In Brief
Sharpen your pencils
Jewish students will soon have a space to publish their essays and learn more about their cultural heritage, thanks to a project sponsored by Concordia’s Institute for Canadian Jewish Studies.
The Student Journal of Canadian Jewish Studies, which will have its first online edition in March, will include academic papers and book reviews that illustrate the Jewish experience in Canada.
“Academics shouldn’t discount ideas fermenting at the undergraduate level,” said Joseph Heller, co-editor of the journal and an undergraduate English student at the University of Western Ontario.
Topics will range from Holocaust education to Canadian Jewish literature, areas of studies that should receive more attention, Heller said.
Submissions can be emailed to cjsj@alcor.-concordia.ca until Dec. 15.
Meanwhile, Walrus magazine is teaming up with Concordia Creative Writing professor Mikhail Iossel for its 2006 fiction and poetry contest.
Winners will be published in Walrus and spirited away to St. Petersburg, Russia, for one month next summer to take part in a program offered by Summer Literary Seminars, which was founded by Iossel in 1998.
To enter, send a story or novel excerpt, or a maximum of three poems to the English Depart-ment in an envelope labeled: Summer Literary Seminars Fiction/Poetry Contest, by Feb. 28, 2006.
Include the entry fee of US $10, payable to Summer Literary Seminars Inc., as well as complete contact information (name, email, phone number and address). Cover letters are not required, and winners will be notified by email this spring.
Record turnout for CSU referenda
Undergraduate students said yes to five new fee levies in Concordia Student Union by-elections, held Nov. 8 to 10.
The People’s Potato food service and CJLO radio will both receive more money from students, as will the Concordia University Volunteer Abroad Program, which seeks to build a university campus in Uganda.
Students also supported an increase in the CSU fee levy to raise funds for the construction of a student centre and support the growth of the CSU Advocacy Centre.
Only referenda were put to students, as there were no vacancies on CSU council to be filled. According to Chief Electoral Officer Danniella Brazel, 2,167 students voted, the highest-ever turnout for a by-election.
Access passes for Hall elevators
The move of several academic departments into the Hall Building has increased the use of passenger elevators there. To meet the needs of students with physical disabilities, the university will implement a new card system to give those students preferred access to the elevators.
Proximity card readers will be located insideand outside the elevators. Only students with cards will be able to stop on floors two through six of the building. The ground floor and those above six will remain accessible to all.
Over the next few weeks, the Office for Students with Disabilities will oversee the distribution of the cards to the nearly 300 students at Concordia who have physical disabilities as the program is phased in .
“I have seen it more than once that students with disabilities haven’t been able to gain access to the elevators,” said John Fisher, Interim Manager , Facil-ities Operations. “I think once other students realize that they won’t be able to get off on certain floors, that they will soon see that it is just as convenient or more to take the stairs or escalators than they previously thought.”
Students requiring inform-ation should contact Leo Bissonnette, Coordinator for the Office for Students with Disabilities, at ext. 3518.