Faculty of Law’s first cohort fosters strong community from afar
Last week, classes officially started for the inaugural class for Ryerson Law. With the fall semester happening nearly entirely virtually, the faculty and students have made extra efforts to build community and camaraderie. Photo by Alyssa Faoro.
When Ontario universities made the announcement that the fall semester would move ahead almost entirely virtually, many wondered the same thing: what sort of community will students build from afar? This question has been especially pertinent for Ryerson’s Faculty of Law, which welcomed its inaugural class last week. For the administration and faculty, this challenge means thinking a little differently about cultivating a culture they’d like to see for years to come.
“We don’t just want to build a community between us and the students, we want the law students to have a community among themselves,” says Tanya (Toni) De Mello, assistant dean, student programming, development and equity. “What I’ve heard said many times is that you need a group to get you through law school, you can’t do it by just studying by yourself. We want students to form multiple connections and support each other through the program so that they become peers as they enter the world as lawyers.”
Building a community that reflects the school’s vision
Since July, the school has organized over 30 different events - panels, workshops, and meet and greets - to reflect the school’s vision to offer a different kind of legal education. “We’ve had several panels, one was on Black Lives Matter and the social contract with all Black thinkers and activists and moderated by Dean Donna Young; one was about the power of mentorship; one was about access to justice; and another was about different opportunities in legal innovation,” says De Mello.
“We did everything from tell students how to use the Library and how to join a club to having private sessions of 10 students that would meet with me as assistant dean and our administrative staff in a more intimate setting so they could get to know each other. We did ice breakers and virtual scavenger hunts and we hosted a panel with Ryerson alumni who’ve gone to other law schools giving them advice on how to do well in law.
“The idea was to spread the orientation out so they wouldn’t be overwhelmed in those first few weeks or face too much Zoom fatigue, but we still wanted to have many opportunities in the time of COVID-19 for students to get to know us more intimately.”
De Mello emphasizes that, from what she’s observed, students aren’t just participants - they are playing a key role in helping to build the law school. “Not only does the incoming cohort play a great part in the mission to become a different kind of law school, but they came to us because of it. They’re excited and so engaged, they’re not just showing up, they’re asking what they can do to bring the class together. I think, if anything, they’ll hold us responsible for our promise.”
Providing opportunities to connect both virtually and safely in person were a priority for the faculty and the class. Photo by Alyssa Faoro.
Meeting the inaugural class
In fact, one student took the initiative by creating an online introduction to the class. Ridhey Gill (external link) , who completed her undergraduate in law and business at Ryerson, started her website, ridhey.ca (external link) , as a platform to share her journey in becoming a changemaker and to profile just how diverse the inaugural class really is. “I wanted to showcase our cohort and what amazing leaders the legal community can expect come 2023. It was a way to get people excited to keep up with their journeys at Ryerson Law because a lot of them have really incredible stories.”
Ridhey Gill has been using her blog to get to know the inaugural class and to share their journeys publicly.
Gill also feels that being in such a unique position may be bringing the community together, rather than keeping them apart. “Because we’re the first cohort, it makes us that much more tight knit. We’re all in the same boat, we all feel the pressure of making the law school something really great, and instead of being nervous or afraid of that, everyone is so ready and enthusiastic. We want to make this the best possible law school, not just for our cohort, but everyone wants to establish a good foundation with clubs and traditions for future classes to come. That’s very telling of the kind of characteristics that we have and how much we care about creating community and making sure that we’re supporting one another.”
Gill says it’s been incredible to see how much the class has bonded over the last five months. “I think that being so willing to support one another is a really great way to be starting off this inaugural class,” she says. “It makes me feel a lot more confident starting off this journey with these people by my side.”
A new approach to orientation
The extra work of organizing an orientation fit for all during a pandemic hasn’t stopped the orientation leaders. “When you look at our class, we come from all different backgrounds, ages and experiences,” says Kevin Zhou, orientation leader. “That's why I think that one of the driving factors for community growth this year especially is inclusivity. Thinking creatively and collaboratively with our peers, now more than ever, is going to be an indispensable step in creating the kind of community that we want to build.”
The extra challenges posed by the pandemic haven’t stopped the orientation leaders from hosting events to get to know one another. Photo by Alyssa Faoro.
Fostering inclusivity in a time that prohibits big meetups has been no easy feat. “One of the ways we’ve had to adapt is to moderate an online connection while also building in-person connections - within safety guidelines of course,” says Zhou. He and his team organized a distanced-meetup with masks in Trinity Bellwoods park in Toronto that required many considerations. “It meant hosting multiple sessions of in-person activities to limit contact, and concurrently running an online game night with prizes and activities for those who couldn’t make it in person. It takes time but you really have to gauge what everyone is comfortable with and what they’re looking for.” In total, the event drew 60 participants in two groups of 30 together.
The semester ahead
Students can also expect that the same level of vigor that’s been applied to organizing an intensive orientation will be applied to their fall experience. “There will be a lot of opportunity to participate in extracurricular activities both within the facility and the larger community,” says De Mello. “We’ve been overwhelmed by requests from the broader Toronto law community because people see this as a different law school and they want to be engaged with Ryerson, so there will be lots of opportunities for them for mentorship and panels and workshops.”
Gill hopes the new normal sparks curiosity around ways the industry can innovate moving forward. “It’s even more important now for us to be able to learn and experience in a virtual way and I think it’s an experience that we will learn from and integrate into our practices once we graduate. We’ll know how to serve clients online if need be, law doesn’t have to be done from a physical space.”