On Saturday, Oct. 4, U of T’s St. George campus will be taken over by the annual homecoming celebrations. Homecoming is a yearly opportunity to treat U of T alumni to a blast from the past, and this year it will feature barbecued food, a football game, a parade, and a lecture series entitled Classes Without Quizzes-all for a $10 pass. The day starts off with a morning panel discussion on the effect of infectious diseases, hosted by Dr. David Naylor, Chair of the National Advisory Committee on SARS and Public Health and the dean of U of T’s Faculty of Medicine.
Next on the agenda is the parade, which will require many of the downtown campus streets to be closed off. The parade starts at 11 a.m. and will run for about an hour. Devonshire Place from Bloor Street to Hoskin Avenue, and St. George Street from Hoskin Avenue to College Street, are two main campus thoroughfares that will be barricaded on Saturday.
Leading the parade is the Thundersquad, U of T’s rap/hip hop dance group. The Thundersquad kicks up the spirit quota at every home basketball, volleyball, and hockey game throughout the school year. The parade will be the squad’s first performance of the season. They will follow it up by holding court during the half-time festivities at the football game later the same day. The parade ends at Varsity Field where a barbecue lunch takes place.
After lunch time, homecoming activities make their way back to the class room. Classes Without Quizzes is exactly that-lectures from some of U of T’s current professors for interested learners. The series will feature professors such as Rick Power, Dr. Anne Urbanic, Wesley Wark, David Foot, Rosemary Sullivan, and Baher Abdulahi, and will cover topics ranging from life management skills and Italian literary forensics, to Wesley Wark’s thoughts on Terrorism today.
Back on the field, the Varsity Blues will host the Windsor Lancers. With a record of 3-2, the Lancers have proven that this season they’re a very solid team. It will be a long shot for the Blues to break their losing streak against Windsor.
At the game, the 1983 football team will be honoured for their competitive play during a 20-year commemorative celebration. Blues football head coach Steve Howlett played slot-back for the ’83 team. Twenty years ago, the Blues walked away with the Yates Cup, the top title in the OUA.
Although the events are designed with the returning alumni in mind, the day’s festivites are open to U of T students if space permits. Tickets can also be bought online through the ‘homecoming’ link at www.utoronto.ca, so come out and participate.
