By Michael Traikos
After almost a year distributing free papers, The Eyeopener has discovered that The Toronto Star has no right to be on Ryerson’s campus.
Last week, fourth-year nursing student Paul Kaups, delivered a Ryerson policy and procedure document to The Eyeopener that explicitly states “external publications, newspapers and communications of an external nature are not permitted on campus.”
But Ryerson administration argues that the policy and procedure document is outdated and doesn’t apply to the relationship the university has with The Star.
“It’s obviously crying for an update,” said Ian Marlatt, university advancement. The policy and procedure document was last updated in May, 1992. It also states that commercial advertisements are not permitted.
“I think it certainly needs to be revised,” he said. “It’s something that I’d like to clarify right away.”
Linda Grayson, v.p. Administration and student affairs, however doesn’t see the need to change the document in light of the confusing language.
“We don’t dance to the drummer of yank my chain and I’ll go that way,” she said.
The document states that in order for an external publication to be distributed on campus, it must be sponsored by Ryerson groups and approved by an advisory group made up of RyeSAC, CESAR and the director of Student Services.
Both RyeSAC and CESAR vehemently object to the free distribution of The Star on campus.
But Linda Grayson said that the out-dated document only applies to publications that students bring on campus. The Star, which was approved by Ryerson administration, does not fall under the policy and procedure document, she said.
“It was never to do with outside publications,” Grayson said, adding Ryerson staff is too understaffed and overworked to bother revising the document.
“It was set up for the specific purpose of dealing with student-brought publications,” she said. “Nobody contemplated those things (when the document was drawn up.)”
Currently, Ryerson has not revised the document, because Marlatt wants input from groups around campus. He said the confusion of the document is not a problem, because Ryerson can approve a revised document without needing any approval from campus groups.
“It’s an administrative policy that doesn’t need any input,” he said. “It doesn’t have to have the support of RyeSAC or CESAR, but we want it. We want opinion on it.”
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