It was an exciting morning April 21 at the Salmon Arm campus of Okanagan College, as students, educators, politicians and other citizens gathered to celebrate the upcoming start of construction of the 60-unit student housing complex.
Student Dylan Taylor fittingly summed up the benefits.
“I have been a student here for four years and, like many of my peers, I live out of town and spend time and money going back and forth from school. As a student it can be difficult to offset costs as we would prefer to focus our time on our studies as opposed to finding a part-time job. The benefits of this housing project cannot be overstated.”
He emphasized that the time component is huge.
“This will allow students more time to study, more time to fully participate in the campus community and more time to participate in the community at large in the Salmon Arm area. Also, to get that job.
”This new residence is very exciting both for future students like myself in the surrounding areas, as well as community partners and for those here who are already at school. And while I may not benefit directly, I look forward to seeing this project’s completion. I love attending Okanagan College in Salmon Arm. It’s a true community and a great place to learn and to progress towards joining the workforce. On behalf of my fellow students, I would like to thank the many community leaders and partners that are here today that have been championing this cause over the years. This is going to be a fantastic addition to our campus.”
The event also included words from Neskonlith knowledge keeper Louis Thomas, Vernon-Monashee MLA Harwinder Sandhu, Okanagan College board member Choi Leong and Okanagan College president Neil Fassina.
Louis Thomas spoke of the importance of caring for the land and the shared responsibility of all people – not just the Indigenous people who have been on the land since time immemorial.
Read more: Student housing at Salmon Arm’s Okanagan College campus takes step forward
MLA Sandhu acknowledged the presence of Shuswap MLA Greg Kyllo and other leaders. She made note of the housing’s environmentally friendly construction.
“The amazing thing is construction will be built with mass timber which is environmentally friendly, state of the art construction…”
Last year 216 beds were announced in Kelowna, she said, and, also on April 21, a 100-bed project in Vernon.
She said the Vernon campus will also include 44 child-care spaces.
“I think it’s maybe the model we should adopt all over, as when students clear all the barriers to finally get post-secondary education, the biggest barrier is child care.”
The Salmon Arm project is estimated to cost $13 million.
Read more: 2018 - College wants student residence on Salmon Arm campus
Joan Ragsdale, Okanagan College’s Regional Dean in Salmon Arm, was at the event but wasn’t on the speaker list.
“We are absolutely thrilled to see construction about to begin on this important project,” she was quoted in a media release. “Our community and regional advisory committee have had student housing as a priority for a number of years. We have had overwhelming support for this project from the entire community and I would like to thank all of our partners for their support.”
Salmon Arm Mayor Alan Harrison was also present but didn’t speak. Asked for a comment later, he responded:
“Firstly I’d like to recognize the tremendous work Dean Joan Ragsdale has done to make this project a reality. Joan has represented the Salmon Arm Campus… with vigour, reasoning and professionalism. Joan is a catalyst for positive change, and this is just one example of that.
“This 60-unit student housing project is a tremendous addition to our campus. Housing is such a challenge, especially seasonal housing. For students not already living in our city, this is the key to being able to attend here. It is a win all around. More young people in our city. An educational stepping stone for those wanting to start at a smaller, intimate campus. More students means more course offerings, so students may be able to stay for multiple years.
“Thank you to the many people who helped make on-campus student housing a reality.”
Choi Leong spoke of Indigenous partners at the Salmon Arm campus.
“It’s so meaningful at this campus where we are blessed to work together with Indigenous partners in different ways – with a shared focus on creating spaces that are welcoming that promote learning and reconciliation.”
He said the mission of Okanagan College is to transform the lives of students and communities, and the student housing announcement here will go a long way in doing both. He noted smaller communities sometimes may feel left out, but not this time.
“When construction starts here this spring, it is going to be a very visible sign of our shared commitment to this community.”
President Neil Fassina called it a momentous occasion for Okanagan College and for students attending the Salmon Arm campus.
“As I look across this crowd, I am absolutely awestruck by the amount of commitment that goes into this community and a project like this. Members of OC community, civic leaders here, we have provincial leaders here, student leaders here, people from economic development. Everyone here has an interest in this community thriving and this student housing project is clearly one of those pieces that will be an integral component to that success.”
Fassina spoke about factors such as low rental vacancy rates and high demand for professional and skilled workers, meaning it’s time for the college “to pull out all the stops.”
“We need Okanagan College to continue doing what it has done successfully for past 60 years. We need to keep welcoming students into our diverse and critical post secondary college programs, and we need to continue supporting them on their learning and career journeys.”
Read more: Zoning change means dorm design for Okanagan College in Salmon Arm will begin
Read more: Student housing at Okanagan College’s Salmon Arm campus moving forward
martha.wickett@saobserver.net
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