A failed referendum vote has sent the University Students’ Council (USC) back to the drawing board to design a new proposal for renovations to the University Community Centre.
The majority of University of Western Ontario undergraduate students rejected the proposed $27 million in construction updates and space use, with 5,156 ‘no’ votes, compared to 4,129 votes in support.
Matt Reid, undergraduate students’ senate representative and spokesperson for the No Campaign against the proposed renovations, says cost played a significant role in the results.
“Students wanted something a little simpler and, especially in the economic times, the cost bore a huge burden for a lot of students,” he says, adding the results “shocked a lot of people.”
The USC proposed a $27-million upgrade to the building, which included additional study and lounge space, new retail operations and renovations to the 19,000 square feet of space acquired from the relocation of Campus Recreation. The changes also meant an extra $95 in student fees, which would be amortized over 20 years.
Had the USC presented “a more reasonable cost,” Reid feels the outcome would have been different.
“A lot of students are working very hard or taking out loans in order to afford to go to school and adding on another $380 to the cost of an undergraduate education seemed like an unfair burden,” he says.
Some students also voiced concerns about suggested changes to The Spoke, which was renovated in 2004, and conversion of the former gym area into a mezzanine.
“What now has to happen is the students’ council has to go back to the drawing board and take out some of the more extravagant and expensive things and really bring it down to something students can afford and will support,” he says.
Reid would like more involvement of all members of the students’ council, not just senior administration, in the decision-making process.
“I think they need to take their time with it and not rush it. I would hope they would take at least two years to figure out what is the most cost-effective way of doing it and really meeting the needs of students,” he says.
USC president Stephen Lecce says the decision is not a setback.
As the USC determines its next step, the students’ council is planning modest renovations to the newly acquired space.
“We recognize it is a challenging time for students and we also recognize the need for improvement in our building,” he says. “We have some capital to do some stuff, but not at the level of $27 million … All the resources we have we are going invest in making the space as usable as possible over the next year or so.”
The USC plans to consult with students to determine why the majority of voters did not support the referendum and continue this dialogue through the process of creating a new proposal.
“Major capital improvements to the UCC are not possible without a student fee,” adds Lecce.
In the meantime, the USC will offer the vacated space formally occupied by Campus Recreation as bookable areas for student activities.
The USC is also speaking with the university, which has already begun renovations to convert its portion of the former recreation space into classrooms, about working together to implement structural changes, says Lecce. The goal is to minimize disruption to classes caused by future construction.
“It simply allows us to renovate in the future without having to go through the university’s classrooms, which are underneath the gyms,” he says.
A bylaw prohibits the USC from revisiting the UCC referendum for at least one year.
“We are incredibly fortunate to have acquired a significant amount of new student space,” says Lecce. “We respect the will of the students, we have listened to them and we are going to work, starting today, on developing a plan that works.”
