New Vari Hall info desk can’t stand the cold

Jacqueline Perlin
Assistant News Editor
Passing by the recently installed information desk in the middle of Vari Hall, York University students looking for the transitional RED Zone program may have noticed a sign redirecting them to an alternate location in the Ross building.
The university has confirmed that the info desk closes if the temperature drops below 18 degrees Celsius.
“We have had extreme temperatures this winter, so we have had days where it’s gone below 18 degrees,” said York spokesperson Susan Webb.
She added that while the temperature issue was considered while Vari Hall was being renovated, the university believed the heat barriers in place could maintain the temperature necessary to keep the desk open.
Webb, however, said the concern is not necessarily over safety, but rather over the possibility of the temperature going below the university threshold.
Nevertheless, she indicated the university is aware the current barriers in Vari Hall do not adequately retain heat.
“Now that [the administration] has discovered that we could have extreme temperatures below the 18-degree threshold set by the university, [the administration] will be taking additional steps to remediate that,” said Webb, noting installing door sweeps is one of the measures being considered to better insulate Vari Hall.
Krisna Saravanamuttu, York student union president, said the information desk should be opened up to student organizations on campus that may want to use that space during the winter period.
“It seems to me that the information desk is becoming a huge waste of resources, especially during the winter months, especially if the university has no intention of using it,” said Saravanamuttu, noting members of the Student Community & Leadership Development (SCLD) are primarily using the desk.
Saravanamuttu also maintained the renovations to Vari Hall were intended first and foremost to quell protests.
“I’m of the opinion that the university’s utmost desire to clamp down on protests in Vari Hall may have trumped any other logistical, financial or administrative concerns that they should have thought about,” said Saravanamuttu.
While Webb insisted the renovations to Vari Hall were simply to promote student space and not to stop protesting, Saravanamuttu referenced vice-president students Robert Tiffin’s comment in an issue of Excalibur which stated the renovations were to ensure protests did not take place in the area.