One of the biggest things that clouds the average student’s mind is if they are getting what they (or their parents) are paying for. It’s one thing to be worrying about the quality of teaching in this school, but another to look at the social aspect as well. According to a recent article from the Globe and Mail, universities are being graded not only on the information that is being taught and the competence of the teachers, but how comfortable the students feel in the environment. At Capilano we are not as blessed with social experiences as other major universities are, but the major question is: are we really getting what we pay for?
Accessibility to these “social” spaces is key, but even though the CSU lounge is readily available, it is not as close as most students would like. Unfortunately, therefore it is not populated enough to be readily assumed as a plausible hang out space for any faculty of students. According to the report (which does not isolate Capilano but instead refers to all small universities) states that overall we get a B+.
Any student would ask the question: “Since we are a university now, why do we not receive more funding for more adequate spaces to just be?” It turns out that because enrollment is up, we should be receiving more money from the government to cover our costs. Professors’ salaries are affected, and certain things tweaked, but what happens when not even the professors have a space to eat or socialize, nor the students?
In some cases, faculties have taken the matters into their own hands.
Lars Kaario, a professor in the music department, explained that there once was a bit of rebellion from within the music department. “[There] used to be sofas and chairs inside the Cedar building, and eight or nine years ago the music students would take the furniture from there and place it inside the Fir building’s hallways, to only have it taken back to the Cedar; it was a cycle.”
There have been some suggestions on what to do about this situation. A fact that has been pointed out numerous times is how hard it is to make friends at school, especially for the students who are not in programs but in numerous classes. A social space for these students would most likely improve the school’s overall morale and grade point average.
Until the time comes when all the students at Capilano can congregate into one place of unity, we can only sit on the concrete outside till our bums grow cold, or fight for seats in the cafeteria.
The Globe and Mail article is a bit misleading, and does not really even tell us how to improve our school. Should we build another building, or knock down a few walls? The options are endless, but so far away. So thus, how do we know how good the school we attend actually is? And how can we make it a better place? The ultimate question still lies: are we really getting what we are paying for? You know the answer.
//Emily Houston
Writer
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