September 2023 Edited by: Devin Andrade

Dear Colleagues,

On Saturday, September 30, Canada marked the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation — which coincides with Orange Shirt Day — to acknowledge Canada’s history with Indigenous Peoples and the path forward.

Seneca hosted a variety of events, resources, talks and initiatives to support awareness of the devastation residential schools inflicted on Indigenous communities across the country, and to recognize Indigenous resilience.

I would like to share a message from Governor General Mary Simon, Canada’s first Indigenous governor general. Simon spoke at an event on Parliament Hill, where she emphasized that reconciliation is a shared responsibility between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples.

I am thankful for the welcome and teachings the Elders of this unceded territory are sharing with us today, and every time we gather on these lands. Thank you.

I’m grateful to be here with all of you to mark the third National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, a day of reflection and action.

What stories do we want to tell our children?

There is, of course, the history of Canada as told for the longest time, of explorers and discoveries, of taming a wild land, of settlements and Confederation.

But as time has passed, we have come to realize as a country that this version of history isn’t complete. Canada’s history is so much more than that. It should reflect other histories—other perspectives.

Certainly our national history needs to reflect the challenges, trauma, joys, experiences, knowledge and culture of Indigenous peoples and lives.

For years, Indigenous peoples have been telling those stories in their words but nobody was listening. I am here to tell you today, Canada is listening to those stories now. And as you know, some of those stories have been devastating.

We are gathered today to remember those stories—the stories of children taken from their homes. The stories of the children represented in the shoes we see today on stage.

…Every shoe here honours the Survivors of residential schools;

…Every shoe here commemorates the children who never made it home.

I often get asked to define reconciliation.

Reconciliation is a way of seeing and living life. It is about being intentional in how we interact with one another—how we show respect. Reconciliation is a shared responsibility between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples.

I see the potential of reconciliation in so many things, in both small gestures and large public acts. Reconciliation will thrive if we nurture it, in our workplaces and our homes. It will thrive if taught in our schools and our public offices.

Just yesterday, I hosted an event for students at Rideau Hall, where a wonderful Indigenous artist, Meryl McMaster, showed them how to use art to learn more about the full history of our country and to share their hopes for a world where every child matters.

Reconciliation is hope...

…Hope that we are building together a future that is free from harm, prejudices, exclusion and violence—everything that has marked the lives of Indigenous peoples for centuries.

On this National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, let us all go forward with hope. Let us go forward with the children in our hearts and minds. Let us support the families. Let us build a country and a history that brings us together. And let us walk this journey of reconciliation together, one step at a time.

Thank you.

Four entries from Seneca Illustration students were selected for the prestigious Society of Illustrators student competition this year. Seneca was the only Ontario school with more than one entry selected as a winner, including OCADU and Sheridan- each of which are four year illustration degrees. The competition featured participation from 2,308 students, representing 55 schools.

Every year since 1981 the Society has held the Student Scholarship Competition. Over 300 works are chosen from more than 8,700 entries submitted by professors of college-level students nationwide. In a competition which can kick start a career, students bring their most sophisticated, well-crafted and original work to be tested. A jury of professional peers, including illustrators and art directors, selects the most outstanding works created throughout the year. Pieces are accepted based on the quality of technique, concept and skill of medium used.

Mackenzie Phair, a student in the Illustration program, has received a scholarship from an art gallery in Bright's Grove, Ontario.

Students were invited to present their portfolios, sketchbooks and artistic statements to a committee of high school art teachers. Each winner received $1,000 towards their continued studies in the arts.

Alan Elliot represented Seneca Polytechnic at the "Audio Mostly" conference in Edinburgh, Scotland. He co-wrote a research paper with Dr. Iain McGregor of Edinburgh Napier University. The paper, titled “FASS: Firefighter Audio Safety Systems”, explored binaurally spatialized auditory affordances to assist firefighters in navigation and orientation during a fire emergency.

There were around 100 research papers from 27 different countries submitted to the conference. After a rigorous review process by 92 reviewers, who provided a total of 340 reviews, there were around 50 papers accepted. The paper presentations were all held in the Lindsay Stuart Lecture theatre at Edinburgh Napier University Craiglockhart Campus.

After the presentations, a vote was taken by all of the conference participants and Alan’s research paper was voted equal 2nd best in the long paper category. Alan thanked the firefighters of Barrie, Ontario and Dr. Iain McGregor and looks forward to taking the research further.

Raymond Moriyama, the renowned architect who designed the Stephen E. Quinlan Building at Seneca@York, died Sept. 1 at age 93.

His magnificent architectural legacy also includes the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre, which hosted the School of Fashion’s Redefining Design event for several years, plus landmarks like the Canadian War Museum, Ontario Science Centre and Toronto Reference Library.

Stephen E. Quinlan, then President of Seneca, remarked at the time that Moriyama Teshima was selected in the belief it could best create “a campus that … prepares us for the challenges of the 21st century by combining the best in architectural design, education technology and operational effiencies.”

Seneca officially launched the Honours Bachelor of Communications and Media degree (BCMM). The first group of students were welcomed with an orientation session with program coordinator Holly Cybulski and the faculty team.

The program provides students with the leadership skills and confidence to deliver transformative communications strategies across multiple platforms. In addition to building foundational communication skills across various traditional mediums, this program emphasizes the exploration of new and evolving industry trends such as artificial intelligence, data literacy and the effective use of digital channels.

The attached photo represents only part of the first semester intake and interest continues to grow. Holly has already spoken with prospective students for the fall of 2024. This comes after this semester’s intake exceeded expectations and enrolment was expanded.

President David Agnew spoke with The Globe and Mail about the important role international students play in enriching the campus experience. The article explores the growth in international enrolment, what it means for colleges, and how it has become a political issue.

Excerpt

David Agnew, president of Seneca, said international students are now the majority at his Toronto college, and that they enrich the learning environment and college experience for everyone on campus. Domestic students aren’t displaced by the international students, as schools are required to offer places in high-demand programs to Ontario applicants first and Canadians second. The school is, however, able to offer more programs for domestic students thanks to the funding that international students provide.