Centre
      and
      Beyond:
      A
      Sit-Down
      with
      Neil
      Henry
     
    
   
   
    
     
      by
      Joel
      MEGGS
     
    
   
   
    
     
      There
      is
      no
      doubt
      that
      most
     
     
      students
      have
      had
      the
      chance
      to
      watch
     
     
      workers
      from
      Meridian
      diligently
     
     
      building
      the
      new
      student
      centre.
      The
     
     
      building
      is
      coming
      along
      quickly
      now,
     
     
      despite
      a
      few
      setbacks.
     
    

    
     
      Also,
      most
      students
      have
     
     
      probably
      had
      the
      chance
      to
      stroll
     
     
      through
      the
      new
      modular
      classrooms.
     
     
      Many
      have
      expressed
      favourable
     
     
      opinions
      about
      the
      new
      structure
     
     
      which,
      when
      proposed,
      many
      viewed
     
     
      with
      a
      degree
      of
      skepticism.
     
    

    
     
      I
      recently
      had
      the
      chance
      to
      sit
     
     
      down
      and
      talk
      with
      Mr.
      Neil
      Henry,
     
     
      President
      of
      Financial
      Affairs,
      about
     
     
      the
      new
      student
      centre,
      the
      modular
     
     
      classrooms,
      and
      what
      new
      projects
      lie
     
     
      ahead
      for
      UPEI.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Joel
      Meggs:
      The
      Alumni
      Gym
      was
     
     
      being
      used.
      for
      classroom
      space
      the
     
     
      last
      few
      years.
      Do
      the
      modular
      class-
     
     
      rooms
      make
      up
      for
      that
      space?
     
    
   
   
    
     
      cm
      wath
      et
      erin:
      specie
      *
      Tite
      eat
      este
      ee
     
    
   
   
    
     
      tatuoe
      Siete
      3D
     
     
      —
      sant
      taced
      tpeneene
      inntoet
      aoe
     
    
   
   
    
     
      eas
      Sones
      Coen,
     
     
      ph
      we
      seotees
      cote
      ©
     
     
      ves
      Tacs
      ;
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      [4]
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Neil
      Henry:
      We
      set
      off
      to
      do
      a
      lot
     
     
      more
      than
      replace
      the
      alumni
      gym
     
     
      classrooms.
      And
      after
      a
      lot
      of
      discus-
     
     
      sion
      with
      the
      registrar’s
      office,
      ...
     
     
      they
      basically
      identified
      where
      they
     
     
      were
      having
      trouble,
      and
      that
      was
      in
     
     
      the
      large
      classroom
      category.
      And
     
     
      that’s
      why
      we
      built
      sixty
      seater
      class-
     
     
      rooms.
     
    

    
     
      Once
      they
      have
      a
      year’s
      expe-
     
     
      rience
      under
      their
      belt,
      if
      they
      say
      to
     
     
      us
      ‘instead
      of
      a
      great
      big
      classroom,
     
     
      how
      about
      two
      smaller
      ones,’
      they
      can
     
     
      be
      split;
      we
      can
      put
      in
      a
      dividing
      wall.
     
     
      You
      don’t
      get
      two
      thirty
      seaters,
      you
     
     
      get
      a
      twenty
      five
      and
      a
      thirty.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      J.M.:
      Student
      enrollment
      has
      been
     
     
      increasing
      every
      year
      in
      the
      past
      few
     
     
      years.
      If
      this
      trend
      continues,
      will
      the
     
     
      modular
      classroom
      structure-
      be
     
     
      enough
      to
      deal
      with
      an
      increasing
      stu-
     
     
      dent
      population?
     
    
   
   
    
     
      N.H.:
      If
      we
      have
      increases
      [in
      student
     
     
      enrollment]
      the
      way
      we
      have
      in
      the
     
     
      past
      two
      years,
      [the
      modular
      class-
     
     
      room
      solution]
      will
      only
      last
      so
      long.
     
    

    
     
      We
      opted
      to
      go
      for
      this
      struc-
     
     
      ture
      in
      part
      because
      we
      wefen’t
      sure
     
     
      of
      how
      many
      students
      we
      would
      be
     
     
      getting.
      The
      numbers
      suggest
      that
      we
     
     
      should
      actually
      be
      having
      a
      decrease
     
     
      in
      first
      year
      enrollments
      just
      because
     
     
      there
      aren’t
      as
      many
      high
      school
      stu-
     
     
      dents
      graduating
      these
      days.
      But
      there
     
     
      is
      a
      higher
      percentage
      of
      those
      gradu-
     
     
      ating
      that
      are
      coming
      in
      and
      that’s
     
     
      what
      accounts
      for
      the
      increasing
      num-
     
     
      bers.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Note:
      According
      to
      Mr.
      Henry,
      the
     
     
      university
      has
      told
      the
      province
      that
      it
     
     
      will
      need
      a
      new
      academic
      building
      in
     
     
      the
      next
      five
      years.
      The
      government
     
     
      hasn’t
      responded
      either
      way
      yet,
      but
     
     
      the
      new
      building
      would
      definitely
     
     
      address
      any
      classroom
      space
      concerns
     
     
      well
      into
      the
      future.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      J.M.:
      How
      is
      the
      Student
      Centre
      com-
     
     
      ing
      along
      now?
     
    
   
   
    
     
      N.H.:
      It’s
      been
      painful,
      for
      obvious
     
     
      reasons.
      Two
      obvious
      reasons,
      really:
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      am
     
     
      ae
     
     
      —_
     
    
   
   
    
     
      \
     
     
      i
     
    
   
   
    
     
      3
     
    
   
   
    
     
      hee
      TD
      ln
     
    
   
   
    
     
      gee
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Pa
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      UPEI
      Student
      Centre
      under
      construction.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      one,
      we’re
      significantly
      over
      budget.
     
     
      When
      the
      tenders
      came
      in
      [in
      May
      of
     
     
      this
      year]
      they
      were
      came
      in
      signifi-
     
     
      cantly
      higher
      than
      expected.
      And
     
     
      then,
      of
      course,
      the
      fire
      —
      the
      fire
      cost
     
     
      us
      a
      lot
      of
      time.
      I
      hope
      that
      it
      will
      not
     
     
      have
      cost
      us
      much
      money;
      it
      was
      all
     
     
      insured.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      J.M.:
      You
      had
      been
      building
      on
      the
     
     
      foundation
      of
      the
      Alumni
      Gym.
      Was
     
     
      any
      of
      that
      foundation
      salvageable?
     
    
   
   
    
     
      N.H.:
      We
      only
      made
      a
      decision
      about
     
     
      three
      weeks
      ago
      to
      rip
      out
      the
      rest
      of
     
     
      the
      foundation.
     
    

    
     
      We
      were
      partially
      demolish-
     
     
      ing
      the
      alumni
      gym,
      but
      it
      was
      a
      very
     
     
      solid
      structure,
      overbuilt
      by
      modern
     
     
      standards,
      and
      so
      we
      —
      part
      of
      the
      stu-
     
     
      dent
      union
      program
      called
      for
      a
      large,
     
     
      open,
      two-storied,
      multi-purpose
     
     
      space.
      The
      architect
      said
      ‘we’re
      about
     
     
      to
      tear
      down
      a
      perfectly
      good
      large,
     
     
      open,
      multi-storied,
      general
      purpose
     
     
      space
      in
      order
      to
      build
      a
      new
      one.
     
     
      Why
      don’t
      we
      incorporate
      the
      old
     
     
      gym,
      which
      looks
      to
      us
      to
      be
      in
      very
     
     
      good
      shape,
      into
      the
      new
      building?’
     
    

    
     
      And
      it
      will
      be
      interesting
     
     
      because
      some
      of
      those
      surfaces
      will
     
     
      show
      up
      inside
      the
      building.
      So
      that
     
     
      was
      the
      basis
      [for
      the
      decision]:
      most-
     
     
      ly
      money
      and
      partially
      sentiment.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      We
      were
      well
      on
      our
      way
     
    
   
   
    
     
      when
      the
      fire
      broke
      out.
      We
      were
      well
     
     
      on
      our
      way
      to
      having
      the
      shell
      that
      we
     
     
      needed.
      It
      has
      taken
      us
      seven
      or
      eight
     
     
      weeks
      since
      the
      fire
      to
      get
      to
      the
      point
     
     
      where
      we
      could
      resume
      that
      piece
      of
     
     
      the
      building.
     
    

    
     
      This
      is
      why
      when
      you
      go
      past
     
     
      the
      building,
      you
      see
      all
      the
      north
      end
     
     
      of
      the
      structure
      is
      going
      on
      great
      guns
     
     
      and
      they’re
      still
      down
      on
      the
      founda-
     
     
      tion
      level
      [at
      the
      south
      end].
     
    
   
   
    
     
      J.M.:
      You
      said
      that
      part
      of
      the
      reason
     
     
      for
      building
      on
      the
      Alumni
      Gym
      was
     
     
      for
      sentimental
      reasons;
      is
      any
      of
      that
     
     
      still
      salvageable?
     
    
   
   
    
     
      N.H.:
      There
      are
      two
      or
      three
      small
     
     
      pieces
      left
      of
      the
      gym.
      There
      are
      a
      few
     
     
      bricks,
      there’s
      some
      stuff
      from
      the
     
     
      facade
      —
      a
      sandstone
      shield
      that
      said
     
     
      Alumni
      Gym,
      1950
      —
      and
      there
      were
     
     
      two
      sandstone
      torches
      that
      were
      built
     
     
      into
      the
      facade.
     
    

    
     
      We
      are
      actually
      reconstructing
     
     
      the
      gym
      ...
      not
      exactly
      the
      way
      it
      was,
     
     
      but
      largely.
      And
      the
      exposed
      surfaces
     
     
      will
      be
      kind
      of
      a
      memory
      of
      the
      old
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Note:
      Students
      looking
      for
      more
     
     
      information
      on
      the
      new
      Student
     
     
      Centre
      will
      likely
      find
      it
      at
      the
      exten-
     
     
      sive
      website
      that
      has
      been
      assembled
     
     
      at
      http://www.upei.ca/guide/sucentre/