A university centre makeover?
Possible changes in University Centre
KERRI WOLOSZYN STAFF
Judging from the vast number of students who use it on a daily basis, University Centre (UC) works as a meeting ground for people from all over campus. The dingy wood-panelled walls, the hard chairs, the lacklustre use of the Fireplace Lounge all suggest that a revamp might be just what the space needs.
When standing in line at the Tim Hortons on the main floor of University Centre, one might notice an unassuming plaque that explains the history of the building. UC dates back to 1970 and was once much less of the fast-food market it has become. If University of Manitoba Students’ Union (UMSU) president, Garry Sran, has his way, University Centre might not be getting a much-needed makeover — but it might be getting a retooling.
Sran’s campaign posters say that in the coming year he would like to reorganize and revitalize University Centre. They also say that he wants to “expand UMSU businesses and services.” The vague promises of the poster are similar to Sran’s vague elaborations on these promises. Last September, in an interview with the Manitoban, Sran said that he was looking into ways that UMSU could have more control over University Centre.
At the moment University Centre houses a number of different student services and businesses. Some of these are students’ union-run while others are run by the university administration. UMSU controls Archives Used Bookstore, G.P.A.’s convenience store, Degrees, IQ’s and the Copy Centre. According to the UMSU website, UMSU businesses employ around 100 students and “the money generated from the businesses supplements funding towards UMSU services, student support and union initiatives.”
At Carleton University in Ottawa, as reported in the Sept. 30, 2005 issue of the Ottawa Citizen, there was a heated debate between the students’ union and the administration over what would happen to a new students’ union building going up on campus. The new building caused controversy because student groups thought that the administration was taking away from the amount of student-run space. The controversy caused such a stir that a lawsuit was filed against the administration by student leaders. Eventually the lawsuit was dropped after the administration backed down and came up with an agreement that clearly delineated what the students would have.
More recently, Simon Fraser University has been working on designs for a students’ union building that has never before existed on their campus. According to an article in the Peak, Simon Fraser’s students’ newspaper, a referendum could happen as early as spring 2008. However, the article also notes that the building would have little benefit to the students who would be voting on it as most of them would be long gone by the time the building would be completed. Changes are happening on other campuses, so why not ours?
UMSU is seemingly in a good position to push for more student-run (or students’ union-run) space in University Centre. Because the union already controls a number of successful businesses within the building, the argument stands that they should be allowed to control more.
UMSU’s wish to change the way that University Centre looks and feels is conceivably possible. University Centre has changed over time and will likely continue to change. Sran’s push to create more UMSU businesses on campus could result in more student jobs. If students are working and are happy on campus and feel like they are contributing to the campus as a whole then the benefits can be numerous.
Although some might see the push for revitalization as a way for UMSU to reap the benefits of more businesses that they control, the very idea that students themselves could have more say in what happens in a space that is used primarily by them is exciting and even, perhaps, “revitalizing.”
Kerri Woloszyn has a degree in film studies and is the Manitoban’s roving reporter.
