Are there too many Asians at U of T?
An article published in Maclean’s’ annual university rankings guide has provoked many heated arguments for giving attention to this question. The article focuses on a disproportionate number of students of East Asian origin at elite universities, including immigrants, exchange students, and young people with deep roots in Canada.
Opening with the story of a student who avoided U of T because of its large Asian population, the article explores stereotypes of studious, austere Asian students who self-segregate from predominantly middle-class white kids who like getting drunk and, for the most part, can’t compete with “those” braniacs.
Stephanie Findlay and Nicholas Köhler touch on sociological reasons for the prominence of ethnic groups in academia and compares contemporary discriminatory policies against Asians with those held against Jews in the early twentieth century.
The feature ends by suggesting universities ought to do more to bridge gaps between ethnic groups on campus. Our own provost and president are quoted in the article, claiming U of T is a harmonious institution, a “rainbow nation” with lots of functional diversity.
The article was subject to angry criticisms, calling it sensationalist, racist and — worst of all — crappy journalism. But not before The Toronto Star jumped on the bandwagon.
The normally earnest Star was slammed for publishing a front-page, above-fold article linked with the Maclean’s feature, focusing on a Chinese-Canadian group urging parents not to force their children into university.
The Star received a plethora of similar criticism.
Both articles, and the resulting controversy, have highlighted three things. First, we are a society profoundly and unhealthfully uncomfortable talking about race. Second, both media outlets missed the fundamental issue behind this phenomenon. Third, the real issue is that universities are not one-size-fits-all institutions and way too many Canadians are attending them.
Universities are about academia. They are intended to be institutions based on critical thought and a free exchange of ideas. Completing an undergraduate degree is supposed to mean one is qualified to pursue graduate studies. While the insight gained during studies can be used in a career, university education has never been about providing practical skills to the general population.
Ontario high-schoolers in the academic (as opposed to applied) stream are bred to go to university. Although college and other options are mentioned, the focus of many guidance counsellors dealing with Grade 12 students is getting their university applications completed by deadline.
Thousands of students drop out of university every year after realizing it’s not meant for them. This is a huge waste of time, money, and motivation. Universities, especially U of T, are crowded for various reasons, one of them being the huge number of students, not all of whom belong at university. One reason why plagiarism and cheating take place is that some students don’t belong in the university system and are struggling just to get by.
Young people, middle-class whites or not, who want a booze-filled easy ride to a well-paying job don’t belong in university. Children of immigrants who want careers outside of academia don’t belong in university. We need to take university off its pedestal as a status-granting institution for higher incomes and social inclusion.
The proper way for The Star to have reported the story on the disproportion of East Asian students would involve looking at students being coerced by parents and teachers into university, and certain careers, when they are better suited for other options. The reporting could mention the report by concerned Chinese parents and suggest the problem is more prominent among certain communities.
Although there are exceptions, such as polytechnic institutions in Québec, post-secondary education in Canada is largely a duality of universities and colleges. With little in between, we are left with university programs that try to be practical with limited success, and college programs that aren’t sufficiently theoretical.
OCAD University, a degree-granting university for decades, recently added the latter part onto their name. But why would a practical arts school be a university? Theory is taught, but students regularly produce their own art. OCAD being a university doesn’t make sense; it’s actually practical.
In comparison to some European countries, our system of two choices, university and college, is too narrow. Canadian students would be better served by a variety of options, by schools that cater to their career goals and learning habits. Otherwise, we continue to waste society’s time and resources on a vision of universities that doesn’t make sense.
