Speaking to a room of fewer than 20 people, Howard Tam, the Student Administrative Council’s VP of University Affairs, discussed SAC’s proposal for a new tudent centre on Wednesday night. The centre, Tam said, would be a meeting place that would contain lounge areas, study space, meeting rooms, food services operated by students, a multi-faith space, a community kitchen, and a licensed events space.
Tam said that the proposed student centre would foster student empowerment (students would have total control), revitalization of student life, a legacy for the future, and drew attention to the fact that St. George campus is one of the few universities in Canada that does not already have such a student centre. Both U of T’s Mississauga and Scarborough campuses have student centres, opened in 1999 and 2004, respectively. But Tam said that the major reason to building the centre is to stem the tide of alienation and isolation felt by many U of T students. According to a Toronto Star article on Saturday, 80 per cent of U of T’s non-resident students feel alienated from their own campuses, and two-thirds of these students say they spend “zero hours” on campus outside of class. Tam said that a Student Centre will foster community building and active engagement of the student body in university life.
The proposed cost of the proposed centre would be $30 million plus operating costs and would be completed, at the earliest, by 2007. SAC has suggested several potential sites for the centre: the Nursing Building at St. George and Russell Streets; “Site 12,” which is the parking lot behind the Admissions and Awards Building on Devonshire Place; on Willcocks Street behind Sid Smith Hall; or on Bancroft Avenue, the laneway which runs through the Earth Sciences Building off Huron Street.
To fund the project, U of T’s former provost agreed to chip in fifty cents for every dollar raised by students, and SAC presumes that the current provost will be as supportive. The rest of the money will have to come from the university, along with fundraising and student levies. SAC, however, is concerned about the University of Toronto’s borrowing capacity, which seems to be diminishing rapidly. U of T has already borrowed heavily for the current building spree it is on, and there are over 20 projects in line for funds before the student centre. Building space is also running out.
SAC has created a working group on the proposed centre and has been actively lobbying the administration for support as well as fundraising and searching for community partners. It has also been working with architects to create a “concept sketch” of the student centre, but it can only hope that the desired sites remain available (the Law Faculty wants to expand into Site 12, for example). SAC has also created a “Friends of the Student Centre Campaign.”
The biggest problem seems to be the ability to rally student support. Without substantial student momentum driving the campaign, U of T is unlikely to spend the money. As it stands, the student centre is a “second-tier priority project,” which means it’s on the list but will have to wait several more years to get to the front of the funding line. To gauge support, a plebiscite question will be held during the SAC board elections on March 23 to ask students whether they are willing to pay a levy to get the proposed student centre built.
