GOULD STREET

Ryerson University served as host and gold sponsor of the event. Students from Ryerson’s Faculty of Engineering and Architectural Science mentored three high-school teams during the first circuit of competitions, two of which competed at the March event.

The Ryerson event also included an appearance by the Afghan Girls Robotics Team (also known as the Afghan Dreamers), who were denied entrance to the United States for a FIRST competition last year, to international uproar. —Will Sloan

ACADEMICS

Legal steps

Ryerson has taken another big step towards launching a law school.

In February, the Law Society of Ontario—the provincial regulator of lawyers and paralegals—formally accepted the recommendation of its Professional Development and Competence Committee that Ryerson’s proposed common law degree program fulfills the national requirement.

In 2017, the law school proposal received approval from the Ontario Universities Council on Quality Assurance (OUCQA) and the Federation of Law Societies of Canada (FLSC), which co-ordinates the country’s 14 provincial and territorial law societies.

The approval process now turns to Ryerson’s internal community. This spring, both the Ryerson Senate and Board of Governors will vote on developing the law school and a Faculty of Law. Subject to that approval, Ryerson will welcome its first class of law students in 2020.

Ryerson law students will receive a leading-edge, future-focused education examining contemporary issues such as technology, equity, diversity and inclusion, and access to justice. Mandatory courses will be taught in subjects ranging from Indigenous law to social innovation to business. Students will also complete professional placements.

INDIGENOUS PEOPLES

Building a foundation for reconciliation

With the goal of fostering reconciliation and of making Ryerson University a leader in Indigenous education, Ryerson has responded to the Calls to Action of the 2015 Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC).

Check out free career services for alumni within five years of graduation at the Ryerson Career Centre.

Denise O’Neil Green (vice-president, equity and community inclusion) and Elder Joanne Dallaire presented a response to the TRC, developed through comprehensive community consultation and shared at a ceremony on January 26. Titled “Truth and Reconciliation at Ryerson University: Building a New Foundation for Generations to Come,” the report aims to address the harm caused by residential schools and foster the conditions for reconciliation. It builds on Ryerson’s ongoing commitment to a campus environment that embraces and supports Indigenous learners, faculty and staff.