Support for students and community members affected by the Ukraine crisis

The School of Journalism is deeply concerned by the escalating crisis and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Many of you have families, friends and extended networks in Ukraine. We acknowledge this is a distressing time for you as you follow the news and events that are unfolding across the country, as the attack on Ukraine continues.

We offer our support to all students affected and encourage you to reach out individually to faculty if you feel comfortable.  If you need accommodations for work in your classrooms, please also reach out to your instructors and staff members for support. 

The crisis in Ukraine is not new. Some of you have been following the escalation for some time, even years. For those of our students hoping to engage themselves with a better understanding of the unfolding situation, the Guardian (external link) ’s main page is devoted to coverage of the crisis and includes news, analysis and backgrounders. You can also check out The Kyiv Independent (external link) , which has an English-language publication out of the capital. Globe and Mail correspondent Mark MacKinnon is currently reporting on the ground (external link)  and is also updating his Twitter feed (external link)  regularly. 

School of Journalism instructor Marta Iwanek has curated  (google doc) this extensive resource guide (external link) , to help better understand Russia’s war against Ukraine. She refers to it as “a hybrid war,” as disinformation has been a critical strategy alongside military attacks. In addition to news sources, the guide contains links for donations and refugee-support resources.

CBC reported last week (external link)  that there is “a flood of misinformation” on social media related to the events in Ukraine. Fact-checking resources are available from organizations such as Bellingcat (external link) , a collective of researchers, analysts and journalists who use open-source investigative tools to verify stories, posts and images, and First Draft News (external link) , a nonprofit effort "to fight mis- and disinformation online" founded in 2015 by nine organizations and brought together by the Google News Lab. This Twitter thread (external link)  from First Draft offers tools and tips related to current news.

The impact of the invasion is being felt across borders and is linked to divergent systemic oppressions experienced by different groups of people. This Associated Press piece (external link)  helps contextualize these connections within the contemporary refugee situation. The Review of Journalism is also planning a panel discussion on media coverage of the crisis and will share details as soon as they are available.

In a statement yesterday, President Mohamed Lachemi said the university is monitoring the situation and working to ensure the safety and security of students, faculty and staff who may be affected by the events unfolding overseas. This includes providing support for those whose scholarly pursuits and research may be negatively impacted by this tragedy. Student Affairs has been in contact with students from Ukraine to offer direct support and access to appropriate resources.

The trauma and grief that these events cause is real. Ryerson’s Centre for Student Development & Counselling offers free confidential counselling services for those in need and all Ryerson students can access 24/7 mobile counselling or crisis support with Keep.meSAFE using the MySSP app (iOS (external link)  and Android (external link) ). 

Please reach out for any more information and if there is any way in which we can support you.