Skule

A nickname for the University of Toronto's engineering school coined about a century ago as a tongue-in-cheek reference to the dubious writing abilities of most of its ngynyryng students.

It was founded in 1873 as the School of Practical Science by the Ontario government after having resolved to create some sort of professional scientific or technical school in Toronto. It formally joined the University of Toronto in 1906 as the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering and has since conferred more than 23,000 degrees.

Notable traditions include:

• The Mighty Skule Cannon: mascot of Skule.
• The Lady Godiva Memorial Bnad^*: the frequently off-key Skule band.
• The Toike Oike: the infamous Skule newspaper.
• Skule Nite: the bizarre Skule stage show.
• Ye Olde Chariot Race: a violent race of wheeled contraptions (see Death Race 2000).
• Suds: the Skule pub night that takes place in the cafeteria dungeons.
• F!rosh Orientation: exactly what it sounds like, but with hardhats and generous dousings of purple dye.
• The Brute Force Committee: super-secret Skule pranks squad--they don't really exist...

The oldest and largest engineering school in Canada can be visited at http://skule.ca.

I had the pleasure of knowing many on the Brute Force Committee, and reading the Toike Oike--and knowing its first female editor--who wasn't, as I remember her, an engineer; though she did hang with them.

The tradition of the skulemen began with their faculty building, a red brick structure that stood at the south of the front campus, opposite University College, south of the old library--which is on the east side of the circle, and now called the Wallace Reading Room--immediately east of Convocation Hall, making one foot of the south entrance to the front campus from College street. (The west side of the cicle, funning north is first, the Administration Offices, and the the University Bookroom.)

So it stood on the spot now occupied by the Faculty of Medical Sciences building.

It was known as the little red skulehouse.

It was long gone by my day--I am Arts, class of '74. But my parents, who were there just after WWII, long before the building of my New College, often spoke of it, and the traditions of the skulemen.