The referendum on student levies for the Pan Am sports facility takes place March 17-19.
An upcoming referendum will decide if UTSC students are to help pay for a new athletics complex. The $170-million project was confirmed after Toronto was chosen last November to host the 2015 Pan Am Games. The referendum will run from March 17-19.
If passed, the levy would amount to $40 per semester for full-time students and $8 for part-timers. The fee will increase by four per cent each year until 2014, when the facilities are scheduled to open. Fees will then increase to $140 per semester for full-time students and $28 for part-time students.
The proposal has students contributing $30 million over a 25-year period, or 18 per cent of the total cost. The Pan Am venue will be located along Military Trail and Morningside Avenue as part of an expansion project that runs to $750 million.
“The history of UTSC is, in many ways, a story of […] students having the generosity and vision to leave their successors a better place just as their predecessors did for them” said Tom Nowers, dean of student affairs at UTSC. Nowers said he was confident the levy would pass.
Amir Bashir, interim president of the Scarborough Campus Students’ Union, did not respond to requests for comment. SCSU has just concluded an impeachment referendum on Zuhair Syed and has begun elections campaigns.
The new sports complex will include fitness and training facilities, two 50-metre competition pools, and a multi-sport field house.
According to UTSC’s website, alumni will have access to the facilities through an alumni membership, and students’ contributions between 2010 and 2014 can be credited toward this future membership.
Comments
Students will be paying 80% of the University's contribution towards the new facility. And these are the construction costs! It is not known how much students will pay for the operating costs once it opens. It is so important that students vote 'NO' for the proposed levy. The Pan Am Games are coming. The University and government both want this facility. It will be built anyway even if students vote against it but the costs won't be on the backs of students. Students voting today won't be paying as much as future students. Don't leave a legacy of debt!
Feb 8, 2010 at 01:38 PM
vote yes blog post:
http://thestar.blogs.com/interns/2010/03/better-sporting-facilities-for-increased-student-athlete-doping-suspicion--by-thandiwe-vela--the-canadian-inter-university-s.html
Mar 16, 2010 at 11:50 AM
Where did you even get your information, Katie?
"Of approximately $170 million in total costs (all 2008 dollars), students are being asked to contribute 18% or $30 million over a period of 25 years."
If UTSC students vote no, the facilities will be built in Markham.
http://www.scsu.ca/yes/qanda.html
Mar 16, 2010 at 03:39 PM
Katie said students are paying 80% of the university's contribution, which is true. The University Administration is contributing 7.5 million from it's operating budget, while students will end up paying 30 million from the levy. So, Katie is right that 80% of the money from the university community is coming from students.
Maybe they should be a levy on the salaries of professors and admin staff at UTSC, since, the same rationale applies that they'll benefit from the facilities, no?
Mar 17, 2010 at 04:58 PM
Post a Comment