For many first-years, their first foray into McGill life starts in residence. Fresh, bright-faced students come into university expecting to find that perfect group of friends—like something out of Friends or Saved by the Bell—and yet, residence life can be incredibly intimidating to navigate. In many ways, it can even seem like a throwback to the divides of the high school cafeteria.
This occurs because for many students, it is easier to stay within the one network of friends they may make when choosing where to sit in the caf. Over the course of the school year, this ends up creating a cycle in which students only eat with the people they know, making residence cafeterias feel more like a breeding ground for typical high school cliques than a welcoming environment in which to share meals with their friends.
"I think we all know the standard trend [where everyone’s] being open and hyper-friendly at the beginning of the first semester,” said Mana Moshkforoush, U0 Science and president of the Inter-Residence Council (IRC). “And although that’s definitely the case with some people, I find that university is very different from high school in that because there are so many students, you can’t really restrict yourself to a single group.”
Though Moshkforoush doesn’t seem to view residence life as particularly exclusive, the same cannot be said of many other students. When observing certain residence cafeterias, New Rez in particular, the disproportionate number of people sitting alone to people eating in groups is clear. For a residence of 700 students, the New Rez cafeteria seems almost ridiculously small.
Out of all the residences, RVC’s cafeteria is most frequented by students from all areas. This may be due in part to the cafeteria’s large selection of food, but according to Nadia Bichri, a U1 Science student living in RVC, much of the cafeteria’s charm lies in its openness.
"Because of the way our tables are set up, like four friends will get together, and then [gradually] more people join in, even if they don’t really know anyone,” Bichri explained. “You have this friendliness all the way down the table.”
This attitude adds to the numerous qualities—including its location and food selection— attracts so many other first years to the RVC cafeteria. With a large space and bright lights, RVC’s cafeteria is fairly friendly and inviting. Moshkforoush, who is from Douglas, also prefers RVC, since it’s so conveniently located directly across the street from campus.
While other cafeterias such as Douglas and Bishop Mountain Hall (BMH) have similar setups, their location on top of the hill make it hard for students of different residences to gather there. However, BMH still serves to unite the three upper residences: Molson, McConnell, and Gardner.
"BMH easily has the best caf layout to meet new people, because all of the tables are structured to fit 12 or more students,” Rebecca Spiteri, U0 Arts and Molson resident, said. “With BMH being up the hill though, it difficult for students in other residences to visit, but rather than isolating the upper rez students, it creates a strong sense community within the 3 residences.”
With any residence, however, students face the challenge of eating alone at any point in the year. Moshkforoush stressed the importance of taking initiative to be social.
"I'm not going to lie,” Moshkforoush said. “People are usually surprised that I approach them and ask to sit with them [in the cafeteria], but the conversation picks up really quickly and […] I’m happy [to meet] someone new! We’re all in the same boat.”
Staying within the confines of social boundaries in rez is comfortable, but sometimes going out of one’s comfort zone to add to a welcoming rez culture–within the confines of the caf–is worth the plunge.
