As a recent graduate of U of T (June 2003), there are a lot of things I could say here about my “alma mater” (i.e., what’s with the prison-style automatic hand dryers in all the w/c’s?). Instead, I’ll keep focused on solutions. I think that the problem of student disengagement is one that requires action on the part of both students and admin.
To the students:
Commit yourselves to making this place yours, and making it work for you and others like you.
First, let me say that, to bright, self-motivated students, even those without a clear vision of their academic destiny-, U of T presents almost limitless opportunities. If you have the discipline and the inclination to read broadly, take your courses seriously, engage in and provoke discussion in class, and get involved in the panoply of extracurricular activities on offer, you will have received an education at par with the more expensive and exclusive ones available at places like Harvard, Columbia and Yale.
As a grad student here at Oxford, I’m surrounded by students from the Ivies, the Seven Sisters, and great state schools like U.Mich. and U.C.Berkeley, and I can tell you that the preparation-academic and personal-I got out of U of T compare very favourably. Even at this world-class institution, I don’t feel the least bit outclassed; and when I consider what I spent to attend U of T, I can’t help but think that I got one hell of a bargain.
That being said, you have your work cut out for you here. No one is going to coddle you, or push you into enlightenment, or force you to make friends. If you don’t speak up in class, make some effort to get involved, spend a few extra hours on campus, get familiar with the awesome restaurants and bars just around the corner on, for instance, College and on Spadina, do any athletic activities, or any volunteer work, then U of T will seem pretty dismal to you-as would any other place, if you just sat around, waiting for life to happen to you.
Ask yourself: is your condition the fault of the school, or is there perhaps something you could be doing to make it different? It’s a big school in a big city, but you are also a big boy or girl, and no longer nestled like a foetus in the insulating warmth of a tiny suburban high school. So if you can’t find your “niche” here, don’t expect to be plugged into one by some friendly administrator-carve one out for yourself, using your unique talents, perspectives and experiences. Make communities of your own, and invite people to join them. Another suggestion is that if it’s within your means (even if it involves getting a job or taking out some OSAP), try living in residence for a year or two. This is by far the best way to bond with the school, meet people and feel involved. I didn’t take advantage of this opportunity ’til 3rd year, and it’s one of the few things I regret about my time at U of T
Comparing U of T to, say, Bishop’s or Mount A., is like comparing the bar in “The Last Days of Disco” to “Cheers”: sure, not everybody knows your name, and there’s a lot more attitude and metropolitan snootiness, but the music doesn’t suck, people know how to dance, they don’t all look the same, and you don’t have to deal with the same annoying people week in and week out if you don’t want to. Also, the people are hella’ more attractive.
And if, after the end of all of this, you still feel left out, go hang out at the Green Room, chat up some of the fashionistas, get invited to a Hidden Cameras concert, a DJ Felix show, the drag show at El Convento Rico, or Vazaleen, and mash it up.
To U of T:
A lot of your students are unhappy. Your students are your customers. And as any good business knows, you can only coast so far on your reputation before customers get wise to what’s really going on … and start staying away in droves.
So, admins and admin-like beings, wake up and start listening to what your students are saying. Focus less on physics labs, football stadiums, and sticking those lame banners everywhere, and start providing more assistance with financial aid. Make a commitment to more tutorials and smaller classes. Provide funds to help colleges get their non-residents involved in college life. Make residence more affordable and accessible to more students.
And when students start to do all of the entrepreneurial stuff I listed above, back them up 100 per cent. It may not cost you a dime-it may be as simple as publicly recognizing student volunteers, cutting some of the red tape around club recognition, giving more authority to colleges, or redistributing resources that you already have. Having a sense of humour, talking with students, and publicly admitting things could be better wouldn’t hurt either.
With students working from below, and admins working from above with some kind of a common goal, I am sure U of T can resolve the problem of student disengagement, and become a destination of choice not just for propeller-headed keeners, but also for people looking to discover themselves on a beautiful, sylvan campus in the middle of a great and diverse city.
Maybe someone should get going and convene a big meeting on precisely this issue. I’d do it, but I’m stuck here in England, reminiscing about Canada, 20th century plumbing, cheap dry-cleaning, Tim Horton’s coffee, and the Vietnamese subs at Co Yen on Spadina.
Thom Ringer studied English and ethics at U of T, was a member of the Varsity Blues cross-country and track & field teams, and received an Ontario Rhodes Scholarship in 2003, when he graduated from Trinity College.
