UTSU’s eXpression Against Oppression week is coming up again.  From October 17th-20th engage in exciting events and seminars about the social injustices in Canada and around the world.  For more information visit their Facebook page.

Oh blogUT, you’ve been my safe place during my time here at U of T! And what a journey we’ve been on together…

For those of you that don’t know, I am—or rather, was—the Co-Editor of blogUT. Even before I assumed this position, I’ve always had strong ties to this blog from the beginning of my undergraduate studies — first as an avid reader, then a timid writer, and finally, as fate would have it, as Co-Editor. And now after four years, I must, with a certain sadness, bid adieu to blogUT, our hardworking bloggers, and our loving readers. I’m proud to have been able to work with such a dedicated team of bloggers who have worked throughout the years with the sole purpose of writing honestly about what it’s like being a student here at U of T. No bullshit. No rah-rah-rah U of T. Just the real stuff, both good and bad. Like we always say: raw and uncut, we give you the real juice about campus life.

In a university that often feels too massive to ever really feel a part of, blogUT bridges the disconnect, providing a real sense of community for U of T students that span programs, colleges, and commutes. I know that for me personally, blogUT has been a place where I’ve connected with fellow U of T students that I never otherwise would have. Sure, many of us have never really met each other in real life, but blogUT is this shared space for the students and by the students — untouched by the powers that be at U of T.

Through the years it’s been the spot where we’ve all shared our personal experiences about university life, given tips on where to go and what to eat, discussed student politics, rated hot profs and honored the quality ones, found the best make out spots, and yes, even talked trash about lame TAs. We’ve stayed up together during those late night cram sessions, distracting ourselves with pointless, but oh so brilliant and necessary, videos. And we’ve collectively ranted about our shiteous commutes, shared our best survival tips, and celebrated the many gems this campus has to offer. Simply put, blogUT kicks serious ass and it’s not hard to see why I’ll miss this blog.

I say goodbye to blogUT with a sadness, but with pride knowing that this little baby of ours is growing day by day. And I’ve no doubt that our new Co-Editors will bring blogUT to unprecedented heights for the 2011-2012 academic year (no pressure, Ally and Leah!).

To my fellow bloggers, please keep writing. I’ve told you time and again that you are the heart and soul of this blog. To our readers, please keep reading and commenting. Without you, we would be that hypothetical falling tree in the distant forest. Your comments and support are what make us real and relevant.

In the meantime, I am off to plunge into this so called “real world” that U of T was suppose to prepare us for. Stay cool, blogUT. I’ll love you always!

xoxo,
Justine

This is composed of all 3,300 images used on blogUT, created using Shape Collage*

We are overjoyed to announce that today we reached 1,000 blog posts here at blogUT. We are so proud to have so many brilliant, witty, enthusiastic contributors on our team, both now and in the past four years, all of whom were so generous to volunteer their time to write for us. It has truly been an honor to work with you. Your perspectives on U of T student life has made this blog everything that it is and the community that we’ve formed on this once little blog of ours is truly tremendous! We love you!

And of course, thank you to all of our loyal readers! Your comments, thoughts, and ideas mean everything to us. We exist only to please you (or sometimes piss you off too, depends!). We love you too! Keep reading and commenting cuz it’s honestly what keeps us going!

Here’s to another thousand posts enriching the lives of students to come!

*Shape Collage is an automatic photo collage maker created by a U of T PhD student.

Just three weeks before the end of the fall semester, I have come to the realization that I haven’t done any productive work outside of school since the start of classes.

As a first-year student, I naturally had many plans to do extra-curricular activities over the summer. French Club. The Varsity newspaper. Engineering Toastmasters. Engineers Without Borders. The Blue & Gold Committee (a spirit group for engineers). The Engineering Society, Academic Committee. The Engineering LEGO Club.

Tons of plans, but they’ve fallen through due to:

1. Time commitments. Toastmasters ends at 10pm on Thursdays, when I am often staying up late completing PHY180 lab write-ups. I also have limited time to begin with because the commute eats up 3 hours each day. LEGO Club… well, meetings are also on Thursdays, and I guess doing error analysis calculations is more feasible than constructing a house made of LEGO bricks.
2. Lack of response from group executives. I’m serious – I signed up for a gazillion clubs during the UTSU and Engineering Clubs’ Fairs, but have only been e-mailed by a handful. And some have only e-mailed once, and never again. The only French Club meeting I’ve been to was their introductory brunch, which, incidentally, was delicious.
3. Laziness. I signed up for blogUT, knew I was going to blog the second I had something to say, and… kind of forgot about it.
4. In my defence, it was partly also due to shyness and decision-making. I was trying to come up with something interesting to talk about. Whatever was remotely related to engineering, I stuck the blog entry into the Online Design Journal I’m required to keep in preparation for one of my final exams.

Considering that all of my friends here at U of T are first-years in engineering, I haven’t been doing non-scientifically-related writing for a while now, and I am slowly losing my French skills, my inactivity is clearly something I should deal with.

Fortunately, I kept the last e-mail I got from blogUT, in my Inbox where I could easily see it. And I discovered that not only was the founder a former EngSci graduate, but there were posts, personal ones (i.e. not just artsy reviews or school events!) that could resemble what I’d write in any blog.

I decided not to write for the Arts section of the Varsity when I realized that they didn’t publish book reviews (plus my  reviews are generally outdated – a few months after the book’s release), and didn’t write for the Science section because they seem to expect up-to-date news from research conducted right at the U of T. The Cannon, the engineering newspaper, has never e-mailed me since I wrote my contact information on the sign-up sheet.

So much for trying to be connected to student life. I guess that’s how blogUT started, because it sure feels good to be blogging and just… doing something aside from problem sets and whatnot.

A new school year has begun, and BlogUT has undergone a restructuring and has new members! Our intrepid founder and editor, JP, having finished his masters degree, is moving on to the real world and we wish him the best. JP will remain a member of BlogUT team but has stepped back and passed the torch to our new executives: Co-editors Ana Lopez and Julia Bolotina, and Financial Officer Lori Lee.

Ana Lopez will be managing our external affairs, which entails handling media and promotions, as well as helping with the overall publication. She will be our public face. Julia Bolotina will be our internal managing editor and be responsible for coordination, posting and internal organization. And Lori Lee will manage all finacial matters.

Most of our past contributors are staying on, and we all look forward to a great year in which there will be great changes as BlogUT expands, and instigates regular updates to provide more coverage of all things U of T. We would like to invite anyone who is interested in contributing or becoming part of the BlogUT team. We are looking for writers, photographers, and website developers/ designers. We would like to hear from you if you are passionate and want to get involved, so please contact us!

 
Photo from the blogUT Flickr pool by cl-s

University blogs are definitely the new way to keep students informed, and not precisely on politics. BlogUT is part of this new wave, which is growing rapidly and becoming a useful tool for university students. Check out what the Toronto Star has to say about us and this medium of communication. 

Join the trend! Get involved now!