Students and staff members from around campus gathered with Vice President of Student Affairs Robin Holmes@@http://directory.uoregon.edu/telecom/directory.jsp?p=findpeople%2Ffind_results&m=staff&d=person&b=name&s=Robin+Holmes@@ Thursday evening to ask questions and express concerns about the upcoming EMU and Student Recreation Center referendum.
While the vote will take place in early November, this was the first opportunity for students to interact with an administration official regarding the upcoming vote.
“We’re super early in the process,” Holmes explained. “It’s so complex. It’s a large facility.”
Holmes mentioned some specific features had been decided upon, including a large multipurpose space, increased student program space, a campus pub and a concert hall. Holmes mentioned that the Division of Student Affairs had been working with the School of Music and Dance and the Oregon Bach Festival on fundraising for the concert hall. A $10 million donation to the concert hall fund by alumni Phyllis and Andy Berwick@@http://oregonbachfestival.com/2011/10/berwick-10-million-gift-to-advance-new-hall/@@ was announced yesterday.
Holmes specifically spoke to the need for a pub on campus, referencing the frequency of alcohol-related police citations and medical emergencies that students are involved in.
“We have a real problem on this campus,” Holmes said. “I want to have venues and opportunities where students can learn to drink responsibly.”
ASUO University Affairs Coordinator Manny Garcia@@http://directory.uoregon.edu/telecom/directory.jsp?p=findpeople%2Ffind_results&m=student&d=person&b=name&s=Manny+Garcia@@ was concerned about the lack of clarity over what the new building would include.
“I’d be much more comfortable voting yes on this if there was some public agreement on what’s going to be in this,” Garcia said.
Holmes replied that designing the building before gathering the funding would drag the process out longer that it is currently slated to be.
“It will slow the process down by several years,” Holmes said. “We need to trust that we’re all working towards the same goal.”
One of the things that seems to be a common goal is increasing programming space.
Gregg Lobisser@@http://directory.uoregon.edu/telecom/directory.jsp?p=findpeople%2Ffind_results&m=staff&d=person&b=name&s=Gregg+Lobisser@@, head of capital projects for Student Affairs, said that all parties involved in the process have been working to increase the amount of office space for student groups in hope of increasing the number of student groups on campus. The University has about a quarter of the number of student groups of other universities its size.
“We’re talking with (ASUO President Ben Eckstein) about how can we serve more students,” Lobisser said.
ASUO Sen. Emma Newman@@http://directory.uoregon.edu/telecom/directory.jsp?p=findpeople%2Ffind_results&m=student&d=person&b=name&s=Emma+Newman@@ expressed concern that the fee increase associated with the project — estimated to be $100 per student per term for the next 30 years — would reduce the affordability of college for students who do not benefit from financial aid.
“There’s no way around this,” Holmes replied. “It’s absolutely true that we worry about this.”
Another public forum will be held next Tuesday, Oct. 18, at 4 p.m. in the SRC Bonus Room. The project architects will be on campus to make a presentation and answer questions next Thursday, Oct. 20, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the EMU’s Fountain Courtyard.@@cc@@