Ryerson University in downtown Toronto has agreed to change its name following pressure to drop the moniker that has ties to Canada’s residential school system.
The university’s Board of Governors accepted a series of 22 recommendations from an Indigenous student-led task force on Thursday, which included re-naming the institution.
The school was named after Egerton Ryerson, who played a pivotal role in developing residential schools where many Indigenous children were abused and robbed of their culture.
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The school put together its Standing Strong Task Force, which surveyed 11,000 university community members for input on the name. In the end, the task force came up with report that recommended changing the name, increasing support for Indigenous and Black students, and creating more opportunities to learn about Indigenous history and colonialism in Canada.
“I encourage all of our community members to read the report to learn more about where we have come from, where we are now, and how this report and its recommendations will guide us into a more inclusive future,” university president Mohamed Lachemi said in a statement.
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The decision comes after public outcry earlier this year, where students and faculty began referring to the school as “University X” and protestors on campus painted a statue of Ryerson red and then toppled it.
The school has not yet decided what its new name will be, or set a timeframe for when the renaming will take place.
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