Author name: Karim Arif

Elections: what’s happening?

Breaking down Canada’s current political climate with Professor Lawrence LeDuc Continuing the discussion on the upcoming federal elections, The Strand recently interviewed Professor Emeritus Lawrence LeDuc, an expert in Canadian elections and voting. Since Trudeau’s resignation as Liberal Party leader amidst election season, uncertainty has shadowed Canada’s political future. This article aims to demystify doubts […]

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Concerns sparked from over six hour VUSAC budget ratification

A discussion with the VUSAC President on concerns from the winter budget meetings The Victoria University Students’ Administrative Council (VUSAC) winter 2025 budget ratification on January 17 and 31 raised student concerns. To better address these questions, The Strand interviewed VUSAC president Juhyung Yun. A notable concern was the time taken for budget ratification compared

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Changes made to Coburn Award

Criteria for acceptance into the Coburn Fellowship Award eased In a December 2024 meeting, the Victoria University Senate approved amendments to the Coburn Fellowship Award. According to Victoria College, the changes involve expanding criteria for applicants. Previously, applicants were required to be students enrolled in Victoria College and studying fine arts or the humanities. The

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Elections: a discussion on immigration

A discussion with Professor Joseph Carens on the ethics of immigration As we plunge into 2025, federal elections loom over Canada where immigration is a heated topic of debate in political arenas. Unsettling levels of inflation and unemployment have been pinned on the governing Liberal Party’s laxed immigration policies. Often perpetuating racism and xenophobia, anti-immigration

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Victoria College’s Fall 2024 Caucus Report

An overview of Vic’s Fall 2024 Caucus Administrative Reports Registrar Yvette Ali started the caucus with a report on the recent move of their office to the third floor of the Goldring Student Centre. When asked about the impact of recent government policies on international student visas, Ali stated that the percentage of international students

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President McEwen on Mental Health, Fossil Fuel Divestment and other topics.

A snippet into The Strand’s interview with President McEwen on recent Vic and student affairs. Why do you think Victoria College finds it so difficult in maintaining a supportive environment, and what steps has it taken create a supportive environment for students? Mental health is a challenge not specific to UofT. The Canadian health care

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VUSAC: Missions, Philosophies and Palestine

2024-25 VUSAC’s aims for the academic year and a revisit to their stance on Palestine. Missions and Philosophies The Victoria University Students’ Administrative Council (VUSAC) is Victoria College’s student representative body, which works yearly to bridge relations between Vic students and administration. The 2024/2025 year’s VUSAC brings a new approach to student governance and representation.

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A Conversation with Principal Hernandez: An Introduction to Alex

The introductory segment of the interview with Principal Hernandez. The 2024-25 academic year marks a watershed moment for Victoria College as Dr. Angela Esterhammer ends her tenure as Principal after 12 years in office. As an associate professor of English, Dr. Hernandez focuses his research on eighteenth-century literature and culture. However, his unorthodox consideration of

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A conversation with Principal Hernandez: Vic’s academic vision

The second segment of the interview with Principal Hernandez. Vic prides itself on its unique approaches to learning, notably its small classrooms, first-year programs, and, to an extent, professor-oriented courses. Given Vic’s rich historical pedagogical traditions, are there any that you want to uphold or, alternatively, revise? Vic is a unique place because it has

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