The JDUC will officially reclaim its place as the “heart of student life on campus” in less than a month.
An April 8 Gazette announcement confirmed the JDUC is set to reopen to the public on May 5, after three separate delays to the move-in process this year. The AMS and Society of Graduate and Professional Students (SGPS) were initially given a target for occupancy last May, which was then delayed to Aug. 1, and further pushed back to Nov. 29 before being delayed again to Jan. 20. The revitalization project was announced in 2019, with construction beginning in fall 2022.
READ MORE: Another JDUC move-in delay causes AMS to withhold setting a firm timeline
The University explained Graham Construction Limited, the firm overseeing the JDUC revitalization, officially handed the project back to Queen’s earlier this month, with all construction completed and required inspections successfully passed.
The JDUC will house both the SGPS and AMS offices, commissions, clubs, and services, including the revitalized Queen’s Pub set to open June 3. The building also has a residence wing, which was completed on schedule back in August but faced its own set of issues as residents complained of high temperatures in their rooms and loud construction noise.
READ MORE: AMS and SGPS voice frustration over JDUC delays
For AMS President Owen Rocchi, who had hoped to oversee the AMS’s return into the revitalized space, the May reopening feels bittersweet.
“While we’ve [the AMS] heard many potential move-in dates, it’s bittersweet to hear this announcement as it comes a year too late. I couldn’t be more excited for the new team and the many future years the AMS will have in the building,” Rocchi wrote in a statement to The Journal.
The Journal reached out to the SGPS for a comment but didn’t receive a response in time for publication. Given the multiple delays with move in dates from the University, neither the AMS nor SGPS have provided updates on when their respective teams will officially move into the building, despite the May 5 reopening date.
Tags
AMS, JDUC, JDUC revitalization, SGPS
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