Toronto Metropolitan University's Independent Student Newspaper Since 1967

Stories We Broke

No one is covering Ryerson campus like we are. Here are some stories we broke that you couldn’t get elsewhere:

STORIES THAT HELD RYERSON ACCOUNTABLE

Behold, the infamous quinoa burger (pictured here in all its non-vegan glory). PHOTO: IZABELLA BALCERZAK
Photo: Izabella Balcerzak
  • EXCLUSIVE: CONFIRMED BED BUGS IN THE VICTORIA BUILDING
    Ryerson said the Vic building had been “investigated multiple times,” with negative results. Five exterminators confirmed to us otherwise. National outlets such as Global News and CTV News followed our story.
  • STUDENTS CONDEMN FIRING OF BLACK FORMER STAFF MEMBER
    Carol Sutherland, a former staff member of Ryerson’s Equity and Community Inclusion office, was fired while on medical leave in early 2019. The Continuing Education Students’ Association of Ryerson penned a letter—signed by nearly 50 faculty members—condemning her termination. Sutherland was the founder of the Ryerson Black Faculty and Staff Community Network. 
  • THIS RICH TO RIDE: THE COST OF STUDYING ABROAD
    In this long-form feature (see video coverage here) on the inaccessibility of exchange, David Begg, a manager at Ryerson International, told us exchange is made up of “the preserve of the middle and upper classes.” Some weeks later, the Faculty of Communication and Design announced a $100,000 scholarship for school exchanges and excursions.
  • RYERSON FILM PROGRAM MISHANDLES AND MISREPRESENTS RACIALIZED NARRATIVES, STUDENTS SAY
    “I had always intended for that script to have a Filipina actress in it, be directed by a Filipina, hopefully, me,” said Robyn Matuto, a then-third year student who wrote a script about her relationship with her mother. Matuto then found out that her script ended up in the hands of a lower-year production class to produce.
  • VEGAN QUINOA BURGER AT THE RAM ISN’T ACTUALLY VEGAN
    Ryerson’s campus pub told us the quinoa patty and buns are vegan. Ace Bakery, their distributor, told us they don’t produce vegan buns.

STORIES THAT HELD THE RYERSON STUDENTS’ UNION ACCOUNTABLE

Illustration: Annie Arnone
  • BOARD MEMBER SAYS RSU SPENT $250K ON CREDIT CARDS, ANOTHER RESIGNS
    Some then-Ryerson Students’ Union (RSU) executives on said they had to “borrow” the union’s credit cards after firing their general manager. We investigated and found out that over $250k was spent on booze, club food, clothing and more, under the names of the RSU president and vice-president operations. CP24, VICE, the CBC, the Toronto Star and others followed our story.
  • MISUSE & MISTRUST: THE RSU SCANDAL’S EFFECT ON SASSL
    After the RSU used Sexual Assault Survivor Support Line (SASSL) funds to purchase frosh merchandise and sponsor an engineering conference—all the support line had no full-time coordinator—The Eyeopener spoke to a former coordinator about the student body’s lost trust.
  • WHO IS THE MYSTERY STUDENT WHO GAVE RSU EXECUTIVES AN $11,000 RAISE?
    In 2018, a motion was put forward to raise the RSU execs’ salaries by $11,000. The motion was presented via email by a mystery student named Tajinder Kaur. None of the RSU execs or board members said they knew who Kaur was. The motion passed, and at the same time, purchases were being made at LCBO and a Casino Rama restaurant with RSU credit cards.   
  • $80K IN 6 FEST REFUNDS TRANSFERRED INTO PERSONAL ACCOUNTS
    After the highly anticipated concert (with promised headliners like Big Sean and French Montana) was delayed until Thanksgiving, more than 1,800 students asked for refunds. The Eye obtained documents that indicated $80K, meant for refunds, were transferred into personal and business bank accounts of RSU and non-RSU employees.

STORIES THAT CAUGHT CANADA’S ATTENTION

Students pose with one of the dildos the RSU received in the mail.
Students pose with one of the dildos the RSU received in the mail. (Photo: Camila Kukulski)

STORIES THAT ONLY THE EYE WOULD EVER REPORT

Eggy is done. PREMILA D'SA | EYERSONIAN
Photo illustration: Premila D’Sa
  • UNMASKING RYERSON CONFESSIONS
    The now-inactive Ryerson Confessions Facebook page was an anonymously-run space where Ryerson students unveiled their deepest and darkest secrets, with 7,300 pages likes. From hitting on people to reporting rape, an Eye editor wrote about its content and its administrator.
  • UPDATE: ORGANS FOUND ON CAMPUS BELIEVED TO BE FROM COW
    An arts student’s photography assignment in 2015 led to the Chang school being taped off and a police investigation when a custodian found what appeared to be a cow heart and other organs in a campus trash can. 
  • ANTI-CHOICE ACTIVISTS ARE PAID TO PROTEST ON CAMPUS AND IN THE GTA UNTIL 2030
    Eye reporters discovered that the same anti-choice protesters who hold up graphic images of what appear to be dead fetuses were being paid to be there. “We’ll be here for years. We’re in this for the long haul,” the president of Toronto Against Abortion told us.
  • PLANTER INSTALLATION PUSHES HOMELESS MAN OUT
    Jason, a man who has used a spot in front of the Victoria Street Tim Hortons as a shelter for more than 10 years (says a city rep), was told to vacate after he was reported to Toronto police as an “unwanted guest.” Planters were then installed in the location, and to this day are still there. Apparently, they were put there to “help” him.

SPECIAL ISSUES WE BROUGHT YOU

Photo: Ruhama Dechassa