By Madi Wong
While you were off having a hot Ram summer, here are some Rye-related things you missed.
Canadian Federation of Students to take provincial government to court
The Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) and the York Federation of Students filed a legal challenge against the provincial government over the Student Choice Initiative on May 23.
The legal challenge alleges that the provincial government “lacked the authority to implement such a policy and acted with an improper purpose,” according to a press release from the CFS.
“We hope the Ford Government will reverse its so-called Student Choice Initiative and respect students’ unions autonomy to democratically determine how to best serve their students,” said CFS spokesperson Geneviève Charest.
RU-Pass cancelled
Ryerson University announced in July that the RU-Pass program was cancelled and would not be a mandatory ancillary fee for students in the upcoming 2019-20 school year.
In an emailed statement, Jen McMillen, vice-provost students, said that because the university and TTC did not have a signed agreement before Jan. 17, 2019, it could not be executed and made a compulsory fee.
Black Liberation Collective called for the elimination of police on campus
Ryerson’s Black Liberation Collective (BLC) made Facebook and Twitter posts demanding that the Ryerson Students’ Union (RSU) put forth a motion that would eliminate the presence of Toronto police on campus.
“We hope that this isn’t going to be a recycled union of recycled anti-Black politics,” said Josh Lamers, co-founder of the BLC. “That’s why we’re calling it now.”
Future Skills Centre moved to Regent Park
Ryerson moved its office for the Future Skills Centre (FSC) to Regent Park over the summer.
The Eyeopener previously reported that Ryerson President Mohamed Lachemi said the FSC would receive $225 million in federal funding over the next four years and $75 million each year after.
According to Wendy Cukier, founder and director of Ryerson’s Diversity Institute, the FSC is intended to build a network of partners and stakeholders that can offer mentorship and research to help employers’ decisions.
What happened with the RSU executive director?
At the RSU’s Board of Directors (BoD) meeting on June 20, the executives introduced Ren Niles, a mature sociology student at Ryerson, as their new executive director (ED).
The Eyeopener previously reported that RSU president Vanessa Henry had allegedly terminated Niles, according to emails from Aug. 8.
According to Henry in a “backgrounder report” sent to The Eye, the ED’s responsibilities include managing day-to-day functions of staff, following directions from the executive team and is held accountable by the executives.
The RSU confirmed Niles’ termination in a public statement, posted to Facebook on Aug. 13, reporting that the ED was still working for the RSU up until Aug. 13.
The union stated that they have made a “commitment collectively to immediately begin searching for a new Executive Director.”
And that’s what you missed!
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