WIth the fee referendum vote fast approaching, student leaders met Monday with Chancellor James Woodward to discuss the details of the Talley Student Center fee increase, which will appear on the ballot for students to consider.While Student Body President Jim Ceresnak said the administration will be ironing out the specifics, including a dollar amount of the increase, later this week, he remains hopeful that students will take the time to inform themselves on the proposal.”We are ready to move forward with the process of informing the student body about the project and allowing students to vote,” he said. “It’s an incredible process.”Ceresnak said he hadn’t received a final amount of the increase at the meeting, but said it would come in the coming days and weeks.”They’re still crunching numbers at this point,” Ceresnak said. “We’ll have a final number soon, but we want to be sure we explore every single option and that there’s no possibility that’s left out.”Ceresnak said those involved have put much time and effort into making certain the fee increase would be fair, but efficient”At the end of the day, I think it will be something that students can take into consideration,” Ceresnak said.Student Senate President Kelli Rogers said the increase numbers have been discussed thoroughly in meetings, but that the most important thing is finding an amount that will be most efficient.”Numbers have been thrown around left and right,” Rogers said. “We just want to make sure that there’s background behind the numbers.”Ceresnak said he wants to focus on informing voters.”What’s important is that students understand what the proposal is,” he said. “What our job is for the next few weeks is to get that message out there.”Ceresnak said what mattered wasn’t his view, but what the student majority wanted”At the end of the day, it’s not my decision. It’s not anyone’s decision but the students,” he said. “i will support whatever the outcome of the referendum is. I understand the merits of the project but i also understand the issues other have with it.The fee referendum will be open for voting Oct. 5, but Ceresnak said already the University’s consideration of the Talley fee will be a large undertaking.”This is the biggest project that this University has been involved with in 25 years,” he said.Rogers said the Student Senate and all of SG will begin work on the referendum, which is a list of the proposed fee increases for students to vote on.”My goal is really to pass it on to other senators to be out there and really try to present the facts to students to make the right decision and the right vote,” Rogers said. “Our next step is to continue to talk to students and research.”
Talley fee meeting reveals few specifics
September 14, 2009