You must be joking!
Re: All students must wear formal robes, says admin, April 3
As a Trinity alumnus, I like to think of myself as comfortably insulated from the plebeian world of The Varsity and similar rags. Still, when I come across articles such as this, I cannot help but tear my beloved gown in grief. As even the least gifted Man of College knows, the words “robe” and “gown” are not interchangeable. Since you have shown little interest in the correct usage of these terms, I will not deign to enlighten you. A proper explanation would, in any case, be beyond the comprehension of your “readers” from the newer colleges.
Andrew Galbraith, OT3
No hate crime links
Re: Naylor condemns recent racism, March 28
I strongly support the recent statement by U of T president David Naylor condemning the recent violence on campus and his comment on the harm done by spreading misinformation to purposefully inflame the situation.
Examining the big picture over the last few months, I am infuriated by all violent reprisals that have taken place both in the Middle East and at U of T. Regardless of the justification for the Mohammed cartoons, it’s unacceptable that organizations condemning the printing avoid commenting on the violent protests and embassy fires in Syria, Lebanon, and Iran which have resulted in numerous fatalities.
I am equally infuriated by the violence at U of T but feel misrepresentation of the facts has contributed to a worsening of the situation. Linking four separate events and calling them all hate crimes because individuals were Muslim or were wearing hijabs is dishonest. Recent analysis has proven this to be wrong, as the SAC VP Equity has admitted in one case.
Comparing the Mohammed cartoons to the anti-Semitic pamphlets accusing a Jewish conspiracy of being behind September 11 is another dishonest misrepresentation. The cartoons are no different from political satire cartoons that mock economic, political, or philosophical groups.
Justin Trottier
Robarts in the right
Re: Racist Robarts, March 16
I can’t believe a formal complaint was lodged against Robarts over this. Shouldn’t Progressive Zionists be happy about it? If Mr. Roth respects the right of all material to be freely available in the library, than the only thing “inflammatory” about it is the magazine’s title, which has been changed to be less unequivocal. What is so un-scholarly about a collection of UN resolutions, newspaper articles, and historical pictures bound with the same cover used by other library items?
Does “proper” scholarship not take a side on an issue after providing arguments to prove its case? The magazine contributes to the discussion of Zionism, which is not a discussion whose many opinions can be found within the cover of one publication.
To challenge the credibility of the library as whole based on a word change is nothing more than paranoia, and in my opinion can only be politically motivated.
George Jakubovits
And here comes the TSA
Re: Not so secular?, Letters, March 20
Tony Costa seems to have misunderstood the nature of science. First, the constant development and abandonment of theories is not a flaw of science-it’s part of the process. Scientists must make sure that their explanations take new discoveries into account. Second, nobody claims that the sciences can explain every phenomenon and answer every question; they can’t. That’s why we have disciplines like mathematics, philosophy, theology, or literary criticism.
Dr. Persinger’s experiments, which suggest a physical basis for religious experiences, are purely descriptive; they document observations. Ethical rules, offered by religious leaders or philosophical thinkers, are prescriptive and therefore are not the kind of thing that can be discovered by a scientist. Science can inform religion, but it can’t become it.
Alicia Pang
TSA Webmaster
Warm fuzzies
I just thoroughly enjoyed a read of the March 13 edition of The Varsity while eating lunch at the Duke of Gloucester. Keep distributing your paper to local pubs-it helps former student press types like myself keep in touch with student issues that are never adequately addressed in the mainstream press.
From a sports perspective, Matt Somers should be commended on his recent article on the GLBT community and sport. While I am a heterosexual male, I do have many friends through sport who are part of the GLBT community and feel alienated by the clear difficulty society presents to be “out” and compete in competitive sport. Once athletes reach a certain level in their chosen sport, usually in their teens, it becomes increasingly difficult to be out and accepted at the same time. You have done an excellent job in addressing this issue and should be commended for tackling it. I’m not sure what the solution is, but the article encourages dialogue.
Andy Watson
• The Toronto Rape Crisis Centre/Multicultural Women Against Rape would like to thank U of T staff and students for their support of our 13th annual Bowlathon.
This event was our most successful to date, raising $112,000 through the efforts of 600 people in 90 teams. U of T had a significant presence at the Bowlathon, with 11 teams contributing a total of $7,803.
This money helps us provide essential support services to survivors of sexual violence through our 24-hour crisis line, face-to-face counselling, court advocacy services, prison support program and public education campaigns.
Our measure of success for this event lies not only in how much money we raise, but in the fact that every pledge represents a conversation about the reality of sexual violence.
Such grassroots community support gives us both the means and the courage to keep going.
Deb Parent
Bowlathon Coordinator
Toronto Rape Crisis Centre/Multicultural Women Against Rape
Editor’s Note: The article “Roll up the rim and… weep” in The Varsity’s April 3 joke issue was not written by Stephen Lewis as the byline suggests. The views expressed therein do not represent the opinions of Mr. Lewis or of any organization associated with him.
