A student peering through the window. ZEYNEP POYANLI/ THE VARSITY
Looking out of the window from Morrison Hall’s seventh floor can be quite intimidating. On your left is Robarts library, always with its lights on, which ironically hints at butchered sleeping schedules while the light itself at night marks the presence of life and the hope that comes with it. Then there is the Back Campus Field, the place where the word “community” is diversely interpreted by different groups. For the sports players, the field provides a sense of connection with their teammates; for me, a first-year student who has stepped onto the campus — and into Canada — for the first time after a 10-hour direct flight, it’s a reminder of what I feel deprived of.
“Reflections After Jane” or rain? ZEYNEP POYANLI/ THE VARSITY
It is easy to find oneself immersed in the hidden bookcases in the library. ZEYNEP POYANLI/ THE VARSITY
The backyard feels different after the sun sets. ZEYNEP POYANLI/ THE VARSITY
The glasswork enclosing the entrance of Whitney Hall. ZEYNEP POYANLI/ THE VARSITY
Everything looks prettier in puddles. ZEYNEP POYANLI/ THE VARSITY
A student looking at his phone while others pass by. ZEYNEP POYANLI/ THE VARSITY
On a large campus like U of T’s, I assumed that some places would be destined to be forgotten — neglected, disturbingly quiet, and lost. However, I’ve realized that the forgotten parts of the university are more abstract than the buildings themselves. I see them in the reflection of the light posts in front of Hart House after a day of rain, in the students living their coming-of-age moments in the alleyways of Trinity College, and in the empty marble benches that the Knox College backyard birds make use of much better than us students.
Marble benches in the backyard of Knox College. ZEYNEP POYANLI/ THE VARSITY
In my ode to the forgotten parts of U of T, I find a subject in the gloom and solitude of daily experiences we overlook too often because of busy schedules, which are feelings I sometimes appreciate and more often despise.
A ramp in front of Newman Center. ZEYNEP POYANLI/ THE VARSITY
The rain doesn’t look so purple, does it? ZEYNEP POYANLI/ THE VARSITY
“I love a good place to hide in plain sight” — “Punisher” by Phoebe Bridgers.
ZEYNEP POYANLI/ THE VARSITY
