20 Ways the SLC was Built With You in Mind

At the Student Learning Centre, students come first. Here is a list of twenty things that were incorporated into the SLC with Ryerson's students in mind. by Danielle Howson, SLC Storyteller for RU Student Life.

1. Floor names

Every floor was designed to suit a different type of study need. Thankfully, each floor was given a clever name and coinciding theme to make them easier to remember! It’s broken down as follows:

Floor 1: Valley

Floor 2: Bridge

Floor 3: Bluff

Floor 4: Garden

Floor 5: Sun

Floor 6: Beach

Floor 7: Forest

Floor 8: Sky

Which floor do you call home?

2. Whiteboards

Clifton Li

Remember always wanting to write on the wall as a kid? Now you can! There are handy whiteboards located throughout the SLC and in every study room.

3. Charging stations

Ryerson is known for being a commuter school, and we all know the struggles our commuter friends face. One of these struggles being how easy it is to forget a charger at home. Luckily, the SLC is equipped with charging stations for all your charging needs. They are located on floors 4-8 near the vending machines and can charge any type of device.

4. Light sensitive blinds

The SLC was built with the students’ voices in mind when they wanted a more brightly lit study area. However, having twenty-five foot tall floor-to-ceiling windows can bring in a little too much light at certain times of day. To solve this, the blinds are rigged to sensors that can detect when to block out sunlight and can adjust as the day goes on. Yay, now the only light that’ll blind your eyes is your computer screen, not the sun!

5. Pizza box recycling

With nowhere to throw out your box after some study session pizza, the SLC installed recycling containers specifically designed to fit those annoying leftover containers.

6. Views

The SLC was built with #Views that Drake would be proud of.

7. Therapy dogs

We’re all too familiar with the stress that comes along with a university education, but what you might not be aware of is that the SLC hosts sessions with their therapy dogs every Wednesday from 12-1pm. Just head to the Sandbox (the new Launch Zone!) on the third floor to get your cuddle on!

8. Tours

Mark Blinch

Did you know the SLC offers tours? General tours of the building are given weekdays at noon. Click here to sign up!

9. Vending machines

The SLC polled students when trying to figure out which study snack they liked best. They received mixed feedback which resulted in some… unusual vending machine treats. Most floors carry cold beverages and snacks, but if you head to floors 6 and 8 you’ll find coffee machines that are perfect for early morning/late night studying. Forgot a pen? No worries! On floors 2, 5, and 7 you can find something to fulfill all your stationery needs.

10. Quiet floor

Need absolute silence to ace your classes? Welcome to the 7th floor, where there's a specifically designated silent space, and the rest of the floor is for quiet study.

11. Sanitation stations

The sanitation stations is a new initiative by the SLC introducing cleaning wipes to take care of your space. It’s simple: just like at the gym; wipe down your workspace after use!

12. Sun all year round

Clifton Li

As you now know, each floor was designed with a different nature theme in mind. The sixth floor being the Beach, it is only appropriate that it has a sun. The lights on the sixth floor were designed in a circular pattern to imitate the sun’s rays. This way, us Canadians (and those visiting us) can enjoy the sun at the beach all year round!

13. Access to the rest of campus

Mark Blinch

Ryerson isn’t a large campus, but who really wants to walk any further than ten feet in the winter time? Luckily, the SLC has those of us who hate the cold covered. Via the first floor, students have access to most of the campus down Gould Street; stretching all the way from the library to the RCC.

14. Beanbag chairs

The sixth floor offers a variety of seating for any of your comfort needs. Fun fact: the beanbag chairs were made from recycled boat sails!

15. Motivational messages in the staircases

When the elevators are congested, take the stairs if you can. Those motivational drawings aren’t there just for decoration, you know. They’re there to encourage you to take an alternate route when there just isn’t enough room in the elevators. Who needs leg day when you can walk up five flights of stairs?

16. Adjustable desks

Standing desks are so in right now. Not only that, but desks with adjustable heights provide easier access to students who may have a need for them. You can find these adjustable study carrels on the 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 8th floors. Look for the white desks with the operating bar attached to their fronts!

17. Book a room to suit your needs

Throughout the SLC, you can find a total of 61 Collaborative & Group Work Rooms designed to suit your needs. All come equipped with different technology for different usage. You can even use a VGA or HDMI cable to connect to an LCD TV! For spaces for more than 8 people, book a room on the fifth floor or check out a seminar room. With the click of a mouse, you can book a CGWR here.

18. Hand dryer volume

We’re all too familiar with the low rumble of the hand dryers that echos from the bathrooms. And it is loud. But did you know that 7th floor’s hand dryers’ volume was lowered to not interfere so much with quiet study? The SLC really made sure they had a hand in fixing that problem… get it?

19. Sandbox by DMZ

The evolution of the SLC continues with the launch of its new learning playground, Sandbox by DMZ: a one-stop shop for community members and students to embrace their entrepreneurial intuition, explore ideas, and grow their skill sets. (Fitting with the nature theme the SLC’s got going, right?) The space is dedicated to empowering students with the creative, digital, and entrepreneurial skills needed to meet today’s market demands. Intrigued? Definitely stop by and check it out!

20. Digital Media Experience (DME)

Clifton Li

I bet you’ve always wondered what exactly goes on in that studio space on the 3rd floor of the SLC? Well, located there, right beside Sandbox, is the Digital Media Experience Lab. The DME is a resource to make digital media tools available to all Ryerson students. The space has some pretty cool tech too like 3D printers and scanners, plus other items that can be rented.