Freshmen will not be the only students entering into new things this fall.
Last spring students voted to pass a referendum that would renovate the Union.
The referendum asked for a student fee to help finance the $54 million project, according to the Union Fee Referendum Proposal. The fee will charge students $10 this semester and will increase $10 each semester until it tops out at $60 in six semesters.
Shirley Plakidas, Union director, said improvements to the nearly 40-year-old building are vital to keep up with the growing population on campus.
Plakidas said students will get a chance to voice opinions of what they would like to see in the Union during the one-year design process starting in September.
WTW architects, the architecture firm in charge of the project, will invite students to several forums to brainstorm ideas of what things students would like to see included in the Union renovation, Plakidas said.
Allen Richey, Student Government president, said he is in favor of the Union fee but said he often does not agree with fees where students must carry most of the financial burden. However, he said he feels this project will be beneficial to students.
Richey said the idea of creating more space for students to gather is an excellent idea for the aging building.
He also is impressed with the way the fee is structured to allow upperclassmen the chance to pay little for a project of which they will not reap the benefits.
And while major construction on the Union will not occur until spring 2006, several smaller projects are on tap to improve the Union’s appearance this semester.
Plakidas said none of the projects slated for this semester will be financed by the Union Fee. Instead the funds will come from the Union’s reserve.
The Union’s reserve funds are revenues made by the Union through student fees and leases to tenants, according to the Union Referendum Proposal.
For projects costing no more than $350,000 the Union’s reserve funds are used, Plakidas said.
This semester several projects will fall into this category, Plakidas said.
The Union Ballroom, which is used throughout the year, will receive a major upgrade, Plakidas said.
A new wooden floor will be placed in the ballroom during winter break to replace the 20-year-old wooden floor that currently is being used.
Plakidas said another change in the Union Ballroom will be a change of all the drapery. She said the drapery project will begin as soon as workers lay the floors down in December.
Plakidas said while the changes going on in the Union will not be as large-scale as the ones occurring during the Master Plan, they are needed to keep the building functioning properly. At the beginning of August, workers completed a project to install a smoke alarm system throughout the entire Union.
Plakidas said while the process to install the smoke alarms was loud at some points during testing, the repairs were necessary to stay within the fire code.
The next item on the Union’s fix list will be installing new water fountains to replace the nearly 40-year-old ones currently in use. Plakidas also said the Union’s only elevator will be replaced in December.
Plakidas said all of the projects fit within the Union’s $350,000 reserve fund and will not require the aid of the Union Fee.