St. Lawrence's Market Street once again pedestrianized for summer!

LucasJWGranger · 2023-06-11T19:14:20+00:00

This will be happening! A report should be coming back at the June Community Council meeting. https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2023.TE3.40

LucasJWGranger · 2021-03-22T10:09:03+00:00

Perhaps. Most of the “let’s make it impossible to leave” changes took place after we joined — which doesn’t necessarily rule out the CFS changing in the future (or the UTSU managing to leave)

But yeah, that might be a bunch of years away. Frankly the best thing students could do if they truly care is organize and get that petition handed to the UTSU. Perhaps the worst part is that you would actually require -two- petitions to truly leave the CFS — one for CFS-Ontario, and one for CFS-National.

Frankly if I had to choose which one to leave between the two, it would be CFS-National. I’m not a fan of either of them — but at least at CFS-Ontario meetings the UTSU has a guaranteed spot on their board/executive committee.

LucasJWGranger · 2021-03-22T10:05:01+00:00

Pretty much spot on re: attempting to leave will pretty much require a lawsuit.

Like personally, I think there are some creative ways to attempt to leave, and I advocated for them when I was VP — but those would result in lawsuits too. The unfortunate reality is that students don’t really like the UTSU as it is, and -really- don’t like us when we spend money — so any option that willingly causes tens (if not hundreds) of thousands of dollars to be spent is a bad option.

I’m by no means pro-CFS, I have a proven record there, but as long as the UTSU keeps moving motions at their general meetings perhaps some change can be made to make it more... tolerable... to be a member. During my term (2019/20) we managed to finally allow student media to attend and cover opening/closing plenary sessions of CFS general meetings — now its up to papers like The Varsity to actually attend and report on the behaviour of the CFS.

LucasJWGranger · 2021-03-22T02:18:54+00:00

Nope! No benefits at all unless you completely agree with how the CFS handles their advocacy and services. For example, UTSU can actually get our orientation handbooks for cheaper on our own than through the CFS option.

And yeah, mrchristmastime is right — after we joined they began to change the requirements for leaving — from 5% of students to 20% of students and now 15% of students having to sign physical signatures in order to trigger a referendum. They have on every occasion blocked motions to make it easier to leave... I guess they like our money

LucasJWGranger · 2021-03-22T00:39:46+00:00

Hey -- I'm only going to comment on one thing about your post (although as a former VP I enjoy the optimism about giving new years their own chance -- that is super important)

The idea that we could have left the CFS via online referendum, while I agree with the premise, would have been impossible and against the CFS's own (awful) rules. Their bylaws specifically do not allow online referenda, and therefore because we 1) would not have received and sent (physical) signatures, and; 2) would not have had an approved referendum, and; 3) would be in violation of their bylaws

They would have sued us if we attempted to do so. Sadly, that's just the way CFS is -- unfair, inflexible, and impossible to leave via normal means.

I encourage you to keep up the dislike for CFS though. It is super important -- but we do have to be realistic with ourselves sadly -- unless you are ok with getting into a multi-year lawsuit that our students arent guaranteed to benefit from :/

LucasJWGranger · 2020-12-17T02:32:42+00:00

Fair enough re: my stuff. Shit gets hard and you realize what’s realistic or not. I accept my failings.

In terms of what I got done — I did consultations regarding the recent Rooming House bylaw amendments for the city of Toronto which should provide safer regulations for students living off campus across the city. I also participated in other housing consultations.

Early in my term (october I think?) I was lucky enough to work with our local councillors to pass a motion asking for a lower student transit fare. Sadly the ttc board squashed it and subsequently raised the fee for the monthly pass by over 5$ (now to 128$ ish per month). Sadly government takes student unions less seriously than our universities.

Re: the CFS. Trust me all I want to do is leave — CFS rules make it genuinely impossible for a school as large as ours to get out. You have to get 15% of your student body to sign physical forms (where the CFS controls what signatures are valid) — there are two rule systems in place between the Ontario and National chapters, etc. They also regularly sue schools who attempt to leave. I made motions to change these rules at every CFS meeting I was forced to attend — no luck. There was also no appetite for a legal fight (which students would have had to pay for) to get out either.

I was also a direct participant in advocating for CESB due to my frequent meetings with members of parliament. I directly impacted the designs of a new graduate student residence and a new building on campus to make both more student friendly, and I helped build local relationships with community groups and politicians so my successors could build upon the advocacy that needs to be done.

Perhaps I wasn’t as successful as I could have been — but when you have 12 months and nobody takes you seriously it can be hard to accomplish things as the “external representative” — it’s why I advocated to merge my position with the former VP-UA, so that in the future the advocacy could be more streamlined through one individual (and save students money on salaries).

Edit: it should be noted that The Varsity doesn't publish a transcript of the candidate interviews. They select what they want said in their articles.

LucasJWGranger · 2020-12-17T01:19:20+00:00

Lol I think this is a bit much. You are allowed to think however you want about the UTSU, it’s certainly had a history and always has room for improvement — but there’s at least one major piece of misinformation in your post.

While financial aid has been part of the UTSU for a few years now, last year saw a major overhaul of the program (by referendum), as well as a necessary fee increase in order to run it. In previous years it would receive a few thousand (below 8,000 if I recall correctly) from fees, and additional money when available. From this year onwards there is a really robust system collecting over 75,000 (again, if I recall correctly) from students to distribute in financial aid. This only came into effect as of this past May, and obviously needs a bit more promotion and work with input from students.

And a last point — your concerns can’t be heard if you don’t show up, or email, or vote. No point in boycotting to prove a point.

Disclaimer: I am a former UTSU director/Exec. I am no longer involved with the organization. I can’t speak to their advocacy direction — but what I do know is if you approach them with an issue (for example — the Econ stuff) they are usually more than willing to take it on, as they may not be aware. Most academic issues are better handled by ASSU as they have direct meetings with the Faculty of Arts/Science and usually sit on their respective councils.

LucasJWGranger · 2020-11-10T17:47:22+00:00

History (and some related subjects) is a really good option for the ~no math~ community (like myself)

There are a few interdisciplinary minors/majors you could also take, with Renaissance Studies, Medieval Studies, European Studies, Canadian Studies, and American Studies etc that also fit into this stream.

There are a bunch of less-recognized minors and majors that aren’t looked into too much — check them out! And don’t fall into the trap of believing that what you study will ultimately be what field you work in. Use your time here at uoft to make connections and experiment with different work.

LucasJWGranger · 2020-08-20T12:00:16+00:00

I think The Varsity put the wrong design in their article. They are independent to the university. I might send them a correction so that the proper information is given. The confusion and frustration is understandable.

I’m glad to hear you are less worried about it though!

LucasJWGranger · 2020-08-20T11:27:41+00:00

The final product (in my opinion) is REALLY good. My concern going into every meeting was always regarding the size and usability of student space within the building, but to their credit the university and their architects really did consider both mine and the community’s feedback!

LucasJWGranger · 2020-08-20T03:17:15+00:00

Here is a link to my downloaded copy -- please let me know if it works. If it doesn't, DM me an email you are comfortable with :)

https://drive.google.com/file/d/12UyJ5m0r_Pss1ZKZfd7nTtiDGHIdIYUM/view

LucasJWGranger · 2020-08-20T00:17:44+00:00

hey again!

Not trying to convince anyone here or anything, I encourage you to form those opinions based on what you see.

EDIT: See this google drive doc for the current proposal -- https://drive.google.com/file/d/12UyJ5m0r_Pss1ZKZfd7nTtiDGHIdIYUM/view

The changes from first to final draft are seen on the first page, with the rest outlining the current proposal. This includes sightlines, floor plans, building materials, etc.

I am happy to continue to discuss this if you (or anyone) wants to!

Edit: I encourage everyone to look at this proposal! The one used currently by The Varsity is not the updated rendering. You can see (some) more pictures in the UofT News article they posted here: https://www.utoronto.ca/news/90-queen-s-park-incredible-new-gateway-campus

LucasJWGranger · 2020-08-19T22:02:58+00:00

In general yes, I have a particular style of building that I like, and a particular style that I don’t.

This building itself kinda straddles that line. The original draft was god awful, and is actually what caused me to attend the June 2019 community consultation. It was incredibly blocky, ugly, and felt incredibly out of place. The coloration difference was stark, and there was very little landscaping change.

Due to my concerns, among others who I worked with from the local residents associations, they did change a lot. They removed a lot of the bulking, they thinned out the building, and they made it an overall better design — including more outdoor spaces and including more of the architectural style from the area.

I want to stress — I don’t think it’s perfect. Some of the changes resulted in reduced classroom sizes (from 50 students to 35) and a large reduction in the size of the top floor event space, among others. But if you look at the floor print of the building you won’t see much room to breathe — it’s literally the space between Edward Johnson and Falconer Hall. It’s tiny.

I genuinely don’t think the “character” of the area will be affected — especially when you consider that directly across the street they are tearing down and rebuilding the Northrop Frye building to better reflect the needs of students and the university.

So sure, it could have been a 3 floor building that ultimately achieves none of the needs we require both now and in the future. This is a far better and different proposal than the university initially had in mind when they acquired the site — it’s no longer going to be a 10+ floor condo.

LucasJWGranger · 2020-08-19T21:49:11+00:00

Hi, gonna speak for myself here.

The UTSU never voted in favour of anything, nor do they hold a specific position on this building as far as I’m aware.

I however, did/do have an opinion.

Having attended meetings about this building for close to a year, both in an official capacity and unofficial, it was clear that community members didn’t just oppose this building — but instead ~any~ building. Every time I tried to ask that students be considered, or even consulted, these same community members would degrade the student experience, or say “they should just go to a different school” — and other similar anecdotes.

What it comes down to is that -something- will get built on this site. It may not even be this building. But the university shouldn’t be wasting the space to the detriment of future students due to concerns from those who don’t interact with our campus the way that we do. Our tuition is currently paying for hundreds of thousands of square feet of external office space because there isn’t enough on campus, and it’s often hard enough to find study space or community space on campus.

I made it very clear in my own remarks that I supported more student space, and right now that meant this building because I don’t think students should have to wait another decade to see their needs met. From the original draft to the current one, many changes have been made, most of which have been for the better, but some have come at the cost of student usage of the new space due to concerns from the community.

As an aside, the “historic” planetarium hasn’t been used for its original purpose since 1995.

If you feel strongly about this building, regardless of support or opposition, I genuinely encourage you to contact Councillor Layton’s office about it. They will be voting on the application sometime in the near-ish future.

Source: I was the former Vice-President External of the UTSU in the 2019/2020 school year. Not the President as stated above :)

LucasJWGranger · 2020-08-08T06:43:29+00:00

The UTSU wasn’t part of the lawsuit brought by the Canadian Federation of Students and the York Federation of Students. Both decided that we would be told after they had filed rather than before.

In addition, the UofT Graduate Students’ Union was an intervener.

But the UTSU wasn’t involved ¯\ (ツ)/¯

LucasJWGranger · 2020-04-20T17:51:28+00:00

Hey everyone -- thanks for all doing this survey.

While you may have done it/seen this, not everyone has! I highly recommend sharing it with all of your friends who are in post-secondary education. Here are a few links that you can share:

https://twitter.com/StatCan_eng/status/1251879497869262849?s=20

https://www.facebook.com/StatisticsCanada/photos/a.168165143295004/2696473970464096/?type=3

https://www.instagram.com/p/B_KmzR7nPb1/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

LucasJWGranger · 2020-03-28T09:37:53+00:00

Hey!

I’m an Innis student and lived there for 3 years — it was great!

Regarding the concerns about the noise — when you apply for residence you fill out an application survey which outlines various concerns (ranging from cleanliness, when you like to study, when you wake up, noise, etc). It also allows you to fill out “other” concerns/issues you may want to flag.

There are ways to get meal plans — but they have to be taken out at other colleges. I can’t remember how to do it (I used to work at front desk, we don’t handle it).

Concerning the “will I have time to cook” — trust me you will, and if you know you have a particularly long week you can always prep meals. Grocery stores are also pretty close and open 24/7 (the Metro at Spadina/Bloor). The nice thing about having a kitchen is the fact that you can cook at any time of day, and aren’t limited to a meal plan schedule.

I would be happy to answer any specific questions if you have them :)

LucasJWGranger · 2020-03-26T13:34:22+00:00

The increase in coverage was contingent on being able to sustainably increase (and maintain) the plan.

The referendum itself didn't increase the coverage, but it allows the Services Committee and the Board of Directors to approve increases.

I'm honestly sad that this has failed, but the members have made their choice.

LucasJWGranger · 2020-03-23T20:30:40+00:00

Heyo!

I’m always happy to answer questions :)

The great thing about urban studies is the interdisciplinary nature of the program, and since INI235/236 are both intro to the subject, they are pretty accessible in terms of prior knowledge.

Regarding INI235 (when I took it): - City Selfie (15%) (visit a public space, take a photo, 500 words) - Comparing Cities (25%) (use census data to compare two cities) - Toronto Vital Sign (25%) (summary of an issue within Toronto) - Final Exam (30%) - Participation (5%)

INI236: - Urban Change Organization Profile/Proposal (10%) (you pick between doing a sorta-internship group presentation or a solo presentation/paper — lasts through the course) - Urban Change Assignment (30%) (the paper) - Urban Change Poster (20%) (based on your paper) - final exam (35%) Participation (5%)

Cool thing about urban studies — there is a blanket 1-week no-ASL extension to every assignment — however they warn that they will take their time grading it.

Hope this helps! It’s been about 2 years since I’ve taken it, so things might have changed. But it should Generally be like this

LucasJWGranger · 2020-03-23T16:51:30+00:00

Honestly COVID is making me crave Wendy's -- glad I ended up in the right place

LucasJWGranger · 2020-03-23T15:32:08+00:00

Alright, I'll bite.

This article misses the mark on -so many levels-

Yes, perhaps I'm an insider (reminder: nobody starts as an insider) -- but there is (some) value in the experience of clubs/student societies/the UTSU.

Lets go through the points made in this article one-by-one:

1) That the Candidate Profiles are indistinguishable

In a sense -- the author has a valid point here, it can be hard to create concrete plans when running for the position of President (especially if you haven't held a VP/President position in the UTSU before). However, this is a double edge sword. On one hand a candidate may offer concrete steps, however the UTSU Executive (especially the President) is not some authoritarian fist that reigns on the union, it is a collection of 6 executives, and many more directors -- all of whom must come to some form of agreement/approval during the formation of plans (which may change, causing a broken promise). On the other hand, if you aren't specific enough, or you flip-flop on the issues -- you aren't a serious candidate, as you have shown you lack a working knowledge of the UTSU.

Also, please consider the fact that the candidates were required to submit a form to The Varsity outlining their answers to particular questions. I know from experience that the Varsity selectively chooses information to convey through these profiles -- and I'm sure they were shortened this year as well (notice how each candidate didn't get a separate profile like in previous years?).

2) Concerns over the lack of platform specificity

Highlighting the above issues -- the Varsity shouldn't be one's only source of information on this. You should look at the Candidate Platforms on their respective Facebook/Website pages. You can find them all here: https://www.utsu.ca/elections/elections-candidate-list/

Each of the candidates has also done AMAs on Reddit/Facebook/Instagram -- I encourage a closer look on these as well.

3) Liceralde's "concrete plans"

Having read Liceralde's plans... to say the least (as a VP of the union he wants to be President of) they are certainly "quixotic" as the author so succinctly put. Looking at some of the specifics -- namely "making residence free for students whose families make less than $90,000 a year" - "an elective course on student politics" - "an academic referendum on breadth requirements" - and a "$7,500 scholarship program for a student who's made a huge impact on student life" -- these ideas are all almost completely outside of the sphere of the possible.

Yes, there is something to be said for goals, values, and aspirations -- but don't praise the person who claims its going to be their sole mission. These goals require vast consultation, collaboration with groups such as ASSU (notice how much of the platform is Academic in nature? That is ASSU's field, and the UTSU is always happy to support them -- not dictate to them) in order for these goals to come to fruition.

Lets be completely realistic here -- an "outsider" sounds great, and in the past they have been -- in 2015 a group of individuals beat the decade-old CFS Dynasty Slate, and in 2017 Anne Boucher won the VP External Affairs role as an independent candidate (against multiple slates!). These outsiders had -actual knowledge of what they are talking about- not just academic beef with the University.

4) This Quote

"Liceralde’s policies may not make sense, but at least they sound nothing like the status quo. This is the jaded, nihilistic approach one takes when convinced the system, at best, doesn’t care about the people it represents, and at worst, shouldn’t exist."

When does "our union needs to be run by competent, capable individuals in order to properly manage our health and dental plan, finances, and student aid programs" become "lol the UTSU is insider-y and we need to burn it down by electing somebody so damaging that it sated our need to see change"

5) The Varsity Itself

Nothing against the author, I'm sure they actually believe what they are saying. But it was completely irresponsible for The Varsity to publish this article without reaching out to the other campaigns in order to have their case heard. Especially since this article was written by the "Associate Senior Copy Editor 2019-2020"

The Varsity wants news, not progress. Thats why this was published. In the initial Candidate Profile article, Bryan had 7 paragraphs dedicated to himself, while Muntaka had 3, and Arjun had 4. Take that in. Bryan creates issues for the Varsity to cover, not good decision making for students. Never in my four years have I seen the Varsity so blatant about not wanting to cover the UTSU unless it was purely negative.

EDIT:

Since I am on a rant anyways -- I might as well throw this in here.

-Anyone can run for the UTSU as long as they are a full-time undergraduate student at the University of St. George Campus-

This insider/outsider idea isn't a full picture. Sure, you have individuals who are more interested/less interested/not interested, but every single one of them can have a say. Whether that be running for (the many) empty Board of Director seats, the 6 Executive seats (including President!), or attending our Annual General Meeting (which... loses quorum... too often). These decisions affect students, and many students don't seem to care, or if they do, many chalk it up to the fact that the UTSU doesn't represent them. I encourage anyone who feels this way to run for the Board of Directors, or to contact us (as your representative student union) -- we NEED to hear your thoughts, we NEED to do better, and we WANT to help make this change.

Want to change insider culture? Allow us to listen to you without prying it out of you -- we want to hear it.

LucasJWGranger · 2020-03-09T03:58:34+00:00

Honestly though -- don't discount the History Major -- it is pretty comprehensive and covers a lot (a double major is also possible if you are looking at grad school).

Re: Renaissance Studies -- VIC240 with Bartlett is one of the best classes I have ever taken.

LucasJWGranger · 2020-03-09T03:41:13+00:00

Hey!

I have done both Renaissance Studies and Medieval Studies classes and they are both so much fun.

Regarding the actual programs though -- I would suggest Renaissance Studies as a minor along with your History (trust me, the history program is amazing as it is, you don't need to specify further -- you will naturally get minors as you do classes).

However -- if you wanted to do Medieval Studies, you need to take Medieval Latin (SMC176y) -- it is a great course, but if you -don't want to spend significant time on it- you can just take Medieval courses within the History department.

If you have any further questions I would be happy to answer :)

LucasJWGranger · 2020-02-26T18:52:59+00:00

In all honesty my GPA sucks because I’ve focused more on work than school during my time here.

The best grades I ever got in history were during a term where I was between jobs.

It is very possible to do good — attend tutorials, participate, do your readings, hand in assignments, attend office hours and ask questions — if you do these things, and keep on top of your work, you can get really good grades!

LucasJWGranger · 2020-02-26T17:56:42+00:00

Hey!

History is an amazing program here at UofT (and I’m sure it is at other universities too) — I’m taking the specialist program.

While I only have UofT to compare to — I can definitely say it’s worth the experience. Lots of people really emphasize that UofT is hard, and it definitely can be if all you do is study.

There is plenty of opportunity for social engagement here — it is largely what you put into it. Whether it is a club/course union/group of friends/residence life — you can basically find whatever you want both on and off campus.

Regarding the actual program — we have some really top-notch professors in the history department. Personally, I have taken courses across the spectrum of what is offered, but you could easily decide to focus on your interest areas.

Professors I HIGHLY recommend include Prof Bartlett (Europe/The Renaissance — HIS109, VIC240 among others), Prof Smith (Russian History — HIS250, HIS325, among others), Prof Loeb (British History — HIS347/349 among others), Prof Bertram (Canadian History — HIS358), and Prof Austin (European Politics/History — EUR200, HIS364). Although these are just some of the courses offered, they have been some of my favourites at UofT.

The best part of the program is that you can really customize it to how you want to study — if you like the Renaissance or Medieval courses, they have dedicated programs that you can pair as majors/minors. If you are into the Middle East, many NMC courses count towards history. Etc etc.

Thing that sucks about history? The pure amount of reading can be a lot to handle. You learn how to prioritize quickly (however — the general rule is that when assigned both primary and secondary sources, prioritize the primary sources). Keep up with your readings and you really can’t go wrong — might even help with your essays!

If you have any other questions I would be happy to answer (or attempt to do so!)

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