Next steps for student government
Strong, independent student government is important to Ryerson University.
In February 2020, full-time undergraduate and all graduate students will begin to determine the structure of their representative government.
Strong, independent student government is important to Ryerson University. We believe that students deserve a student government that demonstrates a commitment to:
- public financial accountability;
- democratic and transparent governance;
- sound human resource management; and
- timely and transparent communication with students and the university.
In March 2020, Ryerson University's full-time undergraduate and all graduate students will have the opportunity to vote for the structure of their representative government.
To facilitate this process, the university will appoint an external Chief Process Officer (CPO). The CPO will have complete independence in establishing and administering the rules of the selection process and will also determine the eligibility of all groups who present themselves as candidates.
The CPO will be assisted in their work by a Student Government Process Selection Committee that will be comprised of a Process Manager, three to five student committee members, and a recent graduate. Some key responsibilities for this committee will be to provide support to the CPO in establishing and administering the process and rules of the vote, determining the eligibility of all groups that present themselves as candidates, explaining the voting procedure, and providing the resources required to conduct the election.
Detailed roles and responsibilities of both the CPO, Process Manager, and Process Selection Committee will be made available in advance of the process starting.
We encourage full-time undergraduate and all graduate students to give thought to how their representative body could be structured.
Once the new student government structure has been selected by students, general student elections will follow. The university will then negotiate a new agreement with the elected student government, rooted in the principles identified above.
The university will provide more details on this process shortly. We remain firmly committed to working in good faith with a student government that demonstrates a commitment to financial accountability, transparency, and good governance.
For questions regarding the termination of the agreement with the RSU and continuation of services, please refer to the Frequently Asked Questions section in the January 24, 2020 public statement. The university will continue to update the FAQ as details continue to evolve, we encourage students to visit that page.
Jen McMillen
Vice-Provost, Students