Amended student fee passes

A gradually implemented student fee spanning 30 years to fund a 100,000 square foot wellness center at West Campus was approved by the Student Government Association Senate on Wednesday by an 18-5 vote, with one member abstaining.

The fee will start at $75 in Fall 2010, increase to $125 in Fall 2011 and stabilize at $175, to be paid until 2041. SGA may vote to lower or raise the fee over its duration upon the establishment of a new proposal for a price change. Students posed with financial hardships may be exempt from the fee.

“The passage of this resolution with the graduated implantation model will lessen the immediate financial burden on students and allow adequate time for student adjustments for the fee increase, and time for economic conditions to improve,” SGA President Zach Mullins said at Wednesday’s meeting.

Construction is set to begin in April and completion is forecasted for completion in late November of 2011.

Some students and senators found no comfort in the lack of solidified plans for the design and amenities. General plans were drawn, but building specifics are still being established and finalized by the Wellness Center Planning Committee, a group comprised of faculty and staff.

“Why is it that we are approving the fee if we aren’t sure what’s going to be put in the facility?” freshman Senator Ethan Holliman said.

The construction cost of the building is approximately $29 million, but due to the interest on the 30-year bond the total cost to students comes to about $60 million.

“If we can get agreement on this soon, we lock in a bond rate while they’re at a historic low,” Dean of Students Bruce Harshbarger said.

Counseling services and the health center are planned to relocate to the West Campus facility in an effort to bring all forms of wellness together in one location.

Plans for the 100,000-square-foot center to replace the parking lot directly outside the Village Market and West Campus pool, include an indoor pool, three gymnasiums, a roller hockey rink, basketball courts, a rock climbing wall, a classroom, a multipurpose room and other resources for physical activities.

“I’m impressed by the professionalism displayed by the student Senate and the student body as a whole in the amount of healthy discussion that this topic has generated,” Mullins said.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Oct 9 2009. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry