Friends of the student centre
Re: “Hart House is the student centre”, letter, Mar. 21.
- I have to believe that Mr. Gouveia is being disingenuous when he claims that Hart House is all the Student Centre we need or will ever want.
80 per cent of students at the U of T are commuter students, and surveys show that two-thirds of those spend zero time on campus, outside of classes.
These students are members of Hart House and many also belong to federated colleges, and yet for some reason most students at this university are not involved at all in campus life. Hart House is a gem, and will always be an important part of the university, but the building was created for a student body of two thousand. There are now about 70,000 students at U of T, and Hart House is bursting at the seams with its own clubs, let alone the nearly 400 clubs that exist across campus.
We need a place where all students can go to socialize and find out what is happening. We need a home for all the clubs where the students can see them, where the clubs can meet, display their activities, and recruit new members. A student centre could publicize events happening in the colleges and Hart House to the tens of thousands of students who currently never visit them. I daresay that Hart House will be able to focus on the activities that Hart House does best, if a modern student centre does open.
Ian MacMillan
- Hart House is a wonderful institution, but it is not a student centre.
Despite their motto, Hart House has never felt like “my house.” It is more like my mother’s house, where “as long as you’re under my roof, you’ll live by my rules.” Even their exhortation to “get inside!” sounds more like a harried parent screaming at recalcitrant children than a warm invitation.
I work with a student organization, and we serve a large constituency. Hart House only allows us to make a single room booking each month. These bookings may be made no more than two weeks in advance, making planning and advertising difficult. Only a single representative is authorized to book space, and that person is required to be on hand at the meeting or event to pick up the key. Finally, we are not allowed to bring inexpensive ‘outside’ food, but instead must purchase snacks and drinks from Hart House catering or the Arbor Room at slightly discounted retail prices. These restrictions greatly limit the utility of Hart House for most student events and meetings.
Of course, the few clubs that operate under the Hart House charter are not restricted in this manner. The Hart House website says that this is because “membership has its privileges!”, but this particular membership is not open to all student groups.
Paul Bowser
Ringing praise
Re: What’s that ringing in your ears? It’s U of T’s prized Carillon, Mar. 22.
I was impressed with the article on the Carillion! Though the picture covers the first lines of the text [in the online ed.], it is a very interesting and enlightening article, for which I would like to compliment the writer.
Adrian Masters
Consistent inconsistency
Re: “The Ebert of pop legal theory strikes again,” Letters, Mar. 17.
I cannot really say that I am entirely pro-Palestinian or Pro-Israeli. But as someone who took in the Dershowitz address on March 14, I couldn’t help but smirk a little as I read Mr. Riad’s letter. Mr. Riad labels Dershowitz as “rude, and vulgar; referring to former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat as a ‘son of a bitch.'”
This is a misrepresentation, however; Dershowitz actually quoted President Clinton, who referred to Arafat as a son of a bitch.
The irony rests in the fact that Dershowitz was quoting Clinton from a personal discussion, in an attempt to correct a “pro-Palestinian” questioner who was also misrepresenting a historical event. This type of exchange seemed to be a flavour of the day as another inquisitor was caught red-handed, supposedly “quoting” UNSC resolution 242.
No account is free from bias. However, as someone who tries to remain as objective as possible when observing this issue, I can say that it reflects very poorly on the representatives of an argument when fact and truth are sacrificed for political gain.
Shaun Hoffman
Shaky solidarity
Re: Vive l’education (plus) libre, Mar. 22.
Noaman Ali has a strange way of expressing his solidarity with the fight of Québec’s university students to keep higher education affordable in their province. Does he think “frenchie” is a term of endearment? Most Quebeckers (and francophones more generally) wouldn’t think so.
Given that his argument is full of racial slurs, profanity, and bad math (fixed in the online edition! – Ed.), one has to wonder if all the money he’s handing over to U of T is developing his writing and critical thinking skills at all.
Maybe he should consider a career change and put his resume in at his favourite hot dog stand outside Sid Smith?
Bonne chance dans ta nouvelle carrière, mon ami.
Timothy B. Gravelle
Rat Fink
It’s horrible that the Arab Students’ Collective brought Norman Finkelstein to speak at U of T. We are supposed to be a school that encompasses intelligent students. However, the ASC has shown that intelligence does not reign within them. Advocating the work of a man who says the Holocaust is “an industry” is a disgrace. If Arab students in Canada are not advocating for peace, then how can those in Palestine?
They should feel lucky that U of T democratically allows all speakers their fair share. As I see it, that man should not have been allowed to set foot on this campus.
Patricia DeSales
