Episkopon

The Episkopon (Greek: ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΩΝ, "bishop") was a secret society at Trinity College in the University of Toronto, which had been active since 1858 when its male branch was founded. The 225th reading of its original male branch was held in 2011[1]. The female branch of Episkopon had been active since 1899, holding their 182nd Reading in 2019. Prominent alumni of the Episkopon include Former Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Bill Graham, filmmaker Atom Egoyan, and Former Canadian Governor General Adrienne Clarkson. The organization was one of the oldest collegiate secret societies in North America and the oldest in Canada.

The male and female branches both presented three annual Readings during which they publicly satirized the goings-on about college through a wide range of jokes, songs, and poems delivered by the branch's leader, the Scribe.[2] The society's mythological premise was to deliver "gentle chastisement" on behalf of the Venerable Father (or Mother) Episkopon, a spirit who supposedly resided at Trinity and who was represented at Readings by a human skull.[2] Described in the media as a "self-perpetuating board of directors", the clandestine group of former Scribes and their assisting editors styled themselves as the Order of the Golden Key.[3] The motto of the organization was from Horace: Notandi Sunt Tibi Mores (Latin: "The manners of men are to be carefully observed").

In 1992, Episkopon was censured and forcibly disassociated by the Trinity College Council following allegations of racism and homophobia.[2] Despite policies prohibiting Episkopon from engaging in any activities on College property, the society nevertheless continued to play an important role in undergraduate life at Trinity.[4]

History

Episkopon was founded in 1858, when it was announced that the first Scribe was Pakenham Edward Stewart, later an Anglican priest.[1] Episkopon began as a student newspaper, developed into a form in which only one copy of each edition was created, to be read aloud by the Scribe.[1] Episkopon provides insight into College history, through the keeping of archives dating back to 1879.[2] A poster by artist Roloff Beny advertising a Reading from 1945 is in possession of the National Archives of Canada.[5] Also in the National Archives is a film about the former Trinity College campus on Queen Street West, made by Gordon Sparling, in which Episkopon's traditions feature prominently. A board listing the names of female Scribes once hung in Trinity's St. Hilda's College, but was removed upon the group's decision to disassociate from the College, a show of solidarity with the male branch in the 1990s.

On June 3, 2020, the female branch of Episkopon announced its dissolution, following renewed controversy on social media about its problematic past and present.[6] The male branch is rumoured to have been dissolved as well, however, there has been no formal acknowledgement.

Controversy

One attempted student suicide was allegedly linked to a 1985 reading, although the circumstances of the connection were not reported, and were later refuted by a CBC radio investigation.[3][4] In October 1991, following accusations of racism, sexism, and homophobia in Episkopon, a task force was formed to investigate it and Trinity College at large.[7][2] When the male Scribe of the 1992-1993 academic year refused to draft a constitution that was consistent with the task force's recommendations, the Trinity College Council voted unanimously to sever all ties with the organization.[8] Investigative journalist Declan Hill, a Trinity alumnus,[9] in a 1993 documentary broadcast on the CBC Radio program Ideas, claimed that Episkopon's Readings tended to ridicule certain groups and actions as a form of social control. The article cited student objections to the singling out of individuals for public shaming.[10] In 2008, a prospective male member of Episkopon sustained head injuries when he tripped and fell down a hill during an initiation ritual.[11] In recent years, both branches have made no efforts to break away from harmful past trends and the organization continued to be scrutinized for racism and degradation of students.[12] .

References

1. Trinity, 1852-1952: Published as a special centennial issue of the Trinity Review.
2. Mitchell, Alanna (1992-09-05). "Is the student society at venerable Trinity College guilty of offensive human-rights abuses? Or is this another sanctimonious outcry from the prissy ranks of the politically correct?". The Globe and Mail: D1.
3. Hill, Declan. "The Tempest at Trinity". Ideas, 1993. Toronto: CBC Radio
4. Talaga, Tanya (1999-03-27). "Secret student group divides U of T's Trinity College; Once banned from campus, society returns". The Toronto Star: 1.
5. National Archives of Canada Archived 2007-09-30 at the Wayback Machine
6. https://thevarsity.ca/2020/06/05/canada-is-beyond-guilty-u-of-t-in-solidarity-as-protests-tackle-police-brutality-anti-black-racism/
7. Klein, Naomi. "Trinity Secret Society Under Fire From Federal and Provincial Governments". The Varsity.
8. Grant, Donald (1992-10-06). "Toronto Live: Links to Episkopon Cut". The Globe and Mail: 1.
9. Declan Hill's resume on his personal website Archived 2011-07-09 at the Wayback Machine
10. Black, Shannon. "Juvenile jokes or cruel cuts? Episkopon, the 140-year-old vehicle of public shaming at U of T's Trinity College". National Post. 1 (129): B12.
11. Marlow, Iain (2009-05-25). "U of T's Trinity College Tainted by Secret Society: Ritualized Debauchery, Hazing Tarnish Venerable College's Traditions". The Toronto Star: 2.
12. O'Shaughnessy, Haley and Victoria Reedman, "Episkopon's Death Wish - From Skulls and Bones to Sorrows and Woes." The Salterrae, 2015-10: 20.