Career Centre canned

Centre loses funding from granting agency

By Rob Granatstein

Ryerson’s Career Centre will be shut down in December unless a new source of funding is found.

The Career Centre helps students find work in Canada and abroad, and offers employment counselling, a resource library and access to the Canada Employment Centre’s job bank.

“The grant the Career Centre operates on ends in December,” said Linda Grayson, Ryerson’s v-p administration. Without the Counselling Foundation of Canada’s grant, Ryerson is looking for any money that could be transferred from other parts of the school’s budget to pay the centre’s annual $200,000 cost, said Grayson.

If no adequate funding is found, students may be asked to cover the cost of the centre.

“Administration’s solution seems to be to hold a referendum,” said RyeSAC president Paul Cheevers.

Students will be asked if they are willing to pay up to $300 to retain Student Services, which includes the Career Centre.

Students Services also encompasses the Access Centre, Athletics and Recreation, Financial Aid and Awards, the Health Centre, Housing Services, International Students Services, and the Centre for Student Development and Counselling.

“I’d certainly hate to be the only university in Canada without a career centre, especially as a polytechnic university,” said Nancy Trefiak, the centre’s manager.

Last summer Ryerson student Lucas Cooney found a job at the Royal Canadian Yacht Club (RCYC) through Ryerson’s Career Centre.

“(The Centre) is a great place to find a job for a student,” said Cooney, who still works at the RCYC. “It has everything you need to get a job.”

Cheevers said students should prioritize which services they want more most.

“Maybe we should cut other (student) services and not the Career Centre,” he said.

Cheevers and Grayson say all discussions on the Career Centre’s fate are in the early stages, and both are doubtful a solution will be reached soon.