Letter to the Editor |
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Dear Editor:
When I came to Trent for the very first time, in the fall of 1968, I
fell in love with what was then
a slightly rag-tag collection of old houses spread over half of
Peterborough, connected by buses
to the still raw collection of buildings nestling between the river and
the drumlin. When I
returned as a student in the fall of 1969 the changes were subtle, some
of the newness wearing
off as the University settled into its surroundings. At that time, a
tension existed between the
university, a predominantly liberal and comparatively affluent
collection of students and
academics, and the more conservative, economically troubled, central
Ontario city. For better or
worse, Trent was present in the heart of Peterborough in the form of
Rubidge Hall, the bookstore,
Peter Robinson and Traill colleges. As always, time passes and Trent
changed, as did
Peterborough. Rubidge Hall was eventually abandoned, some of the
residence houses at
Robinson were razed and replaced with modern apartments, pubs came and
went, Otonabee
College rose on the ridge line across the river. Trent continued,
becoming more and more an
integral part of Peterborough in the process.
Now, it appears that to survive, Trent may be compelled to complete this
retreat from the city
itself, driven by economic necessity and architectural practicality to
give up those old converted
houses and retrench. I find this somewhat saddening, as the changing
order always brings some
sadness, but if it is necessary to preserve Trent then... Still, I can't
help holding out the hope that
somehow, some way, Trent's presence in the center of town can be
maintained. U of T has done
it, Carleton has done it, here in North Carolina, Duke and Chapel Hill
and NC State continue to
do it, retain their links and their history through the judicious
maintenance of selected old
buildings.
Regardless, Trent will continue, and continue to evolve, as the premier
liberal arts university on
the Canadian education scene. And Mr. Fienberg will also, one hopes,
continue to evolve;
experience and the passage of time gradually softening the sharp edges
of his distaste for
medieval imagery, dysfunctional hippie communes, and bus rides. Volume
31 of the magazine
recognizes many of those who have gone on to get, or create, jobs,
donating some of our income
to Trent. No doubt we do this at least partly in a quest to preserve
our memories, but also to
preserve the opportunity for others to create memories of their own in a
special place. I wonder
what memories Mr. Fienberg holds, what images of Trent he carries in his
mind, that motivate
him to be at once so condescending and so cavalier in his dismissal of
the city colleges.
Andrew House
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