10. “Meet the Rams’ first anthem singer” – March 2014 by Victor Ferreira
Kicking off the list is a story about Ryerson’s first live national anthem singer at the Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC), Andrea Bartlett. Before Bartlett, a third-year human resource management student, the Rams opened games with an audio recording of an instrumental version of the anthem. Bartlett’s first performance for the Rams was at the MAC’s opening ceremony on Aug. 13, 2012. Since then, players and fans have enjoyed live performances from individual singers, as well as elementary school groups.
- “Reporting on the Ryerson Students’ Union” – November 2013 by Mohammed Omar
Mohamed Omar’s in-depth look into the Ryerson Students’ Union (RSU) and its sometimes questionable processes, executives and finances, was a popular story among Ryersonian readers. Omar shed light on several issues he had come across through his four years of reporting on the RSU, in hopes of holding them accountable for their actions and decisions. You can read Omar’s full report that covers everything from how the RSU handles its operating budget, to the lack of real opposition in its elections, by clicking the link below.
Early on in the year, a profile on varsity hockey player and new father, Steve Taylor, seemingly touched the hearts of Ryerson University students. The story of how Taylor and his fiancée’s lives were forever changed with the birth of their son, Bennett, and how the young dad balances busy school, training and parenting schedules, generated just over 1,000 views through the Ryersonian website. To read the heartwarming story, click on the family picture below.
- “LIVE: Mayoral debate: Who will shape Toronto’s future?” – March 2014 by Bethany Van Lingen
Rob Ford visiting Ryerson was bound to generate some buzz around campus. Sure enough, when Ford, David Soknacki, Karen Stintz and John Tory took part in the mayoral debate at the George Vari Engineering Centre, people were interested. Relive everything that happened at the debate from start to finish through the Ryersonian’s live blog:
- “Ryerson Rams men’s hockey team suspended for drinking on Princeton trip” – November 2013 by Dan Berlin
The men’s hockey team’s on-ice success early on in the season was quickly overshadowed by their actions off the ice. The team violated Ryerson’s student-athlete code of conduct while on a road trip to Princeton, N.J. Players received a seven-game suspension, while head coach Graham Wise received a four-game suspension and assistant coach Lawrence Smith was fired from the team. To read the story about the hockey team’s suspension, click on the link below.
- “RSU vote on Israel sends meeting into chaos” – April 2014 by Jacqueline Hunter
The Ryerson Students’ Union annual general meeting, held in early April, ended on a somewhat angry note this year. When the RSU voted in favour of joining the Palestinian boycott, divestment and sanctions movement, several students expressed their anger through yelling and swearing. The movement hoped to shun companies and corporations that do business with Israel, as they believe these companies indirectly fund Israeli war crimes, occupation and oppression. Many students looked to the Ryersonian for details on the meeting’s events, making this story, by Jackie Hunter, one of the top viewed stories on the Ryersonian website.
- “The student behind @RyersonProblem” – April 2014 by Astoria Luzzi
Students are often looking for a way to make their voices heard, and that’s exactly what Olivia Baratta was looking to offer the student population with the @RyersonProblem Twitter account. This story, about Baratta’s successful run with the account and her plan to pass it on to another student upon her graduation, grabbed readers’ attention just a few months ago, and joins the list at number four of the top Ryersonian stories from the last year. Read more about Baratta’s hopes for the account here:
Ryerson was ranked last among Canadian countries included in the International QS survey. The story generated over 3,000 views on the Ryersonian website probably related to its SEO-friendly headline among university candidates.
- “Goodbye yellow brick road” – October 2013 by Kim Brown
When the Ryersonian revealed that Ryerson University would be spending $170,000 to repaint Gould and Victoria Streets, students were not happy. Of course, it didn’t help that the school had already spent $25,000 on painting these streets blue and yellow, and that the paint had begun to chip and fade shortly after it was applied. Students were quick to criticize the university’s decision and apparent lack of attention to priorities.
- “Men’s Group going ahead on campus” – October, 2013 by Jacqueline Hunter
The Ryerson Students’ Union had previously denied the formation of the group, so, the group decided to seek help from the Canadian Association for Equality (CAFE), instead. This story generated the most page views on the Ryersonian website during the year, coming in at nearly 4,000. It also shed light on the alleged labelling of men’s issues groups as “hate groups.”
Kalia was the lineup editor at the Ryersonian. She is pursuing a career in sports broadcasting.
Kalia graduated from the Ryerson School of Journalism in 2015.