Proposed Pembroke campus goes green

By Mallory Clarkson

clar0475@algonquincollege.com

After 10 years of scouring the city, Algonquin’s Pembroke campus’  dean is finally satisfied with dropping the new building in the middle of Riverside Park.

Karen Davies, along with the Students’ Association president Rob Nettleton, conducted a town hall meeting held at Pembroke’s Landing, which provided input on what the building will look like and offer to students.

With programs ranging from outdoor adventure to computer systems technician the students who attended had diverse opinions.

Creating a green building was on the tips of many student’s tongues. Victoria Graf, a first-year police foundations student, said she hopes for a green-friendly building that will look towards renewable energy and is nature-orientated.

“Being a student, we do have a great influence on the future generations as well as the older generation,” she said. It is hoped they will be setting an example.

But she was quick to say that a gymnasium was a close second pick.

Options like a living wall, solar panels, windmills as well as the use of natural light and an updated recycling system were discussed.

Participating students voiced the need for science labs, real quiet areas, more computers in the lab (there are presently only 15 for the 850 students at Pembroke) and a larger lecture hall.

Keven Johnston, 24, the upcoming director for the Students’ Association, said that though a lot of concerns are program specific, the planners need to bring the concerns from students to program coordinators to make the changes work with the program.

He said the students at this campus are passionate. “[They] are excited to be here, but also excited of what could be.”

Shawn Connor, 21, a computer service technician student, wants the new building to focus on modernization.

“I’m afraid this [campus] is going to burn down,” he said. In his first week of school, five breakers were blown. “It’s too old ... let’s get to the top, then keep going.”

He said with a new building, efficiency would be a huge factor that will allow students to get tasks accomplished in a timely fashion. “Things need to be tightened up,” he added.

Overall, the morale was high as the meeting came to a conclusion.

Davies said the student’s thoughts echo the staff’s. She said she is hopeful the new design will give students what they want to see.

“Hearing from the student body helps us go forward with the design,” she said.

With a completion date in 2012, Rob Nettleton said, “the sky is the limit.”