University of Trinity College
The
University of Trinity College, or simply
Trinity College is one of the federated schools making up the modern
University of Toronto.
Trinity is considered one of the more elite colleges at the University of Toronto and in recent years has had the second-highest entering requirements, after
Innis College. It is also well known for striving to continue an
Oxbridge type atmosphere including mandating the wearing of gowns at dinner and preserving
sex segregation in the residences. The rules regarding segregation have since been relaxed, but the division remains. The college is also still quite thoroughly
Anglican, even if many of the students are not.
Trinity is home to the
Munk Centre for International Relations, one of
Canada's premier
International Relations schools.
History
In 1827, Bishop John Strachan, an Anglican deacon who arrived in Canada in 1799, received a Royal Charter from King George IV to build King's College in the city of York (now Toronto). At the time the British Empire was being reformed along financial and religious lines, and one of the goals of the "new system" was to form churches (by way of land grants) and schools in all of the colonies. However, York was so small at the time that there were no funds available for actually building the college, and the first classes were not held until 1843.
The college was borne into a turbulent period in colonial history. In 1848, the first local elections were held, and the land grants to the churches reverted to "crown" ownership. This left King's College in a somewhat odd position, and Strachan's support for the school vanished. In 1850, the school was secularized, and became the University of Toronto on January 1st.
This action incensed Strachan, who immediately set about creating a private school based on strong Anglican lines. In 1851, former military land was purchased from Fort York on the western end of Toronto, and the school was built on the west side of Garrison Creek (now buried). The work was completed quickly, and students arrived in January, 1852, many of them from Strachan's former diocese in Cobourg, Ontario, and a Royal Charter was granted by Queen Victoria in 1852 for Church of England University in Canada. In 1889 the school was renamed once again, this time to Trinity University. It was a highly regarded school throughout this era, and (perhaps surprisingly) fairly progressive. In 1884 they admitted their first women students, and added St. Hilda's women's college, in 1889.
With Strachan now long dead, efforts began in 1904 to unite Trinity with the University of Toronto. Most of the degrees granted were turned over to the UofT, with the exception of the degree in Divinity. In 1906 the school became a University of Toronto federated school, and efforts began to move to a location closer to the main campus. Land was purchased in 1913, but due to World War I construction was not completed until 1923. At that point the original builing was sold off to the city, and later torn down in 1950. In 2004, the College Board of Trustees voted narrowly in favour of ending Trinity's long practice of same-sex residency; beginning in 2005, large portions of Trinity's residences will be home to people of both sexes.
Episkopon
Also known as "Pon", Episkopon (sometimes spelled "Episcopon" earlier in its history) is the controversial Trinity College secret society that was founded in 1858. The society presents three "readings" each academic year that are intended to portray the follies of the college's undergraduates in a humourous light. Some critics have claimed that these readings tend to single out certain groups and actions for ridicule as a form of social control. The organisation has both a male and female branch that produce separate readings. There was especially great controversy in the early 1990s over the group's alleged treatment of homosexuals and women. The group was disassociated from Trinity in 1992 and lost its rights to advertise on campus and to use public rooms at the college.
Despite being disassociated from the College, Episkopon continutes to hold readings to this day and is still a well known institution of the College, despite attempts of censure by the administration. (See link below)
Facts
Trinity College (Men of College) and St. Hilda's College (Women of College) share with Wycliffe College and New College, the distinction of being Dominion cousins to namesakes in the University of Oxford in Britain, upon which the College system at the University of Toronto is itself modelled.
Trinity College's Literary Institute (or "The Lit") pre-dates the College's founding as it was started at Strachan's Theological School of Cobourg. It is considered one of the oldest student debating societies in Canada.
Famous alumni of the College include Canada's current Governor-General, Adrienne Clarkson; Canadian Minister of National Defence Bill Graham; Canadian communications magnate Ted Rogers; filmmaker Atom Egoyan; and Candadian poet Archibald Lampman. Trinity's current Provost, historian Margaret O. MacMillan, is a Trinity alumna and the author of the best-selling book Paris: 1919.\no
External links
\n*University of Trinity College\n*Historical Background of Trinity College\n*Episkopon
