The Episkopon (

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: ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΩΝ, "

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") is a

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Trinity College Trinity College may refer to: Australia * Trinity Anglican College, an Anglican coeducational primary and secondary school in , New South Wales * Trinity Catholic College, Auburn, a coeducational school in the inner-western suburbs of Sydney, New ...

in the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

, which has been active since 1858 when its male branch was founded. The 225th reading of its original male branch was held in 2011.
Trinity, 1852-1952
': Published as a special centennial issue of the Trinity Review. 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 Atom Egoyan (; hy, Աթոմ Եղոյեան, translit=Atom Yeghoyan; born July 19, 1960) is a Canadian filmmaker. He was part of a loosely-affiliated group of filmmakers to emerge in the 1980s from Toronto known as the Toronto New Wave. Egoyan m ...

, and Former Canadian

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. The organization is one of the oldest collegiate secret societies in North America and the oldest in Canada. The male and female branches both present 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. The society's mythological premise is 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. Described in the media as a "self-perpetuating board of directors", the clandestine group of former Scribes and their assisting editors style themselves as the Order of the Golden Key.Hill, Declan. "The Tempest at Trinity". ''

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'', 1993. Toronto:

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The motto of the organization is from

Horace Quintus Horatius Flaccus (; 8 December 65 – 27 November 8 BC), known in the English-speaking world as Horace (), was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus (also known as Octavian). The rhetorician Quintilian regarded his ' ...

: ''Notandi Sunt Tibi Mores'' (

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: "The manners of men are to be carefully observed"). In 1992, Episkopon was censured and disassociated from the Trinity College Council following allegations of racism and homophobia. Despite policies prohibiting Episkopon from engaging in any activities on College property, the society nevertheless continues to play an important role in undergraduate life at Trinity.

History

Episkopon was founded in 1858, when it was announced that the first Scribe was Pakenham Edward Stewart, later an

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priest. Episkopon began as a

student newspaper A student publication is a media outlet such as a newspaper, magazine, television show, or radio station produced by students at an educational institution. These publications typically cover local and school-related news, but they may also rep ...

, developed into a form in which only one copy of each edition was created, to be read aloud by the Scribe. Episkopon provides insight into College history, through the keeping of archives dating back to 1879. A poster by artist

Roloff Beny Roloff Beny (1924–1984) was a Canadian photographer who spent the better part of his life in Rome and on his photographic travels throughout the world. Born Wilfred Roy Beny in Medicine Hat, Alberta, he later took as his first name ''Roloff'', ...

advertising a Reading from 1945 is in possession of the

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. Also in the National Archives is a film about the former Trinity College campus on

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, made by

Gordon Sparling Gordon Sparling (1900-1994) was a pioneering Canadian film maker. He was educated at Trinity College in the University of Toronto. He directed such early Canadian films as '' The Tidy House (La maison en ordre)'' in 1936 and '' The Kinsmen'' in 1 ...

, 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. Although the male branch is rumoured to have dissolved as well, there has been no public acknowledgement of this.

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.Hill, Declan. "The Tempest at Trinity". ''

'', 1993. Toronto:

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. 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. Investigative journalist

Declan Hill Declan Hill is a journalist, academic and consultant. He is one of the world’s foremost experts on match-fixing and corruption in international sports. In 2008, Hill, as a Chevening Scholar, obtained his doctorate in Sociology at the University ...

, a Trinity alumnus,Declan Hill's resume on his personal website
in a 1993 documentary broadcast on the

program ''

'', 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. In 2008, a prospective male member of Episkopon sustained head injuries when he tripped and fell down a hill during an initiation ritual.
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References

{{Reflist Student organizations in Canada Collegiate secret societies University of Toronto Student organizations established in 1858