Hart House’s Great Hall was full of U of T’s most influential and elite alumni on Friday for the opening ceremony to mark the 175th birthday of the University of Toronto. About 300 people attended the invitation only event—including historical figure Marie Antoinette.
“Hello, very important people! How is your empire doing today?” said Emily Sadowski, president of the Association of Part-time Undergraduate Students (APUS), who was dressed in a period costume posing as Antoinette. “I just wanted you to know that I definitely support your new special levy, to help build houses here on campus. It’s the duty of students to pay for our luxuries, don’t you think?” She referred to the levy students will pay for the Varsity Centre.
U of T president Robert Birgeneau thanked Sadowski, Alex Kerner and Jorge Sousa, who were asked to cut U of T’s enormous birthday cake, for their creativity.
Earlier in the ceremony, guests were asked to rise as the Honourable James K. Bartleman, Ontario’s Lieutenant-Governor, entered the Hall as the Vice Regal Salute was performed.
“I’m delighted that this should be my first event as the lieutenant governor. This is truly the home of great minds.” He went on to say that everyone would be seeing him more often. “I will be like a fly on the wall—I look forward to coming across [Queen’s] Park to visit.”
Bartleman said it was fitting to be opening the ceremonies with the launch of Professor Martin L. Friedland’s new book on U of T’s history. “An examination of the history of the university is vital and valuable as a way to see where we will be in the future.”
President Birgeneau congratulated everyone who helped over the years in the production of Friedland’s book. “For one hundred years, the University Press has been significant to our community—congratulations to all those in and around who have participated.”
Birgeneau introduced Friedland, noting that he “has fashioned a great and engrossing story. It is an intelligent, balanced and even joyful presentation of historical content worthy of its great subject-the University of Toronto.”
“I can’t possibly publicly thank everyone who was involved over the years,” said Friedland. He reminded that the driving force behind the new book was Robert Prichard, who some believe took a chance in asking a non-historian to take on this formidable task. Friedland called it a “fabulous post-retirement project.”
Wendy M. Cecil, chair of the Governing Council, in her closing remarks emphasized the important contributions the University of Toronto has made over the years and unlimited possibilities the institution has for the future, just as “the fathers of King’s College could not have envisioned what the university is like today.”
After the birthday streamers fell, Sadowski commented on her performance. “It’s obvious to us that what’s going on here on campus with high tuition, increased fees in the form of the levy, they are building the palaces, and it’s the elite who isn’t really acknowledging the real needs of students.”
