After three years of planning and campaigning, student leaders and Chancellor James Woodward have settled on a dollar amount for the proposed Talley Student Center renovation fee.The fee proposal, which will appear on the ballot Oct. 5 for student consideration, will be $83 according to a memorandum Woodward released to student leaders Tuesday.Student Body President Jim Ceresnak said the fee amount, though a significant increase, was in some ways a victory for the student leaders who fought it down from the $300 to $400 range.Co-chair of the fee review committee and Student Senate President Kelli Rogers said that the committee would assure no other fee increases were passed over due to the Talley fee. Ceresnak said the Talley fee is an indebtedness fee and isn’t counted toward the 6.5-percent cap on student fee increases Rogers discussed. He and the chancellor want to keep the total increase, including the proposed Talley fee increase, within the limit.The dollar amount of a 6.5 percent increase is $102.30 and would bring the total student fees to $1676.30.Caroline Carswell, an undeclared sophomore, said she wasn’t interested in a fee increase of any kind unless it was necessary.”I cant really tell that [Talley is] in need of renovations,” Carswell said. “I don’t like any fee, because I’m a student and I don’t have any money.”Carswell, who doesn’t have a meal plan, said the proposal’s inclusion of Atrium renovations that would be complete by fall 2010 didn’t alter her thoughts on the fee increase.”I don’t really see that it’s in major need of change,” Carswell said of the Atrium. “I don’t really care to pay for it. I think I can do without.”
Referendum will feature $83 Talley fee
September 15, 2009