SGA seeks student input on union
Students can help determine whether Campus Improvement Fee money will fund a new student union.
The fee, which has been in place for two years, was $25 per semester, but increased last year to $37.50 per semester.
The funds the fee generates depend on enrollment, but approximately $2.5 million is available in the account now.
“When the fee was originally added, it was determined that it would eventually reach $100 per semester,” said Student Government Association Sen. Steve Latour, Berkley senior. “So this fee will increase very gradually over the next few years, but the increase is not because the money is being spent. Even if we do not build a student union, the fee will still go up.”
The money in the fund is there for the students, he said.
“We are a campus where students come, they go to class and then can’t wait to go home,” Latour said. “We should be thinking about how we can leave this campus in a better position then it was when we got here.”
SGA is responsible for determining how the money will be spent.
“When President (Michael) Rao came to campus, he said this money was going to be used for improvements on campus, but it would be determined by Student Government as to how that money would be spent,” Latour said.
SGA can do almost anything it wants with the money to improve campus, he said.
“There are no limitations to what the fee could be used for as long as it is used in regards to improving campus infrastructure overall,” Latour said. “It could also be spent obtaining resources to do research and determine if we are doing things the best way they can be done.”
The expansion and reorganization of Bovee University Center is one possibility the Student Services Committee is looking at.
The estimated cost of the project is between $15 million and $20 million.
“A student union has the emphasis behind it because of the demand,” Latour said.
“A student union is identified in the campus master plan as a need for our campus. The Board of Trustees, in their vision statement, they say they want to provide services and physical facilities to enhance student learning, success and satisfaction, and this would meet the Board’s vision of what CMU is trying to be; and students have been talking about a union for a long time.”
If the BUC is remodeled, funding for that project will funnel through a process called bonding, which is a form of mortgage from the bank.
The money to pay that mortgage will come from the Campus Improvement Fee in the amount of approximately $1 million per year until it is paid off.
The Student Services Committee will present its plan Dec. 6 to the Board of Trustees.
If the plan is approved, second semester consultations will begin and a master plan with blue prints and a description of exactly what will be in the building will be presented to the Board.
If it is approved, ground breaking could begin in May and bonding would take place over the summer.
In researching a student union, Central students have visited several universities including Michigan State University, Grand Valley State University, University of Charleston, Ohio State University, Kent State University and Bowling Green State University as well as seven schools in Canada.
There also are plans to visit Harvard, Yale and Penn State, along with other universities on the east coast.
SGA wants to gauge student opinion by hosting forums, one taking place next week. A phone survey was conducted and members of SGA have attended RSO meetings.
After the student union project would begin, the SGA Student Services Committee would begin make plans for the next project, Latour said.
Other projects may include improving the sidewalks between Pearce and Anspach, building a convocation center and working from the university’s list of building projects and recommendations from students.
“We are confident that the student union is the No. 1 priority for students because of the formal and informal opinion polls,” Latour said.
Next week’s forum is sponsored by SGA and CM LIFE at a time to be announced early next week.
“If it is determined at the forum that a student union is not the No. 1 thing students want, then SGA will proceed to ensure that the issue gets the attention it deserves,” Latour said.
