MUN has recently announced that it will be selling the Geo Centre, and that if there is no sale by the end of 2026, the Geo Centre will close.
As a MUN geophysics master’s student, and a member of the Johnson family, I can confidently say that this is a horrible decision.
With Newfoundland’s economy being heavily rooted in natural resources, and climate change becoming more dire every day, education on geosciences is more important than ever.
The Geo Centre is an amazing place for learning and for community events, and letting it disappear would be a disgusting waste.
Many people remember going to field trips at the Geo Centre as children, and learning about everything from the planets in space to the ground beneath our feet.
The Geo Centre is an incredible place for inspiring and educating people of all ages.
Geoscience education is undoubtedly important for our province. Our economy is heavily tied to natural resources, with oil and gas and mining being huge industries here.
More than that, climate change is presenting new challenges everyday, destroying habitats all around the world.
Geoscientists are crucial for fighting climate change. We need more people in geoscience to sustain our community and make a better future.
What better way to educate people about this field, and to inspire students to go into this field, than the Geo Centre? It’s disappointing that MUN hasn’t done more with this asset.
There’s very little exposure to the geosciences in grade school, so having facilities such as the Geo Centre is extremely valuable.
We are also seeing a rise in misinformation surrounding the sciences, which is another reason it’s so important to have science outreach and education being supported in our community. There is so much potential to use the Geo Centre in more ways than ever before, to help build our future.
Since MUN was gifted the Geo Centre, it’s management of the facility has been lacklustre. Overall, the Geo Centre seems to be underutilized, with not many events being hosted there, and the facility remaining closed for most of the year.
That being said, the idea of a new owner for the Geo Centre also brings hesitation.
Picture this: In a few years time, the Geo Centre becomes a purely for profit business, with no attention paid anymore to science education or outreach. That could be the outcome if the Geo Centre goes to an irresponsible buyer.
However, there’s a chance that the Geo Centre could fall into good hands. Best case scenario, the Geo Centre is bought by an entity which focuses on the education and outreach potential of the facility, and uses it for the betterment of the community.
The worst outcome would be for the Geo Centre to close. MUN has a great opportunity with the Geo Centre to make it better than it’s ever been; it could create new exhibits, new education opportunities for the youth, and use it to host more events!
It’s a shame to see such an opportunity be thrown away.
Choosing to close the Geo Centre if there is no buyer by the end of this year is irresponsible, disappointing, and disrespectful.
I’m definitely not the only person who feels this way about the Geo Centre.
Many classmates and friends have expressed their opinions regarding the sale of the Geo Centre, and the overall feeling is disappointment.
MUN has cited the main reason for selling the Geo Centre as being that the Geo Centre comes at a cost to run, and that it carries a large sum of deferred maintenance costs.
The sale of the Geo Centre is one of the many symptoms of MUN’s poor finances. Mismanagement of resources and funds, as well as decreased financial support from the government, are clearly hurting the university on many fronts.
We are seeing the loss of many facilities and programs which students love, including Harlow campus, humanities programs, and the Geo Centre. This is what happens when education is not supported.
To prevent further losses to our community, there needs to be a drastic change to MUN’s finances, as well as increased support from the government.
When we don’t support education, everyone loses.
Alexis Johnson is a geophysics master’s student at Memorial University
