York University's Undergraduate Philosophy Student Association

It’s that time of year where YOU get a chance to vote and elect your new executive team for the 2017-18 year! Please scroll down for rules/requirements.

–Positions Available–

President
The President is the representative to the faculty. The President is expected to organize the clubs speakers, handle communication with faculty members, and arrange annual events (i.e. grad night, career night, annual conference). The President is also to ensure that there are in fact regular meetings occurring. They are expected to work closely with the VP Finance and VP Equity to ensure that the club runs smoothly and maintains a professional appearance. At staff meetings, the President is expected to be the leader, and organizer with the special authority to declare a vote on any issue contested in staff meetings. In such a vote each executive staff member regardless of title has only one vote (including the President), and the majority ruling is considered authoritatively binding. The President is responsible for ensuring the constitution is upheld, and that the stated purpose is met.

VP Finance
The VP Finance is expected to maintain control and record of the budget (includes bookkeeping of receipts) which they are to formulate prior to its being needed, and to ensure that there are sufficient funds for all events that are planned during the year. This includes allocating funds to the editor-in-chief for The Oracle but does not include the exact costs of the oracle which are managed by the Editor-in-chief. In order to carry out this task, the VP Finance is expected to fill out relevant funding forms with YFS, SCLD, the Philosophy Department, and Vanier College Clubs Council. The VP Finance is responsible for filtering the club’s e-mail regularly and forwarding or replying e-mails regarding the club’s assets in a timely fashion to the appropriate parties. The position also requires that the VP Finance keeps in touch regularly with the President and other executive members regarding what needs funding. In addition, the VP Finance is responsible for passing on relevant information to the VP Finance of the next year.

VP Social
The VP Social is expected to act as the inter-club representative and leader at inter-club events. The Student Representative is responsible for holding social events for members (e.g. game nights, philosopher’s cafe, etc), actively recruiting new members, maintaining a presence on campus and providing an easily accessible means of communication between students and Philosophia. This position includes promoting Philosophia at university events/activities/social media (Facebook, Twitter, YUConnect), keeping members updated on meeting times, opportunities provided by the club, as well as, any other additional information new members or students may require.

VP Equity
This position includes attending most weekly gatherings to ensure that the code of conduct is being adequately followed. The code of conduct will act as a guide to maintain a pro-inclusive, non-oppressive environment for students to be able to participate in gatherings and explore philosophy and develop critical thinking skills in a positive space. This position hopes to promote an intellectual community that is inclusive, dynamic, safe, and thriving. The VP Equity is also expected to work closely with other executive members to ensure all executives are being treated equally.

Administrative Assistant
The Administrative Assistant is responsible for sending and responding to emails in a timely manner. Such emails include emails notifying members and undergraduate students of weekly meetings and social events, inviting future speakers, and answering any inquiries regarding the student association. The Administrative Assistant is also expected to maintain contact with YFS, SCLD, Vanier College, York University’s Philosophy Department, as well as, other student associations affiliated with Liberal Arts and Professional Studies (LAPS).

Volunteer Coordinator
The Volunteer Coordinator is responsible for managing all volunteering aspects on behalf of the student association. This position includes recruiting volunteers, reviewing the student association’s needs, as well as, finding the proper placement for volunteers by assessing their skills/previous work or volunteer experiences. The Volunteer Coordinator is also expected to help table for campus/club events, be present and be of help before and after events/meetings, as well as, coordinate events with the VP Social.

Editor-In-Chief
The EIC is responsible for ensuring the annual undergraduate journal, The Oracle, is produced, of high quality, and by fair procedures by the date of the journal’s launch. The Editor-in-Chief is responsible for ratifying all specifications for the journal as per the advice of the executive body at large. As well as delegating tasks for the: advertising, promotion, and launch of the journal. They must ratify or establish the ground on which to assess submissions to find the best suited for entrance into the journal. To do this the editor has authority to appoint submission editors which vote on the essays in a blind scenario. The editor-in-chief is also expected to check the club e-mail regularly and forward or reply to appropriate e-mails in the winter term. Finally, they must pass on all relevant information to the next year’s editor-in-chief.

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Requirements
1) MUST attend at least 2-3 meetings to run for a position*
2) MUST be an undergraduate student at York University to run for an executive position
3) Please email us by WEDNESDAY APRIL 5TH if you are interested in running for a position. Include your name, position of interest, program of study, a brief introduction of yourself and why you are interested in running for an executive position (100-200 words). Our email is philclubyorku@gmail.com!

*You also must attend at least 2-3 events/meetings to be eligible to vote. You may also vote for yourself.

– You do NOT have to be a philosophy major to run for a position, however, a philosophy major or minor for the President position is encouraged and preferred.
– While experience for each position is not necessary, having the experience for a position is an asset.
– The new team will receive more details about their role/training by the end of April.

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If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to email us. Again, our email is philclubyorku@gmail.com, or stop by our office at VC 101B. As always, food/refreshments will be available to all who attend. We hope to see you there!

Regards,

The Exec Team

Hello everyone!

You’re invited to our Halloween social event for Philosophia and COSSA on November 3rd, 2016 from 6 pm to 8 pm.

This week, we talk about death and nihilism for the first half of the session. After our talk ends, we will begin our night of games, food and some other scary goodies (and we encourage you to wear your costume)!

As always, food and refreshments will be available for all who attend!

Don’t forget to RSVP: https://www.facebook.com/events/204610903307836/

We hope to see you there!

Join us on Thursday, October 20th, 2016 as we welcome Professor Ronald de Sousa from the University of Toronto!

***CALL FOR PAPERS FOR THE ORACLE ISSUE 10, SPRING 2017***

This CFP is issued in fall 2016 for the Spring 2017 edition of The Oracle.

CLICK HERE FOR THE 2016 GUIDELINES
CLICK HERE FOR THE 2016 GUIDELINES
CLICK HERE FOR THE 2016 GUIDELINES

Email submissions to the Editor-in-Chief, Asad Umer: oracleyorku@gmail.com

Inquiries:
philclub@yorku.ca

Hey folks, the 2015-2016 school year is coming to an end and it’s almost time to choose the next batch of Philosophia Execs! If you are interested in running for a position on the team, please reply via email at philclub@yorku.ca and include your name, the position(s) you are running for, and a little bit about yourself and what you hope to bring to the club next year.

Election date:

When – Monday, March 21st @ 5:30pm
Where – South Ross, Room S421

A tentative list of available positions include:

President – responsible for the general running of the club, from planning events to booking rooms to delegating to other members and communicating with our liaisons in the Philosophy Department, etc; acts as a signing authority for funds.

Vice President of Finance – responsible for allocating the funds available to the club, submitting forms to the YFS and SCLD in a timely manner, etc; acts as a signing authority for funds.

Vice President of Social Media and Student Outreach – responsible for creating and distributing events via various social media platforms, running the club’s email account, tabling, connecting with students and other clubs, etc.

Editor-in-Chief of The Oracle – responsible for putting together York University’s Annual Undergraduate Philosophy Journal, which includes distributing a Call-for-Papers, delegating to a panel of judges, design and editing, etc.

More positions may be added depending on the level of interest shown by those who want to run and if there is anything specific they hope to bring to the club that does not fall under any of the positions above.

If you have any questions/comments/concerns of any kind regarding the elections, please feel free to contact either myself or any of the other current Execs.

We hope you all can make it out and share your input in the future of Philosophia!

Hello everyone,

Philosophia is up and running for the fall and winter terms and we wanted to share some club updates and upcoming events we have planned.

Firstly, we are putting a big emphasis on being accessible in terms the content of our meetings and facilitation of our discussions this year. This means we are reaching out to folks of every major and background, we hope to explore the inter-disciplinary nature of philosophy while making it reflective and relevant to our lived experiences. The goal is to create an environment for our community which all ideas and perspectives can be shared in a respectful and inclusive way. Some of the upcoming events we are planning include general discussions, debates, presentations, movie nights, poetry slams, Q&A’s and much more!

Also for those who have not yet heard, for the first time ever Philosophia has begun collaborating with the philosophy clubs from UofT and Ryerson and will be hosting socials and other events in conjunction as the Inter-university Philosophy Society (IPS), check us out on Facebook & Instagram for more details and future events!

We hope to see you soon!

Executive Members 2013-2014

Executive Members 2014-2015

Welcome back everyone!

It’s a new year for Philosophia. Welcome to our new Executive Council Members, returning club members and newcomers. Thank you to past Executives: President Marilena Danelon, Treasurer/President Andre Gordon and past members who have moved on in their studies. With our Meet N’ Greet and first meeting “Demanding Tasty” hosted by Assistant Editor of the Oracle Alberto Richards out of the way, it already promises to be a lively year for the association, but this is no surprise. Philosophia has been a place for students to gather for a few hours a week to talk about pertinent discussion topics in the field of philosophy, but over the years it has become much more than this. I’d like to take a moment and talk about what the value of Philosophia has become to York’s Academic community and thank members who over the years have specifically made a commitment to join us: David, Stephen, Joshua, Maor, Daniyal, Isaac, Moiez, Tom, Michael and the list goes on.  We have members that come from other universities such as U of T, as well as graduate students, because there simply is no other venue in Toronto that offers what Philosophia does: a dedicated space with a philosophically engaged body of students that meet every week. We have the ability to be a very inclusive association and have the full support of York University’s Philosophy Department and affiliated Vanier College. We are especially grateful to department administrative staff, Prof. Michael Giudice, Prof. Robert Myers, Prof. Claudine Verheggen and past lecturers such as Prof. David Stamos, Prof. Shyam Ranganathan, Prof. Joseph Keeping and Prof. Brian Huss for supporting and speaking at our events last year. For this and many more reasons, Philosophia remains a place for the fruitful and positive exchange of ideas from different perspectives, beginner to advanced where everyone is welcome. It is a place for students to network with their colleagues, meet students from other universities across the country who present at our conferences, and generally to find out what their philosophy studies can do for them now, in the production of their coursework, as well as in the future. If anybody in the area is looking for a place to meet people focused on learning as an experience in a casual and open environment, Philosophia is here. And if the previous years are any indication, it isn’t going anywhere and is only getting better, so cheers to a new year of learning!

-Jessica Ellis
Co-President, past Editor-in-Chief, member of Philosophia 2012-present.

For returning members: please note that meeting times have changed from the usual Tuesdays, to alternating between Tuesdays and Thursdays to maximize student availability. Please email philclub@yoku.ca or check out our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/8036781222/?notif_t=group_r2j for meeting times and events.