Anyone who goes to Ryerson has gotten “the look” before.
You know the one. Fake smile, wide eyes, head cocked a bit to the right, ceaselessly bobbing.
“Oh, that’s so good for you. I’m so happy you got what you wanted,” they might say after you tell them you go to or just got into Toronto’s “other” university. You might have gotten this look from your middle-aged neighbours, your best friend’s parents or the high school teacher who was your biggest fan.
While they may be happy you’re on your way to obtaining a university degree, it’s rarely genuine. Going to Ryerson has always felt like the dumb elementary school saying: Reach for the moon, if you miss you’ll land among the stars.
That’s cute, but you still missed the moon.
In a recent Toronto Life profile of Ryerson President Sheldon Levy, Levy makes it clear that the most important element to the success of this school is its reputation.
Reputation is what brings in top level talent. The calibre of talent at a university drives its research. Research leads to more money and more money leads to growth.
It’s a continuous cycle that should ultimately launch Ryerson past its big brother school.
In this week’s issue of the Eyeopener, our last one of the year, we take a look at what kind of reputation the school is building. Carys Mills writes about the school’s transformation from a computer campus, Takara Small’s piece analyzes the reputation of Ryerson’s athletics in Toronto’s inner city and Aleysha Haniff looks at whether we’re turning our grad students into guinea pigs. We even take a look at our school through the eyes of a seven-year-old. Let’s hope that when he decides to enroll at Ryerson he won’t deal with the same shit.
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This being our last issue of the year, I’d like to thank our masthead, volunteers and most importantly, our readers for making this year a success. You’ve all made this job the best in the world, second only to Liane’s. Peace out, suckahs.
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