A U of T alum has been identified as one of the 11 victims who died in the mass shooting that took place at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on October 27.

Joyce Fienberg, 75, grew up near Forest Hill, and graduated from University College in 1964 with a degree in social psychology.

She visited the university as recently as 2017 to accept an award on behalf of her husband, Stephen Fienberg, a professor of statistics and social science at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, who passed away in 2016.

A statement from U of T President Meric Gertler released on October 29 said that “Joyce Fienberg was known to her friends and colleagues as a warm and loving individual, with a keen mind and a generous heart. She was a shining example of kindness to everyone who knew her. May her memory be a blessing.”

A community circle will be hosted by Hillel U of T at 5:00 pm today at Wolfond Centre.

Hillel U of T will also be holding a vigil on October 30 at 5:30 pm in front of University College.

A vigil will also be held today at Mel Lastman Square at 7:00 pm in honour of the victims.

While at U of T, I always felt like I was running out of time.

This first week of school turned into fourth year, and then in between, there were months of pure agony when my mental health went down the drain. But before I knew it, I made it to the other side, and it was all just over.

In hindsight, you too will likely feel as if you have missed so many opportunities and lost so much time. Don’t stress. Instead, get to know all the incredibly talented students here: both your peers and yourself. Embrace all that this school has to offer.

If you’re not sure where to begin, ask someone. It’s unlikely that you will have a chance like undergrad at U of T ever again, where you can walk in with zero experience, gain access to hundreds of resources and opportunities, and then take risks with minimal consequences.

Write that play, and submit it to the U of T Drama Festival. Form a makeshift band, perform at empty open mics, and audition for the Winterfest Battle of the Bands. Write some dramatic poetry, and submit it to a college review. Heck, pitch a podcast to The Varsity and see what happens. Even if you’re rejected, you’ll have written a play, you’ll have experience performing live, and you’ll have a creative portfolio to edit and pull from for next time.

If you’re a commuter, don’t just go home after class. If you live on res, don’t spend your whole life at Robarts Library. Talk to the people in your tutorial and form a study group together. They might just become your good friends. Look for hidden study spots throughout the rest of campus, and then get off campus and explore the actual city.

I spent much of this last summer saying goodbye to people and deliberating whether or not I should move to Vancouver for grad school. “I feel like I wasted so much time not knowing you guys,” one of my best friends said before moving to England.

“But I feel like we’ve known you forever,” I responded.  

Sure, we weren’t able to do everything we had hoped to during undergrad. Realistically, there just wasn’t enough time between all the extracurriculars, academics, and friends. Yet, as it all came to a close, I’m grateful we all did so much while we could, or saying goodbye wouldn’t have been nearly so difficult.