Stadium must be forum too
Re: Good news for blues? (Jan. 20)
The possible construction of an MLSE funded stadium where Varsity stadium once stood is great news for athletes and the student body at U of T as a whole. A high quality athletic facility at U of T is long overdue and this deal poses the opportunity to enhance student life at the University without pick pocketing its already overburdened students.
Tom Hipz called upon former Blues to hold the University and its partners in this pursuit accountable in making sure that the potential new stadium is an excellent development for current Blues. As a former Varsity athlete I want to echo Mr. Hipz’s words, and call especially for a fair and inclusive process in bring this project to fruition.
As many of the students and scholars at U of T know, athletics can be a valuable component of the educational experience at a post secondary institution. I hope a new stadium can be built that takes into account the needs of both athletes and non-athletes on campus and provides a forum for their voices to be heard. Let’s make sure that this exciting opportunity proceeds in full public view and with the utmost respect for all parties involved, in particular students.
Private money used for funding development on the campuses of our public universities can carry great opportunities with it, but also always threatens to bypass certain interests that are less able to make themselves heard. As a public institution, U of T has the responsibility to make certain that the potential benefits of this project are not reaped at the expense of equity and inclusiveness.
Liz Ben-Ishai, UC ’03
Gambling with the facts
Re: Let it ride, (Jan. 15)
Congratulations to The Varsity for its recent story on student gambling. This story calls needed attention to a problem that has started to receive the international research it deserves.
Your story is marred, however, by a final paragraph that is foolish and misleading: “Sociologists point out that gambling addictions are rooted in biological makeup, social circumstances, psychological, and even cultural factors-meaning that just about anyone is susceptible to the pitfalls of betting.”
As a sociologist who studies gambling, I would never make such a statement because it implies that everyone is equally likely to become a gambling addict-or, that we know nothing whatever about the problem and what distinguishes addicts from non-addicts.
In fact, people are at different risks of addiction and we know a lot about these risks. For example, social scientists know that certain specifiable group affiliations, peer pressures, situational influences, family traditions, and cultural patterns all play a part in creating, or preventing, gambling addiction. We even know that gambling addiction is correlated with other addictions, like smoking and drinking (which makes your non-smoking interviewee “Spencer” a somewhat unusual gambling addict.)
By all means, keep writing articles on important social problems, like gambling addiction. But remember that there are many researchers, even at U of T, who study these problems and may be able to shed some light on them for your audience.
Professor Lorne Tepperman
Department of Sociology
University of Toronto
