Victoria College’s attempts to foster civil discourse have manifested in numerous initiatives and received varying responses
Recently, Victoria College has been taking steps to implement civil discourse among students and faculty. This has resulted in multiple events and activities ranging from lunch events to discussion groups.
In an interview with The Strand on November 4, 2024, President Rhonda McEwen stressed the importance of having historical context when conversing about recent social and political issues. She pointed out that recent discussions between students and faculty surrounding Palestine and Israel were based on limited knowledge of the context and events. She states in the interview: “How can you be at each other’s throats? And you don’t even know the base level of the history of this?”
President McEwen provided possible methods to diversify one’s perspective, birthing more fruitful and informed civil discourse. She regrets the prevalence of “echo chambers” created by social media and encourages students to enrich their university life by engaging in critical thinking. Critical listening and reading from a diverse pool of sources, especially those with an opposing viewpoint, was among McEwen’s suggestions.
Another concern raised by McEwen was the loss of people’s ability to “really listen to people who don’t have our same background, our same beliefs,” manifesting in a lack of mutual respect between the opposing parties. This tendency has led to initiatives by Victoria College and Emmanuel College to provide tools for students to engage in discussions with people from diverse backgrounds.
In a statement to The Strand, Victoria College claimed to have hosted various events, addressing President McEwen’s concerns regarding civil discourse.
On January 29th, 2025, the Office of the Dean of Students hosted a civil discourse lunch event in Alumni Hall to converse with Vic students and gauge input to develop effective ways to implement civil discourse, literacy and practice within Victoria College. Professor Randy Boyagoda, the University of Toronto’s Provostial Advisor on Civil Discourse, attended the event along with several members of the Dean’s Advisory Committee.
More than 100 attendees were present at the event with a diverse representation of perspectives. This included Vic students involved in student associations such as VUSAC, residence and commuter dons, transition mentors, Vic Ready participants, Vic volunteers, and more.
Their attempt to reach out does not end here. The college also invited a random pool of Vic students who might be less involved in student organisations. This was done by randomly sending invitations to students asking them to attend civil discussion events.
Similar to Victoria College, the Emmanuel College Student Society met with the Dean’s Office to plan an Emmanuel College Dean’s Advisory dinner. At the event, students, staff, faculty, and librarians engaged in discussions of mutual interest while aiming to bridge gaps between diverse perspectives and foster civil discourse.
Furthermore, Victoria College’s Ideas for the World program “blends social interaction, academic reflection, and community awareness.” It hosts weekly, seminar-style discussions led by UofT faculty and guest speakers. Certain programs include Theatre for Thought and Humanities for Humanity, along with the Difficult Conversations series, which has just begun this academic year.
In the Difficult Conversations seminar, students can attend weekly lunches to discuss complex issues in a safe and respectful environment. Each seminar is supervised by faculty and staff to ensure mutual respect and civility.
President McEwen plans to host another event this spring called the Presidential Intercultural Initiatives Program. It aims to showcase initiatives that advocate for intercultural dialogue and awareness by providing funding and other means of support. The Victoria College representative traces this event to the College’s “longstanding practice of inviting speakers to campus who have ideas on different sides of high-interest debates.” An example is Tarek Al-Zoughbi’s talk from November 6, 2024 hosted at Emmanuel College. Al-Zoughbi is a Christian Palestinian-American who works as the project and youth Coordinator at Wi’am: The Palestinian Conflict Transformation Center which focuses on peacebuilding and conflict resolution.
Recently, some students have raised concerns over how Vic attempts to foster civil discourse. In Vic One’s September 18, 2024 plenary session, the College hosted Pamela Paul as a panellist for a discussion on civil discourse. Paul has been publicly criticized over her transphobic comments written in numerous opinion pieces for the New York Times. During the 2024 Fall Caucus, Principal Alex Hernandez responded to concerns about giving Paul a platform at Victoria College by stating: “I should be clear that we don’t agree with her views, and they didn’t come up during the panel […] to do a civil discourse panel, we had to have a variety of opinions.”
Some Vic students worry about the possibility of a slippery slope, one states that “inviting individuals with discriminatory views opens the doors to inviting others with outwardly hateful opinions.” Others have concerns about Vic’s approach to discourse on Palestine. One Vic student laments: “The impartiality of Victoria College on the matter of Palestine is not emblematic of actual neutrality, but rather complacency. How can you tell Muslim, Arab and Palestinian students who feel dehumanized […] that you are open to hearing both sides in [the] spirit of ‘inclusive’ discourse?”
Although Vic has had a long-standing commitment to civil discourse, recent attempts to further encourage and cultivate it, come in light of contentions on Palestine-Israel. In January 2024, UofT Provost Trevor Young appointed Professor Boyagoda as the inaugural Provostial Advisor on Civil Discourse, whose role entailed supporting “robust dialogue, academic curiosity, and civil engagement.” On February 9, the University announced its call for nominations for a tri-campus “task force” of students and faculty to “contribute advice, suggestions, and insights towards strengthening a culture of civil discourse.” By seeking Professor Boyagoda’s advice and consulting college faculty and students, Vic has followed in UofT’s footsteps to foster civil discourse.
