Renovations
Renovations to heritage house will cost $700K as Laurier facility grows
Indigenous student centre gets a new home
WATERLOO — Wilfrid Laurier University’s Indigenous Student Centre is getting a new home just down the street from its current one.
The student centre has outgrown its current space in a small house on Albert Street and will renovate a nearby heritage home to accommodate its growing needs.
“We have more staff and we serve more students than we did in the early days,” said Jean Becker, the senior adviser of Indigenous initiatives on campus.
The Indigenous Student Centre plans to move into Lucinda House next September.
The heritage building at the corner of Bricker Avenue and Albert Street was donated to the university in 1994 and is currently used as a guest house and gathering place for special events.
This new Indigenous student centre will be called Nadjiwan Kaandossiwin Gamik, which means a “beautiful place of learning.”
Becker said she is thrilled to have more space for the centre’s many programs geared toward ensuring Indigenous students thrive on campus.
“That will be a big improvement for us,” she said.
“For many of our students this is like a home away from home.”
Lucinda House’s interior will be completely renovated and an addition to the building is also planned using $700,000 in funding from the Lyle. S. Hallman Foundation, Wilfrid Laurier University and the university’s two student unions.
Right now, Becker said the student centre often has to acquire space elsewhere for large events because it can’t handle big groups in its current small space.
The new centre will have a large space for gatherings as well as a formal reception area, offices and quiet study space.
The Indigenous student centre offers support to Indigenous students, many of whom are from northern communities or reserves across the country. Students can access academic support such as one-on-one tutoring and study-skills workshops.
Cultural programming is also essential, Becker said.
Visiting elders will often come to the centre to share creation stories or stories about their own lives. The centre also will host hands-on workshops like moccasin-making classes.
The centre’s Indigenous garden, where students grow traditional medicines and vegetables, will also move to the Lucinda House next September.
Lucinda House was built in 1838 by Waterloo’s first medical doctor, Joseph Good. It was then owned by Allen and Lucinda Shantz, who lived in the house from 1896 to 1948.