The UTSU board of directors voted last Wednesday to resituate the long-awaited student commons space to 230 College St., the current Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design building, from the original site in Woodworth College.
The option to relocate was put on the table by the university only weeks prior and had UTSU hastening to make a decision. In an effort to gauge the views of the student community, a consultation was held on Thursday November 11 to solicit feedback. Student reactions remained largely congenial to the shift.
The meeting of 30–40 people was comprised of mostly club and levy group representatives, interested students, and board of director members.
During the consultation, concerns arose over the need for a referendum to properly acquire student consent.
“I’m skeptical that students at the time were voting with the expectation that it would be at Woodsworth,” said Steve Masse, former WCSA president and political science and economics student.
Though the referendum question posed in 2007 had no mention of location, campaigning during this time stressed the need for student space at the north end of campus.
According to UTSU President Adam Awad, the university is pushing for the reallocation bid to be addressed in the January cycle of the coming Governing Council meeting.
“Missing a cycle is one more year we have to wait,” he said.
UTSU held a referendum in November 2007 where a majority of students voted in favor of collecting a levy for the construction of a student commons. The outcome of the levy meant students would agree to shoulder two-thirds of a mortgage fund that would span 23 years. The union sought a five-dollar levy per semester, from each full-time undergraduate student, until the opening of the commons. After this point the levy would rise to $14.25 until the mortgage was fully paid off.
The university agreed to bear one-third of the entire cost. The cost of operating and maintaining the commons will fall on students once construction is complete.
In 2008, the Governing Council allocated space, known as Site 12, on Devonshire Road for the construction of the student commons along with the Centre for High Performance Sport. In April 2010, the university concluded the project was “indefinite” due to financial constraints.
According to the UTSU executive, the construction for both has been delayed since 2008 due to financial setbacks on the part of the university. In an effort to get the ball rolling on the project, 230 College St. was offered as a replacement, as the Faculty of Architecture will be moving to 1 Spadina Rd.
According to UTSU President Adam Awad, 230 College St. has a number of advantages over Site 12. These include nearly 10,000 square feet more space, half the cost of original 30 million dollars and the proximity to transit spots. The majority of the expenses for the new location would center on meeting security and environmental standards.
The timeline for the new location means students could be nestling in to a new student commons in 18 months.
“[Site 12] is not a non-option but one is more indefinite and nebulous than the other,” said Awad.
“First off, I’m happy that it’s finally gotten the go-ahead. Students need the space, no matter what,” said ASSU President Gavin Nowlan.
He later expressed a concerns over students having to shoulder construction costs in the original Site 12 deal. “The official ASSU position, the position that we have had for 30 years is that we don’t believe student money should be spent on bricks and mortar for building. The university should be putting up the money for space.”
“This project started decades and decades ago,” said UTSU Executive Director Angela Regnier, who provided context for the decision during the consultation.
Campaigns for student commons have been ongoing at U of T since the 1940s when a student community recuperating from the toils of WWII endorsed a common space all students could share.
With files from André Bovee-Begun
