This Week @ York for Week of October 27, 2020

York Pride

  • Take part in York’s first-ever virtual Red & White Day on Thursday, October 29! Though we may not be together physically, this Red & White Day will be special in many ways. We encourage you to participate in activities and virtual events including demos, a fitness class, contests, a York U Bookstore sale and more! Make new connections and have fun amidst the bustle of the Fall term. Of course, don’t forget to wear red and white, or your York gear for your Zoom lectures and meetings.

  • VIDEO: 2020 York President's Report: Creating Positive Change. President Rhonda Lenton is delighted to share Creating Positive Change: 2020 President’s Report with you. This year’s report looks back at the 2019-20 academic year and tells the story of our community’s inspirational response to the challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic and how we joined together to make significant progress on our shared goals and priorities.

Health & Wellness

  • Toronto Public Health Rapid Response Team Student Information Session. Join this interactive online session for York students, delivered in partnership with Toronto Public Health’s Rapid Response Team and hear the latest information on COVID-19, how to protect yourself and others, choosing and effectively using a mask/face covering, accessing reliable advice and resources and more. You will have an opportunity to submit questions in advance using this question submission form. Registration not required. Tuesday, October 27, 4 to 5:30 p.m.

  • Health Education Workshop: Self-Care Series: Passive & Active Leisure For Exam Season. Taking breaks while studying for long periods of time can help with re-energizing yourself, but what you do during those breaks can really make a difference. Join this workshop and learn about the benefits of passive and active leisure and create your own leisure plan, which will include practical ways to engage in self-care and improve your energy levels. Tuesday, October 27, 4 to 6 p.m.

  • Workshop: Nutrition Basics: Food & Mood. This practical workshop aims to help educate students on the relationship between nutrition and food choices and how it impacts well-being and our ability to manage stress. Learn tips on mood boosting food and nutritional hacks with simple and practical recipes on a student budget. Thursday, October 29, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Registration required.

  • Workshop: Party @ Home: Drugs & Alcohol Safety (Halloween Special). Join this workshop from Health Education to review some great ideas for how to virtually party this year. They will also review safety planning and harm-reduction strategies where drugs and alcohol might be present, whether you are partying solo or with your roommates. Thursday October 29, 4 to 5:30 p.m. Registration required.

  • Workshop: Nutrition Basics: Debunking Fad Diets. Join the Health Ed peers as they reintroduce the basic building blocks of nutrition, provide tips to better understand food labels and how to make empowering choices when it comes to healthier eating on a student budget. Friday, October 30, 1 to 2:30 p.m.    

  • In addition to the Health Education workshops listed above, check out some more tips in the latest #YUBlog post, “Stay Healthy This Exam Season”.

  • REDI Workshop: Creating & Maintaining Positive Space. Join this “101” session hosted by the Centre for Human Rights, Equity & Inclusion that explores gender and sexual diversity, as well as homophobia and transphobia specific to the campus experience. Learn about using inclusive language, being a supportive ally, campus resources and creating safer spaces on campus for gender and sexually diverse students, staff and faculty. Wednesday, October 28, 1:30 to 3 p.m. Registration required.

International Connections

  • Go Global Fair. Are you planning to add an international component to your degree? Join this session and talk to the Global Learning Staff, Global Ambassadors and representatives from several exchange universities and internship placements. Special guests will be joining from around the world, including Germany, China, France, the United Kingdom, Singapore and more! Wednesday, October 28, 9 to 11 a.m. and/or 7 to 9 p.m. Registration required.

  • Halloween Virtual Party. Feeling hyped for Halloween? York International has got just the thing to add a little fright to your night with this special Halloween party! All students are welcome to join them for a spooky celebration that includes storytelling, escape room activities, a costume showcase and more. Friday, October 30, noon to 1:30 p.m. Registration required.

  • Virtual Coffee Break: Celebrating Red & White Day. Celebrate York Pride by wearing red, white, or York gear at this special Red & White Day Virtual Coffee Break! Come dressed for the occasion as they appreciate the York University Community that we are all a part of. Thursday, October 29, 1 to 2:30 p.m. Registration required.

  • View the York International Events Calendar for the full Virtual Coffee Break weekly schedule. YI’s daily Virtual Coffee Breaks are an online space for international and domestic students from across programs, Faculties, countries and cultures to connect and get to know each other! Student Leaders are on Zoom every weekday with different fun and interesting topics. When you sign up, a confirmation email with the zoom link will be sent to you upon registration.

Learning Skills

  • Drop by the new virtual Learning Commons Welcome Desk. You'll find the link at the top right of the Learning Commons website! It is an instant chat tool with Zoom integration for screen-sharing option and is available Monday to Friday from 1 to 3 p.m. This service helps you navigate academic supports and resources on campus available via the Learning Commons and is a convenient first check-in point with friendly and well-informed Learning Skills Services peers. The peers can provide direct assistance with a host of learning skills-related queries and can help you connect with the best resource or service you need, including library research, writing, career and English language support.

    Outside these hours, you can always check out the Learning Commons website for more information. The website also now offers a Learning Commons FAQ page to answer popular questions for those who prefer anytime support.

  • Learning Skills Services Workshop: Memory. Learn techniques to help you transfer all that course work information into your long-term memory, along with the strategies you’ll need to retrieve the information when you most need it. Wednesday, October 28, 10 to 11 a.m. Registration required.

  • Workshop: Critical Thinking. At university, learning involves much more than just memorizing facts and figures. This workshop will help you push beyond purely descriptive levels of thinking to deeper levels of understanding, analysis, critical thinking and evaluation. Wednesday, October 28, 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Registration required.

  • Workshop: Reading & Notetaking. Join this workshop and learn more effective reading and notetaking techniques to help you stay on top of your course work. Thursday, October 29, 3 to 4 p.m. Registration required.

  • Workshop: Time Management. Attend this workshop and learn key strategies to improve your academic achievement and confidence. Learn practical, personalized approaches to managing your time. Friday, October 30, noon to 1 p.m. Registration required.

Careers Support

  • Career Centre Webinar: How to Effectively Use LinkedIn. Join this session and learn tips on how to use LinkedIn effectively to enhance your job search. Gain insight on how you can leverage LinkedIn's features to build your professional network. Wednesday, October 28, 10 to 11:30 a.m. Registration required at Experience York.

  • Webinar: Presenting Yourself Online. Join this session to explore ways to manage your social media platforms and create a professional online presence for job searches and networking that will help impress potential employers. Thursday, October 29, 10 to 11:30 a.m. Registration required at Experience York.

  • If you have time, check out My Career Plan on the Career Centre’s eClass page. If you’d like to learn more about My Career Plan, read last week’s #YUBlog post, “Career Centre’s New Module: My Career Plan on eClass,” where the team walks you through the different sections, the Career Exploration Guide and the Career Exploration Workbook.

Academics

  • Writing Centre Workshop: Analyze Your Assignment. Join this session and learn tips on interpreting and understanding assignment expectations. Thursday, October 29, 10:30 a.m. to noon. Find the link to the Zoom session at the link above.

  • Writing Centre Workshop for International Students: Engaging Argument: Making Academic Writing Move! Learn strategic moves in essay writing, feel confident about formulating a thesis and learn to build your own argument. Thursday, October 29, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Find the link to the Zoom session at the link above.

  • Writing Centre One-to-One and Drop-in Appointments. The Writing Centre invites you to bring any writing related to academics and book a 50-minute one-to-one appointment with a writing expert. They’re open Mondays to Fridays from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Not enough time for a full appointment? Then join for a 15-minute appointment with drop-in support to have a question answered. We’re always happy to help.

  • Experience Grad Studies. The Faculty of Graduate Studies invites you to a three-day virtual event this November. This year’s virtual event features a series of information sessions and a Virtual Fair, which is your opportunity to engage with Graduate Program and Graduate Diploma representatives. Explore York's 60+ graduate programs and diplomas, and learn about funding, scholarships and how to apply. Wednesday, November 4 to Friday, November 6. See the full detailed list of information sessions and register online at the link above.

Student Support Services

Worth Repeating

  • Announcement: Hold on Resumption of Paid Parking. Paid parking had been planned to resume in November of this year as part of the University’s gradual re-opening of the campuses over the summer; however with the current rise in COVID-19 cases and the regional return to a modified stage 2 status, the reinstatement of paid parking has been put on hold until further notice. Parking will continue to remain complimentary for those individuals approved to be on campus.

  • Experiential Education (EE) Symposium 2021 Application. Did you work on a research project or field activity for a course with experiential education components that you are exceptionally proud of? If yes, you should become a Poster Presenter and show off your project virtually at the Experiential Education Symposium in January! Application Deadline: Tuesday, November 2.

  • Limited Study Spaces on Campus: Students living in proximity to campus, in undergraduate residences, York Apartments and The Quad, and those in on-campus courses have indicated a need for accessible, quiet spaces with reliable internet access to study and work on projects. In response to this need, York is making a limited number of student study spaces available to students on campus. Use of all study spaces will require pre-booking, via the study space online reservation tool.

  • To ensure your safety while on campus, we have instituted designated entrances for student access that will require your YU-card to gain entry. Please visit the Building Access on Campus web page for a map of designated building entrances and details about which buildings do not have YU-card readers and how to access them.

  • Mature Student Event Schedule. Are you a mature student at York? Are you interested in meditation or attending a casual, drop-in café hour to meet other mature students or a mature student peer mentor? Check the schedule at the link above and attend any session you wish, via Zoom.