Hart House, University of Toronto

Hart House is a student centre at the University of Toronto's St. George Campus. It is named after Hart Massey and the money to build the centre came from the Massey family with the idea being advocated by Vincent Massey, then a student at U of T. Work began on the structure in 1911, but it was not completed until the end of the First World War. Its most prominent feature is the Soldiers' Tower that honours U of T students and faculty who served in the war. The Neo-Gothic structure was designed by Henry Sproatt, who was also responsible for the Massey-funded Burwash Hall.

The building contains a wide variety of facilities. The basement holds athletic facilities including a pool and archery range. The Hart House Theatre is at the sub-basement level beneath an interior quadrangle. An art gallery, reading and sitting rooms and offices are located on at the ground level. Located upstairs is a library, music rooms, student meeting and study space in addition to a fully functioning restaurant.

The main feature is the large Great Hall, where university events are held.

Gender use

The Massey donation stipulated that the building was to be used only by men. Vincent Massey felt that a co-ed facility would ruin the sense of collegiality he hoped to create. Beginning in the 1950s this caused much controversy, and women demanded admission. Massey stood by his original conditions, however. After his death the Stewards and administrators of Hart House had Massey's deed of gift altered to allow women to become members. Since 1972, women have been able to fully participate in the House's activities.During John F. Kennedy's lecture at Hart House in the fall of 1957 he is reported to have said "I personally rather approve of keeping women out of these places" and went further onto remark "Its a pleasure to be in a country where women cannot mix in everywhere" (Ignoring the female students who picketed outside with signs proclaiming "Unfair!" and "We want Kennedy!").

Governance

Hart House is a unique organization in many ways, not in the least because of its student-centred governance structure. The House is run almost completely by student committees composed in the majority of undergraduates, and also of graduate students, senior members, and staff. Two levels of committees operate in the House: standing committees and club committees. Standing committees have broad mandates for the general operation of the House. Before 2008, these committees were elected in open campus-wide elections widely publicized to the entire campus. This practice has recently been abandoned. Students are currently subject to "taxation without representation" under this new scheme.

The House Committee, for instance, is responsible for the daily governance and administration of the House; the Literary and Library Committee oversees the House's library, literary events, speaking series, and other related activities; and so on. The club committees are responsible for the operation of the various clubs, organizations, and groups the House facilitates. These include, but are not limited to, an archery club, a scuba club, a Diplomacy group, and a host of musical ensembles. Overall responsibility for House governance and operations rest with the Board of Stewards, a student-majority committee composed of the secretaries of the standing committees and various other interested parties from the University and the community.

At first glance this governance structure can seem cumbersome. Such a setup is important, however, because all of the House's operating funds come from a yearly student levy. The University of Toronto provides no financial assistance to the House and therefore adequate and involved student representation is considered essential to maintain the vibrant and welcoming atmosphere the House is known for.

The Warden of Hart House is Dr. Louise Cowin, who succeeded Margaret Hancock in July 2007.

Hart House Debating Club

: "Main article: Hart House Debating Club"

In 1986, the University of Toronto Debating Union - a university-wide debating club dating back to the 1940s - approached the Hart House Debates Committee and came to an agreement that secured support for the Union from Hart House. The organization, renamed the Hart House Debating Club, has ever since been the primary debating club at the University of Toronto open to all students from all colleges and campuses. Since its inception, the Hart House Debating Club has played host to some of the most prominent figures of the day, including several Canadian Prime Ministers, foreign ambassadors, and other notable international statesmen . Moreover, the Club has hosted dozens of prestigious tournaments, including the National, North American, and World Championships.

Hart House Literary and Library Committee

This committee oversees many of the literary events that Hart House sponsors throughout the school year. These include the writing groups "le mot juste" and the "Algonquin Square Table", as well as the "Hart House Review". The Literary and Library Committee regularly hosts a writer-in-residence who both leads workshops and reviews students' writings. The Literary and Library Committee also runs a library, located on the second floor of Hart House. It features a variety of books for in-house research and leisure reading, and often is the venue for public readings (also coordinated by the Literary and Library Committee).

Hart House Review

: "Main article: Hart House Review"

Hart House Review (HHR) is a Canadian "literary magazine" / "literary journal" managed by student members of Hart House at the University of Toronto and published by Coach House Press. The magazine is best known for prose, poetry and photography contributed by emerging writers and artists in Canada. The likes of Rohinton Mistry , Camilla Gibb , Lynn Crosbie and many other notable names in Canadian literature have been published in the HHR during their university years.HHR also regularly organizes literary events which feature established and emerging members of the writing and publishing world.

Lecture series

The Hart House Lecture is an annual public lecture series in historic Hart House at the University of Toronto. Delivered by a lecturer chosen by a committee of students, staff and alumni, the Hart House Lecture generally takes place in late March in the Great Hall of Hart House.

The Lecture Series was launched in 2001, with the vision of establishing an annual public lecture in Hart House. Organized by students, the Hart House Lecture Series aspires to ignite public conversation and debate. The lecture takes issues identified by youth to a national audience. For Hart House, a historic gathering place at the University and a home for debate, discussion and dissent, the lecture is a fitting medium through which the House can nurture civic leadership and participation.

The lecturer for 2007 was McGill Professor Darin Barney, who delivered a lecture titled "One Nation Under Google: Citizenship in the Technological Republic". The lecture examined the relationship between technology and citizenship.

The lecturer for 2008 is Warchild Canada founder and U of T Professor Samantha Nutt. Her lecture will be titled THE WORLD IS OUR BACKYARD: Individual Responsibility for a Global Society. Dr. Nutt will speak about our role as privileged North Americans and our ability to effect change in war-torn countries.

Past lecturers

Past lecturers have included Michael Geist (2006), David Bornstein (2005), Jennifer Welsh, (2004), Alan Lightman (2002) and Pico Iyer (2001).

Copies of some of the past lectures are available [http://www.harthouselecture.ca/archive.html here] .

Notable Speakers & Guests

The list also includes

Dwight D. Eisenhower,
Ronald Reagan,
John F. Kennedy,
Thomas Mann,
Stephen Leacock,
Henry Moore,
Seamus Heaney,
Octavio Paz,
John Kenneth Galbraith,
Christopher Hitchens,
Edmund Hillary,
King George VI,and Queen Elizabeth II

Theatre

: "Main article: Hart House Theatre"

Hart House Theatre is often referred to as the cradle of Canadian Theatre. Opening in November of 1919 the Art Deco theatre on the University of Toronto's St. George campus quickly became a leader in the Canadian “Little Theatre” movement of the 1920's and 1930's. Hart House Theatre cultivated and featured some of the country’s finest actors, directors, playwrights and designers of the Pre-World War II era, including Raymond Massey , Dora Mavor Moore , Lloyd Bochner , Lawren Harris, Arthur Lismer , Wayne and Shuster and Merrill Denison . After the war, Hart House Theatre, under the direction of Robert Gill, became an extracurricular student theatre and for twenty years turned out a new generation of stage professionals. William Hutt , Don Harron, Kate Reid , David Gardner , Arthur Hiller, Donald Sutherland , Norman Jewison and Lorne Michaels all got their start treading the boards on the Hart House stage.

By the mid 1960's the theatre joined the world of academia with the creation of the Graduate Centre for Study of Drama. A new generation of students combined dramatic literature with practical theatre experience and learned from and contributed to the vibrant Toronto theatre scene of the 1970's.Today Hart House Theatre is the focal point for the performing arts at the University of Toronto. With over a thousand students participating each year in its extra-curricular season of drama, dance, music and film, Hart House Theatre continues to influence each new generation (Source: Hart House Theatre). The performances almost often well reviewed by art critics, and sold out.

Other Features

Apart from the regular exhibitions held at the Justina M. Barnicke Gallery, the building houses an art collection that is valued at over CDN $10 million. The captivating beauty of Hart House has made it a popular location for nuptials, professional conferences and other highbrow events. Hart House also owns and manages a 150 acre farm in the Caledon Hills on the ridge of the Niagara Escarpment. The farm has long been a popular retreat.

External links

* [http://www.harthouse.utoronto.ca Hart House Official Website]
* [http://hhdebate.sa.utoronto.ca/ Hart House Debating Club]
* [http://www.harthouselecture.ca/ Hart House Lecture]