[media-credit name=’BRYAN FAUST/Herald Photo’ align=’alignnone’ width=’648′][/media-credit]Having announced an approximately $153 million plan to rebuild Union South and renovate Memorial Union, Wisconsin Union Directorate representatives now wait to see whether students want to foot part of the bill.

WUD representatives launched a signature drive Feb. 1 to garner support for a referendum to raise student segregated fees by $96 next year. If approved, the additional fees would be earmarked to fund part of the Wisconsin Union renovation project.

The proposed renovation project includes a remodeling of Memorial Union — which currently does not meet many safety codes put in place after the union's original construction — and a completely new, larger Union South to be constructed by 2010.

"It's ridiculous, based on the size and structure of Union South and Memorial Union, to serve 40,000 students and their activities," said Shayna Hetzel, vice president of external relations for the Wisconsin Union Directorate, which is overseeing the union renovation plan. "Union South was built in the '70s to complement Memorial Union … to potentially serve 8,000 students. … We're five times that size now."

Wisconsin Union Directorate representatives hope to pay for the first phase of the project using student segregated fees.

Every year, students pay an additional segregated-fee payment on top of their tuition to fund student organizations, a variety of student services — such as University Health Services — as well as part of the operating costs for the two Wisconsin Unions. This year, student segregated fees cost students over $600 each.

Hetzel, though, believes students will be open to paying the increased fees to help improve the popular campus unions.

"We feel students are going to be very receptive," Hetzel said. "The students understand how big of a factor Memorial Union and Union South play in their lives."

However, Eric Varney, chair of the Associated Students of Madison, is concerned many students do not realize just how much the referendum would raise student payments.

If the referendum is approved, Varney said student-segregated fees could rise to more than $800 per student next year, if not more.

"It's a $90 increase in one year, and in addition to everything else, [students] would not vote on it if they realize how much they'll be paying," Varney said.

Every year, Varney said, the number of student organizations coming to ASM requesting money rises, causing segregated fees to increase, in turn, without additional payments.

Segregated fees are determined by how much funding the Student Services Finance Committee and the ASM Student Council decide to allocate to the many campus organizations requesting them.

Last year, SSFC and Student Council allocated more than $28.3 million, and the total could be even more this year.

Varney questioned whether the Wisconsin Union Directorate is looking for funding from sources besides students.

"There's other resources they're not tapping," Varney said, also noting the construction students would be paying for would be completed after a majority of them already left campus. "Next year's seniors and juniors won't see anything [from it]. Only the sophomores might."

However, Hetzel said the Wisconsin Union Directorate is also requesting funding from University of Wisconsin alumni and trustees as well as from the state and federal levels. She also said the additional revenue generated by the union expansion would help.

Hetzel added the renovations are necessary, since Memorial Union does not comply with many safety codes, such as having a sprinkler system or a sufficient fire alarm system.

The only reason Memorial Union is not in any violation now, according to Hetzel, is because the codes were adopted after the union's construction.

But the deadline to upgrade Memorial Union's facilities is approaching, she added.

"There is the potential for that," Hetzel said, when asked if Memorial Union was in risk of being shut down. "It's not to the point where we feel threatened, but the union was grandfathered in and our deadline is coming up."

The Wisconsin Union Directorate needs 2,500 signatures by March 1 to put the referendum on an ASM ballot.

Hetzel said it would not be the first time UW students paid for Memorial Union construction costs.

"Seventy-six years ago, over 50 percent of the [UW student body] donated the equivalent of $500 to pay for the construction of Memorial Union," Hetzel said. "It is our obligation, 76 years from now, to make sure students can enjoy this building."