CIVIL DISCOURSE: CONVERSATION AND CONNECTING AS PEOPLE
One focus of my Principalship is cultivating learning, leadership, and civility for the public good on issues of contemporary concern. This leads to many questions, including what is the Public Good? What is Civility? Which Issues and Why?
To help support this process, we have embarked on a series of conversations with our community leaders, including last week with Massey Senior Fellow Randy Boyagoda. Professor Boyagoda is the University of Toronto’s Provostial Advisor on Civil Discourse. Next month, we will host Giima Stacey LaForme, poet and Former Chief of the Mississaugas of the Credit.
In Dr. Boyagoda’s words: “What I have found over the past year and a half [in interviews with students, faculty, and administration], is a great deal of professional and social anxiety about being on the wrong side of history, getting something wrong, saying something the wrong way. I have heard this from the Left and the Right, that this problem constrains intellectual curiosity, it constrains the conversations we need to advance knowledge in a dialectical way, but the worry is that if I say this the wrong way or demonstrate that my view on vaccine mandates, for example, is not the orthodox view, that maybe I won’t get that grant, maybe I won’t get that rec letter or be invited to that party.”
This is part of a larger, cultural moment, this loss of trust in institutions and in each other. And the solution is simple: Conversation. Connecting as people, not issues or slogans.
Randy Boyagoda also noted: “At a university, I would hope for more than just the polarization, siloing, and competing, binary, exclusionary theisms motivating our searches for knowledge. I would hope for conversations that lead to reflections, to moments where someone says to themselves, ‘Now I am thinking about this a little differently, because I spent this time with you, thinking out loud together. I don’t agree with you, I’m not convinced, but I was open to hearing you and considering your point of view, and these are good things.’ If you are not willing to change your mind, why do you go to university? It seems to be an absurd and decadent way to spend significant time and money!”
As Principal, it is my hope that these events help enable meaningful and respectful dialogue within our community, even and especially among those with opposing perspectives. These days especially, things can get so hot; sometimes we have to cool down, allow for pause, for respect and discourse, and never lose sight of one’s own dignity and that of the other person.
Indeed, civil discourse very much begins with conversation and connecting as people.
James Orbinski
NEW EVENTS
March 19 – Sacred Indigenous Medicines with Dr. Verne Ross
Join us for an enlightening lecture exploring the traditional knowledge and spiritual practices surrounding sacred Indigenous medicines. Learn how these time-honored healing practices honour the land, foster community well-being, and connect mind, body and spirit. This is a meaningful opportunity to listen, learn and reflect.
RSVP
March 22 – Fire & Ice Spring Ball
The Spring Ball is a Junior Fellow-organized event to bring more people together to foster the vibrancy within the Massey community. The theme for this year’s ball is “Fire & Ice,” with themed beverages, a DJ, and much merriment! Everyone in the Massey community is invited, as well as their guests from from 8:00pm – late. RSVP
April 14 – L.M. Montgomery Kindred Spirits Exhibition Launch
The Robertson Davies Library will host Kindred Spirits, a traveling exhibition showcasing the work of artists from the Canadian Bookbinders and Book Artists Guild (CBBAG) from April 15 – May 15. This exhibition celebrates the enduring legacy of Lucy Maud Montgomery on the 150th anniversary of her birth.
To launch the exhibition, we invite you to a special event featuring keynote speaker and author Melanie J. Fishbane, along with featured artists Emily Loker and Don Taylor. They will explore the art of bookmaking and Montgomery’s global influence. Guests will have the opportunity to browse the exhibition and gather for refreshments and conversation. RSVP
Sponsorship opportunities are available for this very special launch and exhibition. If you are interested in supporting Massey, please contact Jennifer Drouillard-Duce, Director of Advancement (jduce@massecyollege.ca | 437-240-7964) to learn more.
April 16 – Rose Wolfe Seder
Join us our annual Seder, a Massey tradition of gathering over food to honour Dr. Rose Wolfe – the former Chancellor of UofT and former Visitor of Massey College. Quadrangle Society Member Barbara Wade Rose and alum Zeesy Powers will lead the seder and a conversation on themes from the Passover holiday. Everyone is welcome to attend from any faith or non-faith background. RSVP
March 25 – Senior Fellow Luncheon with Barbara Sherwood Lollar on “Looking down to the stars – a life exploring deep waters”
Join us for lunch and a fascinating talk by Senior Fellow Barbara Sherwood Lollar. Explore Earth’s deepest, oldest waters and their connection to life, our planet, and the universe. Q&A to follow.
All are welcome to this special lunch and lecture in the Upper Library.
RSVP
April 2 – Massey Dialogues: Ageing and Loneliness in the City – Challenges and Paths
As our population ages, loneliness has become a pressing public health concern. Join us for a thoughtful discussion on creative ways to foster connection and support among older adults. Featuring Robert Durocher (Richard and Elizabeth Currie Chief, Education and Programming, AGO), Dr. Rachel Savage (Scientist, Women’s Age Lab) and Dr. Will Scott (CEO, Toronto Public Library Foundation), moderated by Shree Paradkar (William Southam Journalism Fellow). RSVP
UPCOMING EVENTS
Wednesday, March 19 – Junior Fellow Lecture Series: The Brain, The Mind
Join the last JFLS of the year. This monthly lecture series invite Junior Fellows to give an after-dinner lecture on a chosen topic through the lens of their various fields of study. RSVP
- Mechanical and Industrial Engineering PhD student Kejah Bascon will present “Evaluating the Da Vinci Robotic System in Neurosurgical Tasks: Motion and Force Analysis.”
- Psychology PhD candidate Delaram Farzanfar will present “The Brain Mechanisms of Aesthetic Experience.”
- PhD student in Medical Biophysics Navona Calarco will present “The Claustrum and Consciousness: From Mystery to Measurement”
March 20 – Ethics Series – Legislating Homelessness: Government Response to Homelessness?
This panel will be in person as well as livestreamed with Senior Fellow Peter Biro, Diana Chan McNally, Junior Fellow Megan McKinnon and Don Gibson (moderator) who will explore the legal and ethical implications of government policies and consider alternative approaches.
March 21 – Womxn in Leadership Networking
Whether you’re looking to expand your network, gain insights from inspiring speakers, or simply engage in thought-provoking discussions, this event is your opportunity to be part of a dynamic and supportive community with panelists alum Dr. Hadiya Roderique, Senior Fellow Dr. Alison Paprica and Catherine Fowler for a discussion on navigating career changes and opportunities. Join the panel and networking session.
RSVP
Monday, March 24 – Cancel Culture & Anti-Racism: A Double-Edged Sword?
Join us for a debate with Massey’s Anti-Black Racism Counsel, moderated by Kejah Bascon (Junior Fellow, Equity and Inclusivity Co-Chair). Explore the complexities of accountability, justice, and redemption—can cancel culture hinder reconciliation and growth? RSVP
March 26 – Alumni Dinner (1995-2004 cohort)
Join us for the last Alumni Dinner of the year! Connect with fellows over a delicious meal. Don’t miss this chance to celebrate and strengthen ties across generations and disciplines. RSVP
March 28 – Convocation High Table
Celebrate our convocating Junior Fellows and recent alumni at this special High Table. Enjoy a delicious meal, connect with the Massey community, and honour the achievements of our brilliant graduates.
APRIL EVENTS
April 7 – Book Club presents Native Nations by Kathleen DuVal
Join the final Book Club of the year with Literary Review of Canada’s Assistant Publisher Alex Sallas whowill present on the 2024 The Cundill History Prize winning book by Kathleen DuVal Native Nations: A Millennium in North America. RSVP
April 15 – Liberal Democracy in the Rearview?
Join us for a full-day conference examining the future of liberal constitutionalism in the face of rising populism and democratic backsliding. Featuring keynotes by Thomas Homer-Dixon (Cascade Institute) on defending Canadian democracy and Peter L. Biro (Section1) on the shift from liberal democracy to electoral autocracy.
In advance of the event attendees are invited to review a new paper by Thomas Homer-Dixon – read it on our website, here. RSVP
COMMUNITY NEWS
AWARDS/RECOGNITIONS
- Senior Fellow Sarah Kaplan was named one of the 2025 Bellagio Residents from The Rockefeller Foundation.
Congratulations Sarah!
NEWS
- Alum Jay Cavanagh is starting a new position as a Research Assistant at the University of Calgary.
- As part of the International Human Rights Program at the UofT Faculty of Law, Sara Maqsood spoke on a panel at the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) Convention about the impact of mining in northern Ontario’s Ring of Fire on First Nations communities.
- Senior Fellow Alison McGeer was quoted in the Toronto Star on how often you should wash your bath towel.
- Alum Anupama Sharan was selected for a Postdoctoral Fellowship at Queen’s University in the new year. She is working with Prof. Warren Mabee, Director of the Institute for Energy and Environmental Policy and will be leading policy publications on bioproduct development and renewable energy in Canada. She also co-authored a white paper on Best Practices for Siting Biorefineries in Canada which is part of a larger program for Bioeconomy Standards Development in Canada being led by the Canadian Standards Organization.
- Senior Fellow Aephraim Steinberg of Physics explains his research findings on “negative time” in the BBC.
