RSU demands Ryerson change name, remove statue of namesake

Ryerson Students’ Union have made 11 demands of Ryerson University leaders, including changing the school’s name and removing a campus statue of Egerton Ryerson in light of the namesake’s impact on residential schools. “I think it is just necessary for Ryerson to acknowledge the history from within its name and the history with having a statue up like that that represents an individual who had an active role in creating residential schools,” said RSU incoming president Susanne Nyaga. Metro News reports that the RSU board members were not involved in or aware of the list, and that the demands have drawn backlash from students online. “There was a whole page acknowledging [Egerton Ryerson’s] involvement in the residential school system in my graduation program in 2014 so I don’t think saying that Ryerson fails to talk about this is accurate,” wrote one alumni. Globe and Mail | Metro News