Students at the University at Scarborough (UTSC) can’t wait to move into their student centre, which had its official groundbreaking on April 2.
UTSC is one of only two campuses across Canada without a designated space for student clubs and activities.
Students at UTSC will be contributing the largest amount of money—through a levy—in the University of Toronto’s 175-year history. The $20 million contribution students will be committing will be raised by having every full-time UTSC student pay $60. Part-time students will shell out $18. The university has committed to matching every dollar with a 50-cent contribution.
The idea for a student centre at UTSC began 38 years ago when the campus was first built. Government funding was lacking, but the concept was there. In 1985, a proposal and a report asked students what would be wanted inside of a student centre. Ten years later, a similar report was completed that incorporated research from the eighties and from 1995 to try to form a committee that would find a way to locate money for the student centre.
“Finally, in 2000, students realized that money wasn’t going to come from anywhere else. They knew then if they were ever going to get a student centre, they would have to pay themselves,” said Dan Bandurka, the UTSC student union president.
A referendum was held in spring 2001 and students voted yes for a student centre. It will cost $14.2 million to build, and students will be paying for 30 years until the $30-million price tag is reached.
“We’re totally in support of the student centre. We’ve been there right from the referendum. Right now, there is such a lack of club space, and study space has been a real issue. It’s been so difficult to promote events and this is definitely a step forward and it will be very effective in getting students to unite,” said UTSC SAC commissioner Parminder Singh.
The Student Centre will be a three-storey, 48,000 square foot facility and will be located at the main entrance of the campus. It will house student lounges, a multi-faith prayer space, meeting rooms and offices to accommodate various student organizations and clubs. Also included is space for the administration’s Student Affairs office, a health and wellness service, a restaurant, a games room, a bookstore, pub, and photocopy shop.
“The centre will be student-built and student operated. Philosophically, it will represent student empowerment at UTSC,” said Bandurka.
The building will be designed by Dunlop Architects Inc., a design firm that has plenty of experience with universities. Its award-winning designs including Federation Hall at the University of Waterloo, The Bell Centre for Creative Communications at Centennial College and the soon to be completed Centre for Applied Biosciences and Biotechnology at UTM.
“The building will be state-of-the-art in leading environmental standards and sustainability, recycled steel from the Royal Ontario Museum will be used, along with natural front lights,” said Bandurka.
A groundbreaking for the student centre was held on April 2 to commemorate the support for the building.
Celebrations ran from noon to 5 p.m. on Military Trail, where the centre is to be built.
“The groundbreaking went very well. The South Asian Alliance, The UTSC step group, Dominicanada and the UTSC concert choir provided the entertainment,” said Jennifer Stevens of UTSC public affairs.
UTSC students could watch the groundbreaking unfold from a live feed in the Meeting Place, where all the wings of the Scarborough buildings connect. Upwards of 500 students were in attendance throughout the course of the day.
The UTSC groundbreaking was just a start to the construction that will take place in late May.
The student centre will be completed in August 2004, just in time for classes.
