UPEI
      classrooms
      are
      get-
     
     
      ting
      a
      little
      too
      crowded
      for
      com-
     
     
      fort.
     
    

    
     
      The
      solution
      to
      this
      prob-
     
     
      lem
      appears
      to
      be
      temporary
      class-
     
     
      rooms.
      Starting
      in
      the
      fall
      of
      2001,
     
     
      portables
      will
      be
      added
      to
      the
      cam-
     
     
      pus
      to
      provide
      more
      space
      for
      stu-
     
     
      dents.
      UPEI
      students
      and
      faculty
     
     
      members
      are
      concerned.
     
    

    
     
      Erin
      Green,a
      first
      year
      stu-
     
     
      dent,
      does
      not
      like
      the
      idea
      of
      tem-
     
     
      porary
      classrooms.
     
    

    
     
      “T
      find
      it
      annoying
      that
      they
     
     
      are
      adding
      portables
      to
      the
      cam-
     
     
      pus,”
      Green
      said.
      “I
      have
      never
     
     
      taken
      a
      class
      in
      one
      but
      I’ve
      seen
     
     
      them
      and
      they
      don’t
      look
      pleasant.
     
    

    
     
      “T
      think
      that
      UPEI
      has
      a
     
     
      beautiful
      campus
      and
      we’re
      going
     
     
      to
      litter
      it
      with
      portables,”
      added
     
     
      Green.
      “I
      also
      would
      feel
      isolated
     
     
      from
      the
      rest
      of
      the
      classes
      if
      I
      was
     
     
      in
      a
      portable.
      I
      like
      the
      idea
      of
      a
     
     
      warm,
      comfy
      classroom
      instead.”
     
    

    
     
      Vickie
      Johnston,
      assistant
     
     
      professor
      of
      psychology,
      began
      her
     
     
      academic
      career
      at
      UPEI
      in
      1978
     
     
      and
      most
      of
      her
      classes
      were
      in
     
     
      mobiles.
     
    

    
     
      “When
      I
      was
      a
      student
      at
     
     
      UPEI,
      what
      is
      now
      the
      Sports
     
     
      Centre
      was
      then
      a
      pig
      barn,”
     
     
      Johnson
      said.
      “Beside
      that,
      there
     
     
      was
      a
      few
      portables
      which
      held
      arts
     
     
      classes,
      english
      classes,
      and
      phy-
     
     
      cology
      classes.
      |
      remember
      feeling
     
     
      like
      I
      was
      in
      a
      tunnel
      because
      they
     
     
      were
      so
      long
      and
      narrow.
      The
      pil-
     
     
      lars
      in
      the
      middle
      of
      the
      rooms
     
     
      made
      seeing
      the
      board
      difficult
      as
     
     
      well.”
     
    

    
     
      She
      feels
      that
      portables
      can
     
    
   
   
    
     
      if
      all
      essentials
      are
      met.
     
    

    
     
      “They
      should
      be
      comfort-
     
     
      able
      for
      both
      the
      students
      and
      the
     
     
      professor
      and
      offer
      good
      acoustics.
     
     
      The
      air
      quality
      must
      be
      healthy
      as
     
     
      well
      as
      good
      temperature
      control,”
     
     
      Jonhston
      said.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      offer
      a
      good
      working
      environment
      |
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “T
      also
      think
      that
      we
      could
     
     
      make
      them
      look
      really
      nice
      on
      the
     
     
      inside,”
      she
      added.
      “They’re
      tem-
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      porary
      so
      why
      not
      have
      fun
      with
     
     
      them.
      Even
      adding
      a
      warm
      colour
     
     
      of
      paint
      could
      make
      the
      room
      more
     
     
      comfortable.”
     
    

    
     
      She
      has
      seen
      several
      differ-
     
     
      ent
      classroom
      environments.
     
    

    
     
      “In
      1986,
      the
      University
     
     
      100
      classes
      were
      held
      where
      ITEC
     
     
      is
      now.
      It
      was
      a
      very
      comfortable
     
     
      atmosphere,”
      Johnston
      explained.
      “
     
     
      Then
      about
      five
      or
      six
      years
      ago,
     
     
      we
      were
      moved
      to
      the
      Alumni
     
     
      Gym.
      The
      environment
      in
      there
      is
     
     
      not
      as
      nice,
      especially
      the
      tempera-
     
     
      ture
      system.
      It’s
      either
      too
      hot
      or
     
     
      too
      cold.”
      She
      adds,
      “I
      hope
      they
     
     
      are
      ‘temporary’.
      In
      three
      to
      five
     
     
      years
      we
      will
      have
      a
      beautiful
      new
     
     
      Students
      Centre.
      I
      look
      at
      the
      tem-
     
     
      porary
      classrooms
      as
      being
      short-
     
     
      term
      with
      long-term
      gains.”
     
    

    
     
      Neil
      Henry,
      Vice-President
     
     
      of
      Finance
      and
      Facilities
      ,
     
     
      explained
      why
      temporary
      class-
     
     
      rooms
      are
      necessary
      at
      UPEI.
     
    

    
     
      “There
      is
      a
      loss
      of
      class-
     
     
      rooms
      to
      other
      purposes,
      most
     
     
      recently
      the
      planned
      incorporation
     
     
      of
      the
      Alumni
      Gym
      into
      the
      new
     
     
      Student
      Centre,”
      Henry
      said.
      “Also
     
     
      because
      of
      rising
      enrollments.
      This
     
    
   
   
    
     
      year
      we
      have
      added
      about
      360
      full-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      time
      students,
      an
      increase
      of
      15%.
     
     
      This
      ensures
      that
      we
      will
      see
      a
      per-
     
     
      manent
      increase
     
     
      next
      year.
      While
      we
     
     
      hope
      this
      is
      a
      per-
     
     
      manent
      ~
      increase,
     
     
      this
      may
      only
      be
      a
     
     
      temporary
      _
      situa-
     
     
      tion.”
     
    

    
     
      At
      this
      point,
      UPEI
     
     
      will
      be
      adding
      at
     
     
      least
      six
      temporary
     
     
      classrooms.
      “The
     
     
      university
      has
     
     
      issued
      a
      Request
     
     
      For
      Proposal
      for
      the
     
     
      temporary
      __class-
     
     
      rooms,”
      _he
     
     
      "
      explained.
      ‘
      ‘
      We
      are
     
     
      douebranicd
      to
      have
      at
      least
      six,
     
     
      maybe
      more,
      classrooms
      of
      50-60
     
     
      student
      size,
      available
      before
      next
     
     
      fall.
      For
      the
      longer
      term,
      if
      these
     
    
   
   
    
     
      enrollment
      increases
      are
      sustained,
     
     
      then
      a
      permanent
      classroom
      build-
     
     
      ing
      may
      be
      necessary.”
     
    

    
     
      He
      discussed
      where
      the
     
     
      classrooms
      will
      be
      placed
      and
      how
     
     
      long
      he
      believes
      they
      will
      be
      need-
     
     
      ed.
     
     
      :
      “We
      are
      exploring
      sites
      that
     
     
      are
      as
      close
      as
      possible
      to
      the
      aca-
     
     
      demic
      core
      of
      the
      university,”
     
     
      explained
      Henry,
      adding
      that
      if
      a
     
     
      permanent
      classroom
      building
     
     
      were
      required,
      it
      would
      take
      some
     
     
      time
      to
      get
      the
      funding
      and
      then
     
     
      design
      and
      build
      it.
      “I
      would
      expect
     
     
      that
      temporary
      classrooms
      will
      be
     
     
      here
      for
      three
      to
      five
      years.”
     
    

    
     
      “The
      fact
      that
      we
      are
      sub-
     
     
      ject
      to
      this
      particular
      pressure
      is
     
     
      inconvenient
      but
      it
      reflects
      the
      very
     
     
      positive
      fact
      that
      UPEI
      is
      boom-
     
     
      ing,”
      he
      added.
      “Our
      objective
      is
      to
     
     
      make
      sure
      that
      academic
      programs
     
     
      and
      the
      students
      are
      not
      affected.”
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
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