VICTORIA MARTINEZ
News Editor

Art and art history needs a new home

In response to the Sheaf’s article on the decrepit state of the department of art and art history — due both to its age and construction in the Murray Building — USSU president Chris Stoicheff noted the “need for a fine and performing arts centre” on campus, but added that “lots of work needs to be done on the administration’s side.”

Money money money

Five per cent increases to the USSU fee and infrastructure fee were ratified at the Jan. 27 meeting of council.

The USSU fee will effectively rise by $3 a year, with the university taking 60 cents of that rise. Union members will receive a three per cent raise, also taken from the increased fee.

The infrastructure fee will see a $5.05 increase in the new scholastic year. According to vice president operations and finance Scott Hitchings, the funds will be used to “replenish our completely exhausted infrastructure fund,” which has been mostly devoted to Place Riel construction in recent years.

The final proposed fee increase, to the student care fee, was tabled for the Feb. 3 meeting of Students’ Council, as a student care rep will be a guest at that meeting.

How safe is this campus?

Bob Ferguson, the Campus Safety director at the U of S, gave a presentation on safety to council.

Safety has committed to removing the bagged, permanently out-of-service safety phones on campus to reduce the sense of danger they suggest.

“Bagged phones do not instill confidence in the institution’s interest in personal safety,” said Ferguson.

Since their installation, 90 per cent of calls from the phones were false alarms. If the phones are replaced, they may include assistance functions, though installation and maintenance of a new set of phones would be expensive.

Ferguson also noted that Campus Safety is operating with fewer staff members than 26 years ago, with most of their roles replaced with technological elements.