Realities hidden behind the glory

Wilfrid Laurier University hit No.1 on Maclean’s university rankings in 2017 for student satisfaction. Really? Students on Laurier Brantford campus may present another side of the story.

Students of Brantford campus are proud of the news. On the other hand, most of them were also skeptical and “frustrated” about some realities on Brantford campus, which, they believed, were not reflected by the Maclean’s university rankings.

“I am very proud but skeptical about the result,” said Smail Kabar, a second-year Human Rights student. “If the Maclean’s survey was conducted largely on Laurier Waterloo campus, then the result makes more sense to me. They are getting everything on Waterloo campus. Our Brantford students don't even have a decent gym, let alone the football field, the stadium and even the swimming pool,” added Smail.

“The air was always stale in the gym,” recalled Lewis, a third-year student who used to study on Laurier Brantford campus. “Because the gym was so small, a couple of exercise equipments seemed to take up huge space and made the whole place jammed and reeked of sweat,” said Lewis.

Regardless that there has been an obvious imbalance of resources distribution between Waterloo campus and Brantford campus, the absence of a dedicated library on Brantford campus appeared to be the main factor contributing to student dissatisfaction with Laurier Brantford campus. Opened since 1999, Laurier branch campus is rooted in the downtown core of the city of Brantford. It was touted as one of the fastest-growing university campus in Ontario with an enrolment of 3,000 students. However, the campus has obviously not developed enough to have a decent library for a total of 3,000 students.

Of course there is one library in downtown Brantford, the Public Library of the City of Brantford. The university claimed all the books and resources in the public library are equally accessible to both Laurier Brantford students and local residents. However, neither the resources nor the space was that accessible.

“It is stupid for a campus of more than 3,000 students and not having a dedicated library,” said Jennancy Thillarivajan, a second-year criminology student. “Most of the books are only available in Laurier Library on main [Waterloo] campus. Laurier Brantford students would have to require it first through Laurier online library and then wait for a week, even two weeks, till books to be shipped in. What if you get started [with your assignments] late? You basically are screwed,” complained Jennancy.

The layout and space capacity of the public library are far from satisfaction to the students.

“I had only been to the pubic library once or twice over the past two years when I was studying on Brantford campus,” recalled Lewis, “it was very hard to stay focused with all the kids laughing and playing and sometimes crying all over the place.”

There is a children sector on the main floor of the library, beneath which some little study sectors are designated to Laurier Brantford students down in the basement. The sounds of the kids playing upstairs can easily travel down to the basement. “It was like trying to put together an essay in a kindergarden,” recalled Lewis.

Is it fair to Laurier Brantford students who pay the same amount of tuition but are not getting even half of the services offered on Waterloo campus?