Unofficial 'yes' in UTSU referendum

From October 31 to November 2, students voted in the campus-wide referendum held by the University of Toronto Students Union (UTSU) regarding the building of a new Student Commons. By voting yes, students were agreeing to fund the construction of a new student-run centre, which would house the many clubs and organizations on campus while providing a place for study space and activity.

While the student levy is only meant to make up less than half of the construction's funding, each student will be expected to pay $14.25 a semester for the first 25 years of the building's existence, in addition to $6.50 annual operational costs which are subject to inflate. "Unofficial results" state that 58.2% of those who voted were in favour of the construction levy, while 39.2% of the votes rejected it.

UTSU campaigned on the idea that U of T's smaller campuses in Mississauga and Scarborough both have student centers, while the downtown St. George campus does not. UTSU advocated that the facility would provide a place to unify all students into one centre, a valid point for the university's main campus which remains largely divided by colleges and faculties.

According to UTSU rhetoric, the Student Commons would provide a home for all the clubs and organizations that do currently lack the space to congregate and have offices. The centre would also offer rehearsal and prayer space. Additionally, it would provide a place on campus where one can purchase healthier, fair trade foods.

Some students believe that such an initiative would be an asset to the campus, while others consider the building to be a waste of valuable money. The main arguments against the Student Commons seem to be debating the size of the student levy; assuming there are roughly 41,000 St. George students paying construction for the first twenty-five years of the building's existence, UTSU will have accumulated over $29,000,000.

Numerous student groups took to St. George Street during the voting period to distribute flyers advocating that students should not have to bear the burdens of more fees piled on already a large debt.

While debates occur regarding the payment of levies, other students consider necessity for a universal Student Commons on a campus that already has numerous buildings for students to congregate and meet.

"There are [already] plenty of common areas to hang out," third year Victoria student Leanna Resplandor surmises. "It is very unrealistic to expect everyone to start spending time there once it is built because there wouldn't be enough space."

Maximizing the campus' already existing common spaces has been suggested as a solution to the problem of a lack of student club space.

"I think an alternative initiative for UTSU, if they really want to let clubs get access to student space without such a huge investment of time, money, and energy is to use what we already have," commented a Vic student on condition of anonymity. "How many people at Innis do you think know about the Cat's Eye? We already have so many buildings here. Putting up a new one instead of taking stock of what we have just seems really wasteful."

Others argue that attempting to unify the student body through a Student Centre is unrealistic on such a large campus. Some students state that the university's college system already provides a node of unification for those attempting to find communities in Canada's largest university. The St. George campus is a large campus, which lead some to question whether such a Student Commons facility would truly be effective in providing a sense of unity on a campus that is so diverse.

"People might feel lost or disoriented when they come here, and have to find a community to settle into. But is that UTSU's responsibility so much as the individual's?" another student wondered.

UTSU did not comment as to why the results were still unverified, a week after the referendum was held.