Students voting in the October ASM elections will vote to approve or reject the Student Union Initiative, a proposal for the renovating and rebuilding of the two student unions, something union and city officials have suggested is of high importance.
If passed, the Student Union Initiative would raise student-segregated fees $48 each semester until spring 2009 to fund the $167 million renovation of Memorial Union and reconstruction of Union South. According to Marc Kennedy, Wisconsin Union publicist, the 80-year-old Memorial Union does not currently comply with safety codes, and many parts of the building are inaccessible to handicapped persons.
""It's been grandfathered in over the years ... the fire chief told us that unless it's up to code in a year or two ... technically they could close the building,"" Kennedy said.
""If [the referendum] didn't go through, we'd be in a situation where we'd be waiting to see what falls apart first,"" Union Director Mark Guthier said. ""We may need to start closing down sections of the building if we just can't renovate them.""
Guthier said three recent floods have damaged the building and caused damage to the Union's art collection.
Kennedy cited the 25 separate air-conditioning systems and the lack of presentation equipment as examples of the building's dated furnishings. He said Memorial Union serves 13,000 students each day and therefore should be prioritized with regard to improvement spending above other facilities.
If the referendum passes, $97 million in funding would come from increased student fees, while fundraising and donations would account for $40 million and the remaining $20 million would be covered by union operations.
Guthier said that a $48 to $96 increase per semester in student fees could continue for the next 30 years.
Specifically, the plan includes renovating Memorial Union and constructing and replacing Union South, which Guthier claims to be ""not well-loved by students.""
Of the $167 million designated for the project, $80 million will be allocated to refurbishing Memorial Union, $67 million will go towards rebuilding the Union South facility, and an additional $20 million will be used to build an additional parking structure and other smaller renovations.
