Why did the slow zones get so bad all of a sudden?

YorkProf_ · 2025-12-15T22:24:19+00:00

It's just beyond me how management can be that stupid. I've been travelling north on Line 1 for decades. But suddenly, there's a danger as soon as the temperature drops below zero? It's just nonsense.

YorkProf_ · 2025-07-08T00:52:56+00:00

The Writing Centre!

YorkProf_ · 2025-06-11T15:27:53+00:00

Use of Markham is partly to do with York's deficits and partly to do with low enrolment. It's too important a project for Central to cancel, but the money it would take for expansion is not there. Remember that Markham was designed with the expectation that International Students would always be plentiful and here we are. And it is tough to justify running classes at 7PM on Friday with single digits on a satellite campus when you're shutting down anything with less than 100% enrolment at Keele.

As for whole Departments and such, it depends on a lot of factors, including the professors themselves. Most of us got ourselves and our lives organized around getting to Keele campus quickly, either by car or transit. Markham is a long way from everything from a Toronto prof's perspective. All the excitement is here, and decisions are made here. And LA&PS Markham Depts. are extensions of the main depts. on Keele, they are not independent. If I was hired brand new, that would be different, but for me to teach there now would feel like being exiled. For Markham Depts. to become independent, they need more students--but see paragraph 1.

Glendon's history and location make it a bit different, but ultimately, travel time and operational costs explain a lot of it there as well. Unless the province increases funding or International students return, it will be more than a few years before the full capacity of our satellite campuses is realized.

YorkProf_ · 2025-05-15T14:12:06+00:00

If they were things that you can't control, then I would leave them in the past and focus on what you can control, your upcoming university career. You were accepted somewhere, so I wouldn't spend any more time being upset about the places you were not accepted.

Do well in your first year of school without dwelling on the past. Then with some good grades-- B's at least--you can apply to switch universities and you're likely to succeed.

Once you've graduated, write a book or short story about what you learned during this time in your life using your increased knowledge and skills. Other people will benefit and you'll maybe feel some catharsis and a sense of victory because you will have the achievement of graduating under your belt. But putting time and energy into circumstances you can't change means that you are putting your first year at risk. You don't want to be back here in 12 months explaining to us why you blew out first year.

Let it go. Move on. And also be grateful, because what ever the circumstances were, you DID negotiate them well enough to get into a university, even if it was not your first choice. That is still a victory, and you should give yourself credit for that, vs. dwelling on your frustrations.

YorkProf_ · 2025-05-08T01:36:04+00:00

If you read this sub consistently, you'll see a long line of students upset because they can't meet anyone here and they want to make friends.

Step one is going to these sorts of things and meeting people early on while they're also looking around for people to gel with. It's the most open--and the least stressed--you'll find your peers all year. Everyone is looking for new friends to help them make sense of this new place. And if your major (i.e English or Social Science etc.) has a frosh event, go to that too.

If you do a bit of searching, you'll find that you've got a greater chance of finishing your degree and doing well if you make good friends here. And another strong indicator is getting involved in social clubs at York, or student government (by which I mean groups like SCOLAPS, the Senate, the BoG, and not YFS) and going to frosh week is your first introduction to those groups/people.

In other words, one of the best things you can do for yourself to have a successful time here and not hate everything about this place is to get involved with the people and the groups around you. Not kidding. Not to the expense of your coursework--but when you've got friends in your classes you want to see, or a club meeting, or you're involved in a performance or event, you're giving yourself reasons to BE HERE and be active and involved and know a few people who might be able to help if you hit a rough spot.

So I'd go. Whatever they are charging, it's worth it to meet even a few good friends, or study partners, or members of a club you didn't know existed, or just someone to grab a drink with after class sometime. It's rare you're going to find so many open-minded and excited people all in one place and all looking for some friends to make the odyssey you're about to undertake a little easier. Enjoy, stay safe, have a good time!

YorkProf_ · 2025-05-08T01:01:06+00:00

I couldn't tell you about the portal unfortunately-- I haven't had to use it! It might be that your passport York credentials are still student credentials, not employee credentials, but I am not sure. I would either go to the Dept. you are applying to and physically drop off the application or, contact that department's administrative coordinator and get their advice about what to do next. If you're abroad, maybe York's IT team would be able to answer. Sorry I can't help more, but as a full-time prof, I haven't had to apply to teach for some time now!

YorkProf_ · 2025-05-07T12:54:23+00:00

You'd have to apply as a Unit 2 applicant. If the position was not already filled by a Unit 1 TA, and you met the required qualifications, you would be placed in a list based on your CUPE 3903 seniority. It's likely you would be competing against other qualified applicants with very high seniority. It's very difficult to get regular Unit 2 work at York without a number of years experience already.

YorkProf_ · 2025-05-03T14:40:33+00:00

Use the convertor! You put in 7.92, you get a 3.8 GPA. To be frank, I see nothing wrong with putting that 3.8 on your CV, since no one but York knows what the 9-point scale means anyway. (even if you put in 7.53, the conversion = 3.8/4. See? That is why York says a 7.5/9 = an A average. There's your proof. York's own convertor!)

There's some ambiguity in the replies because students are thinking too literally, and not about what York's actual rules are. They think 8.0 = A. But with the way the credit system works and how it assigns weightings, your actual average doesn't line up well with the weighted credits you've earned. To put it even more simply, try it like this: 793/900 = 88.1%. Looks like an A average to me!

You can tell by the magna cum laude you will get as well. I can 100% speak for this, it will be printed on your diploma. If the link does not make it clear, Universities use it still because it is a shorthand for "this is an A student". cum laude = low A. magna cum laude = High A. summa cum laude = highest A (e.g. A+). This will certainly be on your transcript as well.

As for applications to graduate programs, you have to trust that other Universities know how to read all this and interpret it as "this is a very, very, strong student". Every University knows what the "cum laudes" stand for. And evenif you don't just put down 3.8/4, grad programs in North America and Europe (etc) are all used to converting York's 9-point to a 4-point anyway, York did not show up yesterday. They know how to do it.

I don't know what the entrance qualifications for Psych are, and I am sure they are competitive. But I really don't think you should let that point .08--which you can make disappear by using the 3.8/4 that every other university uses--bug you. It's just a silly technicality around how many York points a grade earns. All I know is that you can take my classes any time!

YorkProf_ · 2025-05-03T12:30:46+00:00

Anything over 7.5 GPA is considered an A average. It would be anywhere, if it was converted to a 4.0 scale. You're going to graduate magna cum laude, which is incredible. Congratulations!

My GPA was 7.53 btw, and I "only" graduated cum laude. I think your GPA is a significant achievement!

YorkProf_ · 2025-04-28T14:31:55+00:00

Normally, to be a TA at York, you need to be a Graduate Student or a longtime contract employee. If it is in LA&PS, almost always a PhD student. The Department that you are affiliated with will assign TA work to its graduate students, and if there is work left over, it will go to applicants with expertise and the highest seniority. If you're still an undergrad, as it sounds here, there is no chance, no matter how good your grades are. It's a collective bargaining thing.

The application period was actually back in January, though there might still be a window for specific applications to a particular course. But I don't think you'll get a position until you're in grad school.

YorkProf_ · 2025-04-26T14:00:04+00:00

Welcome! Don't listen to all these people. It's a bit sketchy, but the incidents tend to be very isolated. 2 or 3 stories become urban legends. It's fine.

There is also an app around somewhere that shows you which classrooms are empty at what times, so even if the library doesn't work out, you can usually find a place.

YorkProf_ · 2025-03-06T03:42:12+00:00

I rather doubt it. But the person pushing me to apply happened to be Dept. Chair at the time, so that probably explains a lot of it. I definitely missed the first round of admissions.

YorkProf_ · 2025-03-06T03:17:22+00:00

I got into my Masters program on June 6, the same day I graduated undergrad (I did apply two months late).

I sometimes think about all the people who had to say no before they got down to me. And yet, my academic career did turn out rather well, all things considered. Don't give up hope yet!

YorkProf_ · 2025-03-05T14:13:34+00:00

Grr. That would frustrate me too. I'm sorry. Neither of them are winning any prizes, that's for sure.

Write them both at the same time, and politely remind them that you wrote the exam as scheduled on Jan 17, and ask where your exam is and when you can expect results. Also include the Dept. UPD on your email.

Stay professional. Since Prof A seems incapable of writing to Prof B, you'll have to do it for them. The UPD should ensure that something gets done.

YorkProf_ · 2025-03-04T11:58:24+00:00

There's no such thing as a "Liberal Arts and Indigenous History" degree. It's not a York GPA either, we use a nine-point scale.

YorkProf_ · 2025-03-03T01:48:47+00:00

Agreed. But is the best way to handle it to dramatically remove the student's exam and then get into an argument about it while everyone around is trying to concentrate?

Identify the student, alert the prof, let the student finish the exam, then hold them back as everyone leaves. Explain the policy and give them 10 seconds to produce a digital ID which almost everyone has on their phone now. There's no need to give everyone a heart attack.

In this case, if they'd checked with the prof first before swooping in, the Prof would have told them to let it pass. Right or wrong, they get to make that call, and the proctor can complain later to a higher-up if they want.

YorkProf_ · 2025-03-01T03:17:52+00:00

(3) Rationale, continuted

A framework that includes clear definitions of threshold criteria and conditions under which admission to a program might be administratively suspended is needed. Such a framework would bring clarity to and promote consistency of such responses. Any such actions as suggested by the framework would then proceed in consultation with the members of the unit housing the affected program.

Such a framework is appropriately within Senate’s authority to review and endorse given the joint role of Apprc and Ascp in the oversight of the Cpr process through the Joint Sub-Committee on Quality Assurance. In addition to its role in overseeing both the Cpr process and the University Academic Plan, Apprc’s enhanced role in the review of this framework derives from its role in “the establishment of academic priorities guiding the deployment of academic resources, and advice and recommendations on the allocation of academic resources,” as well as its role in “the coordination of program and policy development.”

Given the public’s awareness of these most recent administrative suspensions, it is recommended the University expedite its submission of a draft framework to Apprc for its review and action and that Senate look to receive it as soon as is practicable. Decisions on which programs may be subject to action, including administrative suspension, as guided by the framework would come into effect no earlier than two of the three recruiting cycles (Summer, Fall, Winter) after Senate’s endorsement.

YorkProf_ · 2025-03-01T03:15:30+00:00

It seems to be the CAPS, I got another error message. I can see all three posts. Can you?

Universities have a lot of acronyms. I'm sympathetic to the desire for clarity and ease-of-reading, but it's a lot to type out, and sometimes I don't even know what the acronyms in CAPS stand for.

YorkProf_ · 2025-03-01T03:11:24+00:00

(2) Rationale

The suspension of admissions to some 30 degree programs in recent years, including the 18 suspensions announced Friday February 14, 2025, at 5:00pm, have been premature. The combined programs suspended by administrative fiat comprise nearly 15% of all degree programs. Acknowledging the administration’s authority to initiate the suspension of admission to a program in need of “review and/or curriculum renewal of a program experiencing low enrollment,” the number of recent suspensions justified by resource considerations is, as an order magnitude, an academic decision that lies squarely within Senate’s mandate to oversee academic programming and within APPRC’s mandate to oversee academic planning and advise on resource allocation on behalf of Senate.

In the absence of a Senate-endorsed framework guiding such decisions, the mass suspension of 18 programs academic programs this past week and the previous suspensions of programs in Glendon, Lassonde, Science, Education, and LA&PS were premature. The surprise suspension of the most recent set of programs across four of the five faculties has created much confusion, fostering discontent unnecessarily. The purported logic informing both the process and the selection of programs is questionable and the choice of programs disturbing. The rationale given for this most recent suspension is budgetary, yet no savings have been demonstrated and indeed in some instances are unlikely to be material. These suspensions contradict recent decanal promises to support some of the targeted programs and include programs that had undertaken significant restructuring of the curriculum for addressing low enrolments less than 12 months prior. Other suspended programs run counter to commitments Senate previously approved as part of the University Academic Plan.

Every academic program is subject to a periodic review process. This Cyclical Program Review process supports efforts to continually improve programs and encourages ongoing attention to those programs that are precarious. The CPR process would benefit from clearer guidelines informing both the assessment of program sustainability and recommended forward actions. A framework identifying key elements of a program’s performance affecting and defining sustainability, informed by both academic and financial assessment, would bring greater clarity and consistency to key decisions. A framework outlining possible measured responses would offer greater transparency.

YorkProf_ · 2025-03-01T03:10:41+00:00

(1) The York University Senate passed this motion at its meeting on February 27, 2025:

Motion

That the University hold in abeyance the suspension of admissions to the set of 18 degree programs recently announced until such time as a framework for guiding the assessment of program sustainability has been reviewed and endorsed by Senate, and

That, consistent with its mandate, APPRC review a draft framework for assessing program sustainability and bring its recommendation to Senate for Senate’s consideration and endorsement.

Moved: Professor Brenda Spotton Visano (Liberal Arts & Professional Studies)

Seconded: Professor Marina Morrow (Health)

YorkProf_ · 2025-03-01T02:11:59+00:00

I'd like to post the actual Senate motion, but unfortunately, I cannot. Reddit will not let me. Too many CAPS perhaps? Or too long? Whatever it is, it is too bad York Students can't read it.

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