Often the story of an organization is told in the service of commemoration or celebration of the goals and achievements of that organization. Beginning with the Stories of UTSC: 1964-2014 Legacy project, faculty and student researchers began collecting the “untold” stories of our campus. Our goal with this project, in addition to extensive archival research, is to build on that earlier collection and continue to capture the lived experience of the members of our campus community – faculty, students, and staff at all levels – through the collection and preservation of oral histories. The oral histories, with permission from participants, are digitally archived in a collection external to this website as part of Scarborough Storytelling administered by the UTSC Library Digital Scholarship Unit. Many thanks to those who have generously agreed to share their stories.
Below are a few examples of the stories that have been preserved. Clicking on the image will take you directly to the audio and transcript files in the digital archive. There are many more to come so stay tuned….
If you are interested in participating and contributing your story to the collection, please contact Christine Berkowitz at chris.berkowitz@utoronto.ca.
As a UTSC student (1980s) and later Chief Administrative Officer (1999-2012), Kim McLean reflects upon her position as a woman at a senior administrative level and the changes that she has seen take place on campus since the 1980s. In particular, she talks about the changing gender and racial diversity
Bruce and Stephanie Geddes are members of UTSC’s Alumni Association and were part of the first graduating class of UTSC, attending from 1966 to 1968. They describe the culture of the 1960s – the dress code for men and women, carrying books in briefcases and the impact of the various
Devon Muhic and Sandra Baxter Muhic, a mother-daughter pair, share their experiences as students at UTSC in the 1970s and 1990s and delve into the differences in demographics and the socio-cultural environment that have remained or changed over the years. They both go over how they experienced student-professor interaction, student-student
Professor Charles C. Smith, as the Cultural Liaison at UTSC, reflects on the racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity at UTSC and its importance. Professor Smith came to UTSC in 2001 as a Lecturer in Cultural Pluralism in the Arts. He addresses the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and
Nehal El-Hadi was a Teaching Assistant at UTSC (2010) in the City Studies Program in the Department of Human Geography and a PhD student at the St. George campus. She shares her experience before coming to UTSC, including immigrating to Canada and living first in Thorncliffe Park, moving to Saskatchewan,
Marie Mathai, a case manager at the Community Safety Centre, touches upon the services and supports that the Centre provides. She talks about the ways that the Centre addresses safety concerns, as well as the resources offered to students and faculty on campus. She mentions collaboration between the centre and
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