Faculty seeks student support to make vision a reality

Feb 14/07

Just five weeks old, the domed Varsity Centre field is getting a rigorous daily workout. Masses of students regularly spill onto the state-of-the-art turf to play intramural soccer and ultimate Frisbee, practice with their intercollegiate team, or hit a few golf balls at the new driving range.

To sustain its vision of Varsity Centre as a students-first facility, the Faculty of Physical Education and Health is requesting an increase to the student athletic fee to help offset the operating costs and avoid boosting outside rentals to pay the bills.

The Faculty’s 2007-08 budget, which will be considered by the Council on Student Services (COSS) at a budget vote on March 2nd, includes a $10 per term increase for full-time St. George students (and a prorated increase for part-time St. George students) – a fee that was recommended when Governing Council approved Varsity Centre in 2005. Students at the University of Toronto Mississauga and University of Toronto Scarborough will not be asked to contribute to the operating costs of Varsity Centre.

“The goal is for Varsity Centre to be a student resource first and foremost,” says Masha Sidorova (BPEH), co-chair of U of T’s Council for Athletics and Recreation (CAR) and one of three undergraduate students who made the case for Varsity Centre support at a COSS meeting on February 9th. “In order for that to happen, we need to share the costs of keeping it running. And putting that charge on the universal athletic fee is the fairest way to allocate the costs.”

The university invested $24 million to create the new Varsity Centre field, track, stadium and dome – all of which will give students 25 times more access to intramural sports, instruction, fitness and open recreation than the old grass field. The artificial turf, which requires significantly less maintenance than grass, also spells twice the playing time for intercollegiate teams.

“There is a lot of enthusiasm and excitement about what Varsity Centre offers for all students,” says George Polyzois (St. Michael’s), chair of the CAR budget committee. “The energy under that dome on any given day is palpable.”

Over 9,000 students participate in U of T’s popular intramural programs each year, and many more sit on waiting lists because available playing spaces are simply jam-packed. Varsity Centre is already making a huge impact on that front, creating a new place for more indoor soccer, flag football, rugby and ultimate Frisbee teams.

“The increased access, not to mention the quality of the facility, is just phenomenal,” says CAR co-chair Adam Pomper (University College). “It’s worth a few extra dollars a year to have as much time on that field as we can get. I’d hate to see the students lose out to community rentals.”

To view the presentation made to COSS on February 9th, click here.
For more information about Varsity Centre, visit www.varsitycentre.ca.