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.
The Student Centre (SL) at UTSC is perhaps one of the most beloved buildings on campus. The university originally did not have a space dedicated to student activities and leisure upon opening in 1964, and while the concept of such a building had been proposed in later years, little action was taken to bring this concept to life; it was only in 2001 that the Centre was finally made possible following a sustained student-led campaign and $20 million student pledge, which remains the largest student commitment in the history of the University of Toronto. Students were, moreover, involved in the designing of the building and prioritized sustainable practices therein, choosing to use natural front lights and recycled steel from the demolition of the Royal Ontario Museum. The Student Centre finally opened in 2004 and remains a popular hub of student activity, constantly buzzing with an exciting energy that encapsulates the spirit of the UTSC student body; indeed, this is the place where connections are formed and ideas come to life.
Did you know that UTSC originally didn’t have a Student Centre? The building was only proposed in the mid 1980s by then-SCSU president Anthony McWatt, and made possible in 2001 by a student pledge of $20 million, the largest student commitment in the history of the university.
I come from a background that didn’t take things for granted. I got a sense as to what needed to be done. The Student Centre that is on campus now...That was actually my idea, as student council president, that got the ball rolling for the eventual construction of that building. It happened a year or two after I left, but the actual process was started during my administration as president. So that’s one of the legacies. I go on to campus now and I can look at that building and say, ‘Hm! You did that.’
The above images depict the original site and construction process for the UTSC Student Centre, as well as the donor plaque that recognizes the student contributions involved in the development of the building.
Images courtesy of Ken Jones via UTSC Photographic Services, Memory Collection, UTSC Library Digital Collections.
Credits: Conceived and produced by Maria Bacchus. All images courtesy of Ken Jones, the UTSC Memory Collection, and The Underground.
Will Kwan, a UTSC alum and current Associate Professor, describes his Drawing In, Student Spaces art installation in the Meeting Place in 2000, where he invited students to draw their answer to “if you could build any student centre, what would you put in it?”
Roxanne Ma, a UTSC alum, recalls her experience working at the UTSC Women’s and Trans Centre as a student in the 2010s, and explains what that experience meant to her as someone who is passionate about gender equity and activism.
Credits: Conceived and produced by Amena Ahmed. All images courtesy of Sahra Togone, Anastasiya Gordiychuk (UTSC Women’s and Trans Centre), and Leandro Diaz-Matus.
Nasir Alhuttam, a Scarborough local who has run a hot dog stand on the UTSC campus since 2006, here speaks about his motivations for running the stand and reflects on his campus experience thus far.
Credits: Conceived by Inyoung Choi and produced by Amena Ahmed. All images courtesy of Hamza Bham and Madison Wong.
