A proposal to create a 9,000 square foot “multicultural wing” in the EMU that recently received $300,000 in over-realized funds still does not have enough funding to be completed, and questions over whether that money can even be used for construction still hang in the air.
The EMU has pledged $400,000 in addition to the over-realized funds allocated by the Student Senate at the May 2 meeting. The project would renovate the space that now holds student union offices, the Multicultural Center and the EMU computer lab. It is expected to cost at least $1.2 million and will not move forward until all the funds are secured.
If and when the project is completed, it could create a more functional, sustainable space for students, EMU Director Dusty Miller said. He said he hopes the new space, which has yet to be designed, would “feature people.”
Currently, the first thing people see when they walk into this part of the building is the windows of the computer lab. Miller said he would hope the newly-designed wing would put student offices up front and put the focus on students.
One of the first steps of the project would be scheduling an architect to come and work with a University “user group” to design the space, Miller said.
Miller said a “user group” is made up of nine to 12 people, including some of the current occupants of the space and members of the Campus Planning Committee. The group would work with an architect to create a space specifically designed for what type of work is done there, allowing the occupants to “be a partner” in the design.
Miller said he was unsure how the various spaces in the wing, including the computer lab, would be incorporated into a new design. He said students love the computer lab but might not need as much space in the future. Deciding what to do with the space would be up to the group that works on the design.
“I would suggest – but do not know this for sure – that the first thing we should see when we come in there is a celebration of people,” Miller said.
The renovation would also modernize the building and create a more sustainable space, Miller said.
New mechanical systems (heating, air conditioning and ventilation) and energy-efficient windows, which provide better insulation to maintain temperature and allow more daylight, will save energy, Miller said.
At the May 2 meeting, some Senators questioned where the $400,000 pledged by the EMU would come from. Miller told the Emerald this money comes from the EMU building reserve.
The EMU building reserve fund is included in the EMU budget and is a five-year projection of expected costs, Miller said. Money from this fund comes from the incidental fee. Each year, 3.5 percent of the total incidental fee budget goes into this fund.
Miller said money for the project will also come from the Oregon University System building fee.
Bob Simonton, director of capital construction for OUS, said the building fee is a $45 per student, per term fee paid by each student in the OUS system. This money is put into a large pool managed by the OUS Chancellor’s Office.
The money is used to pay off bond debts for construction and nothing else, Simonton said.
After Universities pay off existing bond debt, they can start new projects with whatever is left over. Projects that will cost more than $500,000 must be approved by the OUS board, the governor and the state legislature, Simonton said. Any proposals for projects this size would not be reviewed until 2008 and wouldn’t be finalized and approved until 2009.
There is also a possibility of going into “legislative emergency board” in between sessions, he said.
Miller said this project (for any amount) has not been submitted to OUS yet, and the request may be more or less than $500,000.
Although the design phase of the project could be completed now and could lead to more accurate estimates of the total cost, actual construction will not begin until all the funds are secured, Miller said.
There are about four sources the EMU is considering looking to for extra funds, Miller said: the administration, the Oregon University System student building fee, donations and the state itself.
ASUO President Jared Axelrod has given his approval to allocate the $300,000 in over-realized funds to the EMU. The next step is approval from University President Dave Frohnmayer.
There is some uncertainty over whether the over-realized money can actually go toward a construction project because a memo from University Deputy Counsel Randy Geller states, “Incidental fees may not be used for capital projects… we should not allow incidental fees to be used for construction.”
University spokesman Phil Weiler said the definition of capital projects versus remodeling is open to interpretation, and Frohnmayer will need to make the determination by May 24, when the ASUO is slated to switch leadership.
Miller said a good portion of the money pledged by the EMU was set aside several years ago and earmarked for the wing’s mechanical systems, and cannot be spent on other projects.
Another consideration is where all the student offices and the computer lab will be located during construction.
“If we start this project, we’re going to be displacing people,” Miller said.
Miller said he hopes in the end, the new wing will be a modern, sustainable space designed to support the individual needs of the programs located there. He said it should be a much more comfortable place.
“I hope that it invites people to move through it,” he said.
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EMU “Multicultural Wing”: The Money
The proposed renovation of the “multicultural wing” of the EMU, which would incorporate space currently occupied by student union offices, the MCC and the computer lab, is expected to cost at least $1.2 million.
In a contentious vote, the Student Senate allocated the project $300,000 from the over-realized fund at the May 2 meeting.
The EMU has pledged another $400,000. This money will come from the EMU building reserve fund and from the Oregon University System building fee, which costs $45 per student, per term.
Part of the pledged $400,000 has been earmarked for the “mechanical systems” of the new wing (heating, air conditioning and ventilation) and will not be spent on anything else.