New Initiatives
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Employees from the Office of the University Registrar (OUR) took the opportunity to connect, relax, and participate in several stress-busting activities at the OUR's first Drop-in Break Time on May 17. Stay tuned for future social and wellness activities for OUR employees.

The Office of the University Registrar’s Strategy, Planning & Projects Team recently launched an intranet for advising colleagues across the institution, an online website focused on sharing resources, upcoming development opportunities and key information to facilitate referrals between teams.

The Atkinson Centre for Mature and Part-Time Students will be introducing a new initiative for summer 2023 to support mature, part-time and transfer students: Transition Coaches. The Transition Coaches program will assist new incoming students with next steps after they enrol in courses.

Learning Skills Services introduced a new workshop this year that quickly became one of the top five in-demand topics. In the new Motivation & Procrastination workshop, students learn about why we procrastinate, what drives our motivation and strategies to overcome barriers to getting down to work.

Career Education & Development celebrated another year of student success during the Becoming YU End of Year Celebration in March. Awards were presented to: Althea Parala and Jack Onorati (LA&PS) for 2023 Coach of the Year and Eleseo Hernandez and Shania Mendes for 2023 Students of the Year.

On Thursday, February 23, & Friday, February 24, advising colleagues from across the institution came together for the 8th annual YUAdvise Conference. Over 1.5 days, participants learned, shared & engaged in brainstorming focused on rebuilding connections & co-authoring the future of York advising.

International Women's Day is a global celebration of the achievements of women, and a call to action for gender equality. This year's campaign theme was #EmbraceEquity and the Centre hosted events that seek to challenge gender stereotypes and bias.

Well-being and YU is a new podcast focused on highlighting practical tips and information pertinent to the student experience at York. The student team is responsible to produce, record and edit the episodes.

On February 28, Student Financial Services launched the CIBC student refund portal. In conjunction with the Convera portal, International students will now receive refunds in a fraction of the time back to the originating account.

Career Education & Development hosted the annual Employer Meet & Greet: Diversity & Inclusion Recruitment event on Thursday, March 2, at Founders Assembly Hall. Students who attended this event had the opportunity to connect with inclusive employers to learn more about their EDI hiring initiatives.

The Division of Students encouraged all staff to complete an Individual Development Plan (IDP) by Wednesday, February 1. In support of IDPs, a Divisional Learning resource was created to ease access to templates, questions & answers and divisional learning briefs.
The Office of the University Registrar (OUR) Professional Learning Calendar highlights learning activities that have been designed and curated for OUR staff based on six key learning areas.

As follow-up to assessment-related workshops delivered by the Divisional Assessment Analyst, a virtual discussion group has been established. After core concepts of assessment workshops, attendees are invited to continue their learning and development with their peers, and at their own pace.

Pham and Tesfaye are among 87 global finalists for the McCall MacBain scholarship. They completed a first round of regional interviews and will attend the final round of interviews in Montréal from March 8 to 12, meeting with leaders from academia, business, government and the social sector.

Sixty students received support accessing accommodations, navigating supports and creating schedules during a week-long, winter orientation event, Get Set for Success, for students registered with Student Accessibility Services. This event was offered by peer leaders.
On Thursday, January 26, the Centre for Sexual Violence Response, Support & Education will host Consent Action Day. With speakers, practitioners and institutions across Ontario, this event will explore conversations on consent, healthy relationships, pleasure and healing through the arts.

Career Education & Development will host an Employer Meet and Greet for Students with Disabilities on Thursday, January 12. Students will be able to connect with organizations hiring for positions, while learning about workplace culture, hiring practices and how they can apply.

Career Education & Development will be hosting the annual Winter Career Fair on Thursday, January 19. Students will have the opportunity to meet with recruiters offering full-time, part-time, internship and co-op opportunities.

The Assessment Community of Practice is a member-driven resource to help deepen knowledge and understanding among assessment experts in the Division of Students. They provide an informal space to refine approaches and practices, brainstorm solutions to challenges and celebrate successes.

Communications planning is in full swing for the 2023 NSSE Administration. Partners across York got together in November to make plans for promoting engagement with the survey.

Weekly walks, followed by a sit-down mingling session, are scheduled for staff to get to know each other, meet other colleagues in the Division, take a wellness break and get better acquainted with the new Vice Provost, Students.

Career Education & Development held its annual Graduate & Professional Studies Expo on Oct. 17 at the Second Student Centre.

York International hosted the President's International Student Reception on Thursday, Oct. 6. Attendees had the opportunity to meet President Rhonda L. Lenton, fellow peers and celebrate the new chapter in their academic journey.

In collaboration with campus partners, the OUR recently hosted the inaugural SEM Learning Days. Colleagues from across campus came together to share best practices in recruitment, retention and learned innovative approaches to support and build a stronger SEM competency across York University.

Student Counselling, Health & Well-being began its 36-month Sanctuary Implementation Project to increase sustainability of trauma-responsive practices in July. Training sessions focused on creating safe and healing environments for clients who have experienced chronic stress and adversity.
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Athletics & Recreation has partnered with the Jane and Finch community to host a NorthStar Community Emancipation Day Celebration on on July 31. This event will feature performances, keynote speakers, local vendors and a special basketball game.

Student Accessibility Services launched a new form that allows a seamless gathering of student registration documentation. Partners in Communications & Marketing designed the form to be fillable and compliant for accessibility.
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The Drew Green Lions Award recognizes student-athletes from the York Lions men's and women’s basketball teams. The award aims to ensure that talented, high-achieving student-athletes can realize their dream of a world class university education while competing as a York Lion.

Tammy Kim-Newman joins the Career Education & Development team (CED) as the new Associate Director of Employer & Alumni Engagement. Joining from the University of Waterloo, Kim-Newman will support the development of a strategy to elevate employment opportunities for students and recent graduates.

As part of our commitment to service excellence, the Office of the University Registrar has launched an external review of the University’s academic scheduling practices. This review will assist in developing a more student-centred scheduling process, in collaboration with campus partners.

"Finding your Flow" is an art therapy group where participants are welcome to make art and connect with each other in an online community. No previous art making skills or experience is required to join. Register by emailing thecentre@yorku.ca.

Student Accessibility Services celebrated interconnectedness during the fourth annual Faculty and Staff Recognition event on April 28. Knowledge Keeper Amy Desjarlais, Centre for Indigenous Students Success, shared insights as the keynote speaker.

Student Accessibility Services and the Division of Students' Communications team launched a social media campaign aimed at demystifying disability. The first of four posts went out over Twitter and Facebook in February and will continue into April. #YorkAccessibility

Students can pursue summer abroad opportunities this summer. Opportunities include learning about Los Angeles' film and media industry, the vital role the Netherlands plays in the EU and enhancing Spanish skills in Mexico.

Autism Spectrum Transition Day provides additional support for students with autism. High school students diagnosed with autism attend a half-day workshop preparing them for the post-secondary education transition, while their guardians attend a presentation and peer-parent panel with a Q&A session.

The SDGs in Action Knowledge Fair is taking place on Monday, March 28th from 6:30pm to 9:30pm EST online. Come learn and see YorkU students and their peers from around the world research and create action to address the United Nations SDGs.

Join us as we celebrate, honour and reflect on the various journey’s our panelist have encountered, and how their resilience has moved them forward in healing. We welcome you to celebrate International Women’s Day with us as we create connection across communities.

Ten internationally-educated nurses in York's Nursing program will join York International for their community placement. These students will work on initiatives such as wellness consultations, the Ask a Nurse social media campaign and other health and wellness projects for international students.

Student Accessibility Services hosted a virtual event to provide information to incoming prospective students with disabilities and their families. The workshop, held on Jan. 19, provided attendees with necessary information and resources to ease their transition to post-secondary education.

Student Accessibility Services supports students with making connections through its virtual programming. Programs include Virtual Support Zone, Time Management Tuesday and Peer Mentor drop-ins. Each event is student-driven and socially engaging.

The Canadian Campus Wellbeing Survey helps Canadian post-secondary institutions better support campus health and well-being. As part of York's commitment to well-being, all students, across both campuses, are invited to participate from Feb. 28 to March 18.

Career Education & Development partnered with the Government of Canada to provide students with opportunities to connect with hiring managers from the Federal Government, which included the Strategies for Getting Hired with the Federal Government virtual panel and a virtual speed hiring event.

Despite a challenging year, the Division of Students continues to advance York’s mission by providing services and programs that facilitates and fosters academic success, student development and an engaged community. The #BestOfYU 2021 YouTube playlist celebrates our successes and accomplishments.

Winter Orientation 2022 offers a wide variety of programming for all new and incoming students. It is a great way for new students to meet new people, discover campus resources and learn all about their degree while providing students with a smooth transition to York.

As part of our commitment to building a community of care, the Care Ambassadors Program is designed to help all community members safely transition to being back at York. Ambassadors will help community members access general campus services and will promote York’s health and safety requirements.

Student Community and Leadership Development has partnered with The Centre for Human Rights, Equity, and Inclusion to host a three-part virtual education series about recognizing, dismantling, healing and ultimately – “Unlearning Hate”.

Becoming YU piloted its first-year program with international students in November. The Becoming YU First-Year Program provides students with a pathway of experiences that will help them succeed at the start of their journey at York University and beyond.

SCHW's Health Education & Promotion team is offering two mental health workshops for staff and faculty. Navigating Mental Health Resources 101 & Mental Health 201 provides well-being resources and strategies to support students in their academic journey.

We have moved to a NEW way of delivering our Letters of Accommodation. Student and faculty log in to Passport York to request, review and approve letters that will be sent to the faculty portal. Faculty will be notified by e-mail and log in using passport York to receive student’s letters.

This is a semester like no other. One thing we all have in common is that we are all adjusting to a new normal. This adjustment all begins with YU. This fall, we launched the Kindness Campaign complete with tips for spreading kindness, a Kindness Toolkit, and a list of support services for students.

The Office of the Registrar's Student Advisory Committee (SAC) is now recruiting student representatives! Students will have the opportunity to provide input on a diverse range of initiatives, including strategic planning, the student website re-design, handbooks and much more!

The Division of Students Strategic Planning Days were held Aug 5 & 6 2021. Staff learned about and contributed to the 2020-2025 Strategic Plan through engaging in dialogue, reconnecting & working across units in the Division. More learning opportunities will be provided in October.

Fathers have had a lot on their plates during this pandemic. To provide a safer space for dads, The Centre is hosting weekly support groups starting on June 20 to connect, converse and share coping strategies about during these unprecedented times.

The OUR will be introducing the Student Advisory Committee (SAC) this academic year to ensure that policies, projects and services reflect students’ diverse thoughts, ideas and perspectives. Students can apply to the SAC starting this September. We look forward to kick-starting this initiative!

York University Pride 2021 will be held on June 21-25, 2021, and will celebrate and honour Artists and Activism. The week of Pride is being organized by SexGen, with the support of The Centre for Sexual Violence Response, Support and Education and the Centre for Human Rights, Equity and Inclusion.

BE YU supports York's Black students to transition to university and maximize their student experience on the path to graduation. BE YU champions the academic, professional and personal success of York’s Black student community through workshops, events, mentoring, academic advising and more.

Athletics & Recreation forms the Black and Indigenous Varsity Student-Athlete Alliance (BIVSAA) to gain an understanding of Black and Indigenous student-athlete experiences. Insights will help to identify issues, inform solutions, make progress, and foster meaningful growth within the Lions family.