Episkopon


Episkopon was a secret society at Trinity College in the University of Toronto. Its male branch formed in 1858, followed by the female branch in 1899. It was the oldest collegiate secret society in Canada.
In 1992, Episkopon was censured and disassociated from the Trinity College Council following allegations of racism and homophobia. The female branch announced its closure in June 2020. The male branch is presumed to also be defunct.

History

Episkopon was founded in 1858 at Trinity College in the University of Toronto as a satirical student newspaper. The group secret society selected a leader or Scribe who would read the newspaper out loud. This became an end-of-year campus tradition and any student was allowed to submit items to be read.
This evolved into three formal "Readings" each year, held in September, on Halloween, and in the spring. The Readings were performed in Latin and English, that included the recitation of satirical songs, poems, and jokes, along with reading from its newspaper. Readings poked fun or chastised other students. The National Archives of Canada owns poster by artist Roloff Beny advertising a 1945 Reading.
In 1992, Episkopon was censured and disassociated from the Trinity College Council following allegations of racism, homophobia, hazing, and harassment of students. In 2010, Trinity College started requiring students to sign its Episkopon Policy, agreeing to not organize, participate, or publicize Episkopon events in association with the college.
Despite policies prohibiting Episkopon from engaging in any activities on college property, the society continued to play an important role in undergraduate life at Trinity. In 2020, Black students called attention to Episkopon's history of anti-Black racism. Other students and the campus newspaper criticized the society for its racism, sexism, and discrimination practices.
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 acknowledgment of this.
The Episkopon archives include materials dating to 1879.

Symbols

The name Episkopon is Greek for "Bishop". The society's mythological premise was to deliver "gentle chastisement" on behalf of the Venerable Father Episkopon, a spirit who supposedly resided at Trinity and was represented at readings by a human skull. The motto of the organization is from Horace: Notandi Sunt Tibi Mores.
Its leaders were called Scribes or Pons. There are two Pons: a Fem-Pon for the female group and a Man-Pon for the male group. When elected, the Pon had to run naked through the campus quad. 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.
Members wore a key around their neck, with the Scribe wearing a bigger key. At the readings, members wore Trinity robes; in addition, the men wore tuxedos, and the women dressed in black clothing with red lipstick.

Activities

The male and female branches both present three annual Readings during which they publicly satirize the goings-on about the college through a wide range of jokes, songs, and poems delivered by the branch's leader, the Scribe.

Membership

Membership consisted of fifteen women and fifteen men who were students at Trinity College.

Controversy and member misconduct

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

Notable members

Prominent alumni of the Episkopon include: