In the September 17 edition of The Varsity, Eric Vanderbeek wrote about his belief that rivalry amongst the colleges is dying, and that hardhat thievery is on the decline. He claims that students tend to identify more with U of T than with their specific college or faculty, and that while U of T has the potential to craft “the most vibrant school community, of any university in the country” it has failed to make good on such an opportunity.
In contrast, I have seen the inter-college and faculty rivalry alive and well this year. I know of two acquaintances who have already managed to pluck their golden plastic trophies from the heads of unsuspecting engineers, much to said engineers’ chagrin. And what did these poor, now bare-headed, bridge-builders in training do? Did they sit around and mope about their rotten luck, cursing the nimble fingers of arts students? No, they banded together and struck back, managing to track both the thieves to their respective homes, and screaming at them till their helmets were returned. From these two unrelated incidences, I can rest happy in the knowledge that the Arts and Science versus Engineering rivalry continues here at U of T.
But what of inter-college rivalries? What of the collegiate spirit, that apparently seems to be devoid of this years Frosh Week festivities? It is quite correct to state that it is in the smaller communities of our colleges where school spirit grows. In my college, Trinity, school spirit could not be stronger. Our traditions and celebrated oddities band us together, and foster an enormous sense of Trin pride. Our incoming frosh quickly embraced the Trinity quirkiness, and have exclaimed on multiple occasions how much they love belonging to the college. Not to the university, but to the college. I am sure that much the same occurs at other colleges with U of T.
For here is the crux of the matter. When you compare this university, composed of vibrant small communities, to other large univeristies, you find a much more engaged and comfortable student body. Students at other universities have often to me they feel like a number and that there are no smaller networks to which they can relate. When I describe the college system here, their eyes light up and they comment on how lucky U of T students must be to have that niche community vibe.
So let us not sit in our rooms and bemoan being the largest research university in Canada. Instead grab your friends, go tell another college they’re weird and that you’re the best, and for God’s sake steal an engineer’s hardhat. And whilst you’re at it, remember that if you were anywhere else in the country none of this would be possible.
