view a simulcast of the ceremony in one of four venues on the Keele campus.

Three original thinkers to receive York honorary degrees
York University will confer honorary degrees on three distinguished individuals during its Fall 2007 Convocation ceremonies, which run from Oct. 19 to 21. The recipients are Denise Chong, acclaimed journalist and author; Dr. Sheela Basrur, former Chief Medical Officer of Health for Ontario and champion of the public health system, and Charlotte Gray, celebrated author and historian.

IRIS launches lecture series with the culture of flushing
Jamie Benidickson comes to York this week to talk sewage. He's the author of The Culture of Flushing: A Social and Legal History of Sewage. Benidickson’s examination of the social and legal history of sewage in Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom demonstrates that the uncontroversial reputation of flushing is deceptive.

Soccer Lions are ready for the playoffs
With three wins out of four on the weekend, York's soccer teams look forward to home-field advantage for the post-season. Ranked number one in the country, the men's team suffered its first loss while the women's team won two weekend games.

Women's hockey Lions on a roll, tennis Lions win gold
It’s still early, but the York Lions women’s hockey team seems intent on ending its four-year playoff drought. In tennis, York's men's team won the provincial university championship on the weekend.

Finding the silver lining in unemployment
They’re two phrases most of us dread to hear: “We’re going to have to let you go” and “You’re fired”. But according to research conducted by Professors Jelena Zikic and Julia Richardson, job loss can lead to positive outcomes.

Motherhood conference will highlight mothers' own health
York University’s 11th annual conference on motherhood, hosted by the Association for Research on Mothering, will focus on something mothers too often ignore – their own health and well-being. The Maternal Health and Well-Being Conference will be held in downtown Toronto from Oct. 17 to 20.

Poet alumnus returns to York with 'beautiful thinking'
Christian Bök's delivery of his poem "Seahorses and Flying Fish", which can only be described as that of a caffeine-addicted alien with a Scottish accent, set the tone for a rousing night of experimental poetry in the lastest edition of the Canadian Writers in Person series.

Swahili language program is one of two in Canada
York is one of only two universities in Canada to offer students the chance to add Swahili to their language repertoire. As many as 70 million people speak Swahili. It is the official language of Tanzania and Kenya and is spoken in countries ranging from Somalia in the north to South Africa.

Ondaatje and Vassanji make Giller Prize short list
Work by two authors with connections to York University have been included in the short list for the Scotiabank Giller Prize. They include former Giller prize winners Michael Ondaatje, a Glendon English professor, and M.G. Vassanji, a York honorary degree recipient.

New book examines the public side of sleep
Kenton Kroker is interested in a good night’s sleep. As a professor in the Division of Natural Science in York’s Faculty of Science & Engineering, Kroker has documented the more unusual aspects of sleep in his new book The Sleep of Others.

A tribute to film guru James Beveridge
York’s Department of Film honoured its founding Chair with an event titled A Tribute to James Beveridge, featuring the Toronto premiere screening of the feature documentary The Idealist: James Beveridge, Film Guru, written and directed by his daughter, York alumna Nina Beveridge.

Women's basketball shows support for breast cancer research
The York Lions women's basketball team showed their support for breast cancer research in a fundraising exhibition game on Oct. 3. The event was a win-win night for the York Lions and the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation (CBCF).

Schulich scores another ranking victory
The Schulich School of Business at York was number one in Canada and number three in the world in a global ranking of the top 100 MBA programs that are incorporate social and environmental business issues into the main curriculum. It's the fifth straight independent global survey in the past two months to rate Schulich the number one business school in Canada.

Humanity in Harmony festival mixes cultures
Classical piano and flute from Ghana mingled with dance, poetry and mime in the second annual Humanity in Harmony festival. The interdisciplinary performance collaboration, by York University faculty, students and members of the community, was conceived by alumnus Isaac Akrong, a York PhD student in ethnomusicology.

Atkinson celebrates teaching excellence
Two Atkinson professors have won the Dean's Award for Excellence in Teaching this year: Gervan Fearon Michael Rochon. The teaching awards recognize commitment to enhancing positively impacting student success.

Film Professor John Greyson wins Bell Award in Video Art
John Greyson, professor of film in York’s Faculty of Fine Arts, is the winner of the 2007 Bell Award in Video Art. The Toronto-based filmmaker, video artist, writer, activist and educator’s productions have won accolades at festivals throughout the world.

Inuit leader lectures on Arctic sovereignty
Mary Simon, president of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, Canada's national Inuit organization, will give a public lecture titled, "Inuit and the Canadian Arctic: Sovereignty Begins at Home", on Thursday, in the Senate Chamber, on York's Glendon campus.

Four profs win Ontario teaching awards
Four York professors are among 100 faculty at Ontario’s colleges and universities who won 2007 Leadership in Faculty Teaching Awards. They are law Professors Mary Jane Mossman and Peer Zumbansen, political scientist Saeed Rahnema and computer scientist Hamzeh Roumani.