All Posts Tagged With: "Ryerson University"

Ryerson advises students and parents how to cope with university

Ryerson’s department of public affairs has some advice for students and parents to help both adjust to university life.

Here are the tips for students:

1. Relax. Everyone else is going through the same thing you’re going through. So go and introduce yourself to someone new. Chances are they don’t know anyone else either.

2. Get to know your city. Get on public transit and get familiar with the different travel routes.

3. It’s OK if you don’t know how to do everything right away. That’s what your family and friends are there for. So call them up.

4. Prioritize. It may be easy to “forget” to do your readings and keep up with your work, but if you let these things slide, chances are you won’t have a reason to be living on your own for much longer.

5. Get connected. There are numerous events going on to suit everyone’s tastes. Whether it be program-specific, faculty-wide, religious, athletic, or just plain entertainment — there’s a little something for everyone. This is your chance to meet new people, and the more people you meet, and the more activities you do, the less likely you are to be homesick.

6. Have a late class? Stayed late at the library? Be safe. Check out your school’s website for security programs or head over to your student union office to find out what they can do for you.

7. Balance is the key. There is so much going on all the time that you can easily lose track of time — so allocate it efficiently. Make sure you have time for your studies, yourself, and time to go out and have fun.

8. Enjoy it all. There are going to be some really great times, some really bad times, and some in the middle, but all of these experiences are necessary for you to get accustomed to this new life. So stay positive.

And here are the tips for parents:

1. Your continued support through any changes (dress, interests, level of academic success, etc.) will be an important part of your student’s success.

2. Don’t be surprised if there is an initial drop in grades or concern about workload.

3. Send pictures and news items from your hometown paper.

4. Don’t make surprise, unannounced visits.

5. Expect the frequency of communication to lessen with time, it means they’ve made a successful transition. If there is a sudden drop-off in contact, however, calmly and tactfully inquire to see if things are OK.

6. Write even if they don’t write back.

7. Ask questions, but not too many. Express interest without seeming like you’re interfering. Remember, this is a transition into independence. Students may take excessive parental interest to mean that you don’t trust them as they are gaining a sense of autonomy.

8. Anticipate more bad news than good news, at least at first.

9. Students are under a lot of pressure and stress, with a fair measure of insecurity. So when those first phone calls come, do not respond by saying, “But these are the best years of your life.”

10. Assess how street-smart your son or daughter is. Discuss safety issues with them and encourage them to find out about campus safety and security, travelling around campus at night and emergency procedures.

Ryerson student charged with academic misconduct files $10 million class action suit

Sigh. It is hard to get through a week without reading about a university student somewhere suing their university. Some cases are unabashed, and ridiculous, in the sense of entitlement demonstrated by the suing student. The University of Winnipeg was once brought to court by a student who was angling for an A in one class, over the B+ he was actually assigned. Other cases demonstrate clear misconduct on the part of the university. In Sept 2008, Laurentian University was found liable after it was concluded to have mislead students over whether they could transfer their Laurentian courses elsewhere.

The case of Chris Avenir, who has filed a $10 million class action lawsuit against Ryerson University over an academic misconduct hearing he faced in 2008, on first blush appears to fall into the category of just another self-entitled student looking to escape accountability for his own actions. And yet it raises important questions of a university’s academic misconduct policies.

Avenir gained international attention in March 2008 after he faced expulsion for administering a Facebook study group the previous semester. The Facebook group invited students to provide answers: “If you request to join, please use the forms to discuss/post solutions to the chemistry assignments. Please input your solutions if they are not already posted.” A professor who had mandated that course work be done individually noticed the group and changed Avenir’s grade to an F on the assignment. Ryerson’s academic misconduct policy very clearly states that “working collaboratively on an assignment, and then submitting it as if it was created solely by you,” is prohibited. In other words, work that is to be done independently, must actually be done independently.

Avenir, who was then a first-year engineering student, was forced to face a faculty appeal panel, which could recommend his expulsion. The panel ultimately gave him a slap on the wrist, and ruled only that he should receive a grade of zero for the assignment in question, which was worth only 10 per cent of his mark for the class. He might have left it at that, comforted in the fact that he didn’t get a zero for the entire class, or that he wasn’t recommended for expulsion. Lesson learned.

Instead, Avenir is alleging that the faculty appeal process caused “significant emotional and/or mental stress,” and has filed a Statement of Claim on behalf of all students who have gone through a similar appeal process in recent years.

The point of contention appears to be, according to the Toronto Star, is that at the panel Avenir was not permitted to be represented by a lawyer. At Ryerson, preliminary hearings, like this one, only allow a representative from the student union to be present. While the panel can recommend more serious sanctions, like expulsion, such cases must be heard by the university’s senate, in which case, a lawyer may be present.

As the Star reports, “The statement of claim suggests Ryerson violated a policy that states all hearings will be consistent with the Statutory Powers Procedure Act, which guarantees a person the right to be represented by a lawyer.”

Whether Ryerson will be found to be in contravention of its own policy will be decided by the courts, but it is not exactly an easy question. A student union executive told the Star that a representative from the union might actually be better suited, at least for preliminary hearings, than outside legal representation. Then again, other universities, like the University of Toronto, allow students to be represented by legal counsel through the entire hearing process.

As for the question of “emotional distress,” any law students or lawyers reading, your insights in the comments would be helpful. But it seems to me that having to go in front of an academic misconduct committee, charged with cheating, is likely to be “emotionally stressful” whether a lawyer is present or not. Reviewing Ryerson’s academic misconduct policy is probably a good idea, but I can’t help but think that filing a class action lawsuit is excessive.

Academic life gets complicated when tolerance and freedom clash.

Ryerson University released its sweeping report into racism on campus, yesterday, and the full text of the report was just made available on its web site today. Looking over its  recommendations, one sees numerous suggestions that will, if implemented, surely make Ryerson a better place. Still, in the areas where the report deals with the issues of warming the “chilly climate” at the University, especially when it comes to teaching, I suspect many readers will be struck by just how vexing the intellectual problems are.

Related: Ryerson racism probe seeks to coddle students

These questions are not unique to Ryerson, of course. I arrived at the University of Western Ontario as an undergraduate when the furor was raging over psychologist Phillipe Rushton and his research on racial differences; my view then was the same as it is now, that Rushton’s work should be judged by his peers in the field of psychology, not by protesters or politicians. Not too long after that, a scathing report came out at Western about the “chilly climate” for women on campus, which sparked wide-spread debate. Here at my own university, I was once shocked when student advocates told members of my school that we should never use racist language, even if it meant avoiding teaching classics of literature like Huckleberry Finn. We didn’t have the skills, we were told, to deal with the complexities of the issue.

I have been to Ryerson, by the way, though I did not spend enough time there to know it intimately, so I freely admit that I cannot speak to the specific conditions there. But I do find the larger questions intriguing, and would like to venture a few more thoughts occasioned by the new report.

Consider, for example, recommendation 6C, which calls for a stronger anti-discrimination policy at the school, and for every course outline to include a statement to the effect that all individuals are to be treated “with respect and dignity.” So far, so good. I include such a statement in my own syllabi, though my university does not require it. But note carefully what follows:

Federal government kicks in $20 million to develop Maple Leaf Gardens

Ryerson’s Rams are finally getting a new arena just a few blocks from campus, as the federal government kicks in $20 million to revamp Maple Leaf Gardens. The historic arena was purchased by grocer Loblaw Companies Ltd. in 2004 but has remained largely unused for various operational reasons. The arena will reopen in 2011.

The Gardens will be home to a grocery store on the first floor, with an athletic facility occupying the second. The top floor will largely be dedicated to a hockey arena, the same size as the original, and with the capacity to host 5,000 fans. Volleyball and basketball will also be played on the third floor, the Globe and Mail reported.

Earlier this year, Ryerson students voted to pay an extra $126 per year in athletic fees for new facilities that will help fund Ryerson’s portion of the deal, also $20 million. The remaining third of the $60 million project will be raised through donations. A $5 million donation has already come from Loblaw’s Weston family.

Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, Transport and Infrastructure Minister John Baird, Ryerson president Sheldon Levy and Loblaws chairman Galen Weston all made the announcement jointly.

Maple Leaf Gardens opened in 1931, hosting its first Maple Leaf game on Nov. 12 that year, when the Maple Leafs lost 2-1 to the Chicago Blackhawks. Loblaws has said it will maintain the existing facades of the arena, as well as existing rooflines “with the majority of development taking place within the building’s interior.”

This story has been updated

With files from the Canadian Press

Personal data of 588 students, including social insurance numbers, exposed online

Ryerson University has disclosed a privacy breach which resulted in the personal data of 588 students being exposed.

The university, in a news release this morning, says the breach has been corrected and they do not believe any harm will come to the affected students. The breach resulted in the exposure of personal data including, in many cases, social insurance numbers.

Last year, Carleton and Memorial also had breaches that exposed private data.

Daphne Cockwell School of Nursing named after mother of major donor

Ryerson University renamed its nursing school Wednesday after, appropriately, a nurse. The newly-dubbed Daphne Cockwell School of Nursing — the largest nursing school in Canada — takes its name from the mother of a major donor.

The Daphne Cockwell School of Nursing honours the mother of Jack Cockwell, a major donor to the university and member of the Board of Governors. Jack Cockwell and family have donated $11.5 million to Ryerson over the years, including a recent gift of $5 million directed to the School of Nursing.

Trained in South Africa during the 1930s, Daphne Cockwell served as a nurse as her first career and later worked as a volunteer with returning veterans from World War II. Today, she is 93 years of age and enjoying retirement.

“We are particularly proud that this is Canada’s first School of Nursing to be named after a nurse,” said Kileen Tucker Scott, director of the school.

“I am proud that [Ryerson's] school of nursing now bears my mother’s name,” said Jack Cockwell. “The school’s students, faculty, staff and alumni are outstanding health-care professionals who share her pride in compassionate care of the highest standard.”

The announcement comes a day after the Univeristy of Toronto received $14 million towards it’s renamed John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture.

Media Advisory – George Smitherman to announce new investments for local universities TORONTO, April 10 /CNW/ – George Smitherman, MPP for Toronto Centre, will make an important announcement regarding new support for local universities. He will be joined by Dr. Sheldon Levy, President of Ryerson University. << Date: Friday, April 11th, 2008 Time: 10:30 a.m. [...]

Media Advisory – George Smitherman to announce new investments for local universities

    TORONTO, April 10 /CNW/ - George Smitherman, MPP for Toronto Centre, will
make an important announcement regarding new support for local universities.
He will be joined by Dr. Sheldon Levy, President of Ryerson University.

    <<
    Date:        Friday, April 11th, 2008
    Time:        10:30 a.m.
    Location:    Student Information and Advising Centre
                 Ryerson University
                 Jorgenson Hall, Pod 144
                 Victoria (Victoria & Gerrard)

Ryerson and U of T bought full-page advertisements after province funded separate projects

Ryerson University and the University of Toronto are under fire from the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations after placing advertisements thanking the Ontario government for recent funding announcements.

Ryerson placed advertisements in the National Post, The Globe and Mail, and Toronto Star a month ago following the announcement of $45 million in provincial funding for the university’s new Student Learning Centre.

University of Toronto purchased full-page advertisements in Tuesday’s The Globe and Mail and Toronto Star following the announcement of $15 million for the revitalization of the John P. Robarts Research Library.

“At a time when universities are critically short of resources, we have two stark examples of poor use of scarce public money,” said Brian E. Brown, president of the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations. “To spend upwards of $80,000 on full page colour advertisements to thank the government for funding, as was done by both the University of Toronto and Ryerson University, indicates poor judgement.”

The universities both defend their decisions to purchase the ads. “As a public institution, we have to open ourselves to the community,” said Robert Steiner, assistant vice-president (strategic communications) of University of Toronto. “We placed the advertisement to make sure the city of Toronto, the province and the country can consider Robarts [Library] their own.”

“We wanted to say thank you in a very big way and to express our thanks for the transformative funding,” said Janet Mowat, Manager, Public Affairs at Ryerson University.

“It is not the university’s job to advertise on behalf of government. There are much better and less expensive ways university administrators can thank government and it certainly should not be done with public funds,” Brown said.

Both Mowat and Steiner said the money for the advertisements came from funds already designated for promotional advertising directed to the community and not from public funds.

Steiner contested the cost stated by OCUFA for the advertisement. “Their number is way out of the ballpark. They are exponentially above the real cost,” says Steiner. “We negotiated a much lower rate for the advertisement.” Due to a confidentially clause in the contract, Steiner says he cannot disclose the discounted cost.

Both University of Toronto and Ryerson have embarked on ambitious plans to better integrate themselves in the community and have been advertising events on campus in major Toronto newspapers.

I bought a banana, but I also bought a butter tart. See how that works?

The Hub strikes a nice balance between offering students what they should be eating, and what they want to be eating. For instance, I bought a banana. I smacked down my 89 cents, and wham-o, that banana was mine. But I also bought a butter tart. See how that works?

Aptly named, located as it is in the core of the downtown campus, right across from the boulder-spiked skating rink and George’s hot dog cart, the Hub’s food court is sun-challenged but sparked up with cheery signage, clean lines and a smooth flow. It houses the usual suspects: Manchu Wok, Pizza Pizza, Extreme Pita, but also newbies like Pan Geos—a mamma-mia twist on Made in Japan where you choose “Italian pasta” or “Asian noodles,” then have them tossed to order with your choice of sauce, veg and protein for $5.99.

Montague’s Deli rolls out generous wraps like our veggie on whole wheat with hummus, cheddar, and your standard sub and wrap toppings ($5.19—not cheap). Pre-fab sushi at World’s Fare looks inedible. Our slice from Pizza Pizza tastes two hours old. There’s a big lineup at the coffee spot.

The Grille Works is a real boon, with six-ounce all-beef patties grilled to order. I’m not sure how they handle this à-la-minute flame- broiling during peak hours, because I wait a good while until my cheeseburger($4.59—not cheap)is ready. But it’s worth it all the same (a good burger always is). Nice char, cooked through but still juicy, fresh toppings and an appealing foil wrapper. The fries ($1.79) are that idiotic battered variety, the type with the sticky, salty veneer. (What is that?)

There’s a cereal bar area at the court’s core, and fresh fruit, too. Another wall boasts a dozen varieties of herbal teas, and just about every outlet offers healthier mains at a fair price—should the students decide to choose them.

Bonus: they sell chocolate bars. And every (non-alcoholic) beverage known to man.

— Amy Rosen