Vanier College Tutorial Programme
In 1969-1970, York University officially launched a tutorial programme through and under control of Vanier College for the first time. Although this programme is no longer offered, it was intended for all first year students who are enrolled in the Faculty of Arts, Faculty of Fine Arts, and Faculty of Sciences. Essentially, they choose a course from this programme on top of their own courses that are part of the five general education ones that includes Social Science, Humanities, and Natural Sciences. Fellows of Vanier College who are not official members of the college taught these multidisciplinary courses that were ungraded and did not count towards the student's GPA as a grade, just a course requirement. This was an "experimental education programme" that was founded on liberal and general education and inter-disciplinary studies. The tutorial programme was comprised of unusual courses taught in unusual ways, providing students the opportunity for self-expression/expansion and liberation. There were usually around 10-12 students per tutorial and we held during times that most students did not have other classes. A list of courses and instructions on registration were included in the handbooks given to students at the beginning of the year so that all were aware of what was being offered. Usually around 25-35+ courses were being offered with around 200 faculty members in charge of running them.
Notable Vandoo Interviews
Vanier College's newspaper conducted an interview with Bob Dylan in 1979 and David Cronenberg in 1983. It is quite interesting and unreal that a university newspaper held interviews with these celebrities in the late 1900s.
Bob Dylan is an American singer, songwriter, and author from Minnesota and has been an influential figure in popular culture for over six decades now. Some of his songs from the 1960s became unofficial anthems for the Civil Rights and Anti-war Movements. He received a Nobel Prize in Literature in 2016 for his transformation of American song tradition.
David Cronenberg is a Canadian writer, filmmaker, and author from Toronto. He began his career creating horror and science fiction films, but has since expanded beyond this. He has directed around 30 films, and of those he has either written, and/or produced them as well.
Bob Dylan is an American singer, songwriter, and author from Minnesota and has been an influential figure in popular culture for over six decades now. Some of his songs from the 1960s became unofficial anthems for the Civil Rights and Anti-war Movements. He received a Nobel Prize in Literature in 2016 for his transformation of American song tradition.
David Cronenberg is a Canadian writer, filmmaker, and author from Toronto. He began his career creating horror and science fiction films, but has since expanded beyond this. He has directed around 30 films, and of those he has either written, and/or produced them as well.
The History of Vanier College's Program Associations
When Vanier College was first established, the colleges at the time were not divided on the basis of subjects. Most of the programs associated with Founders College today, such as History, were once associated with Vanier College, but also McLaughlin College and Bethune College. In 1968, the approximately 500 undergraduate student graduates from Vanier College were from various disciplines, but its Masters of Arts graduates were from the English, Mathematics, Political Science, and Psychology programs. The Faculty of Education has its earliest appearance in Vanier College graduation programs in 1978 where the Concurrent program exists as well as a Diploma in the Education of Exceptional Students, which could be the early days of a Special Education program. Between the 1970s and 1980s, the Faculty of Education alternates between Vanier and Winters College with graduates from this program in both colleges. In the late 1980s, students graduating with their Bachelor of Education from Vanier College also graduated with their Bachelor of Fine Arts, whereas students graduating from Winters College were graduating with their Bachelor of Arts. This is where college-program distinction was emerging where students from specific programs were associated with specific colleges.
Vanier College Arcade Room - Where is it now?
Images taken from the scanned copies of the Vandoo in York University's Microtext library.
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During the first few years of being established, Vanier College had an arcade room called the "Crawlspace" which was across from the Open End Pub. However, the 1996-97 academic year saw the closure of this arcade because proposals made by the manager to reduce hours, have council members work there, and not hire a manager to save money were not approved of.
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This space was then in the hands of the Master of the College who wanted to use it as a 30th anniversary space where exhibits of the college's history will be displayed throughout the course of the year. However, the Crawlspace was a place on campus where students from any and all colleges were welcome to enjoy a moment of downtime and enjoy a quick break from school stress. It attracted a vast array of student culture and was a site of vast contestation during the time of its closing.
Encounter Canada
Encounter Canada was a conference held by Vanier College in the New Year that offer students a new perspective of looking at and understanding life in Canada. They were student run with a host of guest speakers that offer their insights on the topics at hand. These events and dates were pre-planned and sometimes noted in the handbooks and in issues of the Vandoo leading up to the event. Attached below are scanned images of an 1978 issue of Vandoo that has a feature on the Encounter Canada conference that happened that year.
This is a 360 degree photo of the Vanier College computer lab. Although it is controlled by Vanier College, many students from many different colleges use it for access to computers, lounging, studying, and catching up with friends. This is a space that joins the masses of students at York!
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