By Mike Soron
The offices, labs, and public spaces at SFU have seriously deteriorated because they are not maintained as needed. It saddens me to see the monumental steps of Arthur Erikson’s Convocation Mall literally crumbling, marked off by orange safety pylons on rainy days. Some buildings are unsafe and others so degraded that they can only be demolished. This is not an acceptable environment for world-class teaching, learning and research and graduate students are calling on the B.C. government to restore funding for the maintenance and renewal of campus buildings.
SFU’s Capital Plan, approved by the Board of Governors last spring, indicates that more than half of SFU’s buildings are in ‘poor’ condition. The plan warns that the WAC Bennett Library building is seismically unsafe. Considering this, I’m not surprised that building maintenance and renewal is a top priority for university administrators. Considering that SFU’s report to the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) indicates a backlog of over $700 million at SFU Burnaby alone, building maintenance and renewal will remain a priority for many, many years. Yet, SFU cannot even meet ordinary yearly maintenance costs, let alone address the backlog of repairs postponed because of recent funding cuts.
In Canada, the provinces are responsible for post-secondary education, and British Columbia has historically funded maintenance through an annual capital allowance (ACA) to universities and colleges. Funding for SFU ACA has been dramatically slashed, from approximately $4.6 million in 2008–2009 to just over $500,000 in 2010–2011 — a 90 per cent decrease! SFU’s is asking for $20 million a year in provincial maintenance funding starting in 2012, just to keep our buildings and infrastructure from degrading further. But, administration’s report to the NWCCU says a value twice that is needed. If appropriate funding is not soon provided, SFU warns that its operations will be affected. At our university, operations must mean teaching, learning and research. These are SFU’s core functions and — at minimum — we need safe and healthy classrooms, labs, and washrooms kept in good repair.
Everyday, next to unsealed windows and closed-off hallways, students feel the consequences of not maintaining our buildings and infrastructure. I hear stories from graduate students about leaky ceilings, unheated offices, and unrepaired fixtures. I see the damage at SFU Vancouver, too, where malfunctioning elevators and locked stairwells soured my early classwork at Harbour Centre. Feedback from concerned students in these buildings should encourage the province to restore and prioritize maintenance funding through the ACA.
Renewing buildings in Burnaby, Vancouver, and Surrey is a socially, fiscally, and environmentally responsible use of provincial resources. Repairing and rebuilding our campus employs British Columbian workers and can reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to dangerous global warming. Undertaking these repairs can improve the health and well-being of students, faculty, and staff on campus. Further delaying this work will only increase risk and long-term costs, while impairing the teaching, learning and research taking place at SFU today. So, grab a camera, document the urgent need around you, and help the GSS advocate for the provincial funds needed to repair our campus.
You can help advocate for restored funding by photographing examples of the under-maintained campus and its impact on your learning, research, and teaching. Take photographs and send them to advocacy@sfugradsociety.ca or by visiting iheartsfu.tumblr.com. The Graduate Student Society will collect these stories and photos showing how postponing maintenance affects teaching, learning and research and use them in making a strong case for urgent action by the B.C. government.
