November 11 is Remembrance Day. This year marks the hundredth anniversary of the writing of “In Flanders Fields” by U of T alumnus John McCrae. There are lots of ways for you to learn about the history of U of T’s involvement in the world wars and pay your respects to Canadian veterans this week on and around campus. Visit Soldier’s Tower and see artifacts, photos, and the memorial room. The Soldier’s Tower in Hart House is a stunning memorial to U of T’s veterans. They’re holding open hours for the U of T community to drop in and explore.
Tuesday, 12pm-3pm
Wednesday, 11am-4pm (anticipate line-ups)Attend U of T’s annual Service of Remembrance. Each year, this service takes place outside by the Soldier’s Tower war memorial between University College and Hart House, and is followed by a free public reception in the Great Hall of Hart House. There will be lots of interesting, insightful speakers from the U of T community. For more information about the service, check out U of T’s alumni website.
Wednesday, 10:20am-11:00amThe 2013 Service of Remembrance at Soldier's Tower.
Before leaving on exchange, I had a clear (and very unrealistic!) vision of what my everyday life would be like: I would spend my days wandering around Edinburgh, taking photos and going to beautiful sites, going out for coffee, keeping a travel journal, meeting friends for lunch, going to lots of events, and travelling to different European cities on the weekends. Somehow, nothing school related ever really made it into that vision of everyday life. Lectures? Studying? I wasn’t convinced that those things actually existed when you went on exchange. Wouldn’t they just kind of…stop? Or take care of themselves?
A photo from a weekend trip to Venice, AKA what I thought I would be doing every weekend.
As your Professional Faculty blogger, I hope to provide you with insight from other professional faculties at the University of Toronto. I figure the best way to accomplish this would be to interview the students and alumni of these programs.
My first student profile will be Katie! She is a graduate from the Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing at the University of Toronto. She graduated the program in 2013, and she is currently working as a Registered Nurse at the Oakville-Trafalgar Hospital where she provides care for patients on the rehabilitation unit. I spoke with her about her journey in nursing, and was able to attain valuable insight about the program and the profession!
We have all been newbies at some point or another. Fresh-faced and naive in comparison to The Wise Ones, a.k.a. the students experienced in the subject or activity. For most of us first-years, we are the literal definition of newbies in the face of the mysterious and ever-intimidating UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO.
Just like how you can spot a Weasley by their red hair and hand-me-down robe (Malfoy’s words, not mine), you can spot a university newbie by their Frosh t-shirt.
Back in September, I was surfing Facebook when I came upon the English Students’ Union’s post advertising their Peer Mentorship program. It caught my interest, but I hesitated to apply for it because I wasn’t sure what the benefits of having an English mentor were. However, after getting a positive, “Take whatever help you can get,” from my English course TA, I decided to go for it.
