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Oral Histories

Clarification about how some of the Oral histories are here, and all of them exist in a separate database.

If you are interested in participating and contributing your story to the collection, please contact Amelia Ainsworth, Project Coordinator at amelia.ainsworth@mail.utoronto.ca

Found 28 Results
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Picture Perfect: Seeing and Unseeing UTSC on Film


What makes a given location perfect for filming? It’s a big question. Location is, after all, arguably one of the most important aspects of film production, as filmmakers have to consider how to best translate the narrative charge of a story into a physical space. Location, in this sense, functions not only as a passive […]

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November 20, 2023


Oral History with Diane Hill


Diane Hill talks about the barriers she faced as a First Nations student while attending UTSC. She touches on the transition between her life on the Oneida Nation of the Thames and Scarborough. Diane reflects on how the history of Indigenous peoples and their education has shaped her peers and her own experiences with education. […]

Portrait of Diane Hill

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Fighting Colonialism Everyday


Fighting Colonialism Everyday Diane Hill talks about the barriers she faced as a First Nations student while attending UTSC. Diane reflects on how the history of Indigenous peoples and their education has shaped her peers and her own experiences with education. To listen to Diane’s Oral History click here: https://ark.digital.utsc.utoronto.ca/ark:/61220/utsc10788 https://youtu.be/xCQ8CD9_M5w

Image of Diane Hill

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Oral History with Shirley Criscione


Shirley Criscione shares her student experiences as one of the first graduates of Scarborough College in 1968. Shirley highlights how the campus culture was during those years, particularly the impact of having such a small student body (less than 200 students). The campus community was tight knit, where “everybody knew everybody.” Shirley also recalls how […]

portrait of Shirley Criscione

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Connecting Campuses


Connecting Campuses Jennifer talks about the early transportation challenges and the shuttle bus provided by the university to transport students from the St. George campus to Scarborough College from the 1970s to the 90s. Produced by Maria Bacchus https://youtu.be/uL_PwEqmQNI

November 8, 2023


“Jail”, “Frosty Stairwells”, “Cracked Pavement”, “Iconic”, “Comfortable”: The Varied First Impressions of UTSC 


Welcome to the new school year. At this time, many begin new experiences here at UTSC. With such experiences comes memorable first impressions of the campus and community. When conducting oral histories for this project, our participants, who include alumni, faculty, staff, and community members, are often asked to describe their first impressions of UTSC. Below, […]

Students seated by the UTSC sign

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September 18, 2023


The Incoming Class of 1968… 


Every August since 1998, Beloit College has produced “The Mindset List,” a description of the social and cultural context shaping the lives of the fall incoming first year university classes in the United States. Excerpts from the list published in 2015 for the incoming class of 2019 (named for the year you graduate): students were most likely […]

students on the steps of the old biology building on St. Geoge Campus

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August 14, 2023


An Ode to Course Enrollment Woes 


Course enrollment at UTSC for the Fall 2023/Winter 2024 terms begins July 5th for first year students and July 13th and 11th, respectively, for second and third-year students. For some, these days represent when students race to ACORN and rapidly click the “enroll” button before their required courses and coveted tutorial or lab times are […]

Students filling out forms in the Science Wing, possibly for course enrollment, dated to 1969.

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July 7, 2023


“I am Professor John Lee and I’m gay, and those of you who don’t like that can leave”: UTSC Professor John Alan Lee, 1971-1999 


When asked about memorable moments during his time as a student at Scarborough College, Anthony McWatt recounted attending a class in the 1980s where the Professor introduced himself saying, “I am Professor John Lee and I’m gay, and those of you who don’t like that can leave” (Ainsworth and Berkowitz 2020). Lee would become one […]

Photo of John Alan Lee working on a sculpture in 1984.

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June 7, 2023


The Building(s) of UTSC: A Social Timeline of UTSC


Did you know that the UTSC library was housed in many locations (including the Bendale Library, in the upper levels of SW, and even in a barn) before being established in its current home in the Academic Resource Centre? Or that the Leigha Lee Browne Theatre was built on the remains of a television studio, […]

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April 13, 2023


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