student centre – The Concordian

The Concordian sat down with Patrick Goodwin of MHPM Project Management Inc. to discuss the new contract with the Concordia Student Union in hopes of building a student centre. Here is our breakdown of the next year and the proposal that undergraduate students dished out $97,300 for.

THE PROCESS

Analysis
As part of the plan, MHPM and the CSU will conduct a analysis by surveying students on their wants, needs and current space. In order to move forward and present options, Goodwin emphasized that Concordia’s undergraduate student body plays a huge role in the entire process.

“We’re reaching out to students in general who don’t use the facilities as much to see where they stand,” said Goodwin.

Report
Following the needs analysis, Goodwin said that a report will be produced for early 2013 and presented to the ad hoc committee organized by the CSU. In consultation with the executive and committee, MHPM will develop options geared to the needs and wants of students.

Options
Following this, the CSU will present the options to Concordia students and see which choices are well received and which aren’t. According to Goodwin, it’s possible to combine different aspects of the options.

“We don’t want to present a slew of options that are confusing, the idea is present different ways of looking at things,” he said. “We also get a bit of a vision of where students want to go.”

Preparing for next year
Outside of MHPM’s mandate and realm, a referendum could be held for students to decided how to move forward. Furthermore, the CSU and MHPM will work in tandem to provide a roadmap on how to move forward with future student centre initiatives.

THE CHALLENGES

Student involvement
One of the main obstacles that MHPM and the CSU will face is having students participate in the needs survey and provide their input on a potential student centre.

“The CSU wants to get the support but it’s up to the students,” explained Goodwin.

“It’s getting the engagement.”

Concordia’s undergraduate population is composed of 30,000 students and the goal is to involve as many as possible.

Two campuses
The mandate and proposal is geared to construct a student centre at Concordia’s downtown Sir George Williams campus while still accommodating the needs of the population at Loyola campus in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce.

“Our mandate is very much laid out for a student centre at the SGW campus but it is for the entire student body,” Goodwin told The Concordian.

Urban setting, lack of space
While it is too early to consider options for a proposed student centre, one possibility that can be ruled out is modifying a building that Concordia already owns. It would be difficult to change a facility that is already in use since the university already has a large student population and a lack of space.

“I think there are too many things involved in that,” said Goodwin. “If it is an option, we need some openness from administration on that.”

The objective is to find out what students think “how far is too far and what they consider campus to be” so that a location can be found that reflects Concordia student life. However, Goodwin remains optimistic considering MHPM has dealt with Ryerson University in Toronto that also is in the heart of the city.

Administration
A significant problem of the past is the dealing of the CSU and university administration when it comes to proposing and accepting a student centre plan. According to Goodwin, past proposals failed because students’ needs weren’t taken into consideration or the university presented an offer that received a negative reaction from undergraduate students.

CSU VP clubs and internal affairs Nadine Atallah (left) and VP finance Keny Toto. Photo by Madelayne Hajek

The Concordia Student Union unanimously agreed on a motion to sign a $97,000 contract with MHPM Project Managers Inc. for their services in planning and preparing for a new student centre during a regular council meeting Wednesday.

The contract would also allow MHPM to aid the CSU in negotiating with the university should there be another round of student centre contract negotiations in the future.

Nadine Atallah, VP clubs and internal affairs, said that hiring MHPM was an important step in the long-term plan for the student centre.

“The whole idea behind this is to keep the option open for students to decide if they want to move forward with the university, independently or with another party,” said Atallah. “Should students decide they do want to move forward with the university, then at least we’ll have started the process of putting together an agreement that is a little more representative of the students’ interest.”

Two representatives from MHPM were present at the CSU meeting to explain their proposal and to answer any questions. Council had very few questions upon the conclusion of the presentation, but Atallah told The Concordian that council members received the proposal weeks in advance and many had already had their questions answered by her. Council voted unanimously to accept the motion, but after the representatives left, councillor Ramy Khoriaty raised concerns about what had specifically been voted on.

“Is this a proposal or a contract?” Khoriaty asked. After being informed that council had agreed to a contract, not simply a proposal, Khoriaty asked if the contract had been reviewed by a lawyer. Council then reconsidered and amended the motion to have a lawyer review the contract before its approval.

The student centre, which has been an issue for students and the CSU for nearly a decade, would provide free space for students and clubs near the downtown campus. An account set up for student space has amassed more than nine million dollars to date, according to VP finance, Keny Toto, mostly from fee levies and interest accrued over the years.

Alex Callard, a second-year communications student, said he was cautiously optimistic when he heard of the agreement.

“It really depends on what specifically the consultants are helping out with,” he said, “Because if they’re professionals and can actually do a better job, then I think it’s a reasonable investment.”

Justin Banks, a second-year marketing student, said that he had been hearing about the student centre for as long as he’s been at Concordia, but is still wary about paying a project management firm so much for their services.

“If they’re going to be drawing up the blueprints and planning everything that needs to be done before construction takes place, then I suppose it’s a necessary evil,” he said. “The CSU doesn’t know anything about what the building needs other than what they want for students, so it could be worth it.”

According to Atallah, once the contract has been signed, a financial feasibility study will be conducted followed by the creation of a project implementation plan.

“The first step is consulting with students on what they need from the space, on what space we have and what we might need in 10 years,” Atallah said. “Once you get the results from the space study, then we put together a financial feasibility study, which is basically looking real-time at what’s available to us and what are our options.”