Student governments are working to understand what students want from the JDUC rebuild.
The AMS and the SGPS are seeking students’ input on retail services in the new JDUC through the JDUC Retail Space Survey, which was launched on Instagram on Oct. 30.
“There are still a few retail spaces that have still not been decided for the JDUC,” AMS President Kate McCuaig said in an interview with The Journal.
The student survey is meant to help student governments decide on what to do with the remaining spaces. The survey data will be presented to Tony Gkotsis, director (campus planning and real estate), and the real estate agent in charge of JDUC commercial leases. The information will be used to find commercial tenants for JDUC spaces.
The survey asks students to rank services and retail outlets they want in the JDUC. Options include apparel stores, tech services, beauty services, and convenience stores.
So far, the survey has collected 50 responses. Lululemon and convenience stores 7/11 and Campus One Stop are popular requests amongst students.
“We saw a lot of requests for apparel outlets. Lululemon was a huge requester. In addition to that, a convenience store similar to Campus One-Stop or 7/11 was a huge requester,” McCuaig said.
When interviewed, students were unaware of the survey but expressed an interest in having student-run businesses in the JDUC.
“There was a focus on companies when really what I want to see is more student-run organizations having a space in the JDUC,” Robert Herz, Comm ’25, said in an interview with The Journal.
The survey was created by the AMS in consultation with the SGPS to ensure graduate and professional students were included in the survey.
“We were happy to be able to consult with the AMS on the content of the survey and provided feedback throughout the development process to ensure that the survey met the needs of graduate and professional students,” said Devin Fowlie, SGPS president, in a statement to The Journal.
The food services located in the JDUC will be Khao, a Shawarma location, and a Bento Sushi. Some AMS services will be moving into the JDUC, such as Tricolour Outlet and CoGro’s sister location, the Brew, which will be re-opening after it closed during the pandemic.
McCuaig encourages all students to fill out the survey and share their perspectives.
“The JDUC is a space by students for students. It is a hub of student life on campus. We want to make sure the retail spaces fit the student needs today,” McCuaig said.
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