The underground tunnels at Memorial University — known for years as the "MUNnels" among students — are a central part of the student experience in St. John's.

In theory, they offer a quick and easy way to get from class to class without having to go outside, and for decades have been a preferred choice in the winter months.

But Memorial University's student union says there are multiple health and safety issues with the tunnels: broken safety alarms and accessibility elevators, leaky roofs, and asbestos warning signs.

To address the issue, MUNSU is advocating that the provincial government increases its funding to the university.

"Students aren't getting their money's worth," said Nicolas Keough, MUNSU director of external affairs.

In 2021, the Newfoundland and Labrador government announced a planned $68.4-million reduction in Memorial University's tuition offset grant over five years.

MUN was allocated $298 million for its core operating grant in the 2024 provincial budget. The Faculty of Medicine receives separate funding from the province in an effort to address the healthcare crisis.

"That doesn't leave much money for the university to be doing the maintenance that they need to do," Keough said. "It doesn't leave much money for the university [to] be keeping tuition low and competitive with other universities."

GALLERY | Take to the tunnels and see some maintenance problems up close:

Photogallery | Hazards in the MUN tunnels

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Keough says students have historically traveled from other provinces and countries to enrol in Memorial University because of relatively low tuition fees, but the student union isn't seeing that anymore. On top of that, he says, students are noticing "massive" amounts of deferred maintenance.

Among the problems on MUNSU's growing list of maintenance issues in the university's tunnel system is the fact that the emergency button system is "temporarily out of service." If students find themselves in a dangerous situation while using the tunnels, they would usually be able to press a button that automatically calls Campus Enforcement and Patrol.

That option is no longer available.

"It's really concerning to any student, but especially vulnerable students, especially female students," said Keough. "These have been regularly in and out of service for years since I've been here. And this is my sixth year here."

There's also an unidentified brown goo-like substance dripping from a pipe in the ceiling down the walls. Keough says students have not been told what the liquid is, but they're concerned.

The health and safety concerns have been brought to the university administration's attention, but Keough says the student union was told "they feel as though their hands are tied. They feel as though there's not as much funding for the university as there used to be."

In a statement, Memorial University spokesperson Chad Pelley said the university's infrastructure challenges are "not unique to our university," and that money is tight.

"The volume of deferred maintenance and capital renewal work far exceeds the funds available to complete this work, but Memorial has a program in place to monitor, audit, prioritize and complete infrastructure work, and we complete priority projects annually based on the available funding," Pelley wrote.

"In terms of prioritizing, safety of our occupants remains a top priority for us and when safety items are discovered, they are dealt with immediately."

The university said a section of the Paton College tunnel network was re-waterproofed this year, at a cost of $200,000.