U of G club forced to close doors after over 50 years of service to the community
On March 14, 2018, the University of Guelph’s Photo Arts Club (PAC) was notified by the CSA that they must vacate their space as of April 30, 2018.
In an email to The Ontarion, the CSA clubs coordinator explains, “PAC lost their accredited status because they chose not to submit any accreditation documentation for both fall and winter semesters, did not attend mandatory Clubs General Meetings either semester, and did not attend make-up meetings that were arranged for clubs who were not able to attend the original meeting. Overall, PAC did not complete the necessary steps to complete accreditation that all CSA Clubs must complete, as outlined in CSA policies.”
Also, to achieve accreditation status, a club needs to have at least 25 members. Current PAC executive and University of Guelph alumni, Ema Suvajac, explained to The Ontarion that after the stress of losing half of their space and dealing with CSA requirements during the summer and fall of 2017, most of PAC’s executive, and many of their general members, abandoned the club. Suvajac also argues, “PAC could not sign up [new] members in fall 2017 since we were closed due to the CSA construction in the PAC space… Additionally, who would sign on to take on the burden of cleaning up a construction zone, dealing with the health and safety requirements, and the CSA?”
The CSA did not provide an appropriate alternative space for Photo Arts Club to continue their activities while renovations were taking place. In response to this predicament, the CSA clubs coordinator wrote, “Due to the special nature of PAC and their operations, the CSA does not have a space that was able to accommodate for the uniqueness of their operations (i.e., dark room). However, they were informed that they were able to rent out any rooms or storage within the Clubs Hallway. They did not choose to utilize these spaces.”
In addition, after the renovations, PAC was asked to meet a list of health and safety criteria in order to maintain the rest of their space. The current PAC executives told The Ontarion that they interpreted this to mean that the health and safety requirements must be met prior to applying for accreditation. When the Photo Arts Club attempted to complete the health and safety requirements by sending an email to Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) at the University, the office took over a month to reply.
“I think it’s an absolute shame that this whole debacle — originally stemming from the CSA’s own lack of due diligence and complete lack of communication regarding renovations and the removal of half of the PAC facility — has ultimately led to the fall of a club that has been serving the community for over 50 years,” said Suvajac.
The club, once home to 80 members, is forced to close their doors, leaving Guelph’s students without an affordable outlet to explore the inspirational tool of photography.