Since last fall, members of the University of Wisconsin community have been crafting an extravagant plan to renovate Memorial Union and reconstruct Union South.

Not surprisingly, the plan leaves students footing a sizable portion of the bill.

Wisconsin Union Directorate representatives are currently collecting signatures in an effort to place a referendum on the spring ballot that, if passed, could increase segregated fees up to $192 a year. Currently, students pay $666 a year in segregated fees. Under the proposed plan, segregated fees could increase to a total of $858, where they will remain for 30 years, not including any unrelated ASM hikes. Segregated fees are expected to cover almost 60 percent of the project.

This board has consistently been cautious of the exorbitant use of segregated fees, and this referendum is no exception.

There is no need for excessive compelled charity to fund this project. When Memorial Union was completed in 1928, the construction of the building was funded exclusively through voluntary donations from students and others. Student segregated fees did not exist at the time to fund the landmark that now graces Langdon Street.

It would be in the best interest of UW students for WUD to follow a similar path with the current proposal by seeking additional donations and naming rights for this project before asking students to fork over more money at a time when tuition has already increased 33 percent over the last two years.

The current proposal seeks to raise $30 to $40 million in donations, a figure WUD considers optimistic, but one this board considers unsatisfactory.

There is also no harm in assigning naming rights to the new building that will adorn the south side of campus or any new spaces of Memorial Union. A gracious $25 million gift led the university to place the Kohl name on a certain athletic complex on campus, and a $10 million donation helped construct the Nicholas-Johnson Pavilion and Plaza, which serves as the Kohl Center's practice facility. Other large donations also drove that project.

In addition to the funding aspect of the union plan, there is the question of necessity. A main impetus behind the plan is to increase student activity space. However, the Student Activity Center — which will be built on the site of the current University Square — is intended to serve as a hub for student organizations, offices and activities in the near future.

This isn't the first time WUD has attempted to place a referendum on the ballot to fund union renovations through segregated fees. The failed referendum last spring should have sent a message to WUD that they shouldn't be looking first and foremost to forcing taxes on the student body. They should be looking for generous donors instead.

Though a renovation of Memorial Union and reconstruction of Union South appear necessary in light of safety and access concerns, coupled with general decay, the current proposal simply relies too heavily on an unjust segregated-fee increase. We encourage WUD to devise a more responsible funding proposal for this significant project.

Mac VerStandig did not participate in the crafting of this editorial.