The wait for a state-of-the-art athletics facility at U of T’s Mississauga campus is now over. A recent vote has approved the construction of the Wellness Centre. The centre is expected to open by September of 2006, and is estimated to cost in the neighbourhood of $24 million.
“This is something that has been needed at UTM for a long time” said Mike Foderick, a student representative on U of T’s Governing Council. “It will go a long way in increasing athletics at Erindale.”
Ken Duncliffe, director of athletics at UTM, shed some light on the upcoming building project. “Initially we determined that we needed three things: an athletics complex, a field house and an artificial outdoor rink. Now we are going ahead with the first phase of that project. That includes a 1,000 seat stadium, a new fitness facility, a 200m indoor track suspended above the floor, an eight lane swimming pool with a moveable bottom floor and all the auxiliary things that go with those things.”
In April of this year a report was released by the U of T at Mississauga Wellness Centre Project Committee, stating the schedule, building plan, and a detailed funding formula for the new facility. It concluded that $24.5 million would have to be gathered from four sources: $16 million will be raised through a UTM student levy, $7 million would come from the Office of the Vice-President and Provost, $1 million will come from the university and the last half million is expected to come from fundraising.
Bruce Kidd, dean of athletics at the St. George Campus, said that it is out of necessity that students must help fund facilities. “The province of Ontario no longer contributes to the capital cost of co-curricular facilities. Under those circumstances, I think it is fair to ask students for a contribution, and I applaud the UTM student reps for making a decision, in admittedly difficult circumstances, that will leave an invaluable legacy for future students.”
“We are now collecting $25 from full time students until the building opens” explained Duncliffe. “This will be replaced by a $150 levy when it opens in 2006. We are hoping to break ground next year.”
In order for a student levy or an increase to athletic fees to take effect, they must be approved by the Quality of Student Services Committee (QSSC) at UTM and the Governing Council-the highest governing body at U of T. The QSSC gives six votes to UTM student organizations and two votes to administrative positions.
“The levy at UTM was approved by the QSSC, generating a $16 million dollar mortgage” said Ken Duncliffe. “We engaged representatives from all student organizations on campus, which led to a full town hall meeting on the issue. At that time, we took it to the QSSC.”
The proposal then went to the University Affairs Board and the Governing Council for ratification.
“One vote was the difference in the Governing Council vote” said Foderick. “Some of us on the council felt that it should have gone to a [student] referendum and should not have been decided by a small clique.”
The majority of votes on the Governing Council belong to faculty and university administration members.
“There isn’t a student majority on the council,” Foderick said. “I abstained from voting on the issue. The new facility is well needed, but I can’t stand idly by while student fees increase. I felt an increase this big to fees should go to a referendum.”
Bruce Kidd defended the process, suggesting that there was enough of a student voice heard in the QSSC. He said that QSSC had a right to create the proposal for the centre and that a referendum was not needed. “I believe it was quite okay for the QSS to approve the levy. In the first place, it is empowered by UTM policy to make such decisions. In the second, all major parties have a place at the table, especially the student council and the student athletic council. This process is fully legitimate, unless one rejects the idea of representative democracy.”
Foderick disagreed on the legitimacy of the QSSC decision. “All universities have to consult with students somehow, and the QSS was U of T’s response to this need. This group raises student fees 2 per cent automatically every year, to fund all student life types of things, without having to go to a referendum. However, this was never intended to fund buildings.”
“There were two instances where a referendum has been discussed, including the first time the issue went to the QSS in the Spring of 2002,” explained Duncliffe. “At that time, the leaders of the day chose not to have a referendum, and the same decision was reached when the proposal came up most recently at the latest QSS meeting.”
He went on to say that “the reaction to the raise in fees has been mixed, yes, but everyone agrees we need facilities here. Student funding is the only way we are going to achieve new facilities on campus, with government funding not being available.”
