Story updated at 5:23 p.m.
Despite being set to open later this year, students have been left in the dark about what to expect for space allocations in the new John Deutsch University Centre (JDUC) building.
In the first part of an investigative series on the JDUC redevelopment project, The Journal is releasing blueprints for the new JDUC structure. Obtained under a Freedom of Information request, images one through seven depict floor plans for the proposed JDUC structure as agreed upon by the University, AMS, and SGPS in 2018-19.
Image eight depicts a comparison of space allocation for student spaces in the original JDUC to the redeveloped JDUC.
On Jan. 11, The Journal contacted both the AMS and SGPS to confirm whether these blueprints represented current plans for the JDUC redevelopment project. Both the AMS and SGPS confirmed the blueprints didn’t represent the current working floor plan. Images nine through 11 depict updated plans for the new JDUC, as delivered at AMS Assembly in December 2023.
According to the AMS in a follow-up statement, the older blueprints represented “initial sketches drawn by the architects during the bidding process.”
The Journal wrote to the AMS and the director of campus planning and real estate to inquire further about space allocation for the new structure, but didn’t receive a reply in time for publication.
READ MORE: JDUC blueprints unaccounted for
The JDUC redevelopment project was approved by a university-wide referendum vote in 2019, where undergraduate students agreed to a mandatory $40 fee levied annually for two years beginning in the Fall 2019 term. The mandatory fee was increased to $73.92 in the Fall 2021 term and each year thereafter.
In the 2023-24 year, SGPS students paid $45.87 in mandatory fees for the JDUC’s redevelopment.
This election season, the Student Life Centre (SLC) fee is on the ballot for undergraduate students, with the AMS seeking a $5 increase from the current $38.57 fee.
The SLC fee covers operational costs such as office rents, bookable rooms, and other club spaces. The SLC fee is being increased as the new JDUC includes features such as a fully functioning HVAC system, and a 24-hour building.
According to a follow-up statement by the AMS, the improvements to the building come at a higher price point, requiring a fee increase.
Corrections
A previous version of this story incorrectly stated the JDUC Redevelopment fee was going up for referendum, when in fact it is the SLC fee. Incorrect information was published in the Jan. 12 issue of The Queen’s Journal.
The Journal regrets the error
Tags
AMS, blueprints, JDUC revitalization, JDUC Revitalization Investigation
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