News

Union referendum discussion continues

Several University of Wisconsin students attended an open forum Thursday concerning the upcoming referendum that would increase segregated fees to help fund the renovation of the Memorial Union and Union South.

Wisconsin Union Director Mark Guthier encouraged students to vote “yes” in the student referendum April 5-7, which seeks segregated fees to upgrade and expand both Wisconsin Union facilities.

The Memorial Union, which recently celebrated its 75th birthday, is the primary focus of the segregated fees, as Guthier said roughly two-thirds of the new funding would go to the Memorial Union and the remaining third to Union South.

“I don’t think there’s ever been a major renovation in the [Memorial] Union since it was built,” Wisconsin Union Directorate Vice President of Administration Benjamin Hawke said. “We need to really invest heavily in our union, or it’s going to go downhill fast.”

Guthier and Hawke said that when compared to the other universities in the UW System, UW-Madison ranks below average in segregated fee rates for building projects, average fees paid toward unions and square footage of student centers per full-time students.

The proposed plan to fund major renovations of the two union buildings is the increase of segregated fees, beginning in the Fall 2005 semester and ending in Spring 2019.

According to Hawke, the proposed plan takes more money from students further along in the process since they will receive more of the benefits of the renovation.

“We’ll ask students to pay three dollars per semester for the next two years, then increase ten dollars each subsequent year,” Hawke said.

Under this plan, 14 years from now students will pay $123 each semester in the final year of the segregated fees for the Wisconsin Union. Hawke added this system of increasing fees will be standard for any future renovations, and that it does not differ from the funding provided for the recent renovation of the Southeast Recreational Facility.

UW students will not however, pay all of the expenses. Hawke said in this proposal students would pay no more than 75 percent of the total cost with the remainder generated by Wisconsin Union enterprises and alumni donations.

“We are very fortunate to have probably the best alumni support of any Union in the country,” Guthier said.

UW senior Brian Runnells said he would not vote in favor of the segregated fees because he does not trust the people in charge to spend the money wisely, and because current students pay for the benefit of future students.

“I didn’t think it was a very good idea,” Runnells said. “Somebody paying [fees] now is not going to be around when the money is actually spent.”

According to Hawke, should the segregated fees hike be approved, the Memorial Union will see a new ballroom, better accessibility for the disabled, a redesigned Park Street entrance and added space for student programming and student offices while still preserving the historical features of the building.

“We’re not trying to modernize it and put metal and glass everywhere,” Hawke said.

Guthier said Union South would either be demolished or intensively renovated, either way resulting in additional meeting space, less concrete and an “urban terrace” similar to the lakeside terrace at the Memorial Union, which he called “one of the icons” of UW.