The new U of T residence at 89 Chestnut is a unique place. Until April of last year it was the Colony Hotel until the university bought it to house the large number of expected students come September. The decision was made, says Assistant Vice President of Facilities and Services Catherine Riggall, because it proved cheaper than renting hotel rooms. So the hotel was purchased and hundreds of students moved in. Up until now though, 89 Chestnut has been without a council, but has just been granted $10,000 to establish a student government. SAC has also donated $5,000 to the cause-the first time that it has made a donation like this to a residence.
“If a residence has its own money then it doesn’t need SAC,” said Sean Mullin, who is a don at 89 Chestnut and will be on the council. He feels that in his residence they “started with zero,” and calls the donation “bridge funding to get us through the year,” saying that it is a one-time deal. “I spoke with my team and I volunteered to set up a council,” tells Mullins. In March he hopes to have the students vote in a referendum on a yearly funding levy for the residence council. All residences have a levy from the students that fund their council but until this is put in place the fund allocation is much appreciated.
“It’s one of the most essential things to have,” said Mullin of the council. It is especially important for a residence that might be viewed as being a little far away from campus to have a group that organizes events such as parties and offers support. Catherine Riggall, assistant vp of facilities and services at U of T, does not feel that distance is a factor that makes the residence special: “We have to get away from the idea of it being far away from campus” she said, pointing out that it is only a 10 minute walk to the Medical Science building and that it takes just as long to walk from one end of campus to the other.
89 Chestnut has the highest number of students among U of T residences. The building has a capacity for 1,100 people and currently houses 980. Not all of their residents are students, however. The top suite is occupied by former Reform Party leader Preston Manning, who lectures at U of T and lived at University College before this. Manning has been living at 89 Chestnut for the last few months. Although each floor of the residence will be electing a representative in the proposed council, Manning will not be involved. “He does eat with us sometimes,” revealed Mullin who went on to say that no matter what your politics are, Manning is a pleasant housemate. “We see him every one in a while,” shared Mullin, “I’ve been in the elevator with him a few times and he’s a nice guy.”
Mullin admits that the former hotel is far from shabby. “People are unsure what to expect when they come to university. Students visit their friends in other residences on campus and they see that this is not so bad.” The residence has been reconfigured considerably to make it more like a regular residence, with the formation of common lounges, but it still has a pool and a hot tub. The double bedrooms are bigger than normal double rooms and each one has its own bathroom.
Riggall gave further detail when she said that the residence also employs a weekly service for cleaning the bathrooms and vacuuming the rooms. She explained that there was concern about the rooms being kept clean enough during the year because in the summer the residence will once again revert to a hotel. The lounge, which used to be a bar, now serves coffee and snacks but has kept its big screen TV and pool table. The students also have access to an onsite fitness centre where the Faculty of Physical Education and Health will start to run fitness classes.
The extra perks do come at a price. 89 Chestnut is currently the most expensive residence but to some the extra money is well worth it. Mullin, who says he enjoys living in this environment, does not feel that his residence is being treated any differently than others: “Any new residence in this situation would be more than deserving of a similar donation” he asserted.
