UW-Madison law student Dan Cornelius moved to reinstate the student-majority Design Committee at a Wisconsin Union Directorate meeting Thursday.
Cornelius said in a statement that the abolishment of the committee ""is a direct violation of student rights.""
The directorate decided to postpone the decision until November, giving members more time to continue discussion and bring further ideas to the table.
According to Associated Students of Madison Chair Tyler Junger, the Design Committee had a strong influence on the new south campus union that is currently under construction near Johnson and Orchard Streets.
""The committee determined the building's design, layout and overall theme,"" he said.
The Design Committee was scheduled to meet from 2006 though the beginning of Union South's construction. It is scheduled to be reinstated when design for the restoration of Memorial Union begins.
Students are contributing over $100 million to the project through student segregated fees.
The fees amount to $48 per semester through 2009 and $96 per semester thereafter and are estimated to cover 58 percent of the project costs.
Private donations and operating revenues are projected to cover remaining expenses.
The program has provided other opportunities for student involvement in addition to the Design Committee. Memorial Union invited students to help select the furniture for the new south campus union at their ""Chair Fair"" last month.
The project also recently created the ""Advance Team"" to help plan the building's opening in March 2011.
To get involved with student leadership on the project, Junger said he recommends joining the ""Wisconsin Union Building Project 2009-10"" Facebook group or reading the Union Building Project blog at unionbuildingproject.wordpress.com.
Junger said ASM has not taken a position on reinstatement of the Design Committee, but does support increased student involvement and control over the project.
