The History of UTSC Project
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The Spaces & Places guided walking tour explores the history of locations on and around the UTSC campus by sharing the personal recollections of members of our campus community — reflecting a variety of perspectives, positions, and points in time.
Walking through the Meeting Place to the ground floor of the Humanities Wing, one will come across a set of glass doors that lead out to a quiet patio. This patio looks out on to the serene Highland Creek Valley, and is adorned with benches and simple landscaping, including an array of seasonal plants. It is so tranquil that it almost doesn’t feel like part of the UTSC campus, and yet, it is, for this accessibility to the tranquility of nature is a defining feature of our campus life. Indeed, the H Wing patio is a cherished nook that embodies the quieter side of our communal campus spirit, making it a favourite spot for relaxation and connection at UTSC.
While present UTSC students look forward to skiing or hikes in the valley, former students of the ‘60s and ‘70s turned to the resources in the cafeteria for some outdoor winter fun. A common practice was stealing the cafeteria trays and using them to sled down the valley — much to the chagrin of the cafeteria staff.
Credits: Greg Fitz via Memory Collection, UTSC Library Digital Collections; “In Short”, The Underground, January 16, 1996. Accessed via Memory Collection, UTSC Library Digital Collections.
Bruce Kidd, a Toronto local who served as UTSC’s principal from 2014-2018, recalls his insistence on utilizing the Highland Creek Valley for campus and community activities during his early years on campus, despite the seeming indifference of campus administrators.
Credits: Conceived and produced by Amena Ahmed. All photos courtesy of Hart House, Memories of UTSC Collection, @UTSC X (formerly Twitter) account.
Maydianne Andrade, Professor of Biology and Vice Dean, Faculty Affairs and Equity at UTSC, explains the pros and cons of the Valley Land Trail on campus from an environmental perspective.
We have this beautiful green belt, but it wasn’t really appreciated the same way before [in the early 2000s]. I was one of the naysayers about the Land Valley Trail, I have to say. Because as a biologist, it required destroying a lot of natural habitat, where to be honest, there’s some really cool bugs. But I’m now a believer. I mean, it’s important for accessibility, but it’s also important because it’s just a beautiful way to connect people to nature. And they are planting some Indigenous plantings and things. So I’ve come to see the value. But anyway, we’re now a campus that people come to you and say, 'It is beautiful here'. And I just think that’s wonderful. It’s no longer the case that you feel like it’s been subject to some neglect by the university.
Audrey Glasbergen, a Scarborough local who has worked in administration at UTSC for several years, here recalls the various extracurricular activities available on campus for students, staff, and faculty in the 1980s.
Credits: Conceived and produced by Amena Ahmed. All images courtesy of Uthish Ganesh and the Memory Collection, UTSC Library Digital Collections.
