Carleton University has informed the neuroscience department that they must evacuate the Life Sciences Research Building due to renovations. Their eviction is set for March 2017, before the new Health Sciences Building will be completed in September, and the department has currently no definitive word on where they will be relocated.
This eviction is highly problematic and disruptive for students in the neuroscience department, and it highlights a disconnect between the university and the faculty and the students it serves.
According to CUSA president Fahd Alhattab, the renovations cannot be delayed because it must be completed by April 2018 in order to satisfy the requirement for the government funding that will be used for the project.
Neuroscience students are expected to pack up their highly delicate research projects, and could face research delays and consequences on their graduation dates, future careers, and potential grants as a result.
Moreover, during a Nov. 25 Senate meeting, a motion to have a public vote on the neuroscience department’s eviction was voted down, leaving the decision to be made internally without further public debate.
When making the final decision, the university should prioritize students’ work over profits and renovations. Undermining and belittling the hard work students put into their research is a reflection of a deep problem within this institution, and creates the assumption that profit-making is more important than students’ education.
