SUB in disrepair: Slow fixes and frustration

If you’re in the Students’ Union Building (SUB) often, you’ve likely encountered some maintenance issues over the last few months.

The Gateway spoke with University of Alberta Students’ Union (UASU) Vice-president (operations and finance) Nathan Thiessen on some of these issues within SUB. The main issues Thiessen identified were an elevator being out of service for almost the entirety of the fall semester, pipe bursts that lead to entrance closures, and second-floor bathroom closures due to plumbing issues and subsequent asbestos exposure.

“To put it simply, it is the university,” Thiessen said.

The main point that Thiessen reiterated was that the fault lies with the U of A. As per their contract with the UASU, the U of A is responsible for one third of SUB. That includes maintenance, utilities, electricity, and elevators.

Elevator out of service for months

Thiessen addressed the elevator situation first. He stated that the cause of the outage was a motor failure. Additionally, the U of A cited supply chain delays with necessary parts and difficulty finding capable staff to fix the elevator.

Thiessen also mentioned the difficulties caused by the outage. The main issue was accessibility concerns. Students with mobility issues, as well as those trying to access levels above the second floor, faced serious difficulties.

“Ensuring that student spaces are made available and made accessible to students is our primary concern,” Thiessen said.

Thiessen went on to say that the UASU maintained consistent communication with the U of A throughout the fall semester, and would’ve liked to see greater expediency for repairs.

Pipe bursts, entrance closures, and asbestos

Later on, Thiessen addressed the entrance closures after winter break.

The extreme cold weather between semesters caused multiple pipe bursts near SUB entrances. The entrance near the Myer Horowitz Theatre was recently re-opened, but the other entrance near the Van Vliet Centre opened over reading week. Thiessen reiterated that it is the responsibility of the U of A to fix these entrances.

The second-floor bathrooms in SUB are still currently closed. The original reason was plumbing issues. However, that led to the discovery and exposure of asbestos.

Thiessen acknowledged the danger asbestos poses to students and staff. He continued to emphasize that safety must be prioritized over speed in the repair and removal of asbestos.

Thiessen went on to say that long-term planning of infrastructure must account for asbestos risks, especially in older buildings on campus.

UASU advocacy led to expedited repairs, but more work to be done

When asked how the UASU held the U of A accountable for repairs and delays, Thiessen emphasized a “holistic” approach to advocacy.

This involved communication with management, encouraging students to contact the U of A, escalating concerns, and communicating with students.

“Quite frankly, we’d like to see a little bit more quickness in addressing these issues,” Thiessen said.

Thiessen believed that ongoing advocacy from the UASU had led to expedited repairs, but acknowledged the ongoing frustrations with delays in repair.

Lastly, Thiessen did not have figures for the cost of repairs, but acknowledged the operational budget constraints that the U of A works with. He also pointed out that the U of A has been hesitant to provide any timelines for the ongoing repairs.