Maclean’s magazine has consistently ranked U of T as one of the best institutions of higher education in Canada. This renowned reputation for high-quality education continues to attract thousands of new students every year. Whether these students receive the same quality of education regardless of the campus they attend, however, remains a contentious debate.
Years ago, students from either the Mississauga (UTM) or Scarborough (UTSC) campuses would almost certainly have had to attend some classes at the St. George campus during their studies. This practice allowed students to enjoy the complete U of T experience, and signified the unified identity felt among students from all campuses.
But now, as they continue to expand in terms of student enrolment and the variety of degrees offered, UTM and UTSC are increasing their autonomy from the downtown campus. Many UTM and UTSC students are disappointed with what they see as their campuses’ lack of equal access to St. George resources. One UTM student, who asked not to be named for this article, expressed this frustration: “UTM students are only eligible to take downtown courses starting in the second round of registration, so downtown students do get first preference and most good courses may be gone by then.”
Students are attracted to UTSC and UTM not only because they’re close to home-both schools are predominantly commuter campuses-but because students seek to earn one of the best degrees that Canada offers. Traditionally these campuses offer a more intimate learning environment compared to St. George, as professors are more likely to know their students’ names, especially in upper year classes. But class sizes at these campuses are increasing as the UTM and UTSC populations grow equal to those of many independent universities, including Wilfred Laurier and Lakehead. In fact, U of T’s satellite campuses are already considerably larger than Trent and Laurentian.
If UTM and UTSC continue to resemble independent universities, they may be tempted to actually become independent themselves. Official autonomy for UTM and UTSC would be a loss for the University of Toronto, and for the students most of all.
One UTM student comments: “As long as we are tied to the St. George campus and share the same University of Toronto banner as them, we also get the same prestige and preference that St. George students have with regard to graduate study acceptance and occupational attainment. I think if we branched out as our own university, we would lose the long-established prestige and preference of the U of T name.”
Even if these two campuses don’t become independent, there is the chance that U of T might soon resemble the multi-campused University of California, where Berkeley is seen as elite while campuses such as San Diego, Irvine and Davis rank considerably lower in terms of the quality of education they provide.
U of T must work harder to maintain unity between the campuses and ensure that student access to resources and high quality education is maintained no matter which campus they choose to attend. Interaction between campuses is essential for maintaining a unified identity. UTM and UTSC students-who have a greater incentive to work for unity than do St. George students-must continue to actively use the resources offered to them at the St. George campus and attend more classes downtown.
Without a push for practical equality between all three campuses, UTM and UTSC are fated to fragment into separate schools (in practice if not in name), cut off from the resources and academic tradition at St. George. To the dismay of students at Scarborough and Mississauga, degrees from those schools would become distinguished from St. George degrees, and regarded less seriously since they wouldn’t be from U of T proper. U of T students must become consciously aware of the fact that the unified identity of the university is just as important as the unique identity of each campus-both must be fostered and protected.
