Welcome to UofT, Victoria College, and The Strand
To all our new readers, welcome to UofT, welcome to Victoria College, and welcome to The Strand. And for those of you who are returning, welcome back. We’ve missed you.
Entering your first year of university is both terrifying and exciting. The first week of classes often means meeting more new faces than you can remember (and adding a lot of new contacts named “girl from ENG140”), taking the wrong way through Queen’s Park (you’ll figure out the right path soon, I promise), and eating a questionable (but free!) slice of pizza at some informative event.
During my O-week, over three years ago now, I remember picking up a copy of The Strand and reading it between bites of a stale Ned’s veggie wrap. I remember how in awe I was of the thoughtful writing, the beautiful photos and illustrations, and the topics that were covered. I remember thinking, “I want to be a part of this.”
And, luckily, I am. Through The Strand, I’ve learned the ins and outs of writing for a newspaper, the meticulous work that goes into assembling an issue, the all-consuming process of creating a fully realized magazine, and the satisfaction of seeing people on campus pick up a copy. Being involved with The Strand, and being involved in campus life more generally, has enriched my university experience in immeasurable ways. Now that I’m nearing the end of my undergraduate career, I truly cannot imagine my university experience without The Strand.
This year, however, we are in trouble. In January 2019, premier Doug Ford introduced the Student Choice Initiative, a provincial mandate that gives students the opportunity to opt out of certain ancillary fees (this basically means any fees that aren’t strictly considered “tuition”). By deeming most ancillary fees optional, and in Ford’s words, “non-essential,” many student groups on campus are at risk of losing their funding. But to Ford, it’s not really about saving students money. It’s an explicit attack on student autonomy and it is meant to break apart student advocacy and equity groups, as well as student media—the very entities that work to hold our institutions accountable and provide services that often no one else will.
For example, VicPride! (with whom we share an office) is at risk of losing funding. Last year, they held numerous social events for Vic’s LGBTQ+ community; hosted free, public educational events; and held clothing swaps and anonymous binder giveaways to provide all students with clothes they feel comfortable in. Their levy (aka their fee) for full-time undergraduate students is 32 cents per semester. Unless students opt in to ancillary fees, we at UofT face the loss of services such as those provided by VicPride!.
The Student Choice Initiative will make the absolutely essential work that we, and other student groups, perform so much harder. There is so much more to student life than just going to class. UofT and Vic are such vibrant places because of student groups, clubs, levies, publications, and events. Without these things, school will, for a lack of a better term, really, really suck.
It’s hard to imagine UofT and Vic without the wealth of student groups and societies. Apart from the life that they breathe into the school, they also provide a playground for students outside of the classroom. Groups like The Strand let students dip their toes into journalism and publishing. Campus theatre groups like the Victoria College Drama Society (VCDS) allow students to try on every single hat in a theatrical production—on and off stage. Art groups like Vic’s photography club, VicXposure, give students the chance to experiment and create with equipment and materials that are often hard to access independently. It would not be an overstatement for me to say that my extracurricular participation has taught me just as much as my classes and professors have during my time at UofT.
I understand the compulsion to opt out of fees; I’m also a broke-ass student who would love to make even the tiniest dent in my debt. I know that people will make their own choices, and I respect that. But I hope that reading our first issue and walking through campus as Orientation Week events are in full swing will convince you not to opt out.
So please, flip through our O-Week issue and enjoy Ronan Mallovy’s personal essay about making university feel smaller, Khadija Alam’s feature piece on imposter syndrome, the comprehensive list of the best toilets on campus in our humour section, and the beautiful photos and illustrations compiled by our visual team. Walk through campus and grab some free food. Catch a student production of your favourite play or musical. Listen to any one of the talented musical groups on campus. This is what UofT is all about—students doing what they love and sharing it with their peers and the community.
Thank you for picking up our first issue, and welcome to Vic, UofT, and The Strand.
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