‘We are very close’: Committee to submit shortlist of new names for Ryerson University

Ryerson University is closer to getting a new name.

The Renaming Advisory Committee — tasked with submitting a shortlist of potential names to the university’s president, Mohamed Lachemi —  says it expects to do this by this academic year.

Whatever it will be, don’t expect it to be renamed after another person.

“Names are attached to people, of course, and we’re complicated as people,” said Jennifer Simpson, vice-president academic at Ryerson and committee chair.

Simpson said the decision to omit the names of individuals came after feedback from an online community engagement survey in which more than 30,000 people responded. The institution also worked with a research firm on the renaming process, which suggested the same.

The new title will likely be a place or a concept.

“It’s about finding a way into something that you can identify with, feel good about, and be proud of. Universities are such an important part of people’s lives.”

According to the university, more than 2,200 potential names were submitted. The committee will now pare that list down to fewer than 10.

A general view of the Ryerson University campus in Toronto is seen on Jan. 17, 2019.

“There’s no life hacks when it comes to reconciliation”

Work to rename the institution officially began in August last year. It was one of 22 recommendations put forward by the Standing Strong Task Force — a group enlisted by Lachemi to look into the life and legacy of Egerton Ryerson and his connection to the harmful residential school system.

Ryerson is widely seen as a key architect in the system that separated Indigenous children from their families. In June 2021, on the heels of the discovery of 215 unmarked graves near the site of a former residential school in British Columbia, Ryerson’s statue in Toronto was toppled by protestors.

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But the renaming process itself has received some criticism as well. Last fall, Miranda Black – an Indigenous master’s student – quit the committee. In an op-ed in the student newspaper ‘The Eyeopener,’ she called the committee a “reflection of white supremacy.”

“There’s no life hacks when it comes to reconciliation. It’s not easy,” Black said in an email to CityNews.

“The University has gone about the renaming process in a way but has not upheld reconciliation — they’ve taken an easy approach for them and their funders. As Indigenous students, we proposed ways that they could have incorporated values that they decided to ignore. The new name will be announced, but it hasn’t followed the protocols we proposed as Indigenous students. So essentially, we all feel lousy.”

Much of the student community has chosen the name “X University” to refer to their school in the meantime.

Simpson insists the committee of about 16 members represents several diverse perspectives and has resulted in constructive dialogue.

“In all decisions and processes at Ryerson, we work hard at equity, anti-racism and anti-colonialism. It’s a priority in all that we do,” she said.

The shortlist of names will not be made public. Once the report and list are submitted to the university’s president, a final name will be chosen and submitted to the Board of Governors for approval.

The new name is expected to be revealed by the end of the 2021/2022 academic year.