by Rebecca Wagner, Director of External Relations
What do you remember most about your time at St. Paul’s United College/St. Paul’s University College/United College? Whether alumni graduated in 1963 or 2023, the hands down, most frequently cited response, is “toast time.”
Toast time is a treasured, decade’s old, United College tradition that saw a trolley full of bread, toasters, and all the toppings (ex. jam, Nutella, random inventions!), rolled out in the cafeteria every night. Dozens of students from all United College residence wings would gather around at the end of a long day to relax and connect with friends from all corners of the college campus.
Toast time is United College lore, commemorated in “The Toast Chronicles,” the annual college yearbooks from the 1990’s.
Legend has it that back in 2010, the City of Waterloo fire department was on hand at United College more than ten times during one academic year, forcing everyone to evacuate at night. All breadcrumbs always led back to the toaster and its unfortunate proximity to the fire alarm.
The beloved tradition of toast time continues to this day, a full 60 years after United College first opened its doors. It is one of the ties that bind the generations of United College friends and family.
To help officially welcome its 60th cohort of students and usher in a new school year at the inaugural Principal’s Welcome (on October 5th), the college unveiled its brand-new, and very first, mascot, Toasty, a throw-back to this long-standing tradition.
Toasty made its grand entrance to cheers from dozens of students who offered a toast to the start of a new school year, full of adventure, promise, and butter days ahead.
Article originally published in the University of Waterloo’s “Daily Bulletin” on October 13th, 2023 (here).