Glendon College
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Glendon College is a campus of York University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, with a student population of about 2200. Although attached to York University, it offers stand-alone degrees, rather than offering a bilingual or other component to York degree programmes, providing a variety of degrees in the humanities and social sciences.
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[edit] Bilingualism
Glendon is a bilingual liberal arts school with its own campus and organisation. Language skill assessments are given to new students. Based on the result, the college determines the level needed to take to fulfill the second-language requirement. Students who attain higher levels can either take advanced-level language instruction in their second language, or a course taught solely in their second language.
This bilingual approach to university education is said to be unique in Canada, because all students within York's Glendon College receive education in both English and French. Canada's other bilingual postsecondary institutions, including portions of Concordia University, Laurentian University, University of Alberta (Faculté St-Jean), and the University of Ottawa, often educate students in one language or the other. Although each of the latter offers students the possibility of a fully bilingual education, Glendon is among the only universities or intra-university institutions where all students are obliged to take at least one class in French regardless of their initial ability in the language. Other institutions which similarly require some level of bilingualism, such as the McGill University Faculty of Law or the School of Community and Public Affairs at Concordia University, do not offer as wide a range of programmes as does Glendon.
It is not yet clear how Glendon plans to update this cursus in response to curricular developments at institutions like the University of Ottawa, whose French Immersion Studies leverage that school's bilingual capacity to enable students from across the university to earn bilingual degrees. However, an ongoing process of rationalization among York University's duplicate programs, leading for instance to the creation of a new Faculty of Health, does suggest that the future configuration of Glendon's role as an incubator for bilingualism within York University may not remain stagnant indefinitely. Should York University mimic the pattern it has adopted across other faculties like Atkinson College, then Glendon's departments of mathematics, sociology, and so forth would be combined with York University's departments in these areas, establishing Glendon as the broker for bilingual programs within York's curricular streams, rather than a separate university institution under the York umbrella.
[edit] Degrees
Glendon College is home to a well-respected program in translation, a natural outgrowth of its bilingual mandate. Glendon also offers separate programmes in linguistics, English, French, international studies, mathematics, philosophy, Spanish, drama studies and political science. Some courses are offered only in English, some only in French; some classes are bilingual, where students and professors can express themselves in either language. Students who opt to take a course in French have the choice of writing papers and exams in English, although if a student is taking the course to fulfill the French requirement, all work must be done in French. Glendon also offers several internships and exchange programmes to places such as Australia, South Korea, and Germany.
Since 2006, Glendon has also housed the Glendon School of Public Affairs. It first described this program as Canada's first bilingual school of public affairs, "offering graduate students a high-level bilingual education that will prepare them for leadership roles in public life",[1] notwithstanding a similar effort at Concordia University,[2] and later referred to it as "Canada's first bilingual graduate school of public affairs".[3] It is unique in two ways. First, bilingual graduate public affairs programmes at other universities, such as Concordia University's MPPPA[4] and University of Regina's bilingual MA in Public Policy[5], are not housed in "school" structures. Second, competing graduate public policy and administration degrees within York University itself, including Schulich's MPA[6] and an offering from the new Atkinson School of Public Policy and Administration [7] — a completely separate unit — neither offer nor require French-language ability.
[edit] Student life
Glendon has a newspaper (Pro Tem), a campus radio station (CKRG-FM), and a student theatre company, Theatre Glendon/Théâtre Glendon, in addition to similar media from York University, of which Glendon is formally a part. Other facilities exist for students, such as a campus pub, a cafeteria, campus gym memberships, workshops, IT services, and a liaison office for prospective students. Student government is provided by the Glendon College Student Union/l'Association Étudiante du Collège Glendon (GCSU/AÉCG). It is also where the first issue of the Toronto Special newspaper was published, according to the National Post.
The student government was rocked by conflict and fraud over the past few years. Both president Ron Fiedtkou and vice-president Hossein Samiian were found to be responsible for diverting funds from the appropriate use to themselves and projects in which they were in a conflict of interest. A concerted effort by concerned students saw Fiedtkou impeached, only the second time in the history of the university.
[edit] Campus
Glendon is located on the former estate of Edward Rogers Wood, a prominent Toronto financier of the early 1900s. The estate was the original York University campus, and became Glendon College in 1966 when York's main campus in North York was inaugurated. Glendon's first Principal was Canadian diplomat Escott Reid. The campus itself is also home to several ghosts recognised by the Toronto Ghosts and Hauntings Research Society, who haunt the manor and grounds, and have been reported in various sightings over the past — many remnants of the area's rich history. [8]
[edit] Buildings and Abbreviations
- York Hall (YH); the main building, shaped like an 'h', divided into four sections (the main wing, and the "A", "B", and "C" wings.) York Hall also has two lecture halls, and houses smaller classrooms, professors' offices, the bookstore, the student union office, and the cafeteria.
- Glendon Hall (GH); originally the mansion where the Wood family lived. Today it has two classrooms, an all-purpose room known as The Ballroom, the Glendon Pub, the Career and Counselling Centre, the Liaison Office, and Glendon's administrative faculty's offices, including that of the principal. It is known informally as "The Manor."
- Leslie Frost Library (FL); a library open to all York students. It opened in 1966 and is named after Leslie Frost, former Premier of Ontario. The library features a computer lab, study rooms, and copy machines available for student use. Adjacent to the library is the Rose Garden.
- Proctor Field House (PFH); the athletics building. Proctor Field House offers full gym facilities to students and the public, including a weight room, a cardio room, a pool, and a gymnasium. Proctor also holds group exercise programs such as Spinning® classes, yoga, and dance lessons. Gym members can also eat at the Glendon Bistro.
- Wood Residence (WR); one of the two residence buildings at Glendon. During the school year, it houses students in typical dormitory-style rooms. Occasionally events or classes may be held in common rooms around the building. Wood is the smaller of the two residences — there are only 22-30 students per "house" (section of the building).
- Hilliard Residence (HR); the other residence building at Glendon. It also houses students in dormitory-style rooms. Hilliard also has the offices of a few professors, a common room used for classes and tutorials, and the offices of Pro Tem. Hilliard is the bigger of the two residences — a house can hold as many as 40 students.
- Greenhouse (GR); Exactly as it sounds, the Greenhouse was the Woods' old greenhouse. It is now used for the Student Security and Parking offices. Generally, students visit the Greenhouse to pick up monthly parking passes or TTC metropasses.
