All Posts Tagged With: "New College"
This equity professor pushes community outreach
June Larkin earns 3M National Teaching Fellowship
Larkin (Kathleen Olmstead)
June Larkin, a lecturer in Women and Gender Studies and Equity Studies and vice-principal of New College at the University of Toronto, is a 3M National Teaching Fellowship recipient for 2013. Maclean’s On Campus is profiling all 10.
Before June Larkin ever attended a university class, she was engrossed in the intricacies of social justice as a primary-school teacher.
As a “mature student” balancing her undergraduate studies in psychology, feminist studies and education with her teaching job, she saw firsthand the interplay between gender and social equality on the playground as the children fought, played and formed peer groups. When she went on to do her PhD, she used her background as a teacher to write her doctorate about sexual harassment in high schools. “Working as a teacher was one of the things that attracted me to equity studies,” she says, “Now, as a professor, I have always tried to bridge theoretical concepts with practical, community-based application.”
Continue reading This equity professor pushes community outreach
Bail conditions imposed on UToronto protesters
Fourteen individuals restricted from the grounds of UToronto
University of Toronto student newspaper The Varsity uploaded a news story overnight further updating the aftermath of March’s UToronto sit-in at Simcoe Hall.
Continue reading Bail conditions imposed on UToronto protesters
“We do not accede to thuggish tactics by mobs”
U of T president responds to campus protest; says charges may be laid
University of Toronto President David Naylor’s response to last week’s protest and sit-in at the university’s administrative building, Simcoe Hall.
* Click here to read the original story.
* Click here for video of the incident
* For an analysis of the New College fee increase that sparked the protest, click here.
President’s Statement on the Events at Simcoe Hall on March 20th, 2008
to the University of Toronto Community
By David Naylor, President
March 24, 2008
Introduction
On the afternoon of March 20th, a small group of protesters entered Simcoe Hall and conducted themselves in a fashion antithetical to the University’s values and traditions of peaceful assembly. This statement addresses the background to this incident, reviews the unacceptable conduct, summarizes the actions that will be taken by the University, notes with concern the alleged role of some recognized student organizations in this incident, and re-states certain basic principles for general reference.
The Role of Students and the Right to Dissent
The University of Toronto has long upheld its fundamental belief in freedom of expression. We have done so in the basic belief that debate is a central and historic role of any university in a free society. The right of students to assemble peacefully and to express support for, or opposition to, courses of action taken by the University is similarly protected.
To ensure that students are heard systemically, the University also ensures that literally hundreds of students are actively engaged and consulted in the broadest range of university affairs, from setting budgets — including tuitions and ancillary fees — to setting codes of research ethics and planning building projects.
Fact Check: U of T residence fee increase
University of Toronto protestors say they’re fighting a 20% fee increase. The university says it’s closer to 10%. Who’s right?
The University of Toronto plans to increase the residence fee for students living in the one of the downtown campus residences, the New College residence.
A group of protesters calling themselves “AlwaysQuestion” held a protest last Thursday. The group said it was protesting a “20 per cent residence fee increase” at New College.
However, the university spokesperson, Robert Steiner, stated that the protestors did not have their facts straight: according to him, the proposed fee increase is closer to 10 per cent, not 20 per cent.
So who’s right? Have a look at the table below. It shows residence costs at New College for 07/08, and proposed price for 08/09:
| 2007/08 | 2008/09 | Increase | |
| New College Room | $5,305 | $6,366 | 20% |
| New College Full Meal Plan | $3,841 | $3,975 | 3.5% |
| Total Residence Fee | $9,146 | $10,341 | 13.1% |
The protestors claim that they are fighting against a “20% residence fee increase” at New College. On the face of it, it seems hard to argue with their math. The room fee is going up by 20 per cent. Case closed.
Or maybe not. The university argues that the term “residence fee” commonly means both the cost of room (rent) and meals (board). You can’t buy one without the other. And it is the use of the term “residence fee” —covering both room and board—that the university bases its argument on.
The cost of living in New College residence this year (2007/2008) is $9,146. If the proposed fee increases are approved by the university’s Governing Council, the cost of living in New College will increase to $10,341 next school year. This represents an increase of 13.1 per cent.
According to Steiner, the “closer to 10 per cent” figure he cited was arrived at by taking the 13.1 per cent increase (and our math wizard says that, yes indeed, 13.1 per cent is closer to 10 per cent than it is to 20 per cent), and further deducting the amount that inflation contributes to the increase.
So who is right? The students aren’t wrong: the rent portion of the residence fee is increasing by 20 per cent. But the university isn’t wrong either: the total residence fee, covering room and board, is increasing 13.1 per cent—which is “closer to 10 per cent” than it is to 20 per cent. But the university is overreaching in trying to describe part of that 13.1 per cent increase as not an increase at all, but just inflation. The fees may be going up in part because of inflation, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t going up.
For more information on the reasons behind the proposed increase, read page 15 of the report to the Governing Council.
Police Brutality – please
Go cry wolf somewhere other than an institution of higher learning
A group of radicals decided to split off from a protest against a “20 per cent residence fee increase” at the University of Toronto Friday.
(The university claims the increase in question is only “closer to 10 per cent”, I’m looking into this. There will be a “Fact Check” story. I’ve fact checked, and neither side is being 100% accurate. )
RELATED CONTENT: U of T protestors occupy building, removed by police, Fact Check: U of T residence fee increase
They decided to occupy the University of Toronto’s administration building; Simcoe Hall. Officially, they claimed to be occupying the hall with a set of demands to meet with the university president related to tuition fees.
However, the people holding the sit-in were also protesting an occupation. It is unclear if it was the Israeli occupation of the West Bank or the United States forces in Iraq.
Either way, their sit-in ended when police removed them from the building. As is the case with the professional protest crowd, they had a video camera and made a recording.
Naturally, they are claiming police brutality.
