The Rideau River Residence Association (RRRA) is claiming its office space will disappear by May 2013, and that the university hasn’t ensured spaces to relocate them yet.
At a RRRA council meeting Oct. 28, RRRA vice-president (administration) Joel Tallerico said the union’s current office will turn into a new residence reception desk after May 2013.
RRRA has lost access to two other spaces it used to rent, Residence Commons rooms 209 and 225, after they were closed to remove asbestos last summer.
Referring to other spaces the university has offered RRRA, RRRA president Omar Bainto said that “[the university’s administration] have not given us any concrete answers . . . we’ll look into it for next year.”
Another RRRA space, the convenience store Abstentions, will undergo renovation next May and will not operate during that period.
In response to this, the RRRA council passed a motion to make it clear to the university that RRRA wants secured spaces for next year.
The union will be gathering petitions, putting out posters and reaching out to alumni, Bainto said.
However, the university’s housing department said they have been working with RRRA on the issue.
“I’m confused because I know that we are working on providing space, I’m not sure where the concern is coming from,” assistant director of residence life services Natalie Allan said.
Housing department director David Sterritt is in the process of securing spaces for an office and for the association newspaper, the Resin, over the summer and the next school year, Allan said.
Sterritt could not be reached for comment as he is on leave.
“I think RRRA is a big part of our community, they are an advocate for the students when there’s something that needs to be addressed,” Allan said.
RRRA consists of three executives and volunteer residence floor representatives who attend council meetings to discuss events and issues pertaining to residence students.
It also employs about 18 to 20 students to run Abstentions, an assistant manager and administrative assistants.
Carleton University Students’ Association president Alexander Golovko, who was at the meeting, spoke about a larger problem of lack of space on campus.
“We’re kind of squished,” Golovko said. The university’s student population has been growing by an average of five per cent every year, but the building hasn’t been growing at the same rate, he said.
