TORONTO, March 4, 2002 -- A public forum on Thursday evening March 7 hosted by Jane-Finch community groups and the York University Faculty Association (YUFA) will look at ways to build stronger ties between the community and the university. The meeting opens at 7 p.m. at Driftwood Community Centre, 4401 Jane Street.
"The future of our communities are inextricably linked to the university," said conference organizer Lorna Erwin, director of the graduate program in sociology at York. "Despite the dwindling financial resources available to us, we still have the human resources to pursue our mutual goals of building safe, healthy, educated communities."
Guest speakers include Toronto educator and long-time community activist Lennox Farrell. The meeting is sponsored by the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) as part of their series of cross-country hearings on the future of public education. Toronto radio and television journalist Paul Riley will act as moderator. Riley is currently a student at York’s Osgoode Hall Law School.
The forum will be looking at how to expand two-way communication that supports community needs and draws residents into the university environment. Issues of accessibility, rising tuition and the value and quality of education will be discussed.
YUFA is marking its 25th anniversary this year with a fund raising campaign to benefit students in the community. In 1992, York began a partnership with the Westview Family of Schools in North York to create a series of mentoring and internship programs to encourage young people to pursue post-secondary education. York’s Urban Teaching program trains future teachers to work in a multicultural and multilingual environment.
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For further information, please contact:
| Prof. Lorna Erwin | Susan Bigelow |
| Dept. of Sociology | Media Relations |
| York University | York University |
| 416-736-2100, ext. 33913 | 416-736-2100, ext. 22091 |
| lerwin@yorku.ca | sbigelow@yorku.ca |
YU/028/02
