Space Crunch: Top Five Wasted UTSC Spots

Abandoned old Tim Hortons at UTSC"s Bladen Wing  (Photo Courtesy: Janice Yeung)

Lack of space at UTSC is an old and tired issue. But is the campus too small, or have we simply ignored spots which could be utilized better to allow for more space on our crowded campus?

“What is really lacking on this campus are informal places to hang out at,” says Michael Lambek, anthropology professor and Canada Research Chair at UTSC.

Since its establishment in 1964, UTSC has undergone a number of major changes to accommodate the growing number of students and faculty members, including the construction of several new buildings.

In 2002, the university initiated a giant capital expansion program. The following year, three new facilities opened: the Academic Resource Centre (ARC) which included expanded library facilities, a digital library and a 500-seat lecture theatre; Joan Foley Hall, an apartment-style building housing students living on campus, and the Doris McCarthy Gallery.

On UTSC’s 40^th anniversary in 2004, the campus celebrated by opening a brand new Management Building and a two-storey Student Centre. Most recently, in 2008 the campus welcomed the Science Research building.

Set to open in 2011, a new $78-million instructional centre at Military Trail and Ellesmere Rd. is currently being constructed.  It will host the management and computer science departments as well as the co-op program.

All these new buildings have allowed students of different faculties to have classes in buildings that represent their specific fields of study. More spaces for students to study in or simply hang out in are also beneficial to the overall experience of campus life.

However, does a campus expansion simply mean constructing more buildings? Have we fully utilized the spaces we already have at this school?

“The new building being constructed in the North Campus will cater to management students, but what about other people?” questioned Thembela Kepe, assistant professor of geography.  “Not everyone wants to cross Ellesmere Rd. to enjoy university life. Maybe a lot more is needed for the South Campus too.”

In this article, The Underground has scoured the campus for five spots that are a waste of space. Read the following list and see if you agree with us.

1.  The old Tim Hortons on the first floor of the Bladen Wing

The store has been closed since August 2008, and rightly so, since two new Timmies have opened since then: one at the pre-2005 location of the UTSC Bookstore in the ARC and another in the Meeting Place. If a business is closed down, it only makes sense to use the space for something else, or at least take down the sign.  The area could be used to open up a new food store which the campus is greatly deprived of, or at least accommodate a few benches for student buskers.

2.  The not-so-effective open concept of the library

The UTSC library has been constructed according to an ‘open concept,’ allowing students upstairs to observe what is happening on the first floor and reduce heating costs due to the free flow of air in between the two storeys. There have been obvious disadvantages to this though, since the noise students make on the ground floor can easily be heard by students upstairs, most of whom studying at the cubicles. This distraction makes it harder for students to focus. If the holes could be partially closed off, a lot more study carrels could be placed there. This could accommodate more students and also minimize the disturbances from people talking downstairs.

3.  The various parking lots

There are nine parking lots at UTSC: six within the main campus and the remaining three in the outer lots. UTSC is known to be a commuter campus, but our system of above-ground parking lots is ineffective. A better option would be for the university to invest in underground parking that could leave more space for the North Campus expansion.

“A lot of space is taken up by parking lots,” said Kepe. “The university could do a lot more in encouraging people not to drive and take public transport; this would create a lot more space for campus development.”

4.  The Valley Below UTSC

Accessible from Old Kingston Road, ‘the Valley’ consists of a baseball diamond where Varsity Blues baseball games are held. Apart from the stadium and a few tennis courts, the location is not being utilized except for the occasional UTSC Sustainability Office events where students are invited to learn about growing plants and food produce. The beautiful natural scenery in the area could also be used for educational purposes.

“One of the things I like about this campus is that there is a lot of nature around,” said Kepe. “As a geography professor, I want to use this environment to teach my students.”

We’re not implying that trees should be cut down to build more buildings, but access to the Valley can be improved and an outdoor soccer pitch or more student residences should be considered in further planning of this area.

5.  Portables outside the Science Research building

The portables outside the new Science Research building regularly house classes and offices for TA’s and sessional lecturers. The sight of these truck containers is not especially attractive, and most students who have written exams in the portables complain of the poor design and constricted enclosed space. The area occupied by the portables could originally have been used to build a sports field or a studio theatre.

“One of the problems that UTSC has is that sometimes it feels like nobody wants to be here,” said Kepe. “It feels like people want to come in and go. If the place was more vibrant and more attractive in terms of the space provided, students would want to spend more time here.”

But how long will it take before we see an improvement in space management on campus?

“Hopefully in the future there will enough space to accommodate students so that they can study in places they want,” said Philip McKeen, UTSC’s space planning officer.  “This takes time, however, because developing the campus is a process that occurs slowly.”

Fixing up the campus requires money, but most students are willing to financially contribute if they can see visible results.

“Creating more space can benefit the students and it is a good cause, I would not mind paying more of my tuition to support that,” agrees Ryan Wong, a second-year management student.

Last year, students voted to pay for part of the $170-million athletics complex for the 2015 Pan Am Games. As the campus gets increasingly crowded, we hope that the university makes use of the wasted space on campus before they decide to construct new buildings.

This article was originally published in the Underground (University of Toronto Scarborough Campus's official student news magazine) on Nov. 11, 2010.