The Varsity (newspaper)
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Type | Weekly newspaper |
---|---|
Format | Compact |
Owner(s) | Varsity Publications |
Editor | Jack Osselton Denton |
Founded | 1880 |
Language | English |
Headquarters | 21 Sussex Avenue, 2nd and 3rd floor, Toronto ON, M5S 1J6, Canada |
Circulation | 18,000 |
ISSN | 0042-2789 |
Website | thevarsity.ca |
The Varsity is one of the main student newspapers of the University of Toronto. In publication since 1880, it is the second-oldest student newspaper in Canada.[citation needed]
The paper publishes weekly during the university semesters and online throughout the year. Originally a broadsheet daily, it now issues in compact form. The paper's primary focus is on campus affairs and local news.
The Varsity usually assumes a left-wing stance on political affairs. The paper is published by Varsity Publications, a not-for-profit corporation, and is primarily financed by advertisement revenues with subsidies from a student levy.
History[edit]
At the height of debate on coeducation in 1880, The Varsity published an article in its inaugural issue voicing in favour of admitting women.[1]
In 1895, the suspension of The Varsity's editor, James Tucker, led Latin Professor Dale to publicly attack the administration in The Globe, which in turn led to his own dismissal.[2] University College students then approved a motion by Varsity staff member William Lyon Mackenzie King and boycotted lectures for a week. This is significant for William Lyon Mackenzie King's involvement as a member of the Varsity editorial staff and student leader. He would later become Canada's longest serving Prime Minister.[3][4]
After Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau decriminalized homosexuality in 1969, a medical research assistant placed an advertisement in The Varsity seeking volunteers to establish the first university homophile association in Canada.[5]
In 2017, The Varsity began publishing a Chinese-language edition of the newspaper on their website.[6]
Notable past staff[edit]
- Barbara Amiel, journalist, Maclean's columnist, socialite, spouse of Conrad Black
- Peter Gzowski, broadcaster and reporter, host of CBC's Morningside (1982–1997)
- Michael Ignatieff, public intellectual, academic at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Member of Parliament, and former Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada
- Michael Kesterton, columnist for The Globe and Mail
- William Lyon Mackenzie King, 10th Prime Minister of Canada
- Mark Kingwell, professor of the University of Toronto, senior fellow of Massey College
- Naomi Klein, journalist, author of No Logo and The Shock Doctrine
- David Megginson, computer software developer
- Graham F. Scott, managing editor of Canadian Business
- Dennis Choquette, national editor of The Globe and Mail
- Linda McQuaig, Toronto Star columnist
- Tom Walkom, Toronto Star columnist
- Bob Rae, Rhodes Scholar, 21st Premier of Ontario, Member of Parliament
- Edward Roberts, 11th Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador
- Frank Shuster and Johnny Wayne, comedians, best known for the comedy duo Wayne and Shuster
- Isabel Vincent, journalist for the National Post, former correspondent for 'The Globe and Mail
- Clive Thompson, journalist and science and technology writer for Wired (magazine)
- Conan Tobias, editor of Taddle Creek
- Jason Szep, Pulitzer Prize winner and International Affairs Editor with Reuters
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ "What was front page news in the inaugural issue of the student paper The Varsity in 1880?". History Q & A. University of Toronto Department of Public Affairs. 2002. Retrieved 2007-07-19.[dead link]
- ^ Q&A: What made the "blood fairly boil" in U of T student and future prime minister William Lyon Mackenzie King in 1895? Archived 2007-08-20 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ "What made the "blood fairly boil" in U of T student and future prime minister William Lyon Mackenzie King in 1895?". History Q & A. University of Toronto Department of Public Affairs. 2002. Retrieved 2007-09-24.[dead link]
- ^ Marshall, David B. (2000). "Dale, William". Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Retrieved 2009-02-28.
- ^ Bébout, Rick (January 2000). "Conception & birth". On the Origins of the Body Politic. Retrieved 2009-02-28.
- ^ Shrinkhala Dawadi (12 October 2017). "The Varsity Launches Chinese-language Edition". The Canadian Journalism Project. Retrieved 18 October 2017.