Students must govern new centre
Re: Student centre levy likely, Sept. 25
This is an exciting and interesting development and a huge victory after years of student lobbying dating back to the 1960s. This year’s SAC executive has proven to be committed to improving the student experience and has shown their ability to influence governance by effectively communicating the needs of its members.
As enrolment increases and we begin to see the impact on availability of labs and study space, and focus on generating solutions for these problems, little is said about student space. The student space report and recommendations indicate that the university administration is listening to student needs and is committed to enhancing the undergraduate experience. The most important question as the plan moves ahead is not an issue of a levy; rather, it is whether or not a future student commons will have student control and a governance model empowering students.
Estefanía Toledo
Part-time student governor
Planting rumours
Re: The woman who knew too much?, Sept. 14
Caroline Xia, founder of the community gardening movement on campus, advocated for the ideal of zero-cost organic gardening and named the garden, established by SAC in 2002, “Food for All.” Caroline created much of the soil in the present garden through diligent composting. Her community-oriented policies directly and indirectly created many campus gardening jobs. She was assisted in all of this by the dedicated members of the OPIRG Equity Gardeners, which she founded and coordinated. The success of the “Food for All” Organic Community Garden is due largely to Caroline.
SAC 2005/6 and SAC 2006/7 have ignored her outstanding contribution to the quality of campus life. This is the fate common to many talented people of colour, whose generosity and abilities are overlooked by mainstream society.
The garden was meant to grow food, not decoratives. Every year that Caroline managed the garden, it produced food abundantly for all. SAC’s Rick Telfer is wrong to say the garden was in a bad state; I can attest to the garden’s productivity and status.
A great wrong has been done to Caroline Xia and to Toronto’s hungry by SAC 2005/6 and SAC 2006/7. The current SAC should apologize to Caroline and recognize the campus’ immense debt to her. SAC should also immediately restore the garden to safe food production.
David Melville
Former member, U of T Governing Council
• I am a U of T graduate student who, through my part-time job at a nearby retail store, has become familiar with Caroline Xia. I have casually chatted with Caroline in my store over the last six years, and I have always found her pleasant, interesting, and most importantly, lucid.
Her devotion to her academic work and to the maintenance of the SAC garden was a topic that often came up in our conversations. I was always humbled by her commitment to providing free organic produce to those less financially fortunate, and by how knowledgeable she is about organic gardening techniques.
I was shocked to discover that her efforts are not funded by SAC, the way all the other clubs are, and I strongly feel that ought to be rectified immediately. Caroline deserves an honorarium for all the hard work she has put into the garden, making a difference by providing organic produce to those who may not otherwise be able to afford it.
Teela Johnson
