While The Badger Herald Editorial Board deserves praise for being familiar with the facts of the Wisconsin Union Facilities Improvement Plan (WUFIP), many of their assertions ["Millions for Donations, Not One Cent for Tribute," Feb. 14] about private funding and building demand are mistaken, unrealistic or dangerous to student power.
Last year's vote was based on an outdated plan based on input from students in 1998, and due to the lack of time and student ownership, Wisconsin Union Directorate failed to educate our fellow students about the details of this plan. Indeed, the narrow defeat of last year's referendum did send a message: that the University community deserves a better facilities plan that thousands of today's students would help create, and that we need to put every effort into informing the entire student body about the details. Scrapping the outdated plan and starting from scratch this fall, WUFIP is based on the ideas of over 5,000 students who responded to the e-mail survey sent this fall, the hundreds of students involved in focus groups and open forums, and the dozens of students who met directly in planning meetings with architects.
The Editorial Board is correct in declaring that renovating Memorial Union and constructing a new South Campus Union are necessary. The Facilities Improvement Plan will address growing demand for student space, make long-overdue renovations to preserve and make more accessible Memorial Union, and build an environmentally friendly South Campus Union. The Board is mistaken, however, in asserting that the new Student Activity Center (SAC) will decrease demand for student activity space. Indeed, the SAC will include mostly student organization office space. The SAC will not, in fact, include significant meeting or activity space. Thus, the SAC will not meet the demands for such space — in fact, with new office space facilitating the strengthening of student organizations, the SAC will likely lead to an increase in demand for meeting and event space, in which the Union buildings specialize.
The Editorial Board is correct when they point out that the financing for WUFIP includes $30-40 million of private donations and possibly state and/or federal funds, as well as the Union's internal revenue. But the Board is wrong when they imply that the Wisconsin Union is not making its fullest efforts to secure alternative funding sources. The Union is ambitiously pursuing donors, but we are competing against an already saturated philanthropy market. While we are open to naming the new South Campus Union and certain individual rooms after responsible and generous private donors, the Wisconsin Union will not sell out student power, and will not compromise the Union's and University's integrity (in other words, don't count on coming to the 'Starbucks Union' anytime soon).
Now is the time that students must make their contribution. Guaranteeing 30 years of student fee support now enables the Union to buy the bonds necessary to begin the project. Furthermore, by securing students' commitment now, the Wisconsin Union gains incredible leverage when soliciting donations from private and government sources. If students aren't willing to help fund the project, it will increase the difficulty of soliciting alternative funds. It is very important for student voters to understand that the $96 per student per semester fee is a not to exceed amount. It can't go higher; it can only go lower. If we can raise greater than $30-40 million in alternative funds, then that $96 fee will go down. And you better believe that we are going to work our darndest to make this happen.
By closely examining the mix of student, private and other funding sources when considering their role in building the future of our University, the Editorial Board — and thousands of students — are exercising great prudence and responsibility. Understanding the fiscal realities of today's students (which is not hard to do when we are students ourselves), the Wisconsin Union will do everything in its power over the next several years to responsibly raise private, state and federal dollars to complement the significant contribution from UW students.
But hey — money equals power. Student money means maintaining the Wisconsin Union's unbroken tradition of student governance — with students holding the majority of Union Council seats, producing the 1,000-plus programs every year, and determining the funding, design and function of the renovated Memorial Union and a new South Campus Union. Would you want anyone else in charge?
Adam Robinson is a UW senior and Student Performance Director of the Wisconsin Union Directorate.
