TORONTO, January 28, 1998 -- The 18th Annual Residence Life Conference, to be held at York University January 30 to February 1, will welcome delegates from across North America to exchange ideas about the changing day-to-day challenges they face in helping students cope outside of the classroom.

"For many students, life at university means making a life away from home. Residence staff -- tutors, residence assistants, and dons -- help to ease the transition," said Matt Milovick, the conference coordinator and a residence tutor at York's Founders College. "Residence staff deal with some incredibly challenging issues, such as academic burnout, violence and depression, and how to foster tolerance for diversity, and we hope this conference will be a forum for them to share experiences and insights into how to deal with these issues."

Residence life staff at Queen's University, University of Ottawa, Concordia, McGill and Carleton will be at the conference, after a long, tough month dealing with the effects of the crippling ice storm in their region. Students were hurt particularly hard by the storm because many of them did not have the built-in support systems that many long-time residents had.

Conference sessions cover a range of issues, including how to foster conflict resolution skills among students, and how to deal with privacy issues when your residence has co-ed washrooms. A session entitled "Nursery Rhymes and Pick Up Lines" asks participants to take a closer look at their attitudes about sexual assault, sexual aggression, and male and female sexuality. Conference participants will also learn about Rohypnol (the date-rape drug), money management, encouraging cultural diversity, and eating disorders.

The conference begins with an opening reception, welcoming approximately 350 delegates from 33 colleges and universities, on the evening of Friday, January 30. York University President Dr. Lorna Marsden will deliver one of the conference's keynote addresses at 9:15 am on Saturday, January 31, in Vari Lecture Hall A. Roundtable discussions and sessions run throughout the day January 31 and February 1. The conference headquarters will be located in the Vari Hall Rotunda at York University, 4700 Keele Street.

A conference agenda and more information is available at the conference web site (http://www.yorku.ca/admin/sa/donpro/conf1998.html), or by contacting:

Sine MacKinnon
Senior Advisor for Media Relations
(416) 736-2100, ext. 22087
email: sinem@yorku.ca

Alison Masemann
Media Relations Officer
(416) 736-2100, ext. 22086
email: masemann@yorku.ca
YU/009/98