By Kevin Ritchie
When they’re not wasting time fighting with one another at their meetings, RyeSAC—or Ryerson Students’ Administrative Council as it reads on their letterhead—is the group of elected officials responsible for making sure that the life of every student runs smoothly.
Of the $4,500-plus that you will pay in tuition this year, $88.66 is given to this brood to use at their discretion. Working out of their offices in the dungeon that is Jorgenson Hall’s ground floor, they are responsible for a health and dental plan, a used bookstore, CopyRite, a games room, a community food room, the Ryerson Women’s Centre and RyePRIDE, among other things.
Let’s get to know your student representatives by forcing them to answer inane and often pointless questions:
Cory Wright, President
Salary: $21, 500
Hours per week: 40
“I’m a dancer, I’m a dancer!” chuckles Wright as he re-enacts his favourite scene from Showgirls. The prez saw the film with friends in 1995, but walked out halfway through. “I guess we figured we could go drink and have more fun,” he says.
Despite Wright’s disappointment with the film, this reporter still feels it was an achievement beyond words, thought and God.
Nonetheless, Wright, a social work grad, has many a-drinkin’ story up his sleeve. “One time I had the toilet overflow after a night of drinking.” Wright and his roommate learned the hard way that one toilet isn’t enough for a 70 person keg party. “[My roommate] was plunging the toilet and I was holding the little bobby thing in,” he says. “There was shit all over the floor and both of us were gagging.”
Odelia Bay, VP Education
Salary: $15,500
Hours per week: 32 (Summer: 40)
“Animal crackers are fun!” proclaims Bay from the chic blue futon in RyeSAC’s headquarters. Bay is an advocate of student rights and helped organize the Access 2000 protest last February, which focused on stopping the deregulation of tuition fees by the provincial government. Defending the rights of vegetarians to eat animal crackers is another cause she doesn’t shy away from. “Zoodles are good too,” the fourth-year broadcast journalism student says.
When she’s not eating animal crackers, Zoodles or Israeli life salads made of carrots, orange juice and raisins, Bay hangs with her partner, Noah. “Her’s pretty good,” she says—of his parallel parking abilities.
Bay never forgets the people who make her smile. Case in point: Although she rarely listens to her Milli Vanilli tape, she opted to keep it instead of getting a a refund when the lip-synching scandal broke.
Barbara Lozano, VP Development and Finance
Salary: $15,500
Hours per week: 32 (Summer: 40)
During the O.J. Simpson trial, Lozano’s neighbours became very suspicious. “We own a Bronco,” she says. “They noted that we have the same car as [Orenthal James.]”
But the third-year industrial engineering student was able to curb their suspicions by pointing out that her Bronco was grey, while the Bronco Simpson fled in was white.
Although Lozano couldn’t tell you much about Faye Resnick, she does know a few things about infomercials. Lozano found the perfect solution for her lint-infested shag carpeting on one. The Phantom Fury. “Cleaned the thing right up,” she says. “It’s cool. It’s one of the best vacuums.”
Lozano has also bought the Rocket Chef, Enforma System Fat Trapper pills, The Ab Rocket 5-Minute Ab Machine and the EpilStop professional hair-removal system. “It’s like a cream that’s supposed to work,” she scoffs. “Yeah, whatever.”
Akeem “Prince” Fasasi, VP Administration
Salary: $15,500
Hours per week: 32 (Summer: 40)
“In most movie theatres, the cellphones don’t work, but if it does and my cellphone rings, I talk,” confesses the fourth-year industrial engineering student who has chatted on the phone at movies “on more than one occasion.”
RyeSAC’s prince of charm/administration gets in touch with his feminine side with Barbara Streisand. His CD collection includes Babs’ Greatest Hits… And More and the soundtrack from The Mirror Has Two Faces. “I have the movie too,” he beams.
Babs may help with his femininity, but don’t get him started on figure skating. “It’s not a sport. It’s like dance. It’s just a nice form of entertainment,” he says. “I will watch to entertain myself if I want to, but it’s not like hockey that I’ll actually watch if it’s on TV.”
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