In a Sidney Smith lounge study room, students are completely engrossed in their studies. In another study room, a student plays a guitar amongst tables are strewn with coloured markers and paper.
In line with its bid to change the social state of U of T, the U of T Campaign for Community created a “playspace” at Sidney Smith on January 23.
David Fishbayn, a long-term advocate for a healthier environment at U of T and co-creator of the “How Does the University of Toronto Make You Feel?” project, launched the event as an opportunity for students to relax, have fun, hang out with other students, and escape from the stresses of university.
“I find that the energy in this building is quite negative,” says Fishbayn. “We hope that by creating this space where students can forget their stresses, we can uplift the energy and make it more positive.”
Fishbayn adds that the group hopes to make the “playspace” a regular occurrence so that students can regularly access stress-free space on campus.
Yaqi*, a second-year undergraduate student, was working at Sidney Smith when she walked into the “playspace.”
“I love the creativity of the drawings posted on the wall,” she says, referring to the variety of student art created in response to the question “How Does the University of Toronto Make You Feel?”
Yaqi adds that she found herself relating to almost every drawing.
Yiyung Tang (Mary), also in her second year, found the “playspace” by following the boards placed in the building’s lobby.
“It’s smaller than I thought but it’s really nice to hear guitar music being strummed here,” she says.
*First name used at student’s request.
