At the time I am writing, these changes are wholesome, for the betterment of lives and I am very proud to be sharing the same life-space as these wonderful, inspiring people. I have to admit I feel a little overwhelmed, and I think it's weird that I feel so vulnerable to change right now. It's like I have a stack of cards that are turning out to be something else, as though I turn the card around to see if I have a face or number, and turns out not to be a card at all, but something like a broom, horse, or butterfly.
I accept and embrace these changes. I know they're good, but there are some changes that I DON'T like, which I'd like to tell more people about, so please read on.
I go to school on a beautiful campus, and some important regions of it are largely unexplored. Macdonald campus in Sainte Anne de Bellevue has a horticultural center, which is also the location of the seasonal Mac Market. You can buy all the apples, squash and vegetables that your heart and palette desire. Behind the "hort" center is an orchard if you're ever in the mood for a sweet-smelling stroll, and there are pumpkin patches abounding. As a side note, it is also important to mention, and you'll see why in a second, that Macdonald campus already has a freshly renovated gym facility that is free for McGill students to use. It's right on campus, and is refreshingly hardly ever full. The neighboring school, John Abbott College, also has a gym facility that Mac students can access for a reduced fee as well as a pool. So we're covered. Gym, 2 of them, free or cheap, plus pretty local orchards for another little walk.
What I'm getting at here is that the pretty orchards and pumpkin patches of Macdonald campus are in danger of being paved over to build a NEW gym facility, that Mac students will have to pay for to use, and will be open to the general public. The plans for these facilities are being mapped out by the Macdonald Athletics department, by two of the administrative employees there. Why does Mac need yet another gym complexe? What we need is more student sp
ace, and to practice the conservation that is taught to us in class on the very same campus. Rather than a new gym facility, which has no concrete sustainability considerations, or the surprising news that the centennial center's cafeteria will be closed to students within the next few years, a community center for students where ideas can be shared and possibilities explored is a much more feasible idea that would be supported by the student body. More importantly, it's time to take McGill administration to the task of making environmentally sound decisions, even if that means leaving things as they are, and promoting the responsible use of campus green spaces.Maybe this was the straw that was making my load feel heavier. Change, I can accept. Personal development and progress, and support for the environment are wonderful and noble. Making a facility that will not be helpful to what students really need, and forging through a development project that will decrease green space on the "environmental campus" are changes I will not sit idly by and watch. I plan to meet with the two gentlemen who are involved with the blueprints for this project and ask them politely to please not go forward with this development. If they say no, or dance around with defensive and justifying words, then it's time to build with the support of the student body. If we show opposition, there's no way they can go through with it, and if need be, that's what I intend to develop as my exit strategy from this school.
