Priyank D’sa | Contributor
Featured image: The new Student Centre is expected to be ready for spring 2018, offering a green roof, gender-neutral bathrooms and Indigenous artwork. | Priyank D’sa
The new Student Centre is finally under construction.
On the 25th anniversary of the opening of the current Student Centre, or YUSC, students, faculty, administrators and members of the York community convened at the Roy McMurtry Green for a groundbreaking ceremony to commence construction of the new Student Centre.
Music courtesy of York’s Vibe FM set a festive atmosphere while students lined up for a buffet of finger foods, hot dogs, burgers and pop. YUSC booths provided promotional buttons and reusable water bottles.
The ceremony, presented by YUSC Chairperson Alexandria Williams and Keisha Roberts of the Aboriginal Students Association at York, or ASAY, commenced with a blessing of the grounds by Elder Philip Cote in recognition of building on the traditional territory of Indigenous communities.
Karissa John, president of ASAY, thanked organizers for making space for Indigenous voices to be heard.
“Thank you for your commitment, for erasing the erasure that I’ve experienced here,” she said.
Other speakers included Randy Pitawanakwat, coordinator with Aboriginal Student Services, Gary Brewer, vice-president Finance and Administration and YFS President Chenthoori Malankov.
Brewer commended York students for their commitment to the project, as the “groundbreaking marks the culmination of over six years of collaborative work between the Student Centre and the University.” He said that the existing Student Centre has been a model of student leadership and governance.
Speakers filled a time capsule containing a collection of 13,000 student messages to be buried and opened at a later date. Louis Chan, Student Centre controller, was recognized for his work managing the current student centre, as was Tiffany Peng, senior graphic designer at YUSC, for designing the graphics surrounding the project.
In 2013, York students broke the national record for campus voter turnout in a referendum in approving construction of the new Student Centre: nearly 10,000 votes were cast, with approximately 92 per cent in favour of a levy to fund construction, operation and building maintenance.
“We see the student experience as a development of the body, the mind and the soul,” said Roberts. “This building is a testament to creating spaces that will nurture the potential of our future.”
The new Student Centre, designed by CannonDesign, is modelled for crime prevention and will include a green roof, gender-neutral washrooms, visible accessibility ramps and signage and will display Indigenous artwork throughout the building. It is being constructed by Ellis Don on a $72 million budget and is set to open in the spring of 2018.50
