Finally, SFU has plan for student union building, but it'll cost $65 million
Like a lot of our readers, I spent several years at the hilltop prison known as Simon Fraser University. Actually, unlike some of my fellow alumni, I actually appreciated the imposing campus architecture there.
But something many of us could probably agree on was that a student union building was sorely missing on Burnaby Mountain. This was an issue that student politicians and activists bemoaned constantly, but it was always just talk back then.
Now, talk has turned into action. The Simon Fraser Student Society has just taken the wraps off a proposal to build a $65-million student space on campus. The Build SFU project would see the construction of a student union building and a stadium—yes, a stadium—funded by the student body.
The SFU SUB would have a gross area of 100,000 square feet and a net area (excluding spaces like hallways and walkways) of 70,000 square feet, with room for clubs and social space. As for the outdoor stadium, it would contain 2,500 seats, with about 500 of them covered, and be used for SFU sports, concerts, and other events.
From looking at the architectural renderings of the project, it appears that the SUB will be built on the site of the SFU swimming pool. Indeed, the Build SFU site states: "The building itself is starting off environmentally friendly as we are repurposing an old building’s frame instead of using new materials and constructing from the ground up."
From March 20 to 22, undergraduate students will vote in an online referendum on the proposal. If they vote yes, they'll be paying for the project for years to come. Students would be charged a new semesterly levy, starting at $10 in January 2014 for full-timers. The fee would increase by $10 every January, taking it up to $20 per semester in 2015, $30 per semester in 2016, and so on.
If the SUB and stadium get approved, it'll take four or five years to complete the project. It's up to SFU students to decide whether it's worth it.
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Comments
10 Comments
Pat
Feb 20, 2012 at 2:39pm
Interesting to see whether or not SFU students will altruistically agree to fee increases for construction of a building that wouldn't be completed until after they've graduated ... and why is the cost of this project entirely on the back of the students?
You
Feb 20, 2012 at 3:48pm
SFU is still very much a commuter school. Go up, go to class, leave. I love the idea, but I think the money better spent on labs, residences, etc.
During the summer months, the AQ is our SUB.
And having been at other universities where they do have student buildings--they're overrated. Loud, distracting places that mostly first years hang out at.
Riley
Feb 20, 2012 at 4:51pm
It's great to see SFU finally addressing this problem, and at the end of the day, I will likely support the motion. However, there surely are many simple, cost effective solutions that could improve the community problem and should be explored now.
A
Feb 20, 2012 at 5:15pm
This plan makes total sense to me, plus we're killing two birds with one stone here. SFU needs both stadium seating and a SUB pretty badly.
Student space is lacking, and in a student survey done months ago, the number one complaint by students is the lack of social space and food options. One only needs to be on the campus on any weekday afternoon and see that the entire campus is packed. A new SUB would easily take care of that problem.
Getting student engagement in SFU sports teams has been difficult without a stadium. This is the only university in Canada in the NCAA, and we don't even have a stadium? That's pretty embarrassing and partly attributable to no seating at Terry Fox Field. SFU is in a world-class sports league, and we need our sports facilities to keep up.
Some people seem to have a misconception that SFU is spending money on this. It's the Simon Fraser Student Society that's investing and providing the money, meaning it's completely funded by students. What I think they should do, however, is have SFU administration take on some of the costs. Right now, the SFSS is taking on a $65 million dollar loan to fund this. The university should take part in some of the costs. UBC is building a new SUB, and the university is picking up about 1/4 of the tab. SFU should do something similar to relieve the burden on students.
LostMyGlasses
Feb 21, 2012 at 1:18am
Student housing, tuition costs, and helping students with difficult circumstances should be much higher priorities than this pet legacy project.
Tacking on extra fees to tuition at a flat rate is regressive. Poor students don't need the extra concern of 20 or 30 extra bucks per semester on top of tuition. When is enough?
Is this the same group that locked out workers for months?
MZ
Feb 21, 2012 at 5:15am
Stayed tuned for the Rio Tinto Student Union Building, or RIOT SUB.
That'll be $38,000 for consulting fees.
James Richardson577
Feb 21, 2012 at 8:13am
I just receieved an email saying that this will cause my tuition to increase by $290 every! I am a Surrey student and I wont even use this building!
JayBizzle
Feb 21, 2012 at 12:58pm
I'm normally in favour of these kinds of projects, but this does not seem to offer enough for the money. I'd personally be more interested in comfortable places to fall asleep, maybe some kind of sustainable gardening area, and some subsidized mass food options than stadium seating for the sports teams. Nobody cares about more nice views, more franchised food outlets trying to pick our pockets, and more emphasis on superficial aspects of the university that do not give anything back. Kill this boondoggle before it gets started.
RodSmelser
Feb 21, 2012 at 8:54pm
If the existing pool is to be destroyed, will it be replaced by a new one? And what range of facilities will that pool have for swimming and diving?
Rod Smelser
s yano
Mar 31, 2012 at 5:59pm
Maggie Benston Centre was the UCB II of our day, and functions well enough as a student building.
This unconscionable garnering of student money by the university to build a stadium is disgusting. Those student fees are a big pool of money the administration has been looking to chug for a long time. Student society leaders have been duped and filled with self-importance by a cunning group of administrators. Oh, well.