The Legislative Affairs Committee of the Associated Students of Madison, in conjunction with University Health Services, began a campaign Tuesday to support construction of a new building that would benefit both groups.
This building would be a new home for UHS, various student organizations and Associated Students of Madison. Ideally, the building would be finished by 2005. Two-thirds of the funding will come from students in the form of segregated fees, with the remaining third coming from the state.
For the past four years, plans for the building have been in progress; however, the location of the building is still undecided. The project has already passed the state Legislature, and has the support of UW-Madison. However, some logistical issues remain.
Jessica Miller, ASM chair, pointed to the decomposing character of the current UHS building and said the aim was to bring these vital services closer to campus.
“We have support on a location near campus; we want it to be on campus. [The current UHS building] is starting to fall apart.”
ASM member Jeff Pertl agreed and said an off-campus site takes away from student activities.
“It is important for the synergy with the Red Gym, Union, [among others],” he said.
Miller agreed and said if the building were constructed off campus, there would be unneeded competition.
“We don’t want to compete with the Union, we want to work with it,” Miller said.
Pertl said he also noticed a lack of attention from the UW regarding the project. “We need to make this their number-one priority [in the budget],” he said. “[This is] a minimum investment from the state.”
Money has already gone toward the planning of the building, and bids on the project are already in. However, Miller said more money is needed to get the project started. “We need money [from the UW] to actually start construction,” said Miller.
However, the final location of the building is unclear.
“We were told it would be near Brothers Bar. That would be the ideal location. [However] that is now up in the air,” Miller said.
“It is important to prioritize the location in Library Mall,” Pertl said.
Pertl also pointed to a real need for the building.
“We are in the bottom quarter in the Wisconsin system and last in the Big Ten for student-organization space,” he said.
To support its on-campus location, the Legislative Affairs Committee will be asking students to sign postcards as a form of petition. This drive began today and will continue Wednesday and Thursday, as well as next week Monday through Thursday.
“There is great financial and political support from students,” Pertl said. “I’d point out that funding is two-thirds segregated fees. That’s many, many millions of dollars. Our activism is exclusively toward finding a site.”
Pertl also recognized Chancellor John Wiley’s role in the project.
“He certainly has a vision of campus,” Pertl said.
At the beginning of next semester, the Legislative Affairs Committee will create a model of the proposed building. The model will be stuffed with the petitions and presented to Chancellor Wiley.
