Five places at the North campus location that every student should know about

Ontario Tech’s North campus location can be a bit confusing, especially to any new students. But here, in my opinion, are five key places at the university’s North location that every student should know about, regardless of the faculty or program you are in.

Campus Recreation Wellness Center 

Located across ACE and Ontario Power Generation Engineering Building at the North location, along Avenue of Champions, is the Campus Recreation and Wellness Centre (CRWC). The CRWC includes five single gyms, a three-lane track, the FLEX fitness centre and a diverse set of fitness programs for everyone. There are also intramurals and extramurals at the CRWC. Intramural sports include men’s and women’s badminton doubles, co-ed basketball, dodgeball, flag football, ice hockey, soccer and volleyball. Extramural programs include men’s and women’s hockey, and co-ed volleyball. Interested students can visit the Campus Recreation and Wellness Centre website for more information about the programs and how to register.

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Within the CRWC space is also the Campus Health Centre which contains a medical clinic and an on-site pharmacy. There are single health concern appointments that are about 10 minutes in length. The health care centre also offers an alternative treatment clinic that offers services like acupuncture, chiropractic, physiotherapy, massage therapy and nutritional counselling. Students presenting a valid student ID card with health insurance coverage (OHIP, other provincial insurance plans, and/or UHIP) may be covered for the services offered. Just keep in mind that some of the services are not insured by these plans, however, they are still offered but may require additional resources.

Bus Loop

A lot of students at both Ontario Tech and Durham College use transit as a means to commute to school. For those students, the bus loop, located in the centre of Durham College behind the Science Building, is the main hub of transportation. Buses that stop at this bus loop include the 915 Taunton, 401 Simcoe and the 910 Campus Connect. Full-time students at Ontario Tech University receive the universal transit pass ( U-Pass), which can be seen on student’s ID card at the top. This pass gives these students unlimited access to Durham Region Transit (DRT) throughout the academic year. There is also a GO Transit bus stop at the bus loop to transport students to and from different cities within the GTA including Scarborough and North York.  

As a student who used to regularly take the 915 bus to and from campus, the bus loop was integral to my student life journey. Trying to catch the bus at the bus loop still brings back fond and not so fond memories. 

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Registrar's Office

The Registrar’s Office is one of the best places to get your questions about your journey as a student answered. They can answer questions concerning admissions, registration, student records, financial aid, student awards, and convocation. The Registrar’s Office is on the first floor of the Software and Informatics Research Centre (SIRC) building across Conlin Road. Just fill out a brief form concerning your visit to the office, take a ticket and wait for your number to be called. Perhaps even purchase a snack or outfit at Shop SIRC while you wait. A lot of answers to questions about registration, fees and appointments can actually be found online on the Registrar’s Office website, so make sure to check it before you visit. 

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Student Life Building

Dedicated to ensuring you have the best student experience possible is the Student Life Building, found in Founders Lot 2 across from the OPG Engineering Building. The Office of Student Life offers services that include academic support, accessibility, career support, equity and inclusion, and wellness. For example, the Student Learning Center offers academic support through various support services including Peer Tutor appointments, Peer Assisted Study Sessions, workshops and drop-in spaces. You can sign up for appointments and workshops through the Student Life Portal.  Drop-in spaces like Chem Corner, Math Circle, and Physics Space give students the opportunity to bring course content questions to Peer Tutors and Subject Specialists. The Student Life Building is a great resource with great staff to support all students on their path to success. Visit the Student Life website for more information about the supports and services offered in the Student Life Building. 

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Library

Last but not least is the North Oshawa Library, right between Polonsky Commons and the UL Building. This library contains four floors and a lower level with different features and acceptable noise levels on each floor. Designated silent study areas are on the third and fourth floors. There is a photocopier on the first and second floor, plus printers located on the lower level and the first three floors. Student’s photo ID card doubles as a library card when signing out or reserving library materials. On the first floor, there is a circulation and reference desk where students can receive help looking for specific items in the library. Students can sign out items in the reserve section which have been designated to have a three-hour, one-day or three-day loan if available. Temporarily lockers are also available for current students for two weeks and these are located in the library on the second and fourth floors. Current students and staff members may also use 3D printing services through library services. In addition to in-house resources, the library has a vast selection of eBooks, journals and more through the library’s online database. 

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Most Ontario Tech students will probably visit at least three out of the five locations within the first year of university, if not within the first few months. Maybe you will visit all five places and even add some more to your list of key locations on this campus!