After being delayed three times, the new SUB is on track to open its doors to students in early April.
“We are moving forward," said VP Admin Ava Nasiri. “Progress is going well and we are really working towards the timeline we had set initially, to be able to open the first little while of April.”
Still, the official date for the opening has not yet been set and hangs on the balance of the final steps in the construction process.
According to Nasiri, teams of electrical engineers and carpenters are working rapidly to make the new building ready for students to move into come April.
“It’s kind of like a big family fighting for space at the dinner table,” said Nasiri.
Nasiri also said that the last critical step before opening is a fire safety check. This Monday, specialists will be touring the building to check for any hazards.
“If anything were to hold us back, it would be those things," said Nasiri.
While the opening celebrations that had been planned for the January opening have been toned down, the AMS still plans to have a week of festivities. As the building is set to open just as final exams begin, the celebrations will focus on students’ mental health.
“It's about what we can provide for them to make that time easier, so it's really catered towards the heath and wellbeing -- really cheap massages, maybe a room of puppies and kittens, lots of free food and different types of study spaces,” said Nasiri.
Over the last couple of days, Nasiri has been discussing opening plans with the clubs, so that they are ready for the transition in the upcoming weeks.
Nasiri also said that the building will open for students as soon as the AMS has final access to the building.
“What we would like to do is as soon as we possibly can, open the doors to students, so they can flood in and interact with the building, even if it’s not in its fullest final form,” said Nasiri.
CORRECTION: An earlier headline for the article said that the new SUB would open before exam period. We changed the headline to clarify that the new SUB would be open in April, but not necessarily before exams.