By Dominique Blain
Editor-in-Chief
Blah… blah blah blah… blah. And… Blah.
Don’t know about you, but lately, that’s about the best I can produce — and the most I can understand.
The year just flew by, as they say. But as it flew, it spat avian flu, and next thing you knew — you were rhyming. The fly-by 2005-6 academic year at Ryerson has been paradoxically exciting and head-bangingly boring.
On the one hand, we had you, the students, producing excellent work on- and off-campus, and eager to have others partake in it. We had a fabulous professor be commended for his fabulousness; we had a new president go to a lot more events than the last one. On the other hand, though, we had way too many convoluted, boring student-union imbroglios.
Sure, they weren’t necessarily boring if you knew what was going on. But mostly, it was a continual loop of student politicians exercising their abilities to command the art of “politics for them and themselves” in the face of their constituents (that’s you). The board story on Page 3 provides yet another example of how to play the game at Ryerson — and win.
Congratulations, Disingenuity, you sly bugger. You have managed to get into every facet of student political life at Ryerson. I’m trying really hard to not get my knickers in a knot. After all, Trotskier-than-thou is now the theme in Ryerson student politics and you know what: My term is almost over. But I do hope that students demand more of their union next year — and I hope the union listens.
I hope it cares enough to make more students care about them. The next executives will have to start actually reaching out to different students. They’ve acted all year on the behalf of, and for, the same group of 400 students over and over again. I hope they remember you, next year. I hope they hear you when you say you enjoyed Dirty Bingo, even if they judge it inappropriate for you.
I hope they realize you want your union to allow you to party together, not just protest together. I hope they realize that when you criticize them, you’re not being personal; you’re trying to create a better Ryerson for the students. Because the current tendency to destroy anyone who stands in their way is rather unbecoming.
Most importantly, I hope they lay off their “If you’re not with us, you’re against us” attitude. It is divisive, dangerous, unfortunate, and uncalled for in a university setting. If you don’t allow people you disagree with into the discussion, you’re not having a discussion. You’re merely hosting a pack of sycophantic groupies who will never learn anything because they were never exposed to contrary opinions. On a completely separate note, as I sign off, I commend you, students.
I commend you for your unnatural knack at finding time to get drunk off your gourd hours after moaning, “I’m going to die, there’s no way I’m ever going to finish all of this, please let it all end” as you typed away feverishly at your third overdue essay.
I hear you, and I commend you. Yay, summer. And thank you all for giving us a little of your time. We appreciate it..
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