The Board of Supervisors unanimously passed the Student Union and Union Theater fee increase Friday morning.
The Student Union and Union Theater fee, currently $60 for full-time students, will increase incrementally from spring 2008 to fall 2009 to $89.
A $24 million shortfall in the University’s initial estimates of the Union’s renovation costs instigated the increase.
Students voted on the fee increase during Student Government elections in March, when the LSU Union and Theater Fee Referendum failed to pass by a slight margin.
The board’s Finance, Infrastructure and Core Development Committee initially proposed a fee increase of $34, but board members, including SG President Cassie Alsfeld, worked to reduce the cost to students.
“We just went through every item on the statement,” said Alvin Kimble, the committee’s chairman. “We looked at non-student entities to see if we could get an increase from them.”
Part of this revision requires the University to pay a portion of the renovation cost corresponding to its usage of Union facilities.
The resolution was also revised to require the University to reduce the student fee if the project costs less than estimated or if other sources of private funding can be found. Additionally, once the bonds financing the renovations are paid, the University is directed to reduce the fee.
These revisions were approved Thursday without much debate after the resolution was deferred in July’s board meeting.
Chancellor Sean O’Keefe supported the fee’s passage, citing an increase in construction costs if additional funds aren’t available by December 2007. If contractors currently at the University aren’t paid by December, they may relocate, which would cause costs to be re-assessed.
“They’ve got the contract capacity on-site right now,” O’Keefe said Thursday.
—–Contact Daniel McBride at [email protected]