Waste of tuition dollars IMO.... I wonder how much of the student fees for this will be paid for with student loans. I bet at least 50% and since that $1.2 million will be the last of the student loan repaid, because it was the least important and therefore not needed expense, one can assume it will take 10 years of $1.2 million in student debt or roughly twice that amount to be paid back in full by the students who can least afford it.

Its a shame and scam IMO. I think any fees above and beyond the actual education should NOT be a mandatory fee for wanting to go to school and get an education. Ditto for all the stupid clubs that one is forced to pay for when they sign up for an education when even a single course can total in extra fees almost as much as the course itself.

IMO universities are more of a gatekeeper for the privileged then an educational facility. Jobs are restricted to those who can get the degree, but the degree is no longer on the basis of ability, but rather the financial capacity of ones means to fund professors that are paid twice what their worth, and all the special clubs the affluent set up to increase the socialised cost burdens on the not so well of aspiring students.

Personally, I feel it is a privledge to attend university, but not because I was able to affort to attend, but because I worked my butt off in high school to apply for burseries and scholarships as there is no way my single mother could afford to send me. The last I checked I did not obtain my degree by how much I paid in tuition but because of how much I again worked my butt off to get the grades I needed to be at my convecation day and received what I worked so hard for the past 4 years of my life. Yes, the cost of tuition is beyond beleif, but when I attended UNBC the cost I paid also provided me with a number of opportunities I would not have otherwise experienced should I have not paid for them with my tuition. University was not only a learning experience but also a life experience I would not have gained from working at a fast food restaurant. Now, 6 years later I would not have the successful business and service I provide to the PG area should I have not achieved everything I worked for. Yes, some of this cost also goes to paying professors, who earn every cent they earn with not only teaching but also providing valualbe research to thier field and bringing more research money into UNBC and the community. University is not necessarily a money grab, but an opporutinty for those who are determined to gain a better chance than just minimum wage in life.

Well, Eagleone, it is obvious to me that you have never had the experience of post secondary education, otherwise you would have a different point of view.

Your points are well taken and up to ten years ago I would have agreed with you. But at 54 years of age I went back to College and worked my but off in classes. It was one of the hardest and most enjoyable things I have ever done, and very rewarding. Some of the most relaxing times, between stressful school tasks, was at the SUB that used to be at CNC.

From my point of view, a SUB is one of the most important facilities at a College or Univeristy.
Meeting place, neutral ground, what ever you want to call it. It is like a community centre for this community.

Good stuff for everyone.

P.S. This is not an exclusive place and is open to the public as well. They will take your money, and I look forward to a beer there with my grandkids.

I have never gone to university. The trade that I worked in required me to keep learning all the years that I worked to keep abreast of technological changes taking place.It always felt great to get a new slant on a problem.
University to me was just a dream and out of the question as times were much different then .There was no such thing as a student loan. It is good to hear that the young of today have the oppertunity for an advanced education.
It is mind boggling that tuition fees are so high and our young people have to struggle to pay back loans made to further their education. As for snobs they will always be there but there are many more determined to succeed. Best of luck to you all.

Cheers

"IMO universities are more of a gatekeeper for the privileged then an educational facility."

That is partly true in this country. It should be "free" the same as the primary and secondary education, which also were for the priviledged at one time.

However, the rules of how that education is being paid for are rules made by governments, not the universities.

Screening based on ability to pay and screening on the demonstrated ability to learn are two completely different things.

The Universities control the latter, the government controls the former.

So go take up your bitch session with the various privincial governments as well as the federal government since they provide some money earmarked for post secondary education to the provinces.

Now let me put another hat on.

Pubs, stores, squash courts, sauna's, exercise rooms, meeting rooms. arcades, etc. etc. are typically paid for by user fees in other parts of town. The cost of rent or lease, leasehold improvements, utilities, staff, stock, maintenance, etc. should be covered by those who use the facilities.

So, I agree that some of the facilities whould not be paid by the full student body. Work it the same as City facilities, the Y, etc. per use, per hour, per day, per week, per month, per semester fees.

Of course, if that were the case, some of the facilities would not be viable since the risk of getting enough users in such a remote area would be relatively high.

Big deal, right?

Hop in your gas guzzler, oil burning, $1,500 special and mosey on down the hill or accross to CH and buy that beer at the nearest pub.

;-)

"The greatest challenges were working out the 99 year lease [of the former fitness center] with UNBC, as well as dealing with the changes in student board members every year."

Enquiring minds want to know.

Does the lease include paying off the $2.4 million "tenant improvements" or are the two separate?

If so, what is the lease agreement in terms of dollars per year to be paid to UNBC for student "recreational" space?

Just as a note, don`t forget you can attend University once you are a senior citizen and I beleive that tuition fees are waived>

OK, for the record, tuition fees are NOT astronomical, and the actual fee paid by the student is only a small proportion ogf the actual cost (taxes pay the rest). We already have a heavily subsidized post secondary system. I worked my way through university, no one paid my way. If you want higher education you need to earn it. This can be done with scholarships, etc. or through employment before during, and yes after the degree. It seems that people are getting more and more demanding as time goes by.
As for the student center and user fees, well these discussions are as old as universties themselves. I paid my fees, including athletic fees as it was understood that the university existed as a whole, not just buildings or faculties or just opportunities for students. The reputation of a university is important to its existence. Sports and student facilities are important to that reputation.
Just remember, if you offer free tuition (and whats next, cost of living grants ?) then there will be a lot more competition for those university spots. A lot of people who did not get straight A marks for the last three years of school will be out of luck.
Pay your tuition, and your fees. Take pride in your university, get your education and reap the rewards. Or just get a job and/or career while the getting is hot. At no time in my life has there been more opportunity or wealth for the easy picking than there is now.