academic freedom
Money Really Can Buy Anything – Even at the University of Toronto
Admin3
An article from Gerald Caplan in the Globe and Mail: "Needless to say, being a billionaire buys you power and influence big time. Many accept this as a fact of life. Others find it disconcerting and even write books about it, like The Trouble With Billionaires by Linda McQuaig and Neil Brooks. Among their worries, as one chapter heading says, is that “Billionaires are bad for democracy.” Among their examples are the influence that Toronto magnate Peter Munk, head of Barrick Gold, has at the University of Toronto."
Executive's Proposed Abolition of Carriage Rights
Nick Lary
The Executive is considering changes in Article 9 that will seriously weaken members’ rights in the new Collective Agreement. The stewards and the members will have a chance to reject these proposed changes in their separate votes on the bargaining proposals before negotiations begin.
York Administration Intensifies e-Mail Surveillance
Hello,
Google Inc. has received notice of application for an order to disclose information related to your Gmail account yfcfyu@gmail.com in a case entitled York University v. John Doe.
York's CURIE Policy Made Public
David Noble
For years York University has kept its liability insurance policy confidential, preventing faculty, staff, and students from knowing that they are covered. Thanks to the interventions of the Financial Services Commission of Ontario and the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario the policy has now been made public.
Response to Shoukri's Senate Speech of Feb. 26
On behalf of the York Democratic Forum
Paul Baxter, Jody Berland, Malcolm Blincow, Ricardo Grinspun, Nick Lary, Marcia Macaulay, Arun Mukherjee, Ester Reiter, Nicola Short
In his address to Senate on 26 February –available at http://www.yorku.ca/mediar/archive/Release.php?Release=1623 –President Shoukri delivered his first speech after provincial back-to-work legislation led to a long-delayed return to class and a chaotic end-of-term schedule for students and faculty.
Free Speech (?) Symposium at York
Stanley Jeffers
On March 17 a symposium will be held at york on free speech at universities. Please see below for details. Notably absent from the programme is any specific discussion of free speech issues at York, the unpublished CAUT report and the reasons why this report has been suppressed.
President of Georgetown University speaks about freedom of speech
John J. DeGioia
...If you can't debate controversial ideas here, where can it be done? This is the unique role and responsibility of the academy. It is a role we must play if we are to sustain a civil society. The writer Ron Suskind once told me that the university is the last place where there is still "untitled land" in the public square. Every other piece of ground has been claimed in support of some particular interest.
