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Upgrades responsible for university amenities fee hike

by Sandy Deane
3 min read
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Major upgrades at the Cave Hill Campus to facilitate a blended approach to learning this semester have cost the University of the West Indies more than $3 million.

And, according to Principal, Professor Eudine Barriteau the costly exercise, which was triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, came even as the campus was forced to take a 7.6 per cent budget cut.

At a recent virtual town hall meeting with students, Professor Barriteau explained these were among factors that led to a $10 increase in the amenities fees that has been questioned by some students in light of prevailing economic challenges.

She said the hike is a contribution to the range of services being provided by the campus for students’ benefit.

“Everything we do for you is extremely heavily subsidised and we will continue to do that because we have to. But the funding available to the campus is drastically reduced. So, the amenities fee becomes a small drop in the bucket of maintaining a package of services to you,” Principal Barriteau said.

The increase has the backing of the Guild of Students. President of the students’ body, Thatcher Loutin noted that a portion of the amenities fees is paid to the Guild and is used to maintain its services to students.

“At this time … we actually need the amenities [fee] in order to operate,” Loutin said. “If we don’t get that $60 [per student] then we can’t give scholarships, we can’t fulfil our welfare drive, we can’t fulfil our financial grants obligation, we can’t fulfil our financial aid … so everybody will be at a disadvantage.”

When classes get underway on September 14, a week later than originally scheduled, students will benefit from a state-of-the-art video conferencing system that has been installed in more than 40 teaching spaces to facilitate face-face instruction and those who will join classes online.

Other major improvements include a near million-dollar upgrade of the air conditioning system at the Medical Sciences Teaching Complex – with the replacement of four of its six commercial units – and modification of existing ducts to improve airflow and address environmental issues. The Roy Marshall Teaching Complex, Sidney Martin Library, Frank Worrell Hall and Sherlock Hall were among student-centred areas that received upgrades.

In addition, the Faculty of Law has undergone a $125 000 electrical upgrade to expand the existing supply to the building in order to accommodate the additional load anticipated from online teaching activity.

Professor Barriteau said: “It has been an expensive undertaking but one which we believe was critical in order for us to deliver on our mandate of developing the region’s human resource capital. We have an obligation to provide our highly rated educational services to the many who seek it from within Barbados and across the region but who cannot make it to these shores at this time because of a lack of or limited air transport. COVID-19 is a reality that could be with us for quite some time and we have to adjust our lives to live with it, even while we undertake all preventative measures to protect the campus community.” (SD)

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