Guelph mayor Cam Guthrie says enrolment decisions by University of Guelph brass can’t be made in isolation, because the impact of over-enrolling students will have a ripple effect community wide.
More than 1,300 first-year students will be looking for housing options ahead of the fall because they won't get their requested spot in residence.
Overall, 7,800 first year students have accepted their offers from the U of G, over 50 per cent more than last year.
In a statement, Guthrie said he only learned of the potential impacts last week. He confirmed to GuelphToday that notification came via a phone call from U of G.
Guthrie confirms the university has agreed to giving him weekly updates on the housing situation, with the next meeting scheduled for Monday.
“They have also indicated that as we move through the next few weeks, there may be some changes in numbers,” he said. “That’s their process and that’s their situation to try to handle.”
He said he is “disappointed” in the university leadership, and in his open letter, he added he expects them “to actively participate in finding solutions.”
“It’s housing, number one,” he said of the ripple effects. “But then there’s other impacts too, like transit systems, other community services I’m concerned about. Bylaw and any number of other issues that this ripple effect of these decisions that they’ve made may impact our community.”
But this is not a new issue by any means. Two years ago, first-year students expressed disappointment after they were refused a spot in residence, after a recruiting brochure stated it would be guaranteed a spot if they applied by June 1, though it also stated it was “subject to change.”
That year, the university received 5,150 applications for 4,700 spots.
It accommodated 4,834 students, student staff, leaders and exchange students that year, after using the former Gordon Hall as a residence building.
The university later apologized for any misunderstanding.
“That came to a surprise as well,” Guthrie recalled. “And we made it very clear – and I made it very clear – that this can’t happen again.
“It was certainly not the number of students that they are projecting this year that impacted us a couple years ago. It’s greater than a couple years ago.”
He said students don’t just go to the university for one year. They enter into multi-year programs, some as long as five years.
“The over-recruitment that the University of Guelph has done here is not only going to have an impact on housing in our community for the first-year students. But it’s actually have a multi-year impact on the entire community.
He said the university can’t be making these types of decisions in isolation, and they have to work with the city and give them a heads up, which Guthrie said they did not get.
Guthrie said he has heard from parents and students, asking if he knows anyone who can help find a house or room to rent.
“Guelph already has that issue, without the issue of the over-enrollment by the University of Guelph,” he said.
“That’s why my concern about the housing portion is very real, and I’m just quite concerned.”
We have reached out to the University of Guelph for a comment.
