The Environmental and Physical Sciences Students’ Association (EPSA) at UTSC has decided to endorse the Referendum for the new Athletic Facility proposed for U of T Scarborough.
We believe this project is great news for this campus and this project will benefit clubs, and DSA’s such as ours in terms of space for events, new food options for our members, and much much more.
We encourage all of our members to come out to vote YES on March 17, 18, and 19 in the Student Centre. We also encourage all of our members to bring along their friends, and classmates in support of this world class initiative. Please also join this group: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=266475900849&ref=ts and show your support.
Other prominent clubs on campus that have endorsed this project are: SCSU, SCAA, MESA, SOSSA, SAA, UMAP, TSA, and GSA.
The project is a once in a life time opportunity to change the face of our campus, and allow our campus to expand exponentially. The new facility costs $170 million and the university has asked students to pitch in $30 million while the other partners cover the remaining costs (students will pay for 18% of the costs, other partners pay for the other 82% of the costs). If the levy goes thru, starting next year you will pay $40/semester ($8 for part time students). You will pay this levy until the year 2014. In 2014 the building will open, you stop paying the $40 and start paying $140/semester ($28 for part time students). This new levy is indexed annually at 4% for inflation.
The new building will be located at the corner of Military trail and Morningside Avenue. It will have the following:
– 4 varsity gyms (the current facility we have, has only 1 varsity gym)
– Fitness/cardio/weights/training centre
– Sports medicine clinic
– 200 meter indoor running track
– Racquet courts
– Teaching studios (dance fitness/martial arts)
– 2 x 52 meter competition swimming pools (seating for 5,000 spectators)
– dive tank
– Club lockers room
– meeting rooms
Also, the new building will have more food vendors, which will increase the food options on our campus. It will also have an atrium and student lounge space. It will also house the new SCAA office, and a SCSU member services desk, which will be accessible to any club who would like to use it to sell tickets and promote events.
Separate plans are also underway to build an indoor soccer stadium and also 2 ice rinks.
Furthermore, UTSC will also get Light Rail Rapid Transit (LRT), directly linking our campus to Kennedy Station. The original TTC plan is to bring the LRT here by 2025-2030…with this building it will be at our campus in 2015.
Finally, all the space that is currently occupied by our athletic centre will be freed up, and that space will be home to new faculty offices, flat programmable space for our dance teams, like SAA, Freedom Funkers, and others, new study space, club offices, and a performing arts centre.
If a student contributes to the levy, and graduates before the facility is opened, he/she will receive that contribution back as a credit for their alumni membership to the facility.
There are several rumors going around that the facility will be built even if the students vote no. This is absolutely incorrect. If the students vote no, the facility will either be moved to Markham, or will be completely built on the City lands, and UTSC students will not have access to it.
It is imperative our members come out to vote YES on March 17, 18, 19 2010 in the Student Centre. VOTE YES FOR WORLD CLASS!