By Hania Ahmed
Despite its $25,000 price tag, Ryerson’s brightly painted intersection is not here to stay.
Part of a $5.8 million campus makeover project approved in 2008, the painting of Gould and Victoria streets is only one of many beautifications coming to campus.
A total of 75 banners have been installed at various intersections at Ryerson.
“The pedestrian area surface was painted last month as a temporary measure to improve the look of the space after the road surface was torn up and poorly patched over the summer,” says Janet Hercz, executive director at the office of the Vice President Administration and Finance.
The bridge between Kerr Hall East and the Rogers Communication Centre has also been covered with the Ryerson University emblem and its eight supporting poles now embrace the school colours. Future changes include aesthetic renovations to student lounges and classrooms.
Some students have taken to Soapbox, Ryerson’s platform for sharing student ideas, to express frsutration.
A comment reads: “An entire street painted in mostly eye-gouging wizard-of-Oz yellow is highly embarrassing to all ryerson students.” While some of the changes go unnoticed and others, like the yellow brick road, are widely criticized, some students are glad for the makeover.
“You get the sense you’re on campus because of the bright colours,” says Greg Hanna, secondyear journalism student.
The makeover is only one part of what officials are calling the “master plan”, which hopes to create a pedestrian-friendly space on campus with more buildings to house students and research.
Funding doesn’t come from the student pocket, but is instead part of the university’s operating budget.
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