Adam Banks’ eager foray into the cultural enlightenment of his first weeks in university is a total eye-roller. The way in which exposure to contact with the other is bleakly presented may even be enough to make other students feel good about themselves for attending such a “diverse” school. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure McGill’s student body is relatively multicultural compared to Banks’ Ohio upbringing, as he suggests.
From having grown up in Toronto public schools, it’s safe to say that McGill – one of the most expensive and hardest Canadian universities to get into – is not in any way a community that should be praised for its diversity. Black people are the largest visible minority group in Montreal – something you would hardly believe judging by the McGill student body.
While McGill certainly does have a large international student body, it’s hardly as racially and culturally diverse as it should (or could) be. Just take a look around your next class, at your peers, professors and TAs, and you’ll see what I mean.
Tiana Reid
U3 International Development and Communications