As a
student of Ryerson, I can tell you about everything. Located in the middle of
downtown Toronto, it is bordered by
Yonge St.,
Gerrard St.,
Gould St. and
Church St. (West, North, South and East, respectively).
Ryerson: In the Beginning...
It all started in 1948, when, after World War Two, all the veterans needed a place to learn so they could have jobs that didn't involve the killing of others. It was founded as the Ryerson Institute of Technology and served the needs of the technical students who attended it. The big plan was to have all students learn and work at the same time, thus giving them the advantage over workers from different universities, like University of Toronto.
In the middle...
In 1964, they changed the name to Ryerson Polytechnical Institute, the way it stayed until the 1990s. In the 1970s, Ryerson was allowed to grant degrees, which made them unique in Ontario. They were unique in that they weren't an official university, since they hadn't been given that title, but they weren't a college either, because they could grant degrees. All along, they kept up their idea of applied learning, which attracted many students into their programs.
Of late...
In the 1990s, Ryerson finally recieved university status. It was about time too, as the institute granted degrees for all but 3 of its programs. 1993 brought the name change to Ryerson Polytechnic University and 2001 brought another name change to Ryerson University.
About the programs..
Ryerson has 40 programs, undergraduate and graduate, each with its own applied spin on the learning process. Some of the more unique ones include Graphic Communications Management, Early Childhood Education and Radio and Television (my program). As well, a full school of engineering sciences exists on the campus.
The campus..
There are two major buildings and many smaller ones that make up the campus at Ryerson. They are:
Jorgensen Hall
Kerr Hall
If you're looking for a prof in any of the electives and some of the smaller programs, the J-Hall tower is the place to go. Kerr Hall is the building that surrounds the quad, is three floors and is fairly large for a building in the middle of Toronto that isn't a skyscraper. Both J-Hall and Kerr Hall are bordered by Gerrard and Gould on the North and South respectively.
Stuff around the campus
The campus pub in Oakham House is pretty nice, with good food and reasonable prices. Around the outside of the campus is a Dominion grocery store, a 2-4-1 Pizza (Update Feb1/04: the 241 is gone! *sob*), a Pizza Pizza and any number of bars and restaurants, as well as the Eaton Center, just down Yonge street. The Dundas St. subway station is about a two minute walk away.
Misc.
It was said in another write up that the girls around the campus are cute. All I can say is that it's true.
There are about 14000 students at Ryerson.
Everything2 People who Attend:
Me! (Radio and Television Arts Graduate - 2006)
Kerawall (3rd year, Journalism)