Kwantlen student union building still at talking stage

The Kwantlen Student Association’s planned student union building (SUB) at Kwantlen’s Surrey campus, fees for which were passed in a KSA referendum last September, is still being discussed by the KSA and the university.

Although it has been a year since the referendum, talks are still on as to what role Kwantlen will play in the creation of the SUB.

“Following that successful [referendum], the university formed a joint working group with the KSA to discuss this initiative. The university is considering a joint project with the KSA for this building,” said Jody Gordon, associate vice-president, students.

The SUB would likely be home to student-oriented services run by the KSA and other services that would appeal to students. However, exactly what all of these services, or possibly programs, will be, hasn’t been determined.

“[Kwantlen and the KSA] are currently reviewing the type of programming that they would like to see in the building. At this stage neither party has finalized that programming,” said Gordon.

Though this may sound worrying to students who had to pay a little more for their school fees this year, an end to the discussion and a beginning to the construction is in sight.

“Over the next two months it is our hope that we will come to a joint resolution on the location, the size of the building and the applicable programming,” said Gordon.

Kwantlen student’s appeal supremely dismissed

It was a harsh math lesson this week for a Kwantlen student, whose bid to have his driving suspension reduced was denied by a B.C. Supreme Court.

Ali Maasoumian had his driver’s licence suspended for eight months by the Superintendent of Motor Vehicles after he accumulated 17 points by the end of 2008.

Prior to the start of that suspension, the superintendent noted that he had accumulated another eight points in a nine-week span and so extended the ban by six months.

Maasoumian requested a review of his second suspension because of the hardships not having a driver’s licence placed on him. These hardships include not being able to drive to North Vancouver where he takes care of his father’s property and increasing his commute to school from a 25-minute drive to an hour-and-a-half commute on public transit.

“I am satisfied that the hardship which is put forward is not a hardship that I should take into account,” wrote Justice Grant Burnyeat.

“Having a driver’s license and being able to operate a vehicle is not a right. Rather, it is a privilege.”