We centre students in all we do

Equity is the basis of how we create our programs and how we seek social change and we know that many of you are coming to Toronto Metropolitan University to create change in your own lives and communities. Ryerson Student Affairs continues to be here to help you with that. 

To Ryerson’s Black students, we stand in solidarity with you. We are listening. Over the past several weeks we have been paying attention to what you’re sharing and to the urgency in your calls. We have been in deep conversation in our leadership teams, with our staff, and with our student staff teams - all of us have been considering how aspects of our work contribute to anti-Black racism at Toronto Metropolitan University. We know there is work to do. We know that it is imperative that we explicitly name and dedicate our intention to centre you and your success in all we do. We commit to doing the work. 

We’ve been taking this time to reflect, to listen, to consult with students, staff, colleagues, and off-campus partners. Here’s what we want you to know.

We want to work with you. We are listening. We invite you to fill in the following form available at https://forms.gle/uZFX5a7qQdFq1Y556 (external link)  so that we can better look at our programs, our support services, and our intentions with the goal of effectively supporting Black students while creating powerful, equitable spaces for learning, community engagement, and professional growth.

Ryerson Student Affairs is a diverse group of educators uniquely poised to: support you one-on-one and in community in any of our service areas with a holistic approach; empower and facilitate student groups and initiatives that have big ideas about making our campus better, safer, stronger, and more equitable; and take what you tell us about your needs and advocate for them to be heard and represented at some of our university’s most important decision making tables. 

Here we share our intentions with you and invite all students to contribute to these actions. These are just some of the ways we’re here to do this work with you. Our commitments include: 

Supporting Black students with groups and community events, for example:

• We are hosting weekly Brave Space Discussions for Black Students, Wednesdays 5PM-7PM online.  (google form) Black students may register here (external link)  to attend these talking circles centred around Black experiences across a range of topics including but not limited to police brutality, anti-Black racism, and discrimination.
• We will continue We Heal Together: A Monthly Support Group for Black identified Ryerson students looking for alternative community healing methods. This is a closed space for Black identified folks that will continue in online formats. Students can find out how to access the link on Consent Comes First’s Instagram page at instagram.com/consentcomesfirst (external link) 
• With Ryerson Reads, all students can join us to read a selection of biographies, novels, articles, and resources to build your anti-racist toolkits, with facilitated discussions about anti-Black racism in Canada. Join us! We will release more information on ConnectRU once the group begins or you can sign up for Consent Comes First’s "We Believe You - Self-Care Newsletter" for more information as it becomes available at: https://tinyletter.com/webelieveyou (external link) 

Addressing racism and racial and identity inequity: In our career and co-op programming, we are using our access to a wide network of employers across industries to create opportunities to discuss, learn and adopt best practice in creating equitable places of work and specifically support Black talent.

Advocating for equity; specifically, by examining our individual power and privilege: We are creating learning forums for our staff to deepen our understanding of anti-Black racism, to amplify the voices of Black staff, and to heighten our ability to be better, active allies, and to deliver the support Black students require.

Challenging oppressive systems: In our continued efforts to build a community that represents the Ryerson student body, we commit to finding ways to address the systemic barriers that limit Black students’ access to living in our residence buildings; to have representation on our staff teams who support students so you feel safe(r) disclosing or sharing your stories with us; to holistic, decolonized methods of assessment so that we can better understand how our programs serve students and also to understand, interrogate, and adjust the impact of those evaluation methods.

We know you are already doing this deep, meaningful, and challenging work yourselves and we are here to support you in making the difference you want to make at Ryerson.