COFSI Data request

Background

The COFSI project, required by MTCU, analyses space utilization in each college in a consistent manner. It was developed in response to concerns raised by the Auditor General in 2010. Two reports have been completed, for FY2012-13 and FY2015-16. These reports are available on request. In addition, OCFMA has created an online version of these reports, which enables a wide range of customized comparisons between your college and relevant groups of other colleges.

Data

The information I am seeking from you by May 31, 2019 to hoicka@collegesontario.org  is:

  1. Your Winter 2019 space inventory, coded as per the COFSI guidelines.
    1. For convenience, I am attaching your final COFSI space inventory spreadsheet for 2015/16. It may be easier to simply create a new spreadsheet from your system, keeping the same categories, or to add to/change this spreadsheet.
    2. NOTE 1: Please include every building available for use for the winter term 2019 (i.e. January 2019)
    3. NOTE 2: If you have other buildings not yet available for use, please code them as
      1. [X] Future Space Under Construction
      2. [XA] Future Instruction and Learning Space
  • [XB] Future Student and Client Services / Campus Life
  1. [XC] Future Ancillary and Other Services
  2. [XD] Future Administration and Operations
  3. [XK] Future Other Facilities
  • [XZ] Future Building Services and Building Residual Areas
  • [XR] Future Residence / Housing
  1. [XP] Future Parking
  1. NOTE 3: If you have renamed campuses, buildings, etc. since 2015, you might want to review the OCFMA dashboard to see if historical comparisons are affected, and make any changes you deem to be important.
  1. Deferred Maintenance – VFA
    1. I plan to reference VFA data (as it is updated by colleges by September, 2019). There is a good chance that deferred maintenance will be an advocacy issue by fall.
    2. Re GHG reduction projects: If you reported to MTCU that your GHG reduction project[s] would reduce your deferred maintenance, please send me the total estimated dollar amount for your college – as reported to MTCU – by May 31, 2019.
  2. Anecdote request: Please provide a paragraph describing a specific challenge your college has related to deferred maintenance (i.e. a short story, maybe with a picture, that really resonates to explain why deferred maintenance can’t be ignored).
  3. Instructional equipment:  It has always been apparent that instructional equipment is an important element of college infrastructure, but so far I’ve drawn a blank on any ‘objective’ way to get the idea across.
    1. Some colleges might have data bases recording instructional equipment – and these could show at least illustratively, that there is a lot of it.
    2. If your college has an ‘objective’ way to demonstrate the need for at least some types of instructional equipment, or even some good anecdotes or examples, I’d be delighted to hear from you.
  4. If you need an extension beyond March 29th, please let me know as soon as possible.

 

Regards

John

 

John Hoicka

Senior Research and Policy Advisor

Colleges Ontario

20 Bay Street, Suite 1600

Toronto, ON  M5J 2N8

Direct:                    (647) 258-7679

Fax:                        (647) 258-7699

hoicka@collegesontario.org  www.collegesontario.org