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The College System – Winters College

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Location: 121 Winters College, 416-650-8199
Website: http://www.yorku.ca/winters/
Master: TBD

Winters College is named in honour of the late Robert Winters, first Chair of York University's Board of Governors. The college has a primary affiliation with the Faculty of Fine Arts and shares the common goal of providing an environment where the support and expression of creativity is paramount.  Winters is also affiliated with Communication Studies and these students are a lively presence in the college.

Through the Master’s Office, events are planned with a view to offering both commuter and resident students the chance to be inspired, educated, challenged and entertained. Workshops, performances, film screenings, presentations, special lectures and conferences are offered.

Wandering around the college building is a visual and auditory treat. One can catch a glimpse of a dance recital or music practice taking place in the Junior Common Room or the Dining Hall, or see the work of many of York’s visual artists, both student and faculty, hanging on the walls, in the courtyards and in the Eleanor Winters Art Gallery. Music, poetry and spoken word performances are regularly staged here, in the Junior and Senior Common rooms and the Winters Dining Hall and also the Art Gallery. Similar events also take place in the Absinthe Coffee Shop and Pub, the heart of the college and a popular venue for emerging local bands. The Ab has been student run since the 60's and is managed by Winters College Council, a lively mix of resident and commuter students who also organize social orientation, the Formal, and various other events throughout the year. Winters College Council and the Master’s Office work in close collaboration and our primary concern is the creation of a rich cultural, social and academic milieu for all Winters’ students. Ideas and suggestions are always welcome.

Winters clubs are not exclusively Fine Arts. Many of the students who are affiliated with us come from a wide variety of disciplines, and this diversity informs and enriches the community. Our a Capella group, WIBI, has members from many disciplines, and we are home to the York University Portuguese Association. Other clubs are Beard Appreciation Society, Creative Arts Student Association, Communication Studies Students’ Association, Dance Students Association, Digital Media Student Association (DMSA), Faculty of Education Students Association, Film Students Association, Guitarists League, Golden Key International Honour Society (York Chapter), Hallyu Dongari – Korean Culture Club, I Dance Zouk – Lambada Club, International Ballroom Dance Association, Latin Fusion Dance Club, Music Students Association, Ministry of Magic, Salsa Club, Students for York (S4Y), Theatre Student Association, Unity at York, V-Day at York, Visual Arts Students Association, Winters Community Art Club and Winters Free Press.

Winters has long been known for its vitality and creative spirit and it is also a community of serious scholars where academic excellence is fostered. We have our own Winters student peer advisors and advising booth where students can come to get information, discuss both academic and personal issues and talk to peer advisers. They can also come to speak to our academic advisor. Throughout the college a variety of study spaces - the junior common room, the dining hall and in the warmer months, the courtyard - offer students a place to talk, to curl up with a book or to simply find a quiet retreat. Winters scholarships, bursaries and book prizes are offered yearly.