The U of W Complaints Desk

“Why is the U of W pouring money into x when they don’t even have money to fix y?”

I’ve heard numerous variations on this question.

Why is the university expanding left and right but can’t seem to outfit Uplink with computers that actually work a majority of the time?

Why are they spending money constructing a sculpture of a glorified cube on Ellice Avenue when it’s still rare to find a bathroom that isn’t missing at least one crucial bathroom item (whether it be soap dispensers that work, toilets that flush, or stalls that lock)?

How come they have the cash to construct a Green Corridor but we still don’t have reliable wireless or printers?

If we’ve got all these new buildings why do I still end up in classrooms without enough desks for the students in it, and why is it my turn to sit in the broken chair again? Why is there always at least one broken chair in every class? Why? Why?

It doesn’t take a genius to notice that the distribution of wealth on campus is a little bit uneven. There are many reasons for this, including but not limited to the fact that projects like building expansion and creation of green spaces are often subsidized by private benefactors who would rather be known as the people who helped the U of W build a park than the people who helped the U of W fix a printer.

However, another question we must ask ourselves is this: if we’re so frustrated by it, why do most of us only complain to each other?

There are over 9,000 students on campus, and I’d hazard a guess that the majority of us have identified areas of the university that could use a little bit more attention. I’d also hazard a guess that the majority of those students probably haven’t voiced their concerns to anyone who has the power to do anything about it.

From what I’ve seen in the past three years at the U of W, most of us students will expound on these issues to each other and then wait silently for the university to notice the injustice of it all and fix it (or not…those jerks…).

If, instead of complaining to each other about it, each one of us took our concerns to members of administration, I wonder what would happen? Hey it’s worth a try. Even if it doesn’t result in the change we want to see, the least we can do is make sure the people in charge are as annoyed by the situation as we are. 

Which leads me to my last question: Why doesn’t the U of W have a complaints desk?