What is Student Housing For?

The Board of Governors should be able to clearly articulate an answer to the question: What is Student Housing at UBC for?

Growth of Student Housing Pays Dividends For UBC

In 2015-16, once the rent increases take effect, SHHS is forecast to pay a $7.8M dividend to the university administration. That’s about $728 for every person living in residence at UBC.

Follow the Money: How Student Rents Are Funneled Into New Construction Projects

UBC wants to build new undergrad teaching labs which will cost $80M. As is the case with many campus building projects, UBC does not have $80M. So, UBC has concocted a plan to come up with $80M. There is some complicated financial wizardry afoot.

Random. Precedent Setting. Undergrad. Cash Grab.

Another year, another attempt at a random precedent setting undergrad cash grab from UBC. This year’s version is the proposed Bachelor of International Economics (BIE), a new degree program in the Vancouver School of Economics (VSE), a new school in the faculty of Arts.

The bylaw the UNA deserves, but not the one it needs right now.

Yes, children make noise when they’re running around and having fun and that might be annoying. It’s a known design defect and no software patch has yet been developed to fix this bug. However, complaining about noise from a playground is something that makes you look like the crankiest of cranky old coots.

UBC Maximizing Housing Density by Minimizing Legal Compliance

Would UBC break the law to fulfill their market housing ambitions?

Yes!

Gage South to be Designated “Academic”

“The recommended … amendments to the Land Use Plan are the designation of the current ‘Area Under Review’ to ‘Academic’ which will allow student housing.”

BoG Endorsements!

In a race with only two spots available, to have 7 candidates who all demonstrated a good level of understanding and engagement in the Board process is outstanding – it shows a student interest in the larger issues like we haven’t had in years’ past.

Ballots of Notable People: Elin Tayyar

The bitter impression left by Bijan in last year’s election makes executives endorsing anyone a bit hesitant. The controversy of those events will take a few years for hacks to forget. I do feel encouraged to weigh in on one race, where I think I can offer a perspective: the Board of Governors.

What Questions Do You Ask a Board or Senate Candidate?

In past years the number of candidates who didn’t fully understand the body they were running to be elected to was astounding.