Financial difficulties and a rent increase cast uncertainty over the future of Queen’s Grad Club.
Starting in September 2024, Queen’s University, the Grad Club’s landlord, is raising rent from approximately $1,000 to $4,200 per month, a figure that excludes utilities and maintenance of the building, Grad Club Director of Operations Astrid Hobill explained. Hobill was unable to disclose the Grad Club’s exact rent costs.
Rent for the Grad Club hasn’t increased since 2013 and is more than four times below typical commercial rent for buildings of the same size in Kingston, Queen’s University said in a statement to The Journal. There’s a gap between the rent and the investment the University is putting into the building, including updates to the plumbing, general maintenance expenses, and the installation of an accessibility ramp.
Operating costs and building investments have consistently surpassed rental income for The Grad Club, the University said. Since 2017, close to $650,000 has been spent on repairs and maintenance.
Hobill said the University has deferred maintenance to the Grad Club for years, and the Club pays for its own repairs, a costly portion of operations.
“If [Queen’s] were willing to come in and do all the repairs, we’d be super happy to pay that amount,” Hobill said.
Lost revenue from pandemic closures, and a flood last February at the Grad Club have strained its finances, threatening the club’s ability to keep its doors open to students.
“I definitely know we need to find a way to figure out the finances, otherwise, in its current iteration, the Grad Club will probably not be quite the same anymore,” Hobill said.
Students are still coming to the Grad Club Hobill said, but are spending less under rising costs of living. Although they use food and drink to subsidize the space for graduate students, its leadership wants to preserve its status as a community hotspot.
The Grad Club is exploring fundraising options and hosting events to balance its books. Money raised will cover capital costs, including repairing several beer fridges damaged by the flood, and repaying loans incurred during the pandemic.
The University said it will collaborate with the Grad Club’s management and Board over the finances. The Grab Club has been run out of the University-owned heritage house on Barrie St. since 1976.
Hobill described the unique identity of the Grad Club and emphasized its importance as a one-of-a-kind space for graduate and professional students to connect.
“We’re not a regular bar pub, we’re a community space for graduate students. That’s kind of a communal space for graduate students and professional students alike and this is the one place where everyone can come and connect,” Hobill said.
Tags
Finances, Grad Club, rent, University
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Rob
The Grad Club pays less rent than it costs for the average bachelor apartment in Kingston. The rent increase of 400% will take them to market values for 2023 and will be implemented over a four year period, not all at once in September. Queen’s is a terrible landlord and the claim that they spent 650k over the last 10 years seems unlikely, I would love to see those receipts. But, let’s not ignore that the Grad Club collects tens of thousands of dollars every year from Graduate Student Fees which is more than enough to pay market rent rates and utilities. That the Grad Club finds itself this far in debt is in large part due to terrible customer service and bad management.