The SUB needs to be a community space, first and foremost. The lack of community at SFU is a constant topic of conversation, meaning our SUB needs to be a walk-through space — a central hub.
Unless you’ve walked to and from class without looking up, you’ve noticed Build SFU posters everywhere. Architects have begun their focus groups to get a sense of the layout we as students need for the SUB.
After gathering information from students, the architects, and what ideas they had laid out, this is what I think the SUB needs, and what students should strive for.
Although it would have a wicked view and might have fewer issues with accommodating other structures, The Treehouse location is not ideal at all. I feel it’s highly unlikely applied science students, for example, would make the trek from the other side of campus. So, although this space would be great for me, it doesn’t seem inclusive enough. And let’s not kid ourselves, the Business students would take it over, anyway.
UBC’s new SUB is going to be net-positive, so let’s not fall behind.
The two other proposed sites can achieve the goals of this building; however, both of them come with building constraints, particularly on top of the Rotunda. That area needs renovations, and it does seem practical to do it all at once, but where does that leave groups such as SFPRIG, Out on Campus, the First Nations Student Union, and the Women’s Centre? Will they even get a place within the new SUB? We can’t just accept a location without asking questions.
So what does a genuine community and accessibility look like? Communities need places to gather. SFU currently lacks a place like this, Convo Mall for example, is too large for anything other than convocation, and other events seem to get lost in the space — it requires music so loud that students interested in participating seem to only end up repelled. For this reason, we need a giant open foyer as a place for people to meet, rally, and be informed.
We also need spaces for student organisations and clubs. The best way to strengthen community is to get students involved, but it’s difficult when clubs, departmental student unions, and student organisations are hidden in back corners that require you to navigate a labyrinth just to find them (I’m looking at you, Sustainable SFU).
We need a giant foyer as a place for people to meet and be informed.
The SUB must also be sustainable. The architects have promised the highest level of sustainability in their plans, and this is a promise that needs to be fulfilled. UBC’s new SUB, for example, is going to be net-positive, so let’s not fall behind. Would we, as a university, want to be any less than our UBC counterpart? If we’re going to invest, it should be done right — plus, we’re paying for it!
My outlook is hopeful that the firm will deliver what we need, and from what I heard voiced by other students in the Think Tank, we have a lot of common ideas on what the SUB will look like. We don’t need fancy things like games rooms or fireplaces, but I wouldn’t mind if we splurged on comfy seating and a decent place to study — this is a university after all.
Community, student involvement, accessibility, and sustainable architecture are what our SUB needs most. Our SUB needs to facilitate student engagement, and so far, I’m pretty impressed by the ideas I’ve heard. I just hope that promises made to date are kept, and that our SUB will truly meet the needs of SFU students.
Correction: First Nations Student Association!