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FCAD referendum approved by Board of Governors

By Kyle Edwards 

The Ryerson Communication and Design Society (RCDS) got what it wished for Monday when its referendum request was suc- cessfully approved during the 2013-2014 school year’s first Board of Governors meeting. The board unanimously approved the possible foundation of a student- led society for the Faculty of Communication and Design (FCAD).

“We want to take things to a higher level by refusing to accept them as they are,” said Cormac McGee during the RCDS proposal. McGee, a third-year journalism student, was alongside new media’s Karina Nicole, who both spoke on behalf of the RCDS during the evening.

Ryan McKenna, a third-year journalism student and one of the lead organizers for the RCDS, has confirmed that the referendum will be held in the next few weeks, most likely in the first week of November.

“This is the big stretch now for us. We’re going to be doing a lot of work in terms of marketing and really pushing our group online,” said McKenna.

The RCDS aims to bring students from all FCAD programs together, share ideas and collaborate with one another. Funding however, would come through tuition, as it does with other student-led societies at Ryerson Uni- versity.

“We want to help FCAD students get professional opportuni- ties and link them with professionals in their field,” said McKenna.

“[But] we really need to get people aware first,” he added.

In a survey of 1,000 FCAD students done earlier this year by the RCDS, 95 per cent of students said they were in favor of an FCAD society. As well, 75 per cent of students also said they would support funding the society through tuition.

Funds would be distributed towards funding resources for FCAD students such as awards and bursaries, conferences and competitions, orientation-week events geared specifically towards FCAD students and professional events. In turn, these resources and opportunities build the repu- tation of the faculty and its stu- dents.

In response to the challenge of getting the rest of the FCAD students on board, McGee said the RCDS will be “talking one on one with students, to make them aware of how it can benefit them.”

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