Osgoode is officially back in person – and busier than ever
I’ll admit that after two years of attending almost-exclusively online zoom lectures, I did not have the greatest things to say about Osgoode Hall Law School.
I was angry. I yearned to meet my fellow Section A classmates but had almost no opportunity to do so. I agonized over learning Legal Process I in the deep and dark depths of my parents’ basement, praying that I wasn’t the only one who was having this much difficulty with the material. Over the past two dreadful years, it felt like the administration did not take student wellness and community building seriously enough, as many of us remained incredibly isolated. On top of it all, I felt alone—but something feels different this year.
When I arrived for my first class of the year a few weeks ago, I noticed the building was filled with eager 1Ls. They were chatting and laughing. People were smiling. The halls were filled with life and excitement. It felt like school. It felt normal.
Speaking from my experience, Osgoode hadn’t felt anything like this at any point over the past two years.
This has led me to realize that it truly is the people that make Osgoode great. Whether it is the person who lends you a pen in class, or the person standing behind you at Aroma—these are the people that make Osgoode what it is.
Your law school peers don’t have to be your friends; you don’t even have to like them. But what you shouldn’t forget is that each and every person that steps foot on campus is adding to the mosaic of unique and interesting individuals that our school continues to attract.
A student body with such a diverse array of interests will certainly stimulate exciting conversations, and I believe it is these interactions that have made Osgoode thrive these past few weeks in a way that I hadn’t yet seen.
For the first time in two years, our school is not just alive. It is full of life. And it is thanks to each and every one of you.
I became Editor-in-Chief of Obiter Dicta to remind myself, and hopefully all of you, that we are more than our legal identities. This was imparted on me years ago by our wonderful former Editor-in-Chief Emily Papsin, class of 2021, who once said: “Osgoode students don’t just speculate; they think; they write, and eventually they do.”
We are all human beings with a wide range of interests and hobbies. Being a law student is certainly a part of who we are, but those other parts — those inherently human parts of us— are incredibly important for the growth of the Osgoode community. And it is this great appreciation and celebration of humanity that makes Osgoode as great a place as it seems to be.
I implore you to use Obiter to remind yourself of your humanity. Turn your eyes upon yourself and towards the world. Look at what makes you happy and what makes you sad and engage with those things through writing. Use those advocacy skills that we all have worked so hard to develop to write about something that invokes passion within you.
Or, use Obiter to write about what you’re feeling or what you’re thinking. Use it like John Tory did many years ago, when he wrote about his positive outlook on cannabis legalization. Use it like former Ontario Superior Court Judge Sandra Chapnik did, when she wrote about the struggle of balancing motherhood and student life.
Why not even use it like I do: Let Obiter be your outlet for all things human. And don’t forget: You are more than just a law student, and recognizing your own voice through writing is a powerful reminder of that. Trust me—I figured that out in the pages of your very newspaper.
>Life slowly returns to Osgoode Hall Law School. Photo credit: Rachel Weitz