The Varsity (newspaper) explained

The Varsity
Type:	Weekly newspaper
Format:	Compact
Language:	English
Foundation:	1880
Owners:	Varsity Publications
Headquarters:	21 Sussex Avenue, 2nd and 3rd floor, Toronto ON, M5S 1J6, Canada
Circulation:	18,000
Editor:	Eleanor Yuneun Park
Issn:	0042-2789
Website:	thevarsity.ca

The Varsity is the official student newspaper of the University of Toronto, in publication since 1880. Originally a broadsheet daily, it is now printed in compact form. The paper's primary focus is on campus affairs and local news.

The paper publishes weekly on all campuses during the fall and winter semesters and online throughout the year, along with two seasonal magazines. 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

At the height of debate on coeducation in 1880, The Varsity published an article in its inaugural issue in favour of admitting women.^[1]

In 1895, the suspension of The Varsitys 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 editorial staff member William Lyon Mackenzie King and boycotted lectures for a week. King later became 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

• 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
• Chandler Levack,^[7] writer and filmmaker
• 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 their work as 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)
• Barbara Amiel, journalist, Maclean's columnist
• Jason Szep, Pulitzer Prize winner and International Affairs Editor with Reuters
• James Laxer, political economist

See also

• List of student newspapers in Canada
• List of newspapers in Canada

External links

• The Varsity

Notes and References

1. Web site: 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. 2007-07-19. 2002. 2020-05-27. https://web.archive.org/web/20200527145621/https://www.utoronto.ca/news/. dead.
2. http://www.newsandevents.utoronto.ca/bios/02/history17.htm Q&A: What made the "blood fairly boil" in U of T student and future prime minister William Lyon Mackenzie King in 1895?
3. Web site: What made the "blood fairly boil" in U of T student and future prime minister William Lyon Mackenzie King in 1895? . 2007-09-24 . History Q & A . University of Toronto Department of Public Affairs . 2002 . 2020-03-24 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200324033809/http://www.news.utoronto.ca/bios/02/history17.htm . dead .
4. Web site: Dale, William . 2009-02-28 . Marshall . David B. . . 2000.
5. Web site: Conception & birth . 2009-02-28 . On the Origins of the Body Politic . Bébout . Rick . January 2000.
6. Web site: The Varsity Launches Chinese-language Edition . 12 October 2017 . 18 October 2017 . The Canadian Journalism Project . Shrinkhala Dawadi .
7. Web site: Chandler Levack – The Varsity . The Varsity . 28 May 2022.