MSVU gets new labs and study areas

$3.4M in renovations at the Mount's Evaristus Hall are almost complete

A student works in one of the upgraded science labs at Mount Saint Vincent University’s Evaristus Hall. (Photo: Alex Boates)

Students at Mount Saint Vincent University will soon have more space and better equipment for their studies.

The Mount received $3.4 million from the provincial and federal governments last year to build new labs and student study areas within the school's Evaristus Hall. The project will be completed in the next couple of months.

"New study areas is a great idea because currently there are so few places you can go to study in quiet," says Ali Hosein, a science student. "Even the library is so loud."

The new space will include upgraded and expanded labs, student society meeting space and a learning commons. Some of the labs are finished and students like what they see.

"The labs are awesome," says Kuranda Slauenwhite, a science student. "They have more space, better upgraded equipment. The chemical sinks are just inside the doors, which is very convenient. We used to have to go out of our way to use them."

Safety concerns

Evaristus Hall was chosen for the renovations because of shortcomings in its current teaching and laboratory standards. The Public Health Agency of Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency raised concerns about its condition. Upgrades will include new safety stations and new flooring and benches for more comfort and safety.

Evaristus' first and second floors are the focus of the overhaul. The new space will provide students more room to work, gather and study. The renovations also are expanding the space students can use on the second floor.

Finishing touches are being applied and students are using the new labs with little inconvenience. Paint cans, caulking guns, tools and a little caution tape are spread amongst the new areas, but mostly on the second floor where the study areas are nearing completion and will be available to students in a month.

In April 2009, then-premier Rodney MacDonald announced $114 million for post-secondary upgrades across the province. In addition to the Mount's $3.4 million, highlights included $27 million to Dalhousie University, $22.7 million for Saint Francis Xavier University and Saint Mary's University receiving $22.33 million. The Nova Scotia Community College received $17.5 million, spread over its ten campuses.

For Mount Saint Vincent, the project is part of an effort to run the university more efficiently. According to the Mount's website, the school uses enough energy to supply 415 homes and fill 43,000 hot tubs with water. Improvements range from low-flow washroom fixtures, to new windows; new computer monitors, to a roof replacement of the Seton building, saving the school an estimated $300,000 a year.

The project is part of a federal funding initiative called the Knowledge Infrastructure Program. Ottawa announced in early 2009 that $2 billion was being invested across the country on post-secondary upgrades. The goal was to provide a better educational experience, but also to create new jobs and attract new students.

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