The Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) has started initial consultations on a proposed new student union building on campus.
Stakeholder groups such as the Ontario Public Interest Research Group (OPIRG), Carleton University Greek Council, and the Garden Spot met with Michel de Jocas, the planner for the new building, to discuss what they would like to see and what purposes the building should serve.
Better accessibility to food, meeting spaces for clubs and events, and proper seating space for students are all things stakeholders at the consultation said they want to see in a new building.
De Jocas said they only have a vague idea of what it will eventually look like. A definite location for it yet has not been specified and it is possible it will be built where the UniCentre currently is, he said.
“It’s pretty much an open field,” de Jocas said.
Samiha Rayeda, an OPIRG board member who attended the consultation, said she was happy to see her ideas and suggestions taken into consideration at the meeting. She said making sure the building has gender neutral washrooms and acknowledging it’s on Algonquin land are important to her.
“We can see us working with CUSA and other groups on campus to make sure the building will be inclusive of all groups,” Rayeda said.
Other topics discussed during the consultation include ensuring the building is environmentally friendly, has space for student services, and is fully accessible.
Rayeda said she believes students want space that caters towards their needs but said there is not enough information on the new building yet to say whether OPIRG will support it.
“We don’t know how much it’s going to cost or if the money is going to come out of student tuition. These are all things we want to take in to account before starting a new building project,” she said.
Rayeda said she would not support students’ tuition fees being raised through a levy to finance the construction.
“I don’t think the money should come from student tuition, I think the university can find other avenues,” she said.
Charissa Feres, vice-president (student issues and equity) of the Student Alliance for Mental Health (SAMH), said she agrees adding a levy to tuition is not the best way to pay for the student union building. She said while SAMH needs more space on campus and room for a proper office, she is opposed to the project.
“I feel like students have had enough of levies,” Feres said. “I don’t think adding on to the levy every time you want to start a project or want to fund things is a sustainable or fair way to go about paying for things.”
Will Prado, a second-year computer science student, also disagrees with having students pay for the building through tuition fees. He said he believes many students will not support the project.
“Myself as well, nobody I know has ever asked for this building or wanted this building,” he said.
Currently, the proposed funding model for the building is a rolling increase, where students would pay more the closer to completion the project is. Feres said she disagrees with this too.
“It’s still taking money out of students’ pockets and I feel bad for the first-years coming in because they’re not even being a part of the process and all of a sudden having to pay this money towards CUSA.”
Fahd Alhattab, CUSA president, said the meetings will let CUSA create a hierarchy of priorities for the building. The next step is to get a schematic report of the building done which he said he hopes to have done by the end of 2016.
Rayeda said she is very pleased that both students and stakeholders are being asked for input on the student union building.
