159 staff and faculty sign letter claiming mass commercialization of bookstore

An open letter addressed to President Mamdouh Shoukri and Vice President Academic and Provost Rhonda Lenton continues to generate concern at York although the school has denied several claims made in the letter.
Signed by 159 staff and faculty from across York, the letter claims York’s bookstore is undergoing increased commercialization, with a new director to be installed and two-thirds of floor space handed over to a major pharmacy chain.
The commercialization, will allegedly, turn the bookstore from an academic resource into a commercial establishment to sell York-branded merchandise. York has denied replacing the bookstore director.
In an email to Excalibur, bookstore director Steven Glassman confirmed the bookstore is to undergo a 25 per cent reduction in area. The letter also calls for a transparent administrative review of the proposed reduction and an “equally transparent plan to restore the faculty club to serve faculty and graduate students on the Keele campus.”
The York University Development Corporation, the body responsible for the management of retail space at York, did not respond to inquiries regarding whether Shoppers Drug Mart or any other major pharmacy chain will open in York Lanes. Reductions in space, states the letter, is detrimental to the student experience and the quality of teaching and learning at York.
Accordingly, this “reinforces the experience of the campus mall as a commercial enterprise rather than an academic or educational resource.” Concerns have also been raised as to funding the bookstore and university operations.
According to Joanne Rider, York media, the bookstore cannot be subsidized from the university’s operating budget. [su_quote]“The long-term financial plan for the bookstore calls for it to operate at essentially a ‘break even’ position over the next several years,” says Rider.[/su_quote]
In its planning documents and presentations, York often claims to be in a difficult budgetary situation and emphasizes efficiency in attaining institutional priorities.
However, not everyone is convinced. Documents released by the York University Faculty Association in the summer claim the university can afford its current level of expenditures.
In a document titled “Is York Really Broke?” YUFA details York’s revenues and expenses over 2004-2014, claiming to show balanced budgets and modest surpluses.
According to YUFA, York’s per student revenues and expenses have outpaced inflation over the same time period. York has claimed its faculties are in the red after rolling forward surpluses, but YUFA states the faculty deficits are a result of overall surpluses at the university. Alex Kvaskov Assistant News Editor