Image Revival?
January 28th, 2012 by Sam Garo
Now, I know it’s a little odd to be discussing other universities on a U of T blog, but the recent controversy at the University of Western Ontario has evoked some concerns and questions for me about the U of T image. For those of you who have yet to hear of the changes happening to our notorious rivals, here is an update. This week, University of Western Ontario students were informed by their president, Amit Chakma, that UWO is no more. Instead, the university has officially changed its name to ‘Western University’. Additionally, the university has released their new ‘visual identity’, changing their symbol from the well-known purple building to a newly designed (darker purple) crest. The school representatives claim that the name change and the new visual identity was decided upon based on student, faculty, and alumni interviews about the Western image. It’s assumed that the changes are meant to revive the Western image and create a more marketable institution internationally.
The change has been controversial among the student body at the former UWO. Questions about the necessity of the change, the effectiveness, and financial waste have been points of concern for Western students. It’s estimated that the new transformation has cost over $200,000 – money better spent elsewhere, perhaps?
Regardless of the student reaction or the motives behind the change, the benefits of the evolution have to be considered. Will this have a positive influence on the school? Will this make Western more marketable/recognizable? Was the school really in need of these drastic changes? Should other Canadian universities follow suit?
These changes to our friends to the west have forced me to consider whether or not an ‘image change’ is necessary for my beloved school. I’ve had to consider what the international impression of U of T is. What do we stand for? Are we relevant internationally? Do we have school pride?
I think it’s very obvious that academics come first at U of T, but does this mean that we fall short in other aspects of university life? We are internationally known for our innovative research and world-class faculty, our incredible location, and our intricate mosaic of a student body, but I can’t help but recognize that our school is inherently lacking a feeling of community. It could be that our Toronto pride overwhelms our school spirit, or our incredibly large student body, or even the divide between colleges that makes U of T notoriously cold. Nothing makes this more obvious than the lack of attendance at Varsity sports events like football, basketball, and soccer games. Its overwhelmingly evident – especially to a former cheerleader – that school spirit is sufficiently lacking here on campus. But is this an image problem? Can this be solved by a ‘revival’ of our visual identity? These questions are all ones that go unanswered. Perhaps it’s up to us students to evoke school pride and initiate a foundation of community before academics. Or maybe a refurbishing of the University of Toronto image is necessary to jumpstart a more well-rounded institution.
For more info on the changes at Western University, visit http://communications.uwo.ca/brandnew/.
January 30th, 2012 at 9:15 pm
I like U of T’s marketing, I don’t think it’s bad, and I’m sure they already spend a lot of money on it.