0 N C 0 R D SDAY ~PORT VOL. 2I SEPTEMBER I2, x996 N°I Every first-year student will be invited to a one-on-one interview Student orientation all year long explain their jargon and give the ago, students got a warm welcome BY BARBARA BLACK first-year students basic information. and workshops on student finances, n a determined effort to make sure In late October, all first-year stu­ academic strategies and available I first-year students don't become dents will be invited by their Faculty support. discouraged by their university experi­ to discuss any problems they may Social activities organized by the ence, the Dean of Students Office is have with someone from Coun­ Concordia Student Union were free making orientation a last year. selling and Development. It's an at the gate for first-year students, extraordinary commitment, consid­ Instead of a whirlwind affair of thanks to a new orientation fee of ering there are about 3,000 firs t-year only two or three days, the University $35 for full-time and $25 for part­ students - but Director Sup May Orientation Program will be staffed time students. Graub said that it can be done over a year-round, taking a more measured, Counselling and Development two-week period. thoughtful approach to the pressures will give the following workshops in faced by incoming students. New projects September and October: The ABCs Introductions to every corner of Christina Sbrocc:hi has been sec­ of Concordia University; Choos­ the University are being spread over onded from Financial Aid and ing/Changing Your Major; Learning the next three weeks. Students may Awards to run the program until From Your Textbook; Learning take tours of the campus on any spring, when it will be re-evaluated. weekday, without appointment. She invites units across the Universi­ from Lectures; Preparing for and Part-time and graduate students are ty to propose new projects, or to dis­ Taking Exams; Time Management naturally invited to all orientation cuss sharing the cost of existing for First-Year Students; Critical activities, but they also have welcom­ programs for first-year students. She Steps to Career Success; Managing Fourth-year Computer Engineering student Myriam Guirguis looks as ing sessions of their own. can be reached at 848-4330, -3535, First-Year Stress; and Problem­ though she's climbing the Hall Building, but it's really a plastic mountain Libraries and Computing Services or [email protected]. Solving in Your First Year. on the Terrasse during Orientation Week. have designed introductory tours to On Orientation Day, two weeks For dates, see page 11. IN THIS ISSUE Marcel Danis becomes Larry English, C.A., Schools for Vice-Rector, IR is University's first CFO tough times he Hon. Marcel Danis has been he Board of Governors has Tappointed Vice-Rector, Institu­ Tappointed an alumnus with a Activists and administrators are tional Relations, for a five-year term strong background in institutional being prepa red to cope with that began July 1. financing as the University's first Danis has been associated with Chief Financial Officer. tighter public budgets. Concordia since 1968, when he Larry English, C.A., began his Pages 2 and 3 began lecturing at Loyola College. five-year term on July 22. He received In 1971, he became an assistant pro- ii: his BComm from Concordia in ii: ::, ::, fessor in political science and was ~ 1978, and a graduate D iploma of ~ made an associate professor in 1977. ~ Accountancy from McGill University ~ New profs In 1994-95, he was Vice-Dean, 3 in 1981. He became a chartered § § § Academic Planning, in the Faculty -g, administrator in 1980 and a chartered ,w Teaching and Learning Q. • of Arts and Science, and since June ~ accountant in 1981. Services bolsters support 1995, he has been the Faculty's English was Director of Finance The portfolio of the Chief Finan­ in the classroom. Vice-Dean, Administrative Affairs . served as deputy Speaker of the at St. Mary's Hospital, where he He has a BA in Political Science House of Commons (1984-90), oversaw an efficiency plan involving cial Officer was part of the Office of Pages from Loyola College (1965) and a deputy house leader, Minister of $13 million, or 20 per cent of the the Vice-Rector, Institutional Rela­ Master of Arts in Political Science State for Youth and Minister of hospital's operating budget. tions and Finance, until an adminis­ from Fordham University in New State for Fitness and Amateur Sport Before joining St. Mary's in trative reorganization last fall, meant · Summer alive York (1966). He also completed a (1990-91), and as Minister of 1989, he held positions in audit and to save the University $290,000 over licence en droit at the Universite de Labour (1991-93). accounting with the Federal Busi­ the next two years. Plenty went on under the Montreal (1971). He succeeds Harald Proppe, who ness Development Bank, Victor, Chief financial officers are rare in From 1984 to 1993, Danis was had been Interim Vice-Rector, Insti­ Gold and Co., and Pannell Kerr Canadian universities, and English is summer sun, from student the Progressive Conservative mem­ tutional Relations and Finance, since Foster. English has taught courses the only one in Qiebec. He will research to golf games. ber of Parliament for Vercheres. He July 1994. -sipee 1984 at Vanier College. report directly to the Rector. Pages 6 and 7 Next issue: September 26 September 20 • Concordia Shuffle '96 More details on the Back Page ... _, IMCD summer workshops tackle community organization Activists scra111ble to stay in step them, and how to mobilize people," the Centre for Continuing Educa­ BY SYLVAIN COMEAU Ravensbergen said. But in the past tion, addressed the key issue of net­ bout 600 community and social decade, as some of their original bat­ working. Aactivists were on campus in tles were won, community workers "Community groups cannot do June to sharpen their skills for the have had to find new sources of their work without some networking tough times ahead. funding, build new coalitions and and collaboration with other The Institute in Management and develop new mandates. groups," Baffoe said. "But problems Ravensbergen, who works on the Community Development's Summer emerge when there is a dependency training and consultation team of Program, comprising a day-long on bigger, louder or more powerful Community Education Services of opening forum and 49 training ses­ groups. The ideal is interdependen­ the Montreal Catholic School Com­ sions, was held from June 17-20 on cy, and a fair exchange of resources mission, said that groups must sup­ the Loyola Campus. This was the and ideas." port their members through a period fourth summer session for the Insti­ Baffoe, director of the Black Star of rapid change. Project, a Big-Brother-style program tute, which operates from Concordia's 'When change affects an organi­ Centre for Continuing Education. It zation, one of the first questions for black Montrealers, pointed out was the biggest session yet. people ask is, Where is my place?' that networking permits groups to Frances Ravensbergen, who led Groups must make sure that every­ break intimidating problems down sessions in English and French on one knows what their place is going into smaller tasks , offering morale­ organizational development, said to be in the new organization, even if boosting dividends. "Community that change itself is the single great­ that place is outside the organiza­ organizing is frustrating most of the est challenge facing today's activists. tion. People can't function without a time, so it's good to see that others "For a long time, the rules were sense of how they fit in." are in the same boat," he said. "Even very clear about the government's Michael Baffoe, who teaches a if that doesn't provide solutions, it role, how business would react to course in community organizing at gives you strength." First-ever national Jewish studies conference at Concordia Love affair with learning from McGill, Qyeen's and the Uni­ scholar and the community included BY RACHEL ALKALLAY versity of British Columbia. Lightstone, York University's Sydney he first all- Canadian Jewish "It enabled us to look at Judaism Eisen, and Miriam Roland, a commu­ TStudies Conference was held last and the Canadian context together. It nity activist who is also on Concordia's June at Concordia's downtown cam­ gave scholars a chance to network with Board of Governors. pus, attracting more than 120 faculty, other scholars and enabled graduate "Nobody lives an ivory-tower exis­ students and community members. students to see the vast and important tence any more," Eisen said, giving field ofJudaism, " Joseph said. The two-day conference, called A examples of Jewish leaders from Vice-Rector Academic Jack . Heritage in Transition: Jewish Stud­ academe . Lightstone, also a Religious Studies ies in Canada, took place under the Roland said that Judaism recog­ professor, opened the conference by auspices of the Joint Chairs of nizes study as life-long learning: saying, "Canadian Jews have strug­ Concordia's Chair in Qyebec and "Learning should led to ethical liv­ gled with the boundaries of social Canadian Jewish Studies and the ing, and building a more compas­ spheres and identity. Being Jewish in sionate, just society." The panel Centre for Jewish Studies at York C anada is about straddling both University. agreed that the Jewish community ~ sides of the fence. ::> "The Conference was important W orkshops included topics such has to stop looking for heretics in its ~ because it was the first time Canadi­ as women's studies (a particularly midst, and battle ignorance of ~ an scholars got together to discover lively session), the history and cul­ Judaism and Jewish history.