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| Students discussed what they'd like to see in new student spaces. (Abriel photo) |
Light-filled. Comfortable. Warm. Aesthetically appealing. Wireless. 24/7.
At an event dubbed Imagine 07, Dalhousie students brainstormed the kind of student spaces that work for them and began the process of imagining new student social and study spaces at the university.
About 200 students turned up for Imagine 07, organized by the Dalhousie Student Union in the McInnes Room on Wednesday afternoon. The caf沤-style event followed two other 脪Imagine鈥� events last year in which social and work spaces for students were identified as pressing needs. Those needs have also been expressed by students in surveys conducted by the university.
脪It脮s pretty clear that learning at a university like Dalhousie doesn脮t only occur in the classroom,鈥� said Ezra Edelstein, DSU president.
The university has put forward a proposal to build or renovate 11 spaces across three campuses, including enhanced green space around University Avenue, new studio space on Sexton Campus, and a new building for student activities adjacent to the SUB. Dalhousie president Tom Traves spoke more about the proposals, stressing they脮re only concepts at this stage.
Pay as聽you go
Students will get a chance to vote on the idea of more and better student spaces when it goes to a referendum next month. (The date and question have not yet been set.)聽It脮s proposed students will help pay for the projects using a pay-as-we-go model; starting in 2009, students would contribute $10 per course for improvements they would help design.聽
The $25 million that students would eventually contribute would be matched by the university in the development and maintenance of the facilities.
脪While I will show you various drawings of new buildings and renovations that look detailed, in fact these models are simply placeholders for the real spaces that we will invite you to help design,鈥� said Dalhousie president Tom Traves, as a projector flashed up artist renderings.
脪These spaces are your spaces. They need to be designed to meet your preferences and requirements and we can only do that once our architects have had a full opportunity to consult with you actively about your needs, likes and dislikes. After they脮ve consulted widely, they will then go away and work up plans that meet your approval.鈥�
Dr. Traves said he脮s already heard from many students who say that old and worn-out facilities need to be fixed first. He says the university is committed to speeding up that process and paying for those renovations out of its operating budget.
A yes vote by students in the referendum would also kick start a much larger, $200-million fundraising campaign aimed primarily at alumni.
脪I can assure you that this will help us leverage additional gifts for Dalhousie,鈥� he said. 脪A positive vote in the referendum by you will create and leave something behind you that will last for generations.鈥�
Controversy
The two-and-a-half hour event generated heated discussion. Many students spoke of their聽affection for the Grad House, which under this plan, would come down to make way for a new student building. Dr. Traves said the Grad House has a limited lifespan in any case. It needs $750,000 in repairs 脨 脪and the building isn脮t worth $750,000.鈥�
Students like its homey, laidback character 脩 脪it脮s not the Grawood鈥� 脩 and the fact that it offers healthy food choices hard to find elsewhere on campus.
But other students found the focus on the Grad House 脪polarizing.鈥�
脪They脮re hell bent on (saving the Grad House) and willing to scuttle the whole process,鈥� lamented Justin LaRusso, a fourth-year English student.
Moreover, students from Sexton campus said project space 脨 not social space 脨 is their top priority. These days, students are working on design projects in hallways, welding in rooms without proper ventilation, and can脮t find tables large enough to lay out architectural drawings.
脪The biggest thing is to get students more involved,鈥� said Mike Doherty, a first-year science student after the event wrapped and several students lagged behind for the chance to speak with Dr. Traves.
脪Students need to be reassured that we脮re not going to give the university carte blanche. (The university) is going to come back and say, 脭What do you want?脮
脪I take (Tom Traves) at his word when he says students will be involved. That脮s not what concerns me 脨 it脮s that students aren脮t going to involve themselves.鈥�