"York University’s Faculty of Environmental Studies (FES) and The Arava Institute of Environmental Studies (AIES) had an academic partnership in the form of a Letter of Agreement (LOA) from 1998 through to September 25, 2017, when the agreement expired. York University is proud of that collaboration.

Recently, a student group has publicly and falsely claimed that York’s FES Faculty Council declared an academic boycott against the AIES. No such academic boycott was considered or voted on, nor was the term “boycott” included in the motion brought to FES Faculty Council.

FES Faculty Council did pass a motion by a vote of 15-7 to recommend to the Dean that the FES not seek a new agreement with AIES. To be clear, authority regarding inter-institutional letters of understanding rests with the Provost and VP Academic and either the President or VP Finance and Administration.

York University has for some time been clear that we do not support academic boycotts, and our position has not changed. York University strongly supports international student exchange and research collaborations that support mobility, create experiential education opportunities, and help to prepare Canadian and international students to be successful in the global knowledge economy."

-Rhonda L. Lenton, President and Vice-Chancellor

Media contact:

Barbara Joy, Director, Media Relations, 416-736-5593/416-333-3374, barbjoy@yorku.ca