The results are in for the Ryerson Communication and Design Society’s (RCDS) Board of Directors (BoD).
Over 4,000 students took part in voting for a specific candidate, electing a new set of representatives for the 2017-2018 school year.
Braelyn Guppy was elected as president of RCDS, while William Fraser is the new vice-president of administration and operations, and Fiona Kenney is vice-president of events.
When asked why she chose to run for president, Guppy explains how important the RCDS is to her and the entire FCAD community.
“The RCDS is designed and built to benefit the needs of FCAD students,” says Guppy. “It provides funding opportunities so that students can create their own projects. It is about creative collaboration amongst students from all nine FCAD schools and building a network of support.”
Guppy has been a part of RCDS since her second year at Ryerson as the school director for professional communication, and is currently on the honourary board. She is very excited about being elected as president for the upcoming year.
“This year, one of my biggest goals is to make the RCDS more accessible and more approachable. I am so grateful to everyone who helped and voted – I hope to repay that support next year through the work of the RCDS!”
Fraser says that the election process was a positive experience for him in comparison to other elections he has been a part of in the past. He has seen how the RCDS has developed over the years, and wants to keep that momentum going.
“The RCDS is something I got involved with in my first days here – starting from frosh, I have attended RCDS events,” says Fraser. “I ran for vice-president of administration and operations because going into my last year, I wanted to get to really help shape the society and help it grow.”
Like Fraser, Kenney has relied on support from the RCDS since her early days at Ryerson. As vice-president of events, her goal is to be there for guidance through funding, marketing and planning events for Ryerson students, course unions and student groups.
“We were so lucky this election season,” says Kenney. “Every single candidate would have been incredible in their desired position, and every candidate has demonstrated passion for the RCDS and for FCAD students. […] The RCDS is so important to FCAD students. Each of the nine schools is the best at what they do, and when we collaborate, we can do incredible things!”