Fake social media posts can cause lasting harm to unsuspecting - and undeserving individuals. The University has reached out to Prof. Thabit Abdullah to offer all available supports.  

Upon learning the post was a fake, the letter writing campaign initiated by one of the advocacy groups was pulled down and they publicly apologized to Professor Abdullah.

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On Tuesday, May 28, the University administration was informed of the results of a vote on recommendations brought forward by a committee within the department of politics. The vote was held despite advice from the administration not to do so, due to the risk of interfering with the right of academic colleagues to express their views and conduct free inquiry, the obligation of faculty members to deal fairly and ethically with their colleagues as well as concerns expressed by some colleagues at the University both inside and outside the department. 

As York administration affirmed in April, any political opinion or statement taken by an academic group within a department has no bearing on the policy of the University and would have no legal force. Further, taking political positions that purport to represent a whole department, may discourage diversity, debate and dissent or infringe on the academic freedom of members who do not agree with or wish to be represented by such positions. The assertion of a collective position by a department, especially in light of a contested vote, would raise the question of the repression of some members鈥� academic freedom.

In this particular case, the University administration has expressed its concern on multiple occasions that the vote risks infringing on some faculty members鈥� individual academic freedom.  Given that 30% of the eligible members did not participate in these votes, and those who did participate expressed a diversity of opinions, it seems this concern was well founded. Further follow up steps are underway to ensure the rights and well being of all department members are respected. 

快播视频 stands firmly behind our commitment to support and uphold academic freedom, and freedom of expression within the limits of the law, including the principles established in the President鈥檚 Initiative on Open and Respectful Dialogue. It is important to note that these protections apply to individuals 鈥� not groups, departments, or committees.

We believe that all community members - students, faculty, instructors and staff - deserve a work and learning environment free from fear of intimidation or harassment.  The University will continue supporting initiatives that seek to promote dialogue across differences within the University and externally, including with our many international academic partners.

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Earlier this week, University administration learned of concerns surrounding a committee report in one of our academic departments. The views expressed in the report are those of the authors and do not represent the views of the University. Any political opinion or statement taken by an academic group within a Department/Faculty has no bearing on the policy of the University and would have no legal force. The University continues to value our relationship with our international academic partners in the Middle East including those in Israel.

To be clear, 快播视频 stands firmly behind our commitment to support and uphold academic freedom, and freedom of expression within the limits of the law, including the principles established in the President鈥檚 Initiative on Open and Respectful Dialogue.  It is important to note that these protections apply to individuals 鈥� not groups, departments, or committees.

These protections affirm the right of individual community members to express political views including pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel views. As our Statement of Policy on Free Speech outlines: 

"Preservation of free and open exchange of ideas and opinion for and by all members of the community through respectful debate, including robust rights to protest and express dissent, are central to the mission of 快播视频. Attempts to prevent such free inquiry, whether from other members of the University community or from external groups, are inconsistent with this mission." Hate and racism of any kind are not tolerated, and this includes both anti-Palestinian racism and antisemitism.  York will take necessary action to ensure that all community members feel safe and welcomed without fear of intimidation or harassment. The University will also continue supporting initiatives that seek to promote dialogue across differences in an environment of mutual respect, intellectual curiosity, and empathy. 

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Full letter available here

February 7, 2024

Stephanie Latella, CUPE 3903 Chairperson
Room 143, Atkinson Building
93 the Pond Road, 快播视频
4700 Keele Street
Toronto, Ontario M3J 1P3

Via email: cupe3903chairperson@gmail.com

Dear Stephanie,

Thank you for replying to our January 29 message and invitation to meet. We recognize that CUPE 3903 is an independent organization separate from the University and respect your right to communicate with your members. As you may appreciate, the University also has responsibilities.  

We know that the Toolkit on Teaching Palestine has received considerable attention from concerned community members but were unaware that hostility has been directed toward you personally (i.e., the 鈥渁busive behaviour鈥� and doxxing threats you refer to in your letter). We are concerned by this and want to make sure you are aware of the support the UIT Information Security office offers all York community members in such cases. You can reach them at: infosec@yorku.ca. There are several non-York resources we can refer you to, too, if you prefer.The purpose and agenda for requesting a meeting were as stated in our January 29 message: 鈥淸T]o discuss ways in which CUPE 3903 Education Committee鈥檚 contributions in the future might be integrated in collegial and inclusive ways that would not appear to 鈥榙ivert鈥� classroom teaching.鈥� Such a meeting might have allowed the opportunity for the University and CUPE to advance our shared goals as educators: the promotion of constructive, thoughtful pedagogy and classroom conditions that support all students as learners, individuals, and York community members.

We regret that you were not open to engaging with us in such a dialogue. We will therefore elaborate our concerns here and ask that you address the following by Friday, February 16, 2024:  

• As stated in our original message, we view the circulation of the Toolkit on Teaching Palestine, which urged Teaching Assistants to "collectively divert" (Call to Action) their tutorials and "refuse business as usual" (p. 6), as potentially compromising both their academic freedom and fulfillment of their pedagogical and professional responsibilities.
• We therefore request that CUPE 3903 issue a communication to its members withdrawing its support for the Toolkit's call to divert tutorials and clarifying, as states in your response, that it was for information only, and not intended to be deployed by Teaching Assistants in place of their assigned teaching materials and responsibilities.
• We request a commitment that in the future, the Union will refrain from calling on their members to take action that interferes with their responsibilities as Teaching Assistants.
• The naming of a student organization in the Toolkit has provoked fear and alienation and is diametrically opposed to our purpose and principles as a university. Therefore, we request that CUPE acknowledge and apologize for the harm done by the singling out of Hillel York in the Toolkit. Our student organizations exist to provide our diverse students a sense of community and belonging, and we must do everything possible to assure their safety.

We remain open to a meeting at any time.

Sincerely,

Lisa Philipps
Provost & Vice-President Academic

Laina Y. Bay-Cheng
Interim Vice-President
Division of Equity, People & Culture

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Dear community members, 

The University has received the statement of November 13, 2023, signed by faculty members, professors鈥� emeriti, and graduate students, to express concerns specifically regarding academic freedom, free speech, and freedom of expression. Thank you for taking the time to share your concerns 鈥� know that we understand that this has been an especially challenging time for many. I am writing back today to respond on behalf of the University.  

We take the matters raised in the statement seriously and want to affirm 快播视频's resolute commitment to academic freedom 鈥� an important protection afforded to academics for their research or public statements made in the course of their scholarly work. This has been expressed clearly in a  made by President Lenton, and again more recently, on November 2: 鈥�. 

With respect to free speech and freedom of expression on our campuses, there are a few important pieces of information worth reviewing and which answer the remaining concerns that have been raised. York affirms its responsibility to uphold the various collective agreements and will continue to adhere to the below policies and regulations: 

• 驰辞谤办鈥檚 Statement of Policy on Free Speech, as approved by Senate and the Board of Governors in 2018 
• Student Organizations must conduct themselves in accordance with the Regulation Regarding Student Organizations, January 2023   
•  

We have received positive feedback from many community members who have noticed the impact of moving toward a more proactive and collaborative approach to Community Safety 快播视频. For those who have concerns about their individual safety, the University is ready to provide support through our Community Safety 快播视频 team. Please contact them directly at safety@yorku.ca. 

York continues to work tirelessly to support all community members who are struggling at this incredibly difficult and distressing time. A variety of resources are available at Well-being Resources | 快播视频; and 驰辞谤办鈥檚  offers faculty and staff facing online harassment helpful guidance . 

Sincerely,  

Lisa Philipps
Provost & Vice-President Academic    

Additional information: ) 

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We are sharing the Senate Policy on Academic Accommodation for Students' Religious Observances (Policy, Guidelines and Procedures) which can be found at the .   

The University is committed to respecting the religious beliefs and practices of all members of the community and making reasonable and appropriate accommodations for observances of days of religious significance.

The following are outlined in the guidelines/principles:

Guidelines/Principles 

• All students are expected to satisfy the essential learning outcomes of courses. Accommodations shall be consistent with, support and preserve the academic integrity of the curriculum and the academic standards of courses and programs. 
• The University provides reasonable and appropriate accommodation for students whose religion or spiritual beliefs requires them to be absent from the University for the observance of recognized religious days of significance. 
• A list of Commonly Observed Dates of Religious Significance is compiled concurrently with the establishment of the Sessional Dates for the upcoming academic year and disseminated to assist instructors with course planning.  
• Normally the form of accommodation will be alternative dates for final examinations, and adjustment of dates for term work, mid-term examinations or other course components. 
• The Registrar鈥檚 Office takes into consideration the dates of religious significance in its establishment of the final examination schedule. 
• Documentation from faith leaders is not required to support requests for accommodation. 

To assist you, we provide the following list of It is meant as a guide to religious accommodations. This is not a comprehensive list of all holy days of observance and the absence of other dates on this list should not be interpreted to mean that accommodation should not be provided to students who observe these holy days associated with their faith or spiritual beliefs. You can also consult the (not maintained by York). 

Event planners and faculty members are encouraged to take these days into consideration when scheduling events. 

Additional information for students, faculty and staff on religious accommodation can be found on the . You can also read more information on . 

Thank you for making reasonable and appropriate accommodations to ensure York remains an inclusive and equitable community where all members are treated with respect and dignity.

Sincerely, 

Lisa Philipps
Provost & Vice-President Academic   

Alice Pitt
Interim Vice-President Equity, People & Culture      

Ch猫res coll猫gues,
Chers coll猫gues, 

Nous vous 茅crivons pour diffuser la politique sur les adaptations acad茅miques li茅es aux pratiques religieuses de la communaut茅 茅tudiante (politique, principes directeurs et proc茅dures), qui peut 锚tre consult茅e sur le site 芦  禄 de York.   

L鈥橴niversit茅 s鈥檈ngage 脿 respecter les croyances et les pratiques religieuses de tous les membres de la communaut茅 et 脿 prendre des dispositions raisonnables et appropri茅es pour l鈥檕bservance de jours religieux importants.

Les lignes directrices/principes sont les suivants :

Lignes directrices/principes 

• Il est attendu des 茅tudiants et 茅tudiantes qu鈥檌ls satisfassent aux objectifs d鈥檃pprentissage essentiels des cours. Les adaptations doivent respecter, appuyer et pr茅server l鈥檌nt茅grit茅 acad茅mique du programme d鈥櫭﹖udes et les normes acad茅miques des cours et des programmes. 
• L鈥橴niversit茅 fournit des adaptations raisonnables et appropri茅es aux 茅tudiants et 茅tudiantes dont la religion ou les croyances spirituelles requi猫rent qu鈥檌ls s鈥檃bsentent de l鈥橴niversit茅 pour l鈥檕bservance de jours religieux reconnus comme importants. 
• La liste Commonly Observed Dates of Religious Significance est pr茅par茅e en m锚me temps que les dates de la session 脿 venir et est distribu茅e aux membres du corps professoral pour les aider 脿 planifier leurs cours. 
• Normalement, ces adaptations consistent en l鈥檃justement des dates des examens finaux et des travaux remis durant le semestre, des examens de mi-session ou d鈥檃utres 茅l茅ments du cours. 
• Le Bureau du registraire prend en consid茅ration les dates de signification religieuse lors de l鈥櫭﹖ablissement du calendrier des examens finaux. 
• Aucune documentation de la part de chefs religieux n鈥檈st requise pour appuyer ces demandes d鈥檃daptation. 

Vous pouvez consulter cette liste de dates ici :   Elle sert de guide pour les adaptations religieuses. Cette liste n鈥檈st pas une liste exhaustive de tous les jours saints; l鈥檃bsence de certaines dates sur cette liste ne doit pas 锚tre interpr茅t茅e comme signifiant que des adaptations ne seront pas accord茅es aux 茅tudiantes et 茅tudiants qui observent d鈥檃utres jours saints associ茅s 脿 leur foi ou 脿 leurs croyances spirituelles. Vous pouvez 茅galement consulter ce (non g茅r茅 par York). 

Nous invitons les organisateurs d鈥櫭﹙茅nements et les membres du corps professoral 脿 tenir compte de ces jours lors de l鈥檕rganisation d鈥櫭﹙茅nements. 

Vous trouverez des informations suppl茅mentaires pour la population 茅tudiante, le corps professoral et le personnel relativement aux adaptations religieuses sur le site Web du . Vous pouvez aussi prendre connaissance de cette liste de jours f茅ri茅s publics : . 

Merci de faire des adaptations raisonnables et appropri茅es pour que York reste une communaut茅 inclusive et 茅quitable o霉 tous les membres sont trait茅s avec respect et dignit茅.

Sinc猫res salutations, 

Lisa Philipps
Rectrice et vice-pr茅sidente aux affaires acad茅miques   

Alice Pitt
Vice-pr茅sidente int茅rimaire de l鈥櫭﹒uit茅, des personnes et de la culture      

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