From the ’80s to 2019
We could have moved anywhere. In fact, we didn’t need to move at all. My wife and I had a comfortable house in Toronto. We each taught for about 30 years and had retired, so maybe some downsizing was in order now that the kids were out on their own. Guelph was the first place we checked out because we had met here as students in the early ’80s. Naturally, we bought the first house we looked at and a few weeks later were residents of Guelph. Right away I noticed that CFRU was still going strong and it brought back fond memories. I heard the call for volunteers and answered it. I’ve been hosting Zombie Jamboree for almost two years now.
What do I get from doing a radio show on CFRU? While I was a student it led to a job DJing at The Bullring. That job led to another DJing job at Chateau Lake Louise in Alberta. Living in a Rocky Mountain beer commercial caused me to seek more meaningful work and that turned out to be teaching high school physics. The skills I learned while disc jockeying and making radio transferred well. It was not hard to move from dealing with drunk dancers to hormonal students. Teaching requires people skills like diplomacy, thinking on your feet, and getting by with what you have. Doing radio makes you listen differently, and I still do. There are few things I like as much as exploring great music and sharing what I find. One of the rewards of teaching is when former students come back to thank you for “making them” learn something, develop a skill, or see a point of view that they didn’t appreciate until later. CFRU was a bit like that; I didn’t realize what it gave me until much later.
It’s not just volunteers that benefit from a community radio station. It helps build community. CFRU makes radio in schools, seniors’ residences, and at events. They sponsor and publicize events around town and in the studio. The programming is as varied as the community. There have been shows on mixed martial arts, cycling, horses, and current affairs. All genres of music and many languages are represented. It really does reflect Guelph back to itself. It’s no accident that there is such a vibrant music and arts scene here. Even if you don’t volunteer or listen, there are benefits and more connections between the university and the town.
Sounds great, but are non-essential student fees worth paying? Having been short of cash, I would likely have said no to all optional fees, opting instead for groceries or rent. I might have been saying no to my most valuable university experiences, without even knowing it. In fact, while an à la carte selection of activities sounds fair, it’s really like trying to order dinner from a menu on which the prices are clearly marked, but you can’t read what’s on offer. You have the costs, but don’t know the benefits, and may not until much later. It’s a situation akin to complaining about paying taxes for healthcare and education when you are healthy and have no children in school. Again, one is given the costs, but the benefits are uncertain and variable.
Way back in my first year of university I tried to live at home and commute to campus for classes. It worked, but something was missing, namely a community with interests that went beyond academics. CFRU is just one of those great additions to university life that can build both social and technical skills — skills you may be using long after you’ve forgotten how you got them.
Illustration by Barbara Salsberg Mathews
Follow Barbara on Instagram @maddysmom_4u
Thanks Bruce, I enjoyed your article and makes me consider the impact on my past.