Ryerson’s Board of Governors is holding elections for seven of its 24 member positions next week, including three student positions.
Forget the student union, along with the Senate, the Board of Governors is the highest governing authority for the university. It’s responsible for the governance of the university, its property, revenue and all of its business and affairs. It sets strategy, manages risk and manages the university’s finances, according to the university’s website.
The student positions are one-year terms, and eight students have tossed their names in the ring.
David Kwok, Ganesh Thavarajah and Jessica Machado comprise the UR Choice slate.
UR Vision’s team is represented by Hannah Van Dyk, Cormac McGee and Michael Zelma.
Two independent candidates round out the eight who are running: Dwayne Anderson and Mikhail Morozov.
Students can vote online at my.ryerson.ca from March 2-5.
The Board of Governors is comprised of 24 members according to Ryerson’s website. Elections for four positions for faculty and administrative members are running alongside student elections.
The remaining Board of Governors members include Ryerson’s president, chancellor, and vice-chancellor, as well as appointed external members and nine members appointed by the government of Ontario.
Here are the students running:
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Hannah Van Dyk
Program and year: Fourth-year arts and contemporary studies
Party: UR Vision
What qualifies you for Board of Governors: I've worked for residence, orientation, student life programs, the Project Funding Allocation Committee, the AskMeRU desk, and the Mattamy Athletic Centre.
Three goals once elected:
1. Convert underutilized space on campus into student nap rooms.
2. Develop a program for discounted hotel rates for commuter students during exam period.
3. Increase resources and support for counselling services. -
Ganesh Thavarajah
Program and Year: Third-year double major in business management and marketing and entrepreneurship
Party: UR Choice
What qualifies you for Board of Governors: I’ve worked with various groups on campus including Ryerson Residence, Ryerson Students’ Union and the Ryerson Commerce Society. Currently, I am the founder and president of Ryerson’s newest student group, the Ryerson Commerce and Arts Association (RCAA). I also take part in international projects such as the Ryerson International Experiential Learning and Enactus Ryerson’s Project Dago.
Three goals once elected:
1. Enhance open communication, school spirit and student engagement opportunities.
2. Prioritize student accessibility and safety across campus.
3. Support initiatives that cultivate inclusivity and visible diversity. -
Cormac McGee
Program and year: Fourth-year journalism
Party: UR Vision
What qualifies you for Board of Governors: From being a Tri-Mentoring mentor and serving as the vice-president marketing for Ryerson Toastmasters, to leading the successful referendum for the Ryerson Communication and Design Society and now working as the organization’s VP Corporate Relations, I was elected vice-president education this year with the successful campaign of Transform during the Ryerson Students’ Union (RSU).
Three goals once elected:
1. Next year we’d like to ensure all student lounges are comfortably furnished, because we deserve a comfortable place to relax.
2. We’d also like to create a central database that shows when each classroom around Ryerson is free so all students can always find a place to study.
3. UR Vision is also committed to redesigning the Ryerson app as a one-stop shop for all your needs: from course enrollment and purchasing textbooks, to finding food around campus. -
Dwayne Anderson
Program and year: Studying post-baccalaureate and completing second Chang School Certificate.
What qualifies you for Board of Governors: I have an advanced business education and have had a career working in natural resources. I call Toronto home and have studied at Ryerson for six years.
Three goals once elected:
1. Motion to equalize representation and ensure/enhance diversity of input from all major campus constituencies, specifically increasing the Board of Governor seats by one student seat from the Continuing Education/Part Time/Distance Education student pool, to not have to compete with full-time or grad students in Board of Governors student elections, to have ours and all students’ interests fully represented.
2. Ensure that base operating priorities are aligned for current and future student needs — with new modalities supported, modernizing learning to what the student needs (including new stronger collaborations and co-operations being fostered between complementary campus educational and service operators for more comprehensive delivery of services, support, and results).
3. Uphold the full and holistic student’s mind, body, and spirit experience as a full service and support institution for current students, alumni, and next students. This incorporates the continual best ideas of sustainability, accessibility, and the ongoing surpassing of quality and specialized/personalized final output/result. -
David Kwok
Program and year: Fourth-year business management
Party: UR Choice
What qualifies you for Board of Governors: Currently, I am the president of SAGE Canada, where we focus on helping high school students run full time businesses that will help them save towards their future education. I have also been on various other student groups such as RU a Changemaker, JDCC Ryerson, Ryerson Sports and Business Association,TEDxRyersonU and Enactus Ryerson. I’ve also sat on the Ryerson Ashoka U Steering Committee and the Entrepreneurship and Strategy Department Chair Search Committee as a student representative to act as the voice of our student body to create a better undergraduate and alumni relationship. I’ve also been a member of the Design and Fabrication Zone and worked at Ryerson’s Research and Innovation Office to assist with programs such as Summer Company and Magnet. I currently work at the Digital Media Zone at Ryerson University.
Three goals once elected:
1. Further improve the relationship between undergraduates and alumni to create better employment opportunities for recent graduates.
2. Lobby to convert under-utilized space into study space.
3. Increase transparency and accessibility to help create a better undergraduate experience here at Ryerson. -
Michael Zelma
Program and year: Fourth-year business management
Party: UR Vision
What qualifies you for Board of Governors: I've been a street team ambassador, accounts payable administrator, and vice-president finance of both the Ryerson Commerce Society and the Ted Rogers Management Conference, all within three years. I've participated in various case competitions such as the Brock University Accounting Case Competition I have also worked for the Ontario government and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) in their corporate accounting department.
Three goals once elected:
1. look into increasing awareness and funding for Zone Learning programs and the Zones themselves.
2. Look into an online textbook purchasing and pick up platform to ease backup in the bookstores early on in each semester.
3. Use the connections I would make to look into RAMSS capacity issues during course enrolment time that causes such havoc. -
Jessica Machado
Program and Year: Fourth-year biology
Party: UR Choice
What qualifies you for Board of Governors: My student involvement ranges from the Ryerson Student Emergency Response Team (RyeSERT) from Training Director to currently Deputy Director, President of Ryerson’s Water Environment Association of Ontario Chapter (RU-WEAO), Director of RU a Changemaker, RySciMatch Logistics, Operations Crew for Orientation Week, a Faculty of Science Representative on PFACS, and a saber fencer on the Varsity Fencing Team. Through RU-WEAO, I was able to co-author an article on leadership and team dynamics in Influents. I'm currently working with a non-profit organization in developing a mentorship program at an elementary school in Regent Park to assess and improve science literacy. I've been a part of a design start-up that’s currently incubated in the Launch Zone and SocialVentures Zone which uses physical space as an agent for change. A few weeks ago I also worked with cross-campus stakeholders, including RU a Changemaker, Enactus, SoJo, and the SocialVentures Zone to launch the Social Innovation Summit. I'm currently a political advisor to the Deputy Leader of the Green Party of Ontario to represent youth engagement practices in the STEM industry in the province.
Three goals once elected:
1. Assess cross-disciplinary opportunities for students and create a network for students to engage in experiential learning and projects (including opportunities to collaborate and work in social advocacy, sustainable practices, ethical engagement, research, and zone learning.)
2. Work with students, staff, and faculty to initiate a sustainable management framework for the University. This ranges from waste management and divestment to energy efficiency, and prioritizing accessibility across campus.
3. Engage students in the decision-making processes to ensure transparency and communication between the decisions made on Board of Governors and the impact on student life in the long-term. -
Mikhail Morozov
Program and year: First year Urban and Regional Planning
What qualifies you for Board of Governors: Previously, I have obtained a bachelor degree in Linguistics and Intercultural Communication which helps me to build strong and long-lasting relations with people coming from different backgrounds, views and beliefs. In addition, I have experience of being engaged in the municipal affairs as a representative of community groups. This experience will be valuable for me in representing Ryerson students.
Three goals once elected:
1. broader student engagement in the decision making,
2. inclusion of all social groups,
3. cultural diversity and equity.