Rye to help navigate incoming students around Gould Street construction

By Valerie Dittrich and Madi Wong

As construction on Gould Street continues throughout orientation week, incoming students can navigate campus with the help of student volunteers.

Ryerson’s Campus Core Revitalization is a partnered project between the City of Toronto and the university to make campus completely vehicle-free, create more outdoor spaces and ensure better infrastructure for the safety of students and community members.

In March of this year, Toronto city councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam committed $7 million to Ryerson for the revitilization.

The construction officially began on March 27 and is expected to be completed by late 2019. Jule Mycan, the campus revitalization project manager, said that the project will promote a pedestrian-friendly space and increase accessibility by levelling the roadway with the sidewalk.

“Campuses aren’t only inside, they’re outside too,” Mycan told The Eye back in March. “This [project] is going to allow us to have more opportunities we don’t have the space or the proper infrastructure for.”

The university has created a program where student volunteers will assist incoming students find their way around campus during construction.

“Campuses aren’t only inside, they’re outside too.”
Jule Mycan

According to Ryerson’s Facilities and Management Development team, the program for Orientation Week is called “Ryerson to the Core.” The program will offer incoming students an opportunity to meet up with volunteers who will walk them to campus from a subway station and help them navigate Ryerson during O-Week from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Student volunteers will be positioned at four major TTC stops: Union, Yonge and Bloor, Dundas and College stations, as well as four main campus intersections: Dundas and Victoria streets, Yonge and Gould streets, Gerrard Street East and Nelson Mandela Walkway, and Church and Gould streets.

Volunteers will also hold whiteboard maps across campus to lead students around the construction. Students will be able to draw their route out on the map, take a photo, and navigate from there.