Renovations may create higher fee

Before the plans have been finalized and the construction has been started, discussions about the costs for the use and upkeep of the soon-to-be renovated White Building and its facilities have begun.

In regular meetings with administrators in the Office of Student Affairs, elected student representatives have been giving input about the three possible methods of funding recreation facilities and activities.

The possibilities include the addition of a recreation fee, the increase of the $25 student activity fee or the implementation of a user fee for the new facility.

- Tim Curley, athletic director

Student representatives are continuing to gather and give input to the administration to fund the middle ground that Hakim J. Washington, co-president of the National Panhellenic Council, said needs to be reached between current facilities on campus and the more expensive downtown athletic facilities.

For the most part, they are favoring the user fee as a method of funding the use and upkeep of the White Building when it is completed. The final plans for the White Building construction are still being worked on, said Herb Schmidt, associate athletic director.

Recreation fees are not uncommon at universities and would fund current services and allow for construction and improvements of facilities, said Tim Curley, athletic director.

"Right now, we have a real challenge in building new facilities for students," he said. "Our primary interest is that we want to find the best facilities for the student body."

The need to increase funding for intramural sports and other recreation facilities and services has been discussed, said Tiffany Cresswell, chair of the University Park Allocation Committee (UPAC), which distributes part of the student activity fee.

The number of requests for allocations has increased this year and UPAC has worked with the Athletic Department to fund recreation services and facilities, Cresswell said. Starting this semester, she said UPAC will allocate money for intramural sports and recreation facilities, while the department will continue to fund club sports.

She said she would like UPAC to increase the amount of the allocation but is not in favor of increasing of the student activity fee.

"I'm in favor of the user fee (for the use of the White Building facilities) because I think that people who use the facilities the most should pay the most," she said.

Council of Commonwealth Student Governments President Greg Bednarski said he also favors the user fee because he does not want students who have no access to such facilities and services to be charged.

"(Other University locations) have no buildings to upgrade," Bednarski said. "Very few of the campuses have intramural and club sports such as University Park."

The recreation fee and increased student activity fee would apply to all full-time students at all University locations, he said. Regardless of the final decision, the student activity fee may be increased slightly due to cost-of-living increases, Millar said. Members of the Student Activity Fee Board will discuss any increases at their next meeting Feb. 27.