Victoria University / en Four Թϱ leaders speak to CBC News about being Black in academia, inspiring future generations /news/four-u-t-leaders-speak-cbc-news-about-being-black-academia <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Four Թϱ leaders speak to CBC News about being Black in academia, inspiring future generations</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2024-02/black-leaders-in-academia.jpg?h=18869243&amp;itok=_xnLG1yC 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2024-02/black-leaders-in-academia.jpg?h=18869243&amp;itok=_jlE6DWJ 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2024-02/black-leaders-in-academia.jpg?h=18869243&amp;itok=6d9eqMu0 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2024-02/black-leaders-in-academia.jpg?h=18869243&amp;itok=_xnLG1yC" alt="&quot;&quot;"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Christopher.Sorensen</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2024-02-27T11:34:52-05:00" title="Tuesday, February 27, 2024 - 11:34" class="datetime">Tue, 02/27/2024 - 11:34</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item"><p><em>From left to right: Charmaine Williams, Njoki Nathani</em><strong>&nbsp;</strong><em>Wane, Rhonda McEwen and&nbsp;Catherine Chandler-Crichlow (<a href="https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/2311521347519">image via CBC</a>)</em></p> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/black-history-month" hreflang="en">Black History Month</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/factor-inwentash-faculty-social-work" hreflang="en">Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/ontario-institute-studies-education" hreflang="en">Ontario Institute for Studies in Education</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/school-continuing-studies" hreflang="en">School of Continuing Studies</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/u-t-mississauga" hreflang="en">Թϱ Mississauga</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/victoria-university" hreflang="en">Victoria University</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p><strong>Charmaine Williams</strong>,&nbsp;<strong>Catherine Chandler-Crichlow</strong>,&nbsp;<strong>Rhonda McEwen</strong>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<strong>Njoki Nathani Wane</strong>&nbsp;– all leaders at the University of Toronto –&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/black-academics-toronto-4-degrees-each-1.7124495">recently sat down with CBC News’s <strong>Dwight Drummond</strong></a>&nbsp;to discuss their many accomplishments, as well as the challenges they faced, as Black women in academia.</p> <p>Airing in time for Black History Month, the roundtable interview underscored the importance of inspiring future generations.</p> <p>"I certainly think representation matters,” said Williams, professor and dean of Թϱ’s Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work. “I think that it's important not only for Black students, but for other students who don't see people like them in this space, to see us representing that possibility.”&nbsp;</p> <p>McEwen, president and vice-chancellor of Victoria University in the University of Toronto, told Drummond she always believed she belonged in these spaces.</p> <p>"I think in every one of our origin stories, somewhere along the line, some people built into us a&nbsp;belief that we could attain it and we could get it," said McEwen, who is also a professor at the Institute of Communications, Culture, Information and Technology at Թϱ Mississauga.&nbsp;</p> <p>Chandler-Crichlow, dean of Թϱ’s School of Continuing Studies, said she was told early in her career to learn the system.</p> <p>“You don't lose your culture, but you have to understand where you are,” she explained. “Because if you don't understand where you are, then you can't play the game. And we must be bold enough to see we are in the game.”</p> <p>Wane, a professor and chair of department of social justice education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, has told her children to not let racism put them down.&nbsp;</p> <p>“What you need to focus on is that you are grounded in your cultural identity, you are grounded in your goals, you are grounded in your vision,” she said.&nbsp;</p> <h3><a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/black-academics-toronto-4-degrees-each-1.7124495" target="_blank">Watch the CBC News interview</a></h3> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Tue, 27 Feb 2024 16:34:52 +0000 Christopher.Sorensen 306387 at Remembering Norman Jewison, one of Canada's most celebrated filmmakers /news/remembering-norman-jewison-one-canada-s-most-celebrated-filmmakers <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Remembering Norman Jewison, one of Canada's most celebrated filmmakers</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2024-01/Chancellor-Norman-Jewison-crop.jpg?h=81d682ee&amp;itok=-ANFGadT 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2024-01/Chancellor-Norman-Jewison-crop.jpg?h=81d682ee&amp;itok=57VV3aI2 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2024-01/Chancellor-Norman-Jewison-crop.jpg?h=81d682ee&amp;itok=G_Zv1FGu 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2024-01/Chancellor-Norman-Jewison-crop.jpg?h=81d682ee&amp;itok=-ANFGadT" alt="&quot;&quot;"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Christopher.Sorensen</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2024-01-23T15:50:38-05:00" title="Tuesday, January 23, 2024 - 15:50" class="datetime">Tue, 01/23/2024 - 15:50</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item"><p><em>(supplied image)</em></p> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/sally-szuster" hreflang="en">Sally Szuster</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/alumni" hreflang="en">Alumni</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-arts-science" hreflang="en">Faculty of Arts &amp; Science</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/film" hreflang="en">Film</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/innis-college" hreflang="en">Innis College</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/victoria-college" hreflang="en">Victoria College</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/victoria-university" hreflang="en">Victoria University</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-subheadline field--type-string-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Subheadline</div> <div class="field__item">The acclaimed director was a Թϱ alumnus and former chancellor of Victoria University in the University of Toronto</div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>The University of Toronto community – and film fans around the world – are mourning the death of alumnus <strong>Norman Jewison</strong>.</p> <p>One of Canada’s most celebrated filmmakers, Jewison received many awards and accolades for his artistic vision that challenged the status quo and brought a deep humanity to the characters and stories he told.</p> <p>Jewison, who graduated from Թϱ in 1949 as a member of Victoria College, served as chancellor of <a href="https://vicu.utoronto.ca/">Victoria University in the University of Toronto</a> from 2004 – 2010. <a href="https://alumni.utoronto.ca/news-and-stories/featured-alumni/norman-jewison">One of Թϱ’s most distinguished graduates</a>, he also received an honorary doctorate from Թϱ in 1985 and from Victoria University in 2001.</p> <p>The&nbsp;Jewison stream of <a href="https://vic.utoronto.ca/future-students/vic-one/?_gl=1*15lhpvz*_ga*MTA3MTkxMzcwMC4xNzA2MDI1NjMx*_ga_LN8C9B3XCC*MTcwNjAzNTk4NS4yLjEuMTcwNjAzNzAyNS4wLjAuMA..*_ga_GV631CB04R*MTcwNjAzNTk4NS4yLjEuMTcwNjAzNzAyNS4wLjAuMA..">Vic One</a>, the award-winning first-year program at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.vic.utoronto.ca/">Victoria College</a>, is named in his honour. There is also a <a href="https://awards.innis.utoronto.ca/award/norman-jewison-film/">Norman Jewison Fellowship in Film Studies</a> at Innis College.</p> <figure role="group" class="caption caption-drupal-media align-center"> <div> <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/scale_image_750_width_/public/2024-01/Jewison-PeterBreggHELLO-crop.jpg?itok=XANbY8Ei" width="750" height="568" alt="&quot;&quot;" class="image-style-scale-image-750-width-"> </div> </div> <figcaption><em>Norman Jewison (photo by Peter Bregg)</em></figcaption> </figure> <p>“Norman Jewison embodied a dazzling sense of curiosity and creativity that is such a big part of the Vic U ethos,” says <strong>Rhonda N. McEwen</strong>, president and vice-chancellor of Victoria University in the University of Toronto, which is planning to lower its flag to half-mast to honour Jewison’s legacy.&nbsp;</p> <p>“He was an inspiration to others while he was a student on campus and continued to evoke a sense of awe in generations of students, alumni, staff and faculty who watched as he went on to make films that are now an indelible part of our cultural landscape.</p> <p>“He showed his gratitude for his university experience with generous donations to Victoria University throughout his life. I had the pleasure to meet his son and granddaughter recently and we enjoyed recounting his Vic U adventures. He will always be remembered here.”</p> <p>Victoria University Library (E.J. Pratt Library) <a href="https://library.vicu.utoronto.ca/collections/special_collections/f56_norman_jewison?_gl=1*11d2v23*_ga*MjM2MzQ3NDM2LjE3MDU5Mjg2MzE.*_ga_GV631CB04R*MTcwNjAzMzE2My4yLjEuMTcwNjAzNDE0Mi4wLjAuMA..">holds a&nbsp;large collection</a>&nbsp;of Jewison’s photographs and publicity materials, papers and correspondence, shooting scripts and schedules primarily for films directed or produced by Jewison between the years 1975 and 2003. Materials related to the films&nbsp;<em>Fiddler on the Roof</em>,<em>&nbsp;…And Justice for All</em>,&nbsp;<em>A Soldier’s Story</em>,&nbsp;<em>Moonstruck</em>,&nbsp;<em>The Hurricane</em>,&nbsp;<em>The Statement</em>&nbsp;and others are held in this collection.</p> <figure role="group" class="caption caption-drupal-media align-center"> <div> <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/scale_image_750_width_/public/2024-01/Jewison-in-Bob-from-Archive-grayscale-crop.jpg?itok=utfGRFWK" width="750" height="462" alt="&quot;&quot;" class="image-style-scale-image-750-width-"> </div> </div> <figcaption><em>As a student, Norman Jewison&nbsp;was involved in various theatrical productions, including the Vic “Bob Revue,” Canada’s longest-running collegiate sketch comedy show (supplied image)</em></figcaption> </figure> <p>As a Թϱ student pursuing a bachelor of arts degree, Jewison was involved in writing, directing and acting in various theatrical productions, including the <em>All-Varsity Revue</em> in 1949 and the Vic “<em>Bob Revue</em>,” Canada’s longest-running collegiate sketch comedy revue, which was founded in 1874.</p> <p><strong>Ira Wells</strong>, director of academic programs at Victoria College, wrote the biography&nbsp;<a href="https://sutherlandhousebooks.com/product/norman-jewison/"><em>Norman Jewison A Director’s Life</em></a>&nbsp;in 2021.</p> <p>“Norman Jewison was among the greatest film directors of his generation,” says Wells. “His films were animated by a profound social conscience and commitment to civil rights and human dignity – and by a belief in the integrity of film itself. He believed that film could change its audience, even in a small way.</p> <p>“Mr. Jewison was fond of saying, ‘film is forever.’ His unwavering support for Canadian talent through the Canadian Film Centre, and for Victoria College and University of Toronto students, made concrete differences in the lives of many. His abiding belief in the power of cinema will inspire generations to come.”</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Tue, 23 Jan 2024 20:50:38 +0000 Christopher.Sorensen 305677 at Թϱ community members mobilize aid for Türkiye and Syria earthquake survivors /news/u-t-community-members-mobilize-aid-syria-and-t-rkiye-earthquake-survivors <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Թϱ community members mobilize aid for Türkiye and Syria earthquake survivors</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/IMG_3035-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=t8URXrLR 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/IMG_3035-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=_venqH-w 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/IMG_3035-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=7wqahQY4 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/IMG_3035-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=t8URXrLR" alt="&quot;&quot;"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Christopher.Sorensen</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2023-03-03T10:17:50-05:00" title="Friday, March 3, 2023 - 10:17" class="datetime">Fri, 03/03/2023 - 10:17</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Ayşenur Ince, a graduate student in a program offered conjointly by Թϱ and Emmanuel College at Victoria University, is counselling residents and rescuers following the devastating earthquakes in Türkiye&nbsp;and Syria (photo courtesy of&nbsp;Ayşenur Ince)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/tabassum-siddiqui" hreflang="en">Tabassum Siddiqui</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/global-lens" hreflang="en">Global Lens</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/6896" hreflang="en">Türkiye</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/emmanuel-college" hreflang="en">Emmanuel College</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-applied-science-engineering" hreflang="en">Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-arts-science" hreflang="en">Faculty of Arts &amp; Science</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/global" hreflang="en">Global</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/near-and-middle-eastern-civilizations" hreflang="en">Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/ontario-institute-studies-education" hreflang="en">Ontario Institute for Studies in Education</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/st-george" hreflang="en">St. George</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/student-life" hreflang="en">Student Life</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/syria" hreflang="en">Syria</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/u-t-mississauga" hreflang="en">Թϱ Mississauga</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/u-t-scarborough" hreflang="en">Թϱ Scarborough</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/victoria-university" hreflang="en">Victoria University</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>When a catastrophic <a href="/news/need-urgent-earthquakes-syria-and-t-rkiye-turn-crisis-catastrophe">series of earthquakes hit Türkiye&nbsp;and Syria</a>, graduate student <b>Ayşenur Ince</b> knew she had to do something to help alleviate suffering in the wake of a tragedy that has now left more than 50,000 people dead, thousands injured and millions more without homes and other necessities.</p> <p>Ince, who is in the first year of a master of pastoral studies program offered conjointly by Թϱ and Emmanuel College at Victoria University, is currently living in Istanbul. Seeing shock and grief all around her, she decided to put what she was learning about spiritual care and counselling into <a href="http://www.vicu.utoronto.ca/news/emmanuel-college-student-called-to-duty-after-catastrophic-earthquakes/">immediate practice</a>.</p> <p>“The devastation is so widespread that even though the government is exhausting all the power they have, we still need civilian help,” Ince said by phone from Istanbul. “I started doing counselling for people, including those who have worked in the rescue operations, because they’re really unwell – these are people who had to triage; to pick and choose who they saved.&nbsp;Many others have earthquake nightmares – there’s a lot of post-traumatic stress right now because they're constantly scared that an earthquake will happen again.”</p> <p><span id="cke_bm_335S" style="display: none;">&nbsp;</span><img class="migrated-asset" src="/sites/default/files/GettyImages-1470048039-crop.jpg" alt></p> <p><em>Residents walk amid the rubble in Hatay, Türkiye (photo by Yavuz Ozden/dia images/Getty Images)</em></p> <p>Ince is just one of many Թϱ students, faculty, staff, librarians and alumni who have pitched in to help raise awareness and funds, as well as mobilize resources to help in the aftermath of the earthquakes – from fundraisers by student groups to donation drives by individual programs and faculties.</p> <p>In <a href="https://global.utoronto.ca/vice-president-internationals-statement-on-turkiye-and-syria/">a statement</a> on Feb. 6, <b>Joseph Wong</b>, Թϱ’s vice-president, international, urged members of the Թϱ community to support each other and to reach out for help if needed.&nbsp;Student Life units at the university have been touch with student groups and individuals from affected regions to offer support.</p> <p>Ince, who completed her undergraduate degree at Թϱ Scarborough, says she drew on the skills she was learning in her master’s program and sought the advice of her professors about how best to counsel people going through so much trauma.</p> <p>“When this first happened, I was in fight-or-flight mode. And then I reached out to my professors to ask them what I should do and to send me some sort of training specific to crisis management,” Ince said.</p> <p>“At the college, I had classes that gave me a universal approach to everything – I even had the chance to take some disaster training. At the time, I felt like, ‘When am I ever going to need this?’ But being here when this actually happened, I felt like I was prepared. I keep wondering what I would have done if I hadn’t started the program.”</p> <p><img class="migrated-asset" src="/sites/default/files/GettyImages-1468722414-crop.jpg" alt></p> <p><em>Tents errected by the Turkish disaster and emergency management organization (AFAD) for earthquake victims in Kahramanmaraş (photo by Yan Zhigang/VCG via Getty Images)</em></p> <p>One of the professors Ince contacted was program director Nazila Isgandarova, who was able to advise her on trauma resources and connect her with peers who also wanted to help. “The damage due to the earthquake in Türkiye and Syria is beyond any imagination. Ayşenur met many people who suffered and continue to suffer from earthquake-related experiences and losses,” Isgandarova said. “As a psychotherapy student, Ayşenur volunteered to help people not only with trauma-focused counselling and spiritually integrated grief counselling, but also tried to arrange support for people who faced financial hardships.”</p> <p>Ince received financial donations from her fellow students, which she used to purchase dozens of portable coal stoves for those left without electricity following the earthquakes. Emmanuel College also sent boxes of nonperishable food overseas and held a vigil a week after the disaster to remember the victims.</p> <p>Efforts to raise funds to assist people in Türkiye and Syria and increase awareness about the scale of the disaster continue across Թϱ on all three campuses, particularly among student groups.</p> <p>Bake sales and fundraising drives by the tri-campus chapters of the <a href="https://turkish.sa.utoronto.ca/contact/">Turkish Students’ Association</a> (TUSA), <a href="https://www.instagram.com/utmsyria/?hl=en">Syrian Students’ Association</a>, <a href="http://www.uoftmsa.com/">Muslim Students’ Association</a> and <a href="https://amnesty.sa.utoronto.ca/">Amnesty International</a>, among others, have raised more than $25,000 to date – much of which is being matched dollar-for-dollar by the student groups.</p> <p>Immediately following the disaster, the <a href="https://www.instagram.com/tusautsc/?hl=en">Turkish Students’ Association at Թϱ Scarborough</a> began collecting funds and in-kind donations on campus, raising close to $9,000 and 18 boxes of donated goods, said TUSA-UTSC co-president <b>Yasmin Din</b>.</p> <p>“Staff and students have generously contributed to our campaign,” Din said, adding that student volunteers can be found overseeing the donation location with their schoolwork in tow. “There are no words to describe this level of dedication and support.”</p> <p><img alt src="/sites/default/files/TSA-UTSC-crop.jpg" style="width: 750px; height: 500px;"></p> <p><em>From left to right: Turkish Students Association members Lilaf Salman, Irem Demirel, Selcuk Maslak, Elif Baran, Yasmin Din and&nbsp;Sedika Salman&nbsp;at their donation table at Թϱ Scarborough (photo supplied)</em></p> <p>A fourth-year psychology student, Din first heard about the earthquake from her father, who was in Ankara, Türkiye’s capital. While her family in the region remained safe, Din lost a friend in Malatya, one of the most-affected provinces, and heard from another Թϱ graduate whose father was among the casualties.</p> <p>“She had to patiently wait for 11 days for the rescue teams to recover her father’s body,” Din said. “At the same time, as there was no electricity in the city, she and her husband had to stay in their car at night or rest in the semi-collapsed buildings, which was very tough because aftershocks were constantly happening. So many millions of people have been affected by this mega-quake – for them, life will never be the same.”</p> <p>TUSA has been working with the Turkish Consulate General in Toronto to arrange for airlifts of the donated goods – including winter clothing, hygiene kits, baby formula and diapers – to the region, while cash contributions will be transferred to organizations in Türkiye who are managing the situation on the ground, including <a href="https://ahbap.org/">Turkish nonprofit Ahbap</a>. Din noted that some of the financial support will go toward temporary shelter and repairing damaged homes in the region, which is crucial to rebuilding while so many are living in makeshift housing following the earthquakes.</p> <p>Providing shelter is also a major issue in neighbouring Syria, <a href="/news/need-urgent-earthquakes-syria-and-t-rkiye-turn-crisis-catastrophe">which has been destabilized by a 12-year-long civil war</a>.</p> <p>“There is still a great need for housing for those who have been displaced, as well as the allocation of medicines and other requirements. This is especially important in Syria, where the infrastructure has been greatly strained,” said <b>Oya Mercan</b>, an associate professor in the department of civil and mineral engineering in the Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering who received her undergraduate degree in civil engineering from Boğaziçi University in Istanbul.</p> <div class="image-with-caption left"> <p><img class="migrated-asset" src="/sites/default/files/Kenana-Al-Kakouni-crop.jpg" alt><br> <em>Kenana Al Kakouni</em></p> </div> <p>“If the building safety assessment indicates that the structural components – the beams and the columns – of a building are not damaged, it will be cost-efficient to fix the damage to the nonstructural components such as the partition walls. As such, it is an important initiative to raise funds and awareness for this purpose.”</p> <p>The <a href="https://www.facebook.com/SSCToronto/">Syria Solidarity Collective</a> (SSC), co-founded by Թϱ PhD graduate and staff member <b>Kenana Al Kakouni</b>, is also raising funds at St. George campus to assist with rebuilding homes in Syria, among other aid efforts. Funds raised will go to the <a href="https://molhamteam.com/en/wecan">Molham Volunteering Team</a>, an international organization that works in northern Syria to rebuild homes for displaced people.</p> <p>Al Kakouni, who currently works as an imaging facility lead technician in the department of cell and systems biology in the Faculty of Arts &amp; Science, said while her relatives in Syria are safe, they are mourning the loss of a family who were their neighbours.</p> <p>The earthquake only further exacerbated the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Syria after more than a decade of conflict in the country, Al Kakouni said.</p> <p>“People there were already suffering from lack of food, heat, medical supplies – right now, what we’re hearing is that what is most needed is tents, given that so many are still without shelter.”</p> <p>At Թϱ’s <a href="https://www.oise.utoronto.ca/home/about/dean/deans-message-earthquakes-turkiye-and-syria">Ontario Institute for Studies in Education</a> (OISE), Dean <b>Erica Walker</b>, advancement staff and the OISE Alumni Association Student Advisory Committee (SAC) organized an in-kind donation drive for non-perishable food, winter clothing, equipment such as tents, blankets, sleeping bags and thermoses, as well as hygiene items including menstrual products and diapers. The donation bins will be available in the OISE lobby until March 6.</p> <p>“OISE has a really diverse student body, and we wanted to not only send a message of hope to our Թϱ community, but also to take action,” said SAC chair <b>Seema Hooda</b>, a graduate of OISE’s master of education program. “The donation drive is an extension of our purpose and mission, and it has been a joint effort from both students and staff. It’s a way to show support for our Turkish and Syrian peers – and also to engage people to make a contribution that could help save lives.”</p> <p><img alt src="/sites/default/files/Dean-1-crop.jpg" style="width: 750px; height: 500px;"></p> <p><em><span style="background:white">From left to right: OISE staff Sim Kapoor, Latifa Soliman, Helen Huang, Dean Erica Walker, Perry King, Reesa Barkhouse, Biljana Cuckovic (photo supplied)</span></em></p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">SSC co-founder Al Kakouni urged Թϱ community members looking to support aid efforts on campus to follow student groups’ social media accounts for upcoming fundraisers and other initiatives, write to political representatives to raise awareness of the disaster, and donate to reputable organizations such as the <a href="https://www.whitehelmets.org/en/">White Helmets</a> and <a href="https://www.sams-usa.net/donate/">Syrian American Medical Society</a> in Syria, as well as the <a href="https://www.redcross.ca/donate/appeal/earthquake-in-turkiye-and-syria-appeal#14bf71f5-0d57-497d-acd2-9b372e8a543a">Red Cross</a> and <a href="https://action.msf.ca/site/Donation2?df_id=3041&amp;mfc_pref=T&amp;3041.donation=form1">Doctors Without Borders</a> internationally.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">For Türkiye, TUSA co-president Din recommends <a href="https://ahbap.org/disasters-turkey">donating to Ahbap</a>, the <a href="https://en.afad.gov.tr/earthquake-humanitarian-aid-campaign">disaster and emergency management</a> organization AFAD and <a href="https://www.akut.org.tr/en/donation">search-and-rescue non-profit AKUT</a>.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">Students have also recognized the need to support their peers who may have been affected by the disaster, creating a “solidarity space” for reflection and connection at the Multi-Faith Centre on the St. George campus.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">“The students' idea was to allow students&nbsp;from the region to get help in their own languages: Arabic and Turkish,” said <b>Adrien Zakar</b>, assistant professor in the department of Near and Middle Eastern civilizations. “With the support of the department, the Turkish Students’ Association and the Syria Solidarity Collective, more than 50 Turkish- and Arabic-speaking volunteers from Թϱ received health and wellness training to provide further guidance to visitors.”</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">In addition to donating money and goods to help people affected by the earthquake, it’s equally important for those far away from the region to recognize and amplify the sheer scope of the disaster, Emmanuel College student Ince said.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">“The aftermath of this is going to be huge. We can see physical injuries, but no one sees psychological wounds,” she said. “Right after the earthquake, one of my professors, Angela Schmidt, changed the whole subject of her class to focus on the issue – it was just what I needed. She explained what to do when you face certain situations. After a situation like this, we have to think about how to view calamity. Why do bad things happen to good people? It really makes us question everything in life.”</p> <hr> <p style="margin-bottom:11px"><b>Resources for Թϱ students, staff, faculty and librarians:</b></p> <ul> <li style="margin-bottom: 11px;">Student groups can post their fundraisers and other events on the <a href="https://sop.utoronto.ca/">Student Organization Portal</a> to broaden awareness</li> <li style="margin-bottom: 11px;">The university has emergency funding available for students in need, which can be accessed by completing the Թϱ grant application:&nbsp;</li> </ul> <p style="margin-left:48px"><a href="https://registrar.utoronto.ca/finances-and-funding/awards-scholarships-bursaries-grants/emergency-grants/">Undergraduate students</a></p> <p style="text-indent:36pt"><a href="http://www.sgs.utoronto.ca/awards/sgs-emergency-grant/">Graduate students</a></p> <ul> <li>Students can access mental-health supports through:</li> </ul> <p style="margin-left:48px"><a href="http://mentalhealth.utoronto.ca/">Mental Health Portal</a></p> <p style="text-indent:36pt"><a href="https://studentlife.utoronto.ca/service/myssp/">My SSP</a> (24/7 support via phone or chat)</p> <ul> <li>Faculty, staff and librarians may contact the Employee and Family Assistance Program at 1-855-597-2110<br> &nbsp;</li> <li>The <a href="https://registrar.utoronto.ca/finances-and-funding/awards-scholarships-bursaries-grants/in-course-awards/scholars-and-students-at-risk-award-program/#:~:text=The%20Scholars%20at%20Risk%20Award,of%20status%20in%20Canada)%2C%20or">Scholars at Risk Award Program</a>, established in part in response to the Syrian refugee crisis in 2016, remains open for applications each year from students who are accepted to Թϱ</li> </ul> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">&nbsp;</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">&nbsp;</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Fri, 03 Mar 2023 15:17:50 +0000 Christopher.Sorensen 180476 at Creating 'Julia,' the first Muppet on the autism spectrum /news/creating-julia-first-muppet-autism-spectrum <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Creating 'Julia,' the first Muppet on the autism spectrum</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/TRU_3782-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=ssj9exye 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/TRU_3782-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=BjbMPlmW 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/TRU_3782-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=XedH_W5g 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/TRU_3782-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=ssj9exye" alt="&quot;&quot;"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Christopher.Sorensen</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2023-02-03T12:07:30-05:00" title="Friday, February 3, 2023 - 12:07" class="datetime">Fri, 02/03/2023 - 12:07</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Professor Rhonda McEwen&nbsp;recently discussed working with Sesame Street Workshop to create the first Muppet on the autism spectrum. "Julia" made her debut on the Sesame Street TV series in 2017 (photo by Minh Truong)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/6890" hreflang="en">Daniel Blackwell</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/diversity-and-inclusion" hreflang="en">Diversity and Inclusion</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/autism" hreflang="en">Autism</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/u-t-mississauga" hreflang="en">Թϱ Mississauga</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/victoria-college" hreflang="en">Victoria College</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/victoria-university" hreflang="en">Victoria University</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>When most people think of&nbsp;<em>Sesame Street</em>&nbsp;they envision cherished childhood memories of singalongs and fun with Big Bird and Cookie Monster.</p> <p>But for&nbsp;<strong>Rhonda McEwen</strong>, president and vice-chancellor of Victoria University in the University of Toronto,&nbsp;the show’s&nbsp;loveable cast of Muppets represent something even greater – a form of technology and media that can improve accessibility and inclusivity across the world.&nbsp;</p> <p>McEwen recently discussed her experience working with Sesame Street Workshop on the first Muppet on the autism spectrum, a red-haired little girl named Julia.&nbsp;As part of&nbsp;<a href="https://sesamestreetincommunities.org/" target="_blank">Sesame Street in Communities</a>, Julia was created to support families and care providers while creating public awareness about autism. The project made headlines around the world&nbsp;for its ground-breaking inclusion of autism within programming designed for children.&nbsp;</p> <p>“They reached out to me and said they were gathering a group of the world's leading researchers to inform the project,” said McEwen, who is also a professor at Թϱ Mississauga’s&nbsp;Institute of Communication, Culture, Information and Technology,&nbsp;during a recent talk held by the&nbsp;<a href="https://vic.utoronto.ca/alumni/vwa/">Victoria Women’s Association</a>. “Initially, though, they were not going to create a Muppet because they were very costly, take many years and require very careful research.”&nbsp;</p> <p>As a&nbsp;Canada Research Chair in tactile interfaces, communication and cognition&nbsp;and co-author of the peer-reviewed book&nbsp;<a href="https://www.routledge.com/Understanding-Tablets-from-Early-Childhood-to-Adulthood-Encounters-with/McEwen-Dube/p/book/9781138229433" target="_blank"><em>Understanding Tablets from Early Childhood to Adulthood</em></a>, McEwen says it was her research on touchscreen technology for children on the autism spectrum that initially caught the eye of program co-ordinators at the Sesame Street Workshop. &nbsp;</p> <p>Serving on an international advisory board for the Sesame Street Workshop, McEwen joined a team of experts tasked with determining how&nbsp;<em>Sesame Street</em>&nbsp;could best provide educational resources to represent autism. The result was a multimedia initiative called&nbsp;Sesame Street and Autism: See Amazing in All Children,&nbsp;which featured Julia in videos, apps and print and digital stories, such as the e-book&nbsp;<a href="https://autism.sesamestreet.org/storybook/we-are-amazing/" target="_blank"><em>We’re Amazing 1, 2 3!</em></a>, which McEwen helped create.&nbsp;</p> <div class="media_embed" height="422px" width="750px"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="422px" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dKCdV20zLMs" title="YouTube video player" width="750px"></iframe></div> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>In 2017, Julia appeared in her first&nbsp;<em>Sesame Street&nbsp;</em>episode, titled “Meet Julia.”&nbsp;In the episode, Julia is introduced to audiences as a little girl on the autism spectrum – a creative, friendly child who does things a little differently, or, in the words of fellow Muppet Abby, “in a Julia sort of way.”&nbsp;The 10-minute YouTube video of this episode has since garnered more than 7.7 million views.&nbsp;</p> <p>McEwen emphasized that Julia was not intended to be a universal depiction of all children on the autism spectrum&nbsp;– a condition that can present itself differently on a case-by-case basis – but was developed through meticulous research and consultation with families. “Every single line of dialogue was carefully scripted and there is meaning behind every expression we chose,” she says.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>Even though working on a Muppet may appear to be outside the wheelhouse of somebody with a PhD in information, a master's degree&nbsp;in telecommunications&nbsp;and an MBA in information technology management, McEwen says Julia is like any other form of technology.&nbsp;</p> <p>“How do we define technology? If technology is how we use science and mathematical thinking to carry out a particular goal or aim, then Julia is a technology,” she says. “Whether we use Julia in her analogue or digital form, we’re using her to spread and share information about autism across the world.”&nbsp;</p> <p>All technology, says McEwen, can enhance inclusion&nbsp;–&nbsp;an issue of significant importance to her both as a researcher and leader at&nbsp;Victoria University.</p> <p>“One of the&nbsp;<em>Sesame Street&nbsp;</em>lines I often repeat when speaking with students, staff and faculty is, ‘Who are the people in your neighbourhood?' Getting to know and understand the diverse members of [our] community will allow us to address individual needs so that everyone feels that they belong,” she says.&nbsp;</p> <p>“Working on Julia has just been one of the best parts of my research career&nbsp;– to see the work that I do translate into real people's lives in a way that some of my most exciting papers do not,” says McEwen.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>McEwen, who remains on the advisory board with Sesame Street Workshop, sees plenty of exciting opportunities to continue making a difference in the years ahead.</p> <p>"Nothing energizes me more than seeing young people inspired by learning, and I have the pleasure of that experience every day at Vic and in my work with&nbsp;<em>Sesame Street</em>."</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Fri, 03 Feb 2023 17:07:30 +0000 Christopher.Sorensen 179629 at In memoriam: Isabel Bader (1926-2022) /news/memoriam-isabel-bader-1926-2022 <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">In memoriam: Isabel Bader (1926-2022)</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/Isabel-Bader_sizedforUTC.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=RQv0WDY2 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/Isabel-Bader_sizedforUTC.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=Qr8fH8X- 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/Isabel-Bader_sizedforUTC.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=HWmXNpXL 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/Isabel-Bader_sizedforUTC.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=RQv0WDY2" alt="Isabel Bader"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Christopher.Sorensen</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2022-08-31T15:47:09-04:00" title="Wednesday, August 31, 2022 - 15:47" class="datetime">Wed, 08/31/2022 - 15:47</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Isabel Bader was a teacher and a scholar. Her deep compassion for students found expression in generous gifts for scholarships in the humanities and the construction of a much-loved theatre.</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/advancement-staff" hreflang="en">Advancement Staff</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/alumni" hreflang="en">Alumni</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/victoria-university" hreflang="en">Victoria University</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Prominent philanthropist <strong>Isabel Bader</strong> has died at the age of 95.</p> <p>Bader&nbsp;– a long-time supporter of the University of Toronto who&nbsp;earned a bachelor’s degree from&nbsp;Victoria College in 1949 and received an honorary degree from Victoria University in 1995&nbsp;– passed away on August 28, 2022.</p> <p>Together with her husband <strong>Alfred Bader</strong>, she built a remarkable philanthropic legacy that benefited students, scholarship, research&nbsp;and the arts across Canada and the United States. At U&nbsp;of&nbsp;T, the name “Isabel Bader” is instantly recognizable in connection with <a href="https://vicu.utoronto.ca/hospitality-services/hold-an-event/isabel-bader-theatre/">the 500-seat theatre that bears her name</a>&nbsp;and is a prominent part of Victoria University on the St. George campus.</p> <p>“With the passing of Isabel Bader, the University of Toronto has lost a great friend and champion,” said U&nbsp;of&nbsp;T President <strong>Meric Gertler</strong>. “She was a person of great passion and sustained commitment, as demonstrated so clearly in her philanthropic pursuits and her personal life story. On behalf of the U&nbsp;of&nbsp;T community, I extend condolences to her family on their loss.”</p> <h4>A philanthropic force rooted in a love for theatre and poetry</h4> <p>Isabel was born in Northern Ontario in 1926 and graduated from Victoria College in 1949. Shortly afterwards, on a sea voyage to the United Kingdom, she met Alfred Bader (1924-2018), a gifted chemist and budding entrepreneur. The two shared such an immediate bond that Alfred proposed marriage nine days later.</p> <p>Isabel, however, was raised strictly Protestant and she felt that Alfred, who had escaped Nazi persecution in Austria just before the war, needed a wife who was also Jewish. After months of writing to one another, Isabel eventually made the heart-wrenching decision to move on. She later published the letters she wrote to Alfred during this period in a book called&nbsp;<em>A Canadian in Love</em>.</p> <p>For the next 30 years, Bader worked in England as a teacher of drama, English and history, and developed a keen interest in theatre and poetry. Meanwhile, Alfred became highly successful after forming his own international chemical company based in Milwaukee. Despite this long separation, the spark between Isabel and Alfred never waned, and remarkably, they eventually managed to reconnect and were finally married in 1982.</p> <p>Isabel and Alfred became a philanthropic force and were particularly generous to U&nbsp;of&nbsp;T. In 1998, the couple supported construction of the Isabel Bader Theatre. The building is indispensable to the Victoria College community, serving as a lecture hall, a learning space for student groups&nbsp;and a venue for concerts, theatrical productions and conferences.</p> <p>“There is no other name more closely associated with philanthropic leadership at Victoria University – the impact that both Isabel and Alfred Bader have made is unmatched. We are profoundly grateful. Isabel and Alfred’s legacy will be felt for many generations of Vic students,” said Dr. <strong>Rhonda McEwen</strong>, president and vice-chancellor, Victoria University in the University of Toronto. “We will miss her deeply.”</p> <p><img alt src="/sites/default/files/UofT5147_20140731_IsabelBaderTheatre_9792Blaise-Calaycay-crop.jpg" style="width: 750px; height: 500px;"></p> <p><em>(Photo by Blaise Calaycay)</em></p> <h4>A generous and committed supporter of students in need</h4> <p>The Baders were extraordinary supporters of educational institutions around the world. Beyond their involvement with U&nbsp;of&nbsp;T, they were significant benefactors to Alfred’s alma mater, Queen’s University, and made awards for excellence in chemistry at other institutes of higher education.</p> <p>At Թϱ, Isabel and Alfred gave generously to establish bursaries and scholarships at Victoria College for students in need. They also supported Victoria College’s Scholars-in-Residence program through Bader Philanthropies. The program addressed the shortage of research opportunities available to undergraduates in the humanities and&nbsp;<a href="https://defygravitycampaign.utoronto.ca/news-and-stories/frozen-mammoths-jackman-scholars-in-residence/">has been life-transforming</a>&nbsp;for its student participants by enabling them to acquire hands-on skills while adding substantially to scholarly knowledge.</p> <p>In recognition of her tremendous contributions, Victoria University bestowed an honorary degree on Bader in 1995. In 2018,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.chancellorscircle.utoronto.ca/members/isabel-bader-and-alfred-bader/">U&nbsp;of&nbsp;T inducted both Isabel and Alfred into the Chancellors’ Circle of Benefactors</a>, which recognizes the university’s most generous donors.</p> <p>“Isabel never forgot her roots at the University of Toronto and the experience of being a student,” said <strong>David Palmer</strong>, U&nbsp;of&nbsp;T’s vice-president, advancement. “She and Alfred were quiet, caring and committed donors over decades and were especially generous to students, supporting scholarships, awards and bursaries that have helped ease the financial load for many.”</p> <h3><a href="https://www.vicu.utoronto.ca/news/isabel-bader-a-champion-of-education/">Read a tribute from Victoria University</a></h3> <p>&nbsp;</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Wed, 31 Aug 2022 19:47:09 +0000 Christopher.Sorensen 176196 at With smiles and stoles, student-run event celebrates Թϱ's Black graduates /news/smiles-and-stoles-student-run-event-celebrates-u-t-s-black-graduates <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">With smiles and stoles, student-run event celebrates Թϱ's Black graduates</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/DSC02962-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=WHx7O-Oq 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/DSC02962-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=VICWI9ZN 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/DSC02962-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=mQvPemsD 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/DSC02962-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=WHx7O-Oq" alt="&quot;&quot;"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>geoff.vendeville</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2022-07-04T10:15:29-04:00" title="Monday, July 4, 2022 - 10:15" class="datetime">Mon, 07/04/2022 - 10:15</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Black graduates recognized one another's achievements at a student-led event held at Hart House following Թϱ's spring convocation ceremonies (photo by Geoffrey Vendeville)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/geoffrey-vendeville" hreflang="en">Geoffrey Vendeville</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/black-grad" hreflang="en">Black Grad</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/graduate-stories" hreflang="en">Graduate Stories</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/alumni" hreflang="en">Alumni</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/black-students" hreflang="en">Black Students</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-arts-science" hreflang="en">Faculty of Arts &amp; Science</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/hart-house" hreflang="en">Hart House</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/st-george" hreflang="en">St. George</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/st-michael-s-college" hreflang="en">St. Michael's College</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/u-t-mississauga" hreflang="en">Թϱ Mississauga</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/u-t-scarborough" hreflang="en">Թϱ Scarborough</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/undergraduate-students" hreflang="en">Undergraduate Students</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/victoria-university" hreflang="en">Victoria University</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/women-and-gender-studies" hreflang="en">Women and Gender Studies</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>“Understand that your presence here, and what you achieved here, is monumental and that cannot be denied.”</p> <p>The words of&nbsp;<strong>Adriana Williams</strong>, president of the University of Toronto's Black Students' Association (BSA), echoed&nbsp;through Hart House’s Great Hall, where dozens of Black Թϱ students who graduated earlier this spring gathered recently&nbsp;to celebrate their achievements.</p> <p>Students at Թϱ began <a href="/news/uoftgrad17-u-t-s-black-graduation-first-its-kind-canada">organizing Black Grad celebrations in 2017</a>&nbsp;and over the years the events have been held on the St. George and Թϱ Mississauga&nbsp;campuses, as well as <a href="/news/triumph-and-resilience-u-t-s-black-graduates-celebrated-virtual-black-grad-event">virtually&nbsp;during the pandemic</a>.</p> <p>The theme of this year's student-run celebration was&nbsp;“trials and tribulations.” It was meant to underscore&nbsp;challenges each student overcame to earn their degree – both as Black students and as students navigating university during a pandemic.</p> <p>The event itself marked a triumph over difficulties since it was the first in-person celebration in two years due to COVID-19.&nbsp;“I feel the biggest thing about this entire ceremony is it's a really good example of overcoming adversity, which is something our community does all the time,” Williams told <em>Թϱ</em>.</p> <p>“Post-secondary was never created with people of colour – let alone Black people – at all,” said Williams, who graduated this spring with a degree in linguistics, history and African studies as a member of St. Michael's College.&nbsp;“I feel like the Black student experience in general is just very unique, so I think it's imperative that we highlight what we've done here.”</p> <p><em>Թϱ</em> senior reporter and associate editor <strong>Geoffrey Vendeville</strong> captured the following images of this year’s event:</p> <hr> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><img alt="&quot;&quot;" src="/sites/default/files/DSC02579-crop.jpg" style="width: 750px; height: 500px;"></p> <p><em>(Photo by Geoffrey Vendeville)</em></p> <p>Students greet each other and chat in a room at Hart House before entering the Great Hall.&nbsp;</p> <p><img alt="&quot;&quot;" src="/sites/default/files/DSC02633-crop.jpg" style="width: 750px; height: 500px;"></p> <p><em>(Photo by Geoffrey Vendeville)</em></p> <p><strong>Ranie Ahmed</strong>, <strong>Marwa Al Waeal </strong>and&nbsp;<strong>D'Onna Alexander&nbsp;</strong>wait to enter the student-run celebration of Black graduates.</p> <p>Asked how she coped with difficulties over the past two years,<strong>&nbsp;</strong>Alexander (right), a psychology, sociology and women and gender studies student at Թϱ Scarborough, answered with a single word: “Community.”&nbsp;&nbsp;She added: “I feel like I wouldn't have been able to do it alone.”</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><img alt="&quot;&quot;" src="/sites/default/files/DSC02837-crop.jpg" style="width: 750px; height: 500px;"></p> <p><em>(Photo by Geoffrey Vendeville)</em></p> <p>Graduate <strong>Isaiah Kidane</strong> walks off stage after being called&nbsp;for a moment of recognition.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><img alt="&quot;&quot;" src="/sites/default/files/rhonda-mcewan-crop.jpg" style="width: 750px; height: 500px;"></p> <p><em>(Photo by Geoffrey Vendeville)</em></p> <p>Professor<strong> Rhonda McEwen</strong>, who recently began her term as president and vice-chancellor of Victoria University in the University of Toronto, has attended every Black Grad since <a href="http://www.thestar.com/yourtoronto/education/2017/06/19/university-of-toronto-gets-ready-for-first-ever-black-graduation-ceremony.html">the event's inception at Թϱ in 2017</a>.&nbsp;“There’s something about seeing each other in person and being surrounded by others who maybe had a similar experience to you,” she said.&nbsp;“For students who have been in the minority to feel a majority – and to feel surrounded by people who went through the same thing as you –&nbsp;is special.”</p> <p>At the event, McEwen draped stoles around students’ necks along with&nbsp;<strong>Betty Walters</strong>, a program adviser in the department of management at Թϱ Scarborough, and&nbsp;<strong>Marieme Lo</strong>, an associate professor of women and gender studies and African studies in the Faculty of Arts &amp; Science.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><img alt="&quot;&quot;" src="/sites/default/files/DSC02894-crop.jpg" style="width: 750px; height: 500px;"></p> <p><em>(Photo by Geoffrey Vendeville)</em></p> <p>The event, which students watched in person and online, featured a keynote speech by <strong>Francis Atta</strong>, a social worker, motivational speaker and Թϱ alumnus,&nbsp;and performances by singers and Թϱ students <strong>Bijoux Mulali</strong>, <strong>Precious Umogbai</strong> and <strong>Petra Alfred</strong>.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><span id="cke_bm_18886S" style="display: none;">&nbsp;</span><img class="migrated-asset" src="/sites/default/files/musa.jpg" alt></p> <p><em>(Photo by Geoffrey Vendeville)</em></p> <p>Musa Hersi, nephew of graduate Ranie Ahmed, plays on a ramp outside Hart House.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><img alt="&quot;&quot;" src="/sites/default/files/DSC02908-crop.jpg" style="width: 750px; height: 500px;"></p> <p><em>(Photo by Geoffrey Vendeville)</em></p> <p><strong>Elvin Kaunda</strong>, who graduated with a bachelor's degree in architecture, and <strong>Massoma Kisob</strong>, who majored in global health, chat in the Hart House quad.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><img alt="&quot;&quot;" src="/sites/default/files/DSC02915-crop.jpg" style="width: 750px; height: 500px;"></p> <p><em>(Photo by Geoffrey Vendeville)</em></p> <p>This was the sixth year in a row that&nbsp;Black students across the university's three campuses hosted Black Graduation, <a href="https://reporter.mcgill.ca/black-grad-celebrates-accomplishment-and-resilience/">a tradition that got its start in the U.S. and&nbsp;appears to have caught on at other Canadian universities</a>.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><img alt="&quot;&quot;" src="/sites/default/files/DSC03145-crpo.jpg" style="width: 750px; height: 500px;"></p> <p><em>(Photo by Geoffrey Vendeville)</em></p> <p><strong>Carae Henry </strong>(second from left) graduated from Թϱ Mississauga with a degree in criminology, sociology and gender studies.</p> <p>Her family – brother Daniel, mom Carol and dad Peter – celebrated two other graduations this summer. Daniel finished high school and her mom, <strong>Carol Henry</strong>, earned her PhD after earning an undergraduate degree at Թϱ in 1995.&nbsp;“It was wonderful to see,” Carol said of the event, “because certainly when I came here, I felt a little out of place. It's great to see that Carae has taken her place and the university is celebrating Black students.”</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Mon, 04 Jul 2022 14:15:29 +0000 geoff.vendeville 175420 at Թϱ Mississauga's Rhonda McEwen appointed president and vice-chancellor of Victoria University /news/u-t-mississauga-s-rhonda-mcewen-appointed-president-and-vice-chancellor-victoria-university <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Թϱ Mississauga's Rhonda McEwen appointed president and vice-chancellor of Victoria University</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/UofT87721_0610RhondaMcEwen001-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=aJGo3Znq 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/UofT87721_0610RhondaMcEwen001-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=iORwqJES 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/UofT87721_0610RhondaMcEwen001-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=rUmp7CxY 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/UofT87721_0610RhondaMcEwen001-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=aJGo3Znq" alt="&quot;&quot;"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>mattimar</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2022-04-08T13:35:51-04:00" title="Friday, April 8, 2022 - 13:35" class="datetime">Fri, 04/08/2022 - 13:35</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">(Photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/u-t-mississauga" hreflang="en">Թϱ Mississauga</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/victoria-college" hreflang="en">Victoria College</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/victoria-university" hreflang="en">Victoria University</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Professor<b> Rhonda McEwen, </b><a href="/news/rhonda-mcewen-appointed-dean-u-t-mississauga" target="_blank">vice-principal, academic and dean at the University of Toronto Mississauga</a>, has been named&nbsp;the president and vice-chancellor of Victoria University at the University of Toronto.</p> <p>An academic leader and champion of inclusion, McEwen also served as&nbsp;director of Թϱ Mississauga’s <a href="https://www.utm.utoronto.ca/iccit/institute-communication-culture-information-and-technology" target="_blank">Institute of Communication, Culture, Information &amp; Technology</a> and as a special adviser to the&nbsp;vice-president and principal on anti-racism and equity.&nbsp;</p> <p>“We will be sad to see her depart from UTM, but we are delighted that she will lead an outstanding institution within the Թϱ family, and wish her tremendous success and happiness,” said <b>Alexandra Gillespie, </b>vice-president and principal at Թϱ Mississauga, <a href="https://www.utm.utoronto.ca/vp-principal/announcements/update-vice-principal-academic-and-dean" target="_blank">in a letter announcing</a> McEwen’s new appointment, which begins July 1.</p> <p>McEwen has been involved in Թϱ Mississauga’s <a href="https://www.utm.utoronto.ca/main-news/campus-initiative-brings-black-students-and-mentors-together" target="_blank">Black Table Talks</a>, a networking opportunity for Black students, faculty and staff, and <a href="https://www.utm.utoronto.ca/main-news/visions-science-utm-alumna-fosters-next-generation-scientists" target="_blank">Visions of Science</a>, which engages youth from low-income or marginalized communities with science, technology, engineering and mathematics.</p> <p>As Canada Research Chair in Tactile Interfaces,&nbsp;Communication, she’s investigated emerging media and human-machine communication. Her research – which focuses on social and new media – has been shared in more than 30 journal articles and book chapters, and in the mainstream media.</p> <p>Gillespie said the Թϱ community will “feel the loss of McEwen’s keen intellect, passionate vision and personal warmth.”</p> <p>“We know you will all join us in wishing her the very best in her future endeavours.”</p> <h3><a href="https://www.utm.utoronto.ca/vp-principal/announcements/update-vice-principal-academic-and-dean" target="_blank">Read more about Rhonda McEwen’s new role</a></h3> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Fri, 08 Apr 2022 17:35:51 +0000 mattimar 174041 at With a focus on Indigenous issues, Riley Yesno makes an impact at Թϱ and beyond /news/focus-indigenous-issues-riley-yesno-makes-impact-u-t-and-beyond <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">With a focus on Indigenous issues, Riley Yesno makes an impact at Թϱ and beyond</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/IMG_8932-v3.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=YdeUFeR9 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/IMG_8932-v3.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=Hy3DyOa2 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/IMG_8932-v3.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=tAabw-iU 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/IMG_8932-v3.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=YdeUFeR9" alt="&quot;&quot;"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>lanthierj</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2021-03-17T15:45:54-04:00" title="Wednesday, March 17, 2021 - 15:45" class="datetime">Wed, 03/17/2021 - 15:45</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Riley Yesno, who is set to become the first Indigenous member of her family to graduate from university, has compiled a long list of achievements beyond the classroom (photo courtesy of Riley Yesno)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/michael-mckinnon" hreflang="en">Michael McKinnon</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-arts-science" hreflang="en">Faculty of Arts &amp; Science</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/first-nations-house" hreflang="en">First Nations House</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/political-science" hreflang="en">Political Science</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/victoria-college" hreflang="en">Victoria College</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/victoria-university" hreflang="en">Victoria University</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>University of Toronto undergraduate student&nbsp;<strong>Riley Yesno</strong> has participated in more than 100 panels, workshops and conferences, delivered a&nbsp;keynote address at the World Forum on Gender Equality and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZih64Z2wxQ">a TEDx talk on Canadian identity</a>.</p> <p>And she's just getting started.&nbsp;</p> <p>Growing up Anishinaabe as a member of the Eabametoong First Nation living in Thunder Bay, Ont.,&nbsp;Yesno&nbsp;belongs to the first generation in Canada to avoid residential school, where so many Indigenous children were sent by the Canadian government to be stripped of their culture until 1996.</p> <p>In June, she’ll be the first Indigenous member of her family to graduate from a university.</p> <p>“My grandparents did not go to university, but they were residential school survivors. School for them has been a very complicated place and system.&nbsp;I look at intergenerational cycles and see how education was a very violent tool for them,” says Yesno, a Faculty of Arts &amp; Science student who will graduate with an&nbsp;honours bachelor of arts in political science and Indigenous studies in June as a member of Victoria College.</p> <p>“Education is now something that –&nbsp;despite what struggles I might face in university –&nbsp;really does empower me and is something I love.”</p> <div class="media_embed" height="500px" width="750px"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="500px" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XPdST6exDg8" width="750px"></iframe></div> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Yesno recently received <a href="/news/indigenous-students-recognized-academic-achievement-leadership-and-advocacy">the President’s Award for Outstanding Indigenous Student of the Year</a>, an award that recognizes her impressive academic record and an almost impossible list of achievements beyond the classroom. The many panels, workshops and conferences she's particpated in also include a young women’s panel at the UN Conference on Climate Change’s 24th Conference of the Parties in Katowice, Poland, and the Institute on Governance’s Nation-to-Nation Dialogue Series.&nbsp;</p> <p>“I really embraced very early on the fact that my life as a 20-year-old maybe isn't the stereotypical image of a 20-year-old in other people's minds,” she says. “I was always travelling, and I definitely did not sleep as much as I probably should have&nbsp;– but it was all so rewarding.”</p> <p><strong>William Robins</strong>, president of Victoria University, met Yesno soon after she arrived at Թϱ and discussed how the Indigenous practice of smudging could be accommodated on campus.&nbsp;</p> <p>“Riley Yesno is one of the most impressive young people I have encountered in my 25 years as a teacher and administrator at the University of Toronto,” Robins says.&nbsp;</p> <p>“A generous, highly engaged young Anishinaabe woman, able to connect deeply with a wide range of audiences, Riley is emerging as one of Canada’s most articulate observers of Indigenous affairs and one of our most compelling new voices calling for understanding and justice.”</p> <p>Yesno almost didn’t come to Թϱ.&nbsp;At 17, she was still considering art school. Her eyes were opened to a different future after being appointed to the Prime Minister’s Youth Council in 2017.</p> <p>“For the first time in my life, I was thrust into the political world and policy-making, and it really lit a fire in me. I realized I could be happy being an artist, but that this is probably where more of my passion lies,” she recalls.</p> <p><img class="migrated-asset" src="/sites/default/files/210222_riley_yesno_pmjt.jpg" alt></p> <p><em>Riley&nbsp;Yesno&nbsp;was appointed to&nbsp;the Prime Minister’s Youth Council in 2017&nbsp;(photo courtesy of Riley Yesno)</em></p> <p>Toronto is very different from Thunder Bay and Yesno’s transition wasn’t seamless. Finding herself and staying connected with her community in a city in which she was no longer surrounded by Indigenous culture was a challenge.</p> <p>“Coming to Toronto was interesting. I knew I wanted to be here; it was time for me to spread my wings a bit and get out of Thunder Bay, but it was really jarring to leave Thunder Bay where the population is almost 30 per cent Indigenous&nbsp;and very hyper-visible, and then come to Toronto where there's so much diversity that a small population like the Indigenous population can very easily become invisible.”</p> <p>The uncomfortable irony of being a member of Victoria College didn’t go unnoticed by Yesno, either. Named after Queen Victoria, it offered a constant reminder of colonization and the roots of the residential school system.</p> <p>“Big pictures of the queen, colonial castles and pillars –&nbsp;colonization is not just this abstract thing in the back of your mind when you're living in that environment,” she says. “It's very present.”</p> <p>It wasn’t until her third year that Yesno felt she’d fully re-established her connection to her community and culture, thanks to Թϱ’s <a href="https://studentlife.utoronto.ca/department/first-nations-house/">First Nations House</a>, which supports academic success, personal growth and leadership development through culturally relevant services to Indigenous students.</p> <p>“I love First Nations House,” she says. “I recommend it to every Indigenous student going into the university. For some reason, I was a little bit stubborn in my first few years and I didn't go. For those first few years, I was struggling to find community, and then finally I went and I never stopped going. Any day of the week, you could easily find me at First Nations House.”</p> <p><img class="migrated-asset" src="/sites/default/files/Riley%20Yesno.jpg" alt></p> <p><em>Riley Yesno at Թϱ’s First Nations House&nbsp;(photo by Lisa Macintosh)</em></p> <p>Yesno will soon celebrate another education first in her family –&nbsp;pursuing grad school. She starts her PhD in the department of political science in September, with a concentration in Canadian politics. During that time, she’ll continue her speaking engagements and work on her book about the reconciliation era in Canada and the role of youth specifically, but her long-term career goals are still unwritten.</p> <p>“The support I received online was not at all expected: Hundreds of messages; people really cheering me on,” Yesno says. “It reminded me how many people I don't even think about are in my corner.</p> <p>“It reminds me that things like achieving a PhD or just being able to graduate are just as much a collective win as it is an individual one.”</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Wed, 17 Mar 2021 19:45:54 +0000 lanthierj 168791 at 'Queen of the Hurricanes' Elsie MacGill and other Թϱ history-makers from convocations past /news/queen-hurricanes-elsie-macgill-and-other-u-t-history-makers-convocations-past <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">'Queen of the Hurricanes' Elsie MacGill and other Թϱ history-makers from convocations past</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2008-58-2MS_2.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=szRxCcrs 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2008-58-2MS_2.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=pxo-yYqo 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2008-58-2MS_2.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=i9MEspJT 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2008-58-2MS_2.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=szRxCcrs" alt="Photo of Elsie Macgill"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>davidlee1</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2019-06-03T11:00:26-04:00" title="Monday, June 3, 2019 - 11:00" class="datetime">Mon, 06/03/2019 - 11:00</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Graduating from Թϱ in 1927, Elsie MacGill went on to become an aeronautical engineer during the Second World War, earning the nickname “Queen of the Hurricanes” (photo courtesy of University of Toronto Archives)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/david-lee" hreflang="en">David Lee</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/perry-king" hreflang="en">Perry King</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/convocation-2019" hreflang="en">Convocation 2019</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/u-t-archives" hreflang="en">Թϱ Archives</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/graduate-stories" hreflang="en">Graduate Stories</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/alumni" hreflang="en">Alumni</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-applied-science-engineering" hreflang="en">Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-arts-science" hreflang="en">Faculty of Arts &amp; Science</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-dentistry" hreflang="en">Faculty of Dentistry</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-medicine" hreflang="en">Faculty of Medicine</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/hospital-sick-children" hreflang="en">Hospital for Sick Children</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/indigenous" hreflang="en">Indigenous</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/victoria-university" hreflang="en">Victoria University</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>The University of Toronto has marked a number of convocation firsts&nbsp;– from educating the first Canadian-born Black family physician in Canada to granting the country’s first Bachelor of Science degree to a woman.</p> <p>With spring convocation kicking off this week, <em>Թϱ</em> photo/video coordinator <strong>David Lee</strong> and archivist <strong>Marnee Gamble</strong> dug up several historical photos of history-making members of the Թϱ community that, in some cases, date back more than a century.</p> <hr> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__10949 img__view_mode__media_large attr__format__media_large" height="453" src="/sites/default/files/benson%20and%20baker.jpg" typeof="foaf:Image" width="680" loading="lazy"></p> <p><em>(photos courtesy of University of Toronto Archives)</em></p> <p>In 1903, <strong>Emma Baker</strong>, left, and <strong>Clara Benson</strong> became the first women to earn a PhD from the university – earning degrees in philosophy and chemistry, respectively. They each eventually taught in the Faculty of Household Science. Benson, specifically, rose to the position of lecturer and, when the school was designated as a full-fledged faculty in 1906, became the university’s first of two associate professors.&nbsp;</p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__10941 img__view_mode__media_large attr__format__media_large" height="453" src="/sites/default/files/2008-58-2MS_1.jpg" typeof="foaf:Image" width="680" loading="lazy"></p> <p><em><span style="font-family: &quot;Open Sans&quot;, sans-serif;">(photo courtesy of University of Toronto Archives)</span></em></p> <p><span style="font-family: &quot;Open Sans&quot;, sans-serif;">Graduating from Թϱ&nbsp;in 1927, <strong>Elsie MacGill</strong> was the first Canadian woman to earn a degree in electrical engineering. She went on to become an aeronautical engineer during the Second World War, earning the nickname “Queen of the Hurricanes” for her work in turning a railway boxcar factory in northern Ontario into an aircraft assembly line.&nbsp;MacGill is pictured here prior to receiving an honorary degree from Թϱ in 1973.&nbsp;</span></p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__10944 img__view_mode__media_large attr__format__media_large" height="453" src="/sites/default/files/anderson-ruffin-abbott_0.jpg" typeof="foaf:Image" width="680" loading="lazy"></p> <p><em>(photo courtesy of University of Toronto Archives)</em></p> <p>A participant in the American Civil War, <strong>Anderson Ruffin Abbott</strong> was the first Black Canadian&nbsp;– who was also born in Canada&nbsp;–&nbsp; to be licensed as a family physician. He attended primary medical classes at Թϱ in 1867 and was admitted to the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario in 1871.&nbsp;</p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__10945 img__view_mode__media_large attr__format__media_large" height="453" src="/sites/default/files/RS467_1991_161_P0966-hpr.jpg" typeof="foaf:Image" width="680" loading="lazy"></p> <p><em>(photo courtesy&nbsp;of Victoria University Archives)</em></p> <p>It’s believed that <strong>Nellie Greenwood</strong> became the first woman in Canada to receive a Bachelor of Science degree from a Canadian post-secondary institution when she received her undergraduate degree from Victoria University in 1884 – an experience she described as “a realm of pure delight,” according to historical documents.</p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__10947 img__view_mode__media_large attr__format__media_large" height="453" src="/sites/default/files/Oronhyatekha_0.jpg" typeof="foaf:Image" width="680" loading="lazy"></p> <p>(photo courtesy University of Toronto Archives)</p> <p><strong>Oronhyatekha</strong>, which means “Burning Sky” or “Burning Cloud” in the Mohawk language, studied medicine at Թϱ, where he earned his MD in 1866 – the first Indigenous student from Թϱ to become a practising doctor and the second in Canada. In the years that followed, Oronhyatekha served as a solider, the president of the Grand Council of Canadian Chiefs and practised medicine throughout southwestern Ontario and western New York.&nbsp;</p> <p style="box-sizing: inherit; color: rgb(79, 79, 81); font-family: DINweb, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__10948 img__view_mode__media_large attr__format__media_large" height="453" src="/sites/default/files/RS9987_a_stowe_gullen_b03_f01_P9_0.jpg" typeof="foaf:Image" width="680" loading="lazy"></p> <p><em>(photo courtesy of Victoria University Archives)</em></p> <p><strong>Ann Augusta Stowe-Gullen&nbsp;</strong>was the first woman to graduate from a Canadian medical school. Born in Mt. Pleasant, Ont., Stowe-Gullen was educated at the Toronto School of Medicine, and then at the Faculty of Medicine at Victoria University. She became an MD&nbsp;in 1883.&nbsp;</p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__10950 img__view_mode__media_large attr__format__media_large" height="453" src="/sites/default/files/2001-77-87MS.jpg" typeof="foaf:Image" width="680" loading="lazy"></p> <p><em>(photo courtesy of University of Toronto Archives)</em></p> <p><strong>Frederick Scott</strong> became the first Թϱ student to receive a PhD degree in 1899 after the degree program itself was introduced two years earlier. His&nbsp;physiology&nbsp;thesis topic was focused on nerve cells.&nbsp;</p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__10936 img__view_mode__media_large attr__format__media_large" height="453" src="/sites/default/files/2002-85-2MS_1.jpg" typeof="foaf:Image" width="680" loading="lazy"></p> <p><em>(photo courtesy of University of Toronto Archives)</em></p> <p>Թϱ awarded its first honorary degree to <strong>Henry Holmes Croft</strong> – a Doctor of Civil Law – in 1850. Croft was an author and professor of chemistry who served as Թϱ’s vice-chancellor from 1850 to 1853.&nbsp;</p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__10934 img__view_mode__media_large attr__format__media_large" height="453" src="/sites/default/files/arlington-dungy-graduation-photo-1956.jpg" typeof="foaf:Image" width="680" loading="lazy"></p> <p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; font-family: &quot;Open Sans&quot;, sans-serif; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: rgb(72, 86, 103); font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5;"><em><span style="color: rgb(72, 86, 103); font-family: &quot;Open Sans&quot;, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">(photo courtesy of University of Toronto Archives)</span></em></p> <p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; font-family: &quot;Open Sans&quot;, sans-serif; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: rgb(72, 86, 103); font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5;"><strong>Arlington Franklin Dungy</strong> was Ontario’s first Black dental school graduate. Originally from Windsor, Ont., Dungy earned his Doctor of Dental Surgery from Թϱ’s Faculty of Dentistry in 1956. Just over 10 years later, in 1969, he was named chief of pediatric dentistry at Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children.&nbsp;</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Mon, 03 Jun 2019 15:00:26 +0000 davidlee1 156667 at 'Say yes to a text': Sarah Dowling on new directions in reading, writing and studying poetry /news/say-yes-text-sarah-dowling-new-directions-reading-writing-and-studying-poetry <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">'Say yes to a text': Sarah Dowling on new directions in reading, writing and studying poetry</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2019-03-04-dowling-resized.jpg?h=2fe880c3&amp;itok=3mPSx4jv 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2019-03-04-dowling-resized.jpg?h=2fe880c3&amp;itok=DNeINjbq 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2019-03-04-dowling-resized.jpg?h=2fe880c3&amp;itok=cO1fzjyX 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2019-03-04-dowling-resized.jpg?h=2fe880c3&amp;itok=3mPSx4jv" alt="Photo of Sarah Dowling"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>noreen.rasbach</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2019-03-04T00:00:00-05:00" title="Monday, March 4, 2019 - 00:00" class="datetime">Mon, 03/04/2019 - 00:00</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Assistant Professor Sarah Dowling is bringing important new conversations to light about authorship, appropriation and the socio-political dimensions of language (photo by Diana Tyszko)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/jovana-jankovic" hreflang="en">Jovana Jankovic</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/city-culture" hreflang="en">City &amp; Culture</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/english" hreflang="en">English</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-arts-science" hreflang="en">Faculty of Arts &amp; Science</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/humanities" hreflang="en">Humanities</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/victoria-university" hreflang="en">Victoria University</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>The work of literary criticism is often just that – critical. But Assistant Professor&nbsp;<strong>Sarah Dowling</strong>&nbsp;thinks we’re missing a crucial step before we delve into unpacking and critically analyzing a piece of literature, a step that could “lead to a more thorough and vivid understanding of a text.”</p> <p>Her advice?&nbsp;“Before we say no to a text, we have to say yes to a text,” says Dowling, recalling a favourite concept she picked up in her graduate studies. “We should say what something is, before we say what something isn’t.”</p> <p>Dowling only recently joined Թϱ’s&nbsp;Centre for Comparative Literature&nbsp;in the Faculty of Arts &amp; Science and&nbsp;Victoria College. An award-winning poet and literary critic, she is bringing important new conversations to light about authorship, appropriation and the socio-political dimensions of language.</p> <p>An openness to meaning and interpretation, despite linguistic differences, is one way of saying yes to a text.</p> <p>Dowling’s most recent book,&nbsp;<em>Translingual Poetics: Writing Personhood Under Settler Colonialism</em>, highlights the key roles played by non-English languages within anglophone poetry.</p> <p>The book looks at works like acclaimed Canadian poet M. NourbeSe Philip’s 2008 work&nbsp;<em>Zong!</em>, which is constructed out of language from an 18th-century court document about the murder of 150 enslaved people. Written primarily in English, the work also contains text in western European and West African languages.</p> <p>Multilingual poetry “questions the sense that there was ever a time when we had closed-off communities that were completely united by a single language and everyone was the same,” says Dowling.</p> <p>“But it also rejects the kind of hand-holding, smiling, too-easy portraits of diversity and multiculturalism in which people are different, but there are no differences of power.”</p> <p>Still, one might wonder what to do when coming across foreign words from an unfamiliar language inside a poem written mostly in English.</p> <p>“There are things you can make meaning out of even if you don’t understand the words,” Dowling says.</p> <p>“You have to think about things like the shape of the stanza, or its placement on the page. Multilingual poetry challenges you to deal with difference even when you can’t assimilate it. I think that can be quite powerful.”</p> <p>In the last two or three decades, poetry has taken up some of the premises of the conceptual art of the 1960s – namely, that the&nbsp;idea&nbsp;behind a work of art is more important than its aesthetic or material properties, and that works aren’t necessarily made by individual authors expressing a singular artistic vision.</p> <p>Conceptual poets, including Dowling herself, are reusing, repurposing and remixing existing texts in order to call attention to the ways in which we can say yes to a text that comes from another source and then reframe it to say something new or to mount a critique of the original work.</p> <p>The abundance of written content in the digital era “has created some really interesting possibilities for poets and artists,” says Dowling.</p> <p>But Dowling says simply taking existing text and remixing it into a new form is a bit too “blunt.” Instead, she champions work that “has a lot to say about the actual&nbsp;process&nbsp;of appropriating,” such as that of Nisga’a writer Jordan Abel. His 2015&nbsp;book of poetry,&nbsp;<em>Un/inhabited</em>, searches through digitized text from 91 western novels – a total of 10,000 pages – to uncover the broader context of words and phrases associated with the colonial history of westward expansion in the United States and Canada.</p> <p>Dowling also sees conceptual poetry as a very useful teaching tool, one which can diffuse some students’ discomfort with poetry and the creative process, helping them to say yes to not only the texts they read, but the ones they write themselves.</p> <p>Conceptual poetry can be “a really exciting way to think about how one can position oneself as an artist,” says Dowling.</p> <p>“Some of my students really identify as artists and love the opportunity to express themselves, but for other people who don’t think of themselves in that way, it can be really terrifying to be asked to generate something original and artistic,” says Dowling.</p> <p>“Conceptual methods” – remixing and repurposing existing texts – “can level the playing field and let people do something that’s creative even if they don’t think of themselves as an artist.”</p> <p>In addition to encouraging her students to be creative in their own literary works, Dowling also pushes them to be creative when studying others’ works.</p> <p>“I think there’s a certain amount of exhaustion with critique,” she says, “because there are so many things that are in need of criticism, and it’s very depleting to always have to perform this negative gesture.”</p> <p>Instead, Dowling advocates for a kind of affirmation of the texts we examine, simultaneously as we ask what more they could do for us or our world.</p> <p>When asked if she thinks her approach has the potential to make her classes more fun for students, Dowling laughs and says: “I would let them be the judge of that.”</p> <div style="margin-left:auto;"> <section id="content"> <article> <div style="margin-left:-15px;"> <div id="main_article"> <aside> <div> <div>&nbsp;</div> </div> </aside> </div> </div> </article> </section> <footer> <div> <p>&nbsp;</p> </div> </footer> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Mon, 04 Mar 2019 05:00:00 +0000 noreen.rasbach 154650 at