A case for better space
Krysia Glassier, a fourth-year interior design student, wants to help President Sheldon Levy carry out his master plan for the university, which includes improving Ryerson's campus.
She wants to put her skills and textbook knowledge to use by contributing to the improvement of lounge and study spaces at Ryerson.
"Ryerson has a cold, sort of institutional feel," Glassier said. "Right now, it's impersonal. We just feel like it's not our space. Even in the little nooks and niches, you can't make it your own. It's not a home, so students feel like it's a transition state more than a comfort zone."
This is the kind of feedback Levy is looking for. He's planning to hold a forum in order to gather students' recommendations about this issue.
"I'm absolutely willing to take students' suggestions," he said. "I will do my best to encourage student participation.
"Until people actually sit down and talk to the students and present their findings and what they're hearing, then all we're doing is sort of guessing."
Heat, ventilation, air conditioning, furniture and equipment are some of the factors Levy should keep in mind when it comes to planning any redesigns on campus, Glassier suggested.
Sarah Turnbull, president of the interior design student council, said making Ryerson more comfortable is an important endeavour and a simple one.
"All it takes is a little bit of thinking, but if people are willing to do it, students will be a lot happier with their space," she said.
Suggestions from her student council include using bright, funky colours in rooms to establish a youthful feel, making space for moveable furniture and softening interiors and exteriors with plants.
Women in Computer Science President Aida Takakkolie also wants to see more green on campus.
"Nobody wants to look at harsh concrete and stone walls all the time, not to mention we could all use a little bit more clean oxygen," said Takakkolie.
"Contact with nature is believed to reduce the stress of urban living, and this could lead to healthier and more productive studying.
"The inside spaces in the majority of the Ryerson buildings are dark, cold or just gloomy looking," she wrote in an e-mail to the Eyeopener.
This may be why some commuter students head straight for the subway station after class. But Levy wants to know how he can get these students to stay on campus longer. He wants Ryerson to be a place where commuters and non-commuters can study and socialize.
While he is looking forward to implementing changes on campus, Levy said he doesn't want to jump into anything.
"On the one hand, we want to do it quickly," he said. "But on the other hand, we want to get moving on the right path." He estimated things should be underway by January or February of 2006.
"Ryerson is said to be a mainly undergraduate institution for commuter students," Derek Ng, vice-president internal affairs for the Ryerson Electrical and Computer Engineering Student Society wrote in an e-mail to the Eyeopener. "But with diminishing lounge and study space, life has only become harder for its commuter students. A few microwaves, couches, desks and chairs would make all the difference in the world."
Mark Boffo, a first-year radio and television arts student and a commuter, agrees.
"Sitting in a more comfortable environment around campus would definitely encourage me to stay on school grounds longer," said Boffo, who commutes from Thornhill.
"I find myself wanting to go home as soon as possible after classes and when I'm on my breaks, I choose not to sit in the seating areas that exist because they're tacky, scattered and impersonal," he said.
Ng also has complaints about the shortage of comfortable corners and hang-out nooks in Ryerson's buildings.
"There is not a single undergrad study lounge in the George Vari Engineering and Computing Centre," wrote Ng.
"In the building, there is a beautiful two-storey room we call the atrium. It looks like a student lounge, but it's not. It's a very large, expensive room, laden with backlit corporate decals that nobody ever uses."
Levy said he would pay particular attention to transforming existing spaces that are being used inefficiently into useful and convenient places for students to study.
Commuter and first-year Image Arts student Danielle Yamashita just wants to be able to sit around in a more friendly and personal atmosphere.
"I'm very impressed by President Levy," she said. "It's good to hear that someone actually cares about the student community and us commuters."
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