Starting April 2014, the Federation of Urban Studies Students may be forced to move out of the student space they have occupied for more than 30 years.
They were notified by their supervisor that 304 Calumet College would no longer be theirs, says co-president of FUSS, Saeda Reynolds.
“[Our supervisor] informed us that [FUSS] would be moving in the next school year,” says Reynolds, who says the organization had no prior warning.
FUSS was told that their student space was surveyed early last year by Felim Greene, York’s executive officer, and it was concluded they would have to move because of poor student attendance and a lack of academic work.
Reynolds, who was surprised when she first heard the news, says it is an unfair judgment to make about the organization since York’s urban studies department has less than 200 students to begin with.
“Calumet is a little bit further out, so it doesn’t get visited that frequently,” says Reynolds, who thinks last year, the organization did have a good turnout.
Nayel Halim, co-president of FUSS, says the space offers all students a variety of books, course material, and journals about urban studies, and the space is used for academic reasons.
Once the move happens, Halim says that all of FUSS’s resources, including computers, chairs, and books, will be moved to the South Ross building and the organization will be forced to find its own space for next year along with all new resources.
Janice Walls of York media says, “Various options are being examined but no final plan has been made, and the urban studies resource centre will remain in its current location until at least the end of this academic year.”
Whether or not the move takes place next year, Halim is planning on writing a petition to change the decision of the university.
“Currently, I’m trying to write a petition [because] to simply walk away would be the end of it,” says Halim.
Victoria Alarcon
Assistant News Editor
