Trent – Mendous! – G.M. Lemay

 

 

Trent University is nestled in nature, its greenery sublime and the river’s current soothing. I wondered if I would have been so stressed in university had I attended Trent and had a river to sit by. As I drove up, I saw that the university was anything but closed. Children’s camps were running, rowers were training on the river, coffee shops were open for summer student conversations, and students were swimming in the river. Sure, it will be busier in a month’s time, but it certainly wasn’t shut down for the summer!

As I carried on with a private walking tour, I went into the athletic building, and I wandered through the environmental buildings, the dining halls, and the beautiful grounds. Everywhere I went, people were friendly and helpful.

The highlight of my visit was popping into the Peter Gzowski College. The College, the youngest in Trent University, opened to students in September 2004 and is called "Enweying." This, in Anishnaabe, means "The Way We Speak Together.” There, I was greeted by helpful and friendly people who explained the history of the college and its roots in learning about our First Nations, and supporting First Nations students. 

It was a big day for the college – a box of Peter Gzowski’s ashtrays had just arrived. Donated by someone who had once owned the famous broadcaster’s cottage, they had just been delivered and I was fortunate enough to be shown the personal items of one of my favourite journalists. My visit in this building lasted well over half an hour, and when I left, I discovered that the person who had given me all her time, unexpectedly, was the principal of the college herself! Trent University was not closed for business, and neither was its gracious principal. As I drove away I felt just a wee bit more excited to counsel my Grade 12 students in two week’s time…