CELEBRATING 20 1 0
1910
YEARS
volume CI number 32
the official student newspaper at the university of alberta
Simon Yackulic
Deputy News Editor
The young University of Alberta wrestling team is hoping to make a big impact in this weekend’s Canada West Finals in Saskatoon. Sports, Page 33
Valenteeto is seduced Metaleeto is tempted by villainness Botany Babe, whose seductive charm may be too hot to handle. comics, Page 35
“Lister culture is insular to the point of incest.” Matt Meuse tells Listerites complaining about the proposed floor changes to stop whining. OPinion, Page 12
thursday, february 10, 2011
Plans for new Physical Activity Centre nearing completionion
inside
Grappling with the competition
www.thegatewayonline.ca
Initial plans for the projected $57 million Physical Activity and Wellness (PAW) Centre are progressing as the Students’ Union continues to negotiate an agreement with the University of Alberta to ensure undergraduate direction in the new facility. Students’ Union President Nick Dehod said the SU has been meeting with representatives from the university to discuss what should be in the new building, and he expressed enthusiasm for the facility’s layout. “I think the designs that are coming up are exciting and I think this will really change campus a lot,” Dehod said. “We’re very close to the end of schematic design, which will mean where the actual physical spaces are and how the building is oriented. Once that’s signed off on, we’ll move onto the next stage, which is design development — which is where do the doors go, what kind of doors, things like that.” Included in the design is a climbing wall, a new exercise centre that will be three times the size of the current one, and a concourse with food vendors. As the project is focused on wellness, the food served will be healthier in nature. Dehod added that the plans include a space for a student kitchen. “The thing that’s important about wellness is not just the food elements themselves, but also this idea of having a community kitchen — a teaching kitchen — giving students the opportunity to watch or learn how to make different dishes,” Dehod said, noting that potential physical activity uses within the space will stretch beyond purely a gym. They’re going to be adding space for yoga, meditation, and prayer. “We’ve added more studio space for more things like yoga. There’s still fitness but we’re having more discussions about how we can accommodate meditation space on campus. It’s becoming a different conversation, but we’re discussing how we can accommodate things like prayer into the facility.” The SU has been involved in construction in the past, in cases such as HUB, SUB and University Hall, which was the previous Students’ Union building. “This is different in that this isn’t a Students’ Union building. This is a
building that will be operated on a dayto-day basis by the university — by [the Faculty of] Physical Education and Recreation — but it does have a student majority group that provides direction in terms of how the building can work. So it’s different than other places on campus in that students don’t necessarily own the building, but they have representation and a voice in the direction the building takes,” Dehod noted. The committee that will provide direction for the PAW Centre will be made up of a majority of students. “That’s part of the agreement, which is ironing that out, but essentially you’d have a student majority working with the people responsible for the day-to-day operations and providing direction on an annual basis.” In 2006, there was a failed referendum to create a Physical Activities Complex. Last year’s referendum on the PAW Centre, which passed with 52 per cent of the vote, spelled out the conditions that the SU will include in the agreement with the university. One of the conditions of the referendum was that students wouldn’t start paying for the building until after it was usable. Dehod feels that other aspects of the PAW Centre also made it more favourable to students than the previous offering. “One of the reasons why I think this referendum was successful was because this time there was more student involvement with the development of the project, [and] that it’s not only focused on fitness but wellness as well, and there was more discussion around sustainability,” Dehod said. University of Alberta Associate Vice President (Facilities and Operations) Bart Becker was equally enthusiastic over the potential in the project for both students and staff. “First and foremost, we think it’s an incredible opportunity to link some much-needed health and wellness infrastructure on our campus with some much-needed program space for Phys. Ed. and Rec.,” Becker said. “It touches almost everyone on this campus.” “I think the larger facility will provide a greater opportunity for all members of the university community to work towards a healthy lifestyle.” Becker said that he hoped the design phase of the project would be brought forward to the facility development committee this summer, and that they will be in position to award
the project for tender by the new year — making 2012 the earliest that construction can begin. Initial plans for the projected $57 million Physical Activity and Wellness (PAW) Centre are progressing as the Students’ Union continues to negotiate an agreement with the University of Alberta to ensure undergraduate direction in the new facility. Students’ Union President Nick Dehod said the SU has been meeting with representatives from the university to discuss what should be in the new building, and he expressed enthusiasm for the facility’s layout. “I think the designs that are coming up are exciting and I think this will really change campus a lot,” Dehod said. “We’re very close to the end of schematic design, which will mean where the actual physical spaces are and how the building is oriented. Once that’s signed off on, we’ll move onto the next stage, which is design development — which is where do the doors go, what kind of doors, things like that.” Included in the design is a climbing wall, a new exercise centre that will be three times the size of the current one, and a concourse with food vendors. As the project is focused on wellness, the food served will be healthier in nature. Dehod added that the plans include a space for a student kitchen. “The thing that’s important about wellness is not just the food elements themselves, but also this idea of having a community kitchen — a teaching kitchen — giving students the opportunity to watch or learn how to make different dishes,” Dehod said, noting that potential physical activity uses within the space will stretch beyond purely a gym. They’re going to be adding space for yoga, meditation, and prayer. “We’ve added more studio space for more things like yoga. There’s still fitness but we’re having more discussions about how we can accommodate meditation space on campus. It’s becoming a different conversation, but we’re discussing how we can accommodate things like prayer into the facility.” The SU has been involved in construction in the past, in cases such as HUB, SUB and University Hall, which was the previous Students’ Union building. “This is different in that this isn’t a Students’ Union building. This is a
building that will be operated on a dayto-day basis by the university — by [the Faculty of] Physical Education and Recreation — but it does have a student majority group that provides direction in terms of how the building can work. So it’s different than other places on campus in that students don’t necessarily own the building, but they have representation and a voice in the direction the building takes,” Dehod noted. The committee that will provide direction for the PAW Centre will be made up of a majority of students. “That’s part of the agreement, which is ironing that out, but essentially you’d have a student majority working with the people responsible for the day-to-day operations and providing direction on an annual basis.” In 2006, there was a failed referendum to create a Physical Activities Complex. Last year’s referendum on the PAW Centre, which passed with 52 per cent of the vote, spelled out the conditions that the SU will include in the agreement with the university. One of the conditions of the referendum was that students wouldn’t start paying for the building until after it was usable. Dehod feels that other aspects of the PAW Centre also made it more favourable to students than the previous offering. “One of the reasons why I think this referendum was successful was because this time there was more student involvement with the development of the project, [and] that it’s not only focused on fitness but wellness as well, and there was more discussion around sustainability,” Dehod said. University of Alberta Associate Vice President (Facilities and Operations) Bart Becker was equally enthusiastic over the potential in the project for both students and staff. “First and foremost, we think it’s an incredible opportunity to link some much-needed health and wellness infrastructure on our campus with some much-needed program space for Phys. Ed. and Rec.,” Becker said. “It touches almost everyone on this campus.” “I think the larger facility will provide a greater opportunity for all members of the university community to work towards a healthy lifestyle.” Becker said that he hoped the design phase of the project would be brought forward to the facility development comr, and that they will be inposition to award for tender in the new year.
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