For most UofT students, the February Reading Week is a beacon of light amidst the dreariness of the Winter Term. In recent days however, an emerging popular movement has made it clear that this feeling is far from universal.
The University of Toronto Association for Illiterate and Unenlightened Students (UTAIUS) released a petition last week demanding the immediate renaming of the bi-annual break period in the name of inclusivity.
The UTAIUS, formed in the late ‘60s by a posse of Comparative Literature PhD students, gained national attention through its book burning antics and 1981 occupation of Robarts Library. The initially small group puzzled their literacy-loving peers, but in recent years, the association has experienced tremendous growth on campus. Namely, they’ve attracted an eclectic mix of Woodsworth students, Engineering professors, and UTSU bureaucrats.
“This is unacceptable!” wheezes George Dickens, one of 1200 anti-alphabet signatories to the latest petition. “I’m telling you, I’ve had it with this snotty scholastic syndicate. What kind of backwards institution is this that champions literacy and learning above all else?”
The university has not yet released an official statement on the matter, however the secretary to the Office of the President has reported that the document has been passed along to President Meric Gertler.
Gertler, a (suspiciously) intimate supporter of the UTAIUS in the past, has announced that he will have his secretary read it to him at the soonest convenience.
Photo Credit: Emory Claire Mitchell