An overwhelming majority of students voted in support of a new student centre in a referendum.
According to the unofficial results, 8,843 students voted for and 963 students voted against the construction of a new student centre. Although the new student centre is not expected to open until the fall of 2016, many are seeing the results of the referendum as good news for students and the university.
Jessica Thyriar, president of the York Federation of Students, says “The news of the results is definitely a huge victory for us, especially to have a 20 per cent voter turnout from our membership.”
The project, which began as an initiative by the York University Student Centre in 2010, picked up support from students and clubs at York in the last few months.
Gavin Jones, events coordinator for the Community of United Jamaicans, says the club supports the construction of a new student centre since York’s population is now so large and diverse that there is a need for more student space.
“We do think it’s a good thing; the benefit is not only for us but other students who come [to York],” says Jones.
Currently there are over 55,000 students attending York university, up from approximately from 30,000 in 1991 when the existing Student Centre was built.
While there were numerous endorsements from clubs and the YFS, there are still some students who believe that there should not be a new student centre. Instead, according to these students, more focus should placed on improving the existing one.
Amria Hussaini, a fourth-year human resource management major, questions the need for a new student centre when the existing one could be renovated and expanded.
Others, who decided not to vote altogether, were disappointed that the new building would not provide students more restaurants and increase the variety of places to eat on campus.
Khushbu Patel, a third-year physics major, says she already has a difficult time finding places to eat as a vegetarian and would have liked to see a focus on food options in the new building.
Siva Vimalachandran, project and development coordinator of YUSC, says the decision to not focus on commercial space was made because it was not communicated to the YUSC as a top priority.
Now that the referendum has passed, YUSC will begin the process of selecting an architect to help design the new student centre.
A Student Design Task Force, made up of students, clubs, and the YFS, will also be established in the future and will work with the architect in determining the concept for the new building.
“The Student Design Task Force’s main function is to facilitate spaces for students and community members at large to determine the functional space programming of the new Student Centre building,” says Vimalachandran.
Victoria Alarcon
Assistant News Editor
