As student services prepare to return home to the JDUC, The Journal reviews how the newest iteration of the building came to be.
First built in 1949 with expansions in 1964 and 1974, the JDUC has long been at the centre of student life at Queen’s University. While the building is Queen’s property, the AMS manages the Student Life Centre (SLC) on behalf of the University, except for the portion of the building that contains residence rooms.
Early years
Proposed in 2005, Queen’s expected to overhaul student spaces through the Queen’s Centre Project. The proposed project was set to build a three-phase building for student spaces, with the JDUC being replaced by a $24 million student life centre. Though construction on phase one—the Athletics and Recreation Centre—was completed in 2009, phases two and three of the project were indefinitely postponed during the 2008 financial crisis.
2014-2016: Early plans
In 2014-15, long term concerns about the suitability of the JDUC resurfaced, and the AMS executive began thinking about the future of the JDUC. The team used $1.2 million in leftover funds from the Queen’s Centre project to refurbish several parts of the original JDUC.
The 2016-17 executive team and University hired Shoalts and Zaback Architects Ltd. and put up $30,000 to get a professional opinion on how to best invest in the JDUC’s future. Queen’s and the AMS split the bill according to documents The Journal obtained through a Freedom of Information request.
2017: Reintroducing the project
In 2017-18, the AMS executive received input from student groups about what students wanted for a redeveloped JDUC.
In October, the AMS announced 94 per cent of a student survey about the redevelopment project ed the project. Fifty-two per cent of respondents indicated they expected the University to put up at least half the cost to revitalize the JDUC, and the AMS said they were negotiating with the University.
In November, then-Principal Daniel Woolf announced at AMS Assembly the University would take over the project’s management, while pledging a “significant contribution” for the project.
2018: The democratic process begins
In February of 2018, the AMS held a special referendum to a fee to revitalize the JDUC, funding the project through mandatory, non-reviewable fees to be paid by undergraduate students. Though graduate students voted to approved the fee, it failed at the undergraduate level.
The revitalized JDUC was expected to have a $62.3 million price tag, offering 8,800 square feet of study space and 3,200 square feet for club space—four times what the original JDUC offered.
After years of consultation, the AMS and SGPS announced a t venture with the University to redevelop the JDUC project. AMS Assembly hosted architect firms HDR Architecture Associates and MacLennan Jaunkalns Miller Architects (MJMA) to discuss students’ desires for the JDUC redevelopment project.
2019: A redevelopment plan established
The JDUC fee was ed at a campus wide referendum in January, where 52.3 per cent of all eligible AMS voters cast ballots. The fee ed by 210 votes.
Under the conditions for approving the project, both AMS and SGPS students agreed to fund the project through student fees, which would be paid back after the University fronted the initial bill with funds from a cash reserve.
As per the Capital Redevelopment Framework Agreement between the University, AMS, and SPGS which came into effect on March 1, 2019, the project is funded by a University contribution of $11.8 million, as well as student activity fees.
Undergraduate students were charged a $40 JDUC fee for two years beginning in the Fall 2019 semester, with the fee increasing to $73.92 in the Fall of 2021. The AMS contribution was slated to be $44.5 million.
The SPGS is responsible for putting up $5.9 million for the project, with graduate student activity fees funding the project being levied at $40 each year starting in the Fall 2019 semester, increasing with inflation.
The University’s anticipated contribution totalled $11.8 million, with $1.8 million coming directly from its operating budget and $10 million raised from external donors. Construction was set to begin in May 2021, with the deadline for the University to reach its fundraising goal by June 2021.
2020: A plan interrupted
In October, The Journal reported the University had only raised $3 million of its $10 million goal. The University confirmed funds contributed by donors were raised prior to the onset of the pandemic. Queen’s cited the pandemic and associated economic downturn as being reasons for slow advancement efforts.
2021: Facing delays
After projecting to miss its initial deadlines, the University announced in February that construction on the JDUC would be pushed back to May 2022. The University reaffirmed its plans to contribute $1.8 million from its operating budget to the project.
By September, the University had reached $4.8 million of its fundraising goal, and claimed it was on track to start construction by May 2022.
2022: Getting back on track
Demolition on the old JDUC began in Fall 2022 to start the rebuilding process. AMS and SGPS services located in the original JDUC building moved to La Salle and Rideau Halls on Stuart St.
2023: Building back up
With construction underway, The Journal reported on plans for a revitalized Queen’s Pub in the new JDUC structure in March, which is expected to incorporate an outdoor patio.
At December Assembly, the AMS reported the JDUC building would open in September 2024, although there’s no exact timeline for when spaces will be available for students.
The AMS indicated they were unable to provide an updated timeline for the project’s completion, due to space allocations not being finalized.
2024: Present
AMS executive KMV announced they’re looking to increase the Student Life Centre (SLC) fee by $5 at winter referendum. This fee goes to the AMS’s share of operating costs to run SLC spaces, which includes AMS office space for commissions, offices and AMS services. Alongside this, the fee s the AMS’s share of common space.
AMS President Kate McCuaig acknowledged increased costs for the building.
Corrections
An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that the SLC student fee is used to fund student services. The article has been updated to reflect the established use of the fee. Incorrect information was published in the Jan. 23 issue of The Queen’s Journal.
The Journal regrets the error
Tags
All final editorial decisions are made by the Editor(s) in Chief and/or the Managing Editor. Authors should not be ed, targeted, or harassed under any circumstances. If you have any grievances with this article, please direct your comments to [email protected].