Downtown campus delayed
Fanshawe's highly anticipated
downtown campus has been delayed
due to construction setbacks.
The aggressive opening date was originally set for September to welcome the Theatre Arts faculty into its new home at the former RBC building on Dundas Street, however, due to a number of delays, it has been pushed back to a tentative mid- October start date. The majority of programs that were supposed to be housed in the new building have been moved to the main campus in East London, with a few Theatre Arts programs being held at the Citi Plaza.
Elaine Gamble, senior manager of Corporate Communications for Fanshawe, said the location and nature of the project has made construction difficult.
“It's a very small space towork in. We've been trying to minimize the disruption to downtown businesses, and there was the elevator strike and the World Figure Skating Championships,which have set back the opening.”
Many students who were to attend the downtown campus are concerned about the effect the delay will have on them. Lorelei Donahue, an incoming student going into the Costume Design program that is to be housed in the downtown campus, was upset to hear that the campus would not be ready in time for a September start date.
“My program had brand-new sewing machines and dress forms… overall (it's) such a great workspace,” said Donahue.
Although concerns have arisen about the delay, Gamble assured students that the school is prepared to handle it.
“We knew there was a fairly good chance that we may delay the opening and we developed a contingency plan. In that contingency plan, we have already considered things that would impact students.” Changes have already made to ensure things run smoothly in September at the main campus.
“We've already rescheduled all the classes, with some Theatre Arts programming moved to the Citi Plaza, and we were able to keep the timetables almost the same. Now we're taking a look at transportation issues to address their concerns.”
While classes will start in September according to plan, students attending the downtown campus will face a few more inconveniences due to the delay. Many have already secured housing in the downtown area and will now have to make a farther commute to the main campus.
“Moving back to themain campus is an inconvenience because I leased a house near downtown,” said Donahue. “The delay will definitely impact my time of travel; I will now have to be on the bus longer, therefore waking up a lot earlier, since most my classes start at 8 a.m.”
The delay hasn't completely dampened Donahue's spirits. “The program was only offered at the downtown campus, so that's where I would have gone, regardless. But it was a brand-new campus — it was very exciting. I was so pumped to start the new program at the brand new campus, and now I'm just looking forward to staring there in mid- October.”
Students affected by the delay can contact the Registrar's Office at cdpa@fanshawec.ca or 519-452- 4430 ext. 4660 to voice their concerns.
The aggressive opening date was originally set for September to welcome the Theatre Arts faculty into its new home at the former RBC building on Dundas Street, however, due to a number of delays, it has been pushed back to a tentative mid- October start date. The majority of programs that were supposed to be housed in the new building have been moved to the main campus in East London, with a few Theatre Arts programs being held at the Citi Plaza.
Elaine Gamble, senior manager of Corporate Communications for Fanshawe, said the location and nature of the project has made construction difficult.
“It's a very small space towork in. We've been trying to minimize the disruption to downtown businesses, and there was the elevator strike and the World Figure Skating Championships,which have set back the opening.”
Many students who were to attend the downtown campus are concerned about the effect the delay will have on them. Lorelei Donahue, an incoming student going into the Costume Design program that is to be housed in the downtown campus, was upset to hear that the campus would not be ready in time for a September start date.
“My program had brand-new sewing machines and dress forms… overall (it's) such a great workspace,” said Donahue.
Although concerns have arisen about the delay, Gamble assured students that the school is prepared to handle it.
“We knew there was a fairly good chance that we may delay the opening and we developed a contingency plan. In that contingency plan, we have already considered things that would impact students.” Changes have already made to ensure things run smoothly in September at the main campus.
“We've already rescheduled all the classes, with some Theatre Arts programming moved to the Citi Plaza, and we were able to keep the timetables almost the same. Now we're taking a look at transportation issues to address their concerns.”
While classes will start in September according to plan, students attending the downtown campus will face a few more inconveniences due to the delay. Many have already secured housing in the downtown area and will now have to make a farther commute to the main campus.
“Moving back to themain campus is an inconvenience because I leased a house near downtown,” said Donahue. “The delay will definitely impact my time of travel; I will now have to be on the bus longer, therefore waking up a lot earlier, since most my classes start at 8 a.m.”
The delay hasn't completely dampened Donahue's spirits. “The program was only offered at the downtown campus, so that's where I would have gone, regardless. But it was a brand-new campus — it was very exciting. I was so pumped to start the new program at the brand new campus, and now I'm just looking forward to staring there in mid- October.”
Students affected by the delay can contact the Registrar's Office at cdpa@fanshawec.ca or 519-452- 4430 ext. 4660 to voice their concerns.
