After multiple words exchanged with an assortment of my peers, faculty, teaching assistants and colleagues across campus, here I find myself venting. I have a bone to pick with Carleton University for its current policies and financial priorities.
Now, many of us as undergrads are aware of corporate powers that be. We exist in a globalized world with a highly competitive market sphere — something that I believe can make for an exciting and wonderful social climate. It helps create coalitions, peace-building, and cross-cultural education. It is also the reason why many of us at Carleton have so many incredibly ambitious plans to make the world a better place when we graduate!
What I believe is unacceptable however, is the over-corporatization of the university campus which seems to be evolving of late as a consequence. Private post-secondary institutions like Carleton are businesses in and of themselves. Why do you think they spend so much money branding themselves to catch your attention — for example, CU Learn and calling the school Canada’s Capital University — while lowering entrance averages to increase enrolment and keep populating the campus?
Carleton president Roseann Runte boasts on Carleton’s website about the accessibility here to the greenery, the Rideau Canal, and the Parliament buildings among other things. The reality is that the school wants our money. Without it, as an institution, the university would cease to exist. It costs upwards of $40,000 in our fair province of Ontario to rock a full undergraduate degree – and many of us have come to terms with this. It’s cool; frankly I have no other choice for the career I am aspiring to.
What I am not okay with, however, is hardly feeling as though I am a valued part of my campus community anymore. Everywhere I turn, folks are expressing frustration by the seemingly endless construction at idiotic times of the year. Look at the MacOdrum Library, which is experiencing floods and constant disruptions. Library-goers like myself are at their wit’s end. Look at the fact that students were actually trapped on the eighth floor of a brand-new residence building earlier this month when their fire alarm went off, with no communication from campus safety about whether or not they were about to burn to death? Seriously, why are we paying all this money for so much dysfunction? I just don’t feel like we’re getting out money’s worth lately. I can’t even get from my seminar in Southam Hall to the University Centre without feeling claustrophobic as I weave slowly through a herd of hundreds of other stressed-out students just trying to get to class and learn something. What are we, cattle?
CU Learn? Frankly I’d like to C-this-University learn how to manage a budget fairly and ensure its adequate implementation. Crowding our campus and adding more and more disorganized infrastructure only exacerbates stress for everyone! Over-populating a campus for superficiality, big elaborate buildings, more recruitment and over-publicized photo shoots should not be the top priority. I think we can all agree that enrolment levels need not increase.
I think those of us already enrolled should at least be able to scout out quiet study spaces as we seek refuge from our dorm rooms and off-campus rentals without much difficulty. Apparently an accessible library without the sound of constantly drilling or construction workers horse playing around on the university dollar all day is just too much to ask. None of us should have to feel crowded anywhere else beyond the terrible, anxiety-inducing, slow, no-show OC so-slow bus we ride to school every day.
This just isn’t fair, Carleton.
So Carleton: is it too much to ask, for the sake of our already overwhelming stress-levels as undergrads, could you please just get your shit together already? Let’s start putting students’ quality of academic life first. I believe deterring a less crowded and chaotic campus atmosphere at Carleton and encouraging one where everyone can feel safe, relaxed and comfortable studying (with some room to breathe) is the best course of action for everybody.
— Jenn Jefferys,
third-year communications and women’s and gender studies
