THE CAMPUS RESIDENT DECEMBER 19, 2016
Published by the University Neighbourhoods Association Volume 7, Issue 12
December 19, 2016
Season’s Greetings From the UNA Board of Directors and Staff Santa J. Ono Installed as UBC President in Stately Ceremony at Chan Centre
Playing Fields Off Limits to New Stadium Three options will be considered when developing Thunderbird Stadium; elimination of Options 3 and 4 is “wonderful news,” says neighbour
Professor Santa J. Ono was installed as 15th President of the University of British Columbia on November 22 in a colourful ceremony at the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts. Photo credit Paul Joseph, UBC Communications and Marketing. See story on Page 2.
Ministry Makes Plans for Major Outreach to UEL Survey on governance will be mailed to all households; however, president of community council has doubts about the Ministry’s plan The provincial government has plans for determining what residents of the University Endowment Lands think about the way they are governed. The Ministry of Community, Sport and Cultural Development has begun work on creating a set of information resources—fact sheets, a feedback form, a web portal and possibly newspaper advertising—designed to stimulate a conversion between UEL residents and the provincial government which governs the UEL. The Campus Resident understands the Ministry is still in the process of developing the specifics around roll out and timing of its outreach to the UEL community, but there is no doubt it is planned for the New Year.
UEL continued on Page 5
UNA Names In The News Charles Menzies
Michael Shakespeare
Charles Menzies, a Professor in the UBC Department of Anthropology and former Director of the University Neighbourhoods Association, is elected to the UBC Board of Governors with a start date of March 1, 2017. Professor Menzies, a campus resident, served for four years on UNA Board and will serve for three years on the UBC Board of Governors.
Michael Shakespeare, the Executive Director, Finance and Operations, UBC Faculty of Medicine, is appointed by UBC to the UNA Board. Mr.Shakespeare replaces UBC appointee Andrew Parr and joins Carole Jolly, Director, Community Development, UBC Campus and Community Planning, the other UBC appointee on the eight-member UNA Board.
On December 6 at their last meeting of 2016, the Governors of UBC passed a motion which—among other things— eliminates the prospect of UBC building a new 5,000-seat Thunderbird Stadium on the playing fields between Wesbrook Mall and East Mall. Instead, passage of the motion leaves UBC with a short-list of three options for what to do with the aging Thunderbird Stadium facility located on Stadium Road west of East Mall: •Renovate it to the tune of $25 million (code-named Option 1b). •Redevelop it in place at a cost of $30 million (Option 2). •Build a new stadium on former Whit Mathews Field located just to the east of the current stadium site also for $30 million (Option 5). Notably, the motion does not allow for UBC to build a new Thunderbird Stadium on Thunderbird Playing Fields, in particular that part of the fields immediately across Wesbrook Mall from Hampton Place (Option 3) or that part immediately across East Mall from the north tip of Hawthorn Place (Option 4). Hampton Place and Hawthorn Place residents who lobbied hard against Options 3 and 4 will doubtless feel jubilant about unanimous board approval of a motion that refers in total to a $150 million UBC initiative (termed GamePlan) to develop a 20-year strategy for fetching recreation and athletics facilities at UBC up to the same high standard as academic facilities. One prominent resident involved in lobbying UBC called the news that Option 3 and Option 4 had been dropped “wonderful.” UBC Campus and Community Planning is planning an all-residents meeting in January. Details to come. Prior to the December 6 meeting, the Board of Governors received a UBC staff report updating the development of UBC GamePlan. GamePlan continued on Page 5