In order to alleviate some of the expenses of the University of Wisconsin’s East Campus Development Plan, which is currently pending approval by the state of Wisconsin and the city of Madison, student segregated fees will increase. Former UW students made the decision over five years ago.
The referendum, written by the Associated Students of Madison and voted on by students in October of 1999, establishes that over a 20 year span, an additional $20 per full time student will be added to the regular segregated fees that each student already pays every semester. The fees are currently set at $291 per student every semester.
According to Bill Richner, assistant vice chancellor of budget, planning and analysis at UW, segregated fees raise an average $21.8 million each year that goes directly to various student organizations and services.
The additional fees are expected to raise approximately $1.5 million annually. They will go directly toward paying the debts incurred from the Student Activities Center and University Health Services construction portion of the University Square project, Richner said.
Students will not face these added charges until construction begins, according to Alan Fish, the associate vice chancellor of facilities, planning and management. Construction is expected to launch sometime in or after 2005.
“This is a really exciting building project,” Fish said. “Students will be getting a return on [the building project] for many years because the collection of student and health services will be in such a tremendous location. It’s going to really be a great value to students for generations to come.”
In addition to helping fund the project, students will also be actively engaged in the designing of the student organization space. Fish acknowledged how fascinating it has been to see several student classes work on these designs over many years with cooperation and continuity.
The new University Square is just one piece of a large-scale reconstruction project that will completely change the face of east campus over the next several years. According to Fish, new student housing will be located at the corner of Park and Regent Streets, and on the current recreational fields just to the west of the South East Recreational Facility on Dayton Street. Peterson and Ogg Hall, among other buildings, will be demolished. Physical change on campus may begin around the 2006 or 2007 academic year.
“The project is on a very fast schedule,” Fish said. “We will be taking the Dayton and Park Street projects to the Building Commission this spring.”
