At the semi-annual general meeting on Nov. 11, the Ryerson Students’ Union passed a series of new motions.
Motion D will have the RSU lobby the university to ban all unexpected quizzes in courses, while Motion E aims to put an end to all 8 a.m. classes at Ryerson. If Motion E is successful, the earliest start time for classes will be 10 a.m.
As a commuter from Mississauga, it’s a long trek to school each day for first-year creative industries student Elaina Pawelka. Pawelka agrees with the RSU’s new motion to eliminate all 8 a.m. classes.
“I think that actually being functional in class and having a later start , like nine or 10 a.m., would benefit students. They’d retain more information,” she said.
While Pawelka is no fan of early mornings, she has mixed feelings about pop quizzes. She believes that they can be a good thing because they mean that students need to constantly be prepared.
Fourth-year civil engineering student Angie Perez thinks that 8 a.m. classes are necessary for Ryerson engineering students, who already have classes during the fall reading week to accommodate their demanding course load. She wonders if engineers would have an extra week of school starting earlier than the rest of the university in September if the motion is approved and implemented by the university.
“We had about 32 to 34 hours of classes a week in first year, and now it’s 27 hours in fourth year,” she said.
Third-year computer engineering student Sina Golabian explains that he feels “on top of his game” when he arrives at school for his 8 a.m. classes. He would rather have an early start than a longer day. But he mentions his frustration with graded pop quizzes.
“You don’t know, that’s why it’s called a pop quiz! If the profs are marking your final grade based on a pop quiz, then it’s not a good idea.”
Fatima Syed graduated from the Ryerson School of Journalism in 2015.
She has a passion for fashion and lifestyle writing and social media. You can follow her at @FatimaSyed91 on Twitter.