Western Ontario and Fanshawe College

[MolsonExport]

Strike Averted As Western and Faculty Reach Tentative Agreement
http://www.cjbk.com/LocalNews/Story.aspx?ID=1305447

[MolsonExport]

Staff (UWOSA) could be on strike as early as tomorrow.

[MolsonExport]

UWOSA strike averted with a tentative deal reached at 3am this morning.

what the hell is it about 3am? (same time UWOFA deal was reached)


"Ahhh, fuck it!!! I give up! Let's shake hands, and call it a night, already!"

[haljackey]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

"Ahhh, fuck it!!! I give up! Let's shake hands, and call it a night, already!"

That's how unions in the 21st century work.

[bolognium]

http://www.lfpress.com/news/london/2...-17105781.html

FANSHAWE: College officials are not committing to an exact downtown location for the proposed campus
By PATRICK MALONEY, THE LONDON FREE PRESS

A skirmish may be looming over Fanshawe College’s proposed downtown London campus, with its exact core location possibly dividing the school and one council veteran.

With Fanshawe leaders preparing to present the just-completed business plan for their proposed arts campus, Coun. Bud Polhill is citing rumblings he’s heard that the school may not go exactly where he’d hoped.

“We were sold on the fact this was to rejuvenate the downtown on Dundas (St.),” Polhill said in a recent interview.

“If the good part of this is not in the Dundas corridor . . . then I’m having issues with it.”

While Fanshawe officials won’t rule out the downtown Dundas strip, they’re not guaranteeing that’ll be their new home, either.

It’s the school’s understanding the partnership with city hall focused on a so-called arts and entertainment district in the core, said Bernice Hull, Fanshawe’s vice-president of administration.

That district, presented to politicians a year ago, focused on Dundas and Richmond and is bordered basically by Talbot, Kent and Clarence streets and just south of Dundas to Market Lane.

“We have not excluded any street that falls within (that) district,” Hull said. “This is a long-term process where we’re looking at a variety of options. We’re not able to say exactly what it is we’ve identified at this time, but we’re exploring all options.”

The project could bring as many as 1,000 students to the downtown.

Students would be enrolled in arts-related Fanshawe programs. The college would buy and renovate heritage buildings to house the courses.

The project would require at least $10 million from city hall. There’s also as much as $10 million more in city dollars earmarked to help cover costs of downtown building upgrades.

Polhill, whose ward is in the east end, says Dundas revitalization should be a focus for all councillors.

“It will help a lot of businesses downtown if we rejuvenate it.”

The project is a priority for Coun. Judy Bryant, whose ward includes downtown.

Bryant is a firm supporter of having Fanshawe downtown, but won’t comment until after the college presents its business plan to councillors Feb. 10.

“I’m open to whatever’s going to work best for the city,” she said.

Fanshawe’s Hull isn’t surprised rumours are circulating about the campus location — “Something as big as this, people speculate,” she said — and says the project would move quickly if approved by council.

The school is looking to make “a start within the next year,” Hull said.

[ForestryW]

Originally Posted by bolognium

The school is looking to make “a start within the next year,” Hull said.

Talk about ambiguous...I wonder what this means.

[MolsonExport]

seems like a rather steep investment proposition for the city

[MrSlippery519]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

seems like a rather steep investment proposition for the city

Agreed and not really sure of the benefits, I do not see why the city should give Fanshawe money to build downtown. If they want a campus downtown then put up the money and build it.

[haljackey]

The city seems absolutely desperate to build anything downtown in order to boost it's reputation.

Check out http://www.downtownlondon.ca/, a really overblown website made by the city. That's your tax dollars at work!

[MrSlippery519]

I get the "revitalizing" downtown thing I really do, that said it should be smart investments not building things just for the sake of doing it. Fanshawe is one of those things I really do not see the benefit in building a campus downtown.

[MolsonExport]

^agreed. In Montreal, there was a similarly-sized downtown campus put in by Lasalle college. The effects on the neighborhood vitality were negligible at best (unless you count the explosion of cheap chinese noodle-joints and shawarma bars as a fantastic addition to the urban landscape).

STudents, esp. Fanshawe (vs. UWO) students are not very rich.

What is the cost/student to the city? vs. fINANCIAL benefits to the city of London (since the city is investing)?

Show me the objectively prepared report.

[bolognium]

I know a large chunk of the City money is going towards renovating heritage buildings. It's almost two times more expensive to renovate than build new and I guess the City wants those buildings renovated and is willing to help pay for it.

I'm waiting to read something official before I really form an opinion on this, but can you guys actually not see any upsides to this?

Students schooling downtown will likely live downtown. Students living downtown will spend their money downtown. Even if they're not well-off they will still have money to spend. Whether it's on food, bars, music venues, etc. More students (especially arts students) likely means more street performing and busking. Again, since they will be arts students there will likely be different forms of art on the streets, making for a more interesting streetscape. Then there are the actual renovated buildings with classrooms and performing areas that the City would like to use for youth/other purposes on nights and weekends.

Like I said, I'm waiting for information on Fanshawe's official plans before I form much of an opinion, but I'm pretty surprised you guys don't see any benefits to this.

[Snark]

Kitchener put up $30M to U of W and $9M to WLU to build campuses in downtown Kitchener. This brought in less than 400 students. The idea is to seed new business nodes in the downtown around the specialty of the school. Although certainly not invented in Kitchener, the idea has been very strongly embraced by the urban planning community.

You guys are always slamming London for not being "progressive like Waterloo region", yet when the City of London and the local college try to introduce an initiative that is similar to one of the lynch pins of the "new economy" in Waterloo region - but with a far better cost/return ratio - you guys question or criticize it.

suckin and blowin.....

Originally Posted by MrSlippery519

Agreed and not really sure of the benefits, I do not see why the city should give Fanshawe money to build downtown. If they want a campus downtown then put up the money and build it.

[manny_santos]

I haven't commented on the idea but I personally like the idea of getting some more students downtown. It would help breathe some more life into the area. It's one of those costs I think will be worth it.

[ForestryW]

Originally Posted by Snark

You guys are always slamming London for not being "progressive like Waterloo region", yet when the City of London and the local college try to introduce an initiative that is similar to one of the lynch pins of the "new economy" in Waterloo region - but with a far better cost/return ratio - you guys question or criticize it.

I am actually hugely in favor of the idea, so...

[MrSlippery519]

Originally Posted by bolognium

I know a large chunk of the City money is going towards renovating heritage buildings. It's almost two times more expensive to renovate than build new and I guess the City wants those buildings renovated and is willing to help pay for it.

I'm waiting to read something official before I really form an opinion on this, but can you guys actually not see any upsides to this?

Students schooling downtown will likely live downtown. Students living downtown will spend their money downtown. Even if they're not well-off they will still have money to spend. Whether it's on food, bars, music venues, etc. More students (especially arts students) likely means more street performing and busking. Again, since they will be arts students there will likely be different forms of art on the streets, making for a more interesting streetscape. Then there are the actual renovated buildings with classrooms and performing areas that the City would like to use for youth/other purposes on nights and weekends.

Like I said, I'm waiting for information on Fanshawe's official plans before I form much of an opinion, but I'm pretty surprised you guys don't see any benefits to this.

I would like to see the official plans as well, you are right there certainly are some upsides. I may have been a little harsh in my statement. That said I feel if Fanshawe wants a downtown campus that is great build one, why do they need money from the city to get this going?

I think my thought process is that the 10 million could be better spent else ware.

[MolsonExport]

Ah, so KW does it, we the taxpayers can't ask for the official study? C'mon Snark. What is this "You guys" stuff? I believe that there is a fair degree of diversity of opinion on this and other topics among the Londoner forumers.

I personally think that there should be a healthy debate about any and all projects considered; here, there, and everywhere.

I have no doubt that the bars of Richmond Row will benefit.

[MolsonExport]

SSP London meetup tomorrow (saturday february 12) at Crabby Joes downtown. come one, come all.

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=188121

[ldoto]

It's official. A campus is coming the core.
Last night councilors agreed to provide Fanshawe College with $20-million for a new arts campus in downtown London.!!!!!!

[manny_santos]

As I enter the final two weeks of my one-year certificate at Fanshawe, I can't help but think about my experience there versus my four-and-a-half years at Western. I can't say that one institution is better than the other, but I have a few observations.

One of the things that has struck me most is the evacuation mentality many Fanshawe students have; many have a drive to "get away from campus" as soon as their classes are done, and then work in isolation from their peers - something I can't relate to. I constantly hear students complaining "I don't wanna be here" or "I wanna go home", and especially for group projects that makes it difficult to get anything done. That was never a problem at Western, especially in my upper years when I was in classes with students with similar goals.

I went and studied at Weldon Library at Western yesterday, and was struck at how busy that campus was. On a Sunday. The UCC was filled and Tim Hortons had a big lineup, The Spoke was full of students eating and watching sports, and the library was full of students studying. Fanshawe on a Sunday is like a bowling alley. More so, it is next to impossible to find a social niche at Fanshawe. I have actually re-enrolled in a club at Western that I was a member of during my undergrad. I had my niche at Western, and that's something I've missed this year.

On the other hand, Fanshawe doesn't have a "bubble" like Western. Western seems to exist in isolation from the rest of London, with a student body that considers the whole city to stretch along Richmond Street from Masonville Place to the Greyhound station. At Western I never heard of students from out of town going out to explore what all the city has to offer.

Fanshawe's existence feels more integrated with London, and students from out-of-town seem to explore the city more so. I know of one international student who went and checked out Boler Mountain this winter. The city doesn't stop at York and Richmond for them. As a lifelong Londoner I can talk with other Fanshawe students about stuff in London and not be met with looks of puzzlement or exclamations of "wow, that's so far away!"

Of course, at Fanshawe I've also acquired a wealth of life skills and work skills I didn't get at Western. However at Western I enhanced my ability to think and learned a lot of theory that will stand me in good stead for life. Academically, the combination is unbeatable.

It has been very interesting to experience both of London's post-secondary institutions. You can take the graduate out of the Mustang, but you can't take the Mustang out of the graduate.