The University Centers Expansion Task Force presented its recommendation to the A.S. Council for a referendum which calls for a $39 per quarter student fee for the University Centers Expansion and Renovation Project.
Guardian
The referendum vote is set for the seventh week of spring quarter. The proposed amount will be added on to the existing University Centers fee of $37.50 per quarter and will not be assessed until fall 2007.
Expansion for the Price Center will be for about half the size of the current one. It will include additional offices for student organizations, study and social lounge spaces, new dining facilities and other non-food retail services such as a grocery store and ATM machines. The entire project will create over 80 new student offices, and additional meeting and event spaces for student organizations.
The Student Center will also undergo renovations for expansion of some student organization offices, A.S. Soft Reserves, A.S. Lecture Notes and a larger General Store Co-op. Improvements will also be made to include enhanced lighting and more seating.
Guardian
The new services and offices that will be added to the Price Center and the changes in the Student Center were based on the campus-wide survey responses. Additionally, the task force, which is made up of representatives from the A.S. Council, Graduate Student Association, the six colleges and other organizations considered the number of requests for student meeting and event spaces to determine the space priority.
The task force fee recommendation is also result of research and calculation of projected revenues from rent income and student fees. In addition, the task force also took into account projected costs for the expansion and renovation.
According to University Centers Advisory Board Chair James Lynch, there has been effort to keep fees as low as possible for students and a campus-wide survey was also conducted to learn what amount students are willing to pay for the project.
“”The fee seems marginal compared to the registration fees that have already been increased to about a hundred dollars,”” said Earl Warren College junior Paul Kindschi. “”It’s a reasonable fee.””
The referendum also states specific conditions that a Building Advisory Committee consisting of two thirds of students and co-chaired by a student will be assigned to oversee the construction of the project.
“”Since student fees will approximately cover 50 percent of project costs, students will definitely have a say on how the expansion will be aesthetically designed,”” said UCETF Chair Garo Bournoutian.
Other campuses throughout the state have passed similar referenda for student fees to fund expansion projects. According to Director of University Centers Gary Ratcliff, the projects that have proliferated across California are a state-wide phenomenon.
By 2010, UCSD is estimated to have about 30,000 students.
